I will answer any question about God or the eternal Self

Originally posted by Sinnthia

Originally posted by filosophia
Floods are caused by natural events, if someone were to say God caused it, it would be like saying Zeus causes thunderbolts.

Forgive me for butting in but I am a little confused about something.

I believe the bible says the wise man built his house upon the rock and it withstood wind and rain, but the fool did not follow this advice and built his house upon the sand.

But it also says this

Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.

Any clarification should be interesting.

I've stated before in this thread that I'm not a Christian and don't literally believe in the flood story. Also, God is wrong, he did not kill every living creature because Noah and his animal friends survived. I only take the practical wisdom from the bible, such as building a house on rocks as opposed to beach front property or on the side of a mountain where you are susceptible to floods and hurricanes. If you have questions about the flood, ask a Christian, if you want the philosophical exegesis of why God causes hurricanes, then my answer is as follows:

Misfortune strengthens character. If it weren't for tragedy there'd be no chance to develop virtue. So the highest spirit of man may cause mistakes and error, but it is also within the spirit of man to learn from their mistakes so that future mistakes are not made.

God, or the Godhead, the absolute, emanates outwards the universe while permeating through it. These lower realms only appear to humans and lower species, because when a human rises to the highest state within his mind, he realizes that the universe is not made of sun and planets but is one undifferentiated light (God), and thus there is no evil anywhere.

Originally posted by jexmo
So what you are saying is God doesn't exist. It make your thread seem a bit superfluous really. You haven't answered my questions at all. You have given me an opinion based theory.

Originally posted by filosophia


God is not a being to be worshiped, it is your true nature. It can be found through philosophical introspection and meditation. It appears as the light within your mind. This is your true Self. It is eternal and immutable. It precedes matter. It is that which makes your mind think, makes your hands move. It is not different from you. Meditate and uncover your universal Self.

edit on 1-3-2011 by filosophia because: (no reason given)

You mean my brain...

edit on 1/3/2011 by jexmo because: (no reason given)

The proof of the Self is found in meditation. Research "Samadhi"

I am saying the God of the bible does not exist, but the Godhead, the Absolute Reality does exist. The difference? The God of the bible is a being, with likes and dislikes, emotion, whereas an Absolute Reality is a State as opposed to a Being. Also, it isn't superfluous because "God theory" can be used to explain many philosophical attributes, going on the common (mis)conceptions of God, such as

Why does God commit evil
Why does God punish
Why does God not make us all perfect to begin with

You could say that God just doesn't exist, the questions are unfounded, or you can look at what philosophers throughout history who did believe in God have said about these things (Boethius). So "I will answer any question about God or the eternal Self" did I say anywhere I had to believe in them to do so? Perhaps only as an idea. But for the record, I believe in the Self.

reply to post by filosophia


I can feel some, 'you make your own luck', type comments coming.

Ok so I can see your point now (sort of). So basically, and I am just trying to understand, this reminds me of Miracle on 34th street. (hear me out).

Basically in that film, Father Christmas gets taken to court because he says he is father christmas but the opposition say Father Christmas doesn't exist. He wins the case however because the argument the defense laid down was that although Father Christmas as a living, breathing human being may not exist, because so many people in the world use him as a celebration, a reason to give gifts to their children and the children believe in him. That a little bit of Father Christmas is in all of us, therefore making him real.

And no I am not taking the piss, just merely trying to understand. Same concept or am I way off?

I have actually looked into Buddhism, as I was going through avery stressful time and the whole, 'religion', (for want of a better word) seemed peaceful to me. Meditation is a big part of this. You are assisted in a rebirth from this world of suffering if I am not mistaken. Buddhism speaks a lot of Karma , rebirth and peace through meditation. Is that where you are directing me? I liked the thought of Buddhism because it isn't based around a fictional being and it would seem what you are saying is very similar.

I will research Samadhi once I have finished work and have time to on your recommendation.

reply to post by filosophia


The absolute god exists by not existing.
There is the every thing and also the no thing.
The every thing, is what is manifest, what we experience, all things
The no thing, which i am, is the experiencer of all things.
The every thing and the no thing are not separate, it may appear that way, but they can not exist apart.

Originally posted by filosophia
I've stated before in this thread that I'm not a Christian and don't literally believe in the flood story.

I got that and that is why I am confused that you would refer to something you thin the bible said in defense of your point. The ideas seemed at odds to me and selective for a reason.

Also, God is wrong, he did not kill every living creature because Noah and his animal friends survived. I only take the practical wisdom from the bible, such as building a house on rocks as opposed to beach front property or on the side of a mountain where you are susceptible to floods and hurricanes. If you have questions about the flood, ask a Christian, if you want the philosophical exegesis of why God causes hurricanes, then my answer is as follows:

No that really was not at all what I was interested in but thanks.

