Do you believe in God and why

[Sunmaster]

21 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

 

Is that Basil sticking his nose out?    Or is Basil a she? 

 

How much for a portrait?  Of course I'd expect a highly artistic interpretation of me which shows me to be 25. 

Basil is a "he". His gender is well defined.

Tippa...then and now...
These are free, for you, for today.

Edited January 21 by Sunmaster

[Tippaporn]

1 hour ago, Red Phoenix said:

~

A Friendly Warning from the Red Phoenix:

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery on the Day of the Lord

Or Fire and Brimstone will be Your Destiny...

 

Any other day, though, is just fine.   

[Tippaporn]

1 hour ago, Sunmaster said:

Basil is a "he". His gender is well defined.

Tippa...then and now...
These are free, for you, for today.

 

I wouldn't get caught dead with an Apple, though.    And I still have a full head of hair.  I can't see my dome in the mirror yet. 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 1/20/2024 at 10:37 AM, Tippaporn said:

 

I wonder what you looked like in the early 2000s versus today. 

I'm still the babe magnet I always was, just need a bunch of pills I didn't back then.

 

 

 

PS. What the <deleted> is going on with the emojis? Hardly any of them showing as images.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, Tippaporn said:

 

I wouldn't get caught dead with an Apple, though.    And I still have a full head of hair.  I can't see my dome in the mirror yet. 

Apple!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never ever!

 

[Tippaporn]

42 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I'm still the babe magnet I always was, just need a bunch of pills I didn't back then.

 

Viagra? 

[Tippaporn]

45 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

PS. What the <deleted> is going on with the emojis? Hardly any of them showing as images.

 

I started a topic on it in the Support forum.  They show up differently depending on the browser.  The image below is what you see when using Chrome.
 

 

Edited January 21 by Tippaporn

[Sunmaster]

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
 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

18 hours ago, Tippaporn said:

 

Viagra? 

Sadly even that isn't an option any more ( not that I have any need for it now ). I used to use Cialis, but the last time I took it I almost died.

[thaibeachlovers]

18 hours ago, Tippaporn said:

 

I started a topic on it in the Support forum.  They show up differently depending on the browser.  The image below is what you see when using Chrome.
 

 

I get a few emojis, but mostly just text like in your post.

[Tippaporn]

42 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I get a few emojis, but mostly just text like in your post.

 

Had another poster claim the same issue using Edge.  I just now there that it's odd that this problem has been experienced by many now and yet there's been no response from the Forum Support Desk folks.  We may have to add this to the long list of "Unsolved Mysteries Of Life."   At least they're working for me, though all of my older posts have reverted from emoticon images to text.  But since I fixed the problem on my end my newer posts are fine.

 

Edit:  No sooner did I post this than I saw another reply in that Forum Support Desk thread in reply to my post that they haven't addressed it yet.

.

I know, 

It is unbearable!! I am reduced to using abbreviations instead of emojis. 

I send an LOL (Lots Of Love  to someone whose loved one had passed away, and he also hates so much abbreviations he placed me in his "ignore " list

Please bring back the cute little pictures, you all know how challenged we are with words.

 

     

 

Edited January 22 by Tippaporn

[Red Phoenix]

3 hours ago, Tippaporn said:

 

Had another poster claim the same issue using Edge.  I just now there that it's odd that this problem has been experienced by many now and yet there's been no response from the Forum Support Desk folks.  We may have to add this to the long list of "Unsolved Mysteries Of Life."   At least they're working for me, though all of my older posts have reverted from emoticon images to text.  But since I fixed the problem on my end my newer posts are fine.

 

Edit:  No sooner did I post this than I saw another reply in that Forum Support Desk thread in reply to my post that they haven't addressed it yet.

.

I know, 

It is unbearable!! I am reduced to using abbreviations instead of emojis. 

I send an LOL (Lots Of Love  to someone whose loved one had passed away, and he also hates so much abbreviations he placed me in his "ignore " list

Please bring back the cute little pictures, you all know how challenged we are with words.

 

     

 

~ Yes, and GM to you too!

[Sunmaster]

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. 

Edited January 22 by Sunmaster

[VincentRJ]

9 hours ago, Sunmaster said:

 

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. 

 

Wikipedia has an interesting article on neurotheology.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroscience_of_religion

 

The following quote from the article is an interesting explanation of the processes that result in a Buddhist monk, meditator, or contemplative guru, experiencing what they feel is the ultimate reality, or a oneness with the universe.

 

"What Andrew B. Newberg and others "discovered is that intensely focused spiritual contemplation triggers an alteration in the activity of the brain that leads one to perceive transcendent religious experiences as solid, tangible reality. In other words, the sensation that Buddhists call oneness with the universe." 

