4 ms·

YMMV I guess. I did a similar course and the religiousy aspects did put me off a bit (bowing and prostrations), but the leader did explain there was no worship

by estefan 12y ago

YMMV I guess. I did a similar course and the religiousy aspects did put me off a bit (bowing and prostrations), but the leader did explain there was no worship involved and that the practices were to remind you of what you wanted to aspire to. He offered the techniques and said they worked for some people but not others, and to take what worked best for you. Maybe your videotaped guy was too pushy? We did have to read some Buddhist verses every morning which was incredibly boring, but hey ho, it was a Buddhist retreat so I expected something along those lines. And anyway, it provided a chance to be aware of the resistance I have to organised religions. > the recorded chanting they play while you meditate is hypnotic programming I probably wouldn't put it like that, but if the chanting didn't induce some sort of effect it would be pointless to do anyway. "Programming" isn't it though. > I tried to skip a session because I didn't get enough sleep and the management came and got me out of my room. That's when I knew it was time to leave. I got tired with the 5am starts, but the discipline is something I find lacking on a normal weekend so overall I found the experience valuable. > Many of the people there mentioned they go several times a year, with that glassy eyed obsessed stare. At least one person mentioned they had moved their home to be near the group. Yeah, some people can get a bit over-excited - but the benefit of it being a silent retreat is you don't have to listen to them go on about it :-) TBH if you found a decent teacher you'd probably form a different opinion. I think these retreats need to be taught very delicately to emphasise the practices while not pushing a dogma or religion on you.

wpietri 12y ago
Yeah. One of the smartest things I heard is from Huston Smith. Somebody asked him the relationship between religion and spirituality. He said, "Religion gives spirituality historical traction." I'm pretty antireligious, so I get why bobsgame was creeped out by the historical-traction aspects of their practices. (People tried to force me to be Christian in my teens, so I've got a bucket of fuck-you ready whenever I feel the slightest religious pressure.) And if one doesn't feel safe, one should get up and go. But many people teach meditation in ways that are either low on religion or consciously eschew it. I'd add that it is worth playing with some of the practices regardless. Chanting, for example. The mock religion "Church of the Subgenius" have redone the hare krishna chant to use the Three Stooges: Larry Curly Larry Curly Curly Curly Larry Larry Larry Moe Larry Moe Moe Moe Larry Larry Meditative chanting like that (which, for clarity, I do at home, not in somebody else's temple) is a really interesting experience. It made me more open to occasionally joining in with other people's religious practices; knowing the experience I was less worried about getting sucked in.
- byEngineer 12y ago
  So you said fuck off to christianity only to become Buddhist cult member? How typical of leftist lemmings from HN forum!
  - wpietri 12y ago
    Setting aside the large dose of crazy: My issue isn't with Christianity; it's with the people who tried to bully me into becoming a Christian. My interest in Buddhism is in the philosophy and certain of the techniques. I have no interest in the religious aspects of it.
    - byEngineer 12y ago
      so you are into buddhist "philosophy" and "certain techniques". But you consider yourself agnostic probably? Or atheist... And of course you don't see any contradiction here. you know why the cults are out there? Because people who don't believe in God are ready to believe in anything. Wandering from yoga classes to self-improvement new-agey seminars and paying the top dollar for the privilege. Picking and choosing from a technique here and a convenient piece of philosophy there doesn't sound like solid approach to spiritual life. Treating your soul like cart in a convenience store where you just throw-in whatever looks good is plain naive, immature and wrong. Besides, Yoga, buddhism fashion and other New Agey fashions are so passe: they peaked in 80s/90s. Are there still people treating this seriously? I'm sorry but this is the lowest form of spirituality I can imagine. You probably would be better off omitting this spiritual junk food of new age instead altogether.
      - estefan 12y ago
        > But you consider yourself agnostic probably? Or atheist... And of course you don't see any contradiction here. Buddhism is nontheistic, so no contradiction... > You probably would be better off omitting this spiritual junk food of new age instead altogether. In favour of what?
        12y ago

by estefan 12y ago

wpietri 12y ago

Yeah. One of the smartest things I heard is from Huston Smith. Somebody asked him the relationship between religion and spirituality. He said, "Religion gives spirituality historical traction." I'm pretty antireligious, so I get why bobsgame was creeped out by the historical-traction aspects of their practices. (People tried to force me to be Christian in my teens, so I've got a bucket of fuck-you ready whenever I feel the slightest religious pressure.) And if one doesn't feel safe, one should get up and go. But many people teach meditation in ways that are either low on religion or consciously eschew it. I'd add that it is worth playing with some of the practices regardless. Chanting, for example. The mock religion "Church of the Subgenius" have redone the hare krishna chant to use the Three Stooges: Larry Curly Larry Curly Curly Curly Larry Larry Larry Moe Larry Moe Moe Moe Larry Larry Meditative chanting like that (which, for clarity, I do at home, not in somebody else's temple) is a really interesting experience. It made me more open to occasionally joining in with other people's religious practices; knowing the experience I was less worried about getting sucked in.

byEngineer 12y ago
So you said fuck off to christianity only to become Buddhist cult member? How typical of leftist lemmings from HN forum!
- wpietri 12y ago
  Setting aside the large dose of crazy: My issue isn't with Christianity; it's with the people who tried to bully me into becoming a Christian. My interest in Buddhism is in the philosophy and certain of the techniques. I have no interest in the religious aspects of it.
  - byEngineer 12y ago
    so you are into buddhist "philosophy" and "certain techniques". But you consider yourself agnostic probably? Or atheist... And of course you don't see any contradiction here. you know why the cults are out there? Because people who don't believe in God are ready to believe in anything. Wandering from yoga classes to self-improvement new-agey seminars and paying the top dollar for the privilege. Picking and choosing from a technique here and a convenient piece of philosophy there doesn't sound like solid approach to spiritual life. Treating your soul like cart in a convenience store where you just throw-in whatever looks good is plain naive, immature and wrong. Besides, Yoga, buddhism fashion and other New Agey fashions are so passe: they peaked in 80s/90s. Are there still people treating this seriously? I'm sorry but this is the lowest form of spirituality I can imagine. You probably would be better off omitting this spiritual junk food of new age instead altogether.
    - estefan 12y ago
      > But you consider yourself agnostic probably? Or atheist... And of course you don't see any contradiction here. Buddhism is nontheistic, so no contradiction... > You probably would be better off omitting this spiritual junk food of new age instead altogether. In favour of what?
      - 12y ago