Science has it's limitations, it can also act as a shield from the truth.
"The approach to it (Mind, Absolute, Void, Buddha Nature, Enlightenment) is called the Gateway of the Stillness beyond all Activity. If you wish to understand, know that a sudden comprehension comes when the mind has been purged of all the clutter of conceptual and discriminatory thought-activity.
Those who seek the truth by means of the intellect and learning only get further and further away from it. Not till your thoughts cease all their branching here and there, not till you abandon all thoughts of seeking for something, not till your mind is motionless as wood or stone, will you be on the right road to the Gate."
Depending on how it is conjugated in Arabic, the word can mean "to trample down and crush." But it can also mean "a bigot." ISIS has reportedly threatened to cut out the tongues of anyone it hears using the term.
"It's a derogatory term and not someting people should use even if you dislike them," said Evan Kohlmann, a national security analyst at Flashpoint and a contributor to NBC News. "It would be like referring to Germans as 'Huns.'"
I think the only way forward is for the voice of Moderate Muslims to ring out loud and clear denouncing those who use the religion to spread fear and hatred around the world...much like the guy who shouted the words, "You ain't no Muslim Bro." to the recent lone 'terrorist' attack on the London Underground.
The reason the media are using the name Daesh is because that is a derogatory term unlike Islamic State, as it could be argued they are neither Islamic or a State.
I also heard a report last week about reports coming out of Iran claiming they were considering reviewing some of the guidance taken from the Koran. They are perhaps realising that many interpretations of the Koran are too archaic and really don't fit with 21st century living.
For instance, the term Fatwa can be interpreted in different ways. There is one interpretation where when a Fatwa is issued it can be carried out in a none violent way, this was one of the terms under consideration for review. It's perhaps a small step, but it could gather some momentum. It's the misinterpretation of the Koran by the religious leaders and the guidance set down by them that's creating so many divisions in today's society and the sooner this is addressed and modified, the better...imo.
You cannot measure enlightenment by degrees, to do so would suggest you've missed the true meaning of enlightenment and the ego is still well in control.
The words superior and inferior are not part of spiritual enlightenment, and as you say, belong to the egoic and judgemental mind, they are delusions of the mind.
People respond the same to positive "training and education" regardless of their culture, especially from a young age. You mention mindset, I think the point Rob was making is it's the 'mindset' that can, and needs be changed, for the better.
"Now Jesus is just like Colonel Sanders, they're just using his picture. The difference is, Colonel Sanders was bought out, Jesus has been sold out, and so have you if your a Christian, because you've been framed, for something you didn't do."
Religion can be used to find spiritual enlightenment, but it has it's limitations. To find true enlightenment, you have to go beyond religion, and observe.
All religions are like staircases to a higher self, the staircases (religions) might be different, but they're all in the same building, leading to the same place. True religion is the religion of humanity, the stairs lead you towards true religion just as the words of Jesus (or the person who spoke those words) will.
I believe whoever spoke those words was a truly enlightened being, far beyond religion. Eastern mystics have been saying the same for centuries, true religion lies within....
"Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21) With these words, Jesus gave voice to a teaching that is universal and timeless.
bodleing2 Forum Posts (6,132)
RE: My theory
So better not to have an impure mind at the point of death Pedro..