Spiritual Bushwacking

Three Minutes without Air

I'll go with awareness for my highest priority focus.  Meditation in action seems the best tool for this.  What type?  I don't know yet.  I have started researching Dzogchen, and I have practised zazen and vipassana for several years each.  I've also benefited from meditations taught by Jack Schwarz and ones from Stephen Hayes.

This begins my adaptation of physical survival's rule of threes to the spiritual journey.

This article inspired my thinking.  I realized I want, and need, some specific tools to help me over some inherent obstacles I face.  But...

I know I do not want to blaze a new trail for others to follow.  I don't care if anyone follows me.  Sure, I would find it cool to have people follow me, but I don't really care.

And I don't have any interest in going where others went.  I want my own personal Star Trek.  I want to go where no one has gone before.

I recognize the importance of having the right skills, tools and kit for the journey.  So I will collect my metaphorical water, knife, fire-making tools, shelter-making knowledge and whatever else I find I need along the way.

I do have to figure out what those actually are.

Returning to the rule of threes I continue with:

Three Hours without Shelter
I have to go with sleep as next.  Sleep deprivation will destabilize my system too much.

Three Days without Water
Since I believe in no difference between body and mind, I choose movement for third priority. 

Three Weeks without Food
Next, I choose human contact.  Like Erving Goffman, I believe the self emerges from interaction.  And without interaction with others, I can never discover  shenpa to work on.

Three Months without Hope
Contribution comes fifth.  I do not want to go long without contributing to my context (group, location, organizations, economy).  If I don't contribute, I don't earn. "No work, no eating."

Three Years without Purpose
I disagree with this survival rule.  I don't think anyone has a purpose.  Life has no inherent meaning, except, perhaps reproduction.  And I refuse to step on that treadmill.

Who has other ideas?