We have a reality code, and it becomes easier to imprint the right stamp on ourselves when we choose motives, not necessarily actions, but motives (our heart) of a pure nature. The dark side of karma, the negative, imprisoning energies are easier to choose at 1st, but they lead to destruction. If we fight a hard and long battle, then we can bless ourselves with the fruits of the holy and sacred gifts. And we shine more as the entity that we really are, simply because our choices were blessed.
Too much focus on what’s true in the external (not even reality, but the external) may limit the reality of dreams and fantasies. It’s not good to put a cap on what’s possible.
Like, 1 thing that may be possible is the Star Forge. There could be an extreme power somewhere in the universe that can shatter laws, create a new alpha, and so forth.
No. Well sorta. I mean it’s nothing but it served a purpose in the same way Christianity did in the west. Oppressed peasants in the east needed a way to cope with their struggling, and lacking the power to organize, they latched onto a religion that gave them solace. The next best thing to over-powering your oppressor is to purposely ignore it. Buddhism provided a meaning for suffering, and at least then one could make of ascetic resignation an act of will. That is, tell oneself they’ve decided to accept it, and therefore pretend to have some degree of control. If one must suffer, better to convince oneself that one doesn’t mind. That one almost wants it if doing so puts one in control of at least something. Buddhism is an instance of ‘i meant to do that’, more or less. Ascetic denial of the will is still an act of will, see, and one wants to take credit for that.
In the west, Buddhism is just another designer fad that people get into to be unique. You can buy some incense and get one of those little Buddha statues to put on your coffee table for a conversation piece. When friends come over you can talk about oneness and the not-i over chips and salsa in front of the big screen TV.
That can’t be all there is to it. You yourself said seasoned practitioners of Buddhism (or at least meditation) become highly skilled as emotional modulation and can switched between contradictory truths at the speed of light (thereby giving themselves the illusions that they believe both at the same time). Obviously, then, the peace of mind and self-discipline which is said to come with Buddhism is more than just a feeling of “I meant to do that,” although I agree that is a big part of it.
I agree with this wholeheartedly. This is especially exemplified by disgruntled left wingers who embrace anything not western.
Y’all are looking at it wrong.
It’s not so much an “I meant to do that” or an “I didn’t want that anyway”, as it is a “shit’s going to happen one way or another and it’s just how it is. You just gotta go with the flow, take it easy, you know? Just enjoy the ride for now, think some cool thoughts, relax.”
Again, more words stacked up on more words still. Such that this “reality code” never actually makes contact with a context in which actual flesh and blood human beings discuss Buddhism or Enlightenment or karma relating to the lives they actually live. Instead, “reality” here for you seems [to me] to revolve solely around the extent to to which the words themselves make you feel connected to a “whole” that is in turn encompassed solely “in your head”. Then you can go on and on, post after post, coagulating words into any particular “spiritual” reality that pleases you. That soothes and comforts you.
I’ve got nothing against falling back on dreams and fantasies from time to time. “Whatever works” I always say in this at times brutally painful world. But in a philosophy venue that will only take you so far. Or, rather, in my own opinion, it should only take you so far.
Of course the beauty of human consciousness [assuming free will] is that, “in our head”, not much isn’t possible. Right? But: In discussing Buddhism here on this thread I’m more interested in the extent to which what others think is probable in regards to Buddhism is able to be demonstrated to those who express an interest in how Buddhism might be relevant to the behaviors they choose on this side of the grave, and to the fate of “I” on the other side of it.
Is there a right way to look at it? I don’t think so. I don’t think anybody really understands what Buddhism really is, what it was the the Buddha understood.
All explanations we get are riddled in contradiction and mystery. Promethean telling us about dual truths, about the not-I, that the fundamental reality is emptiness. ← All these things are non-sense. I think it’s foolish for people to talk as if they understand them, like they’ve been to that place that the Buddha supposedly went. They say 1 in a million. (Sanjay says this in any case.) Not saying it’s a lie, just that it’s not subject to words. To call it dual truth, not-I, emptiness, whatever… is just the best we can do to describe an impossible concept. But by that token, it behooves us to admit ignorance, that we don’t understand, that it’s okay to admit these things are non-sense from the point of view of ordinary human beings like us (or me at least).
