Being unkind to ourselves and to others is never the byproduct of the enlightened state. Pain, suffering, and misery are actually examples of lack of enlightenment.
No because enlightenment means bringing more joy, understanding, and peace into my life. Enlightenment is not something that people attain through mutilation and desecration of the temple of the body.
Being unkind to ourselves and to others is never the byproduct of the enlightened state. Pain, suffering, and misery are actually examples of lack of enlightenment.
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His words were that of a true saint. But his community, the attempted murders, excessively collecting 93 Rolls Royces, being addicted to Nitrous Oxide, and other activities of his organization do not qualify him for sainthood.
For example: In Oregon, top aides of Osho were charged with a number of crimes, including the attempted murder of Osho's personal physician. There were stories of a hit list. Some fled the country for Switzerland where they had control over the group's bank accounts. Two were eventually convicted of conspiracy to murder local lawyer Charles Turner in an attempt to prevent closure of the ranch they were living on. Spiritual devotees of Rajneesh had spread salmonella on a local restaurant's salad bar to reduce voter turnout on a law that would have restricted the group's activities. Allegedly, 751 people were affected by the bacteria. This is not new information. You can read more about it here: The tale of a nitrous huffing cult leader and his 93 Rolls Royces Yet I have never been able to find fault with his words and the meaning behind them. Because they are true and beautiful. He was the messenger but not the message. "Or: What Philosophy is good for?"Ever since the dawn of time, people have been wondering about the deeper questions of life. Who and what are we? Why are things the way they are? Philosophers work to answer these questions.
The philosophers of Plato and Aristotle provided a framework for explaining the patterns of human life. They explored issues such as the difference between illusion and reality. Their views, in turn, affected other thinkers. Even today, people can be divided into Platonists (ultimate reality is not present in everyday experiences) and Artistotelians ( the everyday world is more authentic than Plato's otherworldly set of ideals). Philosophy and the desire to delve into the meaning of our lives will always be with us humans, because it is one of the things that differentiates us from the animals. Some may say that the animals have a higher wisdom because they live without over-thinking it. But if you are human, even as a child, you will be driven to ask philosophical questions. The most unfair advantage a person can have over another person is superior strength or weapons. They can then subdue the other person and hurt them, cause them to obey, or cower in perpetual fear.
Yet there are some people who will not succumb to this kind of unfair bullying. They know they have an eternal soul that can’t be touched by any external agent, fair or unfair. They know that “this too shall pass,” and can maintain inner peace even in the unfairest situation. Nelson Mandela is a good example of this. “Unfair” means that someone wins and someone loses, due not to superior abilities or intellect but because of injustice. In this world injustice and unfairness sometimes look like they win. But when we live in the world of the Spirit, only love and wisdom, fairness and justice prevail. Yoga is a wonderful way to get centered in your body. As you feel your inner body, your mind becomes peaceful. You don’t need to follow any particular method, because there are so many and all are good. It is important for you to find the one that suits your personality and the type of person you are.
For example, for very active people, mountain climbing is a form of meditation. It forces them to be very conscious and aware of the present moment. Straying off into the past or future could have very bad consequences. To others, the peaceful, methodical activity of washing dishes or walking their dogs brings them the contentment sought through other forms of meditation. Eventually, everything becomes meditation as your inner and outer life become integrated. You can be working at the Xerox machine and still maintain a sense of contemplation and serenity. No words can define the grandeur of the Universe. No words can define the expectations the Universe has for each individual soul. It is all part of a huge tapestry, of which we can only see or experience a tiny fraction.
I know this because of many decades of contemplation as well as experiencing the wonders of the non-physical, as well as the physical, world. Many sages have set the path for a life of inner peace, away from suffering. It is part of the universal plan for us to find our own, distinct way. Humans need to fulfill the potential of their consciousness as opposed to being run by their dysfunctional minds. History and the news continually presents us with examples of people following their reptilian brains instead of tapping into their higher consciousness.