Originally posted by jexmo

I think I get what you are saying about the Miracle on 34th street, that God may not exist but people believe in him so it's a nice thought. But that is not what I am trying to say here. God as a philosophical concept can be used to ask certain metaphysical questions like "why do we suffer" "who created us" etc. In my spiritual quest, I have found that the Truth is not a being like God, but more of a state like Reality.

Buddhism does talk about karma, and believes that your present life is the result of karma. This can be translated into Western science if you know that karma means "cause and effect" so your present life is effect of a previous cause. However, Buddhism does not just stop at saying there is karma, but rather the goal of Buddhism is nirvana, the release of all karma.

Here is a good book for Samadhi:

Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahasa Yogananda.

Just google that book and maybe you can find some links online.

Peace.

Originally posted by Itisnowagain
reply to post by filosophia

 

The absolute god exists by not existing.
There is the every thing and also the no thing.
The every thing, is what is manifest, what we experience, all things
The no thing, which i am, is the experiencer of all things.
The every thing and the no thing are not separate, it may appear that way, but they can not exist apart.

well said. The world is the everything, and the I is the nothing that experiences, but that would mean that the I is something, something that transcends the material everything, so it is not exactly nothing. Nothing nothings, but if the subjective witness experiences, then it can't be nothing.

Originally posted by Sinnthia

Originally posted by filosophia
I've stated before in this thread that I'm not a Christian and don't literally believe in the flood story.

I got that and that is why I am confused that you would refer to something you thin the bible said in defense of your point. The ideas seemed at odds to me and selective for a reason.

I'm not a Christian so I'm allowed to be selective. Is it really such a hard concept to understand to like certain parts of the bible but not others? Everything contains kernels of truth, and for a 1000 page book it would be pretty embarrassing if the bible contained nothing good whatsoever. I actually find the gospel of Matthew's view of Jesus to be enlightening, but that doesn't mean I worship Jesus.

reply to post by filosophia


The no thing is not a thing.
It can not be named, measured, seen or explained.
It is unimaginable and unavoidable.
It is what feels the world, awareness.
But it is not a thing.

reply to post by filosophia


'I' is also a thing, as it is a thought that appears. Thought is manifest. It is seen. What sees even this?

Originally posted by Itisnowagain
reply to post by filosophia

 

'I' is also a thing, as it is a thought that appears. Thought is manifest. It is seen. What sees even this?

Like a camera unable to record itself, the Subjective can not become objective so that it can be viewed. The Subjective can only be discerned through an analysis of the objective. This is why our idea of the Absolute is imperfect, but over time a solid definition can arise based upon the subtle objectifications of the Self that occur in meditation. Subtle because it is the mind trying to perceive itself. Meditation brings up shades of the Self, subtle understandings. By piecing these together, it can gain a stronger understanding of what lies behind and beyond matter.

reply to post by filosophia


The seer can not be found, but sensed, felt.
Feels like home.
What you are looking for, is where you are looking from.
When felt it is known that all is well.

Originally posted by Itisnowagain
reply to post by filosophia

 

The seer can not be found, but sensed, felt.
Feels like home.
What you are looking for, is where you are looking from.
When felt it is known that all is well.

agreed. You are too enlightened for this thread

reply to post by filosophia


Just shinning light.
It loves to share.

The Self, forever shining, behind the mind, there but unseen, the seer, that which is prior to consciousness, within the deepest of the subconscious, dwells the real you, the Self. Supreme in its abode, it is prior to birth and death, prior to time, there when we die, and behind every incarnation. A traveler of infinite lives, it always sees, always knows, though none can know it.

If anyone has some questions I will be available tonight for a few hours, so ask away, I was going to make a new thread but I figure this one delivers the same effect.

reply to post by filosophia


1. Does God care what religion a person practices?

2. Is there a "Higher Self" version of us somewhere outside of this "reality" while we are like "video game characters" in this "reality"?

3. Does religion really matter or is it just a personal choice (if to practice or not)?

Thanks

Hey OP, sorry if this question has been asked before but, here goes.

If there was nothing before God, how did he develop character, morals and ethics in isolation?

Originally posted by sphinx551
reply to post by filosophia

 

1. Does God care what religion a person practices?

2. Is there a "Higher Self" version of us somewhere outside of this "reality" while we are like "video game characters" in this "reality"?

3. Does religion really matter or is it just a personal choice (if to practice or not)?

Thanks

edit on 20-8-2011 by sphinx551 because: added a thanks

1. Of course not. If God is the creator of the universe, he created all the religions. So no matter what religion you practice, you are in some way worshiping God. The Bhagavad Gita says that all paths reach Brahman (God) but the path of meditation reaches it the quickest.

2. There is a Higher Self but there is only one Higher Self. It is different from our individual souls and bodies because the Truth is One, so there is no differentiation to the Higher Self.

3. Religion is any type of belief people feel strongly about. The government's obsession with war is their religion. Just because it's not Christianity does not mean it's not a religion. Religion is just any belief you feel strongly about. Religion is not always the truth.