|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
~ A Message from God ~ ID 4086 May 30, 2008 ~ Chapter 9 ~ Oh 1 Digital Press
Well I don’t suppose you have ever read a message straight from God before have you? Let me qualify that by saying that we created God in our own image and that no entity beyond us exists so therefore we are in fact the only God and as such may speak on his behalf. Of course on the outside chance that the skeptical tenets of Solipsism prevail, I am indeed alone and being God is a complete waste of time. Religious people always get shocked when I do this and I always remind them that they too may speak as God if they so chose but no one ever does because they are all afraid they might be making a mistake and have to suffer retribution at the hands of the devil in the future.
There are perhaps a dozen different religions that have a God figure that is male, and gave his only begotten son to the earth to be crucified. He was, and then rose three days later and went to heaven. The Egyptian Hours is the one most closely resembling Jesus and as amply pointed out in the movie ’Zeitgeist’ the son is actually a reference to the sun and it’s dipping to the horizon in late December and then beginning to rise again three days later. All of these figures were mythical except Christians expect you to believe that JC was a real person. The problem with that is there were many historians at the time and no record of JC or his disciples or the crucifixion. (Except for a few faked recordings constructed later)
Soo.. I’m not a male. I’m not the father of a male that represented one race and sect that became crucified. I don’t live in heaven listening to everyone’s prayers. I don’t decide who lives or dies, I kill everyone. I also created everyone. I didn’t kick the devil out of heaven, as a matter of fact I am the devil too. I don’t want you to worship me. I just want you to settle down and take care of yourself and the rest of humanity and start using a bit of common sense.
Much of the following cannot be better worded than found on the Web (Worldwide cyberspace) and almost none of it has cited authors. The quotations are from public domain sources and no quotes are shown and they are intermixed with my comments and my editing. Many of the statements credited to the religions and social systems listed below have huge amounts of caveats that apply to different times and sects of the belief so those below are generalizations and popular views.
Advaita Vedanta
Many of the early Eastern belief systems have been misrepresented by Western theologs. Advaita Vedanta is a sub-school of the Vedanta (literally, end or the goal of the Vedas, Sanskrit) school of Hindu philosophy. Other major sub-schools of Vedanta are Dvaita and Visishadvaita. Advaita (literally, non-duality) is often called a monistic system of thought. The word `Advaita’ essentially refers to the identity of the Self (Atman) and the Whole (Brahman). The key source texts for all schools of Vedanta are the Prasthanatrayi - the canonical texts consisting of the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutras. The first person to explicitly consolidate the principles of Advaita Vedanta was Adi Shankara. Non-duality refers to the popular philosopher of the mind/body René Descartes and means mind only or not what René was talking about. Advaita being described in terms of non-duality is a deliberate misrepresentation but is also described in this way because so many western thinkers have no idea what the philosophy of consciousness really is and the rest of them are trying to discredit it. This is also the reason that Idealism is so vague because most philosophers are realists or rather materialists and even many of the Idealists eventually softened their position later.
A famous quote from Vivekacu, one of his Prakaraa grathas (philosophical treatises) that succinctly summarizes his philosophy is: Brahma satya jagat mithya, jivo brahmaiva naparah - Brahman is the only truth, the world is illusion, and there is ultimately no difference between Brahman and individual self. Now I’m not going to quote any more than that because it gets very complicated and if you or anyone else were to read about Advaita the confusion would cause you to miss the important points. Oddly I wrote all the laws of reality and the entirety of Figmentalism before I really understood these Hindu texts myself. I was shocked that I had gone through school to grade 13 and never heard a single thing about this way of thinking. Actually I even thought I had invented the idea until I found this information. It is important to note that Brahman is just the word used by the hindus to note the only truth and is completely accurate and can in no way be refuted, the world is illusion and the Vedas are utterly correct and cannot be considered a belief or religion.
