Do you believe in God?

[WriterDom]

I worked in one part time my senior year in college. Some of the residents were absolutely fascinating people (i.e., the 94 year old former music department chairman of my college) and some were simply very sad (i.e., the 31 year old guy who'd crashed his motorcycle when not wearing a helmet; it was sad to have to feed him daily).

Yeah old people are great if they still have their minds. My grandmother was 109 years old reading a newspaper in the hall. But lots of dementia on my mother's side.

 

[Shankara20]

Shank believes! Shank believes!

1 she does exist - right?
2 she will send her panties - right?

 

[00Syd]

1 she does exist - right?
2 she will send her panties - right?

Right and right

 

[graceanne]

I was born tired. Theoretically it's a Pisces thing.

Um. Yikes. I don't really believe in the whole astrology thing.

I'm a pisces.

 

[WriterDom]

Um. Yikes. I don't really believe in the whole astrology thing.

I'm a pisces.

I don't know. I'm a cancer and it seems I hit it off with other water signs. My first sub was Pisces, my second Cancer, and the two most amazing women I've met were Scorpios.

 

[graceanne]

I don't know. I'm a cancer and it seems I hit it off with other water signs. My first sub was Pisces, my second Cancer, and the two most amazing women I've met were Scorpios.

K's a pisces, too.

Supposedly it's a bad match. That's one of the reasons I never really got into the whole 'signs' thing.

Although I've always heard Gemini's are obnoxious. My sister is a Gemini . . . coincidence? Possibly.

 

[Recidiva]

Um. Yikes. I don't really believe in the whole astrology thing.

I'm a pisces.

Yes, I don't believe in it either.

But ironically that bit's dead on.

 

[FurryFury]

I don't know. I'm a cancer and it seems I hit it off with other water signs. My first sub was Pisces, my second Cancer, and the two most amazing women I've met were Scorpios.

But wait! You've not met this Scorpio yet!

 

[graceanne]

Yes, I don't believe in it either.

But ironically that bit's dead on.

yeah, for you and me. K isn't like that. I mean he doesn't' fear death, either. But he's not tired. And he remembers enjoying life as a child.

 

[WriterDom]

But wait! You've not met this Scorpio yet!

Ah, that explains why I have naughty thoughts about you about once a day. Not an obsession mind you. Brief fleeting moments of tying you down and torturing your clit with a little paint brush.

 

[MisterSir]

I don't know. I'm a cancer and it seems I hit it off with other water signs. My first sub was Pisces, my second Cancer, and the two most amazing women I've met were Scorpios.

Interesting sidenote: I believe that, while we Cancerites are supposed to get on well with the other water signs, we're not supposed to do so well with other Cancerites.

 

[Recidiva]

yeah, for you and me. K isn't like that. I mean he doesn't' fear death, either. But he's not tired. And he remembers enjoying life as a child.

Well, fear not. I'm not a believer in Astrology and don't recommend adhering to it.

But it's cool in a Jungian archetypal way.

 

[FurryFury]

Ah, that explains why I have naughty thoughts about you about once a day. Not an obsession mind you. Brief fleeting moments of tying you down and torturing your clit with a little paint brush.

*shivers*

 

[graceanne]

Well, fear not. I'm not a believer in Astrology and don't recommend adhering to it.

But it's cool in a Jungian archetypal way.

Yeah, pretty much.

 

[WriterDom]

I'm a cock in Chinese. But you already knew I was a dickhead.

 

[Keroin]

Why don't I believe in astrology?

I'm a cancer. Supposedly I am a homebody who loves to nurture and is all fuzzy wuzzy and emotional. Oh yeah, fits me to a T.

I've only twice in my life felt as if I wished it would all end. Once when I was sixteen and my first love broke my heart in a million pieces by confessing that he had cheated on me, chronically, since we started seeing each other. And again, after a serious flu that left me in a funk for several months. (Apparently, this is a not so common side effect of some flu's).