Yes, i say this to whenever i think necessary and the reason is very simple, though sometimes people consider it my arrogance.
If a person does not know how to ride a bicycle, you caannot make him understand how to ride a superbike like Ducati only by litrature. You cannot explain a 10 year child what pleasure adults get from sex only by litrature, you cannot make a blind person understand how blue color looks only by litrature. These things demands pesonal experinces only then litrature becomes relevant, otherwise one can bend it as one wants but it reaches nowhere.
Religions, (especially eastern ones including islam) also fall under this category. one cannot understand these sublte concepts whithout some personal essential threshold breakthough. Only when one once passes that limit, words start to give some meaning, othrwise all is useless.
First learn how to ride a 250 cc Bike only then take Ducati lessons.
What would you say then to someone who doesn’t understand these concepts? Would you say: go on with your life and don’t worrying about these concepts? Or would you say: there is a way of deepening your understanding of these concepts, and it is this (8-fold path, meditation, eating raw eggs, whatever).
Even if there is a way to achieve this, it seems like something one would have to devote their entire life to, something they would have to give up everything for. It wouldn’t be like taking up roller blading or ping pong. It would be more like joining the military or a monastery–a commitment indeed. For this reason, I don’t think the path is for everyone, and I think the better advise for the vast majority of people is to say: go on with your life. ← Do you think so?
life can be possible in both ways, Ignoring or embracing all that. And, Remember, odds are in the fovor that former lifestyle would be happier. And, there is also nothing wrong in ignoring all that. When the right time comes, destiny would make one fall in the later way in one way or other. No one would be able to stop that. Things would fall in the place automatily and necessary guisance/help would also come along.
Not necessarialy.
Religious scholars realised this problem long ago and prescribed a solution for it too. A deep an honest commetment is certainly needed but not in that way what you are assuming. There is no need to go in the woods or Himalayas to honor your commitment. it is quite possible to maintain commetment living normal life.
You will be surprised to know that Hinduism (and Bhuddhism also) says that maintaing commitment while living a ragular life is more fruitful than living a sole monk life in monnstery or woods. Thre are three ways of yoga- Gyan yog, hath yoga and Karm yog,
Gyan yog means the pure intellectual way, Only by study and discussion, something like what we do at ILP.
Hath yog means by force like standing on a single feet for very long time, meditating in the water up to the waist or in very cold, doing fast for many days or keepng awake for some days etc. As you can see that all these are extreme practices, which are not possible for a normal person. So this is the way for monks and sages.
The third way is Karm yoga, which is doing yoga by performing your routine responsibilites. This is the way for general populace. It is also called sahaj yoga. Sahaj means normal or what happens automatically. All you have to do is to sapare some time, say one hour from your day and devote it to this and rest 23 hours are yours to live your routine life. But, focus on that commitment should never leave the mind. Consider your job/work as meditation and do it honestly, The same focus should be maintain while having sex with your partner.
Gib, If you remember while discussing in other thread some time back i said that the crux of the meditation is nothing but concentration. Meditation is nothing but concentration and more importantly, not only on the God but anything. Once concentration develops and becomes a habit, spiritual journey automtically starts and itself gives further ways. It is a default process rooted in the humans and the object of the concentration has no bearing on the result, atleast in the initial phase.
Hinduism says that the karm youa is the most difficut but fruitful in all three forms. More imortantly, the yoga cannot be completed without living a routine life. In Bhuddhism also, the monks were asked to go back to their families after completing the learning in the monasteries. That is necessary to test the commitment of the monk whether he can maintain the same commitment in the routine life or not. It is very easy to maintain high sandards while living in the monastery but very difficult in the real life but still doable.
Secondly, as hinduism suggests that one has to face the results of his karmas( Either good or bad) so running to the woods would not help much. His/her karmas will come to haunt again in one form or other even there thus it would be better to face them in more proper manner.