 

The orientation area requires sensory input to do its calculus. "If you block sensory inputs to this region, as you do during the intense concentration of meditation, you prevent the brain from forming the distinction between self and not-self," says Newberg. With no information from the senses arriving, the left orientation area cannot find any boundary between the self and the world. As a result, the brain seems to have no choice but "to perceive the self as endless and intimately interwoven with everyone and everything." "The right orientation area, equally bereft of sensory data, defaults to a feeling of infinite space. The meditators feel that they have touched infinity."

 

Here's the definition of 'orientation', in this context.

 

"Orientation is a function of the mind involving awareness of three dimensions: time, place and person. Problems with orientation lead to disorientation, and can be due to various conditions. It ranges from an inability to coherently understand person, place, time, and situation, to complete orientation."

[Sunmaster]

On 12/11/2023 at 6:44 PM, xylophone said:

This is so true and both sad and amusing.....................

 

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

Or does it?

[Sunmaster]

1 hour ago, VincentRJ said:

 

Wikipedia has an interesting article on neurotheology.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroscience_of_religion

 

The following quote from the article is an interesting explanation of the processes that result in a Buddhist monk, meditator, or contemplative guru, experiencing what they feel is the ultimate reality, or a oneness with the universe.

 

"What Andrew B. Newberg and others "discovered is that intensely focused spiritual contemplation triggers an alteration in the activity of the brain that leads one to perceive transcendent religious experiences as solid, tangible reality. In other words, the sensation that Buddhists call oneness with the universe." 

 

The orientation area requires sensory input to do its calculus. "If you block sensory inputs to this region, as you do during the intense concentration of meditation, you prevent the brain from forming the distinction between self and not-self," says Newberg. With no information from the senses arriving, the left orientation area cannot find any boundary between the self and the world. As a result, the brain seems to have no choice but "to perceive the self as endless and intimately interwoven with everyone and everything." "The right orientation area, equally bereft of sensory data, defaults to a feeling of infinite space. The meditators feel that they have touched infinity."

 

Here's the definition of 'orientation', in this context.

 

"Orientation is a function of the mind involving awareness of three dimensions: time, place and person. Problems with orientation lead to disorientation, and can be due to various conditions. It ranges from an inability to coherently understand person, place, time, and situation, to complete orientation."

Very interesting. 

There is hope for finally uniting science and spirituality.

[Tippaporn]

1 hour ago, VincentRJ said:

 

Wikipedia has an interesting article on neurotheology.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroscience_of_religion

 

The following quote from the article is an interesting explanation of the processes that result in a Buddhist monk, meditator, or contemplative guru, experiencing what they feel is the ultimate reality, or a oneness with the universe.

 

"What Andrew B. Newberg and others "discovered is that intensely focused spiritual contemplation triggers an alteration in the activity of the brain that leads one to perceive transcendent religious experiences as solid, tangible reality. In other words, the sensation that Buddhists call oneness with the universe." 

 

The orientation area requires sensory input to do its calculus. "If you block sensory inputs to this region, as you do during the intense concentration of meditation, you prevent the brain from forming the distinction between self and not-self," says Newberg. With no information from the senses arriving, the left orientation area cannot find any boundary between the self and the world. As a result, the brain seems to have no choice but "to perceive the self as endless and intimately interwoven with everyone and everything." "The right orientation area, equally bereft of sensory data, defaults to a feeling of infinite space. The meditators feel that they have touched infinity."

 

Here's the definition of 'orientation', in this context.

 

"Orientation is a function of the mind involving awareness of three dimensions: time, place and person. Problems with orientation lead to disorientation, and can be due to various conditions. It ranges from an inability to coherently understand person, place, time, and situation, to complete orientation."

 

Both Seth and don Juan have explained that the never ending inner dialogue people engage in every waking moment is precisely what upholds the awareness of the world.  Shut that off and the world literally disappears.

[Red Phoenix]

27 minutes ago, Sunmaster said:

Very interesting. 

There is hope for finally uniting science and spirituality.

~

One of the scientists that has been exploring this field for decades is biologist Rupert Sheldrake.

You might be interested in checking out Chapter 4 - Is Matter Unconscious? of his 2012 book 'The Science Delusion' (updated in 2020) > see attached PDF.

Here the intro paragraph of that chapter:

The central doctrine of materialism is that matter is the only reality. Therefore consciousness ought not to exist. Materialism’s biggest problem is that consciousness does exist. You are conscious now. The main opposing theory, dualism, accepts the reality of consciousness, but has no convincing explanation for its interaction with the body and the brain. Dualist-materialist arguments have gone on for centuries. In this chapter I suggest how we can move forwards from this sterile opposition.

 

But no matter what evidence he provides from the experiments he conducted, 'mainstream science' rejects it as it goes against their dogmatic "scientish" belief systems...

