Philosophy Now Forum

Hi arising, I read your NLP link and I was astonished. It was the first thing I've read that has described my changes in vision since I started meditating. I should say that this was not a deliberate technique like in the essay - it happened of its own accord and against all expectation. I've always...

Duzsek So do you mean that certain enlighted people do not have to make ANY decisions AT ALL ? It is easy to argue that no-one ever takes any decisions and never will. Just because we believe we are making decisions doesn't mean we actually are. Enlightenment is nothing other than realising that we ...

Hi Typist - great post and I think we have so more interesting stuff to discuss. Why are they in pain? Because they spend way too much time thinking, thinking, thinking, mostly about themselves, Thinking about oneself is not the cause of spiritual pain. Surprising statement? Well it happens to be va...

Hi Typist, So the focus is kept on the experience itself, and the goal is simply to feel better. I feel this is a wise approach, which is widely applicable to very many people. I enthusiastically believe in the healthy healing power of the experience itself. Me too! Every single evening I devote an ...

From this viewpoint, humanity as a whole is seen as the relevant unit, rather than the individual. This is the more holistic "we all are one" idea. From this perspective, helpful messages that are most easily shared across the group are the best. The we are all one idea is a perspective t...

Hi Arising, I knew I'd regret this numerical idea - if there's one thing you can't do with this stuff it is turn into maths! The important thing to understand is that positions 1 and 2 are actually the same. Logically they are indistinguishable because they need each other to make sense. I only diff...

But if you need to take a decision ? Even a simple one: shall I turn left or right, the lights are red, so I should better wait, etc. Would it still be "reflecting reality" ? Automatic or instinctive behaviour seems to require a bit of processing. You're still confusing the analogy of pro...

Hi I remember a scene from the film "Kundun" in which Dalai Lama is fleeing via the mountains towards India and a group of his supporters decide to stay and deter violently the persecuters chasing them. Before moving on as urged upon Dalai Lama looks back at them and sees them in the futur...

Hi lance - i think there is a great deal of insight in your post, I hope i do it justice! There is no spiritual teacher, or maybe more correctly. There is no 'teaching' going on there. The spiritual 'teacher' is a colloquialism of those who are 'not the teacher'. The teacher is just 'fully being'; t...

Hi Typist, So why seek a permanent solution to thought issues? Why not be perfectly happy to manage thought day to day too? Everybody can learn how to do this. I'm not even sure they need to learn! When you look at people's behaviour you see a million different ways of managing thought: Fishing, dan...

Hi Duszek An analogy: the mind of an unenlighted is like a man running around and looking for the right door without much success the mind of an enlighted is like a man walking calmly towards the right door (door = solution, man walking or running = mind processing) I think the problem with this is ...

Some techniques of breathing are supposed to make your head empty of thoughts that are bothering you too much (worrying etc.) All these techniques are very interesting but thoughtlessness is not the goal of the spiritual path. Once you have insight into thought you could theoretically worry 24 hour...

Hi Typist- you went away for a while then came back with a flurry! You're definitely an interesting thinker - despite your interest in spirituality it doesn't stop you from following any teacher blindly! I agree with much of what you say although as ever I have a few comments: The only teachers who ...

I think Nikolai was talking about taking mental positions in ones own mind to help thinking and acting about things. I now understand your thought, thank you, and think that the 'numbers' are not meant in the way of maths, you could just say position A, position B and position C, as long as you des...

When people speculate and philosophise about the world they live in they often don't realise the greatness of what they are doing. Philosophers might profess a certain reverence for truth, but it is nothing like the old days when Sophia was held up as being some kind of ultimate ideal, and personifi...