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Gulliver_in_LOS
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Posts posted by Gulliver_in_LOS
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Question to those familiar with the Abrahamic monotheisms: are God, Allah and Yaweh thought to be the same entity or is each competing with the other two (not to mention Brahma, etc) for supreme status?
According to a book on Islam that I read last year, it's the same deity, and Muslims originally gave special consideration to Jews and Christians as "Children of the Book." I think the difference lies mainly in the interpretation of God's wishes. I don't know if the average guy in the street sees it that way, though. I remember after Holyfield beat Mike Tyson (a Muslim by then) to a pulp one time he was yelling, "My God's greater than your God!" But I guess heavyweight boxers aren't exactly known for their intelligence.
That's correct. In the Quran Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, are all considered prophets of Allah. The correct translation is "The People of the Book", and by book it means the Bible for Christians and the Torah for Jews.
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Therefore if there is a creator it should be outside the domain of the "created" space and time, and the question above implies implicitly the notion of time.
That breaks the law of cause and effect. Cause and effect are always related. The creator must ultimately be the same as the effect.
The causality law exists only within space-time. Therefore the initial cause must be before space-time itself is created, and the effect appears at the Big Bang.
Ok before the BB we have a state of nothing, no time, no space, nothing, void. What do we have after the big bang? Do time and space exist out there waiting to be discovered, separate from the mind? If so upon philosophical investigation we should be able to find such an existent universe.
In a dream we have dream space time and it follows physical laws that we can test and debate within the dream. A dream has reality has history and geography but it does not exist separate from the mind. Can we prove that our waking state is any different?
Therefore if there is no universe outside the mind then there is no creator outside the mind.
First, I would like to know what is your definition of the mind. Is it located in the brain? Or can it exist without any material support? If it is located only in the brain (or another "hardware") then it needs the space dimensions to exist, which were created, as well as time, at the BB. Hence, according to this perspective, the universe does not need the presence of the mind to exist, while the opposite is true. On the other hand, if the mind can exist outside space-time, then logical thinking (or philosophy) cannot be used, such as causality and so, because we get the infinity problem again.
Once again we need to define the mind to talk about what we define as "reality" and "dreams". If we use the first definition of the mind, then "reality" is the mind or brain interpretation of the signals received from our senses (vision, hearing,...) from the outside world, while the dreaming state is when these senses are not used. For example, virtual reality is not dreaming as you need to connect your senses to specific signals controlled by a computer. On the other hand, I don't believe we can define dreaming if the mind is outside the space-time.
Therefore I think the mind can not exist outside the space-time universe and if there is a creator it should be outside the space-time.
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Therefore if there is a creator it should be outside the domain of the "created" space and time, and the question above implies implicitly the notion of time.
That breaks the law of cause and effect. Cause and effect are always related. The creator must ultimately be the same as the effect.
The causality law exists only within space-time. Therefore the initial cause must be before space-time itself is created, and the effect appears at the Big Bang.
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If I define "green" as being predominantly a certain wavelength of light, then something is green if I can detect that wavelength coming from it (with my eyes, for example).
What is green? The thing or the certain wavelength of light. If it is the thing and presumably the thing is not a certain wavelength of light then you can't say that green is a certain wavelength of light as you have just found something else that is green.
If the wavelength of light is green but say healthy grass is not a certain wavelength of light that defeats you orginal idea about truth being "Pragmatically speaking, the truth is what works."
So what is Green?
Just a quick note
Physically, green or another "color" is a quality or state of an object when it emits a certain wavelength of light (about 0.5 microns for green). This emitted wavelength value (or color)can be changed, for example, by heating the object. -
Interesting view. But I don't think self-protection and self-preservation are the origin. I think a much stronger reason, at a higher level when the latter two are achieved (at least temporarily), is the presence of the universe itself which implies a creator.
That works for some people, but not for me because it leads to an infinite regression starting with the question, "Who created the creator?"
Agree. That's one of the most difficult questions. The laws of the universe, according to physics, are very simple. Among them is the homogeneity of time which leads to the principle of conservation of energy (and matter as it is a form of energy according to relativity), i.e. the amount of energy remains constant, is neither created nor destroyed, and can be converted from one form to another. Homogeneity of time is, for example, if you measure something today or another time in an isolated system the result will be always the same. But these laws are valid only "after" the creation of space and time (the universe) at the Big Bang, and cannot be extrapolated to before that because of singularities (or "infinities"). So even modern science suffers from the same problem, i.e. infinity. Furthermore by even asking the question "what was before the Big Bang?" is absurd because time itself doesn't exist! I think until the infinity problem is solved, we are still far from understanding reality by logical thinking only. Therefore if there is a creator it should be outside the domain of the "created" space and time, and the question above implies implicitly the notion of time.
