is it just me or

does it seem like a LOT of people on this site are having a lot of insights and a lot of progress that just seems to be growing and growing and, doesn't it also seem freaking beautiful?

just a thought

Yes, indeed! Let's all POP, peoples!!!!!
Is it just me or is Mike one of those people?

"
Yes, indeed! Let's all POP, peoples!!!!!
Is it just me or is Mike one of those people?

"

Clearly, there are at least the two of you...

In the words of the Walrus, the Eggman: I am he as you are he as you are me
And we are all together... goo, goo, g'joob-- or something like that.

I am certainly trying!
.

I try not to get caught up in imagination, but sometimes it feels like there is a palpable something more than me to the practice energy.

Nick and I were talking about this only this afternoon... its freakin' cool...

There's definitely something going on. I think it's got two components - one is obvious, and it's having access to Kenneth and others here that keep folks on the rails, focused on what they should be focused on as opposed to going off on unproductive tangents, which yogis are wont to do. The other is purely speculation, but I believe having contact with others, especially a large-ish group of folks similarly inclined, may have some effect-at-a-distance that is helping us along. I'm certain that being as student of Kenneth's and having this group here made a big difference for me.

Yeh, i agree with Chris. Having all this wealth of experience here has made it so that all the BS is being cut away. We don't have to spend years trying to get somewhere like perhaps Kenneth went through. The good thing about that though is it made Kenneth into the highly skilled teacher that he is. Now he can tell us,"Well, if you do it that way , progress will be slower or no progress at all. But this way, progress will be faster". And then we get more and more people experiencing for themsleves the efficacy of the instructions here without the BS and they come and back it up with that experience: People get more inspired, they cut the BS, they work in the most effective way and get it done too. They also come here and back up that efficacy, people get more inspired and ....the cycle continues.

I know it has helped me tremendously. I'll be walking down the street when a quote from Jackson or Chris or Mike or someone else will just pop into the mind, and that is enough to make me re-focus my effort, or even "let go" of effort all together and then BOOM -freeflow! This is happening more and more often, and I credit Kenneth and all you wonderful people!!!!!

While it lasts, and hopefully it lasts awhile, may all the people currently posting here attain the deathless.....heheh, very orthodox! May all of you attain happiness that does not depend on conditions. That sounds better!

In those dharma seed talks, U Vivekandanda said something about Mahasi Sayadaw's analogy of the primitive fire-maker--someone trying to make fire by rubbing two sticks together or using a bow-drill.

Seems to me there are practitioners here who aren't stopping to say, "This is getting difficult" or "I don't think I can do this" and taking long breaks from the fire-making. Instead of allowing their concentration and insight to "cool" over and over again, they are intent on seeing that charcoal start to glow.

Why are they doing that? Because they believe it is possible, and they know how to do it. In other words, a skilled fire-maker has convinced them they can actually use a bow-drill to do this, and has shown them the technique in clear and certain terms.

This gets back to Mike's previous thread on the shortcomings of Zen, and many other discussions about the mushroom culture and so forth. "It is rumored that so-and-so might have built a fire, but we're not sure because he's a very humble and simple person, and so won't tell us whether he did, or how to do it."

And so people sit around and kind of play at the bow-drill, not really believing they can build a fire. There's another kind of person, too, who is afraid of what might happen if the fire starts. Can it be controlled? What happens to the fire-maker?
I wish I could count myself as one of those practitioners who is keeping the fire-making effort going and seeing the smoke start to waft up. I'm not there right now, but it's really great to have these examples for all to see. It can be done...

Kenneth really makes it very simple. If I really listen to him it is clear that there is no need to go anywhere or look for something else or change anything in order to progress. What is happening right now really is the door to the door to awakening. There is no other door.
Remember that and I think things move along as steadily as possible.

Statements from both Kenneth and Daniel along the lines of "Stop wasting time making love to thoughts when you could be doing the practice that leads to developmental enlightenment" and "The only cure for insight disorder is more meditation" are great reminders to keep on keeping on. The dark night isn't just going to get rid of itself, you know!