God in Buddhism

[sky]

Originally Posted by Still_Waters

Trungpa's lifestyle was indeed very well known.

One learns from everyone and everything; one can still learn quite a lot from such people.

Definitely

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by Phaelyn

There are scientists today that are saying there is massive evidence to support intelligent design. The evidence has to do with the probability of factors appearing randomly in the DNA chain, the odds against it happening through any means besides design are something like a trillion, trillion.... to the 20th power or something which basically makes it equal to impossible according to modern physics and mathematics. Also, the explosion of different species that happened during the Cambrian period.

The Cambrian explosion was an event approximately 541 million years ago in the Cambrian period when practically all major animal phyla started appearing in the fossil record.

Scientists are saying based on what we now know about DNA and mutations within species, it is also impossible for natural selection to account for the huge explosion in species. Too many different body systems appeared "out of nowhere" and all at once. There are also zero connecting systems between the leaps.

Basically many scientists are now saying the evidence points to an intelligent design, which leads to the existence of a designer, or "god" although science has no evidence as to what exactly this or these "designers" would be. That book, Journey Of Souls, states the designers are us basically, between lives. Some hypnotically regressed persons have had memories of designing planets, solar systems, and animals, life forms on planets. Some also have talked about "tweaking the DNA of species" when the species was not adapting well to their environment. Explains why dinosaurs came to be, then disappeared. The creators of such are like us, not perfect, prone to mistakes or having a lack of complete knowledge. Also explains why scientists say they still have not discovered a missing link in humanoid development. It may not exist if the jump in development was simply some astral being like us tweaking the DNA through some means.

Thanks for sharing your points.

Intelligent design, as to how we got to where we are today, is something that keeps religions thriving. It just can not be dismissed.

[Altair]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

Intelligent design, as to how we got to where we are today, is something that keeps religions thriving. It just can not be dismissed.

It easily can. All the species you see around you have evolved, with changes happening over the course of generations. Those with favourable characteristics survive and pass on their genes. This can be observed in bacteria, viruses, insects, birds, dogs, humans, trees, etc. ''Intelligent design'' is another word for creationism, and there is no reason whatsoever to believe in it, save that it offers some comfort to a human mind that is scared of death.

[sentient]

Originally Posted by Still_Waters

Trungpa's lifestyle was indeed very well known.

One learns from everyone and everything; one can still learn quite a lot from such people.

Some of Trungpa’s books are clear and strait forward, but in some of his books (which are a collection of the talks he gave) – he seems to shift levels almost in mid-sentence, leaving you wondering where the he** did he go now?!
I did associate that with him being drunk at the time.

*

I haven’t gotten into this, but I guess that within the all-inclusive, all-accommodating Big Mind, or Totality - which is beyond naming and labelling, the effort here is to recognize the patterns within us which do stand in a way of accessing that Big Mind.

And since these patterns (the different “I”s within us) often are subconscious – here the naming and labelling becomes the tool in bringing the unconscious patterns into conscious awareness in a funny non-threatening way:

Can I speak to the controller?

Etc. etc. etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJaFUqM1vPo

*

[Phaelyn]

Originally Posted by Altair

it offers some comfort to a human mind that is scared of death.

Do you believe in life after death?

[Phaelyn]

Originally Posted by sentient

the effort here is to recognize the patterns within us which do stand in a way of accessing that Big Mind.

Have you ever googled that teacher?

[Phaelyn]

Originally Posted by sentient

the effort here is to recognize the patterns within us which do stand in a way of accessing that Big Mind

He seems to have some patterns he is happy with. Though other Buddhist authorities are quite unhappy with those patterns.




________________________________________

Who is in my Temple

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzdccJRuBN4

[sentient]

Originally Posted by Phaelyn

Have you ever googled that teacher?

You had mentioned something about him before, but no. I’ve just took a note of what he had to say.

As you well know, Castaneda was a fraud and imo. a dangerous one, but some of his writings were really good, he was rather genius at times.

So best use one's ‘sieve’ to “separate the wheat from the chaff”.

*

[HITESH SHAH]

Originally Posted by sentient

I haven’t gotten into this, but I guess that within the all-inclusive, all-accommodating Big Mind, or Totality - which is beyond naming and labelling, the effort here is to recognize the patterns within us which do stand in a way of accessing that Big Mind.

And since these patterns (the different “I”s within us) often are subconscious – here the naming and labelling becomes the tool in bringing the unconscious patterns into conscious awareness in a funny non-threatening way:

Can I speak to the controller?

Etc. etc. etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJaFUqM1vPo

*

Yes common nomenclature helps learning process . But urge to have common nomenclature need not take away others desire /freedom to express it differently (e.g. belief in dhamma as against God )

'Controller' look bit imposing/unloving . Prefer common names used by masses in order of preference 'God', 'Cosmic Consciousnes' , 'Super soul' . Importance and emphasis should be on experience of it rather mere literal knowledge of it or standardization of its nomenclature . Also suggest spiritual experiences/nomenclature near masses because real spiritualists are among masses and not above masses .

Intelligent design is more about recognizing limitations of one's own power and recognitions of others contribution in our experiences and being grateful for the same and it's not about limiting one's own freedom or belittling one's own capacities .

[Phaelyn]

Originally Posted by sentient

You had mentioned something about him before, but no. I’ve just took a note of what he had to say.

As you well know, Castaneda was a fraud and imo. a dangerous one, but some of his writings were really good, he was rather genius at times.

So best use one's ‘sieve’ to “separate the wheat from the chaff”.

*

Yes true, "by their fruit they will be known." That Zen teacher will be known for all of his students he had affairs with and with what he does with all his money if he is rich. For his wife he cheated on if he had one. I just skimmed over the wiki page and don't have much interest in those details. It's his life not mine. The "philosophy" he teaches won't mean much in the end. What we do is more important than what we believe, though, if authentic and true in the highest sense, what we believe will affect what we do. But then that's the subtle thing that is hard to detect. And it's not what we believe, it's more so what we know, through living experience. Belief is nothing more than a way to conceptualize what we know, to communicate it to others, to represent it conceptually to ourselves, but then as Zen teachers often do, they communicate by what the are, not what they say or believe.

These philosophies appeal to something in us, seem to be about truth, when really they are just more ego tricks, we get fooled into thinking we have actualized selflessness when really the ego is just still there lurking in the shadows. Really if he had gone beyond the human programming, he would have no interest in animal behaviors like the conquest of females anymore.

I would not say Castaneda was a fraud. I would say some of the characters he represented as non-fictional in his books, were fictional. But there are many books in the "spirituality" section of book stores that do the same. Look at all the books that are claimed to have been channeled by some spirit. He obviously had studied philosophy and such a great deal so had an interest in such things. I believe he believed the things he taught. So in that sense he was not a fraud. But yes the wrapping those beliefs in a fake story..... well that's what zen stories are. Did a master monk and his student actually come to a river and find a woman there that needs to be carried across? Probably not, yet a Zen teacher told that story like it happened..... or the zen monk that is chased by a tiger to a cliff..... never happened. But these are loved Zen stories for the truths they represent.