Developing control over your thoughts.

[Ben Dhyan]

Friend women of Reason,
Thanks for that info.
Never realized that these things are so complicated.
Thank you once again.
LOve & rgds

Yes ZZ, it is complicated for those who do not yet fully understand 'what' and 'who' they really are,... which includes all mortals.

As to the real situation of Little Joe Gould and the best recourse, perhaps it should be advised that consideration of all supporting advice is appropriate.

One needs to be aware that many so called 'professionals' will invariably diagnose what is a a real spiritual awakening as a psychosis, which ironically it is, yet at the same time something much more, as it is an awakening of the soul to a REALITY beyond Plato's "shadows on the cave wall' reality of so called normal human beings. .

"Emotional and psychological effects can resemble psychotic episodes and be very difficult to distinguish from proper psychosis. It is possible that an awakened kundalini, among the various effects it produces, may also trigger any emotional or psychological disturbances that already exist. Various emotions can be experienced such as depression, anxiety, anger, guilt, intense emotional swings, mental confusion and so on. Sometimes these are so bad that the person believes he is dying. Often these stages of intense depression etc. fluctuate between periods of elation and bliss and could consequently be confused with manic depression or bipolar illness except the periods of bliss are far more spiritual and healing than the periods of elation associated with bipolar illness."

http://www.lifepathsolutions.com/kundalini.pdf

 

[Women_Of_Reason]

Yes ZZ, it is complicated for those who do not yet fully understand 'what' and 'who' they really are,... which includes all mortals.

As to the real situation of Little Joe Gould and the best recourse, perhaps it should be advised that consideration of all supporting advice is appropriate.

One needs to be aware that many so called 'professionals' will invariably diagnose what is a a real spiritual awakening as a psychosis, which ironically it is, yet at the same time something much more, as it is an awakening of the soul to a REALITY beyond Plato's "shadows on the cave wall' reality of so called normal human beings.

Listen!

Telling that Little Joe Gould should maybe not seek the help of a professional after admitting this to us: "If I was to speak of the things I think about or, God forbid, do them, I would go to jail." Is the most irresponsible and stupid thing one can advise.

So spare us your ridiculous spiritual awakening bullsh*t!

 

[zenzero]

Friend ben d,
As mentioned earlier,
Rule of Tao:
Withdraw when the job is done.
hahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Love & rgds

 

[Ashley-Yin]

If you want to be happy, let go of your prejudice, so when you ask a question you will not filter the answer. And thus when someone asks similar of you, your answer will be pure and honest.
Thought, Acceptance and Understanding = Wisdom

Soz for such a short reply i'll elaborate on what you actually said later. xx

 

[methylatedghosts]

Hell... if we ALL spoke or acted upon the thoughts we had every time, I wouldn't be surprised if all of us were in jail!!

I feel it's important to realise (to make real) the seat of power is YOU, not your thoughts. YOU have command over your thoughts. Try to keep in mind that

what you resist, persists. What you look at, disappears.

So simply acknowledge the thoughts, see that they are there, and let them pass. Don't try to not think them, because that gives them power, that gives them cause to be around. It's like telling people not to think of a pink elephant wearing tights, dancing on a tight-rope.

and Woman_of_Reason:

So spare us your ridiculous spiritual awakening bullsh*t!

This is in the buddhist forum, so be respectful of the buddhist beliefs.

10. Discuss Individual Religions Forums
The DIR forums are for the express use for discussion by that specific group. They are not to be used for debate by anyone. People of other groups or faiths may post respectful questions to increase their understanding. Questions of a rhetorical or argumentative nature or that counter the beliefs of that DIR are not permitted. Only posts that comply with the tenets or spirit of that Dir are permitted. The DIR forums are strictly moderated and posts are subject to editing or removal.

 

[Women_Of_Reason]

This is in the buddhist forum, so be respectful of the buddhist beliefs.

You are telling me that the Buddhist belief would advise someone not to seek professional help when diagnosed with bipolar syndrome.... I don't think so!!!

 

[methylatedghosts]

You are telling me that the Buddhist belief would advise someone not to seek professional help when diagnosed with bipolar syndrome.... I don't think so!!!

err... no...

Re-read what I was responding to.

I'm saying you're being disrespectful of the belief that a spiritual awakening could be diagnosed as a mental illness.

And another thing - it's also against the rules to purposely bypass the language filter by substituting one letter with * ...

re-read the Forum Rules

also note: Language

 

[Ben Dhyan]

Hell... if we ALL spoke or acted upon the thoughts we had every time, I wouldn't be surprised if all of us were in jail!!

