+1 The blind man and elephant. Exactly what I wanted to say.Quote:
Originally Posted by JaneV2.0
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+1 The blind man and elephant. Exactly what I wanted to say.Quote:
Originally Posted by JaneV2.0
A while back I decided that I don't have to have any opinion or belief on this subject - and I've just tried to let it go. I stay curious, but based on the information I have "I don't know" is a good enough belief system for me :-)
Exactly. It isn't something I suspected would happen, but peace is the only way I know describe the feeling when I contemplate it.Quote:
Originally Posted by iris lily
And it makes me value my life now, and every life around me.
The belief (working hypothesis) that I have a soul that migrates after physical death doesn't devalue my life here--on the contrary.
Can there be "peace" where there is no consciousness?
Peace is for the living, since there is nothing else. I either live, or I do not exist and peace is irrelevant.Quote:
Originally Posted by JaneV2.0
From my POV.
I can't say it's really a perspective that makes one value the life you've got. It's just pointlessness. And it's painful pointlessness as any Buddhist will tell you, life contains suffering and sorrow.Quote:
And it makes me value my life now, and every life around me.
I have the life I've got because I'm too chicken@#$# to kill myself period. And because I was brought into the world (against my will, or rather without my will). That is all. I don't have to pretend that there is some other reason, that I'm glad I was born (I just was - it wasn't a choice - life at root is involuntary), that it's great to be alive, or anything else. Life is just a rollercoaster I'm strapped into regardless of whether I want to be (unless I unbuckle and jump out on the top - the only real choice we have in the matter - the time of our deaths - not the fact of our birth and death).
Well, that is a a depressing outlook. Makes me glad I'm not Buddhist.Quote:
Originally Posted by ApatheticNoMore
Well the overall perspective is more existentialist than Buddhist probably.
But the suffering and sorrow phrase is a famous one from the 4 noble truths, sometimes translated "life is suffering and sorrow" but I've heard more accurately translated "life contains suffering and sorrow" (caused by attachment to all that is impermanent).
Those existentialists are a jolly lot, aren't they? Quite popular among undergraduates, IIRC.
I saw that doctor who had the stroke on Oprah. I remember her saying that she could really feel the energy of each person who came in the room. She also talked about how important it is for doctors to speak in a positive way when performing surgery. She could really feel people's vibrations and intentions.
I'm not fanantical about it, but I believe in reincarnation. I've read a lot of James Van Praagh's books, and they resonate with me. He gets remarkable details from "the other side." I've also had this experience myself. I guess some would call me a medium. But, I've spent 27 years meditating and studying the healing and esoteric arts. One thing James wrote in his book is that people go to a spiritual plane with other like minded people. They do there what they were working on here. Musicians write or play music, dancers choreograph, builders build, etc. He says that the level of spiritual development you develop here on Earth you take with you. That always made sense to me. He also says that addicts end up with other addicts. He tells a story of this priest who tells him, "It's nothing like they taught us in church." Makes sense to me...developing your natural gifts and talents, working on your weaknesses, and reconnecting with loved ones.
But, to each his own. I respect everyone's beliefs on the subject. None of us can really prove it.