mla7 Posted March 4, 2019 Hey, Firstly, this is a bit off topic so my apologies for that. Freeform: you mentioned entering Jhanna and perceiving Shen Ming. Do you or your teachers see these things as essentially the same? Maybe this is a topic for another thread but I felt I had to ask! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeform Posted March 5, 2019 15 hours ago, mla7 said: Firstly, this is a bit off topic so my apologies for that. I’m always detracting from the original topic anyway! 15 hours ago, mla7 said: Freeform: you mentioned entering Jhanna and perceiving Shen Ming. Do you or your teachers see these things as essentially the same? It’s tricky. There are similarities and there are differences... So they’re not the same thing, no, but they’re a similar ‘level’ of practice. If that makes sense. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dwai Posted March 5, 2019 On 2/22/2019 at 11:28 AM, Toni said: It is a well known fact that there are several similarities among very different religions. Religions so distant from each other like those of ancient Egipt, Greece, buddhism, christianity, etc, they talk about similar things like a heaven and a hell. If I am not wrong, they all say that the sould is immortal, that those who live well are rewarded in a next life, etc. How do you explain these similarities, as well as others? Do you think there is such a thing as a future life, and that after death we are rewarded depending on our beahoviour? I have always thought that this is a lie, but now I am beginning to wonder if there can be some truth in it. Otherwise it is not logic to think that ALL these religions with all their sages are wrong, and modern materialism with all its faults is right. Also I find it difficult to explain how all these religions could know these kind of things, like the immortality of the soul? How did they know all this? Maybe they could have some kind of superior knowledge that the average man of today can't have All religions point to the same thing (or at least in the same direction). Think of it this way. The "source" is the same. Call it Dao, Void, Brahman, God etc. If you see, almost all religions prescribe one of the four following paths -- These practieces are prefaced with some moral and ethical codes - Don't hate, don't steal, don't lie, don't covet that which belongs to another and so on. Devotion - Love your deity and be devoted to him/her/it. Service - Serve your fellow human being without any expectation of material returns. Although, many religions suggest that by doing so there is a "higher" result that can be achieved - Go to paradise, heaven, etc. Meditation - Different religions have different methods of meditation (of varyingly different levels of benefit). For some it is just prayerful devotion, for others it is devotional prayers while for others it is meditation as in the classical sense (focussed mind-body practice). Wisdom - Many religions will also go down the path of wisdom/knowledge (higher knowledge), but this path is possible for only a small percentage of the population. Typically one has to get to the point of being able to follow the wisdom/knowledge path, after practicing for some reasonable amount of time, one or more of the other four paths. Different religions are different paths to the top of the same mountain. For some, the journey to the peak is the objective of the path, for some others, a specific sub-peak is preferred so they can constantly be able to view the glorious snow-capped peak, while for some others, getting to the peak and being able to get a complete view of the world below is the objective. Often we will find that depending on the individual's predilections, one or the other of these "conditions" will involuntarily apply. As to how the different religions know this? Typically through a "peak experience" or "multiple peak experiences" by an individual (such as a messiah) or a group of individuals (such as a collective of sages) . In other words - through mystical experiences. IMHO, the source is always within each and every one of us. We appear to be a product of the source, but are actually nothing apart from the source. So this source can revealed to us during peak/mystical experiences. Once this source is revealed, the eternal wisdom/eternal truth flows forth. Then it depends on the individual and their psycho-cognitive framework, which provides them words to articulate these experiences and the wisdom that flows forth. Some don't have vocabulary beyond "God" or "Deities". Others have the vocabulary to say "void" or "emptiness". Yet others are keenly aware of the fact that "Words" are not the "Real thing" but rather are pointers to it. So they say "only in direct experience can the truth be known, words are inadequate". 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Toni Posted May 4, 2019 The importance of ethics is common to many religions. Unfortunately we have forgotten its importance today Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
