Report 67
Table of contents
No headers"Expectations of goals and rewards (such as Enlightenment) are recognized for what they are: last-ditch attempts by the ghostly self to subvert the process to its own ends. The more we become conscious of the mysterious unfolding of life, the clearer it becomes that its purpose is not to fulfill the expectations of our ego." -- Stephen Batchelor, Buddhism Without Beliefs
It seems that our lives are programmed to work towards the attainment of goals, especially the educational system. Eckhart Tolle tells an amusing story about this where someone goes to a spiritual lecture is so pleased because they have been given a seven step program that will take four years!
I suppose that spiritual practice of any kind means letting go of this kind of thinking. The ego self often has definite ideas of what awakening will entail and wants to be in charge of the process.