So the question about self arising in the brain

[Spirit of Light]

"When after acquiring proficiency in these Sciences [traditional sciences], I turned my attention to the methods of the Sufis, I came to know that their method attains perfection by means of theory and practice. The gist of their knowledge is to mortify the self and acquire freedom from baser passions and evil attributes so that the heart may get rid of the thought of anything save God and to embellish it with Divine remembrance."

"Imam Ghazzali"

When I read the text above, there is one question that arises. Maybe this question is both silly and serious at the same time. But I have to ask myself (pun not intended) But where is the self located
What is it that tells me, that this is me?

Science would maybe say, Your notion of self is in your brain....But is it?
A Buddhist would maybe say. Your self do not exist, But doesn't it?
A Sufi would maybe say, Your self is an illusion, But is it?

What if I could find the link between the brain and the unseen world we call the spirit world? or the non-materalistic world?

Any thoughts about what self is?

(scientific and religious answers are both welcome)

 

[JustGeorge]

Oh dear... I read "so the question about self rising flour in the brain"...

I may be tired.

 

[Deeje]

What if I could find the link between the brain and the unseen world we call the spirit world? or the non-materalistic world?

Any thoughts about what self is?

From my perspective, I would say that the inner self is the soul...with everything that makes us a unique entity. There is no other being in existence that is exactly like us. But our soul is not something separate from us but is the whole living, breathing creature. The soul cannot exist without the body and the body cannot continue to live without the spirit or breath that keeps us alive.

We live in our mind not in our body....the mind is the control center of everything.....so that mysterious command center is the source of YOU......the unique YOU that God knows and wants to educate. Everything we learn is stored in our brain....and it has an amazing capacity. But how does God educate us? He has always provided teachers and written information that these were commanded to convey. He has always educated his people this way. Teachers are themselves taught by others who were in turn taught by those before them.

God has communicated with humans in various ways in the Bible, but always He was communicating with a being capable of interpreting that information and passing it on to others. For some it was through direct communication with God's representative (either by an angel or by communicating information directly into the mind of his servants)...for others it was in visions or dreams....for still others it was in written form.

It is said that God's spirit directs all the activities that He has commanded for his worshippers. This power energizes them and moves them to action....the apostle Paul calls it "the power beyond what is normal". It is granted by God when his human servants need to accomplish a task according to God's will, that is difficult. There are many examples in the Bible.

Having said that, I do not believe that God communicates with us like that today. It was only while his scripture was being recorded that such events took place, in order to show the readers that he alone is Almighty God.
Now we have that word to guide us through life...we need nothing more. You see, the Revelation given to John at the close of the first century, takes us a thousand years into the future......

That is how I see things....

 

[Spirit of Light]

From my perspective, I would say that the inner self is the soul...with everything that makes us a unique entity. There is no other being in existence that is exactly like us. But our soul is not something separate from us but is the whole living, breathing creature. The soul cannot exist without the body and the body cannot continue to live without the spirit or breath that keeps us alive.

We live in our mind not in our body....the mind is the control center of everything.....so that mysterious command center is the source of YOU......the unique YOU that God knows and wants to educate. Everything we learn is stored in our brain....and it has an amazing capacity. But how does God educate us? He has always provided teachers and written information that these were commanded to convey. He has always educated his people this way. Teachers are themselves taught by others who were in turn taught by those before them.

God has communicated with humans in various ways in the Bible, but always He was communicating with a being capable of interpreting that information and passing it on to others. For some it was through direct communication with God's representative (either by an angel or by communicating information directly into the mind of his servants)...for others it was in visions or dreams....for still others it was in written form.

It is said that God's spirit directs all the activities that He has commanded for his worshippers. This power energizes them and moves them to action....the apostle Paul calls it "the power beyond what is normal". It is granted by God when his human servants need to accomplish a task according to God's will, that is difficult. There are many examples in the Bible.

Having said that, I do not believe that God communicates with us like that today. It was only while his scripture was being recorded that such events took place, in order to show the readers that he alone is Almighty God.
Now we have that word to guide us through life...we need nothing more. You see, the Revelation given to John at the close of the first century, takes us a thousand years into the future......

That is how I see things....

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and belief @Deeje
I do have one question if nothing can exist outside of our body, where is God and how do God exist without a body?

 

[Twilight Hue]

"When after acquiring proficiency in these Sciences [traditional sciences], I turned my attention to the methods of the Sufis, I came to know that their method attains perfection by means of theory and practice. The gist of their knowledge is to mortify the self and acquire freedom from baser passions and evil attributes so that the heart may get rid of the thought of anything save God and to embellish it with Divine remembrance."

"Imam Ghazzali"

When I read the text above, there is one question that arises. Maybe this question is both silly and serious at the same time. But I have to ask myself (pun not intended) But where is the self located
What is it that tells me, that this is me?

Science would maybe say, Your notion of self is in your brain....But is it?
A Buddhist would maybe say. Your self do not exist, But doesn't it?
A Sufi would maybe say, Your self is an illusion, But is it?

What if I could find the link between the brain and the unseen world we call the spirit world? or the non-materalistic world?

Any thoughts about what self is?

(scientific and religious answers are both welcome)

Passing clouds.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Oh dear... I read "so the question about self rising flour in the brain"...

I may be tired.

Not sure I have fluor in my brain

 

[RestlessSoul]

"It is by self forgetting that one finds"

- From a prayer attributed to St Francis. Finds what though? Perhaps a lifetime of spiritual practice is required to find that out.