Buddhism
Buddhism is a set of teachings usually described as a religion. However, some definitions of religion would exclude it, or some forms of it. One point of view says it is a body of philosophies influenced by the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as Gautama Buddha. Another point of view says it is teachings to guide one to directly experiencing reality. Many recent scholars regard it as a plurality rather than a single entity. Buddhism is also known as Buddha Dharma or Dhamma, which means roughly the ’teachings of the Awakened One’ in Sanskrit and Pali, languages of ancient Buddhist texts. Buddhism began around the 5th century BCE with the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, hereafter referred to as "the Buddha".
The middle way is often described as the practice of non-extremism; a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and opposing self-mortification. It also refers to taking a middle ground between certain metaphysical views, e.g. that things ultimately either exist or do not exist. An explanation of the state of nirvana and perfect enlightenment where all dualities fuse and cease to exist as separate entities (see Seongcheol). Buddhists deem it necessary to avoid the question of whether existence is imaginary or not but in doing so within their teachings the possibility is always apparent. (This passage inspired the name of this book: `a moderate way’)
According to the scriptures, in his lifetime, the Buddha refused to answer several philosophical questions. On issues such as whether the world is eternal or non-eternal, finite or infinite, unity or separation of the body and the self, complete inexistence of a person after nirvana and then death etc, the Buddha had remained silent. One explanation for this is that such questions distract from practical activity for realizing enlightenment. Another is that such questions assume the reality of world/self/person. So reality is not assumed, nor the possibility rejected and it is important to note that Buddhists do not have a God figure, only a prophet although some forms of this belief system are views as worshipers though that is not common. Most view Buddhism as aligned with Advaita Vedanta though avoiding the confrontation of duality and non-duality.
Dharma
From the Atharvaveda and in classical Sanskrit, the stem is thematic, dhárma- (Devanagari: ), and in Pali, it takes the form dhamma. It is also often rendered dharam in contemporary Indo-Aryan. Monier-Williams attempts to gesture at the semantic field of the spiritual and religious meanings of the term with `virtue, morality, religion, religious merit’. It being used in most or all philosophies and religions of Indian origin, sometimes summarized under the umbrella term of Dharmic faiths, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, it is difficult to provide a single concise definition for Dharma. The word has a long and varied history and straddles a complex set of meanings and interpretations.
In modern Indian languages, such as Hindi, dharma can also mean simply `religion’ Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism are called Hindu Dharma, Buddha-Dharma, Jain-Dharma and Sikh dharma, respectively. In Scripture translations dharma is often best left untranslated, as it has acquired a lively life of its own in English that is more expressive than any simplistic translation. Common translations and glosses include `right way of living,’ Divine Law, Path of Righteousness, order, faith, `natural harmony,’ rule, fundamental teachings, and duty. Dharma may be employed to render the rules of the entwining operation and relationship of bodymind and Universe, microcosm and macrocosm; the binding metaphysical system, laws of reciprocity and comportment in, and of, an ethical and energetic complex. For many Buddhists, the Dharma most often means the body of teachings expounded by the Buddha. The word is also used in Buddhist phenomenology as a term roughly equivalent to phenomenon, a basic unit of existence and/or experience.
Other uses include dharma, normally spelled with a small "d" (to differentiate), which refers to a phenomenon or constituent factor of human experience. This was gradually expanded into a classification of constituents of the entire material and mental world. Rejecting the substantial existence of permanent entities which are qualified by possibly changing qualities, Buddhist Abhidharma philosophy, which enumerated seventy-five dharmas, came to propound that these `constituent factors’ are the only type of entity that truly exists. This notion is of particular importance for the analysis of human experience: Rather than assuming that mental states inhere in a cognizing subject, or a soul-substance, Buddhist philosophers largely propose that mental states alone exist as "momentary elements of consciousness" and that a subjective perceiver is assumed. At the heart of Buddhism, is the denial of an `I’ (and hence the delusion) as a separate self-existing entity. As usual these statements are from translations and some of us are without the benefit of true enlightenment so they make some sense but certainly are not viewed as obviously monistic or non-dual as Advaita Vedanta. Still dharma allows only the illusion of all and as one but assumes the material as a quality.
