(Part 2) Best christian self help books according to redditors
We found 598 Reddit comments discussing the best christian self help books. We ranked the 181 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
32. Walking with God through Pain and Suffering
3 mentions
Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering
Try "God is Disappointed with You" by Mark Russell.
That's the Amazon link. I listened to the audio book, it's pretty much as the post above is written.
I am truly sorry.
I pray your faith would allow you to grieve, but not grieve without hope. A day is coming soon when all sad things become untrue.
Rev. 21:1-14: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
As far as a book about going through tough loss, I have really drawn a lot of comfort and insight in Tim Keller's Walking with God through Pain and Suffering.
With Each and Every Breath by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond by Ajahn Brahm
Right Concentration: A Practical Guide to the Jhanas by Leigh Brasington
Wisdom Wide and Deep by Shaila Catherine
Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana
Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana
okay, I do have some recommendations for people just looking around. Check out this page which listed some of the best books for beginners. Within the list I would strongly recommend "Rebel Buddha" by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche (a really modern look at the teaching of the Buddha at its core), and "What Makes You Not a Buddhist" by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche (A really no-nonsense book by a thoroughly modern and renowned teacher). These two gurus are famous for their no-bullshit teaching style and their familiarity with Westerners and these two books really gets to the heart of Buddhist teachings. If you are interested in meditations, I would recommend The Joy of Living by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. This book is shows you how to meditate w/o any religious affiliations and it has help thousands who use meditation as self-help. It also offer a way to understand beginning Buddhist meditation. You can't go wrong with any of these books.
Before anyone think I'm being too sectarian, I am a Tibetan Buddhist and this is what I know well. I'm sure there are other books which I heard are great like many works by the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh but I've not had any first hand experience with their work. I can only recommend what I've read and practiced myself.
> I tried to reach out to a local Rabbi, and she simply turned me to a
> website. (I understand she is busy.)
Not to defend a particular Rabbi, but it’s worth remembering that Judaism isn’t an evangelising religious tradition.
Judaism is a tribal religion (perhaps best thought of as an ethnos in the Greek sense: a ‘people’) and it rather shies away from universal claims.
So the tradition of conversion is utterly unlike that of an evangelical religions like Christianity or Islam. Lots of ‘are you sure?’. Absolutely no ‘you have to join us or everything is just awful’.
The standard story is that Rabbis will turn you away three times if you come to them seeking to convert. It’s not strictly true but it is true that Rabbis will generally start by asking why you want to join rather than rolling out the welcome mat and crying ‘sister!’.
The Rabbi you encountered may well have used ‘take some time to read [website address here]’ as her version of the ‘are you sure?’ question.
Once you’ve studied the site in question (and I recommend doing the study, BTW), go back to the Rabbi and say you’ve done the required reading and now you want to talk some more.
A serious-minded approach is probably best here, because conversion to Judaism is a serious commitment.
The figure to keep in mind is Ruth, often called the Mother of all Converts:
For whither thou goes, I will go;
And where thou lodges, I will lodge;
Your people are my people, and your G‑d, my G‑d.
Where thou dies, will I die, and there be buried;
— Ruth 1:16–17
Becoming Jewish is as much about joining a new tribe — ‘Your people are my people’ — as it is about taking on the tenets and practices of a new (to you) religious tradition.
> Resources
A few resources off the top of my head (including several web-sites; so sorry to go down the same path as your local rabbi):
Choosing a Jewish life: a handbook for people converting to Judaism and for their family and friends, by Anita Diamant.
Perhaps the classic book on ‘how to convert’, especially if you are in the United States. A little old now (it may be ‘revised and updated’ but this most recent edition was published almost twenty years ago) but still very useful.
Orthodox conversion to Judaism
The web-site run by the Rabbinical Council of America (the organising rabbinical structure for Orthodox Jews in the US) to ‘establish an improved and more dependable conversion process that would Be fully in accordance with Halachah (Jewish law)’.
Reform conversion to Judaism
The Reform Judaism sub-site on conversion. Include links to personal stories, articles on the process and an on-line study course.
Links returned by searching on ‘conversion’ at ReformJudaism.org
More than you probably want to read about converting in the Reform tradition, plus lots of personal stories of conversion.
Conversion to Judaism
An online study course for prospective converts, created and maintained by Rabbi Celso Cukierkorn of the Adat Achim synagogue in Florida. The aside from the study materials the site includes a page of Personal conversion experiences.
The Washington Institute for conversion and the study of Judaism
Another online resource and study course for people considering converting, this one run by Rabbi Bernice Weiss from Maryland. Weiss is also co-author of a book — [Converting to Judaism: choosing to be Chosen](http://converttojudaism.org/converting.htm) — which consists of personal stories of conversion.
Becoming Jewish
A web-site run by and for Jews By Choice (ie, people who’ve converted to Judaism). Aside from resources and places to look for more info, the site includes a collection of stories by others who’ve made the conversion journey
> personal stories
[Life with Ruth: your people, my people*](https://amazon.com/Life-Ruth-Your-People-My-ebook/dp/B00HFFAT3G), by Ruth Hanna Sachs.
A memoir focusing on the author’s journey to Judaism, haltingly started in the late-1960s and early-1970s but only properly taken in the late-1990s.
‘10 things nobody told me about converting to Judaism’, by Anna Thomson.
A 2014 article (or ‘listicle’ if you will) about converting to Modern Orthodox Judaism after meeting and falling in love with a Modern Orthodox Jew.
‘Conversion: a Black Jewish can-do story’, by Stephanie Ambroise.
A 2016 article about ‘[h]ow one woman went from having no idea what Shabbat was to celebrating it every week.’
‘From looking Jewish to being Jewish’, by Esther Hugenholtz.
A 2016 article by a cultural anthropologist about ‘going native’ (to such an extent she became a Rabbi and now serves a congregation).
‘A global conversion’, by Rachael Bregman.
A 2016 article about the formal conversion of a woman in her 80s who’d been living a Jewish life since she was a teenager but had not formally converted ‘because it would have hurt her mother deeply’.
The woman converting was in New South Wales. The Em Beit Din overseeing her conversion were in Tennessee, New York, and New Mexico.
The Becoming Jewish (see above) blog, Into the Jewish pool, includes multiple personal stories about, you guessed it, becoming Jewish.
Finally, Rabbi Mark Kaiserman has an Amazon listmania page dedicated to Books about converting to Judaism. More than enough personal stories here to last a year’s worth of reading time.
> guidance
Joining a tribe isn’t easy. There are obstacles and challenges, some of them internal and some of them put in place by the tribe you seek to join.
