I used to be spiritual and got used to spelling it with a K.
I realized it was all bullshit. I thought I knew sacred knowledge and that the spells weren’t working because I wasn’t good enough…
I realized I’d never be good enough and that the guy who was teaching me magic was using it as an excuse to get high (he claimed we were doing sacred rituals that increases our magic power… we were fucking drinking DXM)
Wow, totally not where I was expecting that response to go. Super cool, you basically had the pagan version of a christian to non-christian realization. Wild!
I tried Buddhism for awhile only to realize that’s bullshit too.
Don’t believe the people who are all “Oh it’s just atheism but you meditate.”
Now there’s a rich theology with ghosts and heaven realms…
Meditation straight up doesn’t work as anything other than a breathing exercise. I saw no visions
Thought I remembered a past life but I’m pretty sure I made it up because I saw it from a third person perspective. I “remembered” being a Latina prostitute who sold drugs at an arcade
Ironically, that’s a super Buddhist statement. The idea that you would go do a Buddhist meditation with the expectation of gaining something from it is antithetical to what Buddhism is about. I’m not a Buddhist, I don’t meditate, but I remember going to a session with my significant other and a bunch of people were like, “how many sessions of this do I have to do before I start getting the effects (depression getting better, anger issues, etc).” They completely missed the point that the whole thing is about self-reflection, or as you said, a breathing exercise.
If you’re a mindful and competent person then you probably aren’t gaining much from guided meditation. If you’re struggling with some stuff then taking 30 min of dedicated time to work through it is probably a good thing. If you’re a certain type of Neurodivergent and have trouble focusing, then it’s probably something you could do every day.
More importantly, if you’re a 3rd century AD monk who has a ton of time on their hands, it’s probably not a bad way to spend your time (other spiritual/religious groups would do the same praying)
Enlightenment is just realizing truths that go against assumptions that get programmed into us by the way we are raised into society. Meditation, I think, is a way to think neutrally about things, which can make it easier to realize those truths, because we can have a lot of emotional attachment to the untruths they replace.
I don’t really meditate myself (hence the “I think”) though psychedelics might have helped prime me for several enlightenments (it’s not just one thing). Enlightenment doesn’t really solve any life problems but make it way easier to navigate life emotionally by adjusting expectations and entitlements.
I suspect the mysticism added on to Buddhism was intended to address the existential dread about the certainty of death (the reincarnation stuff) as well as try to temper those that realize nothing is really stopping them from doing whatever the fuck they want to others if they either have the power for it or don’t care about what happens to themselves afterwards (the karma stuff).
Personally, I separate the mysticism from the philosophy, where I consider the latter very useful for living a happy or at least content life and the former fun to think about, probably wishful thinking, but no real way to know unless there is something after death.
My experience from taking the MBSR was that the match of meditation techniques to practitioner was wildly idiosyncratic.
I think the best thing about that class is that it just exposes you to a dozen or so different styles, and hopefully you like one or two.
My experience with the body scan is that it is best done guided, at least for the first few years, because you need to be walked through your blind spots.
Now if only we could stop ex-christians from flocking to the nearest pagan/eastern religion and just live the life they have to the fullest just for themselves we’d really be onto something as a species.
Your brain is an electro-chemical machine, it gives of waves and electromagnetic signature. That’s your soul. Upon death if we captures that signature and held it in a containment field (like soul in a can) you could then disgard it because its useless.
I don’t hate on people wanting to believe in something, but people need to stop believing in scams in general. If you wanna believe in Jesus Christ, that’s fine, just don’t think you’re obligated to give your money to a church that says it’s helping the poor when 90% of donations go to keeping the building and pastor in good condition. The fucking gall of a pastor driving a Lexus and having a boat while even a single member of the church is poor is a fucking spit in the face.
No it’s not okay to believe in Jesus Christ. He didn’t die for your sins, the earliest writings about him are from decades after his death. There were never 500 witnesses only the claim of 500 witnesses.
We need to be focused only on things that are actually true. Lies like religion are what lead to America becoming the failed Christofascist state it is.
A Christian Mindset is nothing but delusion and delusion should not be condoned or encouraged.
I used to be spiritual and got used to spelling it with a K.
I realized it was all bullshit. I thought I knew sacred knowledge and that the spells weren’t working because I wasn’t good enough…
I realized I’d never be good enough and that the guy who was teaching me magic was using it as an excuse to get high (he claimed we were doing sacred rituals that increases our magic power… we were fucking drinking DXM)
This comment could be written in any human language, but with local specific drugs, as far back as humans existed lmao
“Unga said spell make daughter heal. Me know bullshit. Unga just use excuse to eat mushrooms with me.”
