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Post by seekinglight on Jan 21, 2016 17:42:51 GMT
I'm posting this to gather information from others on the best course. In your opinion, what is the best and safest way for people living a western lifestyle to come closer to enlightenment and the truth? Personally, I'm seeking an 'awakening' to higher states of reality, coupled with the cultivation of compassion and happiness. I have had some experience with awakening psychic faculties to a small degree, and strangely enough, it was through a binaural beat on YouTube that proposed to open the third eye. Generally I just started noticing more coincidences and experienced a dream so vivid it was as though it were real and I'd just left my body. But I'm not interested in psychic power exclusively. Although I do want that, I want to attain it at a safe pace, and along with it cultivate compassion and good-will towards humanity. I'm looking for something very 'right-hand path', if possible without loyalty to any sort of order. I'd rather just do my best to be a better person and come to a higher state of consciousness without the blind obedience to trivial things such as a human government.
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Post by peter2 on Jan 21, 2016 20:06:55 GMT
The eight-fold path of the Buddha is excellent with the one proviso that the concept translated as "concentration" is perhaps better considered as meditation en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_PathThe underpinnings of enlightenment are: - refined light body - transparency to Light from on high - alignment with the Intent that manifests through Life You may wish to rest your intent upon these 3. |
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Post by seekinglight on Jan 21, 2016 23:07:24 GMT
Thanks Peter, funny you've mentioned that, I've been looking into Buddhism lately  But it was probably inevitable when asking a question about enlightenment and compassion. Is following the Noble Eight-Fold Path itself sufficient to attain what I described even if I don't become an extremely dedicated Buddhist? The two reservations I have with Buddhism is that it seems to require a complete withdraw from ordinary life for dedicated practitioners, coupled with what I perceive to be a very slow rate of attainment. I do intend on researching this and putting it into practice. I think I was already doing it to some extent, by trying to catch myself when I have any sort of hostile or irrationally passionate thought, but who better to tell you exactly how it's done than the Buddha? I'm not sure if I'm trying to rush results too much, but I think it's reasonable to expect noticeable development of happiness, and insight, and psychic faculties within the time-frame of a year-year and a half. Is this far too high of an expectation? I'm definitely not saying enlightenment within that time-frame; just a noticeable difference in those areas. Edit: This just crossed my mind, isn't one of Christ's messages a simplification of the Noble Eight-Fold Path? ". . . The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these." (Words of Christ, NLT) |
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Post by peter2 on Jan 22, 2016 0:44:12 GMT
Following the eight-fold path makes you a better person regardless of your belief system.
>I think it's reasonable to expect noticeable development of happiness, and insight, and psychic faculties within the time-frame of a year-year and a half
Each person is different, usually carrying much baggage from the past. In my case, meditation worked well for about a year then it started bringing up a lot of emotional trauma. So my happiness was rather mixed.
Also meditation brought on astral clairvoyance, but after a short time that was taken away from me, almost overnight. It was another year before I started to see again, but then it was on the mental plane.
Meditate, develop constructive relationships, eat clean food, perform honest praiseworthy work, live in light and clean circumstances, intend to serve Life.
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Post by Quin on Jan 23, 2016 5:53:11 GMT
I find reading Thomas Hobbs to be enlightening. As for enlightenment I have yet to find an empirical testable definition.
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Post by peter2 on Jan 23, 2016 11:47:04 GMT
..I have yet to find an empirical testable definition. The first major step towards enlightenment is learning to control the physical desires. The second major step is controlling the emotional desires and the third major step is controlling thought processes. There are various preconditions to each of these steps. Control of the mind is necessary for the first level of enlightenment - being the level at which the personality is largely light-driven. The second level of enlightenment concerns the light of the heart and the third level concerns the will. And onwards still. As for empirical tests, they can certainly be performed by those that can control the mind, and those tests can be peer reviewed, if you can find any peers. |
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Post by Quin on Jan 24, 2016 22:00:04 GMT
..I have yet to find an empirical testable definition. The first major step towards enlightenment is learning to control the physical desires. The second major step is controlling the emotional desires and the third major step is controlling thought processes. There are various preconditions to each of these steps. Control of the mind is necessary for the first level of enlightenment - being the level at which the personality is largely light-driven. The second level of enlightenment concerns the light of the heart and the third level concerns the will. And onwards still. As for empirical tests, they can certainly be performed by those that can control the mind, and those tests can be peer reviewed, if you can find any peers. Actually you just posted your opinion, of what characteristics and attributes you think a Enlightened Person posses. I'm talking an actual empirical testable definition, that's observable, testable, measurable by reliable and valid measures, which withstand scrutiny. For example you can measure factors and traits, such as Narcissism, which can be empirically defined, observed, and measured with reliable and valid measures. As I said there no Empirical Testable Definition of "Enlightenment". |
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Post by seekinglight on Jan 24, 2016 22:19:49 GMT
Maybe not, but I don't really think that matters. What really matters is creating a change within yourself to better serve those around you, and also to make yourself happier as well. I think it might be possible to have tests you could consider empirical if you're following a certain path. For example, within Buddhism from what I understand a huge benchmark in progress is entering into a state known as jhana during meditation. There are eight total I think. If there is a way for someone far along the path to know certainly which jhana one has obtained I think you could consider that empirical.