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"Two ideas are psycologically deep-rooted in man: self-protection and self-preservation. For self-protection man has created God, on whom he depends for his own protection, safety and security, just as a child depends on its parent. For self-preservation man has conceived the idea of an immortal Soul or Atman, which will live eternally. In his ignorance, weakness, fear, and desire, man needs these two things to console himself. Hence he clings to them deeply and fanatically."
Interesting view. But I don't think self-protection and self-preservation are the origin. I think a much stronger reason, at a higher level when the latter two are achieved (at least temporarily), is the presence of the universe itself which implies a creator.
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Once you are in the Night Bazaar area you can't miss the building (one of the tallest in Chiangmai).
BTW, the Sunflower Restaurant (located in the 24th floor) is giving a special promotion till January 31st for Royal Duck “Peking Style” (Baht 199 ++) and Barbecued Suckling Pig (Baht 299 ++).
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As you can see just a little thought and even a tuk-tuk can be transformed.
I have the first one ever to get full Hackney license in the UK.
Mike.
Nice one
By the way, first time I see one with seatbelts G
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Let me add that Doi Inthanon is the highest spot in Thailand
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gulliver, is the house stocked with cooking utensils? cooking for ourselves is quite important to us. i sent thaihotels.com an email with a few questions but they haven't replied.
We had a gas cooker in the house where we stayed. Can't say it's stocked with cooking utensils, but you get the basics, such as pans, plates, glasses, etc. If it's urgent, you can call directly Khun Imm (a young lady who speaks fluent English) at this number +66 (0) 9755 6252.
Good luck.
G
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...the Jodrell Bank Observatory of Manchester University, which is amongst the world-renowned astrology institutes.
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has anyone stayed at that house before? can anyone tell me how far is that rental house from the thai massage school and approximately how much it'll cost to go to and fro by taxi? thanks once again for any info and advice!
Stayed there with family (wife and baby) for a couple of weeks. The houses were recently refurbished, and look exactly as in the website. The weekly rent comes down to 980 or 700 baht a day depending on if it's in or off peak-season (no monthly deposit needed). I don't think any hotel or serviced apartment can beat this price for 2 bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen. Mind you there is no telephone line installed yet. The Bangkok post and the Nation newspapers have offices in the same set of houses so I don't think it's a "run-down" area at the moment.
The location is close to everywhere interesting, including your school. Because of the one-way nature of Maneenopparat road (west to east), a red songthaews will cost you 20 bht per person to go to the school, and 10 bht to return. Also you can take a tuk-tuk for 40-50 bht for either ways.
Agree with Chanchao, if you are planning in staying longer in Chiangmai there are much better housing options. But for this length of time can't see a better deal, especially for families. Please PM me if you need futher information.
Cheers,
G
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You could try The Sunflower Restaurant at the top floor of Duangtawan Hotel. May be a little "fancy" with its panoramic view of the city and all, but tasty and not so expensive. For more information about the menu you can call them at 053 905000 ext. 3227.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
G
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For what it's worth, the company that operates the rot daeng is also the company that operates the meter taxis. This duality is probably the only reason the meter taxis are "allowed" to operate in Chiang Mai.
Is this a fact?
Now I'm starting to think that even the tuk-tuks are a part of this "mafia"! G
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Nowdays it's the norm: starting at 40 bht on the meter + another 40 for service charge = minimum to pay 80 bht! Yes I believe that's a rip off.
G
P.S. I use them only because of our 4 months old baby to avoid pollution and all
I have used the Taxi once and only paid the meter rate....Must have been lucky.
That's interesting. Did you order them by phone? If that's the case, I'll have some ground to complain to the company for this annoying "service charge".
Cheers,
G
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Nowdays it's the norm: starting at 40 bht on the meter + another 40 for service charge = minimum to pay 80 bht! Yes I believe that's a rip off.
G
P.S. I use them only because of our 4 months old baby to avoid pollution and all
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I only ever once heard the market when I've stayed at Viangbua - when I was in one of the bigger apartments on the top floor that overlooks it. Not intrusive then and I couldn't hear a thing when I was in any of the other 7th/8th floor apartments - might be an issue lower down but I think those are all rooms/studios rather than apartments? I've never heard any bar noise.
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Don't get me wrong. I actually liked it there: friendly staff and residents, free parking, etc. We (my wife and our newborn baby) stayed in one of the 8th floor's apartments facing the city.
