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Eddie33
USA
120 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 07 2007 : 10:00:42 PM
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Latley I've been thinking about this a little.
I've noticed the tendency in spiritual people to assume things that could be considered "magical thinking" by the scientific mind. For instance I have a friend who had a sequence of apparently unusual events that occurred that prevented him from going on a retreat. he interpreted that there was a mystical type of reason that he wasn't supposed to go.
This is reletivley safe but I think there's a line to be drawn. I try to forget about my "spiritually odd" moments so I don't get carried away. i really think you can get imbalanced with it and go crazy possibly.
I used to go on myspace forums and there was this spiritual guy who totally lost it. Started predicting things all the time, and became hyper aware of the time and stuff. It's that movie the number 23 almost.
So i just wanted to bring awareness to it all.
Peace |
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weaver
832 Posts |
Posted - Dec 07 2007 : 10:31:31 PM
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Hi Eddie,
Thank you for bringing this up. I agree completely that some people may want to see some events or experiences as magical, or having special significance, to a point where they may get carried away in an imbalanced way. As you say, it's very important to approach spiritual matters, and other matters as well, in a balanced way. |
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Scott
USA
969 Posts |
Posted - Dec 08 2007 : 06:49:50 AM
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| Great topic, Eddie. I agree 1000000%. |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Dec 08 2007 : 09:32:51 AM
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You are right Eddie.
When I read your post the Zen quote:
"Before you study Zen, mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers. While you are studying Zen, mountains are no longer mountains and rivers are no longer rivers, but once you have had enlightenment, mountains are once again mountains and rivers again rivers." came to mind.
(what I am writing below is not exactly how the Zen masters explain this quote.. but I may not be too far from their explanation  )
It really is like that.. before we start spiritual practices a mountain is a mountain and a river is a river.. then when we get into spirituality and have our ego alive and kicking.. a mountain and a river seem so much more.. and everything is analyzed and we try and fit everything into spirituality.. and then we identify our ego and see the simple truth in it all.. a mountain really is just a mountain and a river.. well it's just a river. |
Edited by - Shanti on Dec 08 2007 09:34:07 AM |
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anthony574
USA
549 Posts |
Posted - Dec 09 2007 : 4:36:55 PM
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I agree, Eddie. This can lead to psychosis-like symptoms sometimes. I had a moment during very high energy where I, for no reason at all, launched into this big paranoia that I shouldn't go somewhere because I just KNEW something bad was about to happen. It never did. In fact, it was a great night! Intuition can be funny sometimes.
In a book by Swami Rama, "Yoga and Psychotherapy" he speaks of these things and says that the mind of I'm assuming a novice can in fact be in touch with sheaths that are beyond the normal functional ones of "everyday reality". However, the mystical visions and intuitions are subject to interpretation from manas and the chitta so they carry the probability of being wrong or semi-wrong. Sometimes though they can be right. It is up to the Buddi, or discriminating factor, to acnkolwedge these glimpses of the mystical realm and decide one's actions based on logic and widsom. |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2007 : 09:55:00 AM
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Hm. Agree with Anthony. Everything is symbolical. Absolutely everything. With existential intelligence (a term I found for someone who is talented at meditation and going into other states of consciousness) there's an increased ability to see those symbols and patterns. With that comes an increased intuition leading to what from the outside may be interpreted as "magical thinking". I'm not so sure it's easy to distinguish between "fake mind products" and actual expressions of the big mystery...
And the zen quote is very much like this quote I presented a few days ago:
http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic....page=2#27613
A mountain is a mountain again, but it can never be seen as exactly the same as what you thought a mountain was from the start. Impossible when you once have seen through the illusion with awareness. It's not "just a mountain" - it's a grandiose miracle!
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Edited by - emc on Dec 10 2007 09:57:05 AM |
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Balance with Spiritual Oriented Thinking
