Challenging Eckhart: Practice is necessary, as is clock time

[borris83]

These are ways to calm, focus and empty the mind, to create mind states and periods of stillness/presence.

That depends on how you approach it... If the intention of chanting and watching a breath is to bring about something, then it will not lead to realization.. There are many people who are chanting for 40-50 years with same attachment to body and mind...

But what I am saying is chanting and breathing can be used as an aid.. It is not a must but it certainly is helpful sometimes...

There is always a restlessness in the ego, and it always wants to do something.. Sometimes, directly trying to explore the ego and its motives may be difficult if there is this restlessness.. These aids help us in reducing that restlessness..

I used the word 'slight focus' because I wanted to mean that it shouldn't be a stress, a concentration or any kind of doing for the ego....

[enigma]

These are ways to calm, focus and empty the mind, to create mind states and periods of stillness/presence.

That depends on how you approach it... If the intention of chanting and watching a breath is to bring about something, then it will not lead to realization.. There are many people who are chanting for 40-50 years with same attachment to body and mind...

But what I am saying is chanting and breathing can be used as an aid.. It is not a must but it certainly is helpful sometimes...

There is always a restlessness in the ego, and it always wants to do something.. Sometimes, directly trying to explore the ego and its motives may be difficult if there is this restlessness.. These aids help us in reducing that restlessness..

I used the word 'slight focus' because I wanted to mean that it shouldn't be a stress, a concentration or any kind of doing for the ego....

Okay, I can see it as an aid to calming restlessness. As long as there is an intention in there somewhere of looking into the matter to see what is really so.

[Peaceman]

"There is a game we like to play called 'I'm on a spiritual path and i'm getting closer to freedom all the time'. The objective of the game.....is to avoid Freedom." enigma

This post was excellent! The kind you read.....dont understand....and yet feel you have touched the hem of heavens cloak!!