C'mon. These aren't "insane" people.
If being totally lost in a story in your mind derived from a book which has absolutely no bearing on reality, is not INSANITY, then what is??? j
JamesThomas
JoinedPosts by JamesThomas
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JamesThomas
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Makes you want to spit!
by Gill ini aught not to laugh about this.....but it's one of those situations where you either laugh or cry!.
we found out that my husband's sister was df'd a few months ago.
we attempted to contact her but she will not speak to us and is still shunning us as apparantly we are 'spiritually weak' and she is attempting to be reinstated into the congregation.
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JamesThomas
Gill, I feel that your natural instincts of seeing a very dangerous situation here, is not at all conducive to laughter. This is a serious situation. For some disfellowshipping is having everything they trust and believe in taken away. It may be too much to bear for some.
I would offer her much love and understanding. Perhaps she would accept an anonymous gift or flowers, only discovering the gift givers identity upon reading a simple little note that she is loved and in your thoughts. Could be the best medicine she could ever hope for. If the Witness don't show her love and concern, who will?
j
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JamesThomas
I could not disagree more.
Witnesses who are overwhelmed with fear have unknowingly allowed themselves to be manipulated to the point of pain-filled insanity. It's one of the most tragic examples of how belief in and surrender of ones life to a psychopathic murderous deity, results in much human suffering and pathology. It's extremely sad, and I feel for them. But there is little one can do for those so confused and insane they don't even know they need help and would not accept it if offered.
The one thing we can do is be present and aware enough in our own life as to not be fooled by any mentally constructed illusion. Perhaps the positive energy of healthy sanity will touch the suffering ones as well.
j
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when they ask Where will you go...........the answer
by purplesofa inyep, everyone i have talked to -----first question they ask----but where will you go?
i tell them anywhere as long as it is away from the clutches of the wt.
the house is on fire!
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JamesThomas
Sadly funny how a Witness feels they need to go somewhere. But they do.
If they don't have the WBTS tit, you gotta give them a new one, or they ain't leaving the one they got. It's really an infantile mind set that is impossible to deal with, unless they have come to embody some inkling of maturity on their own.
That said, how about going no where? How about just being present right here, right now, with the only reality there ever IS? Who woulda thought!?
But this sounds ludicrous to someone who is addicted to reaching past reality into some fantasy future. They live a dream, and sadly will die having never lived. The walking dead are common, and includes far more than just the Witness.
j
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The Way To Love
by JamesThomas inone of my favorite little books is: the way to love: the last meditations of anthony de mello.. following is from the chapter: be awake.
it may be too direct, ruthlessly honest and straight-forward for many; we are not normally exposed to such hard-hitting guidance.
yet some of you it will touch in a significant way; enough to purchase this rare little gem that you may gleem from its pages much wisdom.. .
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JamesThomas
Dear Delilah, and others,
Thank you for your very kind comment. I do not mean to subtract from it when I ask you and others reading this thread, what is it within ourselves that recognizes the very special worthiness of this subject that we would desire to give thanks for this message? Words are conceptual abstracts that only attempt to point to an underlying reality. What is that Reality? What true message can be realized from silently meeting with the intimate depths of being in this moment? Is not our awareness of a deep appreciation a welcoming invitation from our own warm authenticity to meet with it?
What I feel our dear Anthony's words so eloquently display is the simple importance of being consciously-aware of the egoic-self that the mind weaves out of a patch-work story and commentary of "self" and "other". In following Anthony's nakedly honest seeing, the false nature of the believed individual-self, the mentally constructed ego-self, is seen as false. And as more and more of what is false is revealed, more clearly the truth -- which is always here -- is realized and lived. It's that simple.
One way I have found to help facilitate a conducive openness for this inner examination and seeing (which has already be mentioned, but worthy of repeat), is to simply feel and be aware of what it is to breath, and at the same time be aware of hearing the sounds around us without labeling or thinking about them. When thoughts arise, see them. Are they truly necessary for the tasks at hand, if so then use them and give awareness back to breathing and listening as soon as you can. Are the thoughts unnecessary jabber, judgment and story weaving? If so just kindly recognize them as such and return to the flowing breath and listening. Do this a thousand times a day if need be. But soon you will feel the richness of being present with life; and the mind will become more respectfully silent as being lovingly present with Reality becomes the norm.
