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Satsang Cafe - General Questions on AYP

Question about Alcohol

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T O P I C R E V I E W
warlock	Posted - Feb 06 2012 : 04:20:40 AM I have been practicing DM for about 6 weeks now. I have noticed the peace that has entered my daily life already. I drink beer probably one day a week. I usually drink 2-3 beers and get a light buzz. I usually drink socially or at a nice dinner with my wife. My question, will the occasional drinking slow my spiritual progress? I want to continue to unfold spiritually, but, I don't want to get so legalistic where I develop a bunch of "rules" for myself to follow. I had some bad experiences with codified behavior with the religion I was brought up in. They taught me that I was "unworthy" if I drank alcohol. This in turn made me feel that I wasn't worthy for God. So I admit that I do have a slight rebellious streak in me that doesn't like codified behaviors.
25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
Radharani	Posted - Feb 24 2012 : 5:47:16 PM quote: Originally posted by Etherfish I don't think fine wine is drunk to become intoxicated, but I could be wrong. You would have to kind of work at it. Wine is intended to be sipped slowly. To become intoxicated I would go for Jaeger or rum or something.
Etherfish	Posted - Feb 18 2012 : 2:02:26 PM I don't think fine wine is drunk to become intoxicated, but I could be wrong.
Mikananda	Posted - Feb 18 2012 : 09:47:43 AM A sober mind is best.
Radharani	Posted - Feb 18 2012 : 04:27:33 AM No, it does not (imply pro). When I said "difficult" I meant "difficult to make it come out tasting like good wine." One of my fellow connoisseurs, a "pro," in fact the person who taught me everything I know about wine and who has worked for high-end wine companies, got a home wine-making kit and put a lot of time and energy into the appropriate research and followed the instructions explicitly, and the results were underwhelming. I mean, it was drinkable; it wasn't wrectched or repulsive, but... She eventually gave up on it. I figured if anybody would be able to do it, she was the one! So when her efforts were unsuccessful I decided not to even bother.
Etherfish	Posted - Feb 17 2012 : 07:43:43 AM Oh i see, private connoisseur. I thought the word implied pro. I think the only difference is finding a magazine that thinks you are good. Understood no desire to make wine, but it's not very difficult. Making beer from grain is harder, and I've done that. But you do have to have a lot of grapes, I mean gallons of juice. You basically just take a jug of juice, add a little yeast, put a vapor lock on it, and let it sit where the temperature is good and it's dark. You try different wine yeasts in different jugs, and wine makes itself! The home brews you didn't like most likely had to do with the kind of grape, type of yeast, and how long it was fermented. You have to look up the wine you like and find out those factors.
Radharani	Posted - Feb 17 2012 : 01:49:00 AM quote: Originally posted by Etherfish Good that you are a connoisseur yourself. That's a way you can get wine for free, but I suppose Florida is not wine country, and it doesn't help when away from home like karaoke night. My grandfather used to grow his own grapes in oregon and make his own wine. Delicious, but he was Japanese, so he liked to ruin it by putting sugar in it. We had to get it before that point. Wine for FREE??? excuse me, I think we have a communication breakdown here. I did not say I was a PROFESSIONAL connoisseur. ah, if only! Oh yes, it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get decent wine at a bar here in Panama City. Sometimes I am forced to drink Jaeger... That is awesome that your grandfather had his own vineyard! We do grow grapes here but don't have the time or inclination to try to make our own wine. I've heard it is quite difficult and I have not been impressed by the home brews I have sampled. surely would not want it with added sugar.
LittleTurtle	Posted - Feb 16 2012 : 7:16:03 PM Haha Radharani. Really enjoying your posts.
maheswari	Posted - Feb 16 2012 : 1:33:41 PM quote: We had to get it before that point. loll...i can imagine you running in order to get it before that point
Etherfish	Posted - Feb 16 2012 : 08:16:29 AM Good that you are a connoisseur yourself. That's a way you can get wine for free, but I suppose Florida is not wine country, and it doesn't help when away from home like karaoke night. My grandfather used to grow his own grapes in oregon and make his own wine. Delicious, but he was Japanese, so he liked to ruin it by putting sugar in it. We had to get it before that point.
