Sunmaster

2 hours ago, Sunmaster said:

What about the feeling of ecstasy? Do you think it's created by thought? 

Or what about fear in the face of a sudden danger? 

1 hour ago, Tippaporn said:

Your emotions, as well as your imagination, follow your thoughts.  It is not the other way around.  And I can't emphasise that strongly enough.  Or put differently, your thoughts generate emotion and direct your imagination.

 

What about the feeling of ecstasy? Do you think it's created by thought? 

29 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

When life sucks then it happens for only one reason.  And one reason only.  One believes that life sucks.  You've literally hypnotised yourself into believing it.  As long as you hold, or entertain, or focus on that statement, which comes from the inside, you will never be able to change it's outer effects.  It's a self-perpetuating circle of hell.

"Life sucks" is an idea.  The idea comes from the inside.  Your thoughts.  Your create your outer reality using thoughts, e.g. ideas, beliefs.  Your belief, "life sucks," is then reflected outward as your experience.  Your experience of "life sucks" then reaffirms and reinforces your belief that "life sucks."  Which causes you to repeat what you're experiencing.  "Life sucks."  The "life sucks" then produces more experience of "life sucks."  Again the belief that "life sucks" is reaffirmed and reinforced.  Ad infinitum.

"Life is wonderful" is a belief that works just the same as "life sucks."  The evidence of the truth that "life is wonderful" is all around you right now.  But the belief that "life sucks" prevents you from seeing that "life is wonderful because "life sucks," since that is what you've been consistently creating, seems R-E-A-L and beyond question.

You are in a circle of hell because you don't understand what you're doing.  No one has ever taught you.  And you haven't figured it out for yourself yet.

The way out is easier than you think.

Welcome back! ????

17 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

Is today the day of rest?  It's only Friday.  It's dead in here. 

I think you're addicted now and need your daily fix of metaphysical debate. 

I just stumbled upon this video. One of the funniest and scariest things I've seen in a while. 

Patrick Bateman in American Psycho is an amateur compared to this guy.

https://youtu.be/9LtF34MrsfI

2 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

Please, don't tell me you prefer my verbose posts!  Others may start to wonder about you. 

I know....I'm a weirdo....

3 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

I think I set a new record for myself for replies and comments in a single day.  I'm really starting to like one liners.  I can knock off early today.

I can't say I share the same sentiment...

2 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

Earth is a gigantic recycling plant.  Everyone checks out only when they're good and ready.  Including the worm.

Unusually short posts from you today. Are you feeling ok? ???? 

16 minutes ago, ravip said:

How? 

By exploring your inner world.

This can be done through a number of different methods. Yoga (not just the stretchy western style), meditation, psychotherapy, art/being creative, trusting your own intuition, self-inquiry and many more. The inner senses are like muscles...they need to be used and trained to be effective. The more effective they are, the more you can trust the info they offer you. The more you trust them, the more you will use them. The more you use them, the better you will know yourself. 
It's a learning process just like when you learn to play a musical instrument, with the difference that in our case, YOU are the instrument.

No mumbo jumbo here, but a very practical and logical approach to what people call spirituality.
 

4 minutes ago, ravip said:

Only direct experience can...

Now who can or is eligible to have this "direct experience" ?

 

Anyone, of course. 

15 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

sorry, i need to ask.

is this a thread or a cult?

you guys found your little corner of the forum to operate your cult?

nobody cares what terms you like or don't like. 

Whenever you use the term mumbo jumbo, you automatically stop any possible conversation and exchange of ideas. You (I mean in general) dismiss arguments outright, without analysing them or bringing counter arguments to refute them. That's what I don't like. 

As for the cult part, I don't think that even needs a reply tbh.

29 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Forget the comment about 8 year olds.

Karma may be complex / nuanced ... and different people may interpret it differently.

A few people on here have already offered up some good definitions.

Do we need to turn this into a competition of definitions?

I just didn't like Tippaporn's comments where he dismissed the concept entirely with what to me appears to be mumbo jumbo.

As long as people are discussing it, it's good.

Tippaporn completely dismissed it. I think it's better if people discuss it. 

 

Sorry, I'm taking a break from this thread.

I might check in once a week or so.

The comments and discussions here are interesting, but I don't have time to respond.

 

I understand. 

And you must also understand that when I read stuff like that, coupled with "mumbo jumbo" (a term I very much dislike), my BS alarm bells go in overdrive. ????

Talk to you soon.

1 hour ago, ravip said:

Of course. Everyone has the freedom to believe in anything they want to. Unfortunately, upto now, no one has proved for sure of any 'super being', a creator, etc.

Although there are many 'versions' all are a sort of faith - hence why I often mention amulets - believe in one hard enough, maybe it works.

You are jumping too far, I think.

I didn't ask about a Super Being or Creator and I certainly never asked anyone to just have faith. On the contrary. From the very beginning of this thread (yes, I went back to check), my main argument with both skeptics and believers, was that the only way to know if we are more than a flesh machine, is through direct experience. 

