So why is an intelligent bloke like Dave Toast disgusted with your antics, then?
Who knows? That's his business. One can't please all the people all the time, and only fools try.
I think you're flattering yourself here. You're somewhere in between the two extremes - neither not doing nothing, nor doing anything. Instead, you're doing small things aimlessly.
Yes, of course. Whatever the position is which minimizes me to the greatest possible extent, that's where you're going to put me. What you presumably fail to realize is that I don't care. Please feel free to consider me
utterly unenlightened, utterly foolish, utterly absorbed in nonsense, or whatever else you like.
In truth, the art of doing nothing is utterly beyond your capacity at the moment. This won't change until you cease believing that you're already "there".
Hahaha... the woman will fall on the floor laughing when she reads that the art of doing nothing is "utterly beyond my capacity." That is one fine art which I am not afraid to pronounce myself a master of, and all who actually know me will line up to concur (much to their chagrin). :)
As for being "already there," don't worry about it. As you've made quite clear, it's no place you're interested in. Zen master Lin-Chi says that here, Buddhas are "filth in the latrine." You're not interested in that.
It is a sincere claim, and yet it is employed with humour. We are both fully aware that it doesn't really mean anything.
I like it because it blows away all the false humility which bogs down the generic spiritual industry. It clears the air. Straight away, whole reams of egotistical game-playing disappear.
Then why has the entire history of your efforts been characterized by "egotistical game-playing" from every side?
You can't claim to be attacking people's ego and simultaneously claim that ego-dynamics "disappear." That's having the cake and eating it too. When one proclaims themselves wise, as you know, the egos of the audience go into immediate overdrive, thinking "how dare that guy put himself above
me?"
This excuse doesn't work, either. If you'd said you were doing it to create more "egotistical game-playing" (for the purpose of exposing and thereby diminishing it), you would have had more credibility. You should take a lesson from Dan. He's smart enough to use that line.
If a person reaches his own knowledge and insight, then you can't really talk about influences anymore. He's his own man. As Dave suggests, it would be better if you simply addressed his points on their own merits, rather than bringing in irrelevant stuff about me or whoever.
I did address them, but he chose to ignore it because I made reference to you.
I live in a tub.