Article on the powers from a secular perspective - Discussion
Imo, the perspective in this article is not 'secular'. Instead, it is 'superstition' because the writer is 'imagining' what the Buddha taught rather than knowing exactly what the Buddha taught. Since the writer has no actual real experience of psychic powers, he ideally should adopt a position of agnosticism.
An example of a secular approach to Buddhism is the subject of Dependent Origination where a secular person believes the word 'birth' ('jati') refers to 'ego birth' because they actually experience from attachment comes becoming, from becoming comes ego birth & from ego birth comes the sense of loss & despair from the aging-&-death of the object of egoism (possessiveness).
I read the article & remain unconvinced. I would prefer to consider the possibility there are supernormal mental abilities. Just as birds see better than humans & dogs smell better than humans; some minds may be able to sense the thoughts of others the same as their mind can sense their own thoughts & project their thought energy via the electrical fields of the universe, just as mobile telephone or television apparatus project energy vast distances.
An example of a secular approach to Buddhism is the subject of Dependent Origination where a secular person believes the word 'birth' ('jati') refers to 'ego birth' because they actually experience from attachment comes becoming, from becoming comes ego birth & from ego birth comes the sense of loss & despair from the aging-&-death of the object of egoism (possessiveness).
I read the article & remain unconvinced. I would prefer to consider the possibility there are supernormal mental abilities. Just as birds see better than humans & dogs smell better than humans; some minds may be able to sense the thoughts of others the same as their mind can sense their own thoughts & project their thought energy via the electrical fields of the universe, just as mobile telephone or television apparatus project energy vast distances.
Nicky:
Imo, the perspective in this article is not 'secular'. Instead, it is 'superstition' because the writer is 'imagining' what the Buddha taught rather than knowing exactly what the Buddha taught. Since the writer has no actual real experience of psychic powers, he ideally should adopt a position of agnosticism.
An example of a secular approach to Buddhism is the subject of Dependent Origination where a secular person believes the word 'birth' ('jati') refers to 'ego birth' because they actually experience from attachment comes becoming, from becoming comes ego birth & from ego birth comes the sense of loss & despair from the aging-&-death of the object of egoism (possessiveness).
I read the article & remain unconvinced. I would prefer to consider the possibility there are supernormal mental abilities. Just as birds see better than humans & dogs smell better than humans; some minds may be able to sense the thoughts of others the same as their mind can sense their own thoughts & project their thought energy via the electrical fields of the universe, just as mobile telephone or television apparatus project energy vast distances.
An example of a secular approach to Buddhism is the subject of Dependent Origination where a secular person believes the word 'birth' ('jati') refers to 'ego birth' because they actually experience from attachment comes becoming, from becoming comes ego birth & from ego birth comes the sense of loss & despair from the aging-&-death of the object of egoism (possessiveness).
I read the article & remain unconvinced. I would prefer to consider the possibility there are supernormal mental abilities. Just as birds see better than humans & dogs smell better than humans; some minds may be able to sense the thoughts of others the same as their mind can sense their own thoughts & project their thought energy via the electrical fields of the universe, just as mobile telephone or television apparatus project energy vast distances.
I am curious why you visit this side of the forum when its obvious that it isn't your practice or belief?
