Tommy

I find the obvious self evident. Like a statement of the sky is blue. The past doesn't disappear. To know where you are, look to your past. The results of the past are here now. You need a dictionary? When you are "done" building a house, does that mean the house no longer exist? Or, when your girlfriend breaks up with you, you two are done as a couple and no longer exist as a couple. Doesn't mean you no longer exist nor does it mean the girl no longer exist. You can't take a definition and apply it without looking at the parameters of the situation. That would be like saying what goes up must come down. But, rocket ships don't necessarily come down. Missiles on the hand do come down and usually with devastation. Guess you can be stubborn or whatever it is you want to be. No one can stop you. But, I do hope you will learn and grow to be more than a contrarian. Note: "What was done does not disappear." Focus is on "What" not "done". It is the what does does not disappear. The done is gone.

The slate disappears going forward. But what was done can not disappear without considerable effort to change what is here now. The past doesn't disappear like a memory. A seed once planted will take root. To me, that is wishful thinking that one can escape one's Karma.

Since the title of this topic is "very unpopular opinion", so I decided to post this here. My opinion is about Karma. The other day, my daughter asked me what is Karma? Told her that some want to believe that it is an agency to make justice happen. That if one does wrong then wrong will happen to them. I told her that there is no such agency to provide such justice. Not that it does not happen. Just that there is no force creating justice for wrong doers. She ask if a person who does wrong to someone will be punished for their wrong doing. I tried to explain to her that Karma is more like what you plant is what you will reap. If you plant an apple seed then an apple tree will grow. Not an orange tree. She did not understand me. The idea is that if one lives by the sword then one dies by the sword. Be a bully and the people one bullies will return the favor because that is what one planted. And, I told her that justice may not happen in this life time but could happen in the next. Yeah, I believe in rebirth. So, how does Karma get washed away from one when they perceive enlightenment? Those things did happen. Those actions were intentional. So how does one wipe the slate clean? It does not seem possible to me. Every act in the universe has an equal and opposite reaction. One does not have light without the darkness. One can have less entanglements with Karma but how can one wipe the slate clean? Or does not making new Karma stop old Karma? Well, my daughter really wanted to know that the people that bullied her in high school will get their Karma. Their action against my daughter makes me want justice too. However, I do not wish anyone to be hurt. Guess I must be nuts and my opinion, very unpopular.

As the reader's digest use to say, Laughter the best medicine. How does one know how to laugh or when to laugh is another question. Which is essential in understanding "What is laughter?". Burt, I have no answer for. No other animal displays laughter like humans. Other animals can smile and feel happy or sad or even anger. But they do not laugh the way humans laugh. So, what is unique? Sometimes sense doesn't make sense and we laugh. Other times we are in a good mood and we laugh.

God good and Satan evil? Like light and dark. One needs the other to define themselves. Nothing arises alone and by themselves only. Something else always comes with it.

It has been a long time since I have read the book. And am not sure. In the book "The Forth Way", one is told to practice self observation. Watch when one gets angry, that the mind goes into an automatic mode of arising self supporting thoughts of anger. Then, when one learns of these reactions, to practice clearing the mind. To make appropriate changes. This is called putting the house in order. My latest endeavor has been to delve into Zen. And from that, I have learned of a state of being which Buddha alluded to. Some call it Nirvana. Others call it stepping into the stream. Some even call it enlightenment. I do know that Zazen practice leads to allowing one to step out of the confines of the present mind. To break the five skandhas. Live in a point where the mind opens and love, wisdom and compassion are the results. Although I presently do not have that experience and am not chasing it, i believe that Buddha nature does exist. Everyone keeps saying do not just stare at the finger pointing to the moon. I have looked up to the moon and seen that it points back down to the finger. One does not exist without the other. And so, clean up your house. Follow the eightfold path which essentially means to clean up your act. Live a good life. Do your practice as needed (also any exercise to keep fit). And enjoy the journey you are on.

I heard a joke once but did not understand it. A Christian, Buddhist and Jew each get a phone call from God. The Christian answers the phone and God says he would like to grant you one wish. The Christian says that is simple, I wish for Jesus to be here again. The Buddhist answers the phone and God says he would like to grant you one wish. The Buddhist says that is simple, I wish to be enlightened. The Jew answers the phone and God says he would like to grant you one wish. The Jews says that is simple, I wish the other two did not make their wishes. Maybe someone can explain it to me??

