A Universe from Nothing?

[godnotgod]

I don't understand the question. A cell is alive or dead. There's no WHO involved just an it. The cell.

The original issue had to do with entering into an afterlife.

Do you maintain that you are a real person you refer to as 'I'?

 

[Ben Dhyan]

I'm not concerned with such speculations, just with trying to develop some insight, seeing more clearly.

I take that as a no......I would urge you to reconsider...what's the point of practicing Buddhism if nirvana is not the goal......no nirvana for the luke warmers...

 

[godnotgod]

Again you are just parroting Zen cliches. It is boring.

And what is the "Zen source" here? Is this another fake quote?

Is something wrong with you? You can't seem to cease and desist from valuing minutiae more than actual content. I post something and you slap a label on it to dismiss it as insignificant. THAT is what's not just boring, but irritating. What you are calling a Zen cliche has a real and important meaning to it, but as I already am familiar with your modus operandi, I understand that you denigrate when you fail to understand. Would you like to attempt to address the content rather than continue to rabidly attack the pointing finger?

 

[godnotgod]

I am not interested in your awful new-age parodies of Buddhism, or your lame Zen cliches. It is all nonsense. You continually misrepresent Buddhism, you post fake quotes, it is all a vain attempt to prop up your tiresome new-age dogma.

Why blame me because you lack the insight to understand simple Zen teachings, and because you don't know how to listen. What I fail to understand about you is how you can claim to have some 30 years of Buddhist meditative practice under you belt, but have almost zero intuitive insight, which is crucial in Buddhism. And why are you labeling my quotes as fake when you have zero evidence to support your accusation? And why have you failed to even consider the content of the 'fake' quote in question?

 

[godnotgod]

Not at all. I am objecting to your awful parodies of Buddhist teachings, your lame Zen-style cliches, it is all pretentious drivel which you think makes you sound clever. It really doesn't though, and people here see right through it.

You are only here to hijack threads and preach your new-age dogma, inspired by your hero, the charlatan Chopra.

Oh, shush! What do you know anyway? Not much. But if you find my postings distasteful, then I suggest you just ignore them and allow others to perhaps gains some insight into their meanings, and stop trying to speak for them. Some do disagree with me, and that's OK, but at least they address the content of my posts in an effort to try to understand what I am saying. You, OTOH, just have the same old vomit you toss out time and again. We got your message, OK? You hate Chopra, Watts, and anything you think smacks of New Age Hinduism, whatever that is, which must be something you just made up.

 

[ArtieE]

The original issue had to do with entering into an afterlife.

Do you maintain that you are a real person you refer to as 'I'?

I maintain that "I" am a collection of cells with a brain so evolved that it sees this collection as "I" and other collections as "they". Before this brain existed there was no "I" and when this brain has disintegrated there'll be no more "I". The reason I maintain this is simply because if you knock me out say with general anesthesia there's nothing until the brain starts working properly again. Death is simply the brain stopping working properly and never starting again.

 

[godnotgod]

I am not interested in your awful new-age parodies of Buddhism, or your lame Zen cliches. It is all nonsense. You continually misrepresent Buddhism, you post fake quotes, it is all a vain attempt to prop up your tiresome new-age dogma.

That there is no becoming in Buddhism is one of the principles of Buddhist thought. You claim to be a Buddhist, but fail to know this? I explain it to you and you call it nonsense.

Now go to your room!

 

[godnotgod]

I maintain that "I" am a collection of cells with a brain so evolved that it sees this collection as "I" and other collections as "they". Before this brain existed there was no "I" and when this brain has disintegrated there'll be no more "I".

What? 'I' maintain that 'I'...? So now there are two of you? But remember now: thre is the third 'I' that is aware of the first two 'I's. And then there's....

In psychology, we call these 'I's 'the theatre of the selves'. They're all just puppets.

 

[godnotgod]

Those Hubble images are fantastic, they are like works of art to me ( I have one hanging on my wall ).

I have done some amateur astronomy too, which is fascinating. The universe is awesome, though looking at it doesn't make me believe in God or whatever.

Heaven forbid!

 

[godnotgod]

I'm not concerned with such speculations, just with trying to develop some insight, seeing more clearly.

So what's the problem? Why can't you do that?

 

[ArtieE]

What? 'I' maintain that 'I'...? So now there are two of you?

No, there's just this brain seeing this collection of cells as "I" and other collections as "They".

 

[godnotgod]

A lot of this stuff comes from people like Deepak Chopra who shamelessly use pseudo-science to promote their personal agendas.

More of the same boring preprogrammed dribble from your muddled mind, steeped as it is in that stagnant backwater called Hinayana...ho hum...

 

[ArtieE]

What? 'I' maintain that 'I'...? So now there are two of you? But remember now: thre is the third 'I' that is aware of the first two 'I's. And then there's....

In psychology, we call these 'I's 'the theatre of the selves'. They're all just puppets.

You do? I put in "the theatre of the selves" in Google and here's what came up... "No results found for "the theatre of the selves"."

 

[Rick O'Shez]

Why blame me because you lack the insight to understand simple Zen teachings, and because you don't know how to listen. What I fail to understand about you is how you can claim to have some 30 years of Buddhist meditative practice under you belt, but have almost zero intuitive insight, which is crucial in Buddhism. And why are you labeling my quotes as fake when you have zero evidence to support your accusation? And why have you failed to even consider the content of the 'fake' quote in question?

My intuition is actually rather good, and it tells me that much of what you post is self-serving BS, inspired by your hero, the charlatan Chopra.

 

[godnotgod]

No, there's just this brain seeing this collection of cells as "I" and other collections as "They".

What is the point to the brain doing this? It makes no sense, and is just extra baggage, but if true, just points to the fact that the brain is capable of deluding itself. Fact is, you've been socially indoctrinated from childbirth to think of yourself as 'I', when 'I' is just a collection of images and experiences your mind freezes into a concept it calls 'I'.

 

[godnotgod]

My intuition is actually rather good, and it tells me that much of what you post is self-serving BS, inspired by your hero, the charlatan Chopra.

That's an idiotic statement with no basis whatsoever. I post in response to other posts in an effort to expand the insight into the question at hand. If you can't see that, and want to associate them with Chopra, it's not my concern. It's just ridiculous on your part, that's all. Even silly.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

More of the same boring preprogrammed dribble from your muddled mind, steeped as it is in that stagnant backwater called Hinayana...ho hum...

No, I am making objective statements based on observation of your long preaching "career" here on RF. You are only here to hijack threads and proselytize your new-age dogma, inspired by your hero, the charlatan Deepak Chopra.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

I post in response to other posts in an effort to expand the insight into the question at hand.

"Expand the insight into the question at hand?" Nonsense. You have no insight, all you do is parrot your new-age dogma and patronise other members.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

You do? I put in "the theatre of the selves" in Google and here's what came up... "No results found for "the theatre of the selves"."

It doesn't surprise me. Some people just make stuff up to sound clever. Others twist and misrepresent things for the purpose of self-promotion.

 

[godnotgod]

You do? I put in "the theatre of the selves" in Google and here's what came up... "No results found for "the theatre of the selves"."

Here, Chapter 5, Theatre of the Selves:

http://selfdefinition.org/psychology/Robert-S-De-Ropp-The-Master-Game.pdf