The Hockey Stick Metaphor and Exponential Growth on the Spiritual Path

Not true for everyone, but often a persons are growth on the path of liberation will follow. What is colloquially called a hockey stick curve the proper name for this is an exponential curve?

An exponential curves have the characteristic that the more you grow the faster you grow snowball is an example of an exponential curve. The growth rate of the snowball is proportional to the surface area of the snowball so the bigger the snowball gets the faster the snowball. Add snow so the rate of growth is proportional to how much it has grown and if you have any background.

In calculus or analysis, you know the math behind this, it's quite fundamental actually in those fields so in any event.

So when you start your practice you do if you follow this common pattern.

You do grow OK but it seems like you're growing linear.

Um and it's not it's there's growth there, OK, but it's not stunning. It's sort of like well at this rate. It's going to really, really take a long time to get anywhere.

But hopefully you persevere OK.

And at some point.

You start to notice it's like really taking off.

And some People call this the break point in the curve.

As I say it is by no means the case that everyone that follows the spiritual path goes through that this kind of situation. But an awful lot of People do now. Of course, the natural question is at what point does. This dramatic upsurge take place and we can't say exactly for some People. It happens fairly early on in their practice for other People.

It might take.

In the most extreme case, maybe 10 or 15 years.

What?

Happens at this point that makes the difference well. There can be a lot of factors.

But one of them is certainly.

When one reaches the point where one starts to get what I called the flavor of purification.

In other words, you start to actually.

Detect have a tangible experience that when you bring mindful awareness, to an unpleasant experience your purifying consciousness. You can actually taste the purification happening within within you.

That, it's a kind of really hard to put into words. But it's A kind of knowing that because of the way. I'm experiencing this moment every moment of my future is going to have more fulfillment and less suffering.

Another way to put it is it's an attachable awareness that because of the way I'm experiencing this moment. I'm clearing up the stored poison of the pain and pain from all my purse. Previous moments, you actually since that happening once that taste is there. You've got a positive feedback loop going and what characterizes hockey stick growth is a positive feedback loop.

In other words, the bigger gets the faster grows so once there's the positive feedback that bringing equanimity.

Concentration clarity, but especially equanimity to a present experience that you can actually taste. It building a better future for you and cleaning out the past for you. Once that happens now. You've got a positive feedback loop and that's one of the.

Causes of this dramatic runaway growth. There can be other causes also so I give People this hockey stick metaphor by way of encouragement when they're in this seeming linear phase here and it just doesn't seem like anything, it seems like yeah, growth is happening. But it's the journey is 1,000,000 miles and in the first year I go 10 miles.

It's you know that doesn't bode well. But what People don't realize is that well. Maybe in the next year. You'll go 100 and the next year, you go 1000 etc. Etc and at some point, it becomes evident to you.

You reach these sort of Oh my God place.

Right about here where you realize that little old me.

Can fees obli?

Hope to experience the classic results that I've read about in.

These ancient books.