Posts by JamesThomas

15

A Challenge - An Illustration to explain suffering????

by IMHO in

i mentioned this in passing in a previous post.

i think it deserves its own topic.

any takers?

JamesThomas

Kid-A:

Just curious, JT, is this an illusion also? Place your hand on a hot burner and you will quickly recognize the true nature of your physical reality. Suffering (whether it be psychological or physical) is ENTIRELY real, leading to depression and/or suicide in many cases. For most people inhabiting reality, fluffy "Jack Handy" koans about the illusion of self and suffering amount to jack squat. Emotions and sentience have physical and chemical correlates and the individual and his/her physical reality creates the self and feelings generated by the self.

Yes, this is the story the mind has generated. Thoughts and memories arise, and then it is typed on a keyboard and posted here on the forum. This is all unquestionably accepted as concrete truth and reality. Now, courageously step out of the loop. What witnessed these thoughts as they were being typed? What sees everything believed to be "self" and "reality". Shift precious attention and awareness out of thoughts and stories, and into the vast pure depths of what sees it all. No fluffy jack-handy koans, but rather nakedly raw, sincere and earnest, acutely aware investigation into self and reality beyond and deeper than all that is believed to be true. Stop reading books and read yourself.

That said, the natural expression of phenomena continues. The body feels pain. The emotions feel sorrow, anger and joy. However, the suffering of a broken entity, ends. Closer than ALL phenomena, thoughts, stories and beliefs of individual self and universe, there is the purity and wholeness you truly and really ARE. But don't believe me. Realize this; clearly see this. Use that wonderful, intelligent conscious-awareness to do some real investigation into Reality. Believe nothing. Follow no one.

j

15

A Challenge - An Illustration to explain suffering????

by IMHO in

i mentioned this in passing in a previous post.

i think it deserves its own topic.

any takers?

JamesThomas

IMHO, from your posts it looks as you have a strong belief in God. If God has no beginning and no end, what does that make you really?

Trust that there is an underlying wholeness untouched by suffering that just needs to be seen.

j

15

A Challenge - An Illustration to explain suffering????

by IMHO in

i mentioned this in passing in a previous post.

i think it deserves its own topic.

any takers?

JamesThomas

Why do we have this longing, this as you say “natural” longing?

It is our nature to live true to truth. Living as a broken shard of existence is not our truth; and so there is longing, and there is suffering.

our imperfect state from which we can access a mere fraction of our potential abilities, but that is another subject.

Not another subject at all. Clearly see how there is an unquestioned belief that we are in an "imperfect state". As long as there is no clear seeing of the Perfection that you truly are, there will be great turmoil in fighting to leave the "imperfect state". This "state" you speak of is not real, so there is no way to manipulate it. If you deeply desire to end suffering, then stop giving the "imperfect state" import and significance, as you are only feeding a lie.

Suffice to say that being able to awaken our true being and identity is no justification for the suffering that many endure.

Awaken to reality and there is little need to justify what was never real. You keep wanting to justify, and then so make sense of, and so reinforce and sustain the lie and the suffering.

What I am talking about is a radical investigation into self. Is there a real individual who suffers, or not? If there is none to be found, then suffering is an illusion...fed only by a tenacious death grip on it.

The problem is there is a very strong identification with the suffering little shard. To see it's falsity, is to die. We would rather suffer, than die. Awakening is a death from everything one believes "self" and universe to be. It takes courage.

To clearly see “what is” i.e. suffering; that to all intents and purposes; has always been; is no comfort to those that are enduring chronic pain.

You simply don't know what your talking about. Stop pushing away so nonchalantly the importance of clearly seeing the reality and truth of your Identity. Your turning away from peace and wholeness to remain lost in suffering. You, are the key to the end of suffering. It will not be found anywhere else.

j

15

A Challenge - An Illustration to explain suffering????

by IMHO in

i mentioned this in passing in a previous post.

i think it deserves its own topic.

any takers?

JamesThomas

There is suffering because...well, let me back up for a moment.

Look around. There is an infinite, natural, unfolding of phenominal life and universe that is not hindered by judgments of good or bad. This unfolding is continuously on the move and ever changing. What is born, dies. What is young becomes old. What is healthy can become ill, no matter age. Circumstances always change. Friends come, and friends go. This is the natural way of the objective phenominal existence. There is no problem. Phenomena = change.

As you look around, did you notice what is not phenominal, what sees all change, does not change?