The Science Delusion ( PDFDrive ).pdf

[Sunmaster]

5 hours ago, Tippaporn said:

 

Both Seth and don Juan have explained that the never ending inner dialogue people engage in every waking moment is precisely what upholds the awareness of the world.  Shut that off and the world literally disappears.

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

[Sunmaster]

4 hours ago, Red Phoenix said:

~

One of the scientists that has been exploring this field for decades is biologist Rupert Sheldrake.

You might be interested in checking out Chapter 4 - Is Matter Unconscious? of his 2012 book 'The Science Delusion' (updated in 2020) > see attached PDF.

Here the intro paragraph of that chapter:

The central doctrine of materialism is that matter is the only reality. Therefore consciousness ought not to exist. Materialism’s biggest problem is that consciousness does exist. You are conscious now. The main opposing theory, dualism, accepts the reality of consciousness, but has no convincing explanation for its interaction with the body and the brain. Dualist-materialist arguments have gone on for centuries. In this chapter I suggest how we can move forwards from this sterile opposition.

 

But no matter what evidence he provides from the experiments he conducted, 'mainstream science' rejects it as it goes against their dogmatic "scientish" belief systems...

The Science Delusion ( PDFDrive ).pdf 1.98 MB · 0 downloads

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. 

[Tippaporn]

On 1/16/2024 at 8:56 AM, Red Phoenix said:

~

Your post reminded me of this saying by Lao Tze -

"the way that can be spoken is not the true way"

That quote can be explained in many ways, but instead of trying to put its meaning in my owns word (or rather how I interpret it), I consulted the Brainly website, and the answer that came up addressed it in a far more eloquent way than what I would have written. 

 

> The meaning of this phrase is that the true nature of things cannot be fully captured or explained through words or language. It suggests that there is a deeper, more profound reality that lies beyond our ability to understand or express it through language. It highlights the limitations of human understanding and language and encourages us to seek a deeper understanding of the world beyond what we can see or hear.

 

This phrase is also interpreted as a reminder that language and concepts can only point to the true reality, they cannot capture it. It is a reminder that words and concepts are limited and that the world is full of mystery, and that it's important to avoid becoming too attached to ideas, concepts or words as they can limit one's understanding of the true reality. It suggests that true understanding comes from intuition and direct experience rather than through language or concepts.

 

= = =

 

Why this quote? 

Because all religions / teachings are by definition an imperfect way of trying to convey in words/writing what cannot be expressed in language. 

And so when choosing which Path (if any) to follow on your individual journey towards Truth, it is only natural that you will be attracted to that religion / teaching which is most aligned with you current level of consciousness.  For Tippa that's Seth, for Sunmaster it are the Hindu yogi's, sages and masters.  For me it's Gurdjieff and the Sufi sages.

Let me be clear > Imo there is no wrong or right Path, but it is the path that helps you on your journey which is the right one for you. And the closer you get to the Truth (or actual Reality as Tippa would say), the more you will recognize and appreciate the unspoken same undercurrent in all of these spiritual approaches.

 

Which finally brings me to the point that I wanted to make, that there is indeed - as Seth channeled - a tendency in Western seekers to search for truth 'far from home'.  With 'home' meaning their own cultural background. 

Every religion / teaching did emerge within a specific setting, i.e. the cultural traditions of the people they wanted to reach at that time using text/language fit and adapted for that specific setting in order to convey a glimpse of the Truth that cannot be expressed in words.

It is useful to remember that there is a rich Western esoteric tradition that is actually more fit to our cultural background than the 'exotic' Eastern religions and teachings that were established for people from a different age, time and tradition.

And this is no critique of Seekers that have chosen a non-Western teaching that coincides with their current spiritual needs, as I wrote higher: you have to be opportunistic on your journey and opt for that which helps you further. 

 

A touch of humor always helps, so here one of my favorite cartoons...

 

 

It's coincidental that I had very much wanted to address the rest of your post from my perspective rather immediately, RP, but didn't.  But, of course, there is no such thing as coincidence.  There is such a thing as timing, though.  There was something else which I needed to understand in order to respond to your most excellent, insightful post, RP.  Which I again thank you for. 

 

So let me explain about this timing . . .

 

@Sunmaster's Why does God >insert your grievance here<....? thread was revitalised for a short time.  fusion58 had replied to one of my posts so I engaged him.  We had a number of lengthy exchanges revolving around the usual "everything that exists must show evidence of itself in physical, quantifiable, sensory terms or else it doesn't exist" claim, which idea has it's foundation in the tenets of science and is widely accepted, especially in the west where science dominates as the curator of "truth."  As is the typical outcome of so many of these discussions my "opponent" eventually exited the conversation.

