A Universe from Nothing?

[Rick O'Shez]

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...

You are putting words in my mouth. I said it is pointless speculating. But what do you think Nirvana is?

 

[Ben Dhyan]

Many here have an open mind, and the courage to deal with uncertainty. Others clutch at metaphysical straws and attach to dogma.

Haha...you really should pause sometime to read what you write...it is the open minded people who would dare to study metaphysics....the close minded are too fearful and only feel secure in narrow confines of materialism...

 

[Rick O'Shez]

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

So are you a psychologist now? What you actually mean is: "I picked up this obscure idea from some book and dropped it in to try and show how clever I am."

Yeah, right.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

Haha...you really should pause sometime to read what you write...it is the open minded people who would dare to study metaphysics....the close minded are too fearful and only feel secure in narrow confines of materialism...

I think you will find most people here are quite comfortable with metaphysics.

In this context close-minded means attaching to dogma and clutching at beliefs.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

There is no doubt in my mind that it has valid content. You call it 'drivel' so you apparently don't think it does. I suppose my next question should be to ask you why you think it is without an authentic message?

Because YOU are not authentic, and it is all smoke and mirrors. You continually twist and misrepresent the facts, you are like a dodgy used-car salesman. I guess you learned these techniques from your hero, the charlatan Chopra.

 

[godnotgod]

That "I" is more involved than just a brain concoction is itself a brain concoction...

My brain is involved, but is not the source of the concoction, as you may think. My brain is only a tool that consciousness uses. So you may have surmised by now that I do not subscribe to the inadequacy of Emergent Theory, as it is called. Consciousness and the mind do not come from the brain; the brain, and the entire universe itself , comes from and returns to the Source that is consciousness. Hindus call this Source 'Brahman', or 'the ground of all Being'; Some physicists (Goswami; Hagelin, et al) now are pointing to The Unified Field as the Source; Taoists call it 'Tao'; some call it 'God'.

 

[Ben Dhyan]

You are putting words in my mouth. I said it is pointless speculating. But what do you think Nirvana is?

Go back to your original post and tell me what is that I said that is useless to speculate about?

Nirvana can mean different things to different traditions, from attaining the the state of enlightenment or samadhi, etc., to the release from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth and/or realizing Buddhahood..

 

[godnotgod]

I think you will find most people here are quite comfortable with metaphysics.

You're not!

 

[godnotgod]

Because YOU are not authentic. It is all smoke and mirrors, just like your hero Deepak Chopra.

Then stop beating around the bush and tell us WHY the content is not authentic. You won't because you fail to understand the content, causing your knee to jerk, while you beat around the bush, play ad hominem games, and nibble around the edges.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

Go back to your original post and tell me what is that I said that is useless to speculate about?

You asked whether I wanted to achieve Nirvana in this life or the next, I responded that it was pointless to speculate about such things, partly because Nirvana DOES mean different things in different schools.

 

[gnostic]

My brain is involved, but is not the source of the concoction, as you may think. My brain is only a tool that consciousness uses. So you may have surmised by now that I do not subscribe to the inadequacy of Emergent Theory, as it is called. Consciousness and the mind do not come from the brain; the brain, and the entire universe itself , comes from and returns to the Source that is consciousness. Hindus call this Source 'Brahman', or 'the ground of all Being'; Some physicists (Goswami; Hagelin, et al) now are pointing to The Unified Field as the Source; Taoists call it 'Tao'; some call it 'God'.

I would call it bunch of malarkey.

The unified field is not accepted by physicists, because (A) physicists are not in agreement because there are no consistency, and (B) the unified field is still very theoretical and untestable, hence it falls under the "theoretical physics".

And comparing unified field theory with Tao, Brahman and God, is like comparing orange with doorknobs.

 

[Ben Dhyan]

So you're seriously practising Buddhism now? I thought you were a theist with Hindu leanings?

My religious practice now involves serious meditation, years past it was religious study of all the worlds religions.......it may surprise you to know that there is only one underlying unity to the cosmos...the different transliterated mystical names of the various religious traditions of the world are all referring to the same or similar realities represented by those names....no biggie...I find my self at home with all traditions...

 

[Rick O'Shez]

.......it may surprise you to know that there is only one underlying unity to the cosmos...the different transliterated mystical names of the various religious traditions of the world are all referring to the same or similar realities represented by those names....

The problem with this universalist approach is that the world religions don't agree on metaphysical principles and they cannot all be correct. They might all be just plain wrong, of course.

 

[Ben Dhyan]

You asked whether I wanted to achieve Nirvana in this life or the next, I responded that it was pointless to speculate about such things, partly because Nirvana DOES mean different things in different schools.

But how is it speculation....you either are trying or you are not...yes or no? If you ask me the same question, my answer is..'in this life'....If you have not made up your mind then you just say, I have not made up my mind...it matters not what the particular meaning you give to the concept of Nirvana at this point..

 

[Rick O'Shez]

I would call it bunch of malarkey.
The unified field is not accepted by physicists, because (A) physicists are not in agreement because there are no consistency, and (B) the unified field is still very theoretical and untestable, hence it falls under the "theoretical physics".
And comparing unified field theory with Tao, Brahman and God, is like comparing orange with doorknobs.

Well said. What is being preached here is a new-age muddle of pseudo-science and religious parody, full of spurious connections, false equivalences and nonsensical conclusions.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

You're not!

But I am. Comfortable enough to know that you're DIY religion is nonsense.

 

[Ben Dhyan]

The problem with this universalist approach is that the world religions don't agree on metaphysical principles and they cannot all be correct. They might all be just plain wrong, of course.

I am past being too concerned about the different conceptual metaphysical explanations of the various mystical aspects of the various religious traditions....my goal is transcendence, nirvana, etc.. and the only religious practice is my life and meditation.... Who cares that many of the different religions argue with each other as to which is the more correct...or are pushing for some new agey ecumenical movement...

 

[Rick O'Shez]

Then stop beating around the bush and tell us WHY the content is not authentic. You won't because you fail to understand the content, causing your knee to jerk, while you beat around the bush, play ad hominem games, and nibble around the edges.

I have told you many times why your dogma and cliche is not authentic, and so have many other contributors here. You don't listen because you are only here to preach. You are on an attention-seeking ego-trip and you cannot cope with the idea that your Chopra-inspired new-age dogma is actually nonsense.

 

[YmirGF]

What is there to get.....that you think you are a Bodhisattva..... Vishnu incarnate?

*falls off chair with laughter*

 

[godnotgod]

Because YOU are not authentic...

For some strange reason that is still a mystery to me, YOU think yourself authentic because you think having 30 years of meditation under your belt actually MEANS something in terms of insight. It doesn't. It is just a way of inflating your ego, the primary cause of the disease of smugosis ignorensis. Symptoms include: hair trigger ad hominem responses ; jerky knees; frequent loud and aggressive chest-beatings, coupled with feelings of false humility; tendency to jump from one teaching to another as none quite satisfies; and denigration of those who pose a threat to the shield of false authority one hides behind, such as 'Buddhish' scriptures, but which one has a shallow understanding of, while thinking oneself clever, and wallowing around in old, stagnant outdated backwaters.