Anyone else find it hard to give up worldly pleasures?
I dont want to live in a hut. I love my family. I like my job. My car is pretty sweet. My phone is ok, I could do without it but I'd be more bored. I like my cat. Food is nice. Sex is pretty rad.
Why do I have to give up everything I worked hard for. I'm at a point in life where I can enjoy the fruits of all my labor. But everything about spiritualism is telling me to give them all up. That would just make me sad. I dont see how I'd be happy doing that.
What's a religion or philosophy that's going to let me enjoy what I like, as long as it's not sinful or excessive? Can I still reach enlightenment without giving everything up. I really don't want to live in a hut
little steps young one
Literally the whole point of the LHP. Have your cake and eat it too.
I'm not interesting in sins or black magic
Well I've cut out most of my vices. I still slip every now and then but I'm more aware and I have better control of myself each time.
But there's just things I want to always enjoy. Like my house for starters
I feel you. I've been taking more time to meditate outside, it's been great, but that feeling of am I doing it right because I still have my want of worldly possessions is holding me back.
How much are you willing to give?
Really? Maybe I had a wrong definition. I hear all these stories of yogis living in borderline poverty by choice. I've definitely noticed myself being happier now that I've learned to be indifferent of outcomes. Maybe I'll continue that road.
Some guy hit my car the other day. It wasn't a big bump but I managed to find peace with both of our cars were still functional, and my bumper wasn't completely damaged. I let him go without pressing for his insurance.
Little mental gains like that make me feel like I'm working towards something. As long as I don't have to live in poverty by choice, I think I can handle spiritualism
I'm willing to give him more. I've been trying to cut video games and fiction in my free time. I've been mostly successful but I'm having a hard time controlling it like I cut sexual immorality and my eating habits. It's hard. Try it, give him anything of value to you but be prepared to give it to him forever. What would you sacrifice to the one who gave us this world?
But why would he give it to you just to have you give it up? The amount of times I prayed for insight, knowledge, guidance. All of these things have led me to where I am today. Some things are completely unnecessary and I'll gladly give up my sins or unnecessary habits
>video games
Gave up
>porn
Gave up
>junk food
Gave up
But the teachings say you should give up your house. The same house I prayed for, and got with a miracle. It's conflicting
He doesn't want your house. He wants you to be clean for the next stage of life. Heaven is a psychic world. The hard working and devoted Watchers do all sorts of things and one of the most important things to him is sexual cleanliness. Self control. If you are given an abundance, then generosity is your game to play. He wants the one to have nothing to have more and the one who has everything to share it with those in need. The music thing about the same song getting old after hearing it day and night and I want to be less annoying to Him. I also gave it to him because I believed he asked me to. I gave up weed because I loved it and I wanted to give him something that was of great value to me. To Him, fiction and video games are a waste of my time and also a waste of His. You know some people can just pick up a book and never stop. I desire to be what I think He wants me to be.
I tell you the truth. Anyone with a repentant heart who gets baptized will receive resurrection and eternal life.
I think Zen is known as a religion for those who have worldly obligations.
Maybe you have obligations but not attachment?
You can't have attachment to your things
>obligations
That's exactly how I feel. Things I need to have in order to provide. A house, a job, a car. If my current car dies I have no attachment to it. But I have the need for "a car".
I've never actually looked into zen. Any good stating points?
Not that anon, I just think you're already doing great. As far as I understand the point of mindfulness and struggling to be better is not in disposing everything you have. Like the other guy said, you need to find happiness in being yourself at the present moment. Having a house and a car to provide for yourself doesn't mean you're materialistic if you're aware of their purpose.
Alan Watts -The Way of Zen
Suzuki - Zen Mind Beginners Mind
the point of dropping just one a week is that morons start to make enemies of themselves if they create too many restrictions too quickly
without self love it's all going to waste
A good person with resources is able to do more good than one without them, and is able to focus on more things when they'd otherwise be occupied with their survival.
I think I'm starting to get it. Thanks guys. I had a bad idea of detachment vs obligations.
There's still a fear of losing it all that I can now see I have, since its apparent in my posts. I'll have to introspect on that and come to terms with that possibility.
>my house
>"my"
>"house"
deconstruct those ideas and come back to us
"My" "house"
>my
It's mine, in an egoic sense. It belongs to me. It was someone else's, now it's mine, then it will belong to someone else. For the time being It's under my posession.