 

save the frogs chimed in after my last unanswered post to fusion58 to complain about my attempt to "take over" the conversation, as I had three posts in a row (as did fusion58 but since he aligned with save the frogs then that was okay  ), and chided me over my " verbosity" (as did fusion58 but again since he aligned with save the frogs then that was okay  ).  I couldn't help but notice the contradiction between his reply, which clearly showed his irritation with me, and few of his recent replies to me in which he said:

 

go for it. i don't want to interfere with whatever you need to be sharing.

 

There's a lot of misinfo out there. So yeah, put your ideas out there. 

Not sure if a forum like this is the best place.

Why not write a book? 

Or does anybody read books anymore?

 

And:

 

No, I shouldn't be discouraging you.

Keep sharing your ideas.

 

Next, Sunmaster posted a video entitled "Who Am I? | Vakya Vritti - Part 3" by Swami Sarvapriyananda.  I watched a good portion of the video and portions of another select few of his videos.

 

VincentRJ would pop in now and again and I quoted him a few times but received no reply to any of those posts.

 

I've noticed, too, and maybe you guys have as well, that as Sunmaster and I were having some lengthy, very in depth exchanges there was almost a complete absence of other posters.

 

Now I also post in another forum on a wide array of topics under the umbrella of current world affairs.  The divisions between people are basically split in two and couldn't be much more black and white.

 

So, as I consider the above I've come back to RP's wonderful words:

 

And so when choosing which Path (if any) to follow on your individual journey towards Truth, it is only natural that you will be attracted to that religion / teaching which is most aligned with you current level of consciousness.  For Tippa that's Seth, for Sunmaster it are the Hindu yogi's, sages and masters.  For me it's Gurdjieff and the Sufi sages.

Let me be clear > Imo there is no wrong or right Path, but it is the path that helps you on your journey which is the right one for you. And the closer you get to the Truth (or actual Reality as Tippa would say), the more you will recognize and appreciate the unspoken same undercurrent in all of these spiritual approaches.

 

Now I've known the truth of this for a long, long time.  It's given in Seth's material.  It has been pointed out by Abraham.  Yet throughout my spiritual journey I've always maintained the notion that what I know, which is based in both intellectual, intuitive and emotional understanding, could be understood by others. Despite having read don Juan telling Carlos that you can't take anyone with you.  Perhaps I thought he might be in error.    But now I know with certainty he is not.  For in one of my replies to fusion58 I wrote this myself:

 

That was a stark, in-your-face lesson of the power of belief, a huge lesson which many still fail to recognise.  It showed with magnificent clarity that even though something is utterly false it can be held as true as long as it is believed to be true.  And once held as "true" nothing, and I mean nothing - facts, logic, evidence, what have you - had enough power to  challenge the great power of belief.  There is, however, one thing that can overcome the immense strength of the power of belief . . . the individual holding the belief as "true" begins to question the belief's validity.  That mere questioning can destroy the most powerful of beliefs.  Unfortunately, most never, ever dare question what they believe to be "true."

 

And so I've decided to shortly leave others to themselves.

 

. . . you have to be opportunistic on your journey and opt for that which helps you further.

 

So it is with everyone.  There is no one who does not question deeply about the subject matter we talk about.  And in the wise words of Abraham, "everyone is right were they're supposed to be."

 

My only reservation for exiting all forums prior to the understanding which has been hammered home by RP and my recent realisations is this:  Though what I offer seems to me to be of no help to others I've found the engagement to be helpful to me.  And now I wonder if I need the engagement any longer.

 

There is one concept I'd like to leave folks with, though it's lengthy and, sorry Sunmaster, it's quoted from the Seth material.  So I'll post that separately.  This information fits perfectly with RP's perceptive material which I quoted here.  At least for me. 

 

Edited January 24 by Tippaporn

[Sunmaster]

4 hours ago, Tippaporn said:

 

It's coincidental that I had very much wanted to address the rest of your post from my perspective rather immediately, RP, but didn't.  But, of course, there is no such thing as coincidence.  There is such a thing as timing, though.  There was something else which I needed to understand in order to respond to your most excellent, insightful post, RP.  Which I again thank you for. 

 

So let me explain about this timing . . .

 

@Sunmaster's Why does God >insert your grievance here<....? thread was revitalised for a short time.  fusion58 had replied to one of my posts so I engaged him.  We had a number of lengthy exchanges revolving around the usual "everything that exists must show evidence of itself in physical, quantifiable, sensory terms or else it doesn't exist" claim, which idea has it's foundation in the tenets of science and is widely accepted, especially in the west where science dominates as the curator of "truth."  As is the typical outcome of so many of these discussions my "opponent" eventually exited the conversation.

