I am no longer walking on the path of Islam .

a reply to: the2ofusr1

nm

I am a HERETIC who disbelieves in dogmatic faith ,MINE is with JESUS,man need not tell me.

originally posted by: Hyperboles
Op good thread. but you were never a true Christian ( Born +Again ) otherwise you wouldn't be confused about the Truth

Ty for the reply . I am certain I wasn't confused about Christianity . It was the errors within it that lead me onto a differnt path .

originally posted by: silo13
a reply to: Kapusta

then later on became what I thought was a Christian.

And you gave up the best thing you ever had - why?

Thank you Hyperboles.

My children are the best thing I ever had . And I haven't given them up 😁

originally posted by: Sheye

originally posted by: MysticPearl
All organized religion falls apart under critical thought.

"One needs faith" is simply a substitute for a lack of substance and an inability to answer a question.

As does atheism under critical thought.
The fact that we even exist, without any creation to spur on evolution, has no logical reasoning behind it.

Well at least there's evidence of advanced aliens. A lot more than say, Adam and Eve or Moses getting the 10 commandments from God.

a reply to: TJames


And if the universe is self aware and arose from an original intent which has included, at the most intrinsic level, you? What then?

originally posted by: AnkhMorpork
a reply to: TJames


And if the universe is self aware and arose from an original intent which has included, at the most intrinsic level, you? What then?

Tough perspective to bend your mind around ,we are taught from birth we are the centre of the universe and made in god's image, how one goes from that perspective to the earth being a living organism is a mind #, let alone the universe.

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: Kapusta

Sorry to read of your struggle , as a non believer in any religion I don't understand the need to follow but I know people of religion who also feel the same need , hope you find the path that is right for you.

I think enlightenment comes from within , be true to yourself.

If enlightenment could come from within, we'd be true deities, transcending space and time, lifting ourselves by our boot-straps into heaven.

But we didn't create ourselves and we'll all die of some stupid disease, which we would immediately cure if we were God-like.

Hell, very few of us are even good at mathematics or fixing the plumbing (which we would be incredible at, if we were actually God-like).

The Buddha died and to the best of anyone's knowledge, never achieved Nirvana. What makes you think you'll do any better than him?

originally posted by: Kapusta

originally posted by: Tarzan the apeman.
a reply to: Kapusta


Nice thread. That was a Sufi mosque attacked in Egypt yesterday. First I heard of Sufi. I am spiritual my self but try to stay away from religion because you are right in saying it is perverted by man. I don't wear spirituality on my sleeve. If someone ask Ill do my best to answer. I always say there is a God and your not it, this also includes me. Anyways thanks for a nice read.

Yeah it's unfortunate that perverted scripture and iggorence of man caused that attack . Ty for the reply .

hey brother...what Scriptures went sideways to you....?....I do the hard sayings...I have positive input for ya

















i

originally posted by: GBP/JPY

originally posted by: Kapusta

originally posted by: Tarzan the apeman.
a reply to: Kapusta


Nice thread. That was a Sufi mosque attacked in Egypt yesterday. First I heard of Sufi. I am spiritual my self but try to stay away from religion because you are right in saying it is perverted by man. I don't wear spirituality on my sleeve. If someone ask Ill do my best to answer. I always say there is a God and your not it, this also includes me. Anyways thanks for a nice read.

Yeah it's unfortunate that perverted scripture and iggorence of man caused that attack . Ty for the reply .

hey brother...what Scriptures went sideways to you....?....I do the hard sayings...I have positive input for ya

I
















i

I would have to list a whole thread for that. But hey with all due respect I don't wish to debate about that. Nor do I want to influence anyone else or upset any religious folks that may be reading this thread . Islam just isn't for my soul anymore . And I only wished to announce that on ATS. It was hard for me . And I guess i just may be looking for positive encouragement .

a reply to: chr0naut

If enlightenment could come from within, we'd be true deities, transcending space and time, lifting ourselves by our boot-straps into heaven.

We all carry the seed of enlightenment whether we choose to germinate it or not is up to us.

Enlightenment is within you. Buddha cannot give you Enlightenment by his hands. Because the illusion is within you, then samsara and all the problems of the mind are within you. If the illusion, negative emotions, and samsara are from your mind, then enlightenment is also from your mind. When these problems are gone, enlightenment is there. So enlightenment is within your mind.
shamarpa.org...

