The World Beyond BetterMost > Anything Goes

Serious Discussions about Life

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Front-Ranger:
Hmmm, when he was talking about it being an "austere" religion vs. sensuousness, that reminded me of Brokeback Mountain, which is austere and sensuous at the same time!

injest:
so, Scott, if we are just one being then other people do not really exist. There is no future or past?

It seems to lack purpose.

I like what I have learned of the Native Americans traditions...and I am not anywhere NEAR an expert on them...but they seem more in touch with what I 'feel'. This belonging to one another and to nature.

but I can't make that leap that other people are just figments of my imagination.

moremojo:
Well, as I understand it, no one is a figment of another's imagination. If anything, everyone would be a figment of the One Imagination. As there is only One Self, you and I are just different projections of that Self having a little discussion because the Self is deriving some kind of joy from it. Sounds pretty neat to me.

But of course different spiritual paths or schools will appeal to different people in different ways. I too find much to admire in many of the Native American traditions. In the Conversations with God series, God tells Neale that there is much wisdom in the Native American traditions, and intimates that many of these cultures were exemplars of spiritual human communities before they were wiped out by the European conquerors.

I have a great book at home called The Sacred Tree that explicates a holistic Native American approach to spirituality utilizing the ancient symbol of the Medicine Wheel. I can look up the publication info on this book and give it to you...I'd highly recommend this wonderful illustrated book to anyone interested in spirituality and Native American cultures.

injest:
what about the past and future thing? is there in this system you are talking of?

moremojo:

--- Quote from: injest on October 12, 2007, 06:12:42 pm ---what about the past and future thing? is there in this system you are talking of?
--- End quote ---
I'm not sure about conceptions of time that might be specific to Kashmir Saivism. I know that the system now referred to as Hinduism teaches a cyclical concept of time, where Brahman conceives a universe, sustains it, and ultimately destroys it, only for the cycle to be repeated indefinitely. The lengths of time employed (yuga, I believe is the term) are immense, as in billions of years.

I'll have to ask Keith about concepts of time as expounded by Abhinavagupta, assuming he addressed that subject. I suspect that time is probably seen as ultimately illusory, a tool with which to activate and sustain the Great Play, but which ultimately has no real existence beyond this purpose.

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