Is Confucianism a "religion?"
Most religions can be defined as having a set God or group of gods, an organized priesthood, a belief in a life after death, and organized traditions, thus it is debatable whether Confucianism should be called a true `religion’. While it prescribes a great deal of ritual, little of it could be construed as worship or meditation in a formal sense. However, Tian is sacred to many Confucians. Confucius occasionally made statements about the existence of other-worldly beings that sound distinctly agnostic and humanistic to European and American ears. Thus, Confucianism is often considered a secular ethical tradition and not a `religion’ It is best described as a philosophy with special rituals and beliefs.
Its effect on Chinese and other East Asian societies and cultures has been immense and parallels the effects of religious movements, seen in other cultures. Those who follow the teachings of Confucius say that they are comforted by it. It includes a great deal of ritual and, in its Neo-Confucian formulation, gives a comprehensive explanation of the world, of human nature, etc. Moreover, religions in Chinese culture are not mutually exclusive entities - each tradition is free to find its specific niche, its field of specialization. One can practice religions such as Taoism, Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism, Jainism, Islam, Shinto, Buddhism, or Zoroastrianism and still profess Confucian beliefs. Of course, monotheistic religions would not tolerate such a two-pronged faith, as they see themselves as the only way to the truth.
Falun Gong ~ Falun Buddha
One of the most important mind and physical development and exercise tools is Falun Gong and was introduced to the public by Li Hongzhi on May 13, 1992, in Changchun, Jilin. According to Li, Falun Gong is an advanced "cultivation system" in the "Buddha School" which, in the past, was handed down to chosen disciples and served as an intensive "cultivation method" that required practitioners with extremely high "Xinxing" (mind-nature; heart-nature; character) or "great inborn quality." Li taught the practice for three years and since then Falun Gong has also been propagated by volunteer practitioners.
Li Hongzhi states in Falun Buddha Fa Lecture in Europe: "Since the time Dafa was made public, I have unveiled some inexplicable phenomena in qigong as well as things that hadn’t been explained in the qigong community but the reason why so many people are studying Dafa is because our Fa can truly enable people to Consummate, truly save people, and allow you to truly ascend to high levels in the process of cultivation. Whether it’s your realm of mind or the physical quality of your body, the Fa truly enables you to reach the standards of different levels." Falun Gong lays emphasis on its ideas of good moral nature and morality. Practitioners are required to emphasize virtue (de), be a good person in all environments, and always be considerate of others when doing things. Americans should take note because if they became in touch with their Fa they could live healthy, happy lives without the need of medicine or hospitalization.
The Newspaper `Economist’ asserts that much of Falun Gong’s success in the 1990s was due to claims that it could heal without costly medicine, as many citizens had lost medical benefits and services due to changing economic conditions. Some in China maintained that Falun Gong was the most popular qigong practice in the country, and that many professors from Peking University practiced the exercises every day on the campus grounds until the crackdown in 1999. I just can’t imagine that we live in a world so short-sighted that such a crackdown could happen.
Gnostics
Gnosis (from the Greek word for knowledge) is used in English to specify the spiritual knowledge of a saint or enlightened human being. It is described as the direct experiential knowledge of the supernatural or divine. This is not enlightenment understood in its general sense of insight or learning but enlightenment that validates the existence of the supernatural and generally united in the teaching that humans are divine souls trapped in a material world created by an imperfect spirit.
Among heresiologists, gnosis denotes different Jewish, Christian or Pagan belief systems of esoteric nature such as, first and foremost, Gnosticism and other dualist systems from the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D., but also Rosicrucianism, Kabbalah, etc. Sectarian groups that denoted that the creator of the cosmos as demiurge (the embodiment of evil) was not the true God but a fallen and even sometimes evil being. That the creator god of the Jewish old testament and Hellenistic pagan philosophy was evil as was the cosmos that the creator had fashioned (see the Sethian and Ophite gnostic sects).
