I will answer any question regarding meditation or enlightenment/nirvana

The physical attributes are impermanent, only the will is immortal. The will can purify the mind while in a living body. This allows us to transcend the bodily prison. It feels like the body is being purified, but in reality it is merely the mind turning towards the will and gathering there.

If one dies the wil dies with it, as it is just a part of the ego

When you say, we are eternal? do you mean our soul? if so what is our soul?

Originally posted by godddd

The physical attributes are impermanent, only the will is immortal. The will can purify the mind while in a living body. This allows us to transcend the bodily prison. It feels like the body is being purified, but in reality it is merely the mind turning towards the will and gathering there.

If one dies the wil dies with it, as it is just a part of the ego

When you say, we are eternal? do you mean our soul? if so what is our soul?

The absolute will is nature itself, the origin of all things. So while our self is mortal we originate from that which is immortal, so our true nature is Nature Itself, not our body. The body is a secondary. If we imagine the Soul we can understand its Unity. It is a solitary traveler. One without a second. This means that rationally we must conclude that it is One. Thus we are all one, because nothing is separate from it.

Originally posted by strangleholder1
I am here as a human therefore my lack of understanding is part of my experience, would you agree with that?.

Firstly, thank you.

We could agree that it is a part of your current experience. We may also agree that you can change your current experience?

If we are here to experience life on earth then surely we are cheating the experience by peaking behind the mechanics of the infrastructure that allow us to have this opportunity...
By reconnecting with our higher self have we cheated and cheapened the life experience IMO....
We both know that the majority of people on this earth will never meditate or feed their soul so are they staying truer to the experience they picked?
Are the others that practice such things losing out by softening their experience because they are using things like meditation etc to gain a better understanding?.....

I'm not sure if we could say it is cheating or cheapened because even a peek at the bigger pictures brings a greater depth of understanding and connection with other people. So it adds to the experience of Here instead of taking away from it.

Honestly, the awakening that is gradually occuring serves to increase our understanding of our experience, allows us more Empathy, more ability to love unconditionally and a greater knowing that it is we who choose outcomes according to actions, etc.

Perhaps for many the life's Itinerary may be so.

I think we are like children in that we initially operate in a centre of the universe type of way and as we progress/awaken we slowly tend toward a healthier outlook.

I was told once that my experiences on this rock have always been bad, therefore why would I come down here again?.....
Today I see the world and the direction it has taken and it sickens me, there is no way IF! I truly have free will that I will ever return here again. This is why I believe there is something forcing me into returning over and over hence the manipulation angle makes sense to me......

It makes sense to me because you/me/everyone has been de-skilled to such a level that it would be impossible to really know for sure that the whole thing is not just some cosmic soap opera entertaining the rest of the universe?. Sure you can talk to your guide/higher self/God whatever but wouldn't that entity tell you whatever you wanted to hear to keep you treading the boards?.......

I can understand not wanting to come back after considering the direction our world is heading. But for me, I have already chosen to return in order to participate in the Direction Taking for this next century.

As you know, it only takes a majority to force change, real, effective change for all people. And so right now each of us could be a part of the new directions for humanity by simply getting together NOW and forcing the changes that are desperately needed.

In such a way you could be a part of what makes the difference and therefore makes this a "nicer" place to return to for more experience. Imagine what it could be like with just a little effort from the majority.

Good question on the higher-self aspect too.

Never will it tell you what you want to hear. You cannot hide anything from it, it is simply the grater part of you and it cannot operate dishonestly despite the way humans readily accept and desire Dishonesty

The higher-self equation is different for me, unlike the many who claim or do communicate with their higher-self, because that part of soul and I merged again about 12 years ago. So it is neither something apparently external, it is rather something that I am now.

I have to say you have offered up some excellent questions.

I know this is already getting long but I wish to include a little mental exercise for gaining a different perspective on what a life constitutes....

Up front info: Each life is chosen much like we do when setting out an Itinerary for Vacation. We include millions of choice-options that we want to explore while in the life.

So, imagine you have a piece of ordinary chicken wire available. Now roll it up diagonally and tightly.. yeah I know this sounds silly.

Now, once you've done that just look at one end of the roll and find the first wire leading into the "tube" you made.

We can say that this is where you entered into your life.

