Serenity
I recently found serenity while taking an hour long run through the woods. I saw only two other people while I was running on these trails (and I was out there for an hour). For me, exercising by myself for an extended period of time (hour to hours) or three cups of coffee at 3AM while pulling an all-nighter studying for comprehensive exams during undergrad brings this type of clarity and singleness of mind. Well, there are other ways, but they invlove vows of silence and poverty and can only be undertaken in the heights of Nepal. But, for those of us that are still bound to reality, this is the next best thing to what Zen masters call a breakthroug in reality. It is when you see everything around you differently, like a brick wall just crumbled and left behind an unaltered view of the landscape. This isn't just limited to landscape, it includes people, relationships, thoughts, emotions. Truly, an existential and "religious" experience. Not religious like I worship the experience, although that would be an interesting philosphy of religion. (BOB, what do you think about that?)
For those of you that haven't had an experience like this, I urge you to ascertain it some how, some way. Drunking will not lead you there. Neither will illicit substances, believe me, I've tried. Well, unless you are a Turkish muslim, who is a practicing mystic and believes that getting drunk and turning in circles gets you closer to God, but that is a different discussion.
Where am I going with this post? Not really sure... Just making conversation about enlightenment though exercising (running, cycling) or whatever other means people use to come to this kind of clarity.
The aspect that I treasure the most (about the clarity and serenity) is being able to analyze matters w/o emotional attachment to them. It is almost like an out-of-body experience when it comes to introspection. I only have three emotions anyways, depression (not clinical depression, but more of a melancholy), hate, and indifference. I know that indifference isn't really an emotion, but I think it fits. Its a one way continuum. There is very little room for elation and positive excitement. As depressing as that might sound, it is oddly comforting to me.
Playlist: Indian(dots not feathers) chants and techno. (Very trance inducing)
For those of you that haven't had an experience like this, I urge you to ascertain it some how, some way. Drunking will not lead you there. Neither will illicit substances, believe me, I've tried. Well, unless you are a Turkish muslim, who is a practicing mystic and believes that getting drunk and turning in circles gets you closer to God, but that is a different discussion.
Where am I going with this post? Not really sure... Just making conversation about enlightenment though exercising (running, cycling) or whatever other means people use to come to this kind of clarity.
The aspect that I treasure the most (about the clarity and serenity) is being able to analyze matters w/o emotional attachment to them. It is almost like an out-of-body experience when it comes to introspection. I only have three emotions anyways, depression (not clinical depression, but more of a melancholy), hate, and indifference. I know that indifference isn't really an emotion, but I think it fits. Its a one way continuum. There is very little room for elation and positive excitement. As depressing as that might sound, it is oddly comforting to me.
Playlist: Indian(dots not feathers) chants and techno. (Very trance inducing)
posted by runrMD08 at 11:59 AM
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