A little more about the fifthway

The 4 known ways, of "working" with the body, emotions, mind, and entire system, could be described, from the point-of-view of the 'follower', as the degree to which he/she believes there is any personal value there. No one ever 'followed a way', either forcibly or mechanically. All followers, at all times, start with a Desire and Wish to start observing, controlling, changing, and then continue. If one believes there is more value to working with the body, then he'll be inclined to pursue sports, games, activities of all kinds, to 'evolve' (as he sees it). If one believes there is more value to working with people (emotions), then he'll be inclined to join groups, classes, teachings, seminars... If one believes in the value of thought, he'll be inclined to write, read, think, speak, comment, criticize... But, if he were ever to discover, there was NO value in that, what would be left? The fifthway. This is the way, available when, you're all-but-dead to the life-of-man.

The 4 known ways, are all about "doing what is necessary"... to achieve (obtain, acquire) something, the follower does not already have - control, awareness, a conscious or saved soul, whatever. The chief thing he does not have, though, is the understanding of what he is attempting to do, and the intrinsic "value" (or non-value) of that. The 4 ways attempt to embody that knowledge. The fifthway is about "doing what is UN-necessary"... and knowing the difference.

The 4 ways counter-balance the ballast, of mechanical "life-of-mankind" - merrily on its descending spiral to death. The 4 ways counter the energy-flow, that is "the-life-of-man". Everything ordinary men do, in life, is virtually opposite to what a follower perceives as "right-work" (according to "his way"). He (ordinary man) is too mechanical, too asleep, too talkative, too negative, too sinful, too, too, too. So, the 4 ways have something to measure "progress" by.

The fifthway counters nothing. There is nothing in life, and the life of man, that is either similar or different to it. Man, as we find him, is, from the point of view of this new view, perfect - and not in need of alteration. Hence, there is no way to measure "progress", AND, thus, no NEED to measure it, either.

The fifthway seeks not riches but poverty - in all things. Especially poverty of thought, for that is always the last to go. A man will give up anything, EVERYTHING, for some imagined "spiritual advancement", but thought is always the last hold-out. The 4 ways, that we know about... well, we KNOW about them, precisely because they are RICH in thought. Jeez, look at the myriad online groups and the countless forums discussing the ways to enlightenment. It's awesome.

Now, count the forums that advocate Shutting Up, once and for all, about everything.

Yes, there IS more to talk about, and write about, than that

  • 1) we need to be better people,
  • 2) we need to awaken from our cloudy sleep,
  • 3) we need act more compassionately to others and ourselves,
  • 4) etc.


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