My partner made the journey from Dutch Catholicism to Reconstructionist Judaism more than thirty years ago.
And they’ve been asked about this more than a few times over the years.
When asked by someone contemplating the journey their short answer these days is ‘it won’t always be easy, but it should always feel right.’.
Hope this is at least diverting, if not helpful.
Practice and having the right conditions/setting/environment. Check out Leigh Brasington's new book, "Right Concentration," which gives very practical advice for working through all eight jhanas. Time and patience are extremely important. These states are easier to achieve on retreat setting, so you might consider planning a lengthy-ish retreat if you are able to, giving yourself plenty of time to explore the territory.
You should really read Jewish Magic and Superstition by Rabbi Joshua Trachtenberg. It’s a study of the magical techniques and, more importantly, the magical philosophy which flourished among Jews primarily in the Rhineland around the 12th Century (known as the Hasidei Ashkenaz). The book is available for free at the link I provided, but you can also purchase it pretty cheap and find it in other formats elsewhere.
Magic of this type is termed “Practical Kabbalah” (distinguishing it from the more well known Meditative Kabbalah as found in the Zohar). I found this website some time ago on Practical Kabbalah. It has a really pretty format, but ultimately is nearly contentless and looks abandoned. However, it has a pretty great starting bibliography. I’ve been working on and off to collect the books on said bibliography and other books relating to Jewish magical practices. Recently I acquired a partial translation of Sefer Hasidim (the foundational text of the Hasedei Ashkenaz).
You might also want to look into the magical thought and stories in the Hasidic movement (not to be confused with the like-named Hasedei Ashkenaz). The aforementioned bibliography has, I think, two books on the subject, but there’s more books which broadly look at the mystical/magical practices of Hasidism and their legends. A good beginner book focusing on Hasidic legends is Elie Wiesel’s Souls on Fire. Martin Buber has written Tales of the Hasidim which has more tales, but is a little more dry.
There are some other books I have of varying relevance, but I don’t know how many book recommendations you need. Some of the books mentioned, centrally Jewish Magic and Superstition, are probably a good start. Also, a good book on mythic stories in Judaism is Tree of Souls by Howard Schwartz.
----
Edit:
I just finished reading Alan J. Avery-Peck’s article “The Galilean Charismatic and Rabbinic Piety: The Holy Man in the Talmudic Literature” in The Historical Jesus in Context. It focuses on Honi the Circle Drawer and Hanina ben Dosa, two individuals part of the charismatic, miracle tradition of antiquity and how this tradition was rethemed and incorporated into Rabbinic Judaism. You might be interested in such individuals and such a tradition. Of the same general time period, you might also be interested in Maaseh Merkavah (and Hekhalot) and Maaseh Bereshit (from which emerges Sefer Yetzirah).
Also, some Jewish figures have featured prominently in alchemy (like Mariam the Jewess).
It looks like I’m just going to keep editing this post with more stuff. Anyway, in regards to patriarchal religion being introduced by the Jews which led to the destruction of the Great Goddess, well, the whole Great Goddess hypothesis isn’t really argued in modern academia. Regardless, a patriarchal dynamic to religion was not introduced by Jews, and the Jewish God is overtly asserted to not have a gender (or be two genders, depending on how you read the text) and female personification has historically been applied to the Jewish God. All of this aside, Rabbi Jill Hammer has done a lot of theological work focusing on the Divine Feminine in Judaism. She even worked to make a highly female inclusive siddur (which seems to be permanently out of print). She runs this website which has, for instance, an article on the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine of the Godhead which is the kind of thing that’d probably fit just as easily on a website on Wicca. She’s also written, like, a Jewish wheel of the year book (which I bought and, regardless of how one feels about the book as a whole, is a nice assortment of references to midrash). In a similar theme, I’ve also read On the Wings of Shekhinah: Rediscovering Judaism’s Divine Feminine by Rabbi Leah Novick, but I didn’t really like it.
You might also want to look into The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism. I own it, but haven’t really looked through it. I’ve seen some other people cite it though. So I can’t really give my own opinion of it other than mention its existence.
Wait, also also, just occurred to me, you might want to look into the creation of Matzevot and Bethel as seen primarily in Genesis. They’re akin to altars anointed with oil where the Divine is asked to be present. The best book I know of academically touching on the subject is Benjamin Sommer’s Bodies of God (which is a book I somehow manage to tie into just about everything I ever write on Reddit). Glancing around to see if I could find anything else on this theme, I came across this text
(I don’t know how relevant or interesting it is since I hadn’t read it, I’m reading it now)(Finished reading. I’d certainly recommend it as an interesting text. Not much about Metzevot. Instead a whole lot on early Medieval Jewish magic involving oil. There are a good handful of these divination rituals translated. The rituals primarily involve using oil and a reflective surface [predominantly a fingernail, but also mentioned is oil on water, iron, mirror, liver, glass cups, and resin] to commune with spiritual Princes.).Probably should have also mentioned Ancient Jewish Magic: A History by Gideon Bohak which makes reference to Trachtenberg's work, but aims to be more expansive and make use of later scholarship to advance the neglected study of Jewish magical traditions.
As a person who converted through the Reform movement, I highly suggest that you take a holistic approach to your initial study of Judaism. Getting a better idea of where other movements are coming from will not only give you a better grounding in Judaism as a whole, but it will foster understanding between movements and also put you in a better position to decide which movement works best for you.
Personally, even though I converted Reform, I don't actually identify strongly as a Reform Jew, because it's a bit too free form for me (in particular, I became very frustrated when the response to any question I had about observance essentially boiled down to 'do whatever makes you feel good'). That said, like you, I don't identify completely with the theology or some of the practices of Orthodoxy (separation of men and women being one of them), so I wouldn't make a good Orthodox Jew even though I'm more observant than, oh, 90% of Reform Jews.
Take the advice of other people in this thread and try out several different synagogues and Jewish events in your area, if possible. And read a lot on Judaism from different perspectives. Even if you strongly identify with the Reform movement (which is totally fine--I am not knocking the movement, it just isn't 100% for me), it will still be helpful to understand other levels of observance.
Some books I suggest you check out:
Particularly because you mentioned that you are a feminist, I thought you might also be interested in:
Welcome to the path of Jewish study. If you ever have any other specific questions about converting Reform or need support in your studies or your journey, please feel free to PM me any time.
She loosely follows Shintō.
Edit: I do not practice Shintō but did like this book on it: https://www.amazon.com/Essence-Shinto-Japans-Spiritual-Heart/dp/1568364377/ref=nodl_
>I'm interested in further pursuing knowledge of Buddhism.
