Sparkling

I get that any time coming back to europe (even after short holyday trips): I am shocked no culture any more. Supposed to sound funny it actually isn´t because in a way from far away after some time I tend to see a few things back in europe as positive and (despite loving Thailand and the thai people) I start to idealize and also think a bit of a change might not hurt. All of that stops immediatly when we arrive in munich (which hasn´t improved but actually is one of the better places). Probably the fault lies in the idea of return tickets ????

16 hours ago, Pravda said:

Germans State Pension is over 1,000 Euros a month and that is if you haven't worked a single day in your life.

 

Sorry, but stories like this really p me off.

Sorry Pravda, this statement is complete nonsense and absolutely untrue. There is no such thing as state pension except for goverment employees. What you may call state pension is a different system of state controlled savings for a annuity. It therefore depends on how long and much you have saved into it on your account. It may be as low as nothing and many times far below 1000 €. In that case there is a chance of going under a social security cover. Only if you apply. And not 1000 € (If it would be , I would have moved to Thailand long time ago ???? ) I think it won´t actually be paid to foreign countries. In details the system is complex (yeah we germans always make it "perfect" 55) JUST DON´T POST NONSENSE.

The move of the Thai is what i know from thai poeple and one of the reasons they make me feel good.

Without reading all of the posts and with some already stating what my story will tell you, I may give you the experience in a similar case:

My first TM30 (actually my wife´s first because she owns the house) was due after arrival coming from Bangkok as we stayed in a hotel there for three days. We arrived in the village friday evening late by car, went to the local police station to report on saturday, monday was public holiday. The officer really friendly advised us to come back on tuesday because of the holyday. I told her to make sure it was ok, because of the 24 hour rule, she asked again and he replied tuesday is ok, because of the holiday, they wouldn´t have anybody here who could do it anyway. Of course there was officers at the station, but obviously not the upper admistrating positions (or what they are called). Came back on tuesday, everybody totally comfortable, easy and quick. The lady asked about the three days from our arrival by plane in Bangkok till friday evening, wife said we were in the hotel, everything ok. Needed more pictures, I offered to pick them up from home and return fast, they said no hurry can do tomorrow, got the slip in the passport. Still I brought the pics in the afternoon, the lady was smiling, handed them over, she chose the more beautiful one, said: more nice, in and out in two minutes. - One thing: I was on a Tourist Visa, so i didn´t really get the confirmation, if the report to the local police is enough to meet the demands of the immigration.

As humans we are not master upon life and death. Therefore we should not put ourselfs in a position pretending that we are. Please accept the omission of any details about costs of imprisonment or on the other hand the cruelty in the procedure of the death penalty in the discussion. If humans make themselves master upon life or death or trust in their ability to judge over the life and death of another human they are overestimating themselves, which makes them susceptible for fallacy. - The only situation that may justify the killing is urgent self defence. If there are alternative possibilities of self defense, like imprisonment, humans are better of in protecting themselves either way from the malness of the perpertator and their own defiency. Don´t let yourself get trapped in the crime by imitating it´s evilness.

Use dread locks anything else can easily be opened

apology couldn´t resist

Humans maybe finite. Is our mind, spirit , soul finite , too ?

As part of the infinite, we may also comprehend it, can´t we ?

In Buddhism there is no soul or spirit.

In Buddhism the mind (thought/memory/feeling ) is impermanent and conditioned.

How can the finite comprehend the infinite?

In terms of infinite let me relate this to nibbana.

Formless.

Timeless.

Unborn therefore deathless.

Pure awareness.

Can you comprehend it?

Mind produced matter in a devolutionary way. After experiencing matter, we return to pure mind. Formless, timeless, deathless, for me, are nonlocal properties. Consciousness remains in quantum nonlocality. It is not confined to our brain.

CapeCobra pretty nice

All the Formless,Timeless, Unborn, Pure awareness are in the first place only names, words.

Same with Soul, Spirit, Mind.

Words are manmade communication symbols. Any culture has its own (btw a joy of variety to have)

Yet manmade they are limited. the being itself is not identic with the word.

As the bible says: Names are smoke and sound. Come and go.

If there is no souls,spirit , what is it, that is reborn ?

Allow me to refer back to what was written: Very suspicious about an abstract authority beyond comprehension

AND the logic: the infinite must logically include us.

There is even a christian attitude that god created humans to be actually comprehended by them.

ah it was jewish in the first place....

Obviously it is not easy for the finite human mind to imagine or comprehend the infinite.

The fault may be to try. Especially with the rational mind as science does.

However they try hard with very good ideas , which sometimes come close and may help.

As long you try, there is desire, something you want to achieve (that´s basically ok),

therefore selfish and vain. At least to suceed, we need infinite selfishness and vanity ;-)

If we really let go, the infinite (who of course got the power - probably infinite power)

may come to our mind.

The nonlocal conciousness (thanX CC) also includes our minds (see above: we are part of infinity).

We just may take part of it.

Now we may see that the logic of words goes in circles. Maybe because the human made word system is limited.

Maybe because this is a way of infinity.

That could be the reason for: One who knows doesn´t speak. The one who speaks doesn´t know.

Due to language barriers nonverbal communication is a often experience for me in Thailand.

You may know a lot by just looking at each other, when you are connected in a warmhearted way.

Even with strangers.

It is also quite common, when you are in love (even if it is for a certain time only).

