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Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Once You "Get The God Out", Wisdom Literature Can Be Enjoyed By Everyone.
Generally speaking, Wisdom Literature (<- that Wikipedia entry needs revision) are texts written intended to accumulate knowledge used to teach. Unfortunately Wisdom Literature is usually associated with local deities. The fact that it has been associated with a local deity, isolates it to a culture and makes it generally inaccessible to anyone not open to information associated with another culture or deity. Some examples of Wisdom Literature are easily found in the Scripture of most religions. To my disappointment, I've heard and seen people whom I respect very much, whom I consider to be intelligent, and who consider themselves "free thinkers", categorically discredit and disregard ideas contained in religious scripture as "Woo Woo" and irrelevant. An example of a religious concept that is relevant and adds value to civilization even without the God is Yoga and Meditation. Once you get the God out of Wisdom Literature, Wisdom can be enjoyed by everyone.
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10 comments:
Twilight like so many things in life do you think its oh so very true, some folks enjoy them much more than others do.
I personally do enjoy wisdom literature some,but just not too much at a time thats all.
Had a quick look at some of the Hindu Scriptures.And when i saw how many there were first thought i thought was,ohh no my golly gosh
I do enjoy hearing words of wisdom,but maybe (for me) its just ive become a lot less religious about learning them.However i think its great that others learn them,so i get to hear about some of them sometimes too.
I tend to feel i find nature and music to be very relaxing and maybe thats more where i do lots of thinking in depth.Thats a type of meditation too do you think.
well, strictly speaking meditation is trying to clear the mind of distractions. Literally trying to think of nothing.
However, that's not to say that one can't derive their own version of it.
I practice meditation to help me get to sleep faster.
Another type of meditation "spin-off" that has been shown to be effective is for athletes and pianists to concentrate on mentally performing for a period of time every day. It improves performance.
In my view, at its core, meditation is disciplined thinking whether your trying to think of nothing or you're working on your sonata.
Hey Lee, nice place you've got here!
Sam Harris wrote an great article on this subject, in which he says... The wisdom of the Buddha is currently trapped within the religion of Buddhism
The Shambhala Sun: Killing the Buddha
For example, while it varies from person to person, I get the sense that my immediate family is uncomfortable with my meditation practice. This is despite making it clear I see Buddhism as a philosophy, not a religion.
Should one really see the Bible as the inerrant teachings of an all knowing being, anything not explicitly mentioned could be viewed as either frivolous or possibly even evil in nature.
This sort polarizing view can make it difficult for people to recognize wisdom found outside their particular religion.
Yeah i found this lecture on the "beginers mind" very interesting and had it tucked away.It may be interesting to somebody,or not.
http://www.intrex.net/chzg/hartman4.htm
Some folks do meditate "on" things, also too sometimes though dont they Twilight,like karate when getting ready to smash bricks with a fist.Or fire walking,when sikeing yourself up,to do the fire walk.
So maybe can be used to clear the mind of things, as well as prepare the mind to take in things, do you think.
When i say i find nature relaxes me,i must admit seems to me maybe sometimes quite often the sound of water is present, say like water in a bubbling brook has something to do with the peaceful feelings i experience when close by one.
I heard asian folk knew the power of the sound of water to be beneficial.I heard they had water gardens partly because they felt it helped remove stress and depressions etc, which are often associated with living in built up areas like cities etc.
I have a swift mountain stream up by a bush batch i camp at sometimes,and i find the sleep i experience while staying there always seems to be a very relaxed "deep" type sleep.And strangly i always seem to wake up feeling so very extra rejuvenated and fresh.Talk about the old "sleep like a baby" saying.Massive !.Wonderful!.
I had once also been told something about electricity we often experience extra lots of in cities and towns etc, was supposedly loaded to the hilt with "negative ions",while flowing water put out the "positive ones".
Not sure about that stuff though.True or false?
Anyway im probably way off topic.Sorry if i am.
Hey Scott,
Glad you like it, and glad you made it over here!
I was surprised that Sam Harris was so interested in eastern philosophy when I heard him in an interview.
I'll check that article out.
