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Originally Posted by GX  Quote:
Originally Posted by xexon The soul, at least a lower portion thereof, is here to play the game. Karma is the rule here. Action has a price tag attached to it. Action based on desire. Desire based on attachment.
Karma determines where your "soul" goes after death. If you believe in seeing dead loved ones after death, thats what you will see. If you believe you've been bad, you'll burn in hell. At least for a while. When that mental bubble bursts and you regain your composure, you'll see in a very clear way for a bit. At that point you can take a rest in some very nice places if your karma has been good. If you've been naughty, you are returned to life after your time in belief hell is over. And hopefully a little wiser.
Each new life is structured according to your karmic needs.
When your car runs out of gas, when do you get out? This is when the soul is done with the body. When it no longer has a future, the next incarnation is set to begin. The old identity is no longer needed.
x | Interesting quote but I thought I should start a new thread on this because my response will change the topic. Karmic debt, negation of desire, and obligatory sexual abstinence other than for procreative purposes in order to achieve spiritual enlightenment and the concept of suffering are the 4 major flaws of eastern mysticism IMHO.
1) First of all “karmic debt”. A debt is something that must or should be repaid. You are not obligated to do anything by God, the universe or whatever you wish to call it. Karma is an innate desire to be better, to be bigger, to evolve and to grow, and to look at past events and experiences as a measure of that, not as a “debt” that needs to be repaid. Each lifetime is a joy of evolution and creation, not a race to become a master.
2) Negation of desire: Though this may be a valid path for some and possibly one eventual evolutionary step for all, it is not a “one size fits all” concept for all mankind. Each lifetime presents different opportunities for each soul. Perhaps each reincarnation isn’t necessarily about achieving spiritual mastery asap but about the enjoying the journey. This may include creation of music, art, scientific advances or whatever. Desire is the fuel of creation not something to be avoided. I really feel what the eastern masters were talking about is need and not desire.
3) Obligatory sexual abstinence – I really feel the Krishna followers got this wrong. Sexual abstinence to attain a higher level of spirituality is a choice and not a requirement.
4) Suffering – Desire and the cycle of birth and rebirth as the cause and effect of suffering may have been relevant at the time they were communicated but are not lessons to be perpetuated. Why would an evolving society wish to perpetuate the concept of suffering?
Though I find eastern mysticism highly evolved and enlightening in many respects, as with everything, it has its flaws. No religion, thought, practice or philosophy should remain constant but should evolve its thinking. Everything needs to be put under the light of personal scrutiny for the evolutionary benefit of the all.
The most highly evolved group spirituality IMHO is Native American Spirituality
Many followers of Native American spirituality, do not regard their spiritual beliefs and practices as a "religion" in the way in which many Christians do. Their beliefs and practices form a integral and seamless part of their very being. I can’t find any flaws. They believe we are all one, the earth and its resources belong to no one but everyone and are to be shared, whenever harvesting a crop or animal for food they pray to its spirit, they do not defile the earth as it provides you with life, they were not familiar with the concept of “untruth and lying”. They did not see suffering as a natural or desire and sex as something to be avoided. These are but some of many of their practices. The only possible criticism someone can level is some tribes use of psilocybin, peyote and marijuana in their spiritual ceremonies. But looking at their historical cultural practices, use of these entheogens was purely spiritual and not endemic or harmful. |
#1 Karma.
Karma is an accounting process. When you play the game on earth, you play by the rules until you can see beyond them. Each action, each desire has a karmic price tag attached to it. You're a young soul, and you've been given an open ended charge account while here. Most people are far in over their heads before they figure out how to play the game. So when realization comes, there is much work to do to pay down the debtload so that life has less friction. Because you can see better as an advanced soul, you can navigate better as well.
The rules of this world state that you can't leave the game until you are debt free. Just try.
Karma has no bias. It sees everything and keeps count of the positive and negative aspects you accumulate while here. When you learn how this process works, you can structure your life to surf it rather than get washed over by it. Once headway is made in balancing the account, life begins to take on a different flavor. Spiritual progress is more rapid. Because your attention is now focused more inwardly, worldly things begin to lose their attraction, which leads to....
#2 Negation of desire.
Desire does not die because you muscle it by belief in one thing or another, but by the simple fact that you lose interest in the things that once attracted you. You have a new fascination in your life now. A door that opens inwardly.
#3 Celibacy. Once again, it can be forced by learned behavior but achieves only an imitation of the truth. Natural celibacy occurs by the reason listed in #2. Imitation is the path of religion.
#4 Suffering. Part of the show here. It's one of your teachers. The idea is for you to move forward on the gameboard. Should you grow lazy or distracted, pain and suffering remind you of the path ahead. You have to work to exit this game.
And when you exit the checkout line at the end of it, you're going to have a pretty big smile. Because you got your money's worth.
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