Key Elements

Thanks.

Because if 'you' think that you're superior to another just because they have bad habits or didn't realize the path yet, and then 'you' start to lecture them and try to put them on the path, they will probably not listen, and 'you' may be misguiding them even more. They may not understand or are not interested. They are not ready to hear it. So a debate may start and gets nowhere. Lecturing and trying to convince another person could be a form of fingerpointing.

I wasn't talking about you. I was referring to the quotation.

I agree with this saying... "The map is not the territory metaphorically illustrates the differences between belief and reality. The phrase was coined by Alfred Korzybski. Our perception of the world is being generated by our brain and can be considered as a 'map' of reality written in neural patterns." But, I want to add to it. A map could be any tool we use to get somewhere or find something we're looking for. If we find it, we may only think we found it. It may only be a vista point, not the actual territory. It's not so easy to find the actual territory, even though we may be using several maps and many references. Maps are only maps -- concepts after concepts. The territory has to happen to you on its own, and then you realize. It cannot be induced by maps. You won't learn the lessons along the way. Induced territories could be very misguided for a long time. And then following the actual territory, you get used to it, learn from it, and continue. When you get guided by the territory, it will not follow any human principles. Human principles will only be reduced to words and pointers.

@Saumaya One of my favourite quotes: If you want to show others something, it can't be done by telling them what they can and cannot do.

@cetus56 No, not at all. Did you watch the video? No, right? Where is that being candy coated? It's right there in that video. He actually did that.

@Leo Gura These sentences... "I feel pain." "I feel anger." are different from these sentences... "I am the pain." "I am the anger." Somewhere in the middle of this clip, when a monk was protesting against the Vietnam War, he lit himself with fire and wasn't even crying; it is an example of 'I am the pain.'" An example of "I am the anger," could be a high ranking Shaolin monk fighting with a major enemy in self defense, not bothering if he's going to die. Truly enlightened masters know when to exhibit, "I am the (anger/pain)." They don't do it whenever they want with whoever. They've mastered when to do it. Leo, sometimes you got to explain it in a way to reduce negative publicity and assumptions from others.

@zoey101 ?????????you're welcome????

@zoey101 Don't worry so much. Things happen in life. Wishing you all the best. I want to share something else that I noticed. God also gives us blessings all the time. Did you notice? I think the problem is, sometimes we don't know how to receive our blessings. I think if we did, things would fall into place a lot quicker. Leo, in his most recent clip on his blog, said to 'surrender' to God and become one with Him. Well, great, but I feel that what is most missing is, we still have a life to live and lessons to learn and 'surrendering' to God's blessings. Here is an example.

@Tom Daniel D This is such a cute one. I like his style here: @Leo Gura But Leo...if you're going to become The Cloth Bag Monk, you can't turn your Maslow pyramid (aka, life purpose) upside down. It looks awkward. If you had included a mastery, it would've been looking more balanced. Shaolin monks did that. Their spirituality is at the tippy top. They don't speak about it. Their actions is kung fu mastery. Only if someone is interested do they tell them about spirituality/no-self. Mother Teresa taught poor kids geography for free. That was her way of giving (mastery), even without the exchange of money.

I agree that we still have a lot of problems, and we as the human race have a long way to go. However, now we have so many tools right at our fingertips. Jesus and Buddha didn't have that. They only had word-of-mouth. But, I have to give them a lot of credit. They achieved a lot. Buddha went from Rajput to Brahmin in a time where the caste system defined who you are. Now, it's secular with a lot of opportunities.

