Mental diarrhea

J J, modified 9 Years ago at 5/18/14 5:25 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 5/18/14 5:25 PM

Mental diarrhea

Posts: 225 Join Date: 3/31/14 Recent Posts
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!
J J, modified 9 Years ago at 5/18/14 5:50 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 5/18/14 5:50 PM

RE: Mental diarrhea

Posts: 225 Join Date: 3/31/14 Recent Posts
For the record, even though I've read plenty of Buddhism and practiced it (sort of). I consider myself a Christian!
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Zyndo Zyhion, modified 9 Years ago at 5/19/14 10:28 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 5/19/14 10:28 PM

RE: Mental diarrhea

Posts: 168 Join Date: 8/6/10 Recent Posts
Read 'the attention Revolution' by Alan Wallace. its about Jhana.

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