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Post by peter2 on Jan 25, 2016 6:02:51 GMT
...you just posted your opinion,...I said there no Empirical Testable Definition of "Enlightenment". I see what you are saying. Nevertheless, even if there is not a materialistic science definition of enlightenment, there is a transcendental definition that sets standards for the purposes of entry to inner plane groups and flows. The transcendental aspects of enlightenment are observable and measurable by those that can use the "working tools" in a "moral" sense. The measurements can be subject to peer review, if you can find another brother that has found the "working tools" Ultimately however the initiate is self-made and not too concerned with materialistic definitions. |
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Post by seekinglight on Jan 25, 2016 6:21:05 GMT
lol working tools in a moral sense. I'm not too well-versed in Masonry, but I'm guessing what you're hinting at is someone that has made some psychic development and can check your progress.
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Post by peter2 on Jan 25, 2016 7:12:04 GMT
lol working tools in a moral sense. I'm not too well-versed in Masonry, but I'm guessing what you're hinting at is someone that has made some psychic development and can check your progress. Freemasonry is veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols, and example of which is the instruction to use the working tools in a moral sense. Most brethren have decided that "use" is allegorical, "working tools" is literal, and "moral sense" is literal. I have found that the opposite is true: "use" is literal, "working tools" is allegorical and "moral sense" is allegorical. With that understanding it is possible to locate the "working tools". The use of the "working tools" is an entry to spiritual science, and like any science it is based on observation, hypothesis, experiment and peer review. |
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Post by johnford on Feb 26, 2016 11:37:26 GMT
There is no safe path. If you are looking for a safe path then you will look for a system to follow in which case you will following a path to a system and not to enlightenment.
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Post by peter2 on Feb 26, 2016 19:55:18 GMT
>you will following a path to a system and not to enlightenment
So there is no spiritual science?
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Post by samcook on Aug 4, 2016 11:48:51 GMT
I guess the easiest would be if the enlightenment could be passed from father to son with his genetic code) Not so long ago I've read that the ability to see 'Aether' - the long-rumored Fifth Element - is linked to human DNA. Allegedly some mutation which happened back in 20th century enables human to see 'Aether'. You just need to have a certain gene in your genetic code. I didn't make it up, here's the link www.aethereal.info |
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Post by peter2 on Aug 4, 2016 22:43:14 GMT
> if the enlightenment could be passed from father to son with his genetic code
It rather depends what you mean by enlightenment.
If there is an actual energy connection from a higher octave into the personality then obviously the personality must be able to resonate with the higher frequencies.
Thus a human with "heavy vibes" is unlikely to do well.
As for aetheric sight, there are some humans that can see aetheric beings with their physical eyes. I suspect this sight can also occur with training e.g. with Kirlian glasses.
And in time, as the vibrational structure of the human race rises, more humans will see the aetheric beings.
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jbarr
New Member
Posts: 3 
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Post by jbarr on Aug 23, 2016 12:40:59 GMT
To me, seeking a "safe" path is to disregard the whole, which contradicts the idea of enlightenment.
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Post by peter2 on Aug 24, 2016 8:32:10 GMT
> seeking a "safe" path is to disregard the whole
Would you like to give some examples of how being safe disregards the whole?
For example, perhaps the safest path is to do nothing and wait for the rising tide that lifts the consciousness of the human race. Would doing nothing and therefore waiting for everyone be a case of disregarding the whole?
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But it was probably inevitable when asking a question about enlightenment and compassion. Is following the Noble Eight-Fold Path itself sufficient to attain what I described even if I don't become an extremely dedicated Buddhist? The two reservations I have with Buddhism is that it seems to require a complete withdraw from ordinary life for dedicated practitioners, coupled with what I perceive to be a very slow rate of attainment. I do intend on researching this and putting it into practice. I think I was already doing it to some extent, by trying to catch myself when I have any sort of hostile or irrationally passionate thought, but who better to tell you exactly how it's done than the Buddha? I'm not sure if I'm trying to rush results too much, but I think it's reasonable to expect noticeable development of happiness, and insight, and psychic faculties within the time-frame of a year-year and a half. Is this far too high of an expectation? I'm definitely not saying enlightenment within that time-frame; just a noticeable difference in those areas.
