In recent years my inclination moves more toward peace, retreat, movelessness, no-seeking, no-dilemma, no-disturbance. There is an undisturbed state that rests the being beyond stress. That non-perturbation has been described by Adi Da as resting at ocean depth, rather than the ever breaking surface waters- where there is no rest. It is always available to all sentient beings (not just human)
This is a great luxury of course and from the exoteric view a diversion from the creative struggle that would be all life. From this point of view the only action is at the surface, where the waves ever break and where all reality is.
Here, I am not talking about going “on retreat” as a distinct action where we set ourselves apart from conventional living for periods of time, which is of course very useful and necessary.
I mean a daily practice within either a moderated conventional environment or ideally within a community living structure that actively supports such motives.
The first move was to the cities, that was revolutionary, away from the unceasing stress of survival with barely a moments peace from it. The cities in spite of their terrible negative aspects still represent an attempt by man to create a life apart from mere gut level survival, now the evolutionary move would be to the life of spiritual retreat. This is the sane and joyous movement that many, may now make.
The argument for it is the same one that built the cities and then evolved further, having gotten food shelter and much more handled, we are free to “drop out”, not as means to escape responsibility, but after having taken responsibility (and continuing to do so) it now becomes the great possibility of many (not just a handful of ascetics as in the past) to take rest in the core of being where we can then grow beyond the failure of the 3rd stage of life.
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