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My belief is that there is a fundamental Intelligence that is evolving. It is this Intelligence that spirals and compresses itself in order to create things and learn from its creations. It permeates everything. In physics it would be referred to as quanta. And while the Intelligence itself can be thought of as an ocean that is curling into itself, each wave can be thought of as an individual, transcendental life that creates and learns for itself. Everything is connected yet each individual (wave) still creates and learns for itself.
I would say that I fundamentally derive my thoughts from Daoism but also blend in ideas from Itzhak Bentov, Henri Bergson, and Louis de Broglie. Of course, my ideas are always evolving.
My belief is that there is a fundamental Intelligence that is evolving.
It is this Intelligence that spirals and compresses itself in order to create things and learn from its creations.
It permeates everything.
In physics it would be referred to as quanta.
And while the Intelligence itself can be thought of as an ocean that is curling into itself, each wave can be thought of as an individual, transcendental life that creates and learns for itself.
Everything is connected yet each individual (wave) still creates and learns for itself.
Excellent, WELL SAID! Totally relate, rich.
Nature of my spirituality?
Direct, up-close and personal, intimate experience of the Divine... the Magnificent, Brilliant
Divine Intelligence.
We are?
What do you mean exactly, never heard anyone say that.
Thanks
Chicago? I was there last week briefly.
What I am experiencing every moment in my life is the Learning and Creative capacity of my own Intelligence. That is what I am. As one famous philosopher once said "I think therefore I am". Quite literally it is so. What we are is our memories (Learning) plus " that which is creating". Bergson called it the Elan Vital (Creative Intelligence).
If the entire universe is God, then you are part of the universe, so are you God? I don't think so, and neither do you think so, I hope.
I wouldn't put it quite that way. I'd say that I am a part of god just as much as god is a part of me. If god is the ocean, I am but a drop in that ocean.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoCardinals
So the questions are,
What's the purpose of your life ?
What are you doing on this earth?
Where you came from and where are you going from here?
I believe the purpose of life is twofold - first of all, to strive constantly to understand yourself, to know who you are, to fully comprehend who and what the unique individual that you are actually is, and why you are that individual. To know yourself, to see yourself not as others see you or as you would like to see yourself, but as you truly are - and, to use this self- awareness to constantly strive to grow and evolve into the best possible "you" you can be. And concurrently, as you gain this self-awareness and achieve this growth, to love others - unconditionally - and, through your unconditional love, to support them, to help them learn and understand who they really are and why, and through your love and support and the example that you set with your life, to help them become the best possible "them" they can be.
It is my belief that that is the universal purpose of human life; it is my conviction that that is the purpose of my life. And thus, that is what I am doing on this earth.
Now. Where did I come from, and where am I going? That becomes a little more tricky.
I'm really not sure. I don't believe that I'm capable of comprehending the answers to those questions, but if my spiritual beliefs are correct, I believe that at some point in my existence I will evolve to a point where I am capable of that. And that will be a truly wonderful day.
I'm a Buddhist pantheist; I believe that the entire universe is god, and I live my life according to a belief system that is quite close to Tendai Buddhism. I believe that everything and everyone in the universe is connected on levels that are almost always too deep for us to consciously perceive, but that we occasionally catch an echo or a shadow of these connections. I believe that these "echoes" - what we often consider to be supernatural or paranormal phenomena - are actually perfectly natural occurrences that are incomprehensible to us because we simply do not yet understand the science behind them. I believe that the consciousness of each individual life form is a facet of a larger, overarching universal consciousness, and that when we die, our consciousness not only continues on, but is assimilated more completely into that universal consciousness.
Edited to add: I guess another way of putting it is that I consider the entire universe to be a conscious, living entity, sentient and evolving every day.
And yes, it has certainly changed considerably over the years from my childhood as an Episcopalian.
Quote:
Originally Posted by richrf
My belief is that there is a fundamental Intelligence that is evolving. It is this Intelligence that spirals and compresses itself in order to create things and learn from its creations. It permeates everything. In physics it would be referred to as quanta. And while the Intelligence itself can be thought of as an ocean that is curling into itself, each wave can be thought of as an individual, transcendental life that creates and learns for itself. Everything is connected yet each individual (wave) still creates and learns for itself.
