What Is Your Religion or Worldview?

[Ashoka]

I know I already posted, but I see myself as a pantheist...Naturalistic Pantheist, or as Dawkins calls it, "sexed up atheism." I don't believe in a personal deity, but see "God" as consciousness, as being the Universe itself.

I'm also thinking of joining The Satanic Temple, just because I agree with their tenants and I see Satan as an archetype representing rebellion against dogmas and traditions and thinking for yourself. From a Pantheist perspective, there is nothing to worship but oneself.

 

[Ben Dhyan]

Even a virus has a mind. It searches for an entry point. That is because of its molecular arrangement.
Scientists Record a Virus 'Prowling' Cells in Search of a Way Inside

Even your white blood cells have a mind (so to say). They destroy what is harmful for you but do not attack your own cells.
"Phagocytosis is the process by which a cell uses its plasma membrane to engulf a large particle, giving rise to an internal compartment called the phagosome. It is one type of endocytosis."
Phagocytosis - Wikipedia
File:Нейтрофил крови человека фагоцитирует бактерию.webm - Wikipedia (VIDEO-action)

White blood cell enveloping a bacteria (Wikipedia, has a nice large image too)
Virus Interactions With the Cell (National Library of Health)
Clip D1243_1_193, from Dissolve

But but the virus.apparently emerged first, where did the virus emerge from.

 

[Aupmanyav]

But but the virus.apparently emerged first, where did the virus emerge from.

"Viruses are made of either two or three parts. All include genes. These genes contain the encoded biological information of the virus and are built from either DNA or RNA. All viruses are also covered with a protein coat to protect the genes. Their origin is unclear: some may have evolved from 'plasmids' - pieces of DNA that can move between cells - while others may have evolved from bacteria."
Introduction to viruses - Wikipedia, Virus - Wikipedia

"A plasmid is a small, extrachromosomal DNA molecule within a cell that is physically separated from chromosomal DNA and can replicate independently. They are most commonly found as small circular, double-stranded DNA molecules in bacteria; however, plasmids are sometimes present in archaea and eukaryotic organisms. In nature, plasmids often carry genes that benefit the survival of the organism and confer selective advantage such as antibiotic resistance. While chromosomes are large and contain all the essential genetic information for living under normal conditions, plasmids are usually very small and contain only additional genes that may be useful in certain situations or conditions. Artificial plasmids are widely used as vectors in molecular cloning, serving to drive the replication of recombinant DNA sequences within host organisms. In the laboratory, plasmids may be introduced into a cell via transformation. Synthetic plasmids are available for procurement over the internet."
Plasmid - Wikipedia

When you want any information on science, the easiest way is to make a first check in Wikipedia, Quora or a search engine. Make it a habit.

Human cells also have Plasmids (Mitochondria).
Do human beings have plasmid DNA? - Quora
Mitochondrion - Wikipedia

 

[Ben Dhyan]

Forget it, thank you for your time.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Nice talking to you. Thanks.

 

[Ella S.]

Ok, so from what and where did the mind emerge?

Since this section has become cluttered enough already, I suppose it wouldn't hurt for me to add one more post.

I don't believe that the mind is real. The brain is real. What we call a "mind" is an illusion caused by the limitations of our nervous systems. The reason we experience ourselves as distinct individuals is because our brain can only process a small subset of information contained within the universe.

In reality, most of our mental functions are unconscious. Our awareness of them, which one might call a consciousness or a mind, is merely a function of metacognition. It's not really any different from an AI that can modify its own code.

What we refer to as internal mental activity (or a mind) is really just particular patterns of neuronal activity. The mind is merely an imperfect abstraction of these physical processes.

 

[Ben Dhyan]

Since this section has become cluttered enough already, I suppose it wouldn't hurt for me to add one more post.

I don't believe that the mind is real. The brain is real. What we call a "mind" is an illusion caused by the limitations of our nervous systems. The reason we experience ourselves as distinct individuals is because our brain can only process a small subset of information contained within the universe.

In reality, most of our mental functions are unconscious. Our awareness of them, which one might call a consciousness or a mind, is merely a function of metacognition. It's not really any different from an AI that can modify its own code.

What we refer to as internal mental activity (or a mind) is really just particular patterns of neuronal activity. The mind is merely an imperfect abstraction of these physical processes.

It actually is the other way round, the brain and the thinking self are only temporary and thus not real in the sense of real meaning permanent, immortal. Pure awareness on the other hand is permanent and while it can and does express itself in material creations, it is spirit in nature and thus immortal.

 

[Ella S.]

It actually is the other way round, the brain and the thinking self are only temporary and thus not real in the sense of real meaning permanent, immortal. Pure awareness on the other hand is permanent and while it can and does express itself in material creations, it is spirit in nature and thus immortal.

There is no such thing as "pure awareness." You're committing the informal fallacy of "Mistaking the Map for the Territory" where you confuse an abstraction of something for the thing itself. It also comes across to me as a form of what we call "magical thinking" where you think consciousness can affect the external world.