Yes, acute awareness of the content of one's subconscious un-ten-commandment-ly )) desires welling up as thoughts is a natural process at some time in the life of all souls, and one that each must eventually deal with when the test comes.

But FWIW, IMHO, regardless of past failures, so long as one's 'heart' does not forsake truth and it's transcendent source, the animal nature of the body will eventually be transmuted to serve higher aspiration and Divine purpose.

 

[Women_Of_Reason]

err... no...

Re-read what I was responding to.

I'm saying you're being disrespectful of the belief that a spiritual awakening could be diagnosed as a mental illness.

I said "spiritual awakening bull***t "(is that good enough for your virgin ears?) Because he was saying that "professionals" (note the quotes he put there) would probably not realize that lil Joe Gould was probably living a spiritual awakening.

Let me remind you what Mr Gould said. He clearly told us that he did not like what his thoughts were saying to him and he let us assume that what was going on in his head was dangerous. He was clearly reaching out for help! I cannot stand there idle when someone comes out and tells him that he should probably consider not to listen to what "professionals" have to advise.

Disguising what Little Joe Gould is enduring as spiritual awakening is... and I repeat: BULLS***. In no way is this an insult to what I consider to be one of the most rational religion that I know of, Buddhism.

 

[Ben Dhyan]

Let me remind you what Mr Gould said. He clearly told us that he did not like what his thoughts were saying to him and he let us assume that what was going on in his head was dangerous. He was clearly reaching out for help! I cannot stand there idle when someone comes out and tells him that he should probably consider not to listen to what "professionals" have to advise.

Disguising what Little Joe Gould is enduring as spiritual awakening is... and I repeat: BULLS***. In no way is this an insult to what I consider to be one of the most rational religion that I know of, Buddhism.

Agreed, Mr. Gould was reaching out for help.

Does it occur to you that he chose the Buddhism rather than say, the Atheism or other forums, for advice is for the reason that he personally felt it was the most appropriate resource to reach out to.

Having noted that though, this is not to imply that your advice for him to consider seeking professional secular advice isn't another valid option (though I'm sure that he would already be quite aware of it), and so far as I'm aware, no one has said that it wasn't. In fact, after your post, I posted,.. "As to the real situation of Little Joe Gould and the best recourse, perhaps it should be advised that consideration of all supporting advice is appropriate." Now this meant to acknowledge every one's advice was worth considering and should be.

As for your mischievous and highly misrepresented posts, they do not IMHO reflect the true spirit of constructive support one usually associates with compassion, and look forward to that day that you find 'peace' within your own heart and be in a position to give of it.

 

[Little Joe Gould]

Good Lord, you guys started an argument about my problems! No worries though, I actually took a lot of your advice and really implemented them in my life. This is actually a very constructive forum especially when juxtaposed with "The Publicus" (long story). But anyway I have a tale of victory. My first thing I did was follow my breathing. My mind needed something to focus on instead of wandering (this was a lot of my problem). Secondly, I took a break from my primary faith (Christianity) because my fixation with devils and such was just too much for me to handle at the time considering my state of mind. I took a break and started practicing breath awareness and mindfulness. I reread a couple books by one of my favorite authors of all time Thich Nhat Hanh (quite the guy, check him out if you haven't, has written like a million books). Mindfulness really does the trick! Pretty soon my reaction to my thought processes went from horrendous torment and slowly reached indifference. Once I reached the state of indifference, I realized what was feeding the problem the whole time. I was attributing too much worth to these thoughts and was allowing them to rule me by identifying my personality with them and allowing them to, let's say, "push me around." I stopped doing that. Like one of you said, I simply laugh at the stupid meanderings of my mind and now understand that my thoughts aren't "me" and that they aren't there because I want them there, meaning that I'm NOT evil, because I WANT to be good. It really was a spiritual test and it damn near killed me. Literally. But I feel victorious. I even quit smoking and am slowly trying to break back into Christianity. The only bad part is that after my hiatus from my church and after the word got around about my difficulties I was sort of "labeled". But, regardless, I might just find another church and keep seeking God.

Thank you all for your help! It actually did....help! HA!

 

[methylatedghosts]

I said "spiritual awakening bull***t "(is that good enough for your virgin ears?) Because he was saying that "professionals" (note the quotes he put there) would probably not realize that lil Joe Gould was probably living a spiritual awakening.

Let me remind you what Mr Gould said. He clearly told us that he did not like what his thoughts were saying to him and he let us assume that what was going on in his head was dangerous. He was clearly reaching out for help! I cannot stand there idle when someone comes out and tells him that he should probably consider not to listen to what "professionals" have to advise.

