mauGR1

Just look and switch on the thinking machine ! Warning: my observations may differ from yours ????

Wake up, i am obviously meaning "scientific " as "willing to know ". I thought it was obvious. Science means knowledge, understand?

That's a honest answer, and i agree to an extent. Yet if i imagine looking at our world from a distance, as a unity, i can't help to ask myself, what's the purpose of all that. You say: " there's not inherent purpose ".. ..I have many doubts about that, even if i have to concede that the same thought is crossing my mind on occasion.

Every honest question is for scientific reasons. I am unable to answer all questions, but it depends on my ignorance. I think that if there's a question, there should be an answer, soon or later. Should i assume that for most non-believers there's no purpose for existence? Just asking????

In fact i was talking about existence in general, including basic elements, minerals, plants and animals, while the quote I added refers to human existence. Imho, reproduction and the drive to reproduce should be included into "mere existence ", but humans are obviously not satisfied with just existing, and that's the most striking difference between us and all the other forms of life. So, no, I would not consider reproduction as the purpose of existence, but just a way for existence to renew and evolve itself.

I was asking, a couple of days ago, a question about the purpose of existence. It seems a relevant question to me, but apparently it's not relevant for many, or perhaps, some think there's no purpose at all. So, i just came across this quote, which i find, if not fully satisfying, at least worth of some attention: "The sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere existence ".

As i consider life on the physical plane to be a sort of reflection of things happening on other planes... I know, you may see it as an unreasonable leap of faith... but I don't see why the experience of sleeping shouldn't reflect the experience of death. Sometimes dreaming, sometimes not, and in the end waking up again. I believe very evolved beings having a total control over this process... and surely, practicing mindfulness can help a lot.

I read "consciousness of the atom " by Alice Bailey many years ago, it's a good read, I think. It's the same concept of the Vedas, every single atom contains the image of Vishnu. "As above, as below" is the same concept on a shoestring. For me, it's as clear as the sun, yet many questions arise.

...and to add some Christian theory, it makes one's guardian angel go away.

I missed that bit, pls accept my condolences.

Perhaps I'm born different. Since I was a little boy, I have been thinking about reincarnation. After traveling to India at a young age, I've started to see my physical body as a vehicle, sometimes as a prison, sometimes as a device, but definitely i just partially identify with my physical body. Btw, I am conscious of the fact that this opinion makes me a bit too much of a fatalist, hindering my development in a way, so I'm not at all against living a life like it's the only opportunity to exist.

I would definitely compare sleep with death. When we wake up, body is rested, but the knowledge of the previous day is still present. In this exact moment, we are "building " our next body. Why ? We can speculate about that, but i could not give an exact answer.

Obviously i agree with your post, i ve been saying the same things since the beginning of this thread. The part i quoted is open to speculation though. Personally i think that there's a "purpose " in all that, and it's indeed an interesting subject to discuss.

Of course i don't agree, the brain is a physical part of the human body, the mind is not physical and surely it's not as easy to define. I like your post though, because it shows some openness to a civil discussion ????

Really? Well, I just reported very succinctly what I've been reading about some very old history of humankind. If you want to know more, and better, Google is your friend ????

Just to be back on topic, the first drunken man in history is Noah, the same Noah who survived the catastrophe with a few selected friends. Noah is supposed, by some scholars, to have been given the knowledge of alcohol by some unspecified deity, or god, with the specific purpose to make humankind more centered on earthly pleasures. According to all religions, as far as i know, alcohol is considered a great hindrance for individual and collective spiritual growth. Yet, for some reason it's very popular ????

Yeah, mind, brain, same same but different eh ????

See, if you meditate, your general understanding of situations slightly improves. .. and I assure you, it's the same for almost everyone. Thanks for proving my point. Meditation is good and healthy, and is not responsible for mental illness.

Actually, @Sunmaster is the only one left, who, for some reason, is still thinking that it's worth answering your drivel.????

Are you still climbing mirrors ? So, if meditation is so dangerous, would you suggest people to get drunk and drive faster instead ? Or perhaps sit and watch the TV until they become totally obtuse ? I guess that you can find plenty of scientific studies which show how dangerous life is, according to that logic, we'd all better kill ourselves.

I'm not denying that some people can have bad experiences when doing meditation practices, and i can understand that they can be quite negative in yoga courses and the such. What I'm questioning are the parameters which define a "mental problem ". Actually, the one who has a serious mental problem will be the last to acknowledge it. Moreover, meditation is supposed to improve one's well being, so it would be wrong to blame meditation in case of mental problems, which are going to surface anyway, with or without meditation.

That's a very, very strange thing to say. Any personal experience you'd like to share ?

That sounds really lame and desperate, sorry to say. TV, movies, internet are mind altering too. Tragedies, or great achievements in life are mind altering too. Even boredom is mind altering. Life in itself is a mind altering experience. But, some see the intelligent design sometimes, very few can see the intelligent design in everything and everywhere. The majority, however cannot see any intelligence beyond their opinion ????

Perhaps ole Vincent should better talk about something he knows. As for the " sky" mentioned in our culture's holy books, I guess it's to be interpreted as "space", or "ether" or "akasha ".

Well, comparing alcohol, opiates, and mushrooms just show that you know nothing about what you're talking about. Apparently you don't know much about holy books as well. I heard that Buddha didn't rate nonsense very highly, do you agree ?