A little of both, but mostly mythological and allegorical. Literal, but I cannot see into those dimensions described, so they just seem fantastic.
The core tenet of my path is that these are stories. We get wisdom, guidance, and safety from them. But they are written in human language...
Yes! Though, this is one of the reasons I disagree that it's "not" gut feeling, also. Non-dualism works everywhere; it's both.
We are, ourselves, devas and devis. Everything we do is done by, for, and through devas, because that's us. When Ganesh helps out, that's even better.
Namaste
The truth they found within themselves that looked just like the truth seen all around us.
They share themselves, and we should all be grateful.
We share ourselves, and we should be grateful.
Average is a lie. But the more it hurts, the harder you are trying, and that makes you an above average person. Many people embrace a path that lets them avoid pain. That forces them to put their pain into other people.
It's always an option to ease up on yourself. However, one way to do that...
It's great for thrilling stories. It's terrible for life.
I don't think karma is a comforting lie. It's a complex and misunderstood reality of how there is a cause and effect, and creating harm or reducing suffering have impacts far beyond what I can see. It's no more a lie than Newton's...
Okay, so these are two different questions. The example is not a conflict. It's a threatening situation. I will gain nothing by engaging with his desire to fight. I would walk away if I didn't have the courage to give him a leveling conversation before taking a beating.
But I'll tell you what...
I agree. But we are matter made of energy, and both keep us going. So, getting rid of it while maintaining a spiritual path is probably impossible, and I think it's a terrible bet.
The darkness is already increasing. The universe is slowly approaching a heat death. Life, on the other hand, is...
Really? You should meet the one I ran into recently. Yeesh. He probably wasn't out to hurt or destroy me, but he damn well tried.
I find demons to be powerful beings, masters of reality, just stuck looking inward, like a black hole that can punch. You can befriend them, you have to. We'll...
Absolutely. But the green protests proved that Iranians are no less stupid than we are. However, since they have little influence, I believe there are fewer going along with the program. Many just keep quiet to avoid notice, but would embrace a change in a second.
I'm constantly surprised by...
God is wholeness. Eternity. Completeness. And the true beauty that exists in everything.
The devil, if that's a thing, opposes that. The devil is the emptiness, the moment, the imperfection, and the selfish destructive impulses that exists in everything.
Why is one good and another bad...
They probably have more important things to worry about and don't find the value in giving much thought to what happened in their own past, much less our shared past.
What I'm more curious about is, why do we find it so aggravating?
For me, I think because I could see how that could be me...
I think you're being unfair. First, religions don't make claims. Scientists have also made claims that pertain to the natural scope of existence and have been proven dead wrong. Phlogiston? The 5 race of man?
There are also claims by science (see, it doesn't sound good) which have justified...
My atoms who were once in stars, and who knows how many organisms in between, refute your dogmatic definition of reincarnation.
My psychology, in which habits and patterns and emotional responses have been copied down to me from several generations past asserts that past lives do have an...
To color in the gaps. What's beyond that horizon? What's above the clouds? What's beneath the earth? Why are we here? Where are we going? Where did we come from? Why is life filled with suffering? No, really, what the hell is going on around here?
Religion tries to answer the questions we...
No, they were all too late.
Is that your idea of spine? If so, I think I found your problem. And do you think Iran actually hates America? Have you been there? There are a lot of people there who have no problem America, quite a few idolize America, or at least our jeans and music. I do...
Well, ego is a defense mechanism. It's how a brain capable of processing so much information survives. So I guess that nixes it being great. It is quite normal.
Though it's also normal for it to be a great deal more than a part of your personality. The human ego has the additional capability...
How do you do that?
Is the self I want to be the one that's really me, or is it my parent's expectations, or the expectations of my culture or religion? What if I thought being myself meant going to medical school, only to discover after my degree that I hate being a doctor, and want to be a...