laughing at myself

justwannabe · 11-03-2007, 09:44 AM

I find it funny that a lot of times I dont want to do anything, but I also dont want to do nothing.
maybe I am just weird, wait no maybes about it, I am weird
seeker

**Nichole** · 11-03-2007, 03:31 PM

Neil,
lol...I am beginning to feel like we need a new forum called "Dear Diary" that is just for you.

Namaste

justwannabe · 11-03-2007, 08:07 PM

I do have a diary, you want me to post out of it

just figure I might as well throw some thoughts out there I find some interesting insights from people on this forum.
have a blessed day
seeker

Metaphysical Story Teller · 11-04-2007, 08:42 AM

Yeah, I think most of us go through that. It's that dangerous "neutral" state warned about in the Gita. One where you neither want to fight, nor retreat.

I think having a schedule is necessary for success in life. The planets, stars and nature all use one -- why not us?

I have monthly, weekly and daily goals. Blocked out time to work on stuff (whether I feel like it or not). Once I get going on almost anything, I love it.

The only caveat is having enough sleep. If I'm sleep deprived then work can be a drag.

csr · 11-04-2007, 11:22 PM

go ahead laugh. ill join you any time. we don't laugh enough .
but please don't laugh at anything. you don't need a reason to do what is so natural. and especially don't laugh at your self. what is it that you are doing or not doing that you think is so funny. ? doing or not doing is really what you think of it. strangely to me , this is what some one told me- " whether you do or don't ,you are " em.....it has been done.....,ill enjoy whats there, and most importantly leave it unturned for the rest. one day it will all make sense. peace to you, one and all.

Pandara · 11-05-2007, 12:22 AM

Hmmm...perhaps this sounds weird, but my most enjoyable laughing time is when I would lay down on my lawn under one of the trees in the garden. Then I'll just wait until the little ones come out and start to tickle me and I will laugh, deep and from inside. It is usually just so good and after that I feel so refreshed and in touch and at-one with all.

Hubert · 11-05-2007, 04:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metaphysical Story Teller

Yeah, I think most of us go through that. It's that dangerous "neutral" state warned about in the Gita. One where you neither want to fight, nor retreat.

Jung describes a similar experience in his childhood. He calls it neurosis.
Steiner says that a time will come when the disciple is liberated of ceirtan habitual and instinctive actions. This means that now, one has to do this consciously, at his will. A strong will is paramount here.

Also it is said in the Sutras: This Atman is not attainable by a weak man. (Naayam Atma balaheenena labhyah - Sivanada translation)

In an old romanian yoga book from the sixties (we are not that backward after all !

), I read the following exercise: plan ahead that when you do something what you like, immersed in that activity, to be distracted by something or someone. Than, shift your attention to the new task, without any hesitation.

I also read another very radical approach: the mind is the enemy, never do what it likes. Very powerful against the ego.

Fin · 11-05-2007, 08:19 AM

Hubert & Metaphysical Story Teller,

Isn’t setting Goals (which I do BTW) the contrary of living in the NOW?

Hubert · 11-05-2007, 09:45 AM

Yes, it is.

Fin · 11-05-2007, 10:19 AM

I thought living in the NOW is commended!

justwannabe · 11-05-2007, 04:49 PM

if I live in the now how can I do anything? if I start to take a step I am looking towards the future and setting a goal, to walk? If I reach for a bite of food my goal is the bite of food so my intention of now is aimed at future results of my current actions of reaching. So when walking should I have a destination in mind? Now having a destination in mind and allowing myself to change course and walk towards another destination is being present in the journey? When I type on the computer I have an intention of what I want to say but must focus on being in the now so I may write the word that I am at?
thoughts
seeker

Pandara · 11-05-2007, 10:28 PM

Hi,

Living in the now doesn't mean that you must deny past and future, it just means that you shouldn't dwell too much on the past and future. Living in the now is to have no expectations and to let go and let God. That's my understanding of it.

Fin · 11-06-2007, 03:14 AM

Fear emanates from identifying the self with the body and not living in the NOW, right?

Yet I do see tubeseekers view that every step you take in the NOW is for a future outcome. So the outcome/goal becomes very important …

Living in the NOW requires you have no attachment to future outcome …

Goals are outcomes in the Future. A well constructed game plan with lots of Goals implies you are not in the NOW?

Sorry, I am confused!