 

save the frogs chimed in after my last unanswered post to fusion58 to complain about my attempt to "take over" the conversation, as I had three posts in a row (as did fusion58 but since he aligned with save the frogs then that was okay  ), and chided me over my " verbosity" (as did fusion58 but again since he aligned with save the frogs then that was okay  ).  I couldn't help but notice the contradiction between his reply, which clearly showed his irritation with me, and few of his recent replies to me in which he said:

 

go for it. i don't want to interfere with whatever you need to be sharing.

 

There's a lot of misinfo out there. So yeah, put your ideas out there. 

Not sure if a forum like this is the best place.

Why not write a book? 

Or does anybody read books anymore?

 

And:

 

No, I shouldn't be discouraging you.

Keep sharing your ideas.

 

Next, Sunmaster posted a video entitled "Who Am I? | Vakya Vritti - Part 3" by Swami Sarvapriyananda.  I watched a good portion of the video and portions of another select few of his videos.

 

VincentRJ would pop in now and again and I quoted him a few times but received no reply to any of those posts.

 

I've noticed, too, and maybe you guys have as well, that as Sunmaster and I were having some lengthy, very in depth exchanges there was almost a complete absence of other posters.

 

Now I also post in another forum on a wide array of topics under the umbrella of current world affairs.  The divisions between people are basically split in two and couldn't be much more black and white.

 

So, as I consider the above I've come back to RP's wonderful words:

 

And so when choosing which Path (if any) to follow on your individual journey towards Truth, it is only natural that you will be attracted to that religion / teaching which is most aligned with you current level of consciousness.  For Tippa that's Seth, for Sunmaster it are the Hindu yogi's, sages and masters.  For me it's Gurdjieff and the Sufi sages.

Let me be clear > Imo there is no wrong or right Path, but it is the path that helps you on your journey which is the right one for you. And the closer you get to the Truth (or actual Reality as Tippa would say), the more you will recognize and appreciate the unspoken same undercurrent in all of these spiritual approaches.

 

Now I've known the truth of this for a long, long time.  It's given in Seth's material.  It has been pointed out by Abraham.  Yet throughout my spiritual journey I've always maintained the notion that what I know, which is based in both intellectual, intuitive and emotional understanding, could be understood by others. Despite having read don Juan telling Carlos that you can't take anyone with you.  Perhaps I thought he might be in error.    But now I know with certainty he is not.  For in one of my replies to fusion58 I wrote this myself:

 

That was a stark, in-your-face lesson of the power of belief, a huge lesson which many still fail to recognise.  It showed with magnificent clarity that even though something is utterly false it can be held as true as long as it is believed to be true.  And once held as "true" nothing, and I mean nothing - facts, logic, evidence, what have you - had enough power to  challenge the great power of belief.  There is, however, one thing that can overcome the immense strength of the power of belief . . . the individual holding the belief as "true" begins to question the belief's validity.  That mere questioning can destroy the most powerful of beliefs.  Unfortunately, most never, ever dare question what they believe to be "true."

 

And so I've decided to shortly leave others to themselves.

 

. . . you have to be opportunistic on your journey and opt for that which helps you further.

 

So it is with everyone.  There is no one who does not question deeply about the subject matter we talk about.  And in the wise words of Abraham, "everyone is right were they're supposed to be."

 

My only reservation for exiting all forums prior to the understanding which has been hammered home by RP and my recent realisations is this:  Though what I offer seems to me to be of no help to others I've found the engagement to be helpful to me.  And now I wonder if I need the engagement any longer.

 

There is one concept I'd like to leave folks with, though it's lengthy and, sorry Sunmaster, it's quoted from the Seth material.  So I'll post that separately.  This information fits perfectly with RP's perceptive material which I quoted here.  At least for me. 

 

What did you think about Swami Sarvapriyananda? 

[Tippaporn]

12 hours ago, Sunmaster said:

What did you think about Swami Sarvapriyananda? 

 

I'll address this to you as well, @Red Phoenix.

 

What I think about Swami Sarvapriyananda doesn't really matter.  If I tell you what I disagree with and why then you would only filter that information through your current beliefs and reject all that does not fit.  You would then only defend what your beliefs are.  We've been through this with the ego and so any analysis of mine of the Swami will only be same.  You've accepted your path and are adamant that that is the path you will follow.  Who am I to dissuade you with contrary information?

 

Just an anecdote from my life which I had eventually come to recognise.

 

My parents had their beliefs which they impressed upon their children.  There was one in particular which threw me for a loop for a long, long time.  Germans are a polite people very much like Thais.  My parents stressed being considerate of others.  To the point where we had to consider others in deference to ourselves.  At least that's how I interpreted my parent's lesson to us.  And my interpretation was how I then proceeded to interact with people.