Thank you all.
j
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Ideas, language, even the phrase each other doesn't make any sense. -- Rumi
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The Way To Love
by JamesThomas inone of my favorite little books is: the way to love: the last meditations of anthony de mello.. following is from the chapter: be awake.
it may be too direct, ruthlessly honest and straight-forward for many; we are not normally exposed to such hard-hitting guidance.
yet some of you it will touch in a significant way; enough to purchase this rare little gem that you may gleem from its pages much wisdom.. .
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JamesThomas
Choosing Life, yes, there are countless doors to enter the moment; and realization that what is looking back at you, is you, is one of them for sure. When this happens a silent awe and respect enters the picture that even the mind finds is wise to silently honor. We discover these portals very subtly sometimes, don't we.
j
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The Way To Love
by JamesThomas inone of my favorite little books is: the way to love: the last meditations of anthony de mello.. following is from the chapter: be awake.
it may be too direct, ruthlessly honest and straight-forward for many; we are not normally exposed to such hard-hitting guidance.
yet some of you it will touch in a significant way; enough to purchase this rare little gem that you may gleem from its pages much wisdom.. .
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JamesThomas
Purps:
As I was driving home last night, the air felt like the beginnings of Fall, I know how that feels, when summer ends. the sounds, the smell, What nature begins to look like, getting ready for fall. I began to cry. Where had my summer gone?
When there is no story of loss and remorse, what is here? In this instance it was the exquisite senses of a soon to arrive Autumn; along with the unspoken message from nature that as the seasons change, everything in our life changes too. This, is how it really IS, and to fight it, is insane. So, yes, appreciate what was; and even more important appreciate the present moment of what IS, for it will change as well. Less story, more reality, and life automatically becomes richer and more joyous. Whether we are with some one, or alone.
Where had all my old lovers gone. Why was I alone?
I would not trade anything for the loves I have had in my life. However fleeting they were true and honest, real, intense, deep, sharing. We all had come together at a time in our lives for whatever reason and shared, expericanced for me LOVE.
I have found the most loving gesture was gracefully letting the experiance be over when it really was over and not hang on, lie to myself and say I hated this person, fool myself into thinking it was forever. So now I can carry the love that was expericanced and still feel it even now.
Truly letting go, can be very sweet and refreshingly freeing; and generally all we are letting go of is a story in our mind that has nothing to do with the reality of the present moment anyway. So, we lose a little and gain a lot.
I would like to say to everyone who is reading this, that what is critical is to make a conscious choice to be in the moment and silently and nonjudgmentally feel the aliveness and at the same time notice the mind chattering away as it interprets and weaves a story. I can not stress it enough how important it is to come to a clear recognition of the difference between thought and story, and actual Reality. This is a huge step in coming to awaken to our genuine unbroken wholeness.
j
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The Way To Love
by JamesThomas inone of my favorite little books is: the way to love: the last meditations of anthony de mello.. following is from the chapter: be awake.
it may be too direct, ruthlessly honest and straight-forward for many; we are not normally exposed to such hard-hitting guidance.
yet some of you it will touch in a significant way; enough to purchase this rare little gem that you may gleem from its pages much wisdom.. .
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JamesThomas
For those new ones on the thread, you're welcome. Glad you see something here in Anthony's words.
He was a psychotherapist and Catholic Jesuit priest. Later in life he awoke to his true nature and that of all life. The Catholic Church disowned him and called his words "harmful". And what they said was true. Anthony's words of profound honesty and freedom from all mind constructed belief systems is indeed harmful to organized religious dogma. When you awaken to Reality, you are the last person religion wants hanging around.
RAF:
Yeah I guess than from seing someone suffering or in need for instance, we have the hability to feel for ... I guess we skip that regarding a lot ... (out of real inhability to help) there must be lots of "REASONS" related to ourselves (ego which lead the feelings) and since its about to feel. Somehow it's about to realiase what disconnect us from some others (WHY?).
The ego is nothing but a disconnect to all life. It is a complex mental construct that we come to identify as our actual "self", an identity seemingly very separate and apart from all else. This allows us to turn our back and close our eyes on others and the planet. Not so easy when we awaken to the fact that all suffering, is our own suffering. Awaking is not some numbed out koom-by-ya land. It is a naked meeting with reality as your own being. That said, there is deeper than all phenomena turmoil, the foundational witnessing consciousness of peace and wholeness which remains pristine, no matter.
Franzy:
my thanks as well, james thomas. and may i extend thanks
for many, many other posts you have made.
for some time now, i have continued to project, to believe
in my reality regarding a woman who chooses not to love me
as she used to...words of wisdom like de mello"s are most
welcome.Thank you for the kind comments. Yes, relationships are perhaps the most intense opportunity to witness the mind as it weaves a story around our beloved. We come to see the story as fact, when it's no more real than thoughts of a tree, are a real tree.