Gnosis has been associated and often cited as synonymous with terms from numerous cultures and religions: The word is cognate (from Proto-Indo-European) with the Sanskrit word jnana (pronounced nyana) that has an equivalent meaning in Buddhist and Hindu spiritual treatises. In Theravada Buddhism the word for gnosis is añña (lit. `highest knowledge’). The knowledge to which gnosis refers is that of the unconditioned ground (and source) of phenomenal reality, variously called Brahman (The Upanishads); the Dharmakaya (Mahayana Buddhism); the Tao (Tao Te Ching) and God (Theistic religion). One who having followed a spiritual path in order to return to the origin and arrived at this transcendental knowledge is called a gnostic (Jnani in Sanskrit and Hindi).
Gnostic systems are typically monistic and marked by:
The notion of a remote, supreme monadic divinity - this figure is known under a variety of names, including `Pleroma’ and `Bythos’ (Greek `deep’); Monism is the metaphysical and theological view that all is one, that there are no fundamental divisions and a unified set of laws underlie nature. But this is where the definitions become hazy. Gnostic systems are also generally defined as dualistic but largely in the sense that the represented divinity has two extremes in nature not that it represents both matter and thought as in the philosophical definition of duality.
Qualified Monism - where it is arguable whether or not the second entity is divine or semi-divine. Elements of Valentinian versions of Gnostic myth suggest to some that it’s understanding of the universe may have been monistic rather than a dualistic one: `Valentinian gnosticism differs essentially from dualism’. Perhaps for this reason Valentinus appears to conceive of materiality, rather than as being a separate substance from the divine, as attributable to an error of perception. Thus it follows that the Valentinian conception of the universe may be of a fundamentally monistic nature, in which all things are aspects of the divine; our ordinary view which is limited to the material realm is owing to our errors of perception, which become symbolized mythopoetically as the demiurge’s act of creation.
The subsequent identification of the Fall of Man as an occurrence with its ultimate foundations within divinity itself, rather than as occurring either entirely or indeed partially through human agency; this stage in the divine emanation is usually enacted through the recurrent Gnostic figure of Sophia (Greek `Wisdom’), whose presence in a wide variety of Gnostic texts is indicative of her central importance. Figmentalism also acknowledges the imperfection of the god or the `we’ as being part of and necessary for a truly rounded existence. "A tree is one unbroken series of imperfections." NS
Hinduism
Hinduism is the world’s oldest major religion that is still practiced. Its earliest origins can be traced to the ancient Vedic civilization. A conglomerate of diverse beliefs and traditions, Hinduism has no single founder. It is the world’s third largest religion following Christianity and Islam, with approximately a billion adherents, of whom about 905 million live in India and Nepal. Other countries with large Hindu populations include Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom and Canada.
Most Hindus believe that the spirit or soul - the true `self’ of every person, called the atman - is eternal. According to the monistic/pantheistic theologies of Hinduism (such as Advaita Vedanta school), this Atman is ultimately indistinct from Brahman, the supreme spirit (us). Brahman is described as "The One Without a Second;" hence these schools are called "non-dualist." The goal of life according to the Advaita school is to realize that one’s atman is identical to Brahman, the supreme soul. The Upanishads state that whoever becomes fully aware of the atman as the innermost core of one’s own self, realizes their identity with Brahman and thereby reaches Moksha (liberation or freedom). Also most Hindus believe in the eternal soul or rebirth. These also are Figmentalist tenets.
Judeao-Christian, Catholicism and Islam
These religions are very similar and are true religions because they not only define morals reaching to a considerable depth in daily life but they purport a real male God and also a prophet. The Jews for the most part believe in a special covenant between themselves and God through Abraham that makes them the chosen people of the earth. Many modern Jews, however, deny this and allow that all peoples of the earth are equal in His eyes. God to them is monotheistic and there was no son named Jesus. Anyone that claims to be God or any part of God is a liar (according to their scriptures) unlike many Eastern beliefs that say that we are part of God or God itself. Jews that accumulate excess wealth at the expense of others and through misrepresentation (lying, cheating, profiting and outright stealing) cannot be said to truly be jews or have any faith at all. Persons of low morals can be found claiming all faiths but are not truly religious.