Hi Gandolf,
I don't have a very comprehensive knowledge of meditation other than what I consider "the mainstream".
I know that meditation is meant to achieve peace. I think breaking boards is more in the area of "concentration".
I think its true you have to concentrate to meditate, but I think meditation is something different.
I view Buddhism as a contemplative science of the mind. Meditation serves as the vehicle for such study.
As conciseness beings, we tend to take our experience of thoughts, concepts and scattered focus at face value. While we must create concepts and abstractions to survive, they represent only one way of looking at reality. When we forget this, we loose sight of the trees in the abstractions of forests.
For me, Buddhist practice is about being mindful to be present in the moment. Otherwise, I'm off somewhere in the past or the future. Or I start to mistake abstractions for reality. When we're really paying attention to the present, the future will take care of itself.
Meditation helps me see all the stuff going on in my thoughts and help return focus to the present.
Twilight you said.." I think its true you have to concentrate to meditate, but I think meditation is something different."
Well looks like there is maybe more than one way to "meditate".
Dictionary.
1. to engage in thought or contemplation; reflect.
2. to engage in transcendental meditation, devout religious contemplation, or quiescent spiritual introspection.
3. to consider as something to be done or effected; intend; purpose: to meditate revenge.
So maybe the the first one would be the type used for meditating thoughts of your fist ending up on the other side of that brick, you intend to smash your fist through.In karate etc.Or the runner might imagine/meditate,his body moving so fast no body else can ever catch him.
You might be thinking more this type meditate.. "a Buddhism & Hinduism To train, calm, or empty the mind, often by achieving an altered state, as by focusing on a single object."
Or..." 2 To think or reflect, especially in a calm and deliberate manner."
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/meditate
To be honest Twilight the.."calm, or empty the mind, often by achieving an altered state, as by focusing on a single object"
Sounds rather alot like what ive felt ive actually felt and experienced, sometimes when right out there in amongst nature
You can even start off with a million and one worries!! on your mind.But a few minutes up into being right out there!! and by focusing on the hunting and aventuring and discovery you really enjoy.
A altered state seem to just kinda happen!,you feel calm happy and emptied your mind of shit you was worring about.Its weird,all of a sudden you find you got to actually push yourself just to remember what it was you was actually worring about.
The sound of running water and birdys whistles etc up the bush, could be working something like the ommmm sound or bell sound the hindu and tibetan use maybe.Not sure.
Hi Scott you said.."For me, Buddhist practice is about being mindful to be present in the moment. Otherwise, I'm off somewhere in the past or the future"
Yeah i find myself having to do this too.Living in the moment,and not letting the mind wander.Yes i understand very well this problem you talking about.
Gandolf,
that sounds great!
I have two ways of deep concentration, one is what i think of as meditation, relaxing in the bed,
and the other is what happens to me sometimes which is kind of hard to explain.
Did you ever see the movie "beautiful mind" when Russell crowe was looing up at the sky and the patterns jumped out at him?
When I saw that I recognized it immediately. That kind of thing happens to me. And additionally, sometimes a thought occurs to me, that my mind runs with, and I just kind of fall into a trance for a moment, like sleeping or dreaming. I guess it would equate to day-dreaming, but its focused on solving a problem that just jumps out at me like in the movie.
it happened to me yesterday when I was thinking about how to diagram something. I just went into a trance staring at the screen for some time and didn't resolve anything. I snapped out of it and then this morning, when trying to explain something to someone, what I "learned" in my daydream yesterday leaped out at me and I have a diagram made in under an hour that was incomprehensible to me two days ago.
In my opinion, this kind of thing is what the mystics called visions.
"Did you ever see the movie "beautiful mind" when Russell crowe was looing up at the sky and the patterns jumped out at him?"
No Twilight cant say i remember that one of Russell crowe.
Interesting these things specially stuff like what you said about the diagram you needed to set up.
I have experienced daydreaming before,but some how with me im not sure its any meditation :)...However i do craft work... And folks have even called me rude!! sometimes because sometimes i just get concentrating so hard on doing things...I turn off from hearing folks talking even when they actually talking to me...l.o.l
Sometimes they even got to throw something at me ..to get my attention
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