Question: The Tao of LOA

I'm having a crossing of beliefs, I was wondering if anyone had some thoughts on my thoughts.

Buddhist/Taoist teachings tell us that desire is a cause of pain.

LOA tells us that we can have the things we desire through visualization and affirmation.

How can I manifest the life I desire without causing myself the pain of "wanting"?

[12meadows]

There are lots of people who are firm believers in LOA. And anyone can see how wanting could lead to pain and sadness. I feel like it all depends on you. Some look at LOA like it is a magic formula to bring you whatever you want. If you say this affirmation enough, there WILL be a red corvette in your driveway(example here). When after the hundredth time, still no corvette- they begin to doubt. I say that faith is the answer. Faith that you are exactly where you need to be. Faith that you have exactly what you need to have. Faith that no matter what, the universe will provide for you. I wish you well :)

I have a story that I think you might like to hear. May I send you a private message?

[BlueSky]

Originally Posted by AnandinBhisajKurma

I'm having a crossing of beliefs, I was wondering if anyone had some thoughts on my thoughts.

Buddhist/Taoist teachings tell us that desire is a cause of pain.

LOA tells us that we can have the things we desire through visualization and affirmation.

How can I manifest the life I desire without causing myself the pain of "wanting"?

I think what would help you is to assume that there is much to learn about what the Buddhist mean about desire and there is much to learn about LOA. The answer to the seeming contradiction lies up the road.
Here is one thing I found about desire and Buddhism. The pain you may have heard that it causes is simply living. In life everything rises and falls but what we are does not.
"All phenomena, the Buddha once said, are rooted in desire. Everything we think, say, or do — every experience — comes from desire. Even we come from desire. We were reborn into this life because of our desire to be. Consciously or not, our desires keep redefining our sense of who we are. Desire is how we take our place in the causal matrix of space and time. The only thing not rooted in desire is nirvana, for it's the end of all phenomena and lies even beyond the Buddha's use of the word "all." But the path that takes you to nirvana is rooted in desire — in skillful desires. The path to liberation pushes the limits of skillful desires to see how far they can go."

[guthrio]

Originally Posted by AnandinBhisajKurma

I'm having a crossing of beliefs, I was wondering if anyone had some thoughts on my thoughts.

Buddhist/Taoist teachings tell us that desire is a cause of pain.

LOA tells us that we can have the things we desire through visualization and affirmation.

How can I manifest the life I desire without causing myself the pain of "wanting"?

AnandinBhisajKurma,

What a stimulating thread title !

My understanding of Tao is that its inaffable, unspeakable essence permeates all of Creation, including ourselves, as indicated in the 1st reference.

My understanding of Buddhism is described in the moment Herman Hesse wrote about in the book Siddhartha (see 2nd reference), when Siddhartha, for the first time, finally arrives at the profound realization that his life-long, arduous search for the answers to existance begins and ends within himself: “I shall no longer be instructed by the Yoga Veda or the Aharva Veda, or the ascetics, or any other doctrine whatsoever. I shall learn from myself, be a pupil of myself; I shall get to know myself, the mystery of Siddhartha." He looked around as if he were seeing the world for the first time.”
― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

How do these perspectives reconcile with LOA, which "tells us that we can have the things we desire through visualization and affirmation" ?

I think I've found an answer (see 3rd reference), but you must proceed all the way to the bottom of the article to finally see the answer to your profound question. Are you ready ? Here goes....

Of ourselves we have no being ... no reality. We are individual manifestations of Life ... of that which is God! ‘We’ are not ‘plugged’ into Life ... we are ‘Its’ ‘outlets’ ... and ‘Its’ thoughts are colored by ‘Its’ perception of itself as being John or Jane Doe ... the ‘person’ we see ourselves as being. God is your reality ... your true identity. This is why it appears as though the ‘human’ consciousness is creative.

Accordingly, here's a view of LOA that may surprise you. As Genevieve Behrend says on page 15 of very last reference "Your Invisible Power":

"Endeavor to bear in mind that your mental picture is Universal Mind specifically exercising its inherent powers of initiative and selection. God, or Universal Mind, made man for the special purpose of differentiating Himself through him. Everything there is, came into existence in this same way, by this self-same law of self-differentiation, and for the same purpose. First came the idea, the mental picture, or the prototype of the thing, which is the thing itself in its incipiency. The Great Architect of the Universe contemplated Himself as manifesting through his polar opposite—matter—and the idea expanded and projected itself until we have not only a world, but many worlds."

She goes on to say, "....your mind is the mirror in which the Infinite Power and Intelligence of the Universe sees itself reproduced."

In other words, your mind, repeat YOUR mind is the Creator's mind seeing Itself through your eyes.

Do you see ? If Tao is the essence of you and all of Creation (including "what you desire"), then it is not desire that causes pain. The pain is caused by mistakenly perceiving that "what you desire" is somehow separate from you and that you are separate from "what you desire"....because you have forgotten that you are already, always what IT eternally is AS Itself.