>house
It's a place to live.
"My house" is a definition that changes as my current living situation changes. Right now "my house" is my current house. Eventually "my house" will move on to be my next house.
I'm not attached to this current house of mine. It's nice and it's comfortable, but I still need a house. I'd prefer if it was a nice house, which it just happens to be.
My problem was the misguided belief that if have to get rid of my house to eventually live in a hut, to reach a version of enlightenment. I'm understanding that I can enjoy "my current house" without being upset if it gets wrecked by a tornado tomorrow. My self definition of who I am is not attached to "my house".
like the other homosexual said, baby steps
pick one thing your mind asks for a week and say no
just one. you don't have to get autistic and set huge restrictions. refuse just one thing a week. your life will change immeasurably
>What's a religion or philosophy that's going to let me enjoy what I like, as long as it's not sinful or excessive?
I think we have to do this ourselves, anon. I'm in the same boat as you. Personally, enjoying things bit getting out of the city and being closer to nature is my goal.
I've given up a lot for the Lord. I've given up my sexual interest and masturbation. For a time I gave him my diet (No salt, sugar, or oil. Vegetables and wheat only for 21 days). I gave up weed and my favorite music. Lately I've been fasting for 3 meals every other day. I'm addicted to giving him things. He has blessed me with vivid dreams that reveal ugliness in myself for me to address and work on. He has blessed my cup to overflow.
Christ says to clean the inside of the bowl first. Do this and you will see that giving him everything is worth it.
Detachment means to learn how to be happy regardless of having these things or not, but you shouldn't give up on them.
Same man.
I don't wanna live in a hut, but I wanna live away from people, but if I tried to go live innawoods I'd probably have to give up internet.
Shit, I can't even give up goddamn porn.
>let me
slave mind
take to heart the fact that you were born a member of the greatest earth-bound species (as far as we're aware) on one of the very few planets that can support life some of the time on some of its surface in one of the safest environments and era. you should not only feel grateful for merely existing but ecstatic. you shouldn't need anything but self-reflection to fulfill you. that doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy the material fruits of your existence but understand their allure is fleeting.
The demiurge makes a thread pretty much every other day about how he's going to reincarnate me forever no matter what and even if I somehow stop myself from existing he will just restart the cycle same as how this one began from "nothing". The demiurge is a sadist and he violently gatekeeps good things because he's a sadist. He wants me to suffer and not enjoy life or have anything good because he's a sadist. He's already made it explicitly clear that "non-attachment" can't stop him from forcing me to reincarnate so that he can dominate and abuse me more, he only wants me to suffer by not having anything good because he's a sadist.
Why would you give up wordly pleasures? Only a base moron would do such a thing. It's the attachment and lust for such things that you need to work on.
https://lukesmith.xyz/articles/hedonism-asceticism-and-the-hermetic-answer/
Read this
Thank you luke
The Fourth Way
that's an interesting image anon. I wonder what squidward is looking at that would give him such an expression.
If it were easy, it wouldn’t be the right path, anon
None of those things are making you "happy", anon. They are distracting you from the experience of boredom or pain.
t. self-aware duhkha enjoyer
it's not about that
all these ideas talk about a destination and not a process
you're supposed to get swept up in it
but know when it's time to let go
any and all material is not coming with you as you continue on
it is all tools for your growth and development into becoming your supreme self
You don't have to give them up, but you have to be in a place where if you lost them all, your faith wouldn't be damaged and you wouldn't be changed.
Everyone has a "God" in this sense, the ultimate foundation their wellbeing rests upon. Read Augustine's Confessions, he realized that God was the one and only valid foundation.
There is no deadset path for everyone anon. For me it was learning to enjoy things that are meaningless as much as something I worked really hard for. I went from looking at a field of grass as a quick glance and move on, to something I can stare at and appreciate for hours like it was my own work of art. By giving up things you are learning how to appreciate something or a state of mind of "lesser" value. Use your spirituality to enhance pleasures or add more, not to replace them completely.
you don't have to give them up, just don't place your existence around them
the point is if you lost it all today then you shouldn't care
middle path - have ethics
Giga middle path - oscillate left and right paths
moron thread made by a moron
i would love to build a log cabin but the government is gay.
frick the government.
we should be teaching our boys to hunt, not be city slicking homo-genders.