Best Of
Re: Being fed up with all things spiritual
@person said:
This reminds me of a feeling I've held about spirituality. I've engaged with it at a character level rather than a personality level, if that makes any sense.
Yes it does, character is a layer deeper than personality which is more superficial. In the same way, engaging with the words of the enlightened is a deeper level than being part of a religion.
But in a way, that is also a hazard. Taking in a lot of powerful concepts from different sources can be confusing. That means, not taking in too much, taking it lightly where appropriate, meditating on where your personal emphasis lies, are all important.
For me, freedom from conditioning was a good starting point. Science, materialism, skepticism, the democratic left, eco-activism, Christianity are all prevalent sources of conditioning worth examining closely.
Jeroen
Re: The Other Elephant In The Room
Interesting...
Where's My State? BLACK/JEWISH CLASH on One State Solution (w/ Rep. Dean Phillips)
Is a one state solution a solution, or the source of the problem? Why not adopt America's pluralistic attitude toward religion? Is it true that Jewish people are unique among religions or ethnic groups in not getting a state? Does a group need a state to be safe? If so, what does that mean for Black Americans, Hindus, Sikhs or Athiests -- none of whom have states but who number much greater than the Jewish population? This was a spicy debate cut short by circumstances. What do you think?
Shoshin1
Re: Nature and spirituality
Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet on religion:
And an old priest said, Speak to us of Religion.
And he said:
Have I spoken this day of aught else? Is not religion all deeds and all reflection,
And that which is neither deed nor reflection, but a wonder and a surprise ever springing in the soul, even while the hands hew the stone or tend the loom?
Who can separate his faith from his actions, or his belief from his occupations?
Who can spread his hours before him, saying, "This for God and this for myself; This for my soul, and this other for my body?"
All your hours are wings that beat through space from self to self.
He who wears his morality but as his best garment were better naked.
The wind and the sun will tear no holes in his skin.
And he who defines his conduct by ethics imprisons his song-bird in a cage. The freest song comes not through bars and wires.
And he to whom worshipping is a window, to open but also to shut, has not yet visited the house of his soul whose windows are from dawn to dawn.
Your daily life is your temple and your religion.
Whenever you enter into it take with you your all.
Take the plough and the forge and the mallet and the lute,
The things you have fashioned in necessity or for delight.
For in revery you cannot rise above your achievements nor fall lower than your failures.
And take with you all men:
For in adoration you cannot fly higher than their hopes nor humble yourself lower than their despair.
And if you would know God be not therefore a solver of riddles.
Rather look about you and you shall see him playing with your children.
And look into space; you shall see him walking in the cloud, outstretching his arms in the lightning and descending in rain.
You shall see him smiling in flowers and waving his arms in trees.
It makes a good point, that in a way the spiritual search is fruitless, for the answer is all around, and worshipping is done at all times. This is well suited to the natural way of spirituality, which does entreat us to see the divine in all things.
Jeroen
Re: The Other Elephant In The Room
He makes some interesting observations
"Why Gaza May Be The End Of The West"
Lest we forget the evil which is now unfolding before our very eyes and many of our Western governments (including the government of NZ) are complicit in these atrocities ...
All that is happening in Gaza right now ...Can we really trust that our governments have our best interest at heart ?
Shoshin1
Re: Nature and spirituality
or perhaps that transcendent experience of oneness is actually an underlying constant in life that the human condition simply obfuscates with its own storyline. Perhaps no sentient being gets to escape from the occasional leakages through such delusionary coverings and our respective "practices" are just a spiritual preparatory triaging to face such experiences, no matter how subtle or transformative each bleed through may turn out to be.
how
Re: Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
Not that I wouldn't take the morphine myself for the pain, it can often make a patient more emotionally vulnerable than they would normally be, which can be difficult for the unprepared caregivers.
how
Re: The Other Elephant In The Room
Senator Bernie Sanders 
"How does it happen that despite waging a horrific war, causing massive suffering, and ignoring the wishes of the President of the United States and the world community, the US Congress is about to send another $10 billion of unrestricted military aid to Israel with no strings attached? It is beyond comprehension that Congress would reward Netanyahu, even as he ignores everything the President of the United States says. Netanyahu leads the most right-wing government in Israel's history, a man who has dedicated his political career to killing the prospects of a two-state solution. Yet, this bill will give him a blank check paid for by the American taxpayer."
Shoshin1
Re: Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
Well today I was selected as one of the 12 jurors, we were sworn in this morning and the trial is now underway....
Karma comes to mind....
Kinda like a Karma law enforcement agent...
Shoshin1
Re: The Elephant in the Room
@Jeroen said:
I must admit, I just think all these world leaders are more than a little insane. You would have to be to want to be a world leader, and then to go to war. And who wants to listen to insane, very cunning people justify their actions… what use is it to know the news, to be up to date with these things? You can’t do anything about it, your indignation serves no purpose.
Question: How can you tell when a politician is lying ?
Answer : When their lips are moving!
Shoshin1