Also I’m not making fun of you it’s just this is human spirituality and has been with us as long as we’ve had mind altering substances
Wow, totally not where I was expecting that response to go. Super cool, you basically had the pagan version of a christian to non-christian realization. Wild!
I tried Buddhism for awhile only to realize that’s bullshit too.
Don’t believe the people who are all “Oh it’s just atheism but you meditate.”
Now there’s a rich theology with ghosts and heaven realms…
Meditation straight up doesn’t work as anything other than a breathing exercise. I saw no visions
Thought I remembered a past life but I’m pretty sure I made it up because I saw it from a third person perspective. I “remembered” being a Latina prostitute who sold drugs at an arcade
Ironically, that’s a super Buddhist statement. The idea that you would go do a Buddhist meditation with the expectation of gaining something from it is antithetical to what Buddhism is about. I’m not a Buddhist, I don’t meditate, but I remember going to a session with my significant other and a bunch of people were like, “how many sessions of this do I have to do before I start getting the effects (depression getting better, anger issues, etc).” They completely missed the point that the whole thing is about self-reflection, or as you said, a breathing exercise.
If you’re a mindful and competent person then you probably aren’t gaining much from guided meditation. If you’re struggling with some stuff then taking 30 min of dedicated time to work through it is probably a good thing. If you’re a certain type of Neurodivergent and have trouble focusing, then it’s probably something you could do every day.
More importantly, if you’re a 3rd century AD monk who has a ton of time on their hands, it’s probably not a bad way to spend your time (other spiritual/religious groups would do the same praying)
Enlightenment is just realizing truths that go against assumptions that get programmed into us by the way we are raised into society. Meditation, I think, is a way to think neutrally about things, which can make it easier to realize those truths, because we can have a lot of emotional attachment to the untruths they replace.
I don’t really meditate myself (hence the “I think”) though psychedelics might have helped prime me for several enlightenments (it’s not just one thing). Enlightenment doesn’t really solve any life problems but make it way easier to navigate life emotionally by adjusting expectations and entitlements.
I suspect the mysticism added on to Buddhism was intended to address the existential dread about the certainty of death (the reincarnation stuff) as well as try to temper those that realize nothing is really stopping them from doing whatever the fuck they want to others if they either have the power for it or don’t care about what happens to themselves afterwards (the karma stuff).
Personally, I separate the mysticism from the philosophy, where I consider the latter very useful for living a happy or at least content life and the former fun to think about, probably wishful thinking, but no real way to know unless there is something after death.
My experience from taking the MBSR was that the match of meditation techniques to practitioner was wildly idiosyncratic.
I think the best thing about that class is that it just exposes you to a dozen or so different styles, and hopefully you like one or two.
My experience with the body scan is that it is best done guided, at least for the first few years, because you need to be walked through your blind spots.
Now if only we could stop ex-christians from flocking to the nearest pagan/eastern religion and just live the life they have to the fullest just for themselves we’d really be onto something as a species.
New Age Spirituality is a trap. People think they can get spiritual benefits or embrace a supernatural world if they do it the right way.
The truth is there’s no magic. You don’t have a soul, the entire concept of souls is utterly disproven by neurology.
This is the only life you have, you aren’t gonna die only to wake up in the astral plane with super powers and a spirit guide.
Just give up on faith. The whole damn thing is a trap designed by charlatans to steal your money and waste your time.
Your brain is an electro-chemical machine, it gives of waves and electromagnetic signature. That’s your soul. Upon death if we captures that signature and held it in a containment field (like soul in a can) you could then disgard it because its useless.
Preach!
I don’t hate on people wanting to believe in something, but people need to stop believing in scams in general. If you wanna believe in Jesus Christ, that’s fine, just don’t think you’re obligated to give your money to a church that says it’s helping the poor when 90% of donations go to keeping the building and pastor in good condition. The fucking gall of a pastor driving a Lexus and having a boat while even a single member of the church is poor is a fucking spit in the face.
No it’s not okay to believe in Jesus Christ. He didn’t die for your sins, the earliest writings about him are from decades after his death. There were never 500 witnesses only the claim of 500 witnesses.
We need to be focused only on things that are actually true. Lies like religion are what lead to America becoming the failed Christofascist state it is.
A Christian Mindset is nothing but delusion and delusion should not be condoned or encouraged.