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"Just a Student"
Jun. 3rd, 2009 12:16 amWhat do I think about a quote in The Way of the Superior Man, "The way a man penetrates the world should be the same way he penetrates his woman: not merely for personal gain or pleasure, but to magnify love, openness, and depth."?
No. I do not believe that men should focus on love, openness, and depth to penetrate their world. That would presume that I would know what that is, and how to do it. At best, I think a human can act as if they know, but, in effect, they, and I, know nothing. Training should be the focus of their world, but not to be point of obsession. There is no need to penetrate the world at all, but to listen, and to blend, and connect with the Universe.
A Warrior does not let their fear stop them, and acts after figuring out what to do. In fact, as you know, the role of a Warrior is to overcome fear. I take responsibility for my actions, and pay the consequences and reap the rewards - but I don't take those consequences and rewards for granted.
I am a student. I constantly strive to not feel self-important and to maintain a attitude of humility. I train constantly in many different ways, not to think of myself as a 'bad ass', but to be able to act in an way that allows me to respond in the most effective way regardless of the situation. Even with my training, I still make mistakes and fail and learn. Daily. The endless struggle to learn and to train harder is what makes one a Warrior, not just wishing to be one or proclaiming that you are one.
Carlos Castaneda wrote that, “Only as a warrior can one withstand the path of knowledge. A warrior cannot complain or regret anything. His life is an endless challenge, and challenges cannot possibly be good or bad. Challenges are simply challenges.”
That "men should focus on love, openness, and depth to penetrate their world" seems to be an oversimplified expectation, and an implied judgment of how men 'should be'. I will not 'should' on myself. Warriors are not pinned down with their thoughts and their expectations. When a Warrior doesn't know what to do, they meditate on what is clear, often death. Read the first chapter of Hagakure for details about that.
However, a life without heart, and joy, and spirit does not make for much of a life. I do not seek praise or social acceptance from others - I seek sarvata, or impeccable integrity, and humility, which helps me connect to the the Universe - a spiritual connection. I'm not hooked to what the average 'man' is doing, I'm working on a different scale. If I am penetrating a woman in any fashion, then I am engaging in ritual with the woman as a representative of the Universe.
I would rewrite that quote to read: A Warrior learns, and then acts, to respond to their connection of the Universe without judgement or expectation, but with humility and with integrity.
Namaste, Grim
No. I do not believe that men should focus on love, openness, and depth to penetrate their world. That would presume that I would know what that is, and how to do it. At best, I think a human can act as if they know, but, in effect, they, and I, know nothing. Training should be the focus of their world, but not to be point of obsession. There is no need to penetrate the world at all, but to listen, and to blend, and connect with the Universe.
A Warrior does not let their fear stop them, and acts after figuring out what to do. In fact, as you know, the role of a Warrior is to overcome fear. I take responsibility for my actions, and pay the consequences and reap the rewards - but I don't take those consequences and rewards for granted.
I am a student. I constantly strive to not feel self-important and to maintain a attitude of humility. I train constantly in many different ways, not to think of myself as a 'bad ass', but to be able to act in an way that allows me to respond in the most effective way regardless of the situation. Even with my training, I still make mistakes and fail and learn. Daily. The endless struggle to learn and to train harder is what makes one a Warrior, not just wishing to be one or proclaiming that you are one.
Carlos Castaneda wrote that, “Only as a warrior can one withstand the path of knowledge. A warrior cannot complain or regret anything. His life is an endless challenge, and challenges cannot possibly be good or bad. Challenges are simply challenges.”
That "men should focus on love, openness, and depth to penetrate their world" seems to be an oversimplified expectation, and an implied judgment of how men 'should be'. I will not 'should' on myself. Warriors are not pinned down with their thoughts and their expectations. When a Warrior doesn't know what to do, they meditate on what is clear, often death. Read the first chapter of Hagakure for details about that.
However, a life without heart, and joy, and spirit does not make for much of a life. I do not seek praise or social acceptance from others - I seek sarvata, or impeccable integrity, and humility, which helps me connect to the the Universe - a spiritual connection. I'm not hooked to what the average 'man' is doing, I'm working on a different scale. If I am penetrating a woman in any fashion, then I am engaging in ritual with the woman as a representative of the Universe.
I would rewrite that quote to read: A Warrior learns, and then acts, to respond to their connection of the Universe without judgement or expectation, but with humility and with integrity.
Namaste, Grim