Pandara · 11-06-2007, 03:53 AM

Hi Fin,

I would like to quote Echart Tolle here as I think he has the best explanation:

"Have you ever expereinced, done, thought, or felt anything outside the Now? Do you think you ever will? Is it possible for anything to happen or be outside the Now? The answer is obvious, is it not? Nothing ever happened in the past, it happened in the Now. Nothing will ever happen in the future, it will happen in the Now. What you think of as the past is a memory trace, stored in the mind, of a former now. When you remember the past, you reactivate a memory trace - and you do so now. The future is an imagined Now, a projection of the mind. When the future comes, it comes as the Now. When you think about the future, you do it now. Past and future obviously have no reality of their own. Just as the moon has no light of its own, but can only reflect the light of the sun, so are past and future only pale reflections of the light, power, and reality of the eternal present. Their reality is 'borrowed' from the Now." From The Power of Now, p41-42.

Hope it makes sense. I find his teaching about Now phenomenal and liberating.

Hubert · 11-06-2007, 05:44 AM

I am not beyond dualism, so it fits. I tried to think about this but it is hard. I know it is possible to unite these two aspects but I am not able to explain it.

Fin · 11-06-2007, 06:20 AM

Pandara:
Thanks for the quote. It is very inspiring…
I still need to reconcile the following. Goals are important (that’s how you achieve) but goals are events in the future. When you design an event in the future you Not in the NOW?

Thanks for the quote, it gives me something to think about.

Hubert:
Cumulative slices of now unite to make the future possible.
The way I reconcile this in my own mind is that we do have to set goals – but goals (may be) are a snapshot of an event in the future. The universe conspires to try & make the snapshot possible (depending on karma, your actions in the Now etc…).

Not all goals are fulfilled hence not all snapshots become a reality?

Am I on the right track, Hubert? Is this how you reconcile this?

Hubert · 11-06-2007, 03:55 PM

In the movie "Out of Africa", it is given the example of the masai. They, if imprisoned, die, because they cannot imagine the future when they will be released. Don't know if it is true ...

For me not living in the NOW is harder. I tell you, living in the NOW is very unpractical.

Lars Rimböck · 11-16-2007, 04:08 PM

Why to think about the future.It´is´nt more than science fiction, cause we`ll never know what future willbring.
Why to stick to the past? It`s over and gone.
Laughing about our self and smiling to the world is one of the best things we can do that prevents narrowness and opens the heart wide.
Shanti
Lars

Fin · 11-17-2007, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lars Rimböck

Laughing about our self and smiling to the world is one of the best things we can do that prevents narrowness and opens the heart wide.
Shanti
Lars

true but does not pay the Taxes & feed your family ...

laughing about ourself becomes a lot easier once dharma is fullfilled

**Mirjana** · 11-17-2007, 04:34 AM

I think escaping the now is when you think about how it would be if ... (for the future or past) But if you make a plan and action to realize it you only get an opportunity to practice and learn flexibility and all the rest in the present moment.

Lars Rimböck · 11-17-2007, 03:14 PM

Dear fin
It`s feeding me and my family pretty well.
The more I stop worrying , the more I smile to the world and the more I can laugh about me and my mistakes in life the better my life works out.
Serve the creation and it will serve you.
Everythiung else I considere to be spiritual excuses.

All the best
lars
__________________________________________________ __________
Patanjali Yoga Schule Münster

Fin · 11-18-2007, 01:31 AM

Planning ahead (Goals etc) doe not constitute worry.
It simply implies not living in the NOW.

Lars Rimböck · 11-20-2007, 05:05 PM

No setting goals is not the same like worrying, but if we don`t reach the goal and we are attached to it, than follows disapointment.
All the best
Lars
__________________________________________________ ________
Patanjali Yoga Schule Münster

drjay1966 · 07-08-2008, 11:29 PM

William Faulkner wrote:
"God knows, it's sacrilege to waste the talent for idleness which I possess."
Apparently you have the same talent!

Dr. Jay

moth · 07-09-2008, 07:15 AM

Setting goals....hmmm...I have a teenager and I'm right at the point that I need to teach her how to set goals for herself. Believe me, at this point in her life, she needs this. Goals set you toward a (hopefully positive) destination and yes, you may not get there and you might end up disappointed. But, too much living in the NOW (at least for a young person) = too little responsibility and too little effort. Maybe you can give up goals once you've actually achieved some?

That being said, MY favorite thing to do is nothing! It's a welcome escape from all the goals and destinations and responsibilties and activities...and the teenager.

And laughing? I love it when you laugh so hard you cry. Again (with me) the best place to be is always smack in the middle - the point where tears meet smiles.

