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I don't know exactly how I would define them, what the "ascended" means, or if there needs to be a supernatural explanation...but I know people who have overcome a lot of the normal struggles that we all struggle with. They are freer. Their eyes are filled with compassion. They have a certain presence. They show me what is possible, and point me in the right direction.
Again, what is the evidence? The quaint and beautiful paintings in Buddhist temples that I love? Not good enough for me.
I agree. I meant that the description of ascended masters sounded very like Boddhisatvas. Or the other way around Aside from whether they are real or not.
If I may add, I once asked the three monks at my Colorado temple if they expected to reach enlightenment in this lifetime. They all said no.
The question you posed to them seems impossible based on my meager information of Buddhist philosophy. I was under the understanding that you first had to remove any desire, clinging, striving for enlightenment in order to achieve it. It can't be some sort of goal or endpoint. Am I mistaken?
I agree. I meant that the description of ascended masters sounded very like Boddhisatvas. Or the other way around Aside from whether they are real or not.
The question you posed to them seems impossible based on my meager information of Buddhist philosophy. I was under the understanding that you first had to remove any desire, clinging, striving for enlightenment in order to achieve it. It can't be some sort of goal or endpoint. Am I mistaken?
They were saying that they did not feel they would successfully "remove any desire, clinging, striving for enlightenment" in this lifetime.
First I am not trying to cause trouble just I dunno about all this Ascended Masters and Enlightenment stuff. If people say someone is enlightened... ok, guess they know better than me (?) For me, its enough to live this life, warts and all. What I really think is that these are all myths -- that doesn't mean I think they have no meaning. But I think they are set up to give us something to strive for and to add to our story... the story of who we are... the human story. Personally I have no desire to be a Buddha, a Mary, a Jesus, a whoever whatever. I'm happy living a normal life. I don't want to channel these Beings. I can enjoy their myths, maybe get a little takeaway from them. There is talk of ascending to some fifth dimension. I ain't doing that. At best I think there is an Aquarian Age on the horizon, a time when a lot of this stuff that divides people disappears but it will happen here. My two cents and is probably not worth anything.
Always a little disappointing and sad when someone need concern themselves with anyone thinking they are "trying to cause trouble" simply because they are expressing their opinion, even if more than once, but I see I'm not the only one who has been victim of people who have low tolerance for alternative opinion and/or who want to mother hen these threads to death, as if their own.
For crayola out loud! Be adults and be NOT afraid. Be not intimidated or bullied by others who seem to think they are Ascended Masters of this forum when all too often they prove themselves simply controlling and intolerant of what they don't like to hear and/or can't understand. This is a social forum, we have anonymous names, at ease already, "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."
All to say coffee (and Tzap), here's to promoting MORE in the way of comment in this thread as hoped by the OP rather than the other way around, whether anyone likes the additional comments or not. My version of "enlightenment" in this forum for today anyway...
each person responding, in their response, can clarify what for them is an ascended master.
as part of the question, do you recognize they walked the planet, and for what purpose.
add to that what they consider to be an ascended master.
i went back and added that to the opening post.
I have no problem understanding what you mean by "ascended master," and/or I can always do my best to make my understanding clear as I too respond to your request about this...
I am quite confident that there have been many people who have impressed many other people into believing they are something more than mere mortals, just like everyone else. However, we also all know that all mortals are not equal in terms of many human traits not evenly or fairly distributed. Even the look of someone can conjure impressions of someone or something very unique, transcending, hypnotic, just for starters. Then we have people who "rise above" in all manner of other ways, entirely impressive, with some to the point of attracting followers. Today these people are more likely to be musicians, movie stars, renowned public figures, Popes, Dalai Lamas, magicians, but we don't as a rule anymore tend to believe anyone is an "ascended master."
Much like all the rest we humans used to mistakenly believe back in the day, we have simply come to know better now. We certainly don't have as many people walking on water these days or performing miracles in the town square anyway. Instead of praying for rain anymore, more people are praying global warming isn't a real thing. Though we still have a long way to go in many respects with still a majority of people who continue to insist on all manner of fiction and nonsense for another wide variety of reasons all their own, still, we continue to make progress in these regards, now too with science in the mix to help us along unlike not too long ago in our recent history.
I have no problem understanding what you mean by "ascended master," and/or I can always do my best to make my understanding clear as I too respond to your request about this...
I am quite confident that there have been many people who have impressed many other people into believing they are something more than mere mortals, just like everyone else. However, we also all know that all mortals are not equal in terms of many human traits not evenly or fairly distributed. Even the look of someone can conjure impressions of someone or something very unique, transcending, hypnotic, just for starters. Then we have people who "rise above" in all manner of other ways, entirely impressive, with some to the point of attracting followers. Today these people are more likely to be musicians, movie stars, renowned public figures, Popes, Dalai Lamas, magicians, but we don't as a rule anymore tend to believe anyone is an "ascended master."
Much like all the rest we humans used to mistakenly believe back in the day, we have simply come to know better now. We certainly don't have as many people walking on water these days or performing miracles in the town square anyway. Instead of praying for rain anymore, more people are praying global warming isn't a real thing. Though we still have a long way to go in many respects with still a majority of people who continue to insist on all manner of fiction and nonsense for another wide variety of reasons all their own, still, we continue to make progress in these regards, now too with science in the mix to help us along unlike not too long ago in our recent history.
If I may add, I once asked the three monks at my Colorado temple if they expected to reach enlightenment in this lifetime.
They all said no.
That's pretty funny, cuz now they certainly won't !
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