If you look inside the tube you will see wires crossing each other all over the place, each place they cross is like a Choice-Spot.. one of the many you included for the life.

Notice too how each choice made will take you along a different wire to more choices, and so on... each time the choices made change the direction within that life.

Also note too that each wire comes to the end of the tube at different "times" depending on what paths were taken with the choices you made.

To wrap it up: You the Soul made you Itinerary for experience. You made agreements with other Souls to co-create experiences you wanted here. You inlcuded millions of choice options for the life, then you sent one small part of yourself down into this slow and dense realm we call Life on Earth.

From here on in you make it up as you go with the choices you wanted to have.

This does not say Destiny is a real thing. It is saying that you allowed yourself many options for every possible choice so that you could experience each direction change... which is what we call Free Will.

Of course there are choices you would like to make in life that were not included in the Itinerary, and it is this particular aspect of it that annoys the hell out of people once they are living the life.

In the forgetting many wish for far more than they originally accepted for the olife, and so they become embittered by life in general.

Hence the NEED to Awaken in order to see a more balanced perspective.

Sorry for the length folks.



[edit on 7-6-2010 by Tayesin]

Originally posted by strangleholder1
reply to post by filosophia

 

So spirituality is just realizing that there is a Self that is a witness to this earth.

This is not true, I've yet to see any spirituality that doesn't come with any expectations on behaviour. I envy the man who has none for he can do as he pleases, he is truly free..

What does merit have to do with an immortal soul? You are right, he is truly free. The principle of existence must be necessarily free of the aggregates of existence.

reply to post by filosophia




My apologies for the delay in replying to you. I have been having some difficulties with my mobile connection and in fact have been leaving myself logged in of late.
Thanks for your replies although I’m not sure how to respond! Should I go over the last post that you sent to me? Perhaps tidy it up, correct it, or even just make it a little more palatable! Should I wander back over this thread picking out salient points, that reveal perhaps more about you than they do about enlightenment!, perhaps not.
You asked for questions so I gave you some! I expressed no opinions, beliefs or conclusions they all came from you. Some clever men dipped into this thread earlier on and left quickly, I’m not so clever I hung around, thinking in my naivety I could give you something. How silly, who am I to give anyone anything? Good luck with the thread Filosophia, you seem like a nice person!
Midicon.

Originally posted by filosophia
Why should one meditate? So they can realize their true nature. Either it is beneficial to reduce your mind to a singularity, or it is not. If it is not possible, then it is not beneficial. If it is not beneficial, there is no harm to try meditation. If there is a benefit, then there is a good reason to meditate. Why not give it a try and then ask yourself if there is any purpose in seeking towards enlightenment.

I feel that you didn't answer my questions, either. I asked why do _you_, not why would I.
Please elaborate on why do you seek it, why do you think it is what you think.

reply to post by filosophia


I wonder why you say nature has a will or is a will? will implies a direction.
Nature has no direction, nature is.
Will means deciding, right or left, this or that, does nature makes a decision? does it need a direction? or do we think that it has a direction?
One could mention evolution, but one meteorite and earth is gone.

Originally posted by ithilc

Originally posted by filosophia
Why should one meditate? So they can realize their true nature. Either it is beneficial to reduce your mind to a singularity, or it is not. If it is not possible, then it is not beneficial. If it is not beneficial, there is no harm to try meditation. If there is a benefit, then there is a good reason to meditate. Why not give it a try and then ask yourself if there is any purpose in seeking towards enlightenment.

I feel that you didn't answer my questions, either. I asked why do _you_, not why would I.
Please elaborate on why do you seek it, why do you think it is what you think.

I seek it because it is my true nature. There's really nothing to seek since it is realizing your true nature. If it was something outside of yourself, it would be impossible to possess it, but since it is your true nature, all you have to do is realize it.

Originally posted by godddd
reply to post by filosophia

 

I wonder why you say nature has a will or is a will? will implies a direction.
Nature has no direction, nature is.
Will means deciding, right or left, this or that, does nature makes a decision? does it need a direction? or do we think that it has a direction?
One could mention evolution, but one meteorite and earth is gone.