There is a pristine pure conscious-awareness which holds, sees and feels all. This untouched purity is our true Identity. Closer than all that is experienced and believed to be. However it generally goes unnoticed and artificially in it's place there comes to be strong identification with the phenominal universe of forms, thoughts and change; and then -- there is suffering.

There is suffering because there is a natural longing for the peace, wholeness and permanence of our true Being; and we seek for it everywhere but in and as our own immediate and intimate Self. We foolishly seek for the changeless in what changes. We long and ache for our natural wholeness, yet continually identify with a broken shared of existence. Suffering, is the natural result of misidentification; and ironically, suffering is often the fuel to awakening to our true Being and Identity. Seems to be the natural and simple way of things. No need for mystical beliefs, or grand drama of gods and demons to complicate and feed the suffering.

It's about clearly seeing what is and always has been real and true.

Be still, and know...

j

13

praying to Jesus - an analogy

by TheListener in

jw
friends

for those who are christians,.

as a witness i never prayed to jesus and would have felt icky and evil had i done so.. .

as a christian who is no longer a jw i still haven't prayed to jesus.

JamesThomas

Is that an invitation. dear?

13

praying to Jesus - an analogy

by TheListener in

jw
friends

for those who are christians,.

as a witness i never prayed to jesus and would have felt icky and evil had i done so.. .

as a christian who is no longer a jw i still haven't prayed to jesus.

JamesThomas

the old dread

The disease of religion brought on by shrinking and reducing the Divine to some conditional circumscribable entity which you now need to appease and keep happy. Why belittle God to some object or thing that has a propensity of being a pain in the ass? Throw the tattered and mildewed baggage of religious beliefs out the door, and be present with your genuine desire to know and befriend your Source. You already have what you need.

Be still, and know...

j

13

praying to Jesus - an analogy

by TheListener in

jw
friends

for those who are christians,.

as a witness i never prayed to jesus and would have felt icky and evil had i done so.. .

as a christian who is no longer a jw i still haven't prayed to jesus.

JamesThomas

Do you honestly feel that the true Source of an indescribably wondrous, beautiful and infinite universe is so childish and small as to be influenced by what you call it? If you have a heartfelt desire to pray, then pray. Religion is messing with your mind.

59

Big Question

by choosing life in

jw
friends

i know there may not be an answer to this question, but i am truly interested in other's views.

i know many are of various beliefs and some do not believe in god at all.. the question is: why does god not stop the suffering?

i watch so many suffer for no reason and no matter how i try to figure it out, i always come back to the fact that a loving parent would not allow their child to suffer needlessly.

JamesThomas

Beautifully said, Sid,

81

A SIMPLE EXPLANATION of why TIME TRAVEL doesn't work

by Terry in

jw
friends

energy and matter are neither created nor destroyed.. consequently, the building blocks of existence are actually finite parts.. to create things in "tomorrow" which are new, something has to be dismantled to leave spare parts for the new thing.. the old thing deteriorates, (dies) and the parts become the new thing.. time travel requires going to a place where all of today's parts are completely dismanteled and are being used (or not) to maintain yesterday/tomorrow.. ever see the film primer?.

said slightly differently...... you go into a room.

on the table is a box of dominoes.

JamesThomas

new boy:

What if there is no such thing as time! And everything is happening in the same instant! The the one and only eternal moment!

and we look as if through a straw at an infinite mural.

Who is it that would travel through time? Is there really an isolated-individual-entity separate enough from phenominal time/space existence that he or she could truly venture to move through it? Or is it all just a wondrous story preformed by, and for, the same unmoving consciousness which looks out every eye?

The unending ocean of Is-ness and Being watching bubbles within in itself, which are itself. There is no other; and so no real passing or travel.

Too many Bloody Marys, perhaps. (sounds British)

28

Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President by Dr. J. Frank

by frankiespeakin in

while spending time at the whitehouse official web site and reading and listening to gw bush's interviews, i started to see signs of mental illness in the president, such as paranoia, denial, megolamania, and detactment from the suffering he is causeing thousands of innocent people.. so i did some google searchs to see if any reputable psychologist have written anything about the pres.

behaivor.

i came up with a good amount of material here is just a small sample:.

JamesThomas

We agree again. Perhaps we should start dating.

It seem we all identify way to much with thoughts; especially religious and political colored ones. So if thoughts are too different we feel a total isolation and separation from that person; totally oblivious to our inherent and far more significant -- unity.

j