OP. You say that, as if,.."Islam", was ever a "threat", to the "truth", or to a normal life,..anywhere. It never was! But I'm personally proud of you. For your "epiphany". Nobody gives/ever,.. two F*cks, about a bunch of goat herders "religion". Never have, never will! It has not been about "religion" for a couple thousand years... It's about "resource"..Mohammad is a circus side show in world history. Always was,.. Always will be. He made a great Hitler for his time. But nothing really, to "write home about".... Mohammad, was a pedophile,.. At least Hitler had the guts to commit suicide!...

a reply to: Kapusta

The other part of that essence is using these "tools" to gain a connection between you and "the creator " be it . Buddah , be it Shiva . Be it Allah. Etc

That is because people are not taking apart the tools to their parts and seeing how they are implemented. A being that can pick apart things and reassemble things again will understand how things fit together and be able to create their own tools without the previous flaws. When you are using something to measure it should be very precise. The same with the mind. It should be able to see very small differences in meaning and ponder the differences.

How to make the body more aware and reach 1.0 awareness connection (where the brain is entangled on quantum level) with the divine, is not hard when you have Will and Need. Atheists do it without the need of religion.

Once you have made that amygdala adjustment (either thru effective meditation tool or Amagydala Fear overload) and the amygdala is working as Spiritually/Awareness intended then the water/chi will flow and the conscious and subconscious will rework themselves based on the new senses and increased cognitive power.

originally posted by: LittleByLittle
How to make the body more aware and reach 1.0 awareness connection (where the brain is entangled on quantum level) with the divine, is not hard when you have Will and Need. Atheists do it without the need of religion.

There is no need to do anything.
The body is not aware and never will be - the body is an appearance - it appears and disappears. Are you not 'aware' of that?

a reply to: Kapusta

My spiritual path at this point is clear and some of my questions have been answered .

All paths lead away from the truth that is sought.
Seek that which is seeking and the seeker will vanish. The 'seeker' never ever existed - there is 'seeking' until there isn't.
There is only ever what is happening - there is no separate you - no separate any thing.
Life/this that IS/God/Allah - is one without a second.

a reply to: Sapphire

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
Tough perspective to bend your mind around ,we are taught from birth we are the centre of the universe and made in god's image, how one goes from that perspective to the earth being a living organism is a mind #, let alone the universe.

There is only the 'image of God' - this that is appearing now. But where is the separate you?
The separate you does not exist - just what is appearing exists - well, it only appears to exist.

The self; a trick your mind plays on not you.

Here's the introduction to the special issue:

As you wake up each morning, hazy and disoriented, you gradually become aware of the rustling of the sheets, sense their texture and squint at the light. One aspect of your self has reassembled: the first-person observer of reality, inhabiting a human body.

As wakefulness grows, so does your sense of having a past, a personality and motivations. Your self is complete, as both witness of the world and bearer of your consciousness and identity. You.

This intuitive sense of self is an effortless and fundamental human experience. But it is nothing more than an elaborate illusion. Under scrutiny, many common-sense beliefs about selfhood begin to unravel. Some thinkers even go so far as claiming that there is no such thing as the self.

Not only neuroscientific thinkers. Philosophical and spiritual thinkers also. Psychologist Susan Blackmore does a good job of presenting this selfless perspective in her book, "Ten Zen Questions." I'm fine with it. Actually, more than fine.

I love the notion that "I" don't exist. Takes the pressure off me to know that I'm an illusion. Like Janis Joplin sang, "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." Like salvation. Life after death. Hell or heaven.

Blackmore writes:

But what about me and my conscious experiences? Where do I fit into this integrated system of inputs, outputs and multiple parallel processing systems?

The strange thing is that I feel as if I am in the middle of all this activity, experiencing what comes in through the senses, and deciding what to do in response, when in fact the brain seems to have no need of me.

There is no central place or process where I could be, and the brain seems capable of doing everything it does without any supervisor, decider or inner experiencer.

...The temptation to fall into dualism is so strong that escaping from it, and from the popular idea that we have a spirit or soul, has been a rare insight in human history. This insight is not confined to modern science and philosophy, but can be found at the heart of Christian mysticism, Sufism, Advaita, Taoism, and Buddhism.

All these traditions claim that the apparent duality of the world is an illusion, and that underlying the illusion everything is one.

Along with this often goes the idea that there is no separate self who acts, so that realizing nonduality also means giving up the sense of personal action or of being the "doer" of what happens. This is rather hard to accept, which is probably why such traditions are so much less popular than the great theistic religions, or those that promise heaven and hell to reward the actions of individual souls.

