RedneckHippie

Nirvana, god, heaven, the infinite source, whatever you'd like to call it is possible to glimpse in the physical body since it is the true nature of reality that we are a part of. The experience is universal and has been recorded throughout thousands of years from various religions. Hindus would call it god-union, merging with Brahman, Tibetan buddhist would call it the light of the void, other buddhist would call it ego death, the christian st. agustine called it the heaven of heavens.

All describe an experience similar to this.... Once one is able to move past ego-thinking ego-death occurs, where you stop thinking that you are seperate from everything, insight reavels to you that you are unified with everything. Many report seeing the most beautiful golden or white light around the pineal gland, aka the crown chakra. This is beyond all conceptual thinking, it is just the pure truth. The person in this experience knows this light to be the source of all things, god if you will. He knows that this is infinite, beyond time and space and unchangeable and that everyone and everything is a part of this source. One knows that this is his true form, not clouded by the delusion of the ego. The person experiencing this is overflowing with the purest of love, compassion and bliss, it is so powerful and pure.

Now having such an experience does not mean the person becomes enlightened, he was just able to become aware of the true nature of reality, after the experience the ego can take hold again, but the person who experienced it will never be the same as before.

I myself am at a crossroads, about six months ago I took some moshka medicine which helped me experience ego death, I think I verbalized the experienced fairly well. ....Well anyhow afterwards I became convinced of the infinite source existence, that the pure truth does exist beyond the ego, and this is very empowering and encouraging, And I have noticed over the last few months how I am able to see much more clearly my silly egotisms. However I have become greedy in my meditation. Usually in my meditation I just detach from myself and observe what is going on in my braintool, I have never really done any breathing meditation I have just practiced detachment. Now though more often than not I notice that I am just greedy for experiencing that blissful god-union, and even when I recognize these greedy thoughts they continue to haunt me. Does anyone have any advice for casting aside this greed? Now I know detachment is about recognizing your wants and needs and just seperating yourself from them, which is what I'm trying to do. I think I can only get over this with more time and patience, any advice?

Coalminer,

It seems you are taking these things pretty literally, which is not their purpose....Religions at their core are tools to help lead you to experiences of egolessness, this is what I think at least. Why would you close yourself off to Buddhism? It has some great advice that is worth conceptually understanding, applying to your life and eventually understanding by experience. To me Buddhism is more a practical psychology to help people understand themselves better and see the delusions of the ego and the world, and this is what sets it apart from other religions, if you'd like to call it one....

You also said that you can only get the benefits from practicing buddhism, this I think is untrue. You could already have gained some of the fruits of buddhist practice and not realized that they were buddhism. Buddhism to me is just trying to lead you on a path to universal insights.

How would it be possible for anything to exist but the infinite source? The only hel_l is experienced here on earth through the various forms of suffering.

Try Neem oil mixed with some water and spray it on like insect repellent. It works wonders, especially against mosquitos.

You guys should do some research before putting crud like DEET on your skin, not very smart....

Is this why I have started to talk loudly with an American accent?

Perhaps, used over long periods of time DEET can cause brain damage and seizures. Not to mention that even trace amounts of DEET getting into the ecosystem sets things off balance and poisons the ground water.

I'm astonished at the amount of people so gung-ho about it, do you guys just not know of the negative properties of insecticides or something? I wish I had not named myself RedneckHippie since you guys will just think this is just hippie rhetoric, unfortunately for all of us its not - just a sad truth - try google.com

Neem oil is just extracted from the neem trees seeds and works even more effectively I believe, it's been used for thousands of years as a natural pesticide.

Try Neem oil mixed with some water and spray it on like insect repellent. It works wonders, especially against mosquitos.

You guys should do some research before putting crud like DEET on your skin, not very smart....

micro chip is a big risk for health of dog, find out with google.

Aye this is true, so is that flea and tick crud frontline and most dog foods. Too bad people ignorantly fill their dogs up with it.

It always makes me sad to hear of suffering animals, and it's really disheartening to read that no one gives a dam_n about them, and just want to poison them.

Does this PAC organization have a website of sorts for donations?

I have no idea why someone would want to live in an unpersonal place such as this.

This has nothing to do with Thailand, but some years ago two pf my friends caught a burgeler breaking into their house in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh city). They trussed him up, and dropped him down a dry well outside their house. Kept him there for 3 days. When they let him out, they told him to tell all his friends that anyone who tried to break into their house would be thrown down into that well, this time permanently. They were there for 2 more years, and never had another break in.

That is a great story, that sure would scare the heck outa bad guys. However I am always scared of a similar situation. You beat the tar out of a robber but let him live. He eventually comes back for revenge and you succumb to him that time.

This is a moral question/scenerio I've been asking myself for a long time. I greatly value human life and am hardly ever in favor of the death of another, but I'm not sure if I would kill a robber simply to defend the future of myself and family, if he were ever to return.

What would you all do? Spare the life of the robber, and hope that he will respect your mercy enough to never return, or end all doubt in your mind and dispatch of him.

There can never be enough pictures, they are all greatly appreciated!!

Does Thai visa always help law breakers get around the law by posting warnings.

