Sunmaster

42 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

@sunmaster,

you made a comment about "information that has been passed down thousands of years".

well, you would have to assume that the information was kept in tact for those thousands of years.

never corrupted or modified or tainted in any way.

passing through thousands of hands throughout those thousands of years.

 

your comment reminded me of a quote attributed to buddha.

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."

You're quite right.
The difference between that info (I'm thinking Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and similar) and the bible for example, is the level of practical engagement.
The Yoga Sutras (a collection of Sanskrit teachings on the theory and practice of yoga) encourage people to practice and experience/validate the information by themselves. By doing that, the knowledge presented in the teachings is always kept alive throughout time and validated on a personal level, again and again.
What the Christian religion does through the use of the bible (I'm generalizing of course) on the other hand, is "this is the truth, you better believe it, or else". There is very little focus on practical application. And for that reason, such teachings are easy pray of distortions and corruption.

In a nutshell:

If 100 people learn the info through direct experience and they can all validate it to some degree, it is extremely unlikely that person 101 can willy-nilly put his own spin on that info.
If 100 people learn the info on an intellectual level alone (belief), than you will have 100 different interpretations of that info and none of them will know for sure, because they don't have any direct experience of it.
 

42 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."

Amen to that.

53 minutes ago, Hummin said:

But then you have those few interactions that by time, actually influence you for the better. Not necessary a changing experience but polishing you a bit, and maybe see something in a new light.

That's exactly it. 

37 minutes ago, Hummin said:

I have a question for the more religious and spiritually members here. 

 

How do you find this forum, with all the different members spewing in my eyes toxic posts day by day, never ending story. Why are we here continue the same story over and over, again and again, often days and weeks. 

 

Well this tread pauses naturally after awhile when we all had our say.

 

How do you cope with negativity in daily life? 

Good question, but it should be open to everybody, not just the religious/spiritual ones.

This thread is the only thread I actively follow and the only forum I visit. 
I stopped following the news many years ago, and I think it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The daily bombardment of negative news is very bad for our mental state, in my opinion. It does absolutely nothing to improve our lives.

I think it's very important to be conscious or aware of the information my mind receives and I try to practice something like an ecology of the mind...or "a clean house" if you will. Stop negative drama from entering and at the same time keeping the house clean and in order by practicing meditation. 
Meditation, for me, doesn't just help me to clean the house, but it also helps me to discover new rooms and floors I didn't know existed before.

I consider myself a pretty good listener and that often attracts people who need to unload their drama on others. It's not easy to be compassionate on one hand and safeguard my own sanity on the other. 

That's basically how I cope with negativity in daily life.
 

1 minute ago, save the frogs said:

please don't give me homework.

i watched 2 minutes of it and my initial impression is that he's completely fabricating everything.

not that past lives or atlantis doesn't necessarily exist.

but this guy looks like he's inventing stuff to make himself famous. 

i could be wrong, but i don't have time to watch.

Fair enough. Strange though, I got the completely opposite vibe from him.

Disclaimer: I don't know much about him (so, not promoting his ideas per se), but I watched that video and felt he was being sincere.

8 hours ago, Dazkkk said:

God no! But I do enjoy Christmas with my little son. ????

That's funny, because pretty much all of my friends here are atheists and they all celebrate Christmas. I'm the only one who doesn't. Go figure....

2 hours ago, save the frogs said:

yes, that's right. 

found him.

his name is michael mirdad.

Maybe you'll find this interesting....

 

Some very outlandish ideas, but ideas worth entertaining, even if only for a short time.

1 hour ago, save the frogs said:

well, someone mentioned james redfield's celestine prophecy in another thread.

that's an interesting read.

one thing i remember from that book is the discussion of power struggles.

many/most human interactions involve power struggles ...

do i do that?

i hope not.

i try not to.

 

The Celestine books were some of the first "spiritual" books I've read after that shift in perception I mentioned. I even bought the workbook because I'm practical minded.
They were the right books/ideas for me at that time, because they were a soft introduction to the world within.

I skimmed the video you posted and from what I heard, the things he said made sense to me. 

1 hour ago, save the frogs said:

I don't feel like playing that game.

 

You're already hooked. You just don't know it yet.

Resistance is futile! 

27 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

i haven't dismissed everything you've said. i haven't read most of it.

i pointed out that ONE of tipaporn's comments was bs. 

and i still think it is, 1000 years of wisdom handed down notwithstanding.

 

but you've confirmed what i thought.

you said you've been researching this stuff for 25 years.

so this isn't a normal thread.

you're basically "an authority figure" on this thread.

from my life experience, challenging an authority figure is never a pleasant experience. 

and I don't feel like playing that game.

 

Wow...guru...authority figure.... If you don't stop my ego will inflate to dangerous proportions. ???? 

Seriously though, the mumbo jumbo comment was meant to be in general. You're not the first to use that term, nor will you be the last.
"from my life experience, challenging an authority figure is never a pleasant experience"
This is true in every field. If I talked to an engineer and challenged him about his knowledge of construction, I would find it very hard to convince him that a (real) bridge can be build using toothpicks. He might teach me the fundamentals of engineering and I could then learn how to build a proper bridge. To do that I would have to dismiss old ideas and adopt new ones. 

The feeling of unpleasantness comes from a resistance to change. Not that I want you to change of course. God forbid. We all change at our own pace, but change is inevitable. Resisting it just makes our lives miserable.

So, what games DO you like to play?

 

2 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Not afraid of dying, just afraid of not being there when I can. 

 

Today walking through the train station in opposite direction of those heading for work, I look at their faces, their body language, and their automatic walk to their destination. This is people of all ages, all kinds of profession, and genders, but so much alike. Im so blessed to be able to jump off the wagon before it was to late.