 

What that deference meant to me was that I had to consider the beliefs of others as valid over my own.  Well, as you can well imagine that worked very poorly for me.  And it would work poorly for anyone else, I would add.  But there was a benefit there for me.  A silver lining in a dark cloud.  For this process of considering others over myself meant that I would suspend my own beliefs and adopt the beliefs of another.  I would not only see the world through their eyes, through their beliefs, but also would identify with their beliefs as if they were my own.  Now since I had my own beliefs about things, as I must, then this was extremely confusing for me.  Since I was able to so strongly identify with the beliefs of others and, very importantly, accept their validity, their "truth," then that created the serious dilemma within me because it fostered immense doubt within myself about my own beliefs.  I would think to myself often that perhaps my beliefs were just plain wrong.

 

To this day, as I listen to the beliefs others express which are different from mine, it still fosters doubt within me about the truth and validity of my own beliefs.  But, fortunately for me, I have recognised this dynamic and these days I have little issue with separating the beliefs of others from my own.  That came through a lot of work though.  A lot of work as it forced me to question the validity of each and every belief I held that conflicted with the belief of another and to then determine for myself which was "truth" and which was truth.  Whilst in this process, though, I would experience confusion as to what was true and what was false.  And that would be quite unsettling.  Now that is a huge understatement.  Sometimes it was even scary to think that what I believed, especially if I had maintained a particular belief for quite a length of time, may not be true at all.  The idea was terrifying when I would consider that perhaps I might have been living a lie, or fooling myself.

 

I'll toss in some Seth here.  As he has explained, everyone has what he calls a world view.  His definition of it is the totality of beliefs one holds at any given time.  World views, however, are not permanent, or stagnant, for beliefs constantly change to one extent or another.  World views are therefore dynamic.  Another important aspect of a world view is that it is not merely ones dry, philosophical stance on everything about life, a world view which is without effect.  To the contrary.  A world view is highly practical because it literally defines ones modus operandi in life.  It is upon that which one chooses ones actions.  For action is an idea in motion and one acts only according to the ideas which make up their beliefs.  A major upheaval in beliefs would, in practical terms, throw one into a state of confusion as to how then act, or respond to situations which had previously been handled automatically.

 

You choose your parents, it is true, for your parents fit in with your intentions.  And, of course, yours with theirs.  My intention in this life is to understand who and what I am and the reality I find myself in.  And so my parents assisted me in acquiring the skill of being able to suspend my beliefs, the "truth" of them, whilst I consider other ideas, other beliefs, and whether or not they have any real truth.

 

You, Sunmaster, have accepted your beliefs as true, no different than anyone else.  And so I'm telling you that in order to consider the validity of the Seth material you would necessarily have to temporarily suspend all of your current beliefs which you consider true whilst you adopt the ideas of Seth as true.  To pretend for awhile that they are indeed true.  Temporarily only whilst you try their truths on for size.  Not permanently, mind you.  Whether you decide to make them permanent or not is for you to decide by comparing and contrasting to see which is true for you.  This process is, as has been described, the ideal method in which we are to play with ideas as children play with building blocks.  And that play is supposed to be fun.  Unfortunately, rather than a process of play it is approached with deadly seriousness.

 

Now, if you attempt to understand the Seth material whilst bringing your current beliefs along with you then you will do nothing other than sift through the material and toss out anything which does not fit your current beliefs.  Your beliefs will act practically as a filter.  And those ideas of Seth which do agree with your current beliefs will be accepted and then give the appearance that Seth's ideas and your current ideas are indeed one and the same.  I tell you, though, that overall they are not.  There are radical differences between the two.  As I've said often, you will no doubt find similarities between the Seth material and all religions.  Do not, though, ignore the differences or pretend they do not exist.  For those difference are meant to be entertained and questioned if one is truly interested in moving beyond their beliefs in order to divine true reality.

 

I'm opting out of providing my views to everyone because I understand, perhaps more fully than I ever have, that everyone has there own ideas and their own paths which they have, with great intention, embarked upon.  Overhauling ones beliefs to a great extent is not for everyone.  That would be biting off more than most are willing to chew.  Or able to chew given their level of understanding.  Adopting any of the information I provide leads to a major overhaul.  I can't legitimately and honestly expect that from anyone.  You create your own reality.  That is simply too much for folks to accept for too many reasons.  Yet there's no right nor wrong about it.

 

In the immortal words of Abraham, "life is not a horserace."  We are not on a sprint to see how quickly we can attain "enlightenment," or "heaven," or a state of "bliss," or a true understanding of ourselves and our reality.  That true understanding will come about naturally in due course and at ones own pace.  In this lifetime or another.  In this probability or another.