It is Tao, and only Tao, whose slightest movement...animates our very Being, as Itself, and as the "object of our "desire". The mystery of Siddhartha (and of each of us) is "seeing the world this way for the first time", each and every moment anew.

Our thought is creative because we are the Creator using it to create with !

That is the missing piece of information that is often glossed over in many treatments of this subject.

Hope this, and the references below, helps you answer your intriguing, thoughtful question....


Reference: http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/sh...0&postcount=23

Reference: https://www.goodreads.com/work/quote...290-siddhartha

Reference: http://www.thechristmind.org/ye-must.htm

Reference: http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/sh...p;postcount=14

[BlueSky]

Originally Posted by guthrio

AnandinBhisajKurma,

What a stimulating thread title !

My understanding of Tao is that its inaffable, unspeakable essence permeates all of Creation, including ourselves, as indicated in the 1st reference.

My understanding of Buddhism is described in the moment Herman Hesse wrote about in the book Siddhartha (see 2nd reference), when Siddhartha, for the first time, finally arrives at the profound realization that his life-long, arduous search for the answers to existance begins and ends within himself: “I shall no longer be instructed by the Yoga Veda or the Aharva Veda, or the ascetics, or any other doctrine whatsoever. I shall learn from myself, be a pupil of myself; I shall get to know myself, the mystery of Siddhartha." He looked around as if he were seeing the world for the first time.”
― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

How do these perspectives reconcile with LOA, which "tells us that we can have the things we desire through visualization and affirmation" ?

I think I've found an answer (see 3rd reference), but you must proceed all the way to the bottom of the article to finally see the answer to your profound question. Are you ready ? Here goes....

Of ourselves we have no being ... no reality. We are individual manifestations of Life ... of that which is God! ‘We’ are not ‘plugged’ into Life ... we are ‘Its’ ‘outlets’ ... and ‘Its’ thoughts are colored by ‘Its’ perception of itself as being John or Jane Doe ... the ‘person’ we see ourselves as being. God is your reality ... your true identity. This is why it appears as though the ‘human’ consciousness is creative.

Accordingly, here's a view of LOA that may surprise you. As Genevieve Behrend says on page 15 of very last reference "Your Invisible Power":

"Endeavor to bear in mind that your mental picture is Universal Mind specifically exercising its inherent powers of initiative and selection. God, or Universal Mind, made man for the special purpose of differentiating Himself through him. Everything there is, came into existence in this same way, by this self-same law of self-differentiation, and for the same purpose. First came the idea, the mental picture, or the prototype of the thing, which is the thing itself in its incipiency. The Great Architect of the Universe contemplated Himself as manifesting through his polar opposite—matter—and the idea expanded and projected itself until we have not only a world, but many worlds."

She goes on to say, "....your mind is the mirror in which the Infinite Power and Intelligence of the Universe sees itself reproduced."

In other words, your mind, repeat YOUR mind is the Creator's mind seeing Itself through your eyes.

Do you see ? If Tao is the essence of you and all of Creation (including "what you desire"), then it is not desire that causes pain. The pain is caused by mistakenly perceiving that "what you desire" is somehow separate from you and that you are separate from "what you desire"....because you have forgotten that you are already, always what IT eternally is AS Itself.

It is Tao, and only Tao, whose slightest movement...animates our very Being, as Itself, and as the "object of our "desire". The mystery of Siddhartha (and of each of us) is "seeing the world this way for the first time", each and every moment anew.

Our thought is creative because we are the Creator using it to create with !

That is the missing piece of information that is often glossed over in many treatments of this subject.

Hope this, and the references below, helps you answer your intriguing, thoughtful question....


Reference: http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/sh...0&postcount=23

Reference: https://www.goodreads.com/work/quote...290-siddhartha

Reference: http://www.thechristmind.org/ye-must.htm

Reference: http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/sh...p;postcount=14

Hi Guthrio,
I want to thank you for the time you took to put that together so perfectly. That was awesome.

Originally Posted by 12meadows

There are lots of people who are firm believers in LOA. And anyone can see how wanting could lead to pain and sadness. I feel like it all depends on you. Some look at LOA like it is a magic formula to bring you whatever you want. If you say this affirmation enough, there WILL be a red corvette in your driveway(example here). When after the hundredth time, still no corvette- they begin to doubt. I say that faith is the answer. Faith that you are exactly where you need to be. Faith that you have exactly what you need to have. Faith that no matter what, the universe will provide for you. I wish you well :)

I have a story that I think you might like to hear. May I send you a private message?

Thanks for your thoughts :) good points.

Please do, send away! That's very kind of you.

Originally Posted by guthrio

AnandinBhisajKurma,

What a stimulating thread title !

My understanding of Tao is that its inaffable, unspeakable essence permeates all of Creation, including ourselves, as indicated in the 1st reference.