This best way is to start meditation. Along with following a teacher's advice, you can just start practicing on your own. [Here's a book] (https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Mind-Dzogchen-Instructions-Jungne/dp/1559394498/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487877931&sr=8-1&keywords=the%20nature%20of%20mind) that can help you with meditation. [Here's another one] (https://www.amazon.com/Stages-Meditation-Dalai-Lama/dp/1559391979) that also deals with loving-kindness meditations.
The Tibetan book of the dead is actually advanced practice. So many people read it because of the mystique, but that's a little silly. I'm not saying you can't make a karmic connection by reading certain texts but still, I would advise getting into something more suitable for a beginner.
The God Debates: A 21st Century Guide for Atheists and Believers
http://www.amazon.com/God-Debates-Atheists-Believers-Everyone/dp/1444336428
Actually, this is a great book for both of you.
---------------------------------------------
If he's hard into philosophy:
The Miracle of Theism: Arguments For and Against the Existence of God by J. L. Mackie
http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Theism-Arguments-Against-Existence/dp/019824682X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1302906893&sr=1-4Mackie
The Impossibility of God / The Improbablity of God by Micheal Martin (and others)
http://www.amazon.com/Impossibility-God-Michael-Martin/dp/1591021200/ref=pd_sim_b_25
http://www.amazon.com/Improbability-God-Michael-Martin/dp/1591023815/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b
The Six Ways of Atheism: New Logical Disproofs of the Existence of God
http://www.amazon.com/Six-Ways-Atheism-Disproofs-Existence/dp/0954395662/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302907259&sr=1-1
---------------------------------------------
I believe that, if we ignore the fact that it's computationally infeasible, the optimal epistemological stance regarding how one knows what one knows is based on universal induction and described here. (Disclaimer -- I read some of Hutter's other work on the same topic. I believe this to be more accessible to philosophers than his others, but I didn't read all of this one.)
It would be a mistake to have a different story about how to determine whether God exists vs. how to determine how many fingers I have. The procedure for seeking religious truth should not differ from the procedure for seeking truth in other domains.
But none of this is relevant. Controversy about religion only happens because the religious people are ignoring the facts plainly in front of their eyes. Any philosophical theory of knowledge that was intended to lead to true beliefs and does not have religion built into it will either conclude that religion is not true or you'll want to ignore it because it will have a ton of other ridiculous conclusions.
The most glaring fact that is inconsistent with religious beliefs is the existence of multiple world religions, no one of which is believed by the majority of people in the world. This is covered by Loftus. If you're committed to one religion or another, we have to look at the provenance of its scripture. The Bible includes books known to be forged such as Timothy 1 & 2, for example.
Edit: Mentioned both books of Timothy, included citations.
Sure:
YHWH seems to believe in a literal 6 day creation.
YHWH seems to think he lives in the sky right above the earth.
YHWH seems to believe there is an ocean above the firmament and a ocean under the earth. This fits the ancient near eastern cosmology. There's plenty to say on this topic alone.
YHWH often is completely wrong about the future.
YHWH seems to think Noah, Daniel, and Job were all historical figures.
YHWH seems to think thoughts come from heart and emotions from our kidneys.
(Argument 3 from this thesis and the author's chapter in The End Of Christianity list many more).
"Someone" would be John Loftus in his book, The Outsider Test for Faith: How to Know Which Religion Is True.
Which would be a good one for OP to read!
Edit: in fact, such a good recommendation I'm gonna put it at the top level so OP sees it.
Well there was a discussion like this one a while ago so i'll just copy my reply due to being at workplace :)
Anyway
There is the book filled with rituals : Shinto Norito, A book of prayers. I think this book is essential for you spiritual development, it helped me a lot with my practice
https://www.amazon.com/Shinto-Norito-Ann-Llewellyn-Evans/dp/1553691385
For your general culture and more in depth talk:
The Essence of Shinto by Motohisa Yamakage
https://www.amazon.com/Essence-Shinto-Japans-Spiritual-Heart/dp/1568364377
Kami No Michi The Life And Thought Of A Shinto Priest by Guji Yukitaka Yamamoto
https://www.amazon.com/KAMI-NO-MICHI-Thought-Shinto/dp/B000HEHP5W
There is also a facebook group which I enjoy:a lot of nice people and also the Priest and Sensei Mr. Koichi Barrish at Tsubaki Grand Shrine America(he will help you with anything you have to ask/every request) Here you can also find valuable resources in the document section.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TsubakiShintoShrine/?refid=13&ref=bookmarks&__tn__=R
If you have any other request , feel free to ask me anything :)
"Why Science Does Not Disprove God"
What a shit title for a book.
And as an interesting twist, I typed the title into amazon to check it out and amazon suggested I also read: God: The Failed Hypothesis: How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist
> https://www.amazon.com/Lifetimes-When-Jesus-Buddha-Other/dp/1401923151/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1523666138&sr=1-2&keywords=jesus+and+buddha
>
> https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Buddha-Parallel-Sayings-Seastone/dp/1569751692/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1523666138&sr=1-1&keywords=jesus+and+buddha
>
> https://www.amazon.com/Living-Buddha-Christ-20th-Anniversary/dp/159448239X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1523666138&sr=1-3&keywords=jesus+and+buddha
One Buddhist philosopher who spent considerable effort examining the concept of rebirth was Dharmakirti. You might want to take a look at some of these papers:
Another general book looking at rebirth from a Buddhist perspective is Rebirth and the Western Buddhist (Dan Martin).
Looking at Ian Stevenson's work is a good idea. You may also want to read Old Souls: Scientific Search for Proof of Past Lives by Tom Shroder, a journalist who accompanied Stevenson during some of his field research.
For a history of the Tibetan tulku recognition practices, check out Incarnation: The History and Mysticism of the Tulku Tradition of Tibet by Tulku Thondup.
Yes, there are people who have seen Jesus in a past life.
I recommend you this book from an author that claims exactly that https://www.amazon.com/Lifetimes-When-Jesus-Buddha-Other/dp/1401923151
Buddhism and ACIM are very compatible. Not sure from your post where the split comes from. My understanding is that one of the main differences is that ACIM refers (or should I say defers) to God. Buddhism does not.
I really enjoyed: The Lifetimes When Jesus and Buddha Knew Each Other: A History of Mighty Companions https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401923151/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_nGrRCb8HK373F
Super enjoyable and informative read, if interested.
I highly recommend getting Cleary's Classics of Buddhism and Zen: Volume 1 instead.
It is very expansive and contains material from a large number of Ch'an Masters, in addition to containing Foyan's Instant Zen.
