Wow, what beautiful words you have arranged to convey such a complex issue. Thank you for taking the time to put pen to paper and share your kind and thoughtful explanation. I am encouraged to look more closely at my own lineage and release the yearning that the grass is greener elsewhere.
Such a brilliant and clarifying article, thank you. I've felt this most with yoga, where classes so often resemble sport or gymnastics and have been stripped of everything else.
Wow it's kind of funny you post this right now because I was thinking along the same lines about my native American path. So much controversy so many people getting mad about other people's stuff. It seems like we shooting ourselves in the foot. Controversial subject but I appreciate your input and I tend to agree with it have a good day
One might well add in the environmental consequences of some of these practices. White sage is becoming rare in its native habitat due to the overharvesting for commerce. The same is true for other popular aromatic plants around the world....the Indian sandalwood, frankincense, some types of palo santo. Meanwhile, as you say, traditional cultures have always used local plants, and most parts of the world offer several of these, whether wild or easily grown. While we're at it, we could move on to crystals and rocks, whose mining, processing, and transport all have social and environmental costs. And yes, both plants and minerals have always moved, sometimes astonishing distances, in ancient times because they were special....but it didn't happen at the scale it's happening today. Needless to say, for my own ritual practices I find that found stones are equal or superior to purchased ones anyway.
I have a lot of difficulty practicing anything that has a material component, as i live in a homeless shelter, so it’s a good thing i have long practiced many forms of meditation that i can do with just the contents of my mind and my body, while sitting or walking.
The very open Tantric transition named merely “Centering” laid out by Paul Reps in the last part of the book “Zen Flesh, Zen Bones” isn’t really Zen at all and pre-dates it by many centuries. it’s 112 meditations of wildly different types for any and all occasions and circumstances and is what keeps me sane, and i’ve built everything else i practice around a foundation built on them. Daily practice since i was 19 and i’m now 55!
but i also have read/studied/dabbled in many other traditions and actually have been initiated into some things i can’t mention openly, and one tradition that is closed unto namelessness
Thank you for this.
This was a beautiful read, thank you
Beautifully and thoughtfully written. Thank you!
I have often wondered about some of these things so I greatly appreciate this.
Excellent breakdown, appreciate you
Wow, what beautiful words you have arranged to convey such a complex issue. Thank you for taking the time to put pen to paper and share your kind and thoughtful explanation. I am encouraged to look more closely at my own lineage and release the yearning that the grass is greener elsewhere.
Such a brilliant and clarifying article, thank you. I've felt this most with yoga, where classes so often resemble sport or gymnastics and have been stripped of everything else.
Dear Ayana, truer words have never been spoken!
I have long wished for someone to say this so clearly!
Thank you!
Wow it's kind of funny you post this right now because I was thinking along the same lines about my native American path. So much controversy so many people getting mad about other people's stuff. It seems like we shooting ourselves in the foot. Controversial subject but I appreciate your input and I tend to agree with it have a good day
Excellent article. Thank you.
What a beautiful explanation! Thank you! I shall keep this close and reread often to integrate the teachings. Blessings!
i really enjoyed this and thank you for listing the books at the end it's very exciting thank you Ayanna🌻
I just realized that I have been spelling your name wrong and I apologize to you from the bottom of my heart Ayana🌻
Beautiful
This is so well done. Ahhhh. I loved it. Thank you.
One might well add in the environmental consequences of some of these practices. White sage is becoming rare in its native habitat due to the overharvesting for commerce. The same is true for other popular aromatic plants around the world....the Indian sandalwood, frankincense, some types of palo santo. Meanwhile, as you say, traditional cultures have always used local plants, and most parts of the world offer several of these, whether wild or easily grown. While we're at it, we could move on to crystals and rocks, whose mining, processing, and transport all have social and environmental costs. And yes, both plants and minerals have always moved, sometimes astonishing distances, in ancient times because they were special....but it didn't happen at the scale it's happening today. Needless to say, for my own ritual practices I find that found stones are equal or superior to purchased ones anyway.
I have a lot of difficulty practicing anything that has a material component, as i live in a homeless shelter, so it’s a good thing i have long practiced many forms of meditation that i can do with just the contents of my mind and my body, while sitting or walking.
The very open Tantric transition named merely “Centering” laid out by Paul Reps in the last part of the book “Zen Flesh, Zen Bones” isn’t really Zen at all and pre-dates it by many centuries. it’s 112 meditations of wildly different types for any and all occasions and circumstances and is what keeps me sane, and i’ve built everything else i practice around a foundation built on them. Daily practice since i was 19 and i’m now 55!
but i also have read/studied/dabbled in many other traditions and actually have been initiated into some things i can’t mention openly, and one tradition that is closed unto namelessness
DM me if you are curious about that last thing