Posts by Introspection

14

Did you Believe

by WildTurkey in

jw
friends

as an active jw, did you really ever believe that you would survive armageddon?

with me, i served as an elder, regular pioneer, was over the book room at district conventions, but i always felt it was not enough, i was never real sure i would survive the big day of god almighty!!

the reason i ask y'all is, i don't think you can feel real sure in a organization that is legalistic and work orientated .

Introspection

Actually I thought maybe I wouldn't make it but it didn't matter, I should try to do what I can anyways because I thought I was doing the right thing, I wasn't in it just to save myself. However nobody really cares if you're a nobody in the congregation, in my hall there were a lot of pioneers and that of course is better than any sinceritiy which they probably couldn't see anyway.

8

Riddle from Gospel of Thomas

by bboyneko in

gospel of thomas verse 11: the dead are not alive, and the living will not die.

during the days when you ate what is dead, you made it come alive.

when you are in the light, what will you do?

Introspection

Here's something that occurred to me when I read this fellas, this may seem like it would have nothing to do with any of the gospels, but consider simply on the basis of what it has to say:

Tao gave birth to One,
One gave birth to Two,
Two gave birth to Three,
Three gave birth to all the myriad things.

-Tao Te Ching, 42

8

Riddle from Gospel of Thomas

by bboyneko in

gospel of thomas verse 11: the dead are not alive, and the living will not die.

during the days when you ate what is dead, you made it come alive.

when you are in the light, what will you do?

Introspection

Hi Thinker, I'm wondering what you mean when you said "one single soul without a body" as it relates to the passage about one becoming two - do you mean the soul of an individual or a sort of collective soul? Because notice what verse 4 points out:

For many of the first will be last, and will become a single one.

This sounds to me like one big collective soul of sorts. What do you think? Could it be that rather than the immaterial soul and the physical body being the two it is simply talking about separating from that "super soul" or whatever thus becoming two? It seems to me it's the beginning of a subject/object duality..

15

Do you believe in fate?

by butalbee in

do you believe that two people are just meant to be, no matter the circumstances involved, or the differences that keep them apart?

this has been a question that i have been living with for some time.

actually, i guess it's been what i have been living for--the dogma, i guess, i'll call it, that i have hoping for: "if two people are meant to be together, they will find their way back to one another.".

Introspection

Well, even if you do believe in fate how do you know when it is the person you're fated to be with, I mean REALLY know?

It seems to me the key thing about the lasting power of any relationship (could be friendship or whatever) is that both parties need to be able to grow together, or even help each other grow. In the case of a witness (this guy's a JW right?) or any restrictive religious group, it simply seems unlikely. The thing that keeps two people in a restrictive group together would logically be that it keeps both of them from growing. It sounds like you're not on the same page as it is though..

8

Riddle from Gospel of Thomas

by bboyneko in

gospel of thomas verse 11: the dead are not alive, and the living will not die.

during the days when you ate what is dead, you made it come alive.

when you are in the light, what will you do?

Introspection

Here's a translation at this page:

http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gosthom.html

I would take a different spin on this. It seems to me it's likely talking about the relative nature of polar opposites, which is the nature of the phenomenal realm we live in. (part about one becoming two)

I think the "when you are in the light" is basically talking about dying as we know it, in contrast to "when you become two" talking about the relative nature of phenomenal existence, which is life as a physical organism as we know it, for lack of a better description. But more specifically, the part about one becoming two may be more of a matter of the whole life cycle business.

It seems this whole verse is presented as a dualistic thingamabob, but beyond that description if I had to guess I would say it is pointing to a non-dual idea of being, beyond the whole view of life and death as opposites and so on..

17

Goodbye

by tyydyy in

jw
friends

this is not a goodbye.

i was just wondering if its necessary to leave the board for some.

i mean, after a period of time is it possible that some feel the need to quit posting so that they feel like a normal member of society.

Introspection

See, this is why I don't post on topics like this because people seem to want to believe that you can never REALLY change..

Me personally, basically I no longer have use for beliefs, so not only do I not believe that (and can see no reason for believing it in my case) but also I think that is the reason why I can say unequivocally that I've completely recovered or gotten over the JW phase of my life, whether anyone else "choose" to believe it or not.

To me, if you HAVE to leave the board for a while then you're really not that far along. All the stuff that we think are a factor like how long we were a witness is simply a matter of cause and effect. Sure, every life experience has made it's mark - but not every experience you've had takes you on an emotional hijacking, it can simply be there as a memory like some TV show you watched. How seriously you took it at the time is simply a matter of the past, and as for family members - lets just say clinging to them (mentally) does not help them or yourself. The reason why this is so hard for many is that they are still tied in the same behavioral dynamic with their family members, and to truly help them it would involve getting past that.

Here's the real question: What defines you as you? Your life experiences? I'm not denying that they have an influence, but does it really have the power to DETERMINE who you are? I realize this is a stretch for many if not most, but all I suggest is that you be open to the POSSIBILITY that you can truly get beyond it. If you don't, chances are you're not going to do anything to really get over it. Why would you if you don't even think it's possible?

