Recent Posts

Pages: 1 ... 4 5 [6] 7 8 ... 10

Bible Questions / Legion - any help here?

« Last post by dgbygrace on March 11, 2012, 06:41:54 pm »

So I have a question to pose....Luke 7:33-35. When Jesus commanded Legion out of the guy. They begged not to be sent to the abyss. I believe the abyss is where the fallen angels are held until the time comes back. And honestly I think it is a dimension or something...but obviously some haven't been sent there yet. So following the story Jesus allows them to go into the pigs, which they immediately kill. Why kill them? I think so they can be free to go and find a human host who uses their free will to let them in. What do you guys think? Why did Jesus let them go rather then banish them???

Spiritual Awakenings / What Is Spiritual Enlightenment or Spiritual Awakening?

« Last post by cizz on March 11, 2012, 08:20:54 am »

Click to read full article: http://endless-satsang.com/spiritual-enlightenment-spiritual-awakening.htm

A definition of spiritual enlightenment or spiritual awakening is hard to pin down. This is, in part, because "spiritual enlightenment" and "spiritual awakening" have been used in so many ways to describe so many things, similar to the way in which "love" is used to describe everything from a preference for ice cream to a merging with everything. And it is also because spiritual enlightenment and spiritual awakening are such rich and complex experiences that they are innately hard to define.

Some definitions are very specific and narrow. One such definition for spiritual enlightenment is the complete dissolution of one's identity as a separate self with no trace of the egoic mind remaining. This sets the bar very high and means that very few people qualify as enlightened.

The opposite approach is to say that everyone is enlightened, that there is only awake consciousness. In this view, it's only a question of whether this natural awakeness has been recognized or not. Of course, when a word describes everything or everyone, it loses some of its usefulness. If everyone is enlightened, then why even talk about it?

Combining perspectives on spiritual enlightenment
Perhaps there's a definition that includes both of these perspectives, which recognizes that consciousness is always awake and enlightened, but the amount of awakeness, or aware consciousness, that is present in any moment can vary. This definition acknowledges that there's a difference in the amount of awakeness, or enlightened consciousness, that different people experience or that one person experiences at different times but still suggests that the potential for full awareness or becoming enlightened is the same for everybody. If every apparent individual consciousness is infinite in its potential, then each can also be infinite both in its capacity to expand or awaken and in its capacity to contract or identify with a narrow or limited experience.

Islam / The Qur'an

« Last post by cizz on March 11, 2012, 06:16:39 am »

Click link to read on line: http://quran.com/

Kabbalah / What is Kabbalah

« Last post by cizz on March 11, 2012, 06:12:19 am »

http://www.basicjudaism.org/kabbalah.html

"Kabbalah" is a doctrine of esoteric knowledge concerning God and the universe, asserted to have come down as a revelation to the Sages from a remote past, and preserved only by a privileged few. Kabbalah is considered part of the Jewish Oral Law. It is the traditional mystical understanding of the Torah. Kabbalah stresses the reasons and understanding of the commandments, and the cause of events described in the Torah. Kabbalah includes the understanding of the spiritual spheres in creation, and the rules and ways by which God administers the existence of the universe.Early forms of Jewish mysticism at first consisted only of empirical lore. Much later, under the influence of Neoplatonic and Neopythagorean philosophy, it assumed a speculative character. In the medieval era it greatly developed with the appearance of the mystical text, the Sefer Yetzirah. Jewish sources attribute the book to Abraham. It became the object of the systematic study of the elect, called "baale ha-kabbalah" (בעלי הקבלה "possessors or masters of the Kabbalah"). From the thirteenth century onward Kabbalah branched out into an extensive literature, alongside of and often in opposition to the Talmud.

Most forms of Kabbalah teach that every letter, word, number, and accent of scripture contains a hidden sense; and it teaches the methods of interpretation for ascertaining these occult meanings.

Health, Healing and Recovery / Natural Body Detox

« Last post by cizz on March 11, 2012, 05:43:04 am »

http://www.holisticsvoiceonline.com/detox/purify-your-body-with-natural-body-detox-by-john-khu/

Purify Your Body With Natural Body Detox by: John Khu

Like every thing else the human body needs to be cleansed inside out every now and then, otherwise the accumulation of harmful, or in some cases even poisonous elements, may cause serious diseases, mental and physical fatigue, pains in various parts of your body, and an overall degeneration. So if you are trying to retrieve that lost spark, if you want to regain that zest for life, natural detoxification is the way to go. Get rid of those terrible toxins by natural body detox methods.

Detox methods clean the blood in your liver, through the kidneys, lungs, skin and intestine. And natural body detox methods are the cheapest and safest way of cleaning your body thoroughly.

Philosophy, Psychology and Physics / Are Emotions Prophetic?

« Last post by cizz on March 11, 2012, 05:06:44 am »

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/03/are-emotions-prophetic/

Quote

For thousands of years, human beings have looked down on their emotions. We?ve seen them as primitive passions, the unfortunate legacy of our animal past. When we do stupid things ? say, eating too much cake, or sleeping with the wrong person, or taking out a subprime mortgage ? we usually blame our short-sighted feelings. People commit crimes of passion. There are no crimes of rationality.