Only direct experience can offer you proof of the existence of that something else. 

Only direct experience can eliminate the need for faith.

Only direct experience has the power of lasting transformation.

I don't believe what I believe because I have faith. That wouldn't be enough for me. I need to grab the bull by the horns, look the tiger in the eyes, I need action, I need verification. I need to know who or what was (and is) there before the ego was constructed. 

This is where I believe all the answers lie and I will hold to this until I die.

This is my path. I don't have the arrogance to say that it should be everyone's path, because it isn't. Yet, I think that the endpoint is the same for everyone. 

6 minutes ago, ravip said:

Yes, every being is born as a Tabula Rasa.

Carl Gustaf Jung, among others, would disagree...

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1112&context=edpsychpapers

1 minute ago, ravip said:

No, I never 'constructed an ego' as I have no need for one!

Yes, every being is born as a Tabula Rasa.

We pickup the thrash on the way...

You don't have an ego??
Who is typing this? Are you an online bot?? ????

 

10 minutes ago, ravip said:

So you are saying you don't trust what comes from your inside?

Depends - Pain, happiness, sadness, smell, taste etc are ok.

 

Do you only trust what comes from the outside?

Whats proven, yes.

 

What do you think the inner Self is?

Imagination

Ok
Another question...
What or who do you think you were, BEFORE you constructed the ego. 
If the ego is an accumulation of "add-ons" and a tool to interact with the outside world, what do you think was there before it developed? Tabula Rasa?

1 hour ago, Tippaporn said:

It's not the only question.  There's another question.  Given the assumption that Karma does exist then how does it work?  You may find 10 different answers out of 10 different people.

 

I'm waiting for @save the frogs to explain it to me. He seems to have a clear (non mumbo jumbo) idea. 

11 minutes ago, ravip said:

I agree with some of your theories. But, still impossible to believe in an 'inner self' as such. Some medications make you experience hallucinations,  which seems quite real when it happens  - I experienced it myself, due to some medication given to kill pain. Yes,  our brain respond in strange ways to different stimulations...

So you are saying you don't trust what comes from your inside? Do you only trust what comes from the outside? 

What do you think the inner Self is?

3 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

karma is fairly simple.

an 8 year old can understand it

Please explain it to me as if I were 8.
Thank you

I don't pretend to know what karma is all about, but I have an idea of what it is not. And I don't believe for a second that it's some sort of divine punishment or soul retribution for past misdeeds.

This speaks to me...
"The basic idea of karma is not punishment. Karma presents the opportunity for development; to make use of opportunities that were not taken advantage of, to fill in gaps of ignorance, to enlarge understanding through experience, to do what should be done."
—TES8 Session 388 December 20, 1967

10 minutes ago, ravip said:

Nope, I don't believe in a 'master' - especially one no living creature had ever seen. 

Blind faith? What about an amulet? 

It's not blind faith at all. Not for me at least. And it's not something you see with your physical eyes.

Like I said previously, physical (outer) senses are useful in the physical world. To experience the inner world however, you have to use a different set of senses. That's what yoga (among others) teaches. By using these senses you can train yourself and experience it all on your own. No need for gurus, amulets, priests...and certainly no need for blind faith. 

Now, if you're not interested in knowing yourself on these terms, then no problem. It's your choice. 

9 minutes ago, ravip said:

I still feel the same  - slave mentality. To exist,  one needs a master?

If by master you mean your own higher Self, your true nature and identity....then yes.

The same way a dream character needs a dreamer to exist, we exist as a product of the Self.

9 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

higher self just seems like another word for god to me.

we all have higher impulses and lower impulses.

we dont always act on our higher impulses.

some people dont seem to make any effort to act on their higher impulses.

 

You're absolutely right. 

But it's easier to imagine we are connected to our inner/higher Self than talking about God. When we speak about God, it seems so farfetched and removed from our day to day experience, that we can't imagine it to be ever present. 

When we speak about higher Self, we can perhaps feel the connection better.

Ultimately, both terms point to the same thing. 

Lower impulses = actions dictated by the limited point of view of the ego

Higher impulses = actions in accordance with your true identity. 

This made me think more about happiness, which in my opinion is a byproduct of a mental state or shift of perspective.

Often we project happiness as some future goal or achievement. "If I just study and learn/make more money/behave well, I will be happy."...or... "If I just meditate enough, I will find happiness.". I think we all fall prey to this kind of thinking, at one time or another. 
What we maybe forget though, is that happiness is available in every single moment along the journey. It is ever present and free of charge. It always exists as a state, or frequency or a plane if you will. Sometimes it seems that the more you try to grab it, the more elusive it becomes. It's always one step ahead it seems. Maybe then, we could just allow happiness to happen. Relax. 
There's no need to fight for anything, no need to strive for something. It is already here. Right now.

If you keep this thought alive during the following day or days, and imagine it to be true, the idea will gain depth and power, and things around you will begin to change. The more they change, the more they validate your thoughts and a new belief will have been formed.
Happiness happens. Allow it to happen.