Well said Barry - and I agree with every word
>
On 10/23/2014 5:59 AM, TurquoiseBee turquoi...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife]
wrote:
>
It's NOT that I'm saying that seeking spiritual experiences ISN'T
valuable. I'm just pointing out that almost no one in history has ever
stepped up to the plate and made an objective, scientific case for
what that value might be.
>
/The answer is simple: you should know the truth and the truth will set
you free from ignorance. We are either free or we are bound. If free,
there is no need for //yoga; if bound by what means can we free ourselves?//
//
//It looks like we are back to Buddhism 101. In over forty years of
studying with teachers and practicing you still don't seem to fully
understand what it is you have been //seeking. So, let's start from the
very beginning: //Buddhism is a non-theistic religion of beliefs and
practices largely based on the teachings attributed to Siddhartha
Gautama, who is commonly known as the historical Buddha, "the awakened
one", the "awakened one" Sam Harris was talking about in his recent
book, "Waking Up". //
//
//According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha lived and taught in the
eastern part of the Indian subcontinent sometime between the 6th and 4th
centuries BCE. He is recognized by Buddhists as an "awakened" or
enlightened teacher who shared his insights to help sentient beings end
their suffering from - "karma (from Sanskrit: action, work) is the force
that drives samsara—the cycle of suffering and rebirth for each being."//
//
//Works cited://
//
//"Buddhism" from Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition.//
//http://www.britannica.com///
//
//Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, p. 40/
<
Most teachers or seekers just *assume* that these experiences they
have or claim to have had are valuable, but when called upon to do so,
they can't really produce any strong arguments for WHY they are
valuable, or WHAT that supposed value is. I'm suggesting that this
oversight is epidemic in the world of "spiritual practices," the
elephant in the room that no one ever talks about. The people
promoting these practices just *assume* that these experiences they're
having or seeking are *worth* having or seeking, and debate the
supposedly best ways of achieving them. But I don't know of very many
who have taken that "step back," beyond the assumption, and have tried
to make a case for WHY they're so intent on achieving these things.
What is it that they hope to "achieve," and WHY would others want to
do so?
>
/Non sequitur. I already answered this question in a previous post./
>
Answers such as, "Well, I want to have these experiences because Jim
Flanegin said that I would be a low-vibe slime until I had them the
way he has" do not count. :-) :-) :-)
>
/Non sequitur.
>
/
It's the same problem I see with religion in general. The people
urging others to join their religions don't seem to ever offer any
real-world, payoff-in-this-lifetime reasons for doing so. They just
*assume* that there is a payoff, and try to bluff their way through
without ever specifying what it is. Millions and millions of seekers
over the ages, and almost none of them have ever come up with a real
*value* for all this seeking they're devoting their lives to. I'm NOT
suggesting that there isn't one, just pointing out that no one ever
seems to talk about it if there is.
>
/Non sequitur.//I already rebutted this statement in a previous post./
