Sunmaster

I have indeed. 😍

The need to connect with the spirit world came far, far before any organized religion came along, so your theory doesn't work, I'm afraid. Before some people started exploiting others in the name of their version of God, there were shamans or individuals with a special connection to the spirit world, and they worked for the benefit of their tribes. Not for profit or power.

Well, having Italian blood in me, that makes me even more suited to judge food than any German. 😂 The competition is not about the delicious cakes you posted, but artistic cakes made with fondant, sugar paste. They create figures and scenes and such stuff. I'll post some pics later.

Going for the length record here? 😄 I understand what you're saying. Everyone filters out information that they are able to process at their current level of understanding. That's why we can read the same book 10, 20 years apart and discover new concepts. They were already there, but we had a blind spot for them. Of course you know that this means that there are probably blind spots for the material we use as source of information right now. Would you agree? Most people see spirituality as an opposite of science. For them it's an either-or situation. Yet, for someone with a wider perspective, it becomes clear that they are not at odds, simply because spirituality includes the material world along with science. Science is a small circle within the bigger circle of spirituality. They are not 2 separate circles next to each other. So, while reading your last post and others before them, I often pictured Seth's material and Vedanta in the same way. They are not 2 separate circles next to each other, maybe intersecting each other a little. I see Seth as a circle within the circle of Vedanta. Seth simply focuses more on the material existence and how to create reality in a way that is most beneficial to you. Vedanta goes a step further and talks about non-duality, from which all else emerges, including the material existence, the ego, life itself. But like you say, the ultimate intention here is to bring you closer and strengthen your link to your true nature. To make you see who or what you really are. Turns out that's the ultimate goal of Vedanta too. 😊 So, maybe that's why I can't see any contradictions between the 2. If these 2 intentions are aligned and work in a practicalway, then the rest are just details. Ps: As usual, I edited some parts.

Cheers! I've got my breakfast waiting for me in the hotel. Will be in Korat until Sunday to support my wife who is participating in a cake competition.

What did you think about Swami Sarvapriyananda?

I went to Sheldrake's book presentation in London around 2005. Got a signed copy from him. I also studied overtone singing with his wife, Jill.

The Vedantic teachings say that too, and they encourage people to do that as a daily practice.

Very interesting. There is hope for finally uniting science and spirituality.

Oh thanks, we only saw it about 15 times here. It never gets old, doesn't it. Or does it?

Today I had a discussion with a friend on the topic of "the hard problem of consciousness ", which is "does consciousness emerge from matter?" He's a staunch materialist and believes that the brain produces consciousness. We were arguing our points of view back and forth in a civilized manner, until he just said. "We all know that the brain produces consciousness. That's indisputable. " To which I pointed out that it's far from being indisputable. In fact it is still very much disputed by science. There are several scientific theories, ranging from purely biological to more subtle explanations. No scientist would claim to know how consciousness is produced. Well, it didn't go well after that. He resorted to mocking and ridiculing, so I stopped. One good thing that came out of it, is that I learned about Neurotheology. A relatively new scientific field that tries to gap the bridge between the materialistic worldview (consciousness from matter) and the spiritual worldview (everything is consciousness). These scientists study purely subjective experiences of altered states of consciousness (including sleep, meditation and mystical experiences) in conjunction with the objective gathering of data by analysing brain waves and changes in the physiology of the subject. Fascinating.

Sometimes a video is worth sharing. This one is. If you're going to watch it, please take your time and follow with attention. It's 1hr:30mins long, so get yourself a nice cup of tea with honey, kick back and enjoy (if you can). Swami Sarvapriyananda is a gifted speaker with great philosophical insight. You can watch it as materialist, believer or anything in between and outside, the message is for anyone who is willing to explore (your) consciousness in a logical way. What is matter? What is consciousness? Who are you? Enjoy

Basil is a "he". His gender is well defined. Tippa...then and now... These are free, for you, for today.

Little showing-off moment for my little achievement. Yesterday I got my first commission for a watercolor painting. It's for the pet shop owner that keeps my cats alive. I finished it today, painting 10 hours straight. I'm happy.

Don't do it guys. It's just clickbait that takes you to the Seth cult website!

Tippa's gone off the rails completely now. 😵‍💫

Absolutely none of your emojis work. A sign from the Heavens perhaps? hmmm

The day AN will add an emoji with a condescending, sarcastic smirk, I will hand them out like candies at a kid's birthday party.

<Sunmaster rises his heavy bottom from the floor> The same way you already have calf muscles as an inherent part of your body. You don't need to exercise to have those muscles. The difference is that meditation trains the whole leg muscles and not just the calf muscles. Sure, you can focus on your calf muscles specifically, but if you neglect the rest of the legs, the result will be rather awkward looking. If you are a materialist and don't exercise any of your leg muscles, you basically have no legs to stand on when presenting your arguments. 😄 <Tippa's intellectual machinery goes into overdrive>

Jeez. Thanks for that. If my wife asks me why I'm lying on the sofa the whole day, I'll tell her that it's to cover that "X" Tippa put on my back.

I'm not saying that meditation is absolutely necessary and the only way to live a fulfilling life, but it certainly gives you the best shot at it, because it greatly strengthens the link to the inner world, including intuition, creativity, compassion. It is a tool (tested, refined and validated over a very long time) to get (re)acquaintanced with the whole of your identity. To know yourself is to know God. What I'm clumsily trying to say, is that maybe we shouldn't isolate intuition and view it as something separate, because it's a byproduct of that link strengthening that emerges naturally through meditation.

You are right Vincent. Knowledge is gained through a mix of sources. Even the most intellectual, academical professor will use intuition when working on a problem. I made the extreme example to better highlight the differences. Like you say, there are degrees between the 2 extremes. Whether the person reading about the beaches is disappointed by reality or not, depends on his imagination and expectation. Mind Stuff. Once he sees the beach, he is confronted with "what is". That's what I'm trying to say.

I didn’t include intuition because, from the way I see it, practicing intuition is subordinate to practicing meditation. It is a skill that can be trained on its own (like you do), but is most effective when developed through meditation. The more you meditate, the more proficient you are in trusting and using your intuition automatically. Meditation goes deeper than just allow you to have flashes of insight. It's like exercising your calf muscles only, instead of doing a full leg workout, which includes the calves anyway. Imagine having skinny legs with massive calf muscles. 😅

And while we're at it... You didn't answer my question about subjective time. What exactly is it? Do you practice it? How do you practice it? What are the results/benefits of practicing it? Can it be compared to meditation? How? This will keep you busy for a while. 😉

Direct question for you @Tippaporn, but open to everyone. Do you agree or disagree that knowledge gained through direct experience offers a whole new level of data and understanding compared to intellectual knowledge alone? Examples: reading about the beautiful beaches in Thailand VS actual visiting them. Learning about skydiving on YT VS actually jumping from a plane. Training as a soldier in your home country VS going to fight in a real battlefield. Ps: A yes or no answer is perfectly fine. 😁