Leave Me Alone;
I'm Trying!!!

You know, the ones who believe in the right way to do it, which, coincidentally, is usually identified with their own chosen path (whichever religious or philosophical view and regulated, disciplined, regimented practice they decided to adopt). You know what? Even for somewhat unfocused people like myself, it takes a lot of discipline, dedication and persistence to go through the maze of New Age thought and try to make some sense of it; probably even more, exactly because it seems to be so ... all over the place, and there isn't just one time-tested, well-trodden path to find the cheese. From what I hear, it sounds like going to an ashram for a few weeks to be in the presence of an Enlightened Master or something along those lines would probably have been a nice short cut.

But isn't it true that, when you are seeking, one of those true seekers I just mentioned always shows up in your path and says maddening things, such as: You are supposed to be this detached observer, learn how to find the Divine in every single thing or person or moment, practice accepting what is and letting go, etc? I actually know people who talk like that on a regular basis and really mean it (or at least believe they do).

Anyway, that sounds all well and good, but I hardly ever can get a straight answer when I ask how exactly we are supposed to do all that. How exactly to apply these abstract principles to every day life. How exactly to make it fit our crazy lifestyles, rather than practicing them only within the confines of safe, quiet retreats up in the mountains (or cheating by finding other clever ways to isolate ourselves from life in general and people in particular, even when we are physically moving through society's mid-stream).

I'm not saying that their ways don't work just because I don't know how to apply them. All I'm saying is that people who are "there" sometimes don't understand that such abstract concepts might not be so easily understood and applied by people who are still on their way.

Of course, there are exceptions to all rules. I recently met my first real-life Indian guru, Nithyananda, founder of the Life Bliss Foundation. He even touched my third eye, and everything! Anyway, he's this young Being of Light who happens to have a very down-to-earth approach to spirituality and the search for Enlightenment. He's all about practical applications of age-old principles, and in a light, jokingly manner, provides answers and short-cuts for the modern individual through his "lazy person's guide to Enlightenment." (Life Bliss Foundation, www.lifebliss.org; you can also search his name at youtube.com, and watch several of his lectures.)