Reality isn't based on what's permanent or temporary. Reality is the external world we perceive with our senses and it exists regardless of whether there are minds to perceive it. That's why we develop object permanence.

 

[Ben Dhyan]

There is no such thing as "pure awareness." You're committing the informal fallacy of "Mistaking the Map for the Territory" where you confuse an abstraction of something for the thing itself. It also comes across to me as a form of what we call "magical thinking" where you think consciousness can affect the external world.

Reality isn't based on what's permanent or temporary. Reality is the external world we perceive with our senses and it exists regardless of whether there are minds to perceive it. That's why we develop object permanence.

It is an extraordinary simple mind that concludes that anything It is not aware of does not exist. Pure awareness means non thinking awareness, if you practice to still the mind, awareness does not cease just because there is no thought, that resultant thoughtless awareness is pure in that it is not dualistic, the thinker is not present.

You are referring to relative reality, reality as experienced by the dualistic mind, the thinking mind. Absolute reality though does not depend on the senses, nor on the human mind, but senses and mind are integral aspects of the whole of existence, which whole is reality.

 

[Ella S.]

It is an extraordinary simple mind that concludes that anything It is not aware of does not exist. Pure awareness means non thinking awareness, if you practice to still the mind, awareness does not cease just because there is no thought, that resultant thoughtless awareness is pure in that it is not dualistic, the thinker is not present.

We know that "pure awareness" does not exist because what you are calling "awareness" has already been demonstrated to be a form of brain activity. I'm not dismissing it simply for not being aware of its existence. I'm dismissing it because we know that's not how the natural world works and the belief in "pure awareness" was formed prior to rigorous scientific investigation.

You are referring to relative reality, reality as experienced by the dualistic mind, the thinking mind. Absolute reality though does not depend on the senses, nor on the human mind, but senses and mind are integral aspects of the whole of existence, which whole is reality.

The natural world exists whether we observe it or not. That is reality. It's the only reality, relative or absolute.

 

[Ben Dhyan]

We know that "pure awareness" does not exist because what you are calling "awareness" has already been demonstrated to be a form of brain activity. I'm not dismissing it simply for not being aware of its existence. I'm dismissing it because we know that's not how the natural world works and the belief in "pure awareness" was formed prior to rigorous scientific investigation.



The natural world exists whether we observe it or not. That is reality. It's the only reality, relative or absolute.

True, we can agree that thinking awareness involves brain activity, but the pure awareness does not involve a thinker, ergo no brain activity. I had expected you understood where it was explained there was no thinker?

When you observe nature, you separate yourself and thus mind duality exists, ie., the observer and observed. When one Is in a state of pure awareness, there is nothing but nature, one is that, no separation exists, no thinker, no observer.

 

[Aupmanyav]

When one Is in a state of pure awareness, there is nothing but nature, one is that, no separation exists, no thinker, no observer.

Is God there or even he dissolves?

"You are referring to relative reality, reality as experienced by the dualistic mind, the thinking mind. Absolute reality though does not depend on the senses, nor on the human mind, but senses and mind are integral aspects of the whole of existence, which whole is reality."

Ya Allah, ben d, you have become an advaitist!

 

[Ben Dhyan]

Is God there or even he dissolves?

"You are referring to relative reality, reality as experienced by the dualistic mind, the thinking mind. Absolute reality though does not depend on the senses, nor on the human mind, but senses and mind are integral aspects of the whole of existence, which whole is reality."

Ya Allah, ben d, you have become an advaitist!

God is just another name that represents the one reality, names don't mean anything to me other than that which they are meant to represent. Non-dualism has always been my position (as was Zenzeros').

 

[Aupmanyav]

Where is Zenzero? Miss him.

 

[Aupmanyav]

22 Hindus! Quite many Hindus around.

 

[Ben Dhyan]

Where is Zenzero? Miss him.

We had an exchange this past August, he is looking after his 90 year old mom and has no other plans for now. He has slowly discarded most social media to, in his own words..."so that can slowly discard all attachments and spend the remaining years in meditation."

That last part is my position also btw....

 

[Aupmanyav]

.. and spend the remaining years in meditation."

Don't understand that. I do not think it helps in any way to withdraw from the world.

 

[Ben Dhyan]

Don't understand that. I do not think it helps in any way to withdraw from the world.

You may some day, there was a time when it was not my goal either.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I have no 'asakti' (attachments) even now, but that does not require withdrawal from the world.

"jñeyaḥ sa nitya-sannyāsī, yo na dveṣṭi na kāṅkṣati;
nirdvandvo hi mahā-bāho, sukhaṁ bandhāt pramucyate." BG 5.3

Know him as ever-renounced, one who does not hate or desires anything, free of dualities, O Arjuna, he is overcomes material bondage easily and is liberated.

 

[Ben Dhyan]

It's not so much a withdrawal from the world, rather a detached way of 'seeing' and being in the world. Bear in mind also the aging process, it is natural to be less active in the world, but that does not mean less interested in what is going on. You are not old yet, life gets better like old wine.