My understanding of Buddhism is described in the moment Herman Hesse wrote about in the book Siddhartha (see 2nd reference), when Siddhartha, for the first time, finally arrives at the profound realization that his life-long, arduous search for the answers to existance begins and ends within himself: “I shall no longer be instructed by the Yoga Veda or the Aharva Veda, or the ascetics, or any other doctrine whatsoever. I shall learn from myself, be a pupil of myself; I shall get to know myself, the mystery of Siddhartha." He looked around as if he were seeing the world for the first time.”
― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

How do these perspectives reconcile with LOA, which "tells us that we can have the things we desire through visualization and affirmation" ?

I think I've found an answer (see 3rd reference), but you must proceed all the way to the bottom of the article to finally see the answer to your profound question. Are you ready ? Here goes....

Of ourselves we have no being ... no reality. We are individual manifestations of Life ... of that which is God! ‘We’ are not ‘plugged’ into Life ... we are ‘Its’ ‘outlets’ ... and ‘Its’ thoughts are colored by ‘Its’ perception of itself as being John or Jane Doe ... the ‘person’ we see ourselves as being. God is your reality ... your true identity. This is why it appears as though the ‘human’ consciousness is creative.

Accordingly, here's a view of LOA that may surprise you. As Genevieve Behrend says on page 15 of very last reference "Your Invisible Power":

"Endeavor to bear in mind that your mental picture is Universal Mind specifically exercising its inherent powers of initiative and selection. God, or Universal Mind, made man for the special purpose of differentiating Himself through him. Everything there is, came into existence in this same way, by this self-same law of self-differentiation, and for the same purpose. First came the idea, the mental picture, or the prototype of the thing, which is the thing itself in its incipiency. The Great Architect of the Universe contemplated Himself as manifesting through his polar opposite—matter—and the idea expanded and projected itself until we have not only a world, but many worlds."

She goes on to say, "....your mind is the mirror in which the Infinite Power and Intelligence of the Universe sees itself reproduced."

In other words, your mind, repeat YOUR mind is the Creator's mind seeing Itself through your eyes.

Do you see ? If Tao is the essence of you and all of Creation (including "what you desire"), then it is not desire that causes pain. The pain is caused by mistakenly perceiving that "what you desire" is somehow separate from you and that you are separate from "what you desire"....because you have forgotten that you are already, always what IT eternally is AS Itself.

It is Tao, and only Tao, whose slightest movement...animates our very Being, as Itself, and as the "object of our "desire". The mystery of Siddhartha (and of each of us) is "seeing the world this way for the first time", each and every moment anew.

Our thought is creative because we are the Creator using it to create with !

That is the missing piece of information that is often glossed over in many treatments of this subject.

Hope this, and the references below, helps you answer your intriguing, thoughtful question....

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Wow, mind blown. Thank you for taking the time to write this. Beautifully put, I'm really beginning to realize the one-ness involved in the answer I seek. A lot of energy to collect here, I wish I had a more stimulating response! I'm going to meditate on this.

Originally Posted by Capacity

I think what would help you is to assume that there is much to learn about what the Buddhist mean about desire and there is much to learn about LOA. The answer to the seeming contradiction lies up the road.
Here is one thing I found about desire and Buddhism. The pain you may have heard that it causes is simply living. In life everything rises and falls but what we are does not.
"All phenomena, the Buddha once said, are rooted in desire. Everything we think, say, or do — every experience — comes from desire. Even we come from desire. We were reborn into this life because of our desire to be. Consciously or not, our desires keep redefining our sense of who we are. Desire is how we take our place in the causal matrix of space and time. The only thing not rooted in desire is nirvana, for it's the end of all phenomena and lies even beyond the Buddha's use of the word "all." But the path that takes you to nirvana is rooted in desire — in skillful desires. The path to liberation pushes the limits of skillful desires to see how far they can go."

Thank you. I'm rather new to spirituality in general, and I feel a great unease, as if I'm doing something incorrectly a lot of the time. Its helpful to have reminders that I have much path left to walk, and much of it I cant even see at this time.

Also, it seems, not only do I desire to walk my path, but the path also desires me to walk it! How... inspiring and comforting.

[BlueSky]

Originally Posted by AnandinBhisajKurma

Thank you. I'm rather new to spirituality in general, and I feel a great unease, as if I'm doing something incorrectly a lot of the time. Its helpful to have reminders that I have much path left to walk, and much of it I cant even see at this time.

Also, it seems, not only do I desire to walk my path, but the path also desires me to walk it! How... inspiring and comforting.

Yeh, what you seek is seeking you for sure....great thread. What's the story behind your forum name, if you don't mind sharing?

Originally Posted by Capacity

Yeh, what you seek is seeking you for sure....great thread. What's the story behind your forum name, if you don't mind sharing?

Not at all :)

It is Sanskrit for "Blissful Healing Turtle."

Inspired by my new-found yoga practice, attunement to reiki, and spirit animal/old nickname.

:) Namaste