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**agracias** · 09-06-2010, 02:58 AM

My goal was a vague "enlightenment" when I started out....but now it could probably be restated as an aim for the cessation of delusional thinking.

I think this is closer to where I am as well. What got me interested in Buddhist practice at first wasn't that I wanted to accomplish what dharma practice often seems to shoot for (enlightenment, freedom, alertness, etc.), but that there insights there that helped me deal with problems I wanted to solve. I mentioned anger and frustration earlier, and those were part of it.

I think at this point that my continuing interest in dharma practice is due to the fact that the Buddha's liberative teachings have a lot of truth and insight to them. I don't know what I will (or even what I want to) accomplish with continuing my dharma practice, but it's been my experience that greater mindfulness can only lead to better outcomes. So... I work on it, with no real need to dwell on what exactly I'm trying to accomplish. If the means at my disposal are mindfulness and clear thinking, whatever comes out will be fine.

09-06-2010, 02:58 AM	#9
agracias Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 391 Senior Member	My goal was a vague "enlightenment" when I started out....but now it could probably be restated as an aim for the cessation of delusional thinking. I think this is closer to where I am as well. What got me interested in Buddhist practice at first wasn't that I wanted to accomplish what dharma practice often seems to shoot for (enlightenment, freedom, alertness, etc.), but that there insights there that helped me deal with problems I wanted to solve. I mentioned anger and frustration earlier, and those were part of it. I think at this point that my continuing interest in dharma practice is due to the fact that the Buddha's liberative teachings have a lot of truth and insight to them. I don't know what I will (or even what I want to) accomplish with continuing my dharma practice, but it's been my experience that greater mindfulness can only lead to better outcomes. So... I work on it, with no real need to dwell on what exactly I'm trying to accomplish. If the means at my disposal are mindfulness and clear thinking, whatever comes out will be fine.
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