The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #79457   Message #1442051
Posted By: Little Hawk
23-Mar-05 - 07:22 PM
Thread Name: BS: Libs- Beware of......
Subject: RE: BS: Libs- Beware of......
No, frogprince, not exactly like that. Now, keep in mind, I am not enlightened, therefore I can only speak from a fractional knowledge about the matter...but this is my understanding of it:

An enlightened mind experiences absolute joy continuously (regardless of outer conditions). Under such a circumstance, "fun" would begin to seem a bit trivial wouldn't it? That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with wanting to have fun, it just means there is something much larger and more satisfying than fun, that's all.

Children do seek out childish things, and people in an ordinary state of mind are comparatively childish. They want fame, possessions, money, sensual enjoyments, little ego victories over others, power over others, and so on. That's childish, relatively speaking, but it makes perfect sense on its own level.

The enlightened mind loves all beings. The ordinary mind loves only a few individuals to whom it is attracted for some reason, and disregards the rest. The enlightened mind never stops loving. The ordinary mind can quickly turn what it calls "love" into hatred if it doesn't get what it wants. Thus, its love turns out to be somewhat counterfeit in nature, as it was not unconditional in the least.

The enlightened mind forgives. The ordinary mind harbours resentments and holds grudges.

The enlightened mind enjoys the variety of Life tremendously, but does not need to seek it, because it already has it. The ordinary mind is bored and frustrated with much of life, and imagines that there are a few "special" things out there that would make life way better...but they're usually on the "other side of the fence". There IS no other side of the fence for the enlightened mind.

I like fun and variety, just as much as you do, I'm sure, and my statement was not intended to brand fun and variety as bad things...it was intended to indicate how restless and driven the normal mind is. It's never satisfied for long. It's an emptiness that seemingly cannot be filled, and it experiences almost constant stress. It chatters constantly, like a monkey. It's like a body of water that's all whipped up into many disturbed waves...and thus cannot reflect anything accurately.

The enlightened mind is like that same body of water become still and tranquil, whereby it is allowed to reflect the whole of creation in a true and accurate manner. If I was there already, I probably wouldn't be HERE (typng messages on this forum, I mean).

I mean, really, would Gandhi or Buddha be amusing themselves by chatting on an Internet music forum if they were alive at this moment? I don't think so.