From: ssake@goldthread.com   
      
   All those are good experiences. Though it's not a matter of entertainment   
   value, i.e., those experiences aren't significant because they're the   
   opposite of being boring. Lots of experiences aren't boring and still aren't   
   intrinsically significant. Also, lots of experiences occur outside the   
   physical body and still aren't intrinsically significant.   
      
   There's a saying, "There's no free lunch". One day my son told me that he   
   and a friend had seen an advertisement for a restaurant having a grand   
   opening, and they advertised a free lunch. They went and ate, but he said it   
   wasn't very good. So I had to modify the old saying, to read, "There *is* a   
   free lunch--but it's not very good."   
      
   The same claims were made for drugs when I was a hippy in the early '70's.   
   People were having all kinds of experiences, but in retrospect, in my   
   opinion, they didn't stack up to real mysticism. They served their purpose   
   for many of my contemporaries, by clueing them in that there was, in fact,   
   "something else"--but they didn't turn out in and of themselves to live up   
   to their promise. They were too easy, and and there was a reason for it.   
      
   So I should be more clear that I applaud the experience of love, wisdom,   
   bliss and meaning. But the principle holds true, that if it's too easy, it's   
   probably not genuine. The only exception to that rule is when a person has   
   earned it in a past life and then it comes to them very easily in this life.   
      
   My master, Meher Baba, said regarding drugs, "If God could be found in a   
   pill, God wouldn't be worthy of being God." I would say the same principle   
   applies to experiences which can be had quickly and easily with various   
   meditative techniques.   
      
   We all know this when it comes to relationships. Once in a blue moon, two   
   people meet and it's magic and it works out for the long run. Most of the   
   time, though, if it's really quick and easy, it's a disaster and blows up in   
   your face. Generally, it's the relationships that you build over time that   
   last. Again, if a relationship kicks in instantly and goes on to work well   
   over the years, it's probably a good past-life relationship starting up   
   where it left off. Certainly the kind of instant relationship that blows up   
   in a few weeks or months isn't boring, and you can get all kinds of   
   experiencesfrom it, including love, wisdom, bliss and meaning. At least, it   
   seems that way at the time. I'm suggesting the realm of spiritual   
   experiences is similar, and the company you're citing is kind of like a   
   dating services that suggest they can sell you an easy wonderful   
   relationship. Whereas, most people know that even the best of relationships   
   takes a *lot* of work. They even get boring sometimes--and it's also true   
   that there are long periods in genuine mysticism that are quite boring, when   
   you don't feel anything.   
   Steve S.   
      
      
      
      
   "hotmoon"  wrote in message   
   news:2c44bad9.0310201056.77579f38@posting.google.com...   
   > "Steve S."  wrote in message   
   news:...   
   > > The question is not whether you had the experiences, but what value to   
   put   
   > > on them.   
   > >   
   >   
   >   
   > The value is in the experience.  The experience is not just like being   
   > in the physical body.  The experience is vibrant with love, wisdom,   
   > bliss, meaning.  Otherwise, it would just the same ol' same ol' boring   
   > reality we are experiencing now.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)