Be careful, people might think you're part of some cult! ????

Just now, Hummin said:

Im more afraid not being here for those I care for, right here right now.

 

I had the same exact thought a few days ago. My mother in law is at the hospital and in pretty bad shape. My wife is doing what she can to help her and the rest of the family out. 
So I was thinking about my own mortality and death. I thought that I too could die any time. I have no regrets and I'm not afraid of dying. The only thing that would hold me back are my wife who needs my support now more than ever, and my parents who are old and will need me soon as well.

34 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Even it is 1000's  of years, doesnt automatically make them right ????

 

The problem is to define your searches before yourselves get polluted and jump on the wagon where you continuously create new and alternative fake realities and do not realize how far from your pureness you have come. 

 

Our minds needs the continuous growth to keep it interesting, and stagnation is not part of our nature.

 

Find the pure orign, stay with it, instead of the materialistic hunger for more, and  it becomes toxic. 

 

 

That's true. 
Validation of any such source is a subjective process and we have to do it by ourselves. At a certain point though, you have to learn to trust your inner voice. You can't wait until something or someone validates reality for you, or you will soon find yourself on your deathbed wondering why you wasted all that time.

I've spent the last 25 years studying all kinds of sources, separating the weed from the chaff (from my point of view) and trying to find a common denominator. A common ground that is free of cultural distortions, empty rituals and oppressing dogma.

I think I found it. It sounds right and true for me and that's all that matters. 
Some may agree, others don't....such is life. No problem.

17 minutes ago, mikebike said:

greater minds than yours or mine have pondered deeply the entirety of the human condition and only a fool would not endeavour to understand what has come before them, and only a total fool would call them "knuckleheads".

Excellent. 
Still, there are fools who outright dismiss the wisdom handed down for 1000s of years and call it mumbo jumbo. 
The irony....

Just now, Hummin said:

How many times have this been posted now ?

 

10 times?

Probably, and it's still as irrelevant as the first time.

33 minutes ago, Paul Haynes said:

All gods are man made . Faith is not knowledge, no proof to any of them .

I agree with the first part of your post. 

2 hours ago, save the frogs said:

edit: anyway, "guru" isn't a bad thing on its own. it's someone sharing information and knowledge to others. 

Yes, I'm aware of the true meaning of guru. If you meant it that way, I could be flattered on some level but it's obviously an undeserved title.

But that's not the way you used that term when you talked about Tippaporn and me, is it? Be honest. You used it in a derogatory way, accusing us quite bluntly of manipulating others for some kind of nefarious motive. 
So yeah, you can try to sugarcoat it now and apologize, but how long will it last until the next outlandish accusation?

Anyway, I just find it funny and I don't take it personally. So no hard feelings. Let's move on.

26 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

and i don't have to read all of it.

No, you don't. Not even a small part of it.

26 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

maybe i shouldn't comment on just a few quotes.

Sure you can, if you can present your thoughts without the emotional whirlwind you usually attach to them. 

26 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

take care and best of luck without me interfering. 

Cheers. Good luck to you too.

2 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

that's a pretty funny way of putting it.

maybe i've been too harsh on you.

my apologies. 

That seems to be your pattern. First you throw around outrageous accusations, then you regret them and apologise. 

Reminds me of a friend of mine. He used to drink a lot and get into these terrible scenes of jealousy with his girlfriend. 

The jealousy was unfounded and he always ended up regretting his behavior until they finally separated. 

2 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

maybe you dont understand a lot of the conversation because a lot of it is bs.

not all of it.

but good luck sifting through all of this.

have fun.

What you're saying is "...a lot of it I just don't get and for that reason I declare it to be BS."
However, the honest thing to say would be "a lot of it I just don't get and I don't believe in it."
Can you see the difference?

57 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

both of you!

but you know what?

let's wipe the slate clean.

ignore that comment. 

let bygones be bygones.

if i read your posts further, i will comment on each individual post as i see fit.

there's no need to put labels on people. 

You're a funny one.

First you call the content of my posts mumbo jumbo without even reading them, then you call me a cult leader, and now you would like to take it all back and honour me with a reply whenever "you see fit" to reply. 

Fascinating. 

3 hours ago, save the frogs said:

Of course.

I've never met a cult leader who likes to be accused of bs before.

I'm not saying everything you post is bs. I haven't read most of it, actually.

I was just criticizing one particular comment Tipaporn made.

And of course you jump in to defend him and bark like a dog in typical cult-leader fashion.

 

Sorry, but I'm confused. 

Is the cult leader supposed to be Tippaporn or I? 

Just want to know what to put in my curriculum. "Cult leader" would be quite cool actually. Life goal: world domination. And a private harem, of course. ????????????

Honestly, this is one of the funniest things postet in a while here. Cheers for that. 

Even funnier is the fact that you announced you'll stop posting, so you positively confirmed my point. ????????????

47 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Like taking MDMA? 

 

That was insane ecstasy feeling for sure, but the days after was horrible for me, and even I enjoyed it as long I was on, the down trip did not apply for doing it to many times. 

 

The eufori and happiness I had as a kid for almost no reasons other than feeling alive, I could only recreate with extreme sport activity. Feeling Normal by doing something pure.

Instead of reposting an old post, I will try to explain it as I live it today.

About 25 years ago I experienced a kind of "shift in perception", a very strong one. This shift , although a short lived one, allowed me to understand the world and myself in ways I had never experienced before. There was such clarity, that there was no denying the fact that we are all so much more than we think we are. That the journey always leads up to the head, but ends at the heart. It taught me to trust what comes from the inside, because that is my true voice. And this is true for me, but I know it's the same for you and everybody else.