Out of curiosity, while a person transitions, does the person use the men's restroom or the lady's rest room? Is this special treatment? Just to be the gender that you really are? Now a days there are gender neutral bathrooms. Special treatment?? Special treatment because some women do not want to be in the same bathroom as a person with male genitalia. I know it sounds bias and may offend some. That is not my reason for asking. I bring this up because sometimes situations come up which is beyond our control. And special treatments are needed. Gender neutral bathrooms.

Life sucks and then you die

I am thinking that the most important thing is the truth of the situation. Children having issues with being the gender or sex that they were born with, this puts an onus on the adults on what is the best thing to do. It is a heavy burden due to social norms and pressures. No one wants to hurt children. But at the same time, no one wants the children to suffer. So, parental judgement depends upon how one grew up. What values one holds. I was a believer that children should not go thru chemical disruption of their bodies natural cycle. Cuz once on this road, there is no return path. A decision made later in life has the idea that the person is of a mature enough mind to accept what changes and pains may come. Children may not know or have any idea. But, as I said in the beginning, it is the truth of the matter that is important. So, how does one know the truth? I understand that there are people who believe they need to change their bodies to reflect their gender identity. What I do not understand is this movement to embrace all the people who decide that they do not want to identify as their gender without the very real need to do so. There are some who are offended by being called a woman or man. And are forcing others to use they, them, it or whatever. If they do have the need to be something or do something then that is fine as long as it does not impact the freedom and lives of other people. Your need to transition should not necessitate me treating you as special. I should be able to treat you as I would treat anyone. If I know you then I treat you as a friend. If I do not know you then I treat you as a stranger. Human. My post here may be a bit self centered. But, it can be applied to anyone. So, should children be treated with chemicals and made or be able to transition early? I truly do not know. It would have to be a case by case judgement. But, who am I to judge? When I see a screw, I think righty tighty and lefty loosey. The problem comes when I get a left hand threaded screw. Things that do not conform befuddles me.

It seems to me that the eightfold path is one of putting things right. A sort of correcting the things in one's house. One can not perceive the truth of nature without having one's own house in order. The Buddha called it a path. To me it is straightening out those things in one's life. To clear the way for the true self to come. The person wishing to see Buddha nature is not actually the same one who sees the truth. How could it be?

Impact upon reality? There is an old saying Before enlightenment, chop wood carry water After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water The world doesn't change. There is no fundamental impact, ... meaningful or otherwise. What needs to be done daily, doesn't change. The miracle is not the seed sprouting or the ant moving the nut. It is that you can perceive it at all. Perception that one has free will to choose one's actions Three monks go into silent meditation. Bodhidharma follows. He asked what they are doing there. The monk answers that they are trying to become enlightened. To become like Buddha. Bodhidharma starts to rub a roof tile. The monks ask him what he is doing. Bodhidharma answers trying to polish this roof tile into a mirror. One can not make something into something else that it is not. One can not have any sort of fundamental , meaningful or substantial impact on reality thru watching a seed sprout or an ant lug a huge nut. It is not wonder of the worlds. It is the perception of the worlds. Sorry, I have a tendency to rattle on like a snake in the desert. My hiss is worse than my bite.

This is somewhat similar to what Gurdjieff taught. That people cannot perceive reality as they are, because they are not conscious of themselves, but rather live in a state of hypnotic "waking sleep" of constantly turning thoughts, worries and imagination. In different words, when watching oneself, events will happen to trigger a reaction from us such as anger. The anger needs the mind to reinforce it with thoughts to support the anger. And thus the feelings of anger are fed and stay alive in the mind. One does not make decisions but react to situations. One does not see clearly because the mind works on auto pilot. So practice is not so much for extinguishing the self. More of the art of putting things in order for the true self to come occupy its rightful place. To let go of auto pilot running things. To take control again. There really is nothing to prevent us from seeing clearly. It is just all this stuff we put up front. Put things in order and naturally, the true natural mind will take over.

It use to be the same for me. When sitting, the mind would always look at itself and have another thought about what was going on. A sort of ego watching and having thoughts while being there with mind on breath. So, that ego continues to make thoughts. I have found that if I just focus upon the actions of my mind. Doing what I am set to do. Nothing else. That I truly begin to let go of thoughts. Mind becomes focused. From there, I know my concentration is better. The quiet between thoughts last longer.

Wait, was that a threat to remember my feedback? I hope not because then I won't be able to sleep at night. Nah, I can barely remember anything now a days. It almost feels like I am turning into a new man. Wait, was that politically correct? Wow, I am failing on all sorts of points. Maybe take a lesson from the story of the Zen master who says "Is that so?" The neighbor girl got pregnant. Her parents kept badgering her to find out who the father was. The girl say it was the Zen master who lived next door. The parents confronted him. His only response was "Is that so?'. When the baby was born the parents brought the baby to the Zen master. And told him to take care of his baby. He took the baby in and got what he needed from friends and relatives. Year later, the girl could not live without her baby then confessed that the father was a boy in the fish market. The parent went to the old Zen master and apologized. Asked for the baby back. The Zen master said "Is that so?" So, my response from now on will be, Not "Is that so?". My response will be it was the boy in the fish market. So, it is not my fault. It was the boy in the fish market.

