by startingover 38 Replies latest jw friends
Found this interesting article in the NY Times. I had never heard of a tulpa before. For those of us that don't buy into certain posters claims, this may be an explanation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/opinion/luhrmann-conjuring-up-our-own-gods.html?_r=0
Wow, very interesting. Some real food for thought here, especially the implication that religions that teach a more impersonal God may dwindle in the modern age. I agree with the article that paranoia (the belief that one is being watched without hard evidence) is a trait that was selected for by evolution for its survival benefits.
There's more that could be said on that subject, taking into account theory of mind (ToM). Paranoia is basically theory of mind gone awry, which is to say that a person starts attributing motive or intent to events or behaviors when there is none. Theory of mind in turn comes from our being social animals, and needing to be able to simulate another individual's train of thought in order to work better with them and to compete against them. Other primates have also been observed showing theory of mind.
It's not surprising that primitive man would extrapolate ToM in order to try to understand frightening events like droughts ("Is there a rain god who's mad at us?") and lightning strikes ("Oh no, someone in the sky is trying to kill us!").
Anyway, that's all an aside to the subject of this article. I'd just like to highlight, in line with the OP's suggestion vis a vis certain forum members, that the young man in the article who develops a fox tulpa can actually hear thoughts from it in his head, which seem distinct from his own thoughts. I've never heard of this phenomenon before.
Thanks for posting S.O, I had no idea what a "tulpa" was, so Googled the word, and I now understand. I had a gut feeling this is what was happening with "certain posters" on here, and others around the world.
As I said on another thread, I do believe that those posters are entirely sincere, but of course, sincerity alone does not make their claims true.
I wonder though, is it a good idea to develop such "skills" ? Is not the "hearing of voices" a very dangerous pastime ?
What if the voice/voices tell you to some heinous thing ?
I suppose I really ought to stop my disrespectful quip, whan people ask me the usual "How are you?" or "How you doin'?", not ever really wanting a real reply, I usually say something like "I am better now, but I am still hearing the voices" and I look off dreamily in to the middle-distance as though listening to the voices.
I may find if I continue using that as a reply, I may actually start to hear them !
God and science as one.
If science can explain 'God', and 'God' can explain science, are they not the same thing??
Very interesting article thanks.
Thanks
It's an interesting idea.
Just DON'T like that you named 3 people who have posted on this discussion site that YOU believe it applies to.
I didn't realize that would be a problem, it's not much of a secret considering the long threads that have resulted from the threads they start. Unless it was posted in the wrong place. Many people here just don't understand their claims me included.
I think it offers a very compelling explanation for the bizarre claims that are made repeatedly by certain posters.
It's certainly a more generous explanation than some of the alternatives.
Starting over said:
'I didn't realize that would be a problem, it's not much of a secret considering the long threads that have resulted from the threads they start. Unless it was posted in the wrong place. Many people here just don't understand their claims me included.'
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I think if any of them were participants in a discussion with you and you intro'd this, that is one thing.
But here you have used an interesting article with your assumption that it explains and helps you and others to ' understand' what the people you named in your OP are talking about.
