+1
Snowboarding is way cooler than skiing!! :D:P:hehe:
I would say its not bikers that are especially spiritual - none of my mates are or any other bikers I know, but more likely that the spiritual lot seem to like bikes.
I’d say that a certain kind of biking is more existential than spiritual - e.g. deliberately riding a motorcycle to your/it’s limits on road and track could be classed as an extreme sport or past time like rock climbing and sky diving.
The existential nature of these sports derives from their ability to heighten consciousness of the present moment - ‘the now’ - via the immense concentration and focus involved and (something which people involved in these pursuits generally try not to dwell on) the proximity of death.
You can achieve similar states of heightened consciousness and awareness via skilled meditation (interestingly Buddhist practice puts a lot of emphasis on consciousness of the proximity of death in order to achieve greater awareness of being alive - another similarity with the above).
All these things boil down to the desire to feel ‘alive’ and ‘in the moment’ by heightening consciousness and awareness of ‘the now’ - this is a wise response to the problem that we all have in that we tend to live our lives on ‘auto-pilot’ (you can see this just by watching cagers drive . . . ) living on auto-pilot like this cut us off from the present moment - so that we end up being effectively absent for vast chunks of our own lives - which is a tragedy.
Well, it’s my satnav that does that, although I grant you that it may be haunted.
An interesting bunch of responses for sure. If biking is an extreme sport, then why does anyone do an extreme sport? Even if it is for the rush isn’t that a reality in itself and because it’s a reality that someone has consciously created then it’s a sense of enlightenment?
I don’t know whether bikers are especially spiritual in their own right, but I seemed to come across enough of them to warrant asking the question!
This caught my attn. This auto-pilot can also be our most natural state of being with less of the conditioning affecting us in the way. The “don’t think, be” approach. I’m not talking about daydreaming about whats for dinner or who Jordan will marry next…
I fully agree wasting your time thinking about ‘stuff’ that not worth wasting time over is a tragedy. but thats where most of us are most of the time. No?
Thinking often slows ‘the brain’ down, thinking in language limits even more. “Don’t think. FEEEEEL.” Observe without ego, without id. Be aware.
Great sense of awareness when riding. Just wanted to try it out and enjoy the time riding. Spiritual? I don’t think so.
B.
I rock climb which i’m counting as an extreme sport, The reason i climb is because i enjoy it and it’s also about the challenge to better myself, not only physically, it’s mainly mentally. There is usually a point where im facing my fear such as…
Im in a position where i need to get to the next hold, im high up and there is the growing thought that i might fall, this causes my hands to sweat which in turn means i could easily loose my grip, this thought causes my legs to tremble a bit. i know i cant just stay where i am and i know i now need to release one of my hand grips so i can chalk up to absorb the sweat. So, im in a position where im scared to fall off but i need to let go to advance.
When i get past this stage there is relief and exhilaration, i’ve faced my fear and got through it.
Rock climbing has lots of these moments they are personal battles with high risk and high reward.
there is also the non personal battle of actually climbing a route which in itself is a technical challenge.
I don’t think it has anything to do with reality/enlightenment for me but im sure there many people who find climbing a spiritual experience. Much in the same way surfers may, the whole man, nature and danger relationship exists.
Rock Climbing, music and motorcycling put some excitement in my otherwise boring life
Im sure the alchemist or the celestine prophecy would say the reason you are noticing more of these spiritual types is because the universe wants you to progress on your own journey with a heightened sensitivity to these things.
Its not necessarily an extreme sport… All depends on how you ride 
Yes I totally agree - we spend most of our time in doing mode - thinking about what we have to achieve - e.g. the journey to work, work itself, going to the shops, worrying about things - work, relationships, bills - consequently we are living in a shadow world of ‘thoughts’ rather than in a state of ‘being’ (a world of light and clarity) - actively present in our life with a sense of being alive.
Personally speaking the only times I have felt this state of actually being present as my life unfolds - have been during and after periods of meditation - or in moments of deep focus - like attempting to ride my bike to the limits of my abilities - or rock climbing - although to be honest the bike and climbing wasn’t as pure a form of reaching this state as meditation because of the fear and adrenaline involved - which takes up some of the bandwidth that otherwise could be occupied by pure consciousness.
I can’t really talk with any authority on this as I’m just a novice on the meditation thing - but it’s what I am reading and discovering at the moment.
Freedom!
Perhaps there might be different understanding of the concept of ‘spirituality’ and I had classed them there ‘spiritual’ types initially referred to as the tree hugger type but what I seem to be learning more and more is that spirituality is what most of you seemed to have described i.e. an awareness, a ‘feeling.’
That’s what it is to me, that ‘being’ and ‘feeling’ and ‘knowing’ is an awareness and reality that is here and now and that is because it’s all we have. We have no concept of what else might be coming and can’t change what has been so it’s about being brave enough to ‘shake the shackles of mediocrity’ and open our eyes to the possibility of experience and life that many people allow to pass them by because they are shackled by the every day stresses.
That’s what it is to me, that ‘being’ and ‘feeling’ and ‘knowing’ is an awareness and reality that is here and now and that is because it’s all we have. We have no concept of what else might be coming and can’t change what has been so it’s about being brave enough to ‘shake the shackles of mediocrity’ and open our eyes to the possibility of experience and life that many people allow to pass them by because they are shackled by the every day stresses.
That sounds like the modern application of Buddhist meditation to me.
Interesting you should say that…I feel drawn to Buddhism…but I know nothing at all about it other than a very ignorant and simplistic idea that it’s about the journey to enlightenment. My friend is one, and she was going to take me to a meeting, but it never did happen. Perhaps it should?
i ride…becuase i love it!
since i was a 5 year old sat on a race prepped GS1000 in the back of a transit van on teh way to race tracks…
its in my blood, my mum rode bikes, my dad rode bikes, my aunt rode bikes…
i love the speed, and the feeling of riding a bike, riding a a big fast bike at speed is a skill, not everyone can do it, it takes soem learning its a challenge.
i’m not so sure biking is spiritual? theres defo summit else tho within a bikers mentality, specially when it comes to helping another biker!
that said i do get a nice warm fuzzy feeling when i fire my bike up:D
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MissVanda (23/07/2010)
Yeah, I think you should take yourself to a meeting if you want to know more 
Oh and shame to hear things didn’t work out.
Surely not all bikers are ‘spiritual’ there must be some materialistic bikers out there?
Miss Vanda best be careful with these meetings- they might say they are Buddhist just to lure you in but you might end up getting snared into a ‘personality test’ and being offered a free holiday- or something. To be on the safe side I would recommend that you never think about this sort of stuff again as it is clearly highly dangerous to do so.
blimey… this is deep :w00t:i ride bikes cos they are a quicker form of transport to get me where im going and more fun than cars
Perhaps Miss V likes it deep.
Check out the ‘Would the world be a better place if we all became bhuddists’ thread.
Roadrunner posted a useful link for aspiring seekers of enlightenment there. 
I started riding bikes again after far to many years to remember, I think it was a mid life crissis.
Had this dream of riding through north America or route one down the west coast but i havent won the lottery yet.