Christians elevate their prophet Jesus Christ (thence the name) to one of a living and historic figure that may have indeed been the son of the Egyptian Jewish Princess Isis who studied in far away places like Nepal and may have even visited England yet this is just another theory trying to solve the problem of his actual existence. Oddly the only records that show that Jesus was an historic figure are the biblical passages and some other references that are in dispute as to their validity. There are many prophets that did exist such as Buddha and Confucius and their history is plain but not so with Jesus. Also no other prophets make the extravagant claim of being Gods only son. Many similarities can be drawn between at least a dozen religions in which the sun not the Son is regarded as God of sorts and the three wise men are the belt stars of Orion pointing through their natural and constant alignment at another called the star of David which would have occurred approximately at that time. As mentioned the Sun dips in late December to it’s lowest point and in three days begins to arise as if from the dead to herald the solstice and eventually warmer weather. Another odd thing about this is these events only occur in the Northern hemisphere but then most of this dogma was created there.
Catholicism is pretty much the same as Christianity as far as the beliefs and scriptures are concerned but Catholics have a distinct pyramidal system with the Pope in the Vatican in Rome at the head. Together with Judaism they are referred to as Abramaic (referring to Abraham in which they all believe) and constitute the most populous group with roughly similar roots. Many Catholic practices have been brought into question and disrepute throughout history not the least of which is the bloody crusades. These Crusades or wars being either backed by Judeao-Christians, Catholics or Islamics or actually participated in, are far from what any religious teachings could be yet these acts are purported to be God-given rights and duties. This is the biggest weakness of any religious belief and again not truly what any conception of god could be. "If your God brings death and destruction to a populous then he deserves no worship." NS
Islam oddly enough encompasses much of the biblical story yet Moslems seem a far cry from say Catholics. Mohammed is the prophet and considered to be the most recent of all religions and his words elevated to the very voice of God or Allah as they refer to him. Like Catholics or Jews the fundamentalist practitioners have very demanding daily, weekly and yearly duties. Demonstrative and public prayer rituals that require the full bowing and prostrating of the body in the direction of Mecca is required five times a day, every day and per capita more Moslems are fundamentalist than the other religions mentioned. Protestant Christians as a contrast to these go to church once a week on Sunday or when they feel like it and some never go at all. Today American politicians have unfairly vilified the Moslems and Islamic fundamentalists and freely scapegoat them as an excuse to loot their oil-rich homelands. These same politicians pretend to be God-fearing Christians but can have no real religious beliefs of any kind.
Real Religion
Simply put any religious beliefs are of a God of some sort and We are the only known creators of this idea. There has never been any proof of any God beyond our own imaginings although the word Scriptures of any faith has a capitol `S’ as if it were above reproach. Those that teach that religious relics such as the shroud of Turin (reported to be Christ’s burial cloth) or the dead sea scrolls are miracle representations of God are bearing falsehoods. These are just common things created by men at some point in history and are not proof in any way of a creator other than us. You create yourself when you awake and recreate yourself and your universe second by second throughout your life. When you die you simply forget your previous existence and begin again quite conveniently as a baby. That last statement is a guess based on likelihood and the suspension of the theory that there can be death in any form. From this side of our existence we seem to die as individuals and our bodies loose animation but the experience of falling asleep and waking in a dream gives us the clue that no such thing can occur. We have no material body so it can’t really get sick or die, we can think it does but it can’t really die.
Real religion is a human thing in which the rules are simple and we all know them. Share, love, be kind, forgive, trust, help and treat others as you would be treated by them. Nothing else need be said. We don’t need rituals or fanaticism or special clothing or churches or a belief in any god figure. All we need is basic common sense.
Namron Soar
INTS http://www.namronsoar.com
General Interest Galleries http://www.realrufus.com
Namron Soar Nsoar@tbaytel.net
|
©