SOUL

@Salvijus The explanation of Buddhism you use to suggest that only if you believe as Buddhists do and do as they do can you know they are right and others don't have the authority to question them being right is pretty much how Christianity and many other religions suggest theirs is. This is in the imagination and that one believes is the truth which doesn't mean it is a universal truth for all.

People confuse the fact that all of our experience is known through the perception of imagination in the mind with thinking that makes everything imaginary. It's an inability to distinguish the difference between the field of perception that is generated in the mind's imagination which allows us to perceive what is actually in the physical manifest reality from the things that only exist in the imagination, so are imaginary. Not only are things like mystical and spiritual experience often transferred from something imaginary to trusted ideas so are believed to be true there are also things some have as self perceptions and aspects of memories they believe to be true but are only imaginary. This doesn't mean all mystical and spiritual experience are imaginary so are not to be believed but similarly we shouldn't believe all mystical and spiritual experience to be true. Mystical and spiritual experience is useful if it brings us well being not that it's 'truth'. Again to clarify, just because it is a fact of the natural world that all our perceptions of experience happens in the mind's imagination doesn't mean that everything is only imaginary. Although, I haven't read that book so am not trying to explain it to you. I'm just discussing the erroneous conflation of imagination and imaginary as being the exact same thing and some of the consequences of this.

No joke, just be is the simplest explanation because it's not even an explanation, it's the absence of an explanation.

What if the 'you' and the 'god' do not exist at all...and even as they don't exist it is only in your imagination that you believe they exist. whoop there it is....

Here's a simple explanation even though there are deeper ones that can be made: awakening is like taking off blinders and insight is what is seen once the blinders are off.

Being fit, making alot of money and having a hot sex life but still miserable so in conflict with random people on the internet is evidence those things you are doing haven't brought you well being.

@bloomer You are just imagining me taking something horrific and going so abstract... or am I imagining you imagining me? Maybe someone else is imagining us imagining each other... Use your imagination and it's obvious what this is...

No, you are just completely missing it.... I'm going to leave you hanging and maybe one day you will realize what I'm saying. It's just too funny to spoil it... haha

@Nivsch Logic...circular and all are imaginary...science and religion are imaginary Eventually you will catch on to what I'm saying implicitly, don't make me say it explicitly.

@Nivsch A reference point is just imaginary

According to the belief system of this forum you are god and created all of this, you are alone and it's all in your imagination. You imagined the incident, you imagined the terror, imagined the attacker, imagined the victims running, screaming and the violence, imagining the conflict between cultures. Why would imagine all of that? You are even imagining me asking you why are you imagining all of this? I know it sounds foolish and detached from the reality but it's only imaginary that it may sound that way because it's only you who exist and everything is just your imagination, real reality is imagined. Don't believe it? Just read the forum and all the imagined members will tell you in post after post, thread after thread... that is until the imagined Leo has a new imagined deepest awakening on drugs and then they will start to preach that new imagined belief. I will now sit back and await the imagined backlash for them imagining me saying this.

@CaptainBobbyOlsen Thinking one is has the 'absolute truth' isn't the same as thinking one has reached 'the end'. Sure, some may think if they have found the 'truth' they are 'done' but the belief about having the 'truth' is a continual 'trap' of the ongoing process of awakening, not the end of it.

@CaptainBobbyOlsen The one that is the constant and persistent 'trap' if we are going to use this word to describe the phenomena of attachment which entraps within the experience of awakening is believing our perception is the 'truth'. As we are freed from the attachment of self perception so transcend to more unified perception of oneness quite often there is a revelatory experience of 'this is the true' reality. People will call it absolute truth, they will capitalize it as 'Truth' and they will dismiss everything else as false, an illusion and not real in favor of their mystical experience of awakening. They will shout from the metaphorical rooftops about how they have awakened to the universal truth that applies to everyone, not just their own experience, it's everyone;s truth... it is THE TRUTH! This is a 'trap' as you would call it. Every new and deeper awakening no matter who the awakener is seems to always be the most truest truth to ever be seen whether it's someone newly on the path or years into it like the venerable host of this forum believes they are seeing the absolute truth and their experience is pure in perception. It's DIRECT EXPERIENCE! How can it be wrong or an illusion? So be aware of this 'trap' if this is what we are to call it.

It has nothing to do with making compelling arguments, it's about well being which is about the cessation of self suffering. Once there is well being there is nothing left to argue about.

@DrugsBunny People who are magical minded, whether it be the new age mystic or the religious adherent, takes what is a kernel of fact and exaggerates it to the extreme degree then declares their exaggerated belief is the truth because the kernel is. Don't let their exaggerated belief disturb your peace.

@Carl-Richard The commas don't need to be in there because 'describe to define' is communicating the point well enough but a comma can be in there if desired but not required. Although, ironically, the comma separates just like the ego separates haha.

A statement about an observation.

@Julian gabriel There is an evolutionary habituation in the human psychology to seek out accurate information and understanding for our physical survival but the ego will use this as a means to preserve self identity as well so..... it's quite a challenge to transcend this so that it won't habitually do it in the mind.

I have noticed how people are always trying to describe 'god' to define it the same way the ego describes the self to define itself as if it can draw a line between what it is or isn't.... it's pretty humorous.

In total omniscience it includes all, it does not exclude any so for it to be omniscient it adds the limited existence, all forms and variations of limited existence, it does not give up or 'forfeit' it. Transcending the limited experience may appear to the ego to be 'giving up' it's limited experience because it defines itself and it's justifies itself through the limitations. The ego's identity is the limitations of experience because it cannot be be something if there is no other thing to separate from. Although, if one were to experience omniscient perspective one would know that it includes all experience, unlimited and limited alike, it comprises all experience even the transcendence of experience itself.

@selfvalley If one clears up their own misery by ceasing the inner conflict of their own self there is no angst generated so there is nothing that will be turned onto others. Being at peace robs the dynamic of it's pain so it doesn't express the emotional behavior with personal animosity into the story of the experience. In peace there is an ability to coexist without the malice that intolerance breeds.

It seems the issue stems from that they don't want to accept that there is a changing society. They want to stay attached to what they perceive in their imagination to be the 'roles' of a century ago but society doesn't ever stay the same, society is always changing. If they had an open perspective they would see how they have been freed up from having to adhere to strict roles imposed on them by others under the guise of 'tradition'. Yet the changing society isn't requiring them to change if they don't want to. They can be whatever they want even a hybrid and there are plenty of potential partners who are seeking those supposed traditional roles or hybrids of them, Let's be honest, most people are hybrids. They are just upset that everyone doesn't want to accept the traditional roles because they do. Of course, you will probably respond as if you think I don't understand them which is only you failing to understand that I do more than you can understand. I'm old enough to be raised seeing the shift happening real time and can appreciate that it's actually better for those who aren't attached to an imposed 'traditional' role, it's actually more free now. The regressive mindset that has gripped many conservative causing them to thrash around in a frenzy of culture war histrionics has infected what was just normal disaffected young men struggling to find their way that has always happened. Yet now they have turned it into some ideological zealotry and waging a jihad against an imagined enemy... which is simply change. How can anyone hope to defeat change? it's impossible. Oh... and everything is politics.

Don't be silly, this is the anti-universe, that other one is the real one where humans aren't screwing it up.

Sounds like identity politics to me.... what's their pronouns?

...and it's so important to figure and understand if your beeeyyyyyytaahhhhh! HAHA