Other than that, I wish it would go on forever! Every time I scratch something off the lifetime to-do list, I think of two more things I really must do. "Gotta lust for life" - sing it Iggy. But I'm not overly concerned about death either. It is what it is.

And, Michael Caine, I've always had a thing for him. Donald Sutherland, too. I'd describe my romantic leanings as "quirky" but then I guess that's obvious. (See: Chuck)

I like old people. My old beach shack in Mexico was in an RV park populated by retirees. Those grandpas and grandmas were so adventurous and active, they put most young people to shame. And the stories...man they had some great stories.

Rambling, rambling...

 

[WriterDom]

What sign is Chuck?

 

[eastern sun]

Yeah, it happens enough that I used to think it HAD to be reincarnation.

But I'm really starting to think that memory isn't really just inside human heads and probably is some aspect of matter itself.

I think of it more this way...if life is equated to an ocean...now the ocean's been there and held all these life forms and stories and each bit of matter in that ocean and every water molecule carries some part of the memory of the ocean.

One human life might be a wave in that ocean. Depending on a person's access to the memory of what's in that wave, you can theoretically extrapolate the history of the ocean. You can be in Bermuda but "remember" what lapping upon Iceland's shore was like because likely some of your molecules were doing that back in history.

It's not linear and it's jumbled but it's SO CLEAR. There's no use denying it, but it's not necessarily there to teach or test or anything supernatural.

That's my working theory so far, and it's continued to answer my questions and make sense of all the random weirdness that pops in and out of my head and consciousness. It explains all the chaotic weirdness that might end up being interpreted as "fate" or "karma" but is just memory, and not a memory that's even attached in a linear choice, but attached through the forms we take.

I think I'm just an accidental reader of the memory of things. I didn't develop the skill and I was just born with it. Also one of my first memories is looking at my own fist held over my little tiny head in my crib and thinking the equivalent of "Fuck. Not again." I was born tired.

There's nothing wrong with just being the wave, not being introspective of every molecule, and just being "WHEEEE!"

I'm learning how to do that, but that's a skill I have to learn and wasn't born with.

I have lots of memories of living. I have absolutely no memory of between-lives or choosing. And that's significant.

Have you heard or read about the scientific theory of "entanglements"? It posits that all particles that have ever been joined in the past continue to be affected by changes in the other particles even after they've been separated . . . or something to that effect. I've been meaning to look into it. It sounds interesting and much like the wave/water analogy you're using.

I've also heard Thich Nhat Than use the wave/water metaphor too.

 

[Keroin]

What sign is Chuck?

Penguins actually have their own brand of astrology, divided into Cetaceans, Crustaceans, Fish, Echinoderms, and Coral. Chuck's "sign" is called "Iflwibflip" in his language but translates roughly as "Sperm Whale".

 

[LilyBart]

The leap of logic in Christianity isn't that you can't be forgiven in traditional Judaism.

The old recipe was think about it, feel bad about it, be punished according to law if need be, and then pay the guy at the temple for a couple of bullocks or a goat or a dove or seven so you can make it up.

Jesus basically pared down the requirement.

Sorry if I am way behind, but I haven't been able to visit Lit in several days....

In my childhood world...this was called "Confession." So, kids don't have money, hence they sacrifice by saying 10 Hail Mary's and 10 Lord's Prayers (or whatever prayers the priests decides on) to make up for their transgressions. I haven't done a "meet the priest"confession since I was 12. But I still confess, in a way, when I screw up. I just think that I don't need an intermediary. Confession isn't always a bad thing. It was a good framework, at least, for forcing me to identify when I had done the wrong thing...serious introspection. This, I do not regret.

~LB

 

[Etoile]

Told my wife about microdermals...she thinks they sound disgusting! Guess we are back to the regular jewelry.

