Sitting and reaching for enlightenment

[Lostspirit]

Whats your overall thoughts on sitting on the ground? Is it only possible to reach for enlightenment from the ground?

[ButterflyWoman]

I can't sit on the ground, unless I want a gigantic struggle to get up again (two very messed up knees make it pretty tricky business).

I've certainly never heard that you have to sit on the ground to "reach for enlightenment", but it sounds like something that some people would claim. Spiritual awakening is not about you (or where you're sitting), it's about the Consciousness that is the All waking up to Itself, through you. The process is subtractive, where the ego-self (i.e., you) decreases and becomes more transparent, so that the Self (Consciousness, God, Brahman, Awareness, whatever) can see Itself. The ego-self doesn't even have any particular control over the process; best it can do is get out of the way and allow the process to happen without interference.

If sitting on the ground makes you feel less resistant to ego dissolution, then sit on the ground. Otherwise, I can't see any particular relationship between where you're sitting and spiritual awakening.

[Lostspirit]

If sitting on the ground makes you feel less resistant to ego dissolution, then sit on the ground. Otherwise, I can't see any particular relationship between where you're sitting and spiritual awakening.

thanks

[dreaming90]

Bodily position really has nothing to do with enlightenment and frankly I don't know why there are gurus out there that make this claim. It's silly. If a person has a debilitating disease where they are bedridden, does that mean that this person cannot become enlightened because they can't twist their legs into the right pretzel-shape?

You can reach enlightenment while bouncing on a trampoline, if you wanted to.

[CFTraveler]

I get the impression that many people confuse the use of asanas to produce certain results (the same mechanism for ritual is in place in this case; the association between a cause and an effect) and when ideas get transmitted from system to system things like these get disseminated, in error, in my opinion. Hence the connection with sitting on the ground with enlightenment, because 'that's how the Buddha got his'- but of course we know this is not that simple, he went through a lot of experimentation and research, and the sitting under the Boddhi tree could have happened anywhere, when he was ready. If it really did happen that way. But I digress.

[thedevil]

in my understanding the different positions have a lot to do with discipline. Personally I do my best energy work when i am laying flat on my back. Often (but not always) I will lay on my back to reach a deep trance then change positions (once I achieve the trance*) to an indian style or lotus position. It's generally harder/different to do energy work in these positions so like I said, its more about discipline/mindfulness/awareness than anything.