Every quest--striving for a goal--has a discipline. If one wants a
great muscular body then pumping iron is the discipline. If one wants to be rich
through speculation, then study of the stock market is the usual discipline.
Etc--etc. The path of return has a definite discipline but it is rarely
stated in the West. More so in the East where they have centuries of
acquaintance with it. What do you think this discipline is and why????
N.J.
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Here's the discipline:
Do what you WANT to do.
Or as the heavy metal rock band "Metallica" eloquently states it:
"Give me Fuel, Give me Fire, give me that which I desire!"
"Doing what we want to do" is what's happening anyway (whether what
we want is the "white" rose , the "red" rose or something
in-between), and by the way this is the same question N.J. asked us a while back
with his question "what is the most important thing you can do to advance
your spiritual growth?". (ans: it's what you are already doing)
AND
As N.J. himself once put it (and I quote):
"What do you Want - is the evolutionary engine of the Universe".
JC.
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I wrote: Here's the discipline: Do what you WANT to do.
Brian responds: It sounds to me like you are saying we never get it wrong and
we are never finished.
Yes, BUT how many of us truly know what we really want?
Therein lies the discipline: Finding out what we REALLY want!
Or like the song says:
"So tell me what you want, what you really, really want... I wanna, I
wanna, I wanna ...??"
From: NJ
The answer to the question about the prime discipline of the path is
given very clearly in the ancient dictum, "Man, know Thyself." The suggestion given in the first B. lesson, "What
do you really want?"
also points to the answer. Karma, the consequence of all action, in time, enforces this discipline. As they say, "It comes with the territory of
being human"--with being self conscious and being able to consider past, present and future in our
choices of expression and course of action.
Emmanuel Kant said that the purpose of life was to extend
consciousness. This is self evident. What we call spiritual growth is simply extending
self conscious awareness. This is part of the natural process in human life. In the Mystery Schools this process is expedited by
the conscious practice of "paying attention to our
motivations-"-attentiveness," if you
will, called "mindfulness" in esoteric Buddhist methodology. All
actions and esoteric practices produce greater self-awareness which, in time, rectifies all behavior problems. Awareness
of our negative impulses and their true source--the Self, allows the restricting forces of aversion,
without self condemnation, to act in a corrective way. Without awareness we remain the victim of "our" negative but instructive patterns.
So all of the answers you have posted are right, in a way--they all produce greater
awareness but only as a by product and not as the main intent. Deliberate, consistent
attentiveness to the WHY of one's desires, one's motivations, and one's reactions to
events is the discipline. Being not only aware of WHAT we are doing but more importantly,
the WHY we are doing it. Awareness of the WHY may be painful at the outset but soon the
liberation from unawareness/error that results from consistent effort is worth anything. This
is the essence of the Path. NJ.