The Psychedelic Experience by Timothy Leary and Ram Dass
http://www.holybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/Timothy-Leary-The-Psychedelic-Experience-The-Tibetan-Book-Of-The-Dead.pdf
About Consciousness:
I AM THAT by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
https://www.amazon.com/I-Am-That-Nisargadatta-Maharaj/dp/0893860468
Be as You Are By Ramana Maharshi
https://www.amazon.com/Be-As-You-Are-Teachings/dp/0140190627/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1526748482&sr=1-1&keywords=be+as+you+are
The Way of The Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman
https://www.amazon.com/Way-Peaceful-Warrior-Changes-Lives/dp/1932073205/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1526748504&sr=1-4&keywords=the+way+of+the+peaceful+warrior
"Atheism: The Case Against God". George H. Smith.
IIRC, first published about 1973 or so, I didn't read it until about 1985. Still in print (or at least copies still available). Check out the 'new copies' for the paperback. Some are only about $8 or so.
https://www.amazon.com/Atheism-Case-Against-Skeptics-Bookshelf/dp/1633881970
There is a book by Tulku Thondup that discusses death, rebirth, and the rituals surrounding them called Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth. Like most of the people here he mainly uses Dewachen/Sukhavati practices as the examples in his book. I haven't read the whole book yet, and I haven't gotten to the chapters (or the appendices in the back of the book) on rituals yet, but it looks very in depth. From what I have read, I think the book is well worth the read. After reading it I may try to read The Bardo Thodol again, because I feel like this book is giving me the basis to actually understand The Bardo Thodol on any level.
Anyways, it is a great resource, and it gives the best description of dying, bardo and rebirth that I've ever read. If the beginning chapters are representative at all of the rest of the book, then I think the chapters on rituals will be fantastic. Of course, you would probably need empowerments to practice most if not all of them.
> I'm not a Vajrayanist, so this may be inaccurate.
It's complicated, because there effectively different kinds of tulkus. The word tulku itself is the Tibetan translation of Nirmanakaya. Now, some tulkus are meant to be exactly that - Nirmanakaya emanations. Other tulkus are very high-level bodhisattvas who are actually reincarnating, but in a skillful way. And then, there are tulkus who are basically just ordinary beings but who received a blessing as some lama thought they have good potential to teach and spread Dharma in this life.
Here is an excerpt from Tulku Thondup's book Incarnation, which explains the different kinds of tulkus.
Tales of the Hasidim by Martin Buber https://www.amazon.com/dp/0805209956
Not sure where the above wording is from - seems to not be verbatim from book... I saved it into my Evernote a few years ago.
I'd strongly recommend reading Why Evolution Is True by evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne. It's an outstandingly clear and well-written overview--probably the single best book I've read on the topic of evolution (and also consistently one of the best selling).
As far as atheist reading, the best book I've seen is Atheism: The Case Against God by George H. Smith (here's a 5-star review from a Christian who read it). It might be worthwhile to read Dawkins' The God Delusion simply because it's so prominent right now, but personally I didn't find it either well-organized or well-argued.
Hope that helps.
Also good is this though some may object if they don't like Buber.
If you take Buddhism or Hinduism and strip away the religion and philosophy, this is what you are left with. A lot of people call it Nonduality (not two). These practices (Self Inquiry) are what lead to the mystical experience of oneness.
I stumbled onto it by accident and it has changed my life.
I would recommend reading the works of Ramana Maharishi.
Be As You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi (Compass) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0140190627/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_vW5bAbACHAJ81
Just so you know, the nondual experience is not magical or supernatural and doesn’t make you special... (I say this because a lot of people get carried away with the whole enlightenment thing and become insufferable assholes who believe they are the new messiah who will save the world.)
What happens is the sense of a separate individual self that sticks out from everything else fades away and disappears. You know how it feels like there is a bubble and in that bubble is “me” and outside that bubble is “everything else”? That bubble of “me” fades away and disappears.
What’s left could be described as the universe is experiencing itself, and the universe absolutely loves itself. There is no longer an “I” present to feel special or insignificant. There is just stillness and simple being. Happiness is natural and inherent... and then you get up in the morning, brush your teeth and go to work and pay your bills... life just goes on in stillness.
Strange that it's missing this classic:
Atheism: The Case Against God
The very explicit signs and relics left behind in different forms of Buddhism were very eye opening to me. At first I thought it might just be faith-promoting myths or stories or something, but just how explicit they are, and the high standards of evidence Buddhists use in authenticating these things convinced me otherwise. Pure Landers knowing ahead of time the exact moment of death was a big one. Other things like lights/colors in the sky (purple is a big one in PL) or flowers spontaneously falling were very interesting.
The most interesting and perhaps convincing cases I've read were in Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth (which has some overlap between Pure Land and Tibetan Buddhism) which contains a lot of cases of people dying, heading to the Pure Lands, and then coming back. Very much like NDEs (near death experiences) except that these people are dead for much longer (for 7 days for example) and the standards for determining that someone has died are very high. There can't be breathing, and the body has to be cold (except for usually at the heart, which is a sign of good rebirth). Really, the standards are as good as in the Western medical tradition from what I can tell, and that was very eye opening for me. And yet, these people don't experience rigamortis and they come back after 5, 7 or more days and tell about their experiences, which are very vivid and extremely consistent.
Then there are the cases in Tibetan Buddhism of masters disolving into light, bodies shrinking, leaving relics behind in cremation etc. I have a small amount of crystals from the Buddha's tooth relic from Sri Lanka (if my memory serves me well), which my teachers gave me. It is very precious, and it is a great addition to my shrine. I definitely feel like it adds depth to my prostrations. It may actually be from another site than Sri Lanka, I'm not sure. But the tooth constantly produces crystals which are then given to people to take home as relics.
Edit: It took me a minute to find this, but here is an inspiring documentary of a Pure Land monk who knew the time of his death beforehand and was also quite remarkable for several other reasons.
Edit 2: Here is an example of a master in my own lineage who had experiences of the kind mentioned in Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth, as well as visiting the Pure Lands while meditating. I feel like I've found a more detailed version online before, but I'm not finding it right now. She was dead for three weeks before she came back.
Your question is very valid but also potentially incendiary. Get your hands on a copy of Rebbe's Army. https://www.amazon.com/Rebbes-Army-Inside-World-Chabad-Lubavitch/dp/0805211381
There is a detailed description of the process of the death of a female Buddha - Yeshe Tsogyal. You can read it in her life description called Sky Dancer.
Another reference can be found in Milarepa's life description - the great enlightened yogi of Tibet.
