Who I Am Not

[captainamerica]

Originally Posted by Shivani Devi

Thank you so much for that link. I already have a few of those videos on my hard drive, but did not make the connection to an actual channel where there are more of them!

I got half way down the page, stopped at the Shiva Rahasya Purana and sorta went "ooohhh...One I haven't seen before". LOL.

I've studied the Shiv Puran, the Linga Puran and the Skanda Puran....this comes as something new for me...So now this kitten has a new ball of string to play with...

Thank you again.

My pleasure to be of help.You are very welcome.

[davidsun]

My hat's off to Captain America - great/loving/wise 'vibe'!

[captainamerica]

Originally Posted by davidsun

My hat's off to Captain America - great/loving/wise 'vibe'!

Thank you for letting me know friend !

Hope you have a great day ahead.

[Melahin]

Originally Posted by Iamit

We are done I think. Be well and good luck with your intellect issues.

Sorry, just couldn't help myself when you started making the first assumptions, and when you kept going on and on down your own little path, I just wondered how far down the rabbit whole I could take you. Infinitely it seemed if I had not put the plug in but yes be very well and have fun haha

[Iamit]

Originally Posted by Melahin

Sorry, just couldn't help myself when you started making the first assumptions, and when you kept going on and on down your own little path, I just wondered how far down the rabbit whole I could take you. Infinitely it seemed if I had not put the plug in but yes be very well and have fun haha

To all. Please note it is not me initiating contact with this member

[davidsun]

Originally Posted by Melahin

Sorry, just couldn't help myself when you started making the first assumptions, and when you kept going on and on down your own little path, I just wondered how far down the rabbit whole I could take you. Infinitely it seemed if I had not put the plug in but yes be very well and have fun haha

The subject (of intellect vs intelligence) which you have ignore-antly (IMO) bandied on about is even more rabbit-whole-ish than you have begun to image-in (or so it appears to me) Melahin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellect

'Smugness' and 'condescension' (in any regard) is a 'tip-off' that a person is 'playing' the 'game' of 'oneupsmanship' - revealing the player's continuing ego-'investment', IMO, everyone.

[davidsun]

Originally Posted by davidsun

'Smugness' and 'condescension' (in any regard) is a 'tip-off' that a person is 'playing' the 'game' of 'oneupsmanship' - revealing the player's continuing ego-'investment', IMO, everyone.

'Investment', as in investment.

Bejeezus ... "I am the flower, the tree, the vine. I am the path" he says in his 'signature' line!

[davidsun]

P.S. to Melahin - I know i am being 'ruff' on you - just my way of welcoming you as one of many a Big league players here, and prodding you to get your act together should you be motivated to do so, Bro.

[Shivani Devi]

I have just read a beautiful post on another site.
http://www.ramakrishnamath.in/e-lectures/?p=1428

For millennia, the paths of Jnana and Bhakti have always appeared in total diametric opposition to each other.

One way is of 'the mind" and the other, of "the heart" and yet, both must be in total balance, working in unison for Moksha to occur.

Adi Shankaracharya knew it (as evidenced by his loving hymns to the Divine Mother), Sri Ramana Maharishi knew it (as evidenced by his devotion to Arunachala), Swami Vivekananda and Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa knew it (by his devotion to Kali)...

It is said that duality cannot lead to non duality, but non duality cannot lead to itself either...The mind will never "know" itself and any concept of "Oneness" is still a dual concept.

For the Bhakta, a Saguna (dualistic) form of a non dual reality, acts only as an intermediary concept to achieve the level of Non dual awareness, where merely trying to conceive of a nebulous, formless and experiential "reality" seems like an absurd exercise in futility.

It is like how Jesus said "The way to the Father is THROUGH me" or the Tantrikas say "The way to Shiva is THROUGH Shakti" and Shakti is another name for Maya...which is another name for Duality.

Shakti in relation to Shiva is not a separate entity FROM Shiva, but THROUGH Shakti and by using Duality, is the only way that Shiva can take form and appear to the Devotee in this dual existence, to take the Devotee back to the non dual state WITH Him.

It is stated in the Upanishads, "by knowing the structure clay, all items made from clay are also known" but if one doesn't know the structure of clay to start with, all they will see is a "pot" or a "toy" or a "brick" and so forth.

[SerendipityLizard]

Originally Posted by Shivani Devi

I have just read a beautiful post on another site.
http://www.ramakrishnamath.in/e-lectures/?p=1428

For millennia, the paths of Jnana and Bhakti have always appeared in total diametric opposition to each other.

One way is of 'the mind" and the other, of "the heart" and yet, both must be in total balance, working in unison for Moksha to occur.

.

I agree. That sounds wonderful.Mind if I add a more modern understanding of this balance?

In my journey in practicing Jnana and Bhakti yoga, I found a strange leap when studying Carl Jung’s theories of personality.

His work has been translated into a pop psychology watered down version called MBTI or Myer-Briggs Type Indicator, but that wasn’t the original idea of it. In MBTI, we only have the dualities of learning towards deciding with our heart and our mind, but the original theories emphasized balance.

It emphasized how we all decide with our hearts and minds — thinking and feeling — but lean to one more than the other. To achieve growth, you need to understand the other side’s perspective. In fact, the only way to master one side of them is to also master the other.

According to him, people who think independently with logic tend to have some deep need to be accepted and loved as part of a group. Without finding that acceptance, they’ll not find the courage to disagree with others ideas’ and eventually share ideas no one has thought of for the benefit of others — which will reinforce the acceptance they already have.

On the other hand, in those who are already skilled emotionally with others in a group, they often lack the ability to think for themselves logically. Without finding a way to find independence in mind, they are stuck to find a lack of self initiative to what they believe in life. As they gain the ability to do so, there’ll be better able to serve others with compassion supported by well thought rational decisions, and in others’ affirmation of them, they’ll find greater independence in thought.

There is much more to this than that — and how each can feedback with each other can manifest differently, but I do like the inherit idea to it.

I think of working with the mind and heart like a judge. The judge uses his mind to create decisions that can allow the balance between justice and mercy. On the other hand, he also needs his heart to make sure that his beliefs and actions are moving towards goodness. Both allow him to become the best he can be in his role.

This is not nonduality of course. Nonduality isn’t full of theories and ideas, but I think it’s a step towards it — at the very least.