 

[LilyBart]

Have you heard or read about the scientific theory of "entanglements"? It posits that all particles that have ever been joined in the past continue to be affected by changes in the other particles even after they've been separated . . . or something to that effect. I've been meaning to look into it. It sounds interesting and much like the wave/water analogy you're using.

I've also heard Thich Nhat Than use the wave/water metaphor too.

I read about a physics theory recently. Quantum nonlocality...is this what you mean?

The way once two electrons are entangled, you could separate them, shoot them thousands of miles in opposite directions, and they'd stay linked. If you set one of them spinning, the other would instantly spin at the same speed in the opposite direction. They aren't talking to each other, there's no back and forth communication. The two just exist outside of regular reality, in a state where distance is meaningless, where distance just isn't.

I read this not so long ago and wrote it down. However I failed to note the source. But your post reminded me of this quote.

~LB

Just for the record...I am SO not a physicist. Really.

Just an occasional thinker. That's all.

 

[Homburg]

Since I probably won't get sky buried, I have decided that this is the second coolest option. The designs are meh, but dude, I could BE JEWELRY.

http://www*****gem.com/

If you could BE your most favorite ever thing to do wouldn't that be neat?

The gamer and fantasist in me can't help but consider this story-fodder. I first saw this site a couple of years ago and still think it's dead cool. Erm, uh, no pun intended. Anyway, I could see having a conversation with a piece of jewelry. It used to be Frank, y'know?

"Yeah, Frank old bean, bet you didn't think you'd wind up on me wankin' hand, eh?"

--

are you saying that a Bodhisattva is not a better human with more net worth this little ol' I?


bodhisattvas sorta = the Catholic notion of saints at times

I fantasize at times that Siddhartha would shutter that some have made him into a Divinity

Given the sort of things he said, yes. Buddhism, per the Buddha, is rather incompatible with Mahayana and Theravada practices. The difference between a religion and a belief system is the presence of a godhead. They wanted one, so they made him into one. Sad. Give me Ch'an or Zen any day.

--

I like the Korean zen guys, yelling at each other and hitting sticks on the floor. I like them the best - it's like Dada in art as a religion.

The Chinese started that spin, and the Japanese and Koreans ran with it. There's plenty of brilliant surrealism to Japanese zen. I suggest "The Gateless Gate", specifically Kuon Yamada's translation. It's got some good examples.

--

I know! Seeing some of the passages regarding "feeding one Boddhisatva is like feeding one million peons" is a chilling passage, for me. That one Boddhisatva is worth how many unbelievably huge number of peons.

*check author* Who wrote this?

This is Buddhism, right?

*gets up and walks out*

Mahayana, Theravada, maybe.

Very much so. It drives me to distraction. Admittedly, my exposure to buddhism was as a philosophy major. This meant a more dispassionate study, and one composed both of source and analysis. So it afforded a good cross section of the various breeds.

There was a particular layperson whose work I thought truly encapsulated the teachings. When I am back home I will try to find his name. I've got a couple of texts with his quotes and teachings.

The bodhisatva is a man, just like thee and me. No better, no worse. His only distinction is less illusions cloud his eyes.

--

I think we already are. There are certain people you're stuck with - maybe as enemies maybe as loved ones, hashing it out for all time.

Or it's just curtains and vulture poo. I'm not sure.

This quote is fantastic.

Though I will add that the two are not mutually exclusive.

--

No, I do not believe in an afterlife. I believe we rot in the ground and get eaten by worms. That said, I cling to the Rainbow Bridge story every time my pets die. So the emotional part of me likes the idea, but the rational/logical/scientific part of me says no.

That is because pets well and truly deserve a heaven. People generally don't.

--

but I have NO INTEREST in living a long time.

The problem with a long life is that you spend so very much of it as an old fart. No thanks.

 

[Recidiva]

Have you heard or read about the scientific theory of "entanglements"? It posits that all particles that have ever been joined in the past continue to be affected by changes in the other particles even after they've been separated . . . or something to that effect. I've been meaning to look into it. It sounds interesting and much like the wave/water analogy you're using.