Cheers,
G
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That looks great Gulliver. How easy is it for transport? Say to the night market or that sort of area? Are there taxis readily available? I would just normally rent a motorbike, but with 7 of us that might be a bit difficult
Actually both the Central shopping mall (west) and the night bazaar (east) are at walking distances from there (look for Chang Puak Gate on the maps for reference). Alternatively, "Red" taxis are readily available from the busy Mani Noppharat Rd (about 80-100 m from the residence).
Cheers,
G
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I highly recommend this one Chiang Mai Serviced House. Stayed there with the family recently. Two storey house: 2 bedrooms, large living room and a great location. Weekly rate is 4900 Bht (in July).
Viangbua Mansion is nice. However its location isn't so good as you generally need to walk to the main road to get a taxi. Furthermore it is a bit noisy from the close by market during the day, and a bar at night (Steve2UK can comment on this). Have no information about the other accommodations.
Cheers.
G
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This is so true, I have watched them do it.
My thought would be to just let them freeze for a winter, then next year when they pass them out they might think twice about throwing them out or selling them.
Sounds cruel, but what else can you do when having to try keep survival of the unfittest.
TROLL WARNING!
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BUT (shout off-topic) did anyone else in C-M notice the earthquake at 4:35pm yesterday (Sunday)?
off topic
Yup, I was sitting on my bed and felt dizzy for a coupla second. I thought gee man you gotta quit smokin all those packs .
Well it seems i can keep smokin Lm dang for a while
There is already a thread on the earthquake in here
G
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Get a hold of Dave Hardy at good morning chiang news. he regular organizes donations to the hill tribes , with the local expats telephone # 053-278-517
Thanks a lot.
G
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Back to the original topic. How can we help these people? Anbody knows who should we contact to do that?
Thanks.
G
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- hope it doesn't hit the same temp as Christmas Eve 1999 when beer was freezing solid in the bottle on tables along the east moat .... and that was at about 9pm - not even the coldest part of the night.
Sorry out of topic. Technically beer does not freeze; it's the water in it that freezes at 0 C (32 F). Therefore the temperature should have been close to zero on that particular night.
G
Physically, green or another "color" is a quality or state of an object when it emits a certain wavelength of light (about 0.5 microns for green). This emitted wavelength value (or color)can be changed, for example, by heating the object.
What Is Truth?
in Buddhism
Posted
Interesting definition. Could it be elaborated more to define what it meant by clarity in this context and how the mind can perceive “objects” without physical or material support, i.e. the brain and the body senses (from point 2 it is concluded that the mind is not located in the brain or body).
In my best knowledge, it is not proven that the mind will continue to exist after the death of the body. The above conclusion is based on a “belief” in rebirth and reincarnation. If we take the analogy with computers (as camerata did in a previous mail), once the hardware (the brain) vanishes (or breaks down!), all the software or information vanishes as well. Using the same analogy, and defining the mind as the “software”, then you can for example transfer the same set of data of information from one computer hardware to another without the need to quit space-time (for example by radio waves between the two computers). So even assuming that the mind, defined as information or data according to the computer analogy, can move from one body to another is true it does not need to be outside space-time.
Again, I am not sure what it is exactly meant by an “enlightened mind”. But from the onset, if the mind is defined as in point 1, it is not suited for a creator, as “perceiving objects” requires implicitly acting within space-time. It does not obey the causality law outside space-time. But I repeat again the initial cause does not need to be within space-time, however the subsequent effect, cause-effect, …, do. Subsequently to act within space-time, using the same process, a cause can be generated at the boundary (from the outside) of space-time and the resulting effect will be inside, and causality is preserved.
Agree, if this “enlightened mind” is defined as in point 1. It could be for example a super intelligent being where its supporting hardware or material part, i.e. the brain, as it always needs one, is a solar system or a whole galaxy. But this is not the creator because it is always confined to space-time. (I already responded about dreaming).
Yes space-time was found by logical investigation, which is by the way also called science. But this does not imply that mind, or “information” as was defined from the computer analogy, is created by space-time itself either.
Already responded to this point: in my opinion the mind can not exist without material support (for example the brain). Hence how can it create its support before it exists?
Interesting. This view reminds me of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics(championed by the physicist Nils Bohr). It basically states that just before you measure one particle’s specific property, for example the location of an electron, the electron could be anywhere in space-time with equal probability. In other words, the act of measurement has made it to appear in a specific position, or to exist. Today this interpretation is the orthodox view of quantum physics. But Einstein was strongly against it, and said famously that “God does not play the dices with the world”. Personally I don’t believe that the mind creates reality.
This a Buddhist religious statement, which is as in most religions, cannot be debated logically, but can lead to some social benefits.
Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727)