It can be a non-directional will. Nature Itself having a will means it is the creator of all things in nature. It's a way of describing the natural law, by saying Nature Itself, that is the Will. Our will is limited by a human body, but this will comes from the primary will. It can't come from anywhere else? So if you realize your true will comes from this primary will, then your true nature is not your body but nature itself.

Do you find Binaural beats to work for you? (if you have tried them)
i listen to them frequently and always enter a deep trance, my body feels extremely heavy and i feel nothing can touch me. odd feeling.

Originally posted by The 119
Do you find Binaural beats to work for you? (if you have tried them)
i listen to them frequently and always enter a deep trance, my body feels extremely heavy and i feel nothing can touch me. odd feeling.

I don't use music much while I meditate, but I do play music in my head, kind of like when a song is running through your head over and over again. Sometimes I have to stop it other times it is okay. Music is great for beginning. But silence also has its importance when it comes to meditation.

1. What is the difference between Christ Consciousness and Nirvana?

2. Does a human reincarnate infinitely many times?

3. Free-will vs Determinism - what do you think of each concept and which one do you think is right?

4. Does being an complete atheist hinder spiritual growth to an extent?

5. Can a person be an atheist and still be spiritual?

[edit on 16-6-2010 by sphinx551]

Originally posted by sphinx551
1. What is the difference between Christ Consciousness and Nirvana?

2. Does a human reincarnate infinitely many times?

3. Free-will vs Determinism - what do you think of each concept and which one do you think is right?

4. Does being an complete atheist hinder spiritual growth to an extent?

5. Can a person be an atheist and still be spiritual?

[edit on 16-6-2010 by sphinx551]

1. Christ Consciousness is compassion for all beings. Nirvana is a state of eternal peace. They are the same, because Christ Consciousness is pure, and nirvana is pure. Christ Consciousness is pure because it does not discriminate against the all. Nirvana is pure because it contains nothing conflicting. They are both pure. Since there is only 1 God these two things are both characteristics of the supreme energy

2. No, nature reincarnates infinite number of times. When we die, we return to nature. When we are born again, we are subject to different circumstance, but our conscience still shines through.

3. we have free will, but we are most free when we contemplate higher spiritual truths. We are determined on some level to certain things, mostly through physical limitations, but when we use our minds in an abstract way, we have no limits to our imagination and critical thinking, and so we have more freedom in this sense.

4. since most atheists do not believe in a soul, I would say yes. However, if you do not believe in God but you do believe in soul, then you could still be spiritual.

5. yes, if they believe there is some type of spiritual essence aside from matter. Whether that is right actions or a higher spiritual consciousness. So long as you are a seeker of knowledge you can be spiritual.

1. Does the soul/astral body leave the physical human body during sleep every night?

2. How often should a person balance their Chakras?

3. Would you recommend doing a Past Life Regression?

4. What do you think of hypnosis?

5. Do you listen to any of these isochronic tones?:
www.iso-tones.com...

Thanks.

Didn't read any of the thread, to be honest, but I'd like to ask the question.

What do substances such as tobacco, caffeine, alcohol, marijuana do when attempting to achieve higher enlightenment via meditation. Are they some sort of blockage system?

Originally posted by TheFinalTruth14
Didn't read any of the thread, to be honest, but I'd like to ask the question.

What do substances such as tobacco, caffeine, alcohol, marijuana do when attempting to achieve higher enlightenment via meditation. Are they some sort of blockage system?

They are self-sabotaging, FinalTruth, in various ways and to various degrees. No organism, not even an amoeba, would do that. Humans do it exploratorily, and once the facts are known about the relevancies and the irrelevancies they contribute to our progress from crude toward subtle, then evolving hominids make choices supportive of progress, not retardation.

Tobacco, especially, has absolutely no healing properties when inhaled from burning. Not only exceedingly toxic, it interferes with basic biological necessities, one most of all -- breathing. Of course any moron on the planet knows that already. Any benefit derived through the practice of smoking is with the deep deliberate breathing -- of course, any moron knows too that toxic waste from toxic substances delivered into the body interferes with ones wellbeing, and any moron knows that no one has to immbibe toxic waste to breathe deeply -- morons, who'd've thunk it!?

I've experiment with some natural and some manufactured intoxicants in the distant past, among them all, alchohol was the most debilitating, especially distilled. How the substance is processed affects both the intoxication and its consequences, no matter what the percentage of alchohol is.

