"Belief systems are simply the devices we use to explain away the unthinkable horror of no-self."
- Jed McKenna, Spiritual Enlightenment, the Damnedest Thing
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About spirituality and coming home to Source. By Eolake Stobblehouse, studying multiple branches of spirituality for 30+ years.
"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God”
- A Course In Miracles
About Me
- Eolake Stobblehouse
- Born in Denmark, living currently in England. I write about creativity and communication and technology which supports those. And about spirituality/metaphysics.
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11 comments:
Wow, Jed McKenna - I love his books, deeply touched ...
Yes, very powerful, I'm reading the first one.
I have just finished "Spiritual Warfare" and I liked it so much that I ordered his first book now. Nevertheless being firmly dedicated to "A Course in miracles" I do not really understand his take on happiness. According to ACIM, once aligned with the spirit contact of same(or joy or peace) should be the only motivation in any acts we do. HS teaches by comparisons. Choose what makes you happy and you'll be on the road to everlasting peace !! Nevertheless I like McKenna's approach and I had some good laughs over observing his direct and down-to-earth attitude.
Oliver
It seems you started with his third book. I only just started on the second one (after finishing the first today), so you'll have to explain what you mean by 'his take on happiness'.
If I got him right, he says that happiness should not be our main goal but the truth. Thereby he does not really equate them. He also recommended pondering suicide deeply. Why force it ?!
"If I got him right, he says that happiness should not be our main goal but the truth. Thereby he does not really equate them."
He probably means that the road to truth can go through a lot of depression, so if you want too bad to feel happy all the time, it can block you.
"He also recommended pondering suicide deeply."
Do you mean he says it can be a good thing in some circumstances?
I better see for myself. On what page of Spiritual Warfare does he talk about suicide?
Vaguely, I'd say he doesn't rule suicide out. He says you have to overcome our society's credo of suicide to be a " no go ", a bad and forbidden thing. More exactly: He does not say it's good, but that you have the right to do it and that you should ponder about it.
chapter 34 "the ultimate taboo" ( pg 287ff)
page 290: "suicide is one of the very few options we might actually have..."
" most people treat suicide as the ultimate taboo, as if it's not even on the table,but it is on the table, it's the centerpiece, and there is no reason not to give it the respect that it deserves. You can still rule it out, I suppose, but at least it would be YOU ruling
it out instead of having it ruled out for you."
Thank you very much.
Jed is a lot like me, in being really bored by the multitude of restrictions that we accept from society.
Jed McKenna speaks mainly about the states childhood/adulthood/enlightement, nearly never about happiness. I remember only one passage (1st book, p. 127/128):
"... Jane Roberts said that miracles are nature unimpeded, which is a good way of saying that if you take your hand off the tiller, the boat will steer itself and do a vastly better job of it than you ever could. Julie seems to have that ability to relax into the moment and let the universe do the driving.
If there were a secret to happiness in life, I'd say that was it."
Concerning suicide:
Many people I know have pondered about suicide at least once in their life (and I think many others don't remember having simply suppressed it, because it is taboo), mostly in their teens during adolescence. Me too, as a basic question which has to be answered sincerely. And I agree: It IS the centerpiece to own your life.
Addendum:
Of course, he talks often about happiness, bliss and so on as means in the spiritual marketplace, but not about how to reach happiness in your life.
As I see it, one of his main goals is to take the "holy bullshit" out of spiritual seeking. You have to think for yourself, to ask yourself sincerely who you really are and to go alone into the darkness of not knowing and nothingness.
BTW same with Osho: He used every opportunity to put his foot in the mouth of every religious establishment.
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