I find it most helpful to step out of the mind and remain with the breath, senses of the body, and listening, and so then being very present around other people. This way we do not see them through filters of a story about them. We instead witness the life that truly is what they are and what we are. However, I'll warn you that most people are not comfortable with a person who is silently present and only speaks when necessary. People want, or better said: the ego wants others to actively support its story and drama. Silent presence does not support the ego's story, but rather clearly sees the fallacy of it, and so pays it little or no heed. Presence, is concerned with Reality, not fallacy....except for entertainment reasons.
educ8self:
I believe it has been said that all the various ways people cling to their objects of desire is essentially confused love. They even call it love, like the desire for the next cool widget that is expected to bring fulfillment, or THE person (or their idea of them) for a great relationship - but of course it doesn't, not lasting fulfillment anyway. The description here brings to mind words like intimacy, tenderness, (Neelam) and vulnerability. Now at this point we might start to lose our more masculine audience if they had decided to read this thread, so let me point out that the quote of gladiators "those about to die salute you" symbolizes entering the arena of love. Just the other day I heard the quote by Jami: "only love can free you from yourself." Looked at it another way, we can say the only thing keeping you from the freedom of love is yourself.
Thanks for your pertinent additions to this thread. I enjoyed them. I would only add that our true Self, is Love itself, as it has no "other" to hate. It is the false "self" that feels itself a separate and broken entity, hungry, fearful, and in need, that blinds consciousness to the truth of its freedom, purity and wholeness. This is why thorough inner-investigation into self and being is so very, very important. We are, the peace that we seek right now. It just needs to be seen.
Lonelysheep, Anthony's book may help you. It's a little pocket book that is only a couple bucks used. I wish you peace, dear.
j
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WHAT do YOU know about JESUS... and His teachings?
by hibiscusfire ini am interested to know what you know about jesus and what you really think of his teachings.. the bible says there is only one way to heaven.. jesus said: "i am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father but by me.
" (john 14:6) .
the lord jesus was crucified and shed his precious blood to wipe away our sins (revelation 1:5).
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JamesThomas
Dear Hibiscusfire,
I like what you said, it sounds very nice, and it's understandable the warmth many people have for such teachings. Here is my honest and candid problems with it.
It seems that the teaching clearly implies that if I do not honor and accept Jesus as my saviour, I'm not only not-saved, but I will also reap some form of punishment or even death.
Personally, I can not honestly find it in my heart to love, honor and worship a deity who will kill me or drastically punish me, if I do not. I don't fear death so much that I am willing to bastardize my soul and sacrifice personal integrity and come to admire what is clearly less moral than most people. I imagine you, Hibiscus, are far more authentically compassionate and loving than the god you worship. But don't allow yourself to see that, because it would be sacreligious to rise above what you have come to believe is "The Most High".
j
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The Way To Love
by JamesThomas inone of my favorite little books is: the way to love: the last meditations of anthony de mello.. following is from the chapter: be awake.
it may be too direct, ruthlessly honest and straight-forward for many; we are not normally exposed to such hard-hitting guidance.
yet some of you it will touch in a significant way; enough to purchase this rare little gem that you may gleem from its pages much wisdom.. .
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JamesThomas
You're all most welcome.
Gladiator,
I would prefer to call what you are describing awareness and acceptance.
Except for my brief little preface, the words where all Anthony's. However, note that he says "the act of seeing is Love"; and so I'm pretty sure he would agree, as do I, that your definition of "awareness and acceptance" amounts to the same. For this seeing is an open and naked awareness that is not filtered through the minds judgments, beliefs, nonacceptance, fear, wanting and interpritations. It is a seeing, an awareness, an excepting which allows whatever is being beheld to reveal to us its authenticity.
I have found that one way into this open type of seeing, is to continually return to conscious-awareness of breathing along with open listening to sounds near and far. This brings consciousness into the spacious presence of this moment, and the mind's chatter soon finds a joyous stillness here as well. If we find ourselves thinking unnecessarily, or again creating a make-belief story about life, simply return to the breath and listening without judging or giving into a sense of failure...for this is all story, and not reality. Just be; and we find the actual raw depths and vastness of reality expanding; or more correctly: intimate consciousness opens to and realizes the genuine endlessness that was always here.
j