Caffeine, or coffee berries, more precisely, were considered elixir by caravan operatives on the Kaibur(sp?) Pass, essential for survival to many people. Coffee may be a valuable energy crutch as we get older, though it's not good for the nervous system.

True meditation has merger with the Universe as its desideratum, petty tribalistic cultishness born of opportunistic sectarian [ir]rationalisms is contrary to merging oneself into the Universe and having everything the Universe has to offer, in both peace and joy and always only enough. Pursuing enlightenment is done by practical people, and practical people don't ruin this rare opportunity of human birth, in all its brevity, by loading up on toxic waste.


[edit on 18-6-2010 by Mystical Sadhu]

Originally posted by TheFinalTruth14
Didn't read any of the thread, to be honest, but I'd like to ask the question.

What do substances such as tobacco, caffeine, alcohol, marijuana do when attempting to achieve higher enlightenment via meditation. Are they some sort of blockage system?

some hallucinogenics could help, but it really depends on you, I wouldn't recommend doing both together if you haven't done them separately.

I see no value to tobacco or caffeine for meditation, and alcohol is the anti-thesis of meditation. Don't get me wrong, I drink (in fact I'm having a beer right now), but it's not exactly something you want to do while meditating.

Originally posted by sphinx551
1. Does the soul/astral body leave the physical human body during sleep every night?

2. How often should a person balance their Chakras?

3. Would you recommend doing a Past Life Regression?

4. What do you think of hypnosis?

5. Do you listen to any of these isochronic tones?:
www.iso-tones.com...

Thanks.

1. probably not. There are four stages: waking, dreaming, dreamless sleep, and true awakening. Each one has to do with a different level of understanding. If your soul left your body while you were asleep, you couldn't break out into a sweat while you dreamed, unless the soul comes back into the body last minute. You also wouldn't be able to move your eyes in REM sleep, so I think the soul stays in the body.

2. I open up my crown chakra when I meditate. I don't really balance any others, though I do things that could be constituted as that. For beginners, do whatever makes you feel comfortable. For experts, the crown chakra (at the top of the head) is the most important chakra since enlightenment is about rising upwards.

3. Not even sure what that is

4. I don't recommend it

5. No but I'll give them a listen

Hello Sphinx,

Such sincere questions of subtle realms deserve truthful and accurate answers that are both understandable and bereft of prejudices of culture, sentimentalism, nor unwitting misinformation. ATS has presented itself as a magnificent venue where we can congregate to contribute to each other's personal and collective progress, and Filosophia is grand for providing this thread.

True in the spirit of science, Tantra takes this approach towards all things and provides unprejudiced clarity into subtler realms of mind and Universe, from the mundane to the supramundane, the physical, mental, psychic and spiritual realms, and the spaces in between. I will contribute such insights in answer to your questions.

Originally posted by sphinx551
1. Does the soul/astral body leave the physical human body during sleep every night?

Our ectoplasm is the material of our minds. This materiality may be referred to as an additional motor organ by some or in certain contexts, particularly in conjunction with our discriminating will [Aham' in Tantra]. It can project beyond our body and travel throughout the Universe faster than the speed of light, perhaps faster even than the speed of gravity, which may be the next threshold of measure retentive material[istic] scientists may begin to permit us to acknowledge.

Though this ectoplasm may not need to "leave our body" as we astral travel, for in the subtler realms of mind, we are everywhere at once -- it's our field of perception and debilitating beliefs that constrain us to perceive and believe that we are our bodies and/or geocentrically "localized".

That which does seem to do the traveling is referred to as eckankara in Tantra. Eckankara is what does the remote viewing, time traveling and other "astral travels".

Originally posted by sphinx551
2. How often should a person balance their Chakras?

At least twice a day.

Most of us are habituated to perceive materially and understand things in a mechanical Universe paradigm, thus our terminology often reflects such materiality and consequently degrades our perceptions of our and the Universe's potentialities. With proper ideation, our chakras virtually always optimized, maintained, especially in progressively spiritual environments. The material wave is the crudest while the essence of spirituality is a flat line, waveless. The Universe manifests as us, thus the principles operative of the Universe must be optimized so that it can continue to reflect itself in our lives so that we can be its instruments to our greatest potential.