Disguising what Little Joe Gould is enduring as spiritual awakening is... and I repeat: BULLS***. In no way is this an insult to what I consider to be one of the most rational religion that I know of, Buddhism.

Hey, that's uncalled for.. Now you're just patronising me.

I'm sorry, but I refuse to continue this discussion until you decide to come back with an improvement in your manner.

 

[Little Joe Gould]

Hey, that's uncalled for.. Now you're just patronising me.

I'm sorry, but I refuse to continue this discussion until you decide to come back with an improvement in your manner.

Chill homies, my business is solved. Let's not argue with no purpose.

 

[methylatedghosts]

Good Lord, you guys started an argument about my problems! No worries though, I actually took a lot of your advice and really implemented them in my life. This is actually a very constructive forum especially when juxtaposed with "The Publicus" (long story). But anyway I have a tale of victory. My first thing I did was follow my breathing. My mind needed something to focus on instead of wandering (this was a lot of my problem). Secondly, I took a break from my primary faith (Christianity) because my fixation with devils and such was just too much for me to handle at the time considering my state of mind. I took a break and started practicing breath awareness and mindfulness. I reread a couple books by one of my favorite authors of all time Thich Nhat Hanh (quite the guy, check him out if you haven't, has written like a million books). Mindfulness really does the trick! Pretty soon my reaction to my thought processes went from horrendous torment and slowly reached indifference. Once I reached the state of indifference, I realized what was feeding the problem the whole time. I was attributing too much worth to these thoughts and was allowing them to rule me by identifying my personality with them and allowing them to, let's say, "push me around." I stopped doing that. Like one of you said, I simply laugh at the stupid meanderings of my mind and now understand that my thoughts aren't "me" and that they aren't there because I want them there, meaning that I'm NOT evil, because I WANT to be good. It really was a spiritual test and it damn near killed me. Literally. But I feel victorious. I even quit smoking and am slowly trying to break back into Christianity. The only bad part is that after my hiatus from my church and after the word got around about my difficulties I was sort of "labeled". But, regardless, I might just find another church and keep seeking God.

Thank you all for your help! It actually did....help! HA!

Sometimes the worst stigma, is the stigma one can have about oneself. You don't *want* to be labelled, you don't *want* to have a problem. That can be truly damaging enough by itself.

But I'm happy for you that you've come through the other side in a better state!

Perhaps the end of this experience has opened some wonderful new spiritual doors for you, allowing you to explore much more! (I would certainly hope so - it can be very exciting ^_^)

 

[ranjana]

Hi LJG,
That is wonderful to hear your update, and the practices that have helped. That's the wonderful thing about mindfulness; it is not a religion. Every person of every denomination can freely practice it and reap the rewards of equanimity and detachment from thoughts.

Anyone who judges another's path has a lot of work to do themselves, blessed are the people who realize the work is in themselves, not anybody else.

:bb:

 

[Ashley-Yin]

Congrats!
a quick note on the church thing usually id say dont bother with people that cling to prejudice and fear. but not this time. cos like i said:

If you want to be happy, let go of your prejudice, so when you ask a question you will not filter the answer. And thus when someone asks similar of you, your answer will be pure and honest.
Thought, Acceptance and Understanding = Wisdom

you have let go of the thoughts that did you and others harm, so why are they trying to harm you.
there is no need to run to another church that thinks the same as the last or one that says we love you because you have found god in our church or he has lead you here when from my view at least you went there of your own free will.

may i suggest you also try the metta barvnha(prob spell check)/loving kindness meditation its actually a lot of fun xx

 

[Ben Dhyan]

Good to hear from you Little Joe Gould,...maintain the faith.

"Every suffering is a buddha-seed, because suffering impels mortals to seek wisdom. But you can only say that suffering gives rise to buddhahood. You can't say suffering is buddhahood. Your body and mind are the field. Suffering is the seed, wisdom the sprout, and buddhahood the grain harvest.

When the mind reaches nirvana, you don't see nirvana, because the mind is nirvana. If you see nirvana somewhere outside the mind, you're deluding yourself." Wake Up Sermon--Bodhidharma.

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

Who is it laughing?

There is no "who" in laughter. Laughter arises out of light-heartedness and by taking the seriousness out of the moment. It's the body's physiological response to rediscovering the obvious.



More or less...

 

[peacelovehappiness]

I think the bible answers this dilemma perfectly with Numbers 22:21-29

Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road.

Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her again.

Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff. Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?" Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now."

Surely this is the solution to Little Joe Gould's problem.