Yo I think I know a book that maybe will help!
Here: "http://www.amazon.com/Essence-Shinto-Japans-Spiritual-Heart/dp/1568364377/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1453875725&sr=8-2&keywords=shinto". It's called "The Essence of Shinto: Japan's Spiritual Heart." It goes way deep into the philosophy of Shinto. I too noticed many similarities between Taoism and Shinto, in particular a reverence for Nature and naturalness as well as a belief in a single spiritual force or power (like Ch'i) that variously manifests as all the phenomena in the universe. There's also a surprisingly similar emphasis on meditation. I would totally check it out if I were you! Also, there's another book you may be interested in! It's called "Original Tao" and it's a modern translation and commentary of an ancient Taoist text (possibly pre-Lao Tzu) which deals heavily with both the concepts of Tao and Ch'i (and their unity, as both can be seen as the basis of all phenomena). I say this because, for me, Ch'i bridges the concepts of God/Spirit and Tao. Ch'i is related to consciousness, the afterlife and vitality, like Spirit, but like the Tao it is the basis of all existence. As someone interested in comparison religions, you may find that useful.
Here's the amazon link: "http://www.amazon.com/Original-Tao-Foundations-Mysticism-Translations/dp/0231115652"
Good luck on your spiritual studies!!
"Peaceful Death, Joyful Birth" by Tulku Thondup is really good. It talks about life, death, bardo, rebirth. There are very clear descriptions of everything that goes on in the process. It also has accounts of "delogs," people who came back from the dead and told their stories of the dying process and some stories in the bardo. It's really neat and I highly recommend it. http://www.amazon.com/Peaceful-Death-Joyful-Rebirth-Meditations/dp/1590303857/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345605191&sr=8-1&keywords=peaceful+death+joyful+rebirth
There's also the "Tibetan Book of the Dead." It's called "Bardo Thodol" in Tibetan, which can be translated as "Liberation Through Hearing." I've never actually read it, but it should be another good source of information. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardo_Thodol
>Then what about famous lay masters who married and had children? Note that by "enlightened" I don't necessarily mean full Buddhahood.
It's possible to have an orgasm without attachment and with the view of emptiness. An enlightened being could have children because of the benefit they would bring.
Also, it's possible to not completely have perfected a view of emptiness (the difference between a Bodhisattva on the Bhumis and a Buddha). Someone could be practicing this path and make the occasional mistake which could result in children. If you read Sky Dancer: The Secret Life and Songs of Lady Yeshe Tsogyel (an absolutely fantastic book), when she is practicing with Guru Rinpoche she occasionally succumbs to bliss. Obviously she eventually gets past that as her attainment was immense.
At any rate, it's not like the path is immediately perfected. People aren't perfect until they're Buddhas.
https://www.amazon.com/Walking-God-through-Pain-Suffering/dp/1594634408
This gave me solid answers to that question.
>Me: So God makes good things happen to good people? But why do good things happen to bad people and vice versa? And if you're good, God will make good things happen?
You don't do this. Question 1 was good. Question 2 forced him to defend his position. Use questions to make him describe things, not to argue a point.
If nothing else, there's always books. Huston Smith writes wonderfully about religions of all types, and gets at what drives the practitioners. Also this book or this book are a bit more focused on the topic at hand.
I don't know the answer to your question, but I can recommend an interesting book. Tulku Thondup Rinpoche lists seven types of tulkus in his book Incarnation: The History and Mysticism of the Tulku Tradition of Tibet. They are:
Supposedly, all doubts are gone when you become a stream enterer: "Doubt about the Buddha, his teaching (Dharma), and his community (Sangha) is eradicated because the sotāpanna personally experiences the true nature of reality through insight, and this insight confirms the accuracy of the Buddha’s teaching."
Until then, don't be too quick in dismissing a teaching, just put it on a shelf and revisit it now and then, when a growth in your practice and experience will help you see it from a different perspective. You can also ask questions and hopefully the doubt can be removed.
---
"We actually need intelligent doubt and skepticism; they protect us against mistaken views and propaganda. A healthy dose of doubt and skepticism will lead us to precise and clear questions. Doubt only becomes negative when it continues on and on, never finding its end. If we never get beyond our uncertainty to a sense of understanding, then we can start to feel a little crazy or paranoid. Doubt that leads us to authentic knowledge and confidence turns out to be wisdom in the end." - Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche https://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Buddha-Guide-Revolution-Mind/dp/1590309294
Hi there,
> I'm going to take your advice and get off the weed over the course of the next few weeks.
Great!
> It's good timing too, since my smoking buddy is quitting for upcoming drug tests and I'll have to quit halfway through April for the same reasons if I want to get a summer job (college student)
This is one of those synchronicities that you learn to pay attention to (heed the whispers). You're getting the hint from several sides that it's the right time to back away, in gratitude (gratitude makes the transition easier). Glad you're listening to the whispers. :)
> I'll just try to enjoy my last few sessions and do something other than stare at the ceiling while listening to trippy music. Maybe go for a walk or something, since the weather is getting nice. :D
Physical activity is good regardless, and certainly good if you're heading out of a Tamasic situation. Enjoy being outside. :) And when you eventually come back inside, if you end up doing something non-physical, you can still do an activity that engages the heart more than the head. Or in a pinch, if you just gotta stare at something, watch a movie that's emotionally inspiring, e.g. Dead Poet's Society. Carpe Diem! :D
With regards to the rest of your post: I have read it all, a couple times actually, just to make sure I was clear. And the crux of it to me is in these next few quotes:
> But if we are to suppose that the Gnostic perspective is valid and that transcendence (or gnosis) lies in the direction of the mind, might the only direction to go be deeper? It's scary as hell, but part of me feels like there must be a light at the end of the tunnel.
Yes there is light, but not that way. That's your head talking, and it will take you down into that blackness further and further until you see the world as nothing but cold and dead. The light isn't at the end of the tunnel; the tunnel is one-way, and the light is back at the beginning.
You are looking for Gnosis, for transcendence. If that's your goal, then turn around and head back to the root, down the path of subjectivity, until you understand.
Here's why: you are looking to know but you don't yet understand the nature of the knower. You can only transcend if you intuitively understand who you actually are in relation to the universe you're trying to know. Going deeper into Tamas will never get you there, as its principles are darkness and ignorance. You are right that there is a light that shines in Tamas, yes... but it's the light that helps you turn around and get out of it! :D
If it's knowledge you're concerned about, understand that knowledge is temporal but wisdom is not, and wisdom will spawn knowledge as necessary for each situation as it happens. And so if it's wisdom you're actually looking for, that's exactly what you get as you work your way down the tree: every branch you take downward and every bit of transient attachment and identity that you surrender, is matched by a flood of wisdom to take its place. Guaranteed! Then by the time you reach the root, you'll have the awareness you were looking for all along.