+

11-03-2007, 09:44 AM	#1
justwannabe pañcashata Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 538	I find it funny that a lot of times I dont want to do anything, but I also dont want to do nothing. maybe I am just weird, wait no maybes about it, I am weird seeker __________________ I am light, I am love, I am peace, I am kindness, I am happiness, I am here, it is now. I am, and so are you

11-03-2007, 08:07 PM	#3
justwannabe pañcashata Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 538	I do have a diary, you want me to post out of it just figure I might as well throw some thoughts out there I find some interesting insights from people on this forum. have a blessed day seeker __________________ I am light, I am love, I am peace, I am kindness, I am happiness, I am here, it is now. I am, and so are you

11-04-2007, 08:42 AM	#4
Metaphysical Story Teller Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Stratford, Ontario, Canada Posts: 7	Yeah, I think most of us go through that. It's that dangerous "neutral" state warned about in the Gita. One where you neither want to fight, nor retreat. I think having a schedule is necessary for success in life. The planets, stars and nature all use one -- why not us? I have monthly, weekly and daily goals. Blocked out time to work on stuff (whether I feel like it or not). Once I get going on almost anything, I love it. The only caveat is having enough sleep. If I'm sleep deprived then work can be a drag. __________________ John C. A. Manley *The Mahabharata* Meets The Lord of the Rings:** You're invited to receive a free print and audio copy of my metaphysical fantasy novelette, The Redemption of Talafi at... http://MetaphysicalStories.com/~/5

11-05-2007, 12:22 AM	#6
Pandara pañcashata Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Pretoria, South Africa Posts: 593	Hmmm...perhaps this sounds weird, but my most enjoyable laughing time is when I would lay down on my lawn under one of the trees in the garden. Then I'll just wait until the little ones come out and start to tickle me and I will laugh, deep and from inside. It is usually just so good and after that I feel so refreshed and in touch and at-one with all. __________________ Blessings & Om's Pandara _____________________________________________ Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realise. - Swami Sivanada

11-05-2007, 04:49 PM	#11
justwannabe pañcashata Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 538	if I live in the now how can I do anything? if I start to take a step I am looking towards the future and setting a goal, to walk? If I reach for a bite of food my goal is the bite of food so my intention of now is aimed at future results of my current actions of reaching. So when walking should I have a destination in mind? Now having a destination in mind and allowing myself to change course and walk towards another destination is being present in the journey? When I type on the computer I have an intention of what I want to say but must focus on being in the now so I may write the word that I am at? thoughts seeker __________________ I am light, I am love, I am peace, I am kindness, I am happiness, I am here, it is now. I am, and so are you

11-03-2007, 03:31 PM	#2
Nichole SYT Moderator Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Boulder, Colorado Posts: 780	Neil, lol...I am beginning to feel like we need a new forum called "Dear Diary" that is just for you. Namaste

11-04-2007, 11:22 PM	#5
csr Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: malaysia,penang Posts: 8	go ahead laugh. ill join you any time. we don't laugh enough . but please don't laugh at anything. you don't need a reason to do what is so natural. and especially don't laugh at your self. what is it that you are doing or not doing that you think is so funny. ? doing or not doing is really what you think of it. strangely to me , this is what some one told me- " whether you do or don't ,you are " em.....it has been done.....,ill enjoy whats there, and most importantly leave it unturned for the rest. one day it will all make sense. peace to you, one and all.

11-05-2007, 08:19 AM	#8
Fin shatá Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: England UK Posts: 123	Hubert & Metaphysical Story Teller, Isn’t setting Goals (which I do BTW) the contrary of living in the NOW?

11-05-2007, 09:45 AM	#9
Hubert saptashata Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Romania Posts: 740	Yes, it is.

11-05-2007, 10:19 AM	#10
Fin shatá Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: England UK Posts: 123	I thought living in the NOW is commended!

11-05-2007, 10:28 PM	#12
Pandara pañcashata Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Pretoria, South Africa Posts: 593	Hi, Living in the now doesn't mean that you must deny past and future, it just means that you shouldn't dwell too much on the past and future. Living in the now is to have no expectations and to let go and let God. That's my understanding of it. __________________ Blessings & Om's Pandara _____________________________________________ Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realise. - Swami Sivanada

11-06-2007, 03:14 AM	#13
Fin shatá Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: England UK Posts: 123	Fear emanates from identifying the self with the body and not living in the NOW, right? Yet I do see tubeseekers view that every step you take in the NOW is for a future outcome. So the outcome/goal becomes very important … Living in the NOW requires you have no attachment to future outcome … Goals are outcomes in the Future. A well constructed game plan with lots of Goals implies you are not in the NOW? Sorry, I am confused!