 

We've been given the gift of the Gods; to create.  In that sense we are Gods.  No matter what reality our consciousness travels to we will still be creating our experience there.  There is no reality in which experience is set for you, or predetermined for you, or chosen for you.  There is no reality which exists apart from you.  The basis of all realities is individual freedom.  Freedom is inherent within our being.  That will eternally be the case for Sunmaster and for every other consciousness, be it man, animal, stone or star.  Challenge is implied in creation.  Challenge is growth.  To become something, to experience oneself as other than what one knows oneself to be now.  And so you will eternally create and never be without challenge.  And every challenge then implies "problems" to be overcome.  Hence there is no state of existence where you are without challenges for that would indeed be a state where growth reaches a final destination.  At that point you can only endlessly repeat yourself.  And that is true death, which does not exist.

 

Just so that it is clearly understood, the Seth material is not given to solve anyone's problems.  It is not given as "a way of life."  It is not given as a philosophy.  It is not given as a religion.  It is given to return oneself to ones own natural and inherent power to create ones experience, wherever and whatever that may be.

 

My purpose is not to solve your problems for you, but to put you in touch with your own power. My purpose is not to come between you and your own freedom by giving you "answers," even to the most tragic of problems. My purpose is to reinforce your own strength, for ultimately the magic of your being is well equipped to help you find fulfillment, understanding, exuberance, and peace.

 

Anyway, I do not intend to break off communication with either of you.  I enjoy our conversations immensely and so wish to continue.  Both of you are up for challenges in this regard.  Both of you are willing to test out different ideas other than your own.  It has been my experience that folks exhibiting that willingness are far and few between.  And without that willingness then any engagement becomes little more than hopping on an endless merry-go-round, and one which is no fun at all.  I'll take it private then.

 

Whilst all religions teach that people are basically powerless science leaves no doubt.  Science teaches that people have no power at all.  I reject any idea which suggests that people are powerless.  Or any idea which suggests that people do not create their lives, their experiences, down to the last insignificant detail.

[Tippaporn]

Uhm, can I get at least three reactions to that post so that my ego can feel that it's been popularly appreciated? 

 

Of course you know I could give to f's. 

[Tippaporn]

Whenever you decide to get your lazy ar$e outta bed your coffee and pastries will be waiting for you, Sunmaster.  Let your wife sleep for a change. 

 

[Red Phoenix]

2 hours ago, Tippaporn said:

Whilst all religions teach that people are basically powerless science leaves no doubt.  Science teaches that people have no power at all.  I reject any idea which suggests that people are powerless.  Or any idea which suggests that people do not create their lives, their experiences, down to the last insignificant detail.

Meet the Ultimate Materialist...

 

Yuval Noah HARARI probably qualifies as the Ultimate Materialist, when he declared that “human rights are fiction, just like God.”

Harari is often credited as the mastermind behind the WEF’s anti-human agenda.

He serves as a senior advisor to the globalist organization and its founder and chairman, Professor Klaus Schwab.

The comments were made in a recently unearthed video of him.

 

During a Ted Talk, WEF architect Harari explains to the crowd why he believes “useless humans” should have no rights.

Before comparing human beings to “jellyfish” and chimpanzees, Harari ridicules members of the general public for their “belief in human rights.”

“But human rights are just like Heaven, and like God – it’s just a fictional story that we’ve invented and spread around,” Harari declares.

“It may be a very nice story,” he continues.

“It may be a very attractive story.

“You want to believe it but it’s just a story.

“It is not a reality,” he asserts.

“It is not a biological reality.

“Just as jellyfish, and woodpeckers, and ostriches have no rights, homo sapiens have no rights also.

“Take a human, cut him open, look inside,” he explained.

“You find the blood, and you find the heart and the lungs and the kidneys, but you don’t find there any rights.

“The only place you find rights is in the fiction stories that humans have invented and spread around.”

Harari then pivoted his point to promote the WEF’s borderless globalist agenda.

“The same thing is also true in the political field,” he said.

“States and nations are also, like human rights, and like God, and like Heaven – they too are just stories.”

Harari then expanded on his open-border narrative by attacking America and Israel, which he claims don’t exist in “reality.”

 

= = =

 

Needless to say that Harari's reality could not be further away from my world-view... 

 

Edited January 25 by Red Phoenix

[Fat is a type of crazy]

His take on things are sensible and likely accurate for those who don't believe in a god or for those like Thaibeachlovers who see a god as there but hands off. Of course denying that there are objectively human rights as part of the ether is not to say human kind cannot decide that life is better if we introduce human rights as laws.

I have not seen the WEF have an anti human agenda. I have seen some cynics misinterpret on purpose things attributed to them such as 'You'll own nothing and be happy' which was one obscure speaker talking about the sharing economy and in no way suggesting or dictating how things should be beyond this. 