In my experience the Ego - just one manifestation of self - is a barrier to enlightenment, to serenity, and to harmonious relations with others. I'm still battling to silence that particular noisy menace, the one that lives in my head.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Passing clouds.

Brand of cigarettes, or Lakota Warchief?

 

[Spirit of Light]

Passing clouds.

Are you the cloud or the passing?

 

[Deeje]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and belief @Deeje
I do have one question if nothing can exist outside of our body, where is God and how do God exist without a body?

My answer to that would be that humans are material creatures designed to live in a material world. We have a spiritual aspect to our nature, but I do not believe that there is a separate part of us that leaves the body at death. The Bible does not teach this. Immortality of the soul is a Platonic Greek notion that was adopted by both apostate Judaism and later corrupted Christianity.

God's promise of a restoration of life was by resurrection. For the majority of humans that will be back to physical life on an earth cleansed and transformed into a paradise, as we were supposed to have in the beginning. For a small minority, a resurrection will mean being given a spirit body in order to rule with Christ in his heavenly Kingdom.
It is the Kingdom that will rule us for 1,000 years, completing the task of undoing the damaged caused by the rebellion of our first parents. Do Sufi's accept the writings of Moses?

The Bible speaks of God and spirit creatures as dwelling in another realm that is called "heaven". They have spirit bodies in order to dwell in the presence of God. His earthly servants have only had glimpses into that realm in vision, and found it hard to describe in human terms.

There is a spirit realm, but we were not designed to live there. We have our purpose right here.

 

[RestlessSoul]

My answer to that would be that humans are material creatures designed to live in a material world. We have a spiritual aspect to our nature, but I do not believe that there is a separate part of us that leaves the body at death. The Bible does not teach this. Immortality of the soul is a Platonic Greek notion that was adopted by both apostate Judaism and later corrupted Christianity.

God's promise of a restoration of life was by resurrection. For the majority of humans that will be back to physical life on an earth cleansed and transformed into a paradise, as we were supposed to have in the beginning. For a small minority, a resurrection will mean being given a spirit body in order to rule with Christ in his heavenly Kingdom.
It is the Kingdom that will rule us for 1,000 years, completing the task of undoing the damaged caused by the rebellion of our first parents. Do Sufi's accept the writings of Moses?

The Bible speaks of God and spirit creatures as dwelling in another realm that is called "heaven". They have spirit bodies in order to dwell in the presence of God. His earthly servants have only had glimpses into that realm in vision, and found it hard to describe in human terms.

There is a spirit realm, but we were not designed to live there. We have our purpose right here.

So where is the Father’s house referred to in John 14:2? The one in which there are many rooms, which Christ goes to prepare? Here on Earth?

Later, in John 15:19, the disciples are told that they are not of the world, that the world hates them because Christ has chosen them out of the world.

 

[SalixIncendium]

But I have to ask myself (pun not intended) But where is the self located

I'm not sure exactly, but I do have narrowed down to somewhere in Kansas.

Seriously though, why are you trying to apply a location to the Self? When you are the character in your dream, where in your dream is the dreamer located?

 

[Spirit of Light]

I'm not sure exactly, but I do have narrowed down to somewhere in Kansas.

Seriously though, why are you trying to apply a location to the Self? When you are the character in your dream, where in your dream is the dreamer located?

I do not believe self exist, it is an illusion, but to better understand why humans are thinking that the body is self, the fun in this is to look at the brain to find the spiritual center that the brain is a reciever for.

 

[Spirit of Light]

I'm not sure exactly, but I do have narrowed down to somewhere in Kansas.

Seriously though, why are you trying to apply a location to the Self? When you are the character in your dream, where in your dream is the dreamer located?

I do not believe self exist, it is an illusion, but to better understand why humans are thinking that the body is self, the fun in this is to look at the brain to find the spiritual center that the brain is a reciever for.

 

[Revoltingest]

I do not believe self exist, it is an illusion, but to better understand why humans are thinking that the body is self, the fun in this is to look at the brain to find the spiritual center that the brain is a reciever for.

I say that consciousness is "self".
A thought experiment....
Destroy various organs, & see which destroy consciousness.
The brain is the singular organ whose destruction immediately
causes loss of consciousness. So I find that to be the seat.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I do not believe self exist, it is an illusion, but to better understand why humans are thinking that the body is self, the fun in this is to look at the brain to find the spiritual center that the brain is a reciever for.

I'm not sure we're speaking about the same thing here when using the term "self."

 

[Spirit of Light]

I say that consciousness is "self".
A thought experiment....
Destroy various organs, & see which destroy consciousness.
The brain is the singular organ whose destruction immediately
causes loss of consciousness. So I find that to be the seat.

In my understanding, the body is only a shell to keep our true being (spirit, consciousness) so when the body is damaged so much we pass away, we do not die but continue in a different form.

 

[Spirit of Light]

I'm not sure we're speaking about the same thing here when using the term "self."

I am aware we will have different understanding of what self Is yes

 

[Revoltingest]

In my understanding, the body is only a shell to keep our true being (spirit, consciousness) so when the body is damaged so much we pass away, we do not die but continue in a different form.

Of all your body parts, I recommend guarding your
gray matter most. If bicycling, snowboarding, or
sky diving, please wear a helmet. Then you can
continue having interesting beliefs.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Of all your body parts, I recommend guarding your
gray matter most. If bicycling, snowboarding, or
sky diving, please wear a helmet. Then you can
continue having interesting beliefs.

I will protect my nugget with a helmet