QUOTE 8 EXCERPT:
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Originally Posted by iamthat
Perhaps the middle way combined with self-discipline is the best approach. Self-discipline may be painful to begin with but it then becomes a freedom.
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Well said !
I've noticed that, with mindful meditative living, one can get enlightening revelations from virtually anyone and anything. Didn't the Buddha discover the "Middle Path" by overhearing a conversation between a musician and his student regarding neither having the strings of the musical instrument too tight nor too loose?
Regarding austerities such as sensory deprivation, fasting, and so on, here is an interesting article about the hallucinatory experiences that can be induced by such practices. The section on " Artificially Inducing Mystical Experiences of God" is particularly interesting.
http://www.humanreligions.info/hallu....html#Mystical