Poetry and art, music goes beyond verbal communication despite they still use words as well.

It is an energy, but still beyond that. Because remember: Energy is only a word.

Easy to sse that we get to a point , when we have to stop speaking.

A little advice for the next step: As long as you feel separated fron the infinite, how may it come to you ?

Meditation is a strategy to let go. It works. Is it the only way ? Which meditation is right or true meditation ?

Meditation is a word.

Seek silence ? What is silence ?

I had silence in crowded third class busses.

Open up to the beauty around. Get in touch. Hug and smile. Small and simple things mostly do the best.

Alternatively perfection isn't a joke but s state beyond comprehension to us.

After all how can that which is finite comprehend that which is infinite.

Infinity not limited to its size but in every way.

Personally always have been very suspicious about any concept, which told me there is something (great , big, holy and bla bla) , that is beyond my comprehension, yet real and rules over me, have to fear it and so on. Do you know the emperor´s new clothes ?

Humans maybe finite. Is our mind, spirit , soul finite , too ?

As a matter of logic our finite existence is part of the infinite.

(If we wouldn´t, we would be excluded of it. If there is anything outside of the infinite (like us the excluded) it can´t be the true infinite.)

As part of the infinite, we may also comprehend it, can´t we ?

If perfection is boredom and everything is a big joke, then there must really be no reason to life as such. Are we just a product of a game because the absolute is bored? – sounds pretty selfish to me! It also sounds to me that this absolute still has desire – I thought that desire had to be eliminated according to Buddhism.

And if the absolute is perfect, then evil must be perfect also, as the absolute seems to have created it for its own pleasurable entertainment!

Dear Diddl, you didn´t really get it. Where did you read, everything is a big joke ? Life won´t need a reason. Who said the absolute is bored ? What are those sounds you listen to ?

THe absolute (as it is called here) is not perfect. At least not as a invariable state of perfection. The so called absolute is evolving. Infinitely evolving and in this evolution "perfect" in total. Still the word perfect is maybe not the perfect description of this. Words maybe to weak to describe anyway.

The evil wants to be perfect. Maybe not all evil. I haven´t asked it. The evil is the opposite of live. e v i l - l i v e. Not: life. Because of the constant action it is more accurate to use a verb.(just a funny game with letters) The evil (as it is called here) is by that the stop of the action in order to keep the desired perfection of the moment. In the long run that moment will wear out and die away. The evil (in this sense) is not created by the absolute, but an option used out of fear to loose the perfection. No need to fear. People are capable of fear of course. The possibility of that option is nessecity of freedom of choice. I like the freedom :-) Natural desires include some good. We can enjoy them and they make us move on. Being hungry lets me experience great food and create variety. there are millions of examples.

Yes, it is said that it is the ego but what is the ego apart from self-identification? Why do we want to retain it apart from the reason that we are told it is because we will no longer exist? If we no longer exist, how do we function in a physical world, or is the physical world only in our mind, so are we really dreaming? Why do we naturally go against something that does not allow us to ‘know’? Where does this ego come from? Was the ego created by evil? If we created the ego, why would we do this? It is as if someone/something has programmed us to stay in a state of ignorance, but why? Is it all a bad joke?

I have not come across explanations to such questions in Buddhism or any other religion.

If I said that the formless absolute which has no beginning or end got bored with itself and expressed itself as a universe of form and diversity, a state of ignorance in which it forgets it's unmanifest true nature, but with the possibility of rediscovering itself again just to enjoy the dance, would that work for you.

Can the mind ever answer such "Why" questions?

I am far from knowing the 'why', but that's the closest I've come to it so far. And why does everyone instinctively believe that God or Paradise or the Afterlife or the 'formless absolute' is perfect? Can you even begin to imagine how boring eternity must get? Or how lonely a 'formless absolute' must be?

Didn't Buddha say that to achieve awakening you must first be able to truly perceive eternity/infinity?

ah the commander was taking the point of my post and i am now quite dissatisfied ;-) truly but not eternally

Yes, it is said that it is the ego but what is the ego apart from self-identification? Why do we want to retain it apart from the reason that we are told it is because we will no longer exist? If we no longer exist, how do we function in a physical world, or is the physical world only in our mind, so are we really dreaming? Why do we naturally go against something that does not allow us to ‘know’? Where does this ego come from? Was the ego created by evil? If we created the ego, why would we do this? It is as if someone/something has programmed us to stay in a state of ignorance, but why? Is it all a bad joke?

I have not come across explanations to such questions in Buddhism or any other religion.

If I said that the formless absolute which has no beginning or end got bored with itself and expressed itself as a universe of form and diversity, a state of ignorance in which it forgets it's unmanifest true nature, but with the possibility of rediscovering itself again just to enjoy the dance, would that work for you.

Can the mind ever answer such "Why" questions?

I would ask, why would the absolute ever get bored if it is so perfect? And if the absolute is in control, then it has a bad sense of humour, hahahaha!

because perfection is absolute boredom

if this will be considered a bad joke, a formerly written version of this attitude is offered, found in "FAUST" from GOETHE as the main deal in there between the also searching Dr.Faust and Mephisto (devil) is, that if the devil leads the Doc to a moment, which feels so perfect to him, that he admits, he wants it to stay, the devil gets his soul to take it straight to hell.

just for now - happy new year

breathe