11-06-2007, 03:53 AM	#14
Pandara pañcashata Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Pretoria, South Africa Posts: 593	Hi Fin, I would like to quote Echart Tolle here as I think he has the best explanation: "Have you ever expereinced, done, thought, or felt anything outside the Now? Do you think you ever will? Is it possible for anything to happen or be outside the Now? The answer is obvious, is it not? Nothing ever happened in the past, it happened in the Now. Nothing will ever happen in the future, it will happen in the Now. What you think of as the past is a memory trace, stored in the mind, of a former now. When you remember the past, you reactivate a memory trace - and you do so now. The future is an imagined Now, a projection of the mind. When the future comes, it comes as the Now. When you think about the future, you do it now. Past and future obviously have no reality of their own. Just as the moon has no light of its own, but can only reflect the light of the sun, so are past and future only pale reflections of the light, power, and reality of the eternal present. Their reality is 'borrowed' from the Now." From The Power of Now, p41-42. Hope it makes sense. I find his teaching about Now phenomenal and liberating. __________________ Blessings & Om's Pandara _____________________________________________ Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realise. - Swami Sivanada

11-06-2007, 05:44 AM	#15
Hubert saptashata Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Romania Posts: 740	I am not beyond dualism, so it fits. I tried to think about this but it is hard. I know it is possible to unite these two aspects but I am not able to explain it.

11-06-2007, 06:20 AM	#16
Fin shatá Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: England UK Posts: 123	Pandara: Thanks for the quote. It is very inspiring… I still need to reconcile the following. Goals are important (that’s how you achieve) but goals are events in the future. When you design an event in the future you Not in the NOW? Thanks for the quote, it gives me something to think about. Hubert: Cumulative slices of now unite to make the future possible. The way I reconcile this in my own mind is that we do have to set goals – but goals (may be) are a snapshot of an event in the future. The universe conspires to try & make the snapshot possible (depending on karma, your actions in the Now etc…). Not all goals are fulfilled hence not all snapshots become a reality? Am I on the right track, Hubert? Is this how you reconcile this?

11-06-2007, 03:55 PM	#17
Hubert saptashata Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Romania Posts: 740	In the movie "Out of Africa", it is given the example of the masai. They, if imprisoned, die, because they cannot imagine the future when they will be released. Don't know if it is true ... For me not living in the NOW is harder. I tell you, living in the NOW is very unpractical.

11-16-2007, 04:08 PM	#18
Lars Rimböck shatá Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Germany Posts: 107	Why to think about the future.It´is´nt more than science fiction, cause we`ll never know what future willbring. Why to stick to the past? It`s over and gone. Laughing about our self and smiling to the world is one of the best things we can do that prevents narrowness and opens the heart wide. Shanti Lars Last edited by Lars Rimböck; 11-16-2007 at 04:15 PM.

11-17-2007, 04:34 AM	#20
Mirjana Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Amsterdam Posts: 255	I think escaping the now is when you think about how it would be if ... (for the future or past) But if you make a plan and action to realize it you only get an opportunity to practice and learn flexibility and all the rest in the present moment.

11-17-2007, 03:14 PM	#21
Lars Rimböck shatá Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Germany Posts: 107	Dear fin It`s feeding me and my family pretty well. The more I stop worrying , the more I smile to the world and the more I can laugh about me and my mistakes in life the better my life works out. Serve the creation and it will serve you. Everythiung else I considere to be spiritual excuses. All the best lars __________________________________________________ __________ Patanjali Yoga Schule Münster

11-18-2007, 01:31 AM	#22
Fin shatá Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: England UK Posts: 123	Planning ahead (Goals etc) doe not constitute worry. It simply implies not living in the NOW.

11-20-2007, 05:05 PM	#23
Lars Rimböck shatá Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Germany Posts: 107	No setting goals is not the same like worrying, but if we don`t reach the goal and we are attached to it, than follows disapointment. All the best Lars __________________________________________________ ________ Patanjali Yoga Schule Münster

07-08-2008, 11:29 PM	#24
drjay1966 Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: West Mt. Airy, State of Perplexity Posts: 8	William Faulkner wrote: "God knows, it's sacrilege to waste the talent for idleness which I possess." Apparently you have the same talent! Dr. Jay

07-09-2008, 07:15 AM	#25
moth Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: by the ocean Posts: 26	Setting goals....hmmm...I have a teenager and I'm right at the point that I need to teach her how to set goals for herself. Believe me, at this point in her life, she needs this. Goals set you toward a (hopefully positive) destination and yes, you may not get there and you might end up disappointed. But, too much living in the NOW (at least for a young person) = too little responsibility and too little effort. Maybe you can give up goals once you've actually achieved some? That being said, MY favorite thing to do is nothing! It's a welcome escape from all the goals and destinations and responsibilties and activities...and the teenager. And laughing? I love it when you laugh so hard you cry. Again (with me) the best place to be is always smack in the middle - the point where tears meet smiles. +