Devotion- A Basic Belief of Hinduism

Some friends have thought me devoted to following my path. But it is neither Hinduism devotion nor attachment; most of the time I am not following a specific path, just following my impulses and energies for action. Changes in direction are common. Things may not make sense. For example, as I write these words, I find myself on a weight loss diet. This is exactly the opposite of what I suggest in Chapter 10 about pursuing the natural body. I have yet to figure out exactly why I am dieting. It doesn't matter. The basic energy is there, the minor amounts of necessary willpower are there and the weight is coming off. (Later note: this, like most all diets, resulted in temporary weight loss only - not what I wanted - oh well.) If my path, as indicated by my impulses and energies, changes tomorrow, fine! I'll follow that new path, provided I am relatively sure that I am not in avoidance.

Dropping of Senses Trap. New Age folks often try to drop more of their bodily senses; they claim to be more spiritual as a result. Dropping of senses (ranges/types of emotions, feelings, and bodily senses) is the basic process that we went through when we adopted our adaptive personalities as children. This is a core issue in our neurotic (or adaptive or false) personality makeup. I consider that this dropping of senses with meditation or by using some other spiritual path is usually really sick, not healthy. This is a trap for virtually everyone who attempts to drop the senses. Therefore, I suggest you avoid all directives that indicate you should drop the senses. As non-attachment grows, then the importance of the senses becomes less in a natural way, not because of an unnatural "should be." This more natural approach will get the job accomplished without long detours, traps, or treadmills.