...There's some stupid bastard doing a U-turn in the middle of the road right in front of my bike. I am angry and want to shout "You idiot -- what do you think you're doing? You nearly knocked me off!" Can the sight of that idiotic man be me?

Yes. Of course.

If I stop, calm down, and search for the me who is looking at him I will find only him, and his car, and the road. If I search for the me who is angry with him I will find only the anger bubbling up. It's the same with everything I experience; there is not a separate me as well as the experience.

It is hard to accept that I am all those people walking down the street; that I am, at least in this fleeting moment, that Muslim woman with her stupid veil, that annoying child with the ice cream, that crowd of giggling school girls.

Yet somehow or other this way of looking makes it easier to be kind.

hinessight.blogs.com...
I posted this on another thread but it fits in here quite nicely.

originally posted by: Kapusta

originally posted by: GBP/JPY

originally posted by: Kapusta

originally posted by: Tarzan the apeman.
a reply to: Kapusta


Nice thread. That was a Sufi mosque attacked in Egypt yesterday. First I heard of Sufi. I am spiritual my self but try to stay away from religion because you are right in saying it is perverted by man. I don't wear spirituality on my sleeve. If someone ask Ill do my best to answer. I always say there is a God and your not it, this also includes me. Anyways thanks for a nice read.

Yeah it's unfortunate that perverted scripture and iggorence of man caused that attack . Ty for the reply .

hey brother...what Scriptures went sideways to you....?....I do the hard sayings...I have positive input for ya

I
















i

I would have to list a whole thread for that. But hey with all due respect I don't wish to debate about that. Nor do I want to influence anyone else or upset any religious folks that may be reading this thread . Islam just isn't for my soul anymore . And I only wished to announce that on ATS. It was hard for me . And I guess i just may be looking for positive encouragement .

Fair play to you and may a fair a wind guide your way

It looks to me that religions have come and gone for thousands of years. Were they all 'fake' prior to Mohammad's cave visions? Were they all wrong before Jesus? Do you see my point? We're fortunate enough to live in a time and place where we can choose which religion suits us the most. It's not like we're forced to conform like they must in many other countries and regions.

In that sense, religions and other belief systems are only tool boxes to help us in our own lives. Islam doesn't work for you anymore so it's easy to try another and you might find you don't need any at all in the future. My personal belief is that religions are a burden on humanity rather than a necessity and I've been on a similar search as yourself to appreciate the conclusion.

originally posted by: gortex
We all carry the seed of enlightenment whether we chose to germinate it or not is up to us.

'You' cannot choose to see the light. The light is already here - it is the belief in 'a separate you' that veils the light.
What is happening is happening - but there is a belief in 'some thing' which is not happening. There is a belief that there is something to find - when there is only ever what there is.

'Enlightenment' is not 'within you'. There is no 'within' - there is simply what there is.

kap,

I truly understand your dilemma even though I am not religious in any way, yes it is possible to believe in peace if you have no religion. The quest to find YOU is a deep one and I doubt any religion will give you a clearly noted path to walk down because religion has become so bastardised its got no real path of its own. I often get accused very wrongly about being racist towards Islam (I'm not bothering with the its not a race stuff) because I often talk about RADICALS, not ordinary Muslims but Radicals who have twisted what you started to understand as a life experience into a horrible excuse to destroy, kill and victimise anyone they don't like including fellow Muslims. How is it possible to follow that when it preys upon the people who simply follow the book in a peaceful way.

I feel sorry for my inlaws who are Muslim, they are slowly but surely seeing their places of worship become incredibly Radicalised either by the followers or the Imams themselves, there's intense pressure from outside sources to push the wrong agenda and its by the spread of basic hate speech coming out of so called Scholars targetting the young. Its such a shame to see my inlaws become awkward about the words they hear in a place of worship.

But sadly most of the mainstream religions do themselves no favours with their indifference towards people, to be honest I'd say the nearest to peace would be the Tibetan Monks who seek solitude but even they get attacked.

I'm afraid I have no answer for you but I truly wish you on a peaceful fruitful journey to find what you seek, some would say all religions are corrupt and have agenda's but people should remember that the people who take up a religion are normally doing it for very good reasons, to find a path of goodness and peace and maybe some help along the way, just because you believe in the happy aspects of a religion does not mean you embrace all the bad parts.

Good luck in your quest...

Paul...