4

52 years J.W to new age medaconsciousness

by new boy in

jw
friends

i had no intention to change my life, though i knew it wasn't the truth.

my father said to me "i know its the truth but i can't live it" i told him " i know its not,the truth!

but i can" {he was dfed in 1961} i wasn't ready to lose all my family & friends to live a differt life, besides i thought i had a pretty good life, why change it, a great wife, 2 amazing kids, lots of wonderful friends, a good job {many of my clients j.ws} besides i thought maybe i could help some of them to see the world a little differently.

Introspection

Hi Keith, you might enjoy a book called The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I recommended it to one board member and after reading it he bought 10 copies. (evidently the local library had 60 holds on 4 copies there) Here is a link to some quotes I posted and the author's home page:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=5156&site=3

http://www.eckharttolle.com/mainpage.htm

24

AWAKE!!!! Godsmacks new CD!

by TR in

funny that it's called awake!.

check out their website:.

http://www.godsmack.com/.

Introspection

Probably, I stopped keeping track after Cliff Burton died - they were just not the same anymore..

2

Insight

by Introspection in

insight - what is it?

it seems that most of the time people talk about insight into other things, for example the witnesses have the publication "insight on the scriptures".

but what about insight within yourself?

Introspection

Insight - What is it? What does it look like? How can you get it? It seems that most of the time people talk about insight into other things, for example the witnesses have the publication "Insight on the Scriptures". But what about insight within yourself? After all, wouldn't that be the most important kind of insight? For those who have some kind of mental health issue, you can probably see that this can be beneficial. If you don't think so, I'm telling you.

This message is about insight meditation - a kind of meditation that does not involve "emptying the mind" (like you can do that so easily) but rather observing it. As such, it seems to me that even Jehovah's Witnesses should have no objections to this kind of meditation. (officially that is, but superstitious fear can generate all kinds of reasons) But as you will see, the contents of your own mind is involved in this type of meditation, so frankly if you don't like what you find it's only you.

I've posted a message about meditation before, but not only has it scrolled way down on the list, it's also not very specific. Insight (also known as Vipassana meditation) is different from other kinds of meditation in that it is not a concentration practice, like the kind where you focus on one object, whether it's just your breath or a mantra of some kind. (repeating certain phrases)

In contrast, insight meditation simply involves observing your own mind and sensations. That's really most of it. We tend to have stray thoughts that cross our minds on a regular basis, and what you do in insight meditation is simply to observe these. You watch your thoughts without getting caught up in them. And of course, if you do, that's fine too - but don't get caught up with the fact that you got caught up thinking about something when you're supposed to be observing it - because then you're still not observing the mind. People often criticize themselves and make a judgement on how well the meditate, using that as a reason for not meditating. Well, if you try it and find that you're not very good at it, you're probably right. You're not - yet. That's the whole reason why you have to practice! Just like anything else, you need to practice to get good or improve. In the beginning being mindful of one breath you take is enough, and that's true. You can't really do this practice wrong, but you may actually do it off and on for short periods, but that's fine. Just don't judge your progress, and certainly don't give up after one try. Also, if you do find that your mind is judging yourself, observe that. Use that as practice instead of a reason to end it.

There are some specific techniques you can use, but remember this isn't focus practice so you don't want to get caught up in that. In fact, in the beginning it's fine to just be aware of your breath, but don't try to breathe very deeply by forcing it, you're only watching your breath. Naturally, you relax and your breath becomes slower and smoother. If you need some help to get into it, in the beginning you can count breaths for a little while - but don't keep doing that. As far as posture goes just sit with your back straight, whether on the floor or a chair just make sure your hips are slightly above the knees, and if on a chair make sure your feet are on the ground so the weight isn't just on the hips. If you need to, it's okay to use the back of the chair or some kind of cushion there like a lumbar support. You want to close your eyes, as visual input can be overwhelming even if you're looking at one spot. Only do it with eyes open when it's absolutely necessary, and then what you can do is stare at a spot on the floor or even turn the chair around so you stare at the wall. Yes this part may seem silly, which is exactly why people just close their eyes. But if for some reason you can't close your eyes, this is an alternative.

Now as far as it's therapeutic value is concerned, I think it is good for people who are stable enough to sort things out themselves, and in the case of people who are really in a bad place it would still be good but as an adjunct to psychotherapy rather than therapy itself. The thing with psychotherapy is the therapist may see something you don't see, and in the end you need to come to see the cause of your problems yourself - not take it on faith that the therapist just knows more about you. For that matter, by meditating you may realize something which can be very beneficial to the puzzle the therapist is putting together, so it would be a nice complement. If you do work with a therapist, let them know that you meditate and what this kind of meditation involves.

A lot of us have no doubt learned a bit about psychology, and while this is no doubt helpful it's general knowledge about the human mind. Your mind is the one you need to deal with, so why not study that one?

151

Intro's quote-o-rama

by Introspection in

i guess i've been inspired by stephen's quote threads, so i'm going to start one myself.. not one particular author here, just whatever i can find:.

q: why do you think that people are so protective of their egos?

why is it so hard to let go of one's ego?.

Introspection

Hi Seven! How are ya? Hey I got a Ch'an poem for you, it's a bit lengthy though so I will post a link to a word document from my webspace: http://www.geocities.com/markec3019/TrustInMind.doc