> I've spent my entire life in my head. It's come to define who I am, and I admit, I am scared to step out of it.
This "it's come to define who I am" is what I mean by surrendering identity.
I know it's hard, believe me. Before going down this road my Meyer's-Briggs type was strong INTJ, and I still work as an engineer even now. So I can relate to being a rational, logical, objective thinker. This is not an easy transition to make... but it's the right one.
Now that said, once you've committed to heading back to the root of the tree (aka Union, which is the real meaning of the word Yoga), you have a number of intertwining techniques to get you there. Given your focus on the knowledge/wisdom angle of things, you may be interested in Jnana Yoga as a place to start. This is using your head still, but focusing it the right way, back towards the subjective root and the truth of your own Self. Or to quote Ramana Maharishi:
"The experience of the Self is sometimes called jnana or knowledge. This term should not be taken to mean that there is a person who has knowledge of the Self, because in the state of Self-awareness there is no localized knower and there is nothing that is separate from the Self that can be known. True knowledge, or jnana, is not an object of experience, nor is it an understanding of a state which is different and apart from the subjective knower; it is a direct and knowing awareness of the one reality in which subjects and objects have ceased to exist. One who is established in this state is known as a jnani."
From my reading of what you've said so far, that quote might resonate with you. If so, you may wish to check out Be as You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharishi. It's one of the best intros to Jnana Yoga that I've ever encountered, and it might be right up your alley.
> AND as a side thought totally separate from the Hindu and Gnostic perspectives on this, could "being in my head" so much be part of the reason why the fact that I exist in a physical way seems to disconcerting to me?
Yes! Absolutely! This is part of self-acceptance, and is something that will make more sense as you work your way back to the root. Because believe it not, you chose this form for yourself. Not only that, you chose why the physical world works the way that it does. You chose why the force of gravity behaves this way. You chose why light and heat and vibration and quantum mechanics work the way they do. You chose all of this, deliberately. But in order to understand all that and understand Why you did all of this, you have to engage in the path of subjectivity so you can learn more about... You! Not the 'universe', not the 'other'... you! You did this! And you get to learn why you did this. Isn't that awesome?
You just gotta have the willingness to come down the tree again, and trust that it'll be okay. The rest will take care of itself.
Check out that Ramana Maharishi book! I believe it'll be right up your alley. :D Namaste.
This book, by Martin Buber. I have a few others but this one is my favorite.
I am pretty sure that Buber's presentation of Hasidic Judaism is pretty different from the religious beliefs of the Hasidim that live today, but I am not certain about that.
The Rebbe's Army-- "This remarkable ethnographic profile goes behind the scenes of Lubavitcher Judaism to explore how the movement's enthusiastic young emissaries, or schlihim, carry the Rebbe's message throughout the world (Publisher's Weekly)."
There are quite a few accounts. There is a comprehensive list on wikipedia, and a list with more information but fewer entries in the Jewish Encyclopedia. Some Jewish sects — especially Hasidic ones — believe that there is a potential Messiah in every generation (this is Chabad's view, for example).
Bar Kokhba (- 135 CE), the leader of a large revolt against the Romans, was believed by Rabbi Akiva and many others to be the Messiah.
The most infamous Messiah claimant was Sabbatai Zevi (1626 - 1676), who was forced to convert to Islam by the Ottoman Sultan.
Most recently, the Lubavicher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson was regarded by many of his followers as the Messiah until his death in 1994. A small sect still continues to believe that he was the Messiah and predicts his return. If you want to learn more about him and his movement, I recommend reading The Rebbe's Army by Sue Fishkoff.
I just saw below that you said you are converting reform. In that case, you might like Choosing a Jewish Life by Anita Diamant. It's more geared towards Reform, but I do warn whenever I recommend it that it kind of disparages the other movements of Judaism a little bit. I wouldn't recommend it unless you're 100% totally set on reform conversion. Otherwise, I think Becoming a Jew is more balanced (although talks a lot about observances that are most common in Orthodox and Conservative Judaism) in that regard.
I think converts should read works from all across the Jewish perspective. Especially the "very different sort."
How else is anyone supposed to know what they believe if they don't know or understand what they don't? It's not an informed decision if you're not informed.
On that note...
Exploring Judaism: A Reconstructionist Persepctive.
Choosing a Jewish Life (liberal, leaning Reform)
To Pray as a Jew (Orthodox)
OP: Go wild. Read across the spectrum. Read things you agree with and things you don't. Read stuff you don't understand yet. Ask questions about what you read. Read, read, read!
Good work!
Also, if you're interested in some deep exposures of the effects of Christianity upon humanity, you might want to check out:
https://www.amazon.com/Christianity-Not-Great-Faith-Fails/dp/1616149566
I just bought the book, and reading the book's foreword blew me away. Can't wait to get further into it!
Also:
https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Delusion-Why-Faith-Fails/dp/1616141689
https://www.amazon.com/End-Christianity-John-W-Loftus/dp/1616144130
Well this isn't really something suitable for a reddit post, more a full book or thesis.
However the short version is that, for religions frequently discussed here such as Christianity, their concept of God is incompatible with the reality we find ourselves in, and therefore does not exist (at least, barring hard solipsism).
If you want the long version, I highly recommend God: The Failed Hypothesis except for the physics heavy section near the end, it's a pretty easy read, covers most of the commonly dismissed arguments that show up in this sub, as well as why many people believe for good reason, that a particular kind of God can't exist.
Even if you think I'm full of shit, it should be a great read since every time you see a post like this in the future you'll know exactly what people are referring to (the basis of the arguments presented here, not this specific book).
The audiobook version is pretty solid too.
My favorite book on this is: God, the failed Hypothesis
Stenger tries to prove a god scientifically. Since the hypothesis fails and can be replicated through peer review, gods do not exist.
I like this approach because it takes the evidence that is presented for a god and puts it up to scientific rigor.
Classic of Buddhism and Zen
I'm a big fan of George Smith.
I'm sorry to hear about your problem with your GF.
(Technically, you could have posted this to /r/atheism. You're not really debating anything.)
Unfortunately, there's not a brief resource that debunks Christianity. Usually they are full length books. There are several written by biblical scholars, former pastors, etc.:
In my personal experience there's no fixed formula for a de-conversion. It's highly personal and highly emotional. Maybe if she read a book like one of these, even if she's not convinced by them, she'd perhaps understand that it is possible for people, even pastors, to doubt Christianity, and that this doesn't make them bad people.
