What is hindering your practice?
It’s been ethics for me. I’m yet to uncover whether there’s any underlying belief system, although I think it’s majorly(if not entirely) stemming from the instinctual passion nurture. I found it fruitful to have a discussion on that thorny issue under the title “self-immolation.”
I wish more of such discussions take place and facilitate our practise of being here and happy.
@Kiman Your title to this subject has grabbed my attention : “What specific thing is keeping you from becoming free?”
My thinking is that if I knew the answer to this question then I would be free. In looking at this from @geoffrey 's suggested perspective my correct question is : What specifically is keeping me from being free right now? The answer that comes to mind is ‘me’ ? Is this really the ‘specific’ thing? Still looking.
I think this is the correct answer because ‘with no ‘me’ I am free’.
Ah, okay. I’ll change the title.
No need to change the title. I think everyone has their own specific question. The key thing for me was when you said ‘specific’. My question is: What ‘specifically’ is keeping me from being free right now. The answer I get is ‘me’.
“Me” is not “specific” because it’s “me” at the end of the day that’s keeping everyone from becoming free.
“Me” manifests in different forms like wanting approval, fear of falling behind, seeking love etc. By “specific” I meant these different forms of “me”.
Yes, I am referring to the ‘me’ itself which is at the core of our being otherwise known as the feeler.
The following exchange I had with Richard might be relevant:
ALAN: I continue to seek a reply as to what is preventing me from proceeding and admit I seem to be no nearer an answer than when we last discussed the matter.
RICHARD: Has it ever occurred to you to seek instead a reply to the obverse question
… an (experiential) answer as to what is permitting you to not be proceeding?
ALAN: The obvious, that ‘I’ wish to remain in existence and have no incentive other than altruism to proceed has probably been ‘done to death’ – if only the latter were fact!
RICHARD: If the impact of pure consciousness experiences (PCE’s) be not sufficiently enticing – an altruistic ‘self’-immolation in toto is not, of course, only for the benefit of other bodies – then maybe a goodly dose of back-pressure may provide the requisite incentive.
I am, of course, referring to watching the evening news (or even soap-operas for that matter) and seeing – actually seeing – the human condition stripped-naked as it parades itself across the screen for those with the eyes to see … and thus knowing that, essentially, there too goes oneself, no matter how diminished.
I do know that it worked well for the identity inhabiting this body all those years ago when, being only human, the impulsion (being pulled from ahead) would, on occasion, lessen in its intensity and the propulsion (being pushed from behind) was most certainly helpful in vivifying a flagging intent to enable that which the PCE so magically evinced to occur 24/7.
So … what is it that permits one to not proceed?