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«  In the twentieth-century society, the appreciation of simplicity has almost been lost. From London to Tokyo, there are problems with trying to create pleasure and comfort out of speed. The world is…
July 3rd, 2013
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illustration (attribution, if any possible, is at the end of the article)

« In the twentieth-century society, the appreciation of simplicity has almost been lost. From London to Tokyo, there are problems with trying to create pleasure and comfort out of speed. The world is mechanized to such an extent that you don't even have to think. You just push a button and a computer gives you the answer. You don't have to learn to count. You press a button, and a machine counts for you. Casualness has become increasingly popular, because people think in terms of efficiency rather than appreciation. Why bother to wear a tie, if the purpose of wearing clothes is just to cover your body? If the reason for eating food is only to fill your stomach and provide nutrition, why bother to look for the best meat, the best butter, the best vegetables?

But the reality of the world is something more than the life style that the twentieth-century world has embraced. Pleasure has been cheapened, joy has been reduced, happiness has been computerized. The goal of warriorship is to reconnect to the nowness of reality, so that you can go forward without destroying simplicity, without destroying your connection to this earth. »
— Chögyam Trungpa, Shambhala - The Sacred Path of the Warrior


The goal of warriorship (gplus.wallez.name/KW8EX6VBh1m) is to reconnect to the nowness of reality…
How much appreciation do you actually have, right now, of the characteristics of the screen you're watching this post on? How much awareness do you have of the 'feel' of the input device you use (keyboard, touchscreen…)? Do you appreciate it all, or do take it for granted (possibly to the point of complaining that there exist better models out there and you'd like to have one)? Without rejecting modernity, can you cultivate your connection to this reality?

Do you rush forward to buy the next version of your phone, of your computer, of your tablet, the latest app, the latest operating system? Do you try to create happiness out of speed?

Do you prefer playing video games fighting and jumping around, rather than actually practising a traditional martial art (http://youtu.be/7t9qjWJo36I?t=50m) and parcour (http://youtu.be/QlUS5aB-bf0)? Do you really prefer watching "strictly come dancing" on TV more than learning tango yourself? Sure, virtuality is faster… but is it connected to reality? Does it have to be about avoidance, seeking an 'easy' way, separation from 'imperfect' actuality? Are you sure there is a point in the boundary disappearing? What are you connected to, if you avoid contact? What/who are you present to, what/who are you attending to, if there's no contact?


#Buddhism     #shambala  
unattributed image: pic.twitter.com/LrI3bc6j