Have you looked at this clip: It seems to relate to what you're saying. But then, you got to be careful. When you go out and talk to people, most likely they may not listen, even though they asked you tons of questions, or you expressed a lot of things to them. Following the questions or conversation, they may start criticizing. The two ppl are in very different places in their lives. They can't relate. And, it is up to the person to change himself/herself, not up to the other person. I said this before. I find the following quotes useful: A person has to take action in order for another to realize what he/she is about. What better way to do that than to use the life purpose as a vehicle? You can express your spirituality there (along with your mastery) in subtle ways so that those who are ready to hear it will hear it. Then, they will incorporate it into their lives to better the world in their own ways. It works like a ripple effect. I also like this clip of Shinzen Young. It's part 3, but he's saying metaphorically that the "hands are outstretched" without you speaking.

Compromising on something like a sexual orientation or a sexual orientation is a huge compromise. Can a person even live with it? A gay guy with a straight gal is the same as two straight guys going together. In most cases, it doesn't work. You could look it up. It backfires. The point is, you got to be very much aware of your sexual orientation and consequences. These two sentences are different: "Being very monogamous is my sexual orientation." "Being very monogamous is a paradigm."

This is an excellent and bold point. Thanks. There's probably more than just LGBT. That's why you can't just casually approach anyone. Yeah, why should the other person tell you their core values / boundaries or sexual orientation, when you're just going to put them on the spot and start criticizing and judging? It's a very uncomfortable situation.

These quotes make sense to me. The second one, you got to express it in your life purpose so that those who are interested will hear you and incorporate it into their lives.

The word responsible doesn't go with being a father + taking meth. I was only saying to pack up because you yourself need to recover physically and psychologically with your child. It's a lot. If you choose to move out now, it doesn't mean the relationship is over right away. He has to understand that. The thing is, he chose to be a man by choosing to be a father, but he's irresponsible and unacceptable.

I really like this one. I still listen to it sometimes.

How do you plan to stay motivated on a daily basis throughout your life?

I know that if you're from Nepal or Bhutan (citizens), you could enter India freely (aka no restrictions), work there, and stay as long as you like. You just can't vote there. But, if you're from somewhere else, like the US, and have a tourist visa, you got to check into the immigration office within 14 days. They are very strict on this. Pay attention to your passport and documents. If you're going on a spiritual journey, there is probably a special visa for that. You may want to research and check with an immigration lawyer for that. Yes, you got to research and plan the journey well. Work on your LP, network with ppl who have already been there, and make sure you ask good questions. Get second (3rd, 4th, 5th...) opinions too. "The places where you have the biggest challenges in your life become the places where you have the most to give." -Tracy Mcmillan

@ 35:18

I agree with you here 100%, but most ppl won't get it in this lifetime and won't listen. That's what LP is for. It could serve as a vehicle to communicate this message indirectly to humanity, so that those who get it will get it. At least the message will be passed on to some ppl and it will make a difference in their lives.

@Charlotte Have you and Ruth ever signed up to do dance aerobics together? It's fun! You could do that over the weekend on your free time and burn those calories. What about yoga? The both of you could try to figure out your LP together and have fun with this too. The point is, have some fun while solving problems. To me, it looks like she has to learn how to solve problems, and eventually not be overly dependent and esp not be emotionally dependent on anyone.

@zoey101 dear, this sounds horrible. Like anything profound in this life, please think of what to do for your next steps, for you and your child. Make sure you plan ahead. Ask yourself, "if I do this, then this, this, and this, etc., will happen. If I do that, then that will happen." I think it may be time to focus more on you. Do you ever consider ...to just start packing your bags, without telling him? I know it's hard, but please research, plan, and take actions wisely.

If you have a pressure cooker, you could cook all kinds of healthy Indian foods. They are available in the US too in local Indian stores. Explore those. I recently had this: I try to eat it with matta rice or mottaikarappan (red) rice, instead of basmati rice. Those rice have less carbs. Or, I mix up all 3 types of rice in the rice cooker, add a tsp of salt and Desi ghee for a yummy flavour. Note: I miss using the gas stoves in India--the ones that connect to gas cylinders that are delivered to your home. One reason is, you could turn it off immediately and the food stops cooking. On an electric stove, this doesn't happen.