I've also heard Thich Nhat Than use the wave/water metaphor too.

Sounds a lot like Richard Feynman, also. Particle physics is weirder than a lot of philosophy.

 

[Recidiva]

Very much so. It drives me to distraction. Admittedly, my exposure to buddhism was as a philosophy major. This meant a more dispassionate study, and one composed both of source and analysis. So it afforded a good cross section of the various breeds.

There was a particular layperson whose work I thought truly encapsulated the teachings. When I am back home I will try to find his name. I've got a couple of texts with his quotes and teachings.

The bodhisatva is a man, just like thee and me. No better, no worse. His only distinction is less illusions cloud his eyes.

The best works I've come across is Charlotte Joko Beck. I resonate with her the most of all the commentaries and dharma talks I've encountered.

"The rowboat" is my favorite of hers. Reposting because this is one of my most valued Buddhist parables that serves me greatly. Her books "Nothing Special" and "Everyday Zen" are my most given-away and read books at my fingertips.

Paraphrase:

you've been saving all your extra money for a long, long time and you've just bought yourself a brand-new boat. it's a little rowboat; shiny and clean, not a scratch on it, not a speck of dirt to mar its beautifully-painted surface, no algae, no rust on the locks, not even a grain of sand inside it. it's never been in the water. it's immaculate. pristine. you're very proud of it.

the only sound now is the almost inaudible sound of the water gently lapping at the sides of your boat, and with the thick mist surrounding you, you feel almost as though you're floating in a cloud...

the next morning, you get up before the sun and head out to your favorite lake; you can't wait to try your new rowboat. as you reach the launch and start to back the boat trailer into the water, the sun is just starting to color the sky over the eastern shore of the lake. you put your boat gently into the water, park your car, and head back to the launch. the air is perfectly still; there's not a sound except for your deck shoes crunching in the gravel and the distant call of a water bird somewhere off in the distance. you feel totally at peace. at one with nature. everything's right in your world. you smile.

the lake is covered with a thick mist that hangs just above the surface of the water; you think you've never seen anything quite so beautiful... you walk out on the dock to where your pride and joy is tethered and you step in, then reach back, untie the lines, pull in the bumpers, and push off. as you drift away from shore, the mist envelopes you, and you feel as though you could be the only person on the face of the earth. you set the oars into their locks, and you start to pull.

you fall into a rhythm, and continue to row steadily until you're well out onto the lake, then you decide to simply let the boat drift where it will and just sit back and enjoy the peace and quiet. the only sound now is the almost inaudible sound of the water gently lapping at the sides of your boat, and with the thick mist surrounding you, you feel almost as though you're floating in a cloud... you can't imagine feeling more peaceful than you do right at this moment...

when suddenly, through the mist just ahead, you see an old, weather-beaten rowboat heading straight at you! you think, "what's wrong with this idiot?! he's going to run right into me!" you can't believe this! you've only had your new boat for a few hours, and already, some inconsiderate ass is trying to wreck it on you! you shout, "hey! what the hell's wrong with you?!?! watch where you're going!!!" you're so mad! your fists are clenched, you're actually shaking with rage, and you can't wait until this jerk gets close enough to where you can reach him so you can punch him in the nose!

then you see that the other rowboat is empty. you take one of your oars and you push the old, weather-beaten derelict away from your shiny new rowboat, and it continues to drift past you without touching you at all.

in that moment, when you realized that the other rowboat was empty, what happened to your anger? where did it go?

realize that life is an empty rowboat: life is not "out to get you", it doesn't want to hurt you, or make you feel sad, or angry, or anything at all; life has no intention. it just is. if you're feeling angry, or sad, or afraid, or even if you're feeling happy, or at peace, or full of love, it's not because life is "making" you feel that way; it's because that's how you're choosing to feel about life in this moment.

it's all about choice.

your choice.