Why twice a day? A material metaphore will serve well as an example. In our closets are usually a shelf, perhaps a simple shelf with one or more loose planks atop two or three strips of wood nailed or screwed into the wall supporting the planks. If any of those strips of wood had only one nail or screw holding the planks, then would it not be less secure and more likely to collapse? At least two nails or screws per wood strip are necessary to assure balance for the whole arena of shelving.

How to "balance" the chakras? Between each chakra they should have balance, whereas for and of each chakra they should be "optimized". Intuitional practices can be prescribed which are unique for each person to work on their chakras, although doing such necessitates twice daily practice of yogasanas also. The true and actual reason yogasanas originate are to optimize the glands, which are the next closest arena to the chakras and greatly affect the chakras, our minds, sentiments, health, and success in life.

Almost every "yoga studio" I've ever visited over the decades, in US, have been more of a vanity of the body fitness fiesta, perhaps sprinkled with some loftily sentimental ostentations, whereas such is far far from the true reason yogasanas have been created and practiced.



[edit on 23-6-2010 by Mystical Sadhu]

Originally posted by sphinx551
3. Would you recommend doing a Past Life Regression?

Having insights into the architecture of the Universe and the precedents of our lives can greatly contribute to our sublime progress. Knowing why something is so affords quantum leaps in furthering out progress, including releasing constipatory obstacles of known or unknown origins, which, some times, an insight into past lives can contribute.

When we are not fathoming what can be learned it is best to reassess our dispositions about the matter, including our sincerity. If we reach an impasse for comprehending the import of a matter, such are times for greater quietude and contemplation. Frolicking in past life regressions with an entertainment disposition leads us astray and deflects us from subtler wisdom.

Originally posted by sphinx551
4. What do you think of hypnosis?

There are a variety of therapeutic uses of hypnosis. Often people explore hypnosis and other subtler mind techniques or arenas more as a consumptionistic endeavor -- whether as a transactional service or as a topical pabulum -- rather than an exploration of techniques among a few or many of which several may provide greater success than hypnosis alone or in conjunction with it. Hypnosis, as in Mesmerism, can be a dousing tool for exploring the whys and wherefores of diseases and roadblocks in body and mind, though understanding what constitutes hypnosis will greatly help us understand its effectiveness and whether we want to do it, often or at all.

A consistent principle in the unfoldment of the Universe, and each and every being within it, is the progression from crude toward subtle. Thresholds of individuation of realms of mind, in addition to the body, can be differentiated into five conspicuously demarcable realms or "kosas". These have been described in THIS THREAD.

These layers of mind are listed there in sequence of subtlety, from crude, in the beginning, to subtler further along the list. Hypnosis involves using the kamamaya kosa to affect the manaomaya kosa, which juxtaposes a cruder layer of mind upon a subtler realm of mind, a backwards momentum. Such is not necessarily a "bad" thing, though it is counter-flow to progressive continuity of the Universe, and, of course, ourselves.

The times when such techniques may be briefly useful can be numerous in daily life. For example, you may have lost your keys, or some other object, and are having a difficult time remembering where you placed them. Retracing our steps may help us awaken the memory of where we put them, especially if we retrace our steps backwards.

Another example of this technique can also be used to heal ourselves, especially from an injury. Most all of us have knicked our fingers or hands while washing the dishes, especially with a sharp blade. While our finger may both sting or otherwise hurt, and may be bleeding, the more we agitate about it, the more it hurts and continues to bleed. Despite the immediacy of the pain, we can lessen the pain, and perhaps even stop the pain completely by moving backwards, as exactly as possible, from the point of the moment and body placement of when the accident occured.

Thus, if we knick our left hand while washing dishes, moving the hands and arms backwards in the same motion that preceded the accident, without any other shuffling around, the pain will almost, or completely disappear after which we can address the cut, if any. With greater concentration, and determination, we can even witness the cut heal before our eyes within minutes or seconds, seal up and do so without infection, as we watch.

Questions 1, 2 and 3, and the progressive rendering of hypnosis in the examples of 4, can all be acheived, particularly, through dharana, which is on the page referenced in the link above.



[edit on 23-6-2010 by Mystical Sadhu]