Criticism

It seems that the questions for those who read my Commentaries and/or watch and listen to Aspire are:

How much time and energy should one put into their lives to mature and develop as a spiritual being?
How much time should one spend in search of the meaning of living?

We, as a society, are very “sure” of ourselves due to all the gratifications and distractions we have in this country. If a person is getting most of what they “want” and/or sees the promise of “getting it all” they never question themselves or their actions. For most people, it is all about living from the outer to the inner.

To help anyone who comes to me for insight I have to state what is happening, what is occurring as illusion…and then offer insight as a way out. For the most part, what is taking place in many people is purely and merely the conventions of survival through gratification and compulsion. So, in order to be of real service to anyone, I am often forced to insult some part of their ideals about who they think they are.

Please understand that when I write a Commentary or Blog post that might be “edgy” or that “calls out the illusion,” it is not my intent to harm or insult you. It is my deepest intent to share with you the blind side of your humanity and to help you awaken to elements of your living that you may have taken for granted or have simply not been introduced to. If my offerings insult you it is because you are “hearing” my efforts from attachment to the ego and not from a deep willingness to be liberated from the ego.

So when I am trying to teach you anything, I am seeking to help you out of the conditioned or imprisoned mind that you might be living with that has very “set” ideas and beliefs that do not pertain to the Way of the Heart. I am very direct because you do not have a great deal of leeway before the wheels come off this wagon.

The majority of people in this world are unavailable for spiritual transformation. I can teach them many things, but in the end they generally revert back to their body-mind habits as default. Because of the power of the Internet, people can gain access to facts or opinions – without direct experience. They can read and formulate opinions at an arms distance – without direct experience.

My Commentaries are just that – COMMENTARIES – a narration of my own direct experiences in meditation and spiritual practice. I am merely sharing with you, not trying to convert you. I seek to show you what gets in the way of the Way and if you can “hear” my voice, you will understand…if you cannot “hear” my voice, nothing I could ever say or write to you would help you.

A would-be disciple said to a sage:

“I have been listening to you for days now, condemning attitudes and ideas, and even conduct, which are not mine and never have been. What is the purpose of this?”

The sage replied:

“The purpose of it is that you should, at some point, stop imagining that you have not been like any of the things I condemn, and to realize that you have a delusion that you are not like that now.”