If you think of it in those terms it makes it easier to start… that’s how I was taught it. The 8-fold path is just a method/a process, to help with the ‘mindfulness’ aspect of the task of meditating, for older minds that didn’t start it when young.
how can you express such apathy when there are ideologues everywhere trying to make life meaningful? we got nazis, jews, spartans, communists, christians, 21 savage fans, interdimensional platonic incels and now buddhists trying to make us happy… and you’re gonna just sit there and smoke a joint like the dude?
yeah well you’re no nihilist. but we don’t need you. biggs and i got this.
Just chill dude. Take it easy. Let the flow take you wherever it is going.
It’s gonna be alright, no mater what. You’re strong enough; good enough, and dawg-gon’it people like you.
Reeelaaaaax……life’s too short.
Keep it real.
It ain’t easy bein’ a pimp.
At present the human brain and channels of the majority are not efficiently organized.
Thus whenever there is a continual surge of impulses from the various parts of the brain [due to various reasons], the individual just cannot handle it and that end with terrible pains and madness.
The human mind and brain is ‘analogically’ [not precisely the same] like a very sophisticated computer program with loads of main and sub-routines.
For many, their brains are unfortunately [via various reason] loaded with unwanted neural connections that lead to addictions, pains, excessive negative emotions, a propensity for evil and violence and whatever that is negative to the well being of the individual and therefrom to the whole of humanity.
Thus it is very rational to strive to promote the proper connection of the neurons within the brain to ensure all the individual’s actions are in alignment to the overall well-being of the individual and humanity.
Buddhism-proper mission is focused on striving to connect and align the neurons with the full human system to ensure the overall well-being of the individual and humanity, via its iterative life problem solving technique re the 4NT and 8FP.
Buddhism-proper at least made the attempt but it is not highly efficient because it relies on the black-box approach which do not target and identify the specific neurons involved.
I am optimistic, in the future, humanity will be able to improve on the Buddhism-proper approach by dealing directly with the specific neural connections.
I wrote earlier,
What is good about Buddhism proper is it is very holistic, structured, is systematic with very sound principles and incorporate a generic model of A Life Problem Solving Technique Buddha’s 4NT-8FP -A Life Problem Solving Technique viewtopic.php?f=5&t=187395&p=2516029&hilit=4NT#p2516029
Yes, life should flow but the channels that it flow through must at least be efficient and lead to the optimizing of one’s well being and that of humanity.
One of the above outcome of such efficient flow is “flow”
Getting rid of the stuff that prevents you from enjoying life is the opposite of apathy.
It is the path to non-apathy… the path to pathy. The pathypath.
It’s a mental/emotional heavy-duty cleaning.
Just focusing on the big stuff that makes you get surges of anger and whatnot. Get rid of that shit.
It’s like when you’re in a nightmare and you’re running from satan and then you wake up, but you feel like you gotta go back into the dream to make yourself escape the dog and be safe, but the fact is you were never in danger to begin with, it was a dream, dumbass! Shit’s fake worry, ultimately doesn’t matter at all.
Just get that shit out of your mind. Fill your chest with air as hard as you can and then let it go.
This applies to like 99% of life.
Nazis, jews, spartans…
Last thing Trump said? Doesn’t fucking matter.
Banana taped to a wall is art? Doesn’t fucking matter.
Cash me outside? You guessed it.
Anti-vaxxers? NooooOOO we gotta cut that shit out for real actually. That was a trick one.
Anyway
The rest, which is real worries, I think there’s only …3? (what you’re going to eat, where you’re going to sleep, how you are going to feel about yourself while acquiring the previous two) though I admit that last one is … well… a nice way to occupy all of the mental space you just freed up.
Look here. I’m not gonna just sit here indian style and go ‘ohhhhhhmmmmm’ all fuckin day when I’m beset on all sides by unspeakable and tumultuous horrors… not the least of which is having to listen to the old lady singing fantastic voyage in the other room.
