Ananta

It's actually the mind/intellect that is permeated/illumined by awareness that is aware. The rock has no mind, therefore can't be aware.

@DharmaKris Hello!

Ultimately, yes. It's all "ultimately" unreal/dream/illusion, but in the present moment, I "apparently" appear to exist. Im not talking about "time", as time is an illusion, ultimately, which seems your post was referring to. Example- I had a mother, she "apparently" existed for 71 yrs, but 2 months ago, she died. Who really died? Ultimately, an illusion, but on an "apparent" level, the person that I called mother that belongs in the story of "me". So, you'll say the story isn't real, ok it's not, ultimately, but "apparently", it is. The story continues even when you know it's only apparent and ultimately unreal. So, when I said that, imo, LOA is unreal, I meant that within the "apparent" world/universe we appear to be in, I don't think it exists, hence is unreal.

@Etagnwo +1

Not a problem.

The "apparent" person I appear to be is "ultimately" unreal.

There is nothing wrong with mental work (visualization), if you're trying to motivate yourself or stay on track with a goal (etc), but I'm saying, imo, you are not going to have thoughts alone "attract" what you want without working your ass off for it. Perhaps I'm not being clear or perhaps you just disagree, dunno.

In my humble view, law of attraction is "unreal" (doesn't "apparently" exist), if it were real you could manifest.. "exactly".. the life/experience/objects you wanted, at all times.

Well, it depends on the nature of the goal. If you're going to paint a bedroom, for instance, then I'd say bang it out. If it's a spiritual goal, I'd say that same strategy is probably not going to work. If it were me..I'd look to see which ones were bang em out goals and which were long term. Also, prioritize all goals, from least important to most, then sit with the lists and figure out a game plan from there.

@ULFBERHT I think it depends on the difficulty of each goal and if they are in different areas of daily living. Meaning, one goal could be some form of education that takes a lot of time each day and also going on a diet to lose 20 lbs. I don't see these in conflict with each other. However, if they were in conflict the difficulty would increase substantially. When I went to nursing school (at 34) I had no idea how rough it was going to be ..and I mean rough! We started with a class of 43 students and 2 yrs later (RN program) there were only 10 of us left. I wasn't able to take on many other goals in those 2 yrs, at least not ones that would conflict with the priority goal which was getting my degree. But, in contrast, when I went to cosmetology school and EMT school m yrs earlier I didn't find either one all that hard. I sorta breezed right through them (not at the same time), so could take on many other goals with no problem.

To make things more complicated (lol) I do believe in karma (action), the chain of cause and effect. So, this could get confused with what some consider LOA (thought), but may really be karma.

@Etagnwo I'm sure, but I wasn't doing a discertation on it. Just simple, so Etagnwo could kinda understand. Since I think it's BS I don't keep up with the in/out's of it, to explain it well. The example of getting in a car accident, because of bad mood/negative thoughts was actually an example from a video I saw with Hicks doing a lecture or whatever. Except she said it would probably have to be negative energy for a few days vs say an hour. So, I didn't add the "time" factor. Oops

@egoeimai I did years ago..."get into the vortex, once your in the vortex you can manifest", she says...lol. What do you disagree with that I said?

It depends what you mean by reflects back to you? I'm not denying that if I'm in a funk, then I will perceive my environment negatively or that someone may see a scowl on my face and avoid me like the plague. But, LOA would say something like.... you were thinking negatively and we're grumpy, so if you got into a car accident it was your negative thoughts/ energy that attracted it...or you got cancer...or your dog died...or you lost your job. That's just one example, another is you cut out a pic of a car you want and look about the pic daily, think positive thought about "getting" the car, BUT do no work to earn it and it majically is yours somehow in the future. I haven't read about LOA in a long time, but that my understanding, basically.

@Etagnwo in my car..lol..no, not that.

@Etagnwo lol! Yes, true. I'm getting off work right now though and will have to reply later. But real quick, its a belief that through the magnetic power of your thoughts you can energetically attract experience and objects to you. (Ie, cars, winning lottery, etc). ..and that it's the thoughts alone that made it happen, essentially.

@Etagnwo Really? You don't know or are you pulling my leg?

Youre almost there.... except, this sentence above. Law of attraction does.. NOT.. exist. In my humble opinion, for the reasons I've already stated.

@fireworld Intuition and mystical things can/do happen, IMO, those are different then LOA though. Essentially, they can be built into the intellegent design of the universe (but not by you, the person!) and have nothing to do with thought attracting those experiences to you. Just my take

No problem.

No need to gain anything necessarily. I'm mainly passing the time, but would prefer not to agitate the mind, especially when sattvic. So, I'm going to start ignoring some posts more. That seems like a solution.

@fireworld Nice post! Yeah, for example, if I had thoughts about wanting to win the lottery, those thoughts may motivate me to buy lotto tickets, perhaps a lot of them. If I won, I could say I used the LOA, when really, thought motivated my behavior to buy a ton of lotto tickets and I won by luck or chance, not LOA.

Here's my take, law of attraction doesn't work, never did, if it looks like you attracted something it's merely a coincidence or you worked for it. The relative you, you appear to be (ego/person), is a thought. The I-thought to be specific. You aren't even the thinker of the thoughts, let alone, be able to attract objects vibrationally with a thought, that you didn't "really" think. Yes, I know it "seems" as though you are the thinker...but your not, you are awareness, aware OF the thought and if attention is placed on thought it seems like it's "your" thought and that if you conjure up enough attention and place it on the thought- "winning the lottery", then it will come true. That's dreaming, wishing, praying, but not LOA, because you don't have power to alter the intellegent design of the universe, with its physical laws, with thought/thinking. You can however, motivate yourself with thought and visualization that will be beneficial for obtaining goals, but that's not LOA.

A forum I use to go on dried up after many, many years. So, came here, because this forum has a lot of activity, compared to others. Posting here is not really working out too well. Not liking it very much. I'm sure I'm as much to blame as anyone else.

Right. All along the point has been that Self knowledge (not realization), can be taught and "means of" literally means -"a system by which a result is brought about; a method." In this case, a method for Self-realization. So, it's a method of Self knowledge that removes igonorance in the mind, suffient enough to realize the Self and assimilate that knowledge. (I get you take self knowledge= Self realization, but that's not what I was saying in this thread) Just a bunch of mis-understanding through out this thread. I'm tired, im going to bed now.