Perhaps needless to say, I've ordered the book. I've read The Christian Delusion and enjoyed it lots, so I'm much looking forward to this one.
>The point is that macro evolution predicts a way to disprove it
No, it doesn't. One particular iteration of evolutionary theory has some wags proposing an idiosyncratic discovery that they'd regard as a refutation of it. Pointing out that they could, and likely would, save the damn theory by throwing out the example, explaining it away, or reformulating the theory isn't an irrelevant tangent - it's central.
At the same time, I pointed out that the 'rabbit in the wrong layer' canard absolutely pivots on microevolution and macroevolution being meaningfully distinct claims. To deny this, you have to argue that a rabbit in the wrong stratum would mean that Lenski's experiments are all irrelevant and things -can't- be evolving in the same. It's absurd, but it's where you have to be to maintain your position. Kicking up dust won't change that.
> Until shortly we thought that all life gains complexity as it evolves. This turns out to not be the case.
That is hardly some recent discovery.
> The fossil record doesn't show an anomaly, let alone a plethora of out of place fossils. Let me say this again: scientists care about fame and money. Proving the truth gives them that.
And THIS is absolutely inane. No, it doesn't. Sometimes telling the truth screws them over, or harms their agenda. You may as well be a communist politburo member insisting that if Lysenkoism is false, Stalin would be the first to admit it, because their state thrives on scientific principles. Nice line - it is bogus, and I've already given links documenting just how often scientists play fast and loose with data for one reason or another, how rarely they check another's work.
Must I do more? Fine: by your logic, scientists like these shouldn't exist. Why, they should be committed. What kind of crazy scientist would ever commit fraud? Apparently fame or advancing an agenda can't be a motivating factor.
'Proving the truth' doesn't give scientists money. 'Being thought of as providing the truth', does. But guess what? Good liars and fibbers in general can achieve that. Shall I provide you another example? Have at it. Show me the legion of scientists who showed up to debunk that book and expose it as a rotten misrepresentation of science.
You can't. You can, however, show me it being listed on the NCSE recommended reading list.
I'm only touching the surface when it comes to your errors here, but let me put some icing on this cake: I accept common descent, evolutionary theory, an old earth, the big bang, and I have since I was a child. I reject YEC, always have, and used to be quite the bastard to YECs. But I finally realized just how rotten both the arguments and the methods 'learned Christians' used on those skeptics across the board. You are demonstrating some of them.
Let me ask you this: Why? Why are you doing this? Why do you make it an important personal mission to attack and denigrate Creationists? Do you think it helps? Do you think the atheists will respect you? Don't you think, perhaps, they deserve a more sympathetic hearing? Or perhaps that this wild-eyed insistence on pounding them is something you've mistakenly taken up as a noble cause?
Why God does not exist:
http://www.amazon.com/Non-Existence-God-Nicholas-Everitt/dp/0415301076
http://www.amazon.com/God-Failed-Hypothesis-Science-Shows/dp/1591026520/
http://www.amazon.com/Impossibility-God-Michael-Martin/dp/1591021200/
http://www.amazon.com/Improbability-God-Michael-Martin/dp/1591023815/
http://www.thesixwaysofatheism.com/
Epicurus's argument is not bulletproof. It ignores the possibility of evil having some vital or necessary purpose which outweighs other considerations. Modern arguments from evil are probabilistic for this reason. They generally assault the idea that no suffering is gratuitous, or that given an all/extremely powerful being, better choices were available. In doing so, they argue that a powerful benevolent being almost certainly would have made choices in actualizing a world that is not like ours.
See The Improbability of God for some recent arguments from evil.
The "who am I?" exercise is not meant to be done as asking yourself the question, it is meant to be done as a meditative internal inquiry requiring no mental thought. Specifically, feeling your way to your source. For more on that read "Be as you are"
http://www.amazon.com/Be-You-Are-Teachings-Maharshi/dp/0140190627
I have not progressed further than the above, but Leigh did release a book on how to progress to the others this year. It's called Right Concentration.
Actually, testing your faith as an outsider is necessary for being able to determine its objective truth and hardly "a waste." For instance, suppose you were raised as a Catholic, baptized as an infant. Ask yourself, how do other reasonable people first become believers, or insiders, if from the outside they can't understand Christianity? Which comes first, faith or understanding? If, as a nonbelieving outsider, someone cannot understand the Christian faith, then how does God expect them to reasonably come to faith in the first place? How do you get from being an outsider to being an insider as a rational, thinking, skeptical adult? If you were raised Catholic from childhood then you know that as children we had not yet developed critical thinking faculties to question what our parents told us. We didn't know any better. Isn't it unfair to bring up a child in that environment? How many Catholic parents have adequately questioned their own faith and investigated its truth content before raising their children Catholic?
How many Catholics would accept Catholicism if it were forced upon them when they were 18 years old? Wouldn't we have asked some questions about what our parents told us? If someone came along and tried presenting you a brand new religious paradigm, for example, Scientology or Mormonism, at your age you would, as an outsider, take a critical, skeptical stance against accepting those views. At some point along the line, as we become adults, we need to critically examine what we were taught as children. Doubt and skepticism are learned virtues and as we learn to question, we become thinking adults. But strangely most people don't seem to question their religious faiths which seem too obvious and have become too ingrained in us, usually because they are a part of the culture we live in. Not only that, your faith has ingrained in you a fear of Hell if you deviate from it (of course there is no evidence for the existence of heaven or hell, either), although if you do deviate from it, you can always return later.
Given the abundance of religions around the globe, the probability that the one you happened to have been brought up in is true is highly unlikely. Basically all religions teach that they are the one true religion. At best, only one can be true, as you pointed out earlier. At worst, they are all false. The only rational way to test one's culturally adopted religious faith is from the perspective of an outsider, a nonbeliever, with the same level of reasonable skepticism that a believer already uses when examining the other religious faiths he or she rejects. If you can do that and show how Catholicism is still objectively true, then Catholicism is the one true religion, and all nonbelievers could rationally convert. The problem is that there is just no evidence to support its truth. Again, Richard Carrier's Proving History and its companion On the Historicity of Jesus are the most comprehensive scholarly treatments on the existence of Jesus. Carrier has done a lot of scholarship on the early history of the church and the facts do not hold up the way that the Catholic church would make you think they do. Not to mention that "God's true church" has been involved in some nasty terrible acts throughout history and held some embarrassingly mistaken views about reality, and it is not the paragon of moral virtue that an institution with divine inspiration would exhibit. I would challenge you to question your faith as an outsider. Read those books by Richard Carrier, for instance. Read The Outsider Test For Faith by John Loftus and question your faith as an outsider would. And if you still hold to Catholicism as the one true religion, then you have not lost anything. But if you are convinced by reasonable, skeptical arguments that Catholicism is mistaken at bare minimum or at most totally false, then you have gained a truer perspective on reality.
