Bodhi123

The spirit inside of the person carrying out the wrong behavior. I believe all spirit is derived from Source, but it is still an individual soul inside of each person. I disagree. All people are responsible for their actions and we are not victims of circumstance. I agree and disagree. We should accept reality as it is, but we should strive to move in the direction of love and togetherness. I am looking beyond the illusion of death. If you make mistakes and act hatefully in this life then you'll have the opportunity to redeem yourself in another life.

I believe good and evil does exist. It isn't just a label. The saint and the serial killer are not the same. It is true that everything is what it is. But if you lie, kill, cheat, steal, rape, betray, and spread hate you are wrong. You are wrong because your actions are counter to God.

@sgn The current state of the world is one of disorder and hysteria. There are terrorist attacks, refugees, threats of war, and whole lot of fear and hate. This type of environment may make you question ideas such as non-duality, oneness, love being the true nature of reality. My advice to you now that the violence has struck closer to home is… don’t give into fear and hate. Your spirituality is being tested. Now is the time to reaffirm your commitment to love and compassion. Stay safe.

@d0ornokey "The courage to be". You are alive so dare to live. If you're going to live then you might as well make it meaningful... at least to yourself.

@Flow With Life I second this.

@Anirban657 Something that helped me is the simple phrase, "No one is coming". No one is coming to improve your life for you. Only you can save yourself.

It is impossible for me or any other person on this forum to answer this question for you. Look into your heart and follow your intuition that'll lead you to the answer.

@MochaSlap Correct those whose opinion is harmful to others. Otherwise just let them be.

In a word, perspective. I used to be caught up in my own story and problems. I didn't see the bigger picture and this led to me feeling angry and depressed. I used to think to myself, "what a bullshit world". Life was a struggle that I didn't like or understand. Now I have a different perspective. If you truly know that your essence is (spirit, God, Consciousness, pick your word) then this human existence just seems like a game. Your problems lose their potency. To those currently facing trials and tribulations: take a breath and see the bigger picture... it's okay. Peace.

@AndreiC When it comes to making a significant life change... fear is the number one obstacle. The unknown is the source of the fear. Fear of the unknown paralyzes you and keeps you in the same unhappy place. Good for you for overcoming your fear. I'm still working on overcoming mine.

@LRyan The field of Psychology is not fundamentally opposed to spirituality. Look into psychologists such as Abraham Maslow, Carl Jung, Ken Wilber, and Stanislav Grof. They all acknowledge spirituality and the transcendent potential of all humans. You could also look into the school of psychology known as Transpersonal Psychology. Don't let your progress and spirituality be undermined by one individual. You got this bro.

@OnceMore In my experience, the solution to your problem comes down to this: Forgiveness. Acceptance. Faith. Understanding. Action. Forgiveness for yourself for the mistakes you have made. Acceptance of the past and all it entails. Faith in a brighter future. Understanding of the fact that you have the power to change your life. Action to bring about this change.

To become enlightened you have to stop perpetuating your story. You are a story. I am a story. We are all stories. Your name, your date of birth, your achievements, your disappointments, your hopes for the future... it is all a story. How many of us are truly ready to give up the story of our lives?

This really sounds like a theoretical argument to me. Do you really feel this way? Perhaps we have different definitions of true love.

@100rockets The real trick of the mind is thinking we are separate individuals

@Shin To the death... probably not But I would call the police

@Shin I have and would defend strangers. However, my main point is that certain ways of thinking although true at an absolute level are not practical or realistic at this relative level.

@Scholar First of all, a very well thought-out and articulated post. It is true that everyone is essentially consciousness. However, in this 3-dimensional world that we inhabit is it practical to say that if you "love one person you have to love everyone". For example, I can love my wife and child... AND... I would beat the shit out of anyone that tries to harm them. Is this wrong?

Good summary

An important term that I learned from this book is transpersonal consciousness. Transpersonal consciousness can be defined as consciousness that extends beyond the limits of personal identity. The author, Cate Montana, sees this level of consciousness as an intermediary point between egoic consciousness and enlightenment. There is even an entire school of psychology known as Transpersonal Psychology.

Hi Everyone, I read this new book yesterday titled: The E-Word: Ego, Enlightenment, & Other Essentials It is a well-written book that is very clear, lucid, and accessible. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand exactly what is the ego and enlightenment. Here is a Q & A by the author: https://www.catemontana.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/E-Word-Current-Press-Kit-SP.pdf

At the end of his life, Abraham Maslow amended his hierarchy of needs in order to include self-transcendence as the highest level of development. This is how Maslow described transcendence: Transcendence refers to the very highest and most inclusive or holistic levels of human consciousness, behaving and relating, as ends rather than means, to oneself, to significant others, to human beings in general, to other species, to nature, and to the cosmos. (The Farther Reaches of Human Nature, 1971)

@bigzbigi In my opinion, the ego is a necessary middleman. It is said, "the Self experiences itself through the self."

You said it. Now live it out.

I also wonder about the future. I wonder if humanity at-large will recognize our folly. I wonder if the will is there to make the necessary changes. I wonder if those in power will loosen their grasp. I wonder if we're too late. I wonder... I fully support this mentality.