Udja – In addition to what Sba Dja said I would add the following:
Some additional points…One of the main problems/challenges of seeking as a spiritual aspirant and trying to be serious as an avid aspirant is finding an authentic teaching and teacher and avoiding the charlatans and distorted or incomplete religions and philosophies that seem to have everything going for them, lots of followers, leaders with intense gazes, earnest sounding voices, expensive digs, etc. but that are in reality delusions and corrupt or simply kindergarten versions of what a complete spiritual tradition should be, going beyond the usual outer trappings, the certainty of dogmas with their platitudes and shouts of hallelujah that may be emotionally appealing and apparently pious or upstanding but that are in reality masking the rousing delusion of religious insecurity, the seething lust and or greed of its con-artist leaders that produce crocodile tears on command for the unsuspecting audience to open their pocketbooks, or the mind-bending pathologies caused by mental illness and or mental complexes of its leaders and followers. As has been discussed previously, an aspirant cannot and should not be asking before making every single decision for this would short circuit the learning process that sometimes requires pain in order to drive the lesson home in a particularly necessary way. Having said that, it is also true that the questioning process is essential and the better the question the more useful the answer and the more inane the question the less useful the answer and or ability to implement it as a solution.
Now, there is an additional point to be understood; that after a time spent in khnumnt nefer (good association) there arises a kind of sense in an aspirant to more or less know what the teacher would say in a given situation and then the student can start to self-correct more reliably and start to gain self-confidence. Even so, the aspirant may deduce an answer but also want confirmation and this is a very practical procedure to follow if needed and when available. However, coupled with this issue is the factor of will-power, the capacity not only to discover and decide on a course of action but also to be able to implement it. So the study of philosophy works on purifying the mind, ethical conscience on actions in daily life that create new positive aryu, and meditation to allow the positive aryu and cognition ability in the Ka to become the preferred and more acceptable pathway to think and act on. Coupled with all this is the devotional aspect to purify feelings related to the thoughts and actions to infuse them with dynamic feeling so that “yea I know what the right thing to do is but everybody is going to be mad at me so I dont know?” goes to: “Yes I know what the right thing is to do and what I need to do and for those who dont like it that is their problem; I want to be right with my teacher, fellow aspirants and most of all with God within me; so lets get it on baby!”
Next is the idea of developing a philosophical mind that learns the principles of the teaching so well that it can work out the answer to a given issue even if it has not been confronted before. When this state is reached it is a very advanced level of shedy (spiritual aspiration, spiritual practice). At this point there are less mundane questions and the questions from an aspirant relate to finer and finer points of the teaching that relate to specialized and advanced concepts, technique and experiences.
As the purification of mind and learning process goes on it is best to seek company with the wise (those who are wiser than oneself) and of course the wiser the better. Also it is important to seek and have association with positive and ethical people so as to avoid finding oneself in negative situations or moral dilemmas that cause undue stress; that is, at least until the purification process of the personality progresses and strength of character may be developed to face the worldly struggle with more composure. This process is to continue until there is self-mastery and enlightenment which is not a defined moment but a process that continues indefinitely.
HTP