"God Is Disappointed In You" by Mark Russell (Author), Shannon Wheeler (Illustrator)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D4DOKKG/
Right Concentration is an easy recommendation. Here's more of Leigh's content here.
Stages of Meditation, translated and with commentary by the Dalai Lama.
This book is basically what turned me into a long time meditator, and also helped me pick up on meditation pretty quickly.
The stages of Meditation was originally a Buddhist text by a meditation teacher named Kamalashila, and has been adopted into the Tibetan Buddhist school of thought as one of those pretty-damn-important reads.
It's worth noting that it's a difficult read, since it's infused with a lot of Philosophy, as well as meditation instruction. Nevertheless, I found it to be very engaging.
The original text was originally broken up into a beginner, intermediate and advanced text. The english translation is the intermediate text. I don't think the beginner or the advanced text have been translated. That being said, I found it helpful to read each chapter twice before moving on to the next one.
http://www.amazon.com/Stages-Meditation-Dalai-Lama/dp/1559391979
It can be useful to come in contact with words and letters especially when they "point" to consciousness beyond words and letters, without desires, aversions, and delusions. If words were altogether useless, those masters would have said nothing on the subject. It seems that many of the old masters did just that a lot of the time (said nothing). The words are the opening gambit, it's all changing experience.
[God is Disappointed in You] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D4DOKKG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1) is pretty close!
Keller wrote a pretty well structured, comprehensive book on suffering.
It's a good book that I'd encourage any Christian to have in their library as I've referred back to it from time to time.
Yes, it serves as fuel for practice. If that were its only benefit, it would still be extremely useful.
> Moved by compassion, Bodhisattvas take the vow to liberate all sentient beings. Then by overcoming their self-centered outlook they engage eagerly and continuously in the very difficult practices of accumulating merit and insight. -- from Kamalashila's Bhavanakrama, as found in HH Dalai Lama's commentary on that work titled Stages of Meditation.
Though you've probably heard lines like that before, you've now had a direct experiential taste, and can see for yourself how compassion functions as a powerful motivating force on one's practice.
This is awesome. What group am I in as I tout anarchy, deep in the woods, as I grow cannabis, rejecting all politics, from all angles? Hmmm?
Is it the old ''they don't swallow the zombie trance pablum I do, so they must be for Trump!''
Hilarious.
You: ''we can go years carrying the weight of the world on our backs''
Me: Your whole philosophy is based around personal ownership, and linguistics seriously designed for you to constantly self doubt.
''Weight of the world''?
''I exaggerate about my burden, in MY world, which is MY life, and MY back carries the planet.''
Jeez dude. You are doing some hard line spiritual materialist self bamboozling. This is helpful advice:
2 books.
https://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Spiritual-Materialism-Shambhala-Classics/dp/1570629579
And
https://www.amazon.com/Be-You-Are-Teachings-Maharshi/dp/0140190627/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1494341846&sr=1-1&keywords=teaching+sri+ramana
You will hopefully throw off the ''ownership paradigm'' that has infected you from the NEW Age cult.
This is the largest cult around, over a hundred years old, and very very affiliated with the UN:
https://www.lucistrust.org/world_goodwill/key_concepts/education_in_the_new_age1
GO to a Lucis trust library and look around.
Attend a meeting. https://www.google.com/search?q=arcane+school+conference
Examine cults and ''ownership based'' pseudo spiritual teachings.
Avoid them. Maybe the ''weight of the world on your back'' will show itself to be an illusion of your own making,as you stop greedily trying to create things for your personal ownership. Problems are also something you can decide you own as a possession. New Age cults feed on that.
Other ''ownership'' cults are the Course in Miracles, Eckencar, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Tibetan Buddhism.https://www.google.com/search?q=arcane+school+conference Examine closely for when cults trick you into thinking you own something.
Just be. Chill out and stop trying to have things.
Be and do. Pretty simple.
''Don't get caught up'', ''Dont get carried away'',
If the Buddha meets you on the road..................
EDIT: Please let me know what group you thought I was in? I am fascinated.
Anyone can read my 8 years of comments to actually see that I am a lone anarchist,
who prefers spiritual teaching over cultish New Age programming.
I shit on scripture.
Spirits, deities,....these things do not exist except as metaphores of aspects of self or your own innate buddhahood. They are just flavors of you. please, do not be so literal with literary or cultural constructs!
As for the application..
I think you have found yourself in a thought trap. Seeing the trap ties into the application, so down the rabbit hole!:
it all comes down to your experience of your happiness [both as your personal definition as well as the one alluded to experiencing by casting off the transient leaving the truth].
How much are you in the place you are now versus your idea of now from 5 or 10 years ago? or 20? probably quite different, and more so the further back you go.
Your life has been amazingly convoluted. So many unexpected things! opportunities you went for or didnt go for & loves gained and lost. Entire anticipated personal histories have been destroyed and created again and again!
But only tenuously can you look into the future and say "these are the moments I will treasure, where I will feel complete/happy/accomplished!" BECAUSE you have not experienced your future (nor built it).
You cannot know because you are not there and have not traveled there, and half the time you get there you will realize it wasnt what you wanted anyway. But you can put blinders up that will make your life a series of destinations while missing out entirely on the journey quite easily. I would also argue that many of us do.
And that is largely the trap people of western cultures (myself included) fall into when encountering something solely experiential like Buddhism. the teachings can be profound sounding but to experience this happiness you have to let it take you someplace new thats right in front of you and around you.
and this is what Buddhism, no matter the flavor, does. it brings you to now. to experience every moment of your life with awareness and contentment knowing it wont last, but while you are here...why not create wonder?
you will never live the reality of "if only I knew then what I do now".
you will realize that this is the time of our lives. Where all our future health and happiness is created...
and you will realize that it can be only you.
And you will be in the midst of all of your problems and suffering and learn to dance.
and the best part? PLEASE, PLEASE do not take my word for it. Experience it. repeat it. Experience it. Not the crazy statues or necessarily going to temple. your life from practicing the meditation or chanting.
Notice that flavor even the dull moments have? What no longer bothers you? It is just a beginning to something even more wonderful that you have created. Yourself.
I hope you found some of this useful. here is is great book to get you started free of culturalisms. please join us!