No Self

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Everything posted by No Self

  1. Which argument/s in particular? Some of those arguments rely heavily on the false consensus effect. Eg., everyone knows that Biden is stealing the election. It alienates anyone who questions them, along with any authoritative sources who might be cited in argument. It also threatens anyone who disagrees with the tribe with excommunication. (And the same thing happens on the left!) But perhaps we can look more closely at any specific arguments on your mind.
  2. Any specific examples? I don't think it is possible to write data to a CD-ROM.
  3. This is at the crux of the issue. We are solving problems at the wrong level and it will never work. Capitalism would work in an advanced society, as the 'haves' would be motivated to care for the less fortunate. Communism would work because leaders would care for the people, and people for each other.
  4. Cheers! I do speak from experience, so I know how unsatisfying theoretical answers can seem in the face of heavy abuse. But in the end, it's a choice of becoming a part of their sickness or discarding the whole thing with, "No, thanks." It can take time to reach that point, but I feel it is important to do so. Note: this is not an argument for letting rapists walk the streets or failing to take practical action as needed.
  5. Watch what happens when you follow through on your rage against brutalisers. You become one of them. Forgiveness is nothing more than an act of enlightened self-interest.
  6. The ego begins to cross the bridge of awakening, but when it gets to the other side, nobody is there anymore.
  7. A simple way to put it: don't hit your finger with a hammer, because it will hurt. Don't hit anybody else's finger with a hammer, because it will hurt - but with a delay. This is a very practical consequence of 'we are all one'.
  8. Of course. There is a thing called a 'life review' in which an individual's entire life is experienced, including the first-person perspective of other beings who are affected. Some examples: Carter Mills saw himself when he was a child and killed a mother bird with a sling shot. At the time, he was so proud of that shot; but during his life review, he felt the pain that the mother bird's babies went through when they starved to death. Reinee Pasarow described how the most positive thing she did was to give special attention to a not so lovable boy at a summer camp so that he would know he was loved. During the review, she said this act of kindness was more important from her viewpoint of expanded awareness than if she had been president of the United States or the queen of England. During her life review, [Laurelynn Martin] relived an event when she was five years old and teased another girl to the point of tears. Laurelynn then felt exactly what the other girl was feeling. Laurelynn realized how the girl needed love, nurturing and forgiveness. Laurelynn then felt a love for this child that was so deep and tender, it was like the love between a mother and child. She realized that by hurting another person, she was only hurting [herself]. It was an experience oneness with everyone. Further reading here. And here.
  9. Eckhart Tolle discusses this issue in the Power of Now. When we assign a name to an object, like a glass, we imply that we 'know' it. Just as if you see a person that you know the name of, you might say that you 'know' that individual. But how much to we really know? The answer is: ultimately, nothing. If the mental activity is controlled, an object can be looked at without being deadened by mental labelling. More like how a young child might look upon the object - with depth, magic, wonderment and appreciation.
  10. What can happen is that 'people' on the 'path' do not want to progress beyond a certain point. After all, the early stages of spirituality actually enhance the ego. It brings a more advanced sense of self, association with the masters like the Buddha, esoteric-sounding scriptures... maybe even a big hat.
  11. Seems to be a positive thing in New Age circles. https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=695&ei=Ruy4X6SnJZ_jz7sP3KCX4Ak&q=2222&oq=2222&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAA6BQgAELEDUJEIWKALYPgMaABwAHgAgAGqAogBhAeSAQUwLjIuMpgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1n&sclient=img&ved=0ahUKEwik4qGat5PtAhWf8XMBHVzQBZwQ4dUDCAc&uact=5
  12. True. But what if you find that 'kindness' is your true nature?
  13. Sadly they are too busy eating babies to come up with such an ingenious stratagem.
  14. The number 1 represents that we are one with Trump.
  15. That's true! The New Agers go gaga over the number 222. I'm sure there's something to it.
  16. Fear is the mind's way of distracting you. In fact, fear can actually attract the thing that is feared. As you say, avoiding suffering can be a foolish approach. The goal is to go beyond it, not evade it. Example: a child says that the boogieman is in the closet. Is the solution to avoid the closet, or to look inside and find that there's nothing there?
  17. Life and death are opposite sides of the same coin. Empty your wallet before entering the Kingdom of Heaven.
  18. If you are having a good time, the question of your true nature can certainly be postponed. This is why few people who have not suffered seek a spiritual path. If not, don't let thoughts of survival stop you. Just as an example, if you are doing whatever work you have to do, is there anything stopping you from simultaneously being meditative? I have been known to listen to an Eckhart Tolle audiobook on repeat while driving. It very slowly dissolves the ego. The mind is portraying enlightenment as something separate from you, or an achievement alongside career success, etc. Just know that it's never what you think it is. It's something that is here and now, perhaps seeming to be hidden.
  19. If the ego is defined as a fictional sense of self, then you are already living without one.
  20. You have to keep doing what you are doing. Ramana said, "Steady determination is what is required." That said, are you strongly identified with the seeker? It is the Ego wearing fancy white robes.
  21. The false self needs a lot of things.
  22. The way that a true narcissist's mind works, any new information will be immediately put into the service of obtaining narcissistic supply, dominating over others or manipulating. It is very noble to want to help them, but this could be likened to trying to use a clever intellectual argument to restore vision to a blind man. Fortunately, all conditions are temporary and everyone will be alright in the end.