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Mental diarrhea

Mental diarrhea
Answer
5/18/14 5:25 PM
Crap that comes out of my brain, read at your own peril.

[The following notes talk about jhana, its practical uses, its genuine nature, ethics, and charismatic phenomena associated with the range of someone in jhana.]

<Poetic experience.>

This approach to Buddhism takes an interesting stride and I was wondering what you all would think about it. I start with some comments about the states of consciousness, or trances, deep absorptions that the Buddhists access, henceforth called jhanas.

<Interesting, but practical?>

Jhana is a real phenomenon, real in the sense that it is a genuine  thing. It is, real. But it is also compounded and made. The best metaphor for this I can come up with is the clay statue. A sculpter can make a beautiful clay figurine, and fire it in a kiln.  This object would be the real deal, but it is still created. The opposite would be a plastic figurine, the plastic figurine is  also made (albeit differently), but is fake.

Jhana is distinguished by the very reality of the experience, it's  not JUST an experience, it's real. The phenomena of jhana is so real that it is not "totally" compounded. Rather the phenomenon is so real that it might as well be  solid, it is as if already existing layers of the mind are touched
and 'lit'.

The end to suffering is found in jhana, but the question is, is the  end to world suffering found in jhana? (A very Richard-esque question.)

<Ethics>

Ethics in Buddhism are most definitely a tool and not categorical imperatives, they are powerful tools, that if followed, shave large
chunks of suffering out of your life. They are not moral punishments or categorical, hard, "thou shalt nots". Rather these powerful heuristics are here to help you cut large amounts of suffering out of your life. And when the mind is clear from practicing ethics, one can enter jhana more easily.

<Charismatic phenomena>

It is difficult to understand the scope of someone who is in jhana. And this is precisely why there are so many law-bending, miraculous
phenomena associated with jhana-workers. Any authentic Buddhist religion, I maintain, is one that practices jhana.

The Buddha himself said: "Samadhi is the path, no samadhi is the bad path."

The tantric Buddhists, the Zen monks who practices jhana, and so on and so forth, are thus 'authentic'. Because they also touch the end of suffering. And consequently their charismatic phenomena that they experience, is  equally real due to their range. Their yidams, mandalas, sambhogakaya deities etc. All are real.

'Tis interesting!

RE: Mental diarrhea
Answer
5/18/14 5:50 PM as a reply to J J.
For the record, even though I've read plenty of Buddhism and practiced it (sort of). I consider myself a Christian!

RE: Mental diarrhea
Answer
5/19/14 10:28 PM as a reply to J J.
Read 'the attention Revolution' by Alan Wallace. its about Jhana.

RE: Mental diarrhea
Answer
5/20/14 3:47 AM as a reply to J J.
End of suffering is when you do not fall for illusion and stay with true nature of mind. You do not need jhanas for it. They are result of changes in mind and not their cause. Practicing jhanas is feedback look to directly work with those aspect of mind, nothing more and nothing less.

This object would be the real deal, but it is still created. The opposite would be a plastic figurine, the plastic figurine is also made (albeit differently), but is fake.

Plastic object from 3d printer is as much real deal as hard work of sculptor. Dividing material objects as good and bad is seed of ignorance which will lead you only to dukkha =)

For the record, even though I've read plenty of Buddhism and practiced it (sort of). I consider myself a Christian!

which type of Christian are you?
the ones who are already with God or the ones that are far from God and need some arbitrary reason and hence have no light of true faith?

anyhow, if you consider yourself a Christian then I can recommend:
works of st. John of the Cross
Cloud of Unknowing