New Blog Post: A Better Way to Describe Progess on the Meditative Path

Oh, hurray, Jackson-- it's nice to see some serious deconstruction work going on! and it's nice not to feel alone in being so lacking in interest in where one is or is not 'on the path', what one has 'accomplished', what are the 'state of the art', newest, coolest experiences and what they mean.

In Chogyam Trungpa's take on the ox-herding pictures, he describes the final stage as 'old dog' or 'total flop', the state of having become completely relaxed, unimposing, unassuming. Nothing to do, nowhere to go-- an old guy dozing in the sun on a porch or a park bench. No problems.

This may not be anyone else's aspiration; I can't say it was exactly mine-- but it's as good a description of how things seem, as any I've encountered. Compared to this simplicity, other earlier goals seem like 'magic decoder rings'-- a couple of years down the road and you sort of wince to remember how much you wanted them. Back then, when you thought you had some serious decoding to do...

Decoder rings!

"Don't forget to drink your Ovaltine."

;-)

BTW, my favorite stage, path, realization, attainment, statement of worthiness, badge of courage and/or honor, or what-have-you is:

"I'm working on it."