It is time for us to evolve to the next phase in the evolutions of consciousness. Fight or flight, grabbing up the most stuff before we die, killing others because we hate them, being driven by the constant need to be right and prove others wrong, are all examples of the lower aspects of our mental behavior that continues to perpetuate the suffering and injustice in the world. We will not survive as a species if we do not co-operatively work to attain the next level of consciousness. Our dysfunctional minds are like our appendices. We don’t need that aspect of ourselves anymore but it can flare up and cause no end of trouble. But if we act out of our Higher Selves, only good can come. Your purpose will reveal itself to you in the things that you love to do the most even if you don’t get paid for it. Many people already have a sense of purpose when they are little kids. They know they want to be musicians, like Mozart or Prince, from when they were tiny. Others take a while before that sense of purpose kicks in.
It isn’t easy being 15. I remember it well. The fact that you are asking this question may point to your purpose as a thinker, a philosopher. It shows that there is something stirring in you that can make life very interesting and exciting. A soul-filled life brings its own reward. But, as Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Start reading about spiritual subjects and see if any of it appeals to you. No knowing what you want to do can be a place of creativity and growth. A great place to start would be some of Wayne Dyer’s books. His book, I Can See Clearly Now tells about how he found his purpose as a spiritual teacher in this life. He went through a lot of struggles and he will be able to guide you. Here is an introduction. From there, you might want to get the book, listen to the full audio, or find it in the library: Wayne Dyer - I Can See Clearly Now (Chapter One) Groups of people, such as the Hunzas, Vilcabambas, Okinawans, and Abkhasians have routinely lived beyond 100. Research shows that it is a combination of foods they eat, the kind of water they drink, and a stress-free life.
For the rest of us, we are many years away from actualizing all the strategies for extending life: From regrowing our organs to reducing damage to our mitochondria to slow, arrest, or reverse the aging process.. The question is, why would we want to extend human life by 100’s of years? It could present a new set of problems. Would we extend our healthy years or simply prolong frailty towards the end of life? It may result in a low quality of life. The earth would be crowded with the elderly, who may or may not be productive. If they are productive, they may be crowding out the field for the up-and-coming youth. Maybe society would benefit from an increased level of knowledge that can come from age and experience. But that is the only up-side I can see. The desire for life extension may come from a fear of death because we are so identified with our bodies we think that death is the end of us. One consequence of life extension, as mentioned above, is overpopulation and strain on our resources. If more people live longer, it would cause an increase in the total population. This would increase even more if people could bear children at older ages because of newly youthful reproductive systems. Our overall standard of living might decrease depending on how resources are allocated, and the impact of resource use on the environment. At any rate, it will be only those who can afford the life-extension techniques that will be able to avail themselves of them. This imbalance in our global society may not be in the planet’s best interest. Why do humans (as opposed to other animals) believe in god(s) and practice religious worship?2/24/2017 Humans are just another species of animals, right? Let me know if I am mistaken. Accordingly, we share many similarities with mammals. Yet we are distinct in our thinking capabilities, and much more as well, but let's focus on one point. We also have what I think is called self awareness( I'm gue... (more)
June Marshall · Add Credential Written 2h ago This is a very good question coming from a high school student! Humans have always sought answers and they personalize things. Why is this thunder and lightening happening? It must be the gods, who are angry at us. Or the gods are being good to us and sending rain for our crops. Animals do not ask questions. They do not have the same communication pathways that we have, nor do they take things personally. They cannot speak long sentences to put together logical constructs the way we do. In some ways, that makes them freer than we are because they are not plagued by worries and fears about the future. They also do not have shame or guilt about the past. A dog may be mistreated by someone and remember that person when he sees that person again, but he will not be plotting revenge for years on that person. Our questions and fears about this huge universe: Why we are here? What is the good life? Are we being punished for bad stuff we didn’t even know we did in a past life? Does anyone out there really care about us?. . . separate us from all the other creatures. These questions led us into creating gods, sometimes in our own image. Some of them are wrathful and punishing. Some are loving and forgiving. All of them exist somewhere “out there,” and need to be appeased or bribed so they won’t mess with us and still bring us what we want. This is now a primitive view of God, which is part of human evolution. The next step is to recognize the Divinity within. The next step in the evolution of how we view Universal Source Energy is that we are an extension of the Universe and not just puppets of capricious gods that play with us for their amusement or to teach us painful and horrible lessons. Like the ancient Roman and Greek gods, who no longer speak to the needs of our times, these widely-held ideas of God will eventually be phased out. |
AuthorAs a spiritual guide, healer, and lecturer, I have had the privilege to touch the lives of people who long to understand their higher selves. Please leave questions and comments for me. Hope to see you often here! Categories
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