Radharani	Posted - Feb 16 2012 : 02:20:06 AM quote: Originally posted by Etherfish Yes, it tends to make everything all soft and fuzzy. I wonder is it just me, or does physical action take away the dullness of alcohol? I used to play volleyball with friends while drinking, and more recently dancing, and noticed that physicality changes everything. If i just sit still it makes me feel awful. @Radharani: good wine doesn't have to be expensive. Wine doesn't agree with me, but I have heard wine lovers saying that sometimes small wineries produce as good as the well known ones, and have cheaper prices. I think you have to read reviews by local connoisseurs to find them. Dancing while on alcohol will make me more alert and less lethargic, but still my essential "high" is somewhat diminished. In my extensive experience as a wine connoisseur I have found that the smaller wineries DO sometimes produce better wines, but they are almost always more expensive. Of course that was when I lived in California, which has abundant wine. Now that I live in Podunk Florida it's not even an issue. Here you can only get the major brands, and a limited selection of those. I have often read reviews by people recommending the cheaper ones and tried them, only to respond, "BLECH!!!" and use them for cooking...
Etherfish	Posted - Feb 15 2012 : 08:21:26 AM Yes, it tends to make everything all soft and fuzzy. I wonder is it just me, or does physical action take away the dullness of alcohol? I used to play volleyball with friends while drinking, and more recently dancing, and noticed that physicality changes everything. If i just sit still it makes me feel awful. @Radharani: good wine doesn't have to be expensive. Wine doesn't agree with me, but I have heard wine lovers saying that sometimes small wineries produce as good as the well known ones, and have cheaper prices. I think you have to read reviews by local connoisseurs to find them.
Shanti	Posted - Feb 15 2012 : 06:19:26 AM quote: Originally posted by Radharani In fact, I find that I NEED alcohol at karaoke in order to endure all the country music which is inevitably sung here where I live...
Radharani	Posted - Feb 15 2012 : 02:46:06 AM Matangi, I love good wine myself - but only the fairly expensive kind, unfortunately. And yes, it can be medicinal! But, I can really relate to what you said about "placing a blurred lens over the joy I feel." Like I said, it kind of puts a dent in my buzz. The silence/clarity is still there underneath but the energy is definitely dampened... However, this has not stopped me from having a glass of wine with dinner or when going out to karaoke. In fact, I find that I NEED alcohol at karaoke in order to endure all the country music which is inevitably sung here where I live...
matangi	Posted - Feb 14 2012 : 10:02:57 PM I appreciate the open question having wondered myself about the place of alcohol in my life. I used to drink in my early 20's and reached a point where I didn't want my feel goods to come from outside of myself but instead from within myself. Except for maybe 1 or 2 occasions I did not touch alcohol for 20 years or so. Did not miss the hangovers for sure! I did find it interesting if on a rare occasion I had a yen for a drink. I decided that meant I was seeking to avoid something. Two or three years ago I experienced several traumatic events and I had a glass of wine...and another most nights. I don't regret it. It may have saved me my sanity and ability to get through another day. No, I was not meditating consistently during this time. I am finding myself through the other side and even though I still have wine sometimes, I am waking up at night and spinal breathing and meditating. I have had the experience of feeling such joy and love at times that when I have a glass of wine it is as if I am placing a blurred lens over the joy I feel. Truly a joy kill!! And yet, I am very grateful to have had the wine when I did....and I am happy to feel it passing away....
warlock	Posted - Feb 09 2012 : 9:13:08 PM Thanks for the advice everyone. I am starting to enjoy the rising inner silence more than any chemical can provide. I am just going to let things unfold naturally. If I feel an urge to quit alcohol altogether, then I will.
mr_anderson	Posted - Feb 08 2012 : 4:17:14 PM RE: intuition etc Let's not get trapped in semantics and trying to define meanings. It's a personal thing, because only you intuitively know what is right for you. Each person is different and has a different path to tread. What is right for one person, may not be right for the next. Each may use his intuition to find their own truth. This is not in conflict with the idea that we are all part of the oneness / there is only one. Not by any means. We live in a world of dualities and paradox, and we have to be able to accept the particular paradox that the illusory duality derives from the real, non-dual reality and that both exist side by side, in a sense.