So, not happy with the way you have been treated by being different. But, happy that things have improved. Sounds like a very common struggle (for many teenagers and some adults). Of course, some episodes are more intense than others. I wish you well on your journey to happiness and hope things just keep getting better. Sorry, I sometimes forget what I wanted to say here. Humm, ... oh, something about old age and knowing the time is shorter. Knowing what age my parents died and makes me think about how much longer I have left. No that wasn't it. Got to do what makes you happy?? (Hands in the air) Fudge.

Okay, Have noticed this has devolved into a . . . I don't know what. Anyway, did anyone ask you, "Are you happy?" I mean it has got to be quite a journey. Feeling things are just not right and then moving on to how to get where one wants to go. So, are you happy? When I met my wife, I fell for her. But, things wouldn't have gotten very far if I saw that she wasn't already happy. As an individual, I know that I can not be all for another person. They have to be happy first. Then, my addition to her life would compliment or add to her life. Now, that's the other end of the spectrum, if she was already set and did not need me or I could not make her life a little better then marriage would not happen. I saw she was happy with her life. But. also saw that I could help to make her life better. So, I married her. We have been married since 1996 or about 27 years. I think you said before that you have no interest in marriage and having a family?? That is fine. It isn't for everyone. But, my question stands. Are you happy? Of course, I don't mean crazy happy. Just generally happy with the way things are now? Buddha might have said that life is suffering but I do not see it as suffering all the time. There has to be some calm in the midst of the storm. Some bright spot. A place to absorb the warmth of the sun and feel good about oneself. Note: I guess I am no better at this topic than anyone else??

What do I think about this analysis? I think I am too old and tire. So, tl-dr (too long- didn't read). My dementia is kicking in. I don't even remember being in this thread. Shalom. Or is it Namaste? Eh, aloha.

I have seen ads for apps that are suppose to predict what and when to buy or sell stock. They all say they make money. When I was younger, I tried trading in stocks. Read books and subscribed to papers dedicated to analyzing stocks and trends. I found owning stocks nerve wracking whenever the stocks goes up and down. One week it was up and the next day it lost all gains and then some. So, something so unstable, after a year, I gave up. As for education, I always liked working with my hands. And now a days there are fewer and fewer people in the trades. In had a fascination with Mike Rowes on "Dirty Jobs". So, after getting a degree in electronics, I went to work for Xerox fixing copiers. The job became tedious and really low paying. So, then went into a company that did military electronics. Truck driver. Maintenance. Janitorial. Auto parts. Tried side hustles that landed me in legal trouble (Resolved). I like autos and should have gotten into that in one way or another. My advice is to find something you like to do so. That going to work doesn't feel like work and you get paid for it. Keep trying until it doesn't make any sense anymore. Does it make sense to get student loans and after four years, look for a job to pay back that loan? Are you looking to become a doctor? Do what makes you happy and pays the bills (and then some). Buy a house and rent it out. Buy more assets so you have time to spend "just sitting".

Sorry, what seems to be the problem? You tried suicide twice? Why? Because of your uncontrollable thoughts? True spiritual practice would never send one on a path such as the one you were on. Personally I would like to ask more questions but do not believe myself qualified to help. This one needs a person with more qualified training. Good luck.

When it comes to the Bible, everyone picks and chooses their own meanings. But, what was written has a meaning when it was written. Choosing to ignore it and take whatever one wants is similar to making mistakes and calling it the truth. However, this isn't a class room and there are no rules to follow. No structure. Just people reading words on paper and taking whatever they need from it. God bless them all.

Yes, he did say it was necessary but he did not advocate violence. He was fulfilling a prophecy. You are picking and choosing your meanings instead of reading what is there. Still, if that is what you need or want then so be it.

Google search provided this, ... What did Jesus mean when he said "I did not come to bring peace but a sword"? "It is a call to war against ego-identification. Using the sword of discrimination, we must cut away attachment to fleeting identities (this body, this personality, this family) in order to realize the eternal soul. His teaching presented an “either/or” proposition. We can't have both."

Revelations came after Jesus. So, I do not think Jesus was referencing Revelations

Matthew 26:52-54 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” John 18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”