[ConspirEDD]

adsman,

I just found this thread. I found it to be a great read, and you are very articulate in your description of meditative states. From what I've gathered, you worked with Dr. Reid? I've never heard of him, but if you recommend it, I'll look him up.

I spent more than a year entirely spaced out, reading through people like Timothy Leary, Alan Watts, Ram Dass. In hindsight, I suppose I may have gone too far with the 'tune in, turn on, drop out,' ideal. But my experiences along the way were invaluable.

I'm curious what you think about this idea of 20 minute meditation. It almost seems like a way of cramming an eastern ideal into a western schedule. As if, 20 minutes of letting the ego away, will beget an enhancement of your life. How can the average ego hear this and not think, 'ok, this sounds do-able. I can schedule 20 minutes into my planner. If it means I'm more productive at work, great. If not, I'll stop doing it in a week.'

I've always been attracted to the idea of completely leaving civilization and being a monk, or something like a monk.

Sorry if this is slightly OT, but for people enjoying this thread, I highly recommend the following DVD's:

-What the Bleep do we Know?
-Fierce Grace
-Waking Life
-Timothy Leary's Dead
-Timothy Leary's Last Trip
-1 Giant Leap


to a lesser extent:
-Koyaanisqatsi
-Naqoyqatsi
-Powaqqatsi



I was very uptight when I approached these subjects, but these films may help some people ease the transition.