Bodhi Tree	Posted - Feb 08 2012 : 12:52:12 PM quote: Originally posted by warlock I have been practicing DM for about 6 weeks now. I have noticed the peace that has entered my daily life already. I drink beer probably one day a week. I usually drink 2-3 beers and get a light buzz. I usually drink socially or at a nice dinner with my wife. quote: Originally posted by Radharani However, I have noticed since my reality changed back in May of last year, if I drink more than 1 glass of wine it puts a serious dent in my "natural high"! Whereas alcohol used to give me a buzz, now it ruins my buzz. Just to echo the comments of Radharani...when I first had a surge of kundalini energy, it far dwarfed any buzz or euphoria I had gotten from alcohol. Now the addiction has shifted--from chemically-induced consciousness to divine-filled ecstasy!
shades	Posted - Feb 07 2012 : 7:43:47 PM What i see is that "you" respond to people in a mirror way. You say that information comes from silence and I understand, but another way to put it is that respons becomes more and more in cordination with what happens, and less out of inner body reactions. Also person or no person dosen't really matter, not if there is silence in the person. The more silence the less things for the so called person to be caught in.
Etherfish	Posted - Feb 07 2012 : 6:29:04 PM I don't know. Words break down talking about this subject. Many people write that there is no "person". It is impossible to talk about, because words belong only to this world where there is a "person". All I know is what I experience, and that is: meditation causes inner silence, and silence causes you to receive information. I don't have any idea what that means, except it is divine, good for me, and correct information from something that is much greater than me.
shades	Posted - Feb 07 2012 : 6:21:54 PM I agree...it is rather personal.
Etherfish	Posted - Feb 07 2012 : 5:52:30 PM Well, I wouldn't put it that way. I think maybe I see what you are saying, that "person" is ego/illusion and intuition is universal/divine. But what I am saying is your intuition is for you only, nobody else in my opinion. Of course, holy scriptures and books have divine instructions that were given to one person, to be broadcasted to many, but I have never experienced that, and so I don't know if that really happens. What I HAVE seen a lot of, is individuals getting a divine connection, and then ego taking over trying to own it. This leads to the receiver thinking he is special, and enjoying people gathering around and putting him on a pedestal. Followers of many famous gurus claim great benefits from being in their presence, so maybe they ARE special, but I believe finding a personal connection is much more true than something or someone outside yourself. I know this brings up the question of whether your inner guru is outside yourself or not, but that's another subject.
shades	Posted - Feb 07 2012 : 5:13:28 PM I get it, there is no split between intuition and person.
Etherfish	Posted - Feb 07 2012 : 4:25:44 PM Intuition IS personal. My inner guru never gives me advice about other people.
shades	Posted - Feb 07 2012 : 4:22:35 PM How can you go with intuition and be personal? Hmm.
mr_anderson	Posted - Feb 07 2012 : 1:57:10 PM I think relax and go with the flow is the best advice here, with respect to drinking. I used to get annoyed that drinking would drain out my natural high, and so I started being really strict about not drinking. I eventually got fed up with that, as I was becoming a major bore in social situations, and never wanting to go out. I'd gotten addicted to trying to feel a natural high the whole time, and it wasn't really compatible with my lifestyle out in the world. Finally I started drinking again and I find it works much better for me to be relaxed about things, than self-disciplined to the point of being anally retentive. There's pretty deep inner silence even when intoxicated or hungover. It's always a personal thing though, go with your intuition.