Author: JoshRehman
@anonymous-people Realize that by marking my posts without value, and then the responses with value, you are most likely misunderstanding the meaning of "value", which doesn't mean "like" or "agree with". I'm well aware I'm going against the grain here, thanks.
@Edojidai I can buy that. But that's not what Kenneth or Daniel have said in this thread (although it is pretty close to what Daniel said in the opening pages of his book, when he talks about sila).
@hipster Which ideas are highly theoretical, or even controversial? That morality is part of the path? Apart from Kenneth and "enlightened assholes" and Daniel "morality is sometimes an impediment to enlightenment" [to paraphrase] I'm pretty sure I'm expressing the mainstream view here. And what makes you think I'm not giving the practice "one hell of a try"? I've been practicing for about 8 years now, doing long retreats about once a year. Unlike y'all, I've experienced lots of positive changes in my life, including positive personality changes that make me less angry and more prone to do things for others. I see the practice feed into the sila, and the other way, and I can't imagine one without the other. It's peanut butter and jelly (well, panna can be the bread I guess

This is actually a very practical matter. Which path do I wish to walk, the one with 5 or 8 parts? The one with or without morality? I feel very strongly, that meditation isn't just a way to accept who you are, but it's a way to become a better you, the person that you know you can be. The person who doesn't idiotically let others get under the skin, who doesn't greedily withhold his help just because he's lazy. A person who smiles more often, knowing that it's a small, effortless way to add some goodness into the world. This is why I practice.