I have seen many comments and even threads taken off this forum in the past because it might hurt someones feelings etc.

This thread blatantly is a warning to anybody carrying drugs or anything else illegal on the island to steer clear of a certain area.

Or maybe I misunderstood, and it is to warn of possible traffic problems.

Can I start a thread called "How to roll a joint and get away with it".

or "Kill someone here (there are no police around at the moment)"

This is some of the most backwards logic I've ever read on the internet. Just wow.

Try opening your mind a little.

This is quite unnerving, I wouldn't be all that suprised if it was true or if it's just another hoax. I did go to a lecture last year at my old college where an elderly Mayan lady was talking about how the world will end december 21st, 2012; this coincides with that....

You are going away from "commercialism" to Chiang rai.

And then come here?

You will find everything expensive.

Commercialism is like a mantra here.

We are specifically wanting to escape American commercialism which basically controls most people's souls here. Dictacting how they should act, think, what to watch, read, play, wear, and eat; all in the name of a some product. It is very sad.

Thank you for all the responses everyone, and anymore help would be great!

Thong Nai Pan Yai does sound wonderful!

Hello, and welcome to the forum. Either Samui or KP would be fine for long term stays. I wouldn't say Koh Tao, even if you are a diver you'll run out of things to do. Maybe a month on Samui and a month on KP, everything you need is there. You say you don't need electricity, why? You'll need A/C unless you're very used to extreme heat, also, I don' know of even the cheapest accommodation that doesn't have electricity. Maybe someone else can comment on this.

Have a great time.

Thanks for the reply!

Well we are used to very hot weather in Oklahoma's summers and we are used to camping out a lot in hot places without A/C. It regurally gets over 110 degrees in the summer here, though the humidity isn't as high as on the islands. We'd be there in september/oct. is it still real hot then? Also, I doubt we'd get bored there is absolutely nothing to do here and the only things in nature to enjoy are sunsets and old wise trees (and a river that is crowded with rednecks shooting off their guns), we could spend everyday on the beach just doing the same old thing and enjoying the environment and not get bored.

My roommate and I are two college students living in Norman, Oklahoma (USA) and we seek a change of pace away from commercialism and its downfalls. We are already going to Chiang Rai August 1st to volunteer with a hills tribe for a month. After that month we plan on spending two months in Thailand.

After doing an extensive amount of research Koh Phangan seems to be an ideal destination for us. I suppose we could be classified as "hippies" though not the dirty type (at least our bodies aren't dirty...our house on the other hand is a bit messy... ) We are very easy going and enjoy the company of other nice people. It seems that this board has a stigma against the crazy partying "hippies" that come for the FMP. While we do love to dance and listen to music we are not into the rowdy party scene. Though going to one of the FMPs would be something I could see us doing.

As for places to stay I think the Baan Panburi Village would be ideal for us, as it seems to be away from all the madness. Basically all we want to do is relax by the beach, read, hike in the interior, snorkle at the various beaches and eat glorious food; but I won't deny that I would be open to drinking a mushroom shake the island sounds like the perfect place for a spiritual adventure through consciousness.

Does Koh Phangan sound like the place for us? And would there be any other places to stay on the beach that rent out for 1-2 months (We don't need electricity) Is it possible to avoid all the rowdy/mean people I have been reading about on this board? Koh Tao is another place that we might venture to, maybe one month on each island, who knows.

Many thanks for the help, and any comments/suggestions things that we should know would be greatly appreciated.

-Alex and Heather

May I inquire into why you are leaving? A friend and I are considering staying in Kho Phangan for 2 months (september and october)

And I'm happy to hear you found a place for your pup, I wish I could take mine with me to Thailand!

From what I understand, he was trying to break up a fight and got in the middle, the other two parties did not die, is what I have been told. And, according to the news article, he was Indian, not Swedish.

Not died, but critically injured...

and the suspected killer of the Indian tourist.... is 14....

Provincial Police Region 8 Track down Full-Moon Party Killer

The commander of Provincial Policed Region 8 traveled to Pa Ngan Island to interrogate the teen-aged suspect allegedly involved in the stabbing of a foreign tourist during a fight at the famed full-moon party.

Police Lieutenant General Thanee Tawitsee, commander of Provincial Police Region 8, traveled by helicopter to Pa Ngan Island yesterday evening to interrogate a suspect, allegedly involved in the stabbing of a foreign tourist.

The suspect is a 14-year-old boy and he is arrested for taking part in a fight during a full moon party at Haad Rin.

The boy is suspected of having stabbed 24-year-old Chetan Dadhwal with a hand metal scraper. Dadhwal was an Indian national who tried to break up the fight and was then stabbed. He later died while being hospitalized at Bann Don Inter Samui Hospital.

The suspect denied all charges despite evidence found by police and witnesses who identified him as the culprit. He has been charged with causing a disturbance which resulted in the death of others and is in custody.

The 15-year-old victim who Dadhwal was trying to help was reportedly stabbed four times with the hand scraper as well. His condition is still critical and he remains under close medical observation.

- Thailand Outlook (today)

Goodness that's terrible. It's so sad that humans will do such things to one another.