[Tippaporn]

29 minutes ago, Red Phoenix said:

Meet the Ultimate Materialist...

 

Yuval Noah HARARI probably qualifies as the Ultimate Materialist, when he declared that “human rights are fiction, just like God.”

Harari is often credited as the mastermind behind the WEF’s anti-human agenda.

He serves as a senior advisor to the globalist organization and its founder and chairman, Professor Klaus Schwab.

The comments were made in a recently unearthed video of him.

 

During a Ted Talk, WEF architect Harari explains to the crowd why he believes “useless humans” should have no rights.

Before comparing human beings to “jellyfish” and chimpanzees, Harari ridicules members of the general public for their “belief in human rights.”

“But human rights are just like Heaven, and like God – it’s just a fictional story that we’ve invented and spread around,” Harari declares.

“It may be a very nice story,” he continues.

“It may be a very attractive story.

“You want to believe it but it’s just a story.

“It is not a reality,” he asserts.

“It is not a biological reality.

“Just as jellyfish, and woodpeckers, and ostriches have no rights, homo sapiens have no rights also.

“Take a human, cut him open, look inside,” he explained.

“You find the blood, and you find the heart and the lungs and the kidneys, but you don’t find there any rights.

“The only place you find rights is in the fiction stories that humans have invented and spread around.”

Harari then pivoted his point to promote the WEF’s borderless globalist agenda.

“The same thing is also true in the political field,” he said.

“States and nations are also, like human rights, and like God, and like Heaven – they too are just stories.”

Harari then expanded on his open-border narrative by attacking America and Israel, which he claims don’t exist in “reality.”

 

= = =

 

Needless to say that Harari's reality could not be further away from my world-view... 

 

 

 

The most astounding thing about Harari is that he has an audience.  If he were to preach "you create your own reality" he would have none.  What he preaches resonates with people.  While the truth of reality does not.  You get spat on for doing that.

[owl sees all]

38 minutes ago, Red Phoenix said:

Meet the Ultimate Materialist...

 

Yuval Noah HARARI probably qualifies as the Ultimate Materialist, when he declared that “human rights are fiction, just like God.”

Harari is often credited as the mastermind behind the WEF’s anti-human agenda.

He serves as a senior advisor to the globalist organization and its founder and chairman, Professor Klaus Schwab.

The comments were made in a recently unearthed video of him.

 

During a Ted Talk, WEF architect Harari explains to the crowd why he believes “useless humans” should have no rights.

Before comparing human beings to “jellyfish” and chimpanzees, Harari ridicules members of the general public for their “belief in human rights.”

“But human rights are just like Heaven, and like God – it’s just a fictional story that we’ve invented and spread around,” Harari declares.

“It may be a very nice story,” he continues.

“It may be a very attractive story.

“You want to believe it but it’s just a story.

“It is not a reality,” he asserts.

“It is not a biological reality.

“Just as jellyfish, and woodpeckers, and ostriches have no rights, homo sapiens have no rights also.

“Take a human, cut him open, look inside,” he explained.

“You find the blood, and you find the heart and the lungs and the kidneys, but you don’t find there any rights.

“The only place you find rights is in the fiction stories that humans have invented and spread around.”

Harari then pivoted his point to promote the WEF’s borderless globalist agenda.

“The same thing is also true in the political field,” he said.

“States and nations are also, like human rights, and like God, and like Heaven – they too are just stories.”

Harari then expanded on his open-border narrative by attacking America and Israel, which he claims don’t exist in “reality.”

 

= = =

 

Needless to say that Harari's reality could not be further away from my world-view... 

 

 

Essentially, he is talking about everything being equal. In nature everything is equal. But it is a 'dog eat dog' world. Just like the big dog hurts the little cat, and the big cat hurts a dog, we are the same. Didn't our ancestors whack women over the head, and drag them off to a cave? Of course they did. And why? Because we had needs and wanted the lady to cook a nice meal afterwards.

 

But of course we (as in humans) are different. Really our problems started when we started wearing clothes for reasons other than to keep warm or protected.

 

Why should anyone be 'allowed' to own land? Or indeed any bit of nature.

 

We must learn that nature is us. We are every bit a part of nature as a 'jellyfish' or an 'ant'. Nature can be viscous. Can be devastating. Can be beautiful. But from what viewpoint? Nature is what it always has been; nature. It is ourselves that makes it ugly. It's about time that we learn to appreciate nature and that we are simply an insignificant part of it. It's about time that we all realised that we are privileged to be a part of it.

Edited January 25 by owl sees all

[Sunmaster]

2 hours ago, Tippaporn said:

Whenever you decide to get your lazy ar$e outta bed your coffee and pastries will be waiting for you, Sunmaster.  Let your wife sleep for a change. 

 

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.