Finding a Path, the Hard Way

This reading was an interesting read. It made me think of the American culture. Our lazy tendencies and easy fixes, wanting the answers before asking the question. I do not mean to sound harsh or pompous I am just stating the Americans are offered so much with little doing, it conditions the general public to expect and accept.

He speaks of heroism and the general public view of what most tend to think behind the meaning of the word. "Heroism is based upon the assumption that we are bad, impure, we are not worthy, nor ready for spiritual understanding." I do not necessarily agree with this statement, its a large generalization he is making. Chogyam Trungpa then speaks against a change in lifestyle as a next step to add change in ones life, such as the Zen Buddhist path, giving a kind of "high" for a period of time, which eventually returns to normal, setting aside the past ambitions and passion.

"Some kind of real gift or sacrifice is needed to open ourselves completly." Essentially allowing oneself to become vulnerable, which is scary and a tough position to be in. Being vulnerable allows pain in, discomfort, an unknown ending. Receiving the gift Chogyam states that for the gift to be meaningful one must "give up the hope of gaining something in return" that actually giving up the hope is the big part of the Hard Way. I never really thought about this aspect on this scale before, but it is a reality. We are constantly looking for gratification....even giving a gift to another, we seek appreciation at least from the receiver as gaining something back in return.

Entering the hard way's path is a painful, naked, and open spiritual path. He states that one needs a spiritual physical friend to help and provoke the accomplishment of walking the path. I agree that if someone is needed at all to open oneself and commit to a unknown path that a physical person is needed to completely open ones self to.

Q: Do you think it is possible to begin to see what is, to see yourself as you without a teacher?

He answers that without a physical person by your side it is communicating with the imaginary. That having any type of teaching from a god of any religion is self interpretation. Religion is teaching based on interpretations then interpreted again, offered to the population and interpreted yet again. this is not to say that the interpretations are wrong at all, but for the "path" that the author speaks of I do not think that to use teachings of a religion to become naked and open to ones self works, one could just interpret oneself as an enlightened being.

o jeez I apologize for the un-organization of this entry it sounds scattered with half thoughts, though it is all I can offer right now...