This bias against feeling has led people to assume that reason is always best. When faced with a difficult dilemma, most of us believe that it?s best to carefully assess our options and spend a few moments consciously deliberating the information. Then, we should choose the alternative that best fits our preferences. This is how we maximize utility; rationality is our Promethean gift.

But what if this is all backwards? What if our emotions know more than we know? What if our feelings are smarter than us?

Stoic / What is Stoicism?

« Last post by cizz on March 11, 2012, 04:45:14 am »

http://www.btinternet.com/~k.h.s/stoic-foundation.htm

The Essence of Stoicism

The Stoics taught that the true goal of all human beings is happiness and ?a smooth flow of life?. To achieve this end, the Stoic student re-evaluates their values and commits themselves to striving for excellence. The endeavour to do this constitutes living as a philosopher, as someone concerned not with what they have, but with what they are.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoicism

Stoicism (Greek Στωικισμός) is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium in the early 3rd century BC. The Stoics taught that destructive emotions resulted from errors in judgment, and that a sage, or person of "moral and intellectual perfection," would not suffer such emotions.

Stoics were concerned with the active relationship between cosmic determinism and human freedom, and the belief that it is virtuous to maintain a will (called prohairesis) that is in accord with nature. Because of this, the Stoics presented their philosophy as a way of life, and they thought that the best indication of an individual's philosophy was not what a person said but how he behaved.

Later Stoics, such as Seneca and Epictetus, emphasized that because "virtue is sufficient for happiness," a sage was immune to misfortune. This belief is similar to the meaning of the phrase 'stoic calm', though the phrase does not include the "radical ethical" Stoic views that only a sage can be considered truly free, and that all moral corruptions are equally vicious.

From its founding, Stoic doctrine was a popular and durable philosophy,[citation needed] with a following throughout Greece and the Roman Empire, including the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, until the closing of all philosophy schools in 529 AD by order of the Emperor Justinian I, who perceived their pagan character as at odds with the Christian faith.

Hinduism / No Zen in the West

« Last post by cizz on March 11, 2012, 04:30:20 am »

A blog and Dharma forum from Jiryu Mark and Hondo Dave Rutschman-Byler

http://nozeninthewest.wordpress.com/2011/12/12/welcome-to-the-new-no-zen-home-at-wordpress/

Hinduism / What is SANATAN DHARMA?

« Last post by cizz on March 11, 2012, 04:03:59 am »

http://veda.wikidot.com/faq:what-is-sanatana-dharma

Sanatana Dharma is by its very essence a term that is devoid of sectarian leanings or ideological divisions. This is evident by the very term itself. The two words, "Sanatana Dharma", come from the ancient Sanskrit language. "Sanatana" is a Sanskrit word that denotes that which does not cease to be, that which is eternal. The word "Dharma" is a term that is only properly rendered into the English language with difficulty. Its approximate meaning is "Natural Law," or those principles of reality which are inherent in the very nature and design of the universe. Thus the term Sanatana Dharma can be roughly translated to mean "The Eternal Natural Way."

Since Sanatana Dharma is referring to those ways of being which are in concert with the Absolute, and are therefore axiomatic laws, this term is not referring to something which is open to alteration. Just as the laws of gravity, mathematics or logic are not open to sectarian debate or relative opinion (gravity, for example, is an inherent law of nature regardless of whether one believes in the law of gravity or not), similarly the subtle laws of God transcend all partisan concerns.

Sanatana Dharma is the original name of what is now popularly called Hinduism or Hindu Dharma. The terms Hindu and Hinduism are said to be a more recent development, while the more accurate term is Sanatana Dharma. It is a code of ethics, a way of living through which one may achieve moksha (enlightenment, liberation). It is the world's most ancient culture and the socio, spiritual, and religious tradition of almost one billion of the earth's inhabitants. Sanatana Dharma represents much more than just a religion; rather, it provides its followers with an entire worldview, way of life and with a coherent and rational view of reality.

Click link for video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucaKBZDJukM

Buddhism / What is Buddhism? Who is The Buddha?

« Last post by cizz on March 11, 2012, 03:43:55 am »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha (Sanskrit/Pāli) "the awakened one"). The Buddha lived and taught in the eastern part of Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. He is recognized by Buddhists as an awakened or enlightened teacher who shared his insights to help sentient beings end ignorance (avidyā) of dependent origination and sunyata.

Two major branches of Buddhism are recognized: Theravada ("The School of the Elders") and Mahayana ("The Great Vehicle"). Theravada has a widespread following in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Mahayana is found throughout East Asia and includes the traditions of Pure Land, Zen, Nichiren Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Shingon, Tiantai (Tendai) and Shinnyo-en. In some classifications Vajrayana?as practiced mainly in Tibet and Mongolia, and adjacent parts of China and Russia ?is recognized as a third branch, while others classify it as a part of Mahayana. There are other categorisations of these three Vehicles or Yanas.

While Buddhism remains most popular within Asia, both branches are now found throughout the world. Estimates of Buddhists worldwide vary significantly depending on the way Buddhist adherence is defined.

Click link for video documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLMZNmxFUZU&feature=player_embedded