Thinking too much about issues of faith

IowaGuy said:
Gatekeeper - have you ever tried walking meditation? I have been experimenting the last decade with 10 day trips (the longest my wife will let me leave:)) deep into wilderness areas either via backpacking or canoeing. Cover about 100 miles per trip. I take one each spring & fall. No modern electronic technology (cell phone, watch, etc). I just try to focus on living in the present moment as much as possible without all the distractions that are present in "normal" day-to-day life. This spring while canoeing in Quetico I didn't see anyone else for 7 days straight...

I'm not one for sitting meditation either, but walking or canoeing all day and just trying to focus on my breathing, feelings in my legs/arms, eating when I'm truly hungry (not just because the clock says noon), etc is very calming for my mind.

My mind races as you describe for the first day or two, but by the end of the trip I am in a very peaceful state...

"Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer. Camp out among the grasses and gentians of glacial meadows, in craggy garden nooks full of nature's darlings. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings, Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drip off like autumn leaves."
- John Muir (1838-1914)​

"Another glorious Sierra day in which one seems to be dissolved and absorbed and sent pulsing onward we know not where. Life seems neither long nor short, and we take no more heed to save time or make haste than do the trees and stars. This is true freedom, a good practical sort of immortality."
- John Muir​
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sound wonderful.

I do walking meditation for an hour or so.

I would love to disappear into the wilderness to some time, but dont think there any wilderness left in England.
 
wil said:
Oh I am soo stealing that!
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Difficult to steal a thought that was given freely. Some other variations were: Loving with the heart, soul, and money. And, Loving with heart, soul, and meditation.
 
wil said:
so you pack for the entire 10 days? Do you filter, purfication tablets or UV your water?
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Hi Wil, In the mountains, I drink water straight from the high-country streams (exhilirating!). In canoe country there are lots of beavers (giardia), so I boil my water over an open fire.

I pack for the entire trip. Food is mostly dried to minimize weight, about 50 pound pack to start the journey. Since you've hitchhiked I imagine you can relate to the joy of carrying one's entire sustenance on your back!

It is a helpful exercise for me in voluntary poverty/simplicity, i.e. if I can live without something for 10 days, how much do I really need it? Helped motivate me to give up television over 10 years ago!

"In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness."
- Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
 
A Nice Cup of Tea said:
I would love to disappear into the wilderness to some time, but dont think there any wilderness left in England.
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England?!! I'm sorry I didn't pick up on that. For what its worth, I thought you were American.
 
IowaGuy said:
It is a helpful exercise for me in voluntary poverty/simplicity, i.e. if I can live without something for 10 days, how much do I really need it? Helped motivate me to give up television over 10 years ago!

"In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness."
- Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
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There are a good number of people who head for the hills, the lakes, and the trees, for solitude. For this reason there are also a good number of people who get into unexpected life threatening situations simply because they were alone, unfamiliar with the entire environment, perhaps with the romantic belief that leaving their mind and friends at home would improve the experience they were seeking. Sure going solo can be fun and rewarding, but going solo in the romantic pursuit of tranquility and solitude, leaving the mind and the friends at home, is in my view an unnecessary and an unproductive gamble. Not to advocate social loafing, but solo mental-loafing in a more foreign environment is a poor substitute.
 
Paladin said:
By the way, someone should point out to you how wonderful it is to come to the place of awareness you are in right now. Most people spend their entire lives never really being aware of their own minds.
Although it might seem painful, you are beyond what most people experience, so congratulations!
Oh, and it does get better, as a matter of fact when you begin to explore your own awareness, life becomes deeper, richer. You feel pain more, but you suffer less, and there comes a joy not based on desire or avoidance.
I think this is what is known as the "...peace of God that passeth all understanding"
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Whereas it seems you are way beyond being aware of your own mind, with the awareness of the minds of many other people. 'Most people' would quantify to > 50% of the population?! Have you even met 50% of the people? Do you seriously claim to be aware of what someone else is aware of, of their own mind? And then, over 50% of the people?
 
How we doin today luecy, feeling a little devil's advocatish?

Typically my project....quite the lesson for me to see it in action....thanx.
 
luecy7 said:
There are a good number of people who head for the hills, the lakes, and the trees, for solitude. For this reason there are also a good number of people who get into unexpected life threatening situations simply because they were alone, unfamiliar with the entire environment, perhaps with the romantic belief that leaving their mind and friends at home would improve the experience they were seeking. Sure going solo can be fun and rewarding, but going solo in the romantic pursuit of tranquility and solitude, leaving the mind and the friends at home, is in my view an unnecessary and an unproductive gamble. Not to advocate social loafing, but solo mental-loafing in a more foreign environment is a poor substitute.
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Statistically the most "life threatening" part of most solo trips is the drive to the trailhead!

I personally don't bring any high-tech gadgets along as I believe it detracts from the simplicity experiment, but there are some tools (satellite phones, gps beacons, etc) that one could take along if one were worried about getting into unexpected life threatening situations...

If you've never tried it, leaving one's friends/family at home for 10 days does improve the contemplative experience, IMHO. YMMV.

"Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!"
- Friedrich Nietzche (1844-1900)​

"Spend some time alone every day."
- Dalai Lama (1935-present)​
 
wil said:
How we doin today luecy, feeling a little devil's advocatish?

Typically my project....quite the lesson for me to see it in action....thanx.
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I am not a government advocate. What did you see in action?
 
IowaGuy said:
Statistically the most "life threatening" part of most solo trips is the drive to the trailhead!

I personally don't bring any high-tech gadgets along as I believe it detracts from the simplicity experiment, but there are some tools (satellite phones, gps beacons, etc) that one could take along if one were worried about getting into unexpected life threatening situations...

If you've never tried it, leaving one's friends/family at home for 10 days does improve the contemplative experience, IMHO. YMMV.

"Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!"
- Friedrich Nietzche (1844-1900)​

"Spend some time alone every day."

- Dalai Lama (1935-present)​
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I suggest it is good to apply the mind to the activity at hand. A foreign or less travelled environment should actually require greater thought and attention to the situation: not less. As you view it as good to leave friends and family at home for an outdoor trek, I am sure that you likewise encourage those loved ones to be doing the same.

I would minimally recommend letting someone know your path and intentions, just in case things don't go as planned.
 
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