Alternate measures...

[cheeni]

[Continued from here]

Money is a very accurate measure, the more zeroes the merrier.

Alternate lifestyles too have measures. The most popular of alternate lifestyles - the pious life, has a long documented history of keeping count.

St. Francis Xavier found his measure by converting more heathens to the faith than any one ever before. The warriors and kings of the crusades kept their count using decapitated heathen heads.

Can a lifestyle that does not keep count succeed?

Comments

I’d rather be working for a paycheck,Than waiting to win the lottery

[mosweetcream.livejournal.com]

I guess it depends on what your keeping count of...your regrets? your success? your failure?


Here is a zen story for you:

There was once a monk who would carry a mirror where ever he went. A priest noticed this one day and thought to himself "This monk must be so preoccupied with the way he looks that he has to carry that mirror all the time. He should not worry about the way he looks on the outside, it's what's inside that counts." So the priest went up to the monk and asked "Why do you always carry that mirror?" thinking for sure this would prove his guilt. The monk pulled the mirror from his bag and pointed it at the priest. Then he said "I use it in times of trouble. I look into it and it shows me the source of my problems as well as the solution to my problems"

[bluesmoon.livejournal.com]

it is hard to measure small quantities in large containers

[karbak.livejournal.com]

You could become a karma yogi .

Karma Yogi

[sriniram.livejournal.com]

Can you share your definition of a 'karma yogi', just so we are on the same page.

Re: Karma Yogi

[karbak.livejournal.com]

It really isn't my term to define. I used it in its generally accepted sense of detachment from the fruits of one's efforts. You asked for a alternate lifestyle that has a chance of success without a metric needing to be constantly evaluated to measure said success. I offered an option that many would say has stood the test of time :). Of course, one could argue all karma yoga does is swap out immediate goals (and consequent attachment to measures of progress) for the long-term goal of achieving salvation (moksha).

[nearfar.livejournal.com]

Well, from my experience ..

The more you fulfill your desires, the more happy you are. But eventually, that can make you suffer more if any more of your desires cannot be fulfilled. And desires vary from person to person, depending on the things and ideas they crave for.

Money is just a factor here ..

I heard that `where there is no craving, there is bliss'

[sriniram.livejournal.com]

I heard that `where there is no craving, there is bliss'

Then why live, why not commit suicide? Why go through a tortured existence of
a) Finding the meaning of life
b) Doing the counter-intuitive task of ignoring desires
c) Leading a life of goal less existence till natural death

Why not speed up the process?

[nearfar.livejournal.com]

I am pulling out from my knowledge of what the Buddha said ..

"Now what is the noble truth of the origination of stress? The craving that makes for further becoming — accompanied by passion & delight, relishing now here & now there — i.e., craving for sensuality, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming... And what is the noble truth of the cessation of stress? The remainderless fading & cessation, renunciation, relinquishment, release, & letting go of that very craving." - (source (http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/truths.html#second))

First, one should understand the difference between `craving' and `desire'. Trying to put it in words .. `Desire' is something that requires your attention and thus promising you for your happiness if fulfilled. `Craving' is simply the "pull" from your side toward that `desire', remaining ignorant of the impermanent nature of things.

Thus, fulfilling the desires do not cause suffering, but craving for those desires cause suffering, as attaching to something that is inherently unstable is foolishness. Sad, but true. A cure exists, though.