I would say that I fundamentally derive my thoughts from Daoism but also blend in ideas from Itzhak Bentov, Henri Bergson, and Louis de Broglie. Of course, my ideas are always evolving.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bulmabriefs144
I'm a Christian pantheist. I believe in a personal God, which is simultaneously an impersonal universe. Or seems that way. Truth be told, I've watched commercials that seemed to be telling me stuff. These weren't the public service ones either, they were stuff where to most people they'd say a throwaway line (slogan), but given my background, it made perfect sense. That is, I believe God is part of every grain of sand you play with as a kid. And everyone who talks to you is either God speaking to you or God testing you.
GoCardinal, it's more like being part of God's body. Suppose there's a guy named Jerry. Jerry has skin cells, but you generally don't think of the skin as Jerry. Likewise, all of us are like God, but in other ways not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoCardinals
Interesting.
If the entire universe is God, then you are part of the universe, so are you God? I don't think so, and neither do you think so, I hope.
So the questions are,
What's the purpose of your life ?
What are you doing on this earth?
Where you came from and where are you going from here?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Albert_The_Crocodile
I wouldn't put it quite that way. I'd say that I am a part of god just as much as god is a part of me. If god is the ocean, I am but a drop in that ocean.
I believe the purpose of life is twofold - first of all, to strive constantly to understand yourself, to know who you are, to fully comprehend who and what the unique individual that you are actually is, and why you are that individual. To know yourself, to see yourself not as others see you or as you would like to see yourself, but as you truly are - and, to use this self- awareness to constantly strive to grow and evolve into the best possible "you" you can be. And concurrently, as you gain this self-awareness and achieve this growth, to love others - unconditionally - and, through your unconditional love, to support them, to help them learn and understand who they really are and why, and through your love and support and the example that you set with your life, to help them become the best possible "them" they can be.
It is my belief that that is the universal purpose of human life; it is my conviction that that is the purpose of my life. And thus, that is what I am doing on this earth.
Now. Where did I come from, and where am I going? That becomes a little more tricky.
I'm really not sure. I don't believe that I'm capable of comprehending the answers to those questions, but if my spiritual beliefs are correct, I believe that at some point in my existence I will evolve to a point where I am capable of that. And that will be a truly wonderful day.
I resonate with all these excellent explanations, except for GoCardinals who seems to retain a separateness from God of the mainstream churches. I lke Albert's answers to GoCardinal's questions. As I have said previously, I was raised Catholic, but never believed any of it. I was an atheist who practiced Martial Arts and Theravada Buddhism much like Albert, until my epiphany in deep meditation, when my atheism was completely eliminated. My efforts to explain the existence of God to my intellect has led me to panENtheism. I see our reality as our living God who, therefore, is growing and reproducing. It is consciousness that represents the transcendence of God because the laws of our reality do not constrain imagination within consciousness. I associate the unconditional loving and accepting consciousness I encounter in deep meditation with the Christ described in the Christian narrative. We are "cells" supposed to reproduce God's consciousness, specifically in the Spirit of agape love.
Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Albert_The_Crocodile
I'm a Buddhist pantheist; I believe that the entire universe is god, and I live my life according to a belief system that is quite close to Tendai Buddhism. I believe that everything and everyone in the universe is connected on levels that are almost always too deep for us to consciously perceive, but that we occasionally catch an echo or a shadow of these connections. I believe that these "echoes" - what we often consider to be supernatural or paranormal phenomena - are actually perfectly natural occurrences that are incomprehensible to us because we simply do not yet understand the science behind them. I believe that the consciousness of each individual life form is a facet of a larger, overarching universal consciousness, and that when we die, our consciousness not only continues on, but is assimilated more completely into that universal consciousness.
Edited to add: I guess another way of putting it is that I consider the entire universe to be a conscious, living entity, sentient and evolving every day.
And yes, it has certainly changed considerably over the years from my childhood as an Episcopalian.
Interesting perspective and not dissimilar to mine. I thought I was one of the few.
I have been a Pagan for almost 20 years now. I don't have a set path though. I have always found the Celtic Druids to be the most intriguing. They believe that women had the right to vote & hold office. They also believed in capitol punishment. They were seekers of knowledge first & foremost. I believe that the universe is alive & expanding constantly. That death & rebirth is a part of life/nature. That ALL life is precious. I believe that Magick & science go hand in hand. While I believe in many Gods I choose only to worship one who I connect with the most. I believe that ALL living things have a soul & are intelligent. That they have a spark of conscious if you will.
Last edited by reed067; 09-23-2015 at 07:01 AM..
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