The World Beyond BetterMost > Anything Goes

Serious Discussions about Life

<< < (10/19) > >>

Daniel:
No, it doesn't make you stupid.... :)

A discussion should be that, a discussion... not a lecture. Lectures are all very well and good when you're ready to completely listen and try to learn about another person's perspective without entering your own views into the equation at the time. Discussions are about bouncing ideas off of each other, addressing expressed concerns, and just allowing a beautiful flow of information that creates dialogue.

injest:
from what I understand Scott you are talking about a form of reincarnation. That we live lifes over and over. But my understanding of reincarnation is that you live a life that 'corrects' the wrongs you did in the previous one. That we as spiritual beings are on a path toward being more God like...but that we stumble and have to keep reliving to learn lessons...what those lessons are, I am not aware of. but this to me seems more logical (and more attractive) than to think we are choosing based on whims instead. (and whims may be the wrong word...)

I am not familiar with the names you mentioned...links, if any, might be helpful.

moremojo:
Yes, reincarnation is a central component of the belief system I'm describing. But bear in mind that traditionally, in the Eastern religions in which it is featured, reincarnation is not a "good" thing. The cycle of birth and rebirth locks one into a round of suffering from which the soul hopes to escape. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism (Kashmir Saivism is a Hindu sect) all offer strategies by which to escape the wheel of transmigration. Enlightenment is a key element usually in freeing oneself from this cycle.

My own take on reincarnation is that there is no particular program of betterment, or evolution that is being played out. The Soul has nothing to learn, as it contains Everything within Itself. Experience rather than knowledge per se is what is being pursued. This may be akin to a whim, but it is the Grandest Whim Ever Conceived. It is God seeing God through the length and breadth of Space-Time and beyond into Eternity. I hasten to affirm that this is my own particular take on this issue, and is not necessarily illustrative of the tenets of Kashmir Saivism or any other religion.

There seems to be very little online pertaining to Kashmir Saivism or Abhinavagupta. I'll search around and post (or PM you) any requisite links as I find them.

You might be interested in studying Buddhism. I am not an expert by any means on the Buddhist tradition, but a basic concept of the religion is that Desire is the root of all suffering, and that by detaching ourselves from Desire we can free ourselves from suffering. In a system such as this, one could observe that Mean Always Wins and still be free from suffering. It's seemingly paradoxical, yet possible.

moremojo:
Yes, Jess, women are the mothers of the human race. None of us would be here without women. I have pondered on the reality that the first body we idolize, regardless of who we are (be it male or female, gay or straight or any permutation in between), is a woman's body. Woman is our first intimation of the Divine--it is only later that so many of us have it drummed into our heads that God is Father, when we so naturally apprehended from the beginning that it was the Goddess who cared for us.

While it is true (and true for the very reasons you point out) that there are fewer women famous for their philosophizing than men, it does not follow that women actually philosophize less. They just haven't written down their thoughts as extensively (for various reasons), or have not had access to their writings being preserved, promoted, and/or published. The humblest, meekest person can be the repository of enormous wisdom. Many, many women throughout history have been sages, healers, teachers, artists, and priests. The fact that many (most) of their names have been forgotten does not diminish the immense importance they have had. Remember the saying that behind every great man is a great woman? Well, I think that's true, but it's also self-evident that a woman is behind every single human being who ever lived!

 :D

injest:
Mary Renault got me started looking at ancient Greece.

one of the things that fascinate me is that period of time when civilization moved from worshipping the mother earth to worshipping the sky gods...

and interesting to see how men have held onto that fear of women's power.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page