I AM THE WAY....

Originally Posted by AbodhiSky

they play it both ways at the same time.

Hmmmm..... what both ways?

Originally Posted by Still_Waters

IF we are all a part of this collective consciousness?

Do you doubt that?

of course! if one is identified with their ego, they are not a part of it at all! they are an individual. me verses you eh! my beliefs verses yours. egotistic individualism, why we are on a planet of lower energies as that is where we belong

while we are a part of the collective in substance, our free will allows us to turn our backs on it,

jesus alludes to this in his use of the word "life" jesus is not talking about being alive, as we all are, he is talking about joining the collective, the kingdom of heaven

Matthew 7:14
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Matthew 10:39
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

i will substitute words there to make it more fit our use of language:

Matthew 10:39
consciousness that identifies with ego, makes that his life, and so he shall lose the connection with the collective, the connection to the divine, to the kingdom of heaven, and consciousness that loseth his identification with ego shall find it.

life in that passage means ego. if you find your life in ego, you lose a connection with your real identity and the divine, you take on the identity of ego. if you drop that identification, transcend it, you find your life, and yourself and find your connection to all restored

Originally Posted by Molearner

....

With such different viewpoints and understandings of what ego actually is, it is unlikely that we can arrive at any kind of consensus about the nature and purpose of the ego. With my personal understanding I attempt to always be vigilent about what I regard as the programs of the ego. i.e. "am I doing this for my self interest" or am I attempting a return to the Father ?"

How do you know that you are not attempting a return to the Father, only because you see it as being in your self interest to do so?

Originally Posted by ketzer

How do you know that you are not attempting a return to the Father, only because you see it as being in your self interest to do so?

The fact that it is, indeed, self interest is secondary or a nice corollary to the overall effect which is to ‘lift all boats’.......I.e. sometimes that which appears to be self interest is beneficial to all......

Originally Posted by ketzer

Hmmmm..... what both ways?

that is going back to the discussion on pages 71-75

using the term "I" or "ego" both ways, as me and not me

for example

Ego is extremely valuable... It's how you (I) use it that can cause problems (USE = NOT ME)

can you provide examples of when ego is used?

Everytime the word ' I ' is used ... simple..... (USE = ME)

' I am impressed '

Your ' Ego ' is choosing to be ' Impressed '

So you define Ego as the word "I"?

let's say every time "I" is used, that is ego as is claimed (probably true)

look at this sentence:

Ego is extremely valuable... It's how I use it that can cause problems

the "I" there is claiming (imagining itself) to be that which uses ego and not ego itself

to break it down more. the statement was "I" = ego
so

ego is extremely valuable... it's how ego uses it that can cause problems (duality mind manifested)

now for the big jump off the cliff of delusion!

Ego is extremely valuable... It's how you (I) use it that can cause problems

that is also not from me! the entirety of it! see that's when we get free of ego. when the little parts we think are not ego are seen as ego, all of it. not one statement from your mind is from you, not one, not one conclusion, true or false. reality is not of the mind. it's an imagined world for an imagined person. we can live there, argue with others, be right or wrong, but it is not the real world, it is a manufactured mental world which we make real - and the most important place to spend our time

this is all about the topic of this thread:

Originally Posted by sky123

"Jesus said I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).


This Verse puzzled me in my Youth, I personally don't think Jesus would say something like this, it seems like Religion Racism.

I wondered should " I found the way, the truth and the life " make more sense. Surely other belief systems have access to ' Our Father ' .

i am the way, i have surrendered my will for god's, every thought
" I found the way, the truth and the life "
i can't find it, i obscures it, and knowing this, "i" find it. the "i" not identified with mind, any of it
the "i" free of ego's influence which is not an "i" at all, it's an us, this, everything

Way=Road or journey=hodos


Truth=aletheia=225 from 227 from 1 and 2990 powerful union.


Life=zoe=2222=to Live Lively=comparitively 5590= psuche=breath or spirit or soul who's root is to breathe gently or chilled.


So I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life in todays language or maybe
just my Way of thinking would be.


Exist on the Road of Union with Christ and Chill out and Breathe.


Which does remind me of "Adam walked with God in the cool of the evening".
Which speaks of being weaved with God as in a veil.It can also be expressed in the UNCTION.






Numbers are all Strong's concordance #.

Originally Posted by AbodhiSky

that is going back to the discussion on pages 71-75

using the term "I" or "ego" both ways, as me and not me
O

Well I don't know about all of that other discussion, but I do think I see why these terms get used both ways. In life the mind commonly comes to see "I" as the model of I it has created, which is the ego. Only for expediency, the mind doesn't think of ego as a self constructed imperfect model of "I", it just comes to feel that "I" is what it (the mind) is.

Through meditation, or just becoming aware intellectually of what the ego is and how it comes about, one can see that there is a more fundamental concept of "I" that precedes the development of the "ego". An awareness that was there at birth before ego was developed. I suppose it might be easier if separate words such as soul vs ego were used in some consistent manner. It is rather uncommon to do so though, as this egocentric viewpoint of the human mind is rather ubiquitous and prevails unless the mind focuses awareness inward to see that ego is not actually what 'I' is, but is rather just a representation or model of such.

I may say the ego thinks this or wants that, but what I usually mean and probably should say is, the mind thinks this or wants that when it is using ego to represent "I". Rather cumbersome and odd to continually say though.

.

Originally Posted by ketzer

the mind commonly comes to see "I" as the model of I it has created

i would say another helpful thing is to stop imagining all these things in us that are conscious beings. there is only one thing that is conscious in us, me/you/i

the mind can't come to see. it is not a conscious being. we are the only thing self aware

then people go into abstract ideas, my mind chose this, my ego chose that, only a conscious being can consciously choose, and if it is not a conscious choice, it is a mechanical one, a programmed one. the program can be complex with a lot of either/or statements, but it is still a program, not conscious

the results of that programming are fed to us, consciousness, and we do with it what we want. our relationship with the programming is up to us. identify with it, don't identify with it, up to us. the program does not decide. but the program can be designed in such a way to make you more likely to identify with it and to require a leap in awareness to notice it's tricks

Originally Posted by ImthatIm

Exist on the Road of Union with Christ and Chill out and Breathe.

very good.

the way, spirits way and not the ways of the flesh
the truth, i am spirit
the life unencumbered

2 Corinthians 3:17
where the spirit of the lord is, there is freedom

JEREMIAH 23:33
AMPC
And when these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, What is the burden of the Lord? the thing to be lifted up now? then you shall say to them, What burden! You are the burden!

[inavalan]

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

Yes, and if the good we do for others we do for Him by the same token the bad we do to others we also do to Him. Two sides of the same coin.

In other words it can't mean only one and not the other. Either both apply or neither apply.

I disagree. But I won't argue it.