Originally posted by DarfiusMy friends had no dicsease...or what ever that symbolizes
The cure is available to all, and if the child took the cure, he/she wouldn't be afraid of death at all, since it's just the mode of transportation to the field trip!
And most assuredly the doctor did not create the disease, but rather did not keep the entire world quarantined. He thought it would be inhumane.
Originally posted by chinking58
Now what exactly is the difference between having an 'evil nature' and exercising 'evil behavior'. It seems like a semantic juggling act to me.
If our nature is evil and inherent in our being, then there is no hope of ending our suffering here or in other realms, unless you believe, as you do, that the mercy of an outside agent will cleanse us of our sins. Evil behavior on the other hand stems from something that has no more reality than your dreams from last night - the notion that "I" exists as a permanent, unchanging entity. There is a huge difference. You believe that our nature is comparable to filth - I say that our nature is like that of a pearl dropped in filth - it appears filthy but by recognizing its very nature it's seen that the 'filth' is the gross ignorance of the disturbing emotions. May the seven deadly sins are comparable?
If our minds are so unblemished, how do we come to the point of 'ego-clinging'? I love that phrase by the way. It seems like the perfect modern description of what God calls rebellion. Each man doing only and exactly what he himself wants to do, as long as it's not what God would want, that is.
Excellent question. I wish I could answer that completely, and to your (and my) satisfaction. I can't. Since beginningless time we've all migrated through countless existences, not as chinking or eagles so much as the cumulative karma we've created from our actions of self-interest. There is a definite parallel between ego-clinging and what you call rebellion against God. When we do wrong (care only for ourselves/reject God) we suffer. It's infallible. The curious thing about these big questions though is that even if we knew the answer it would not end our ego-clinging, so the answer is of little use. We suffer greatly. How to end it? That's the question that we'd all love the answer to once and for all. For you, it is a life in Christ. That is wonderful. I have little doubt you are a better person for it, and as such you benefit others.
So, you're saying that if only we could just fully know that our mind's nature was good, then we could stop acting so badly? That we are caused to do wrong merely by some unreal, dreamlike misunderstanding? I'm afraid to admit it, but I don't have the capacity to take that leap of faith. There is no evidence for this theory, no sense to it, no revelation to that effect, and neither is there any hope in it for that matter. Furthermore Eags, it seems that if I were led to believe in this idea and focused my efforts on learning to trust that my nature is not evil, that then I would be following the path of deceit.
If any one of us comes to experience the nature of the human mind, we will see that the divide between me, you, anyone, is largely a mental construct. Of course we have our own lives, we are certainly not the same in the relative sense, but ultimately speaking, we are of the same essense which is goodness. As one sees more deeply in this way (experientially, not through thoughts, or dreams or wishful thinking) compassion arises as a natural result because disturbing emotions are lessened and can actually be fully eradicated. The methods to attain such insight do not require the leap of faith that your own faith does. Far from it. It can be experienced by those who take time to look inward, resting first in calm-abiding meditation and then by gaining the insight of the mind's (and all phenomena's) nature. There is 2,600 years of evidence to its truth, my friend, if only you had an affinity for such a pursuit. This is not revelation but direct experience. Personally, I am the type that must investigate and question. Incessently. Why should I take words in a book as Truth without examining it thoroughly as if I were buying gold? When I examine in this way, I find that I can't accept many, many things that are senseless to me. That leads me in a different direction, one where I trust that God's creation (little me) is actually good and through investigation and cultivation I find that my capacity for kindness and compassion increases! It's crazy! I trust a process and son-of-a-gun, through cause and effect (by reducing ego-clinging, compassion and insight strengthen) I'm finding I can change even this piece of filth I am. You could too if you choose to.
It seems the harder thing to admit is that my nature is evil. (This is also the first step in becoming a Christian: the recognizing of the need for forgiveness.) Why would I have a hard time liking to believe that I am only fooled into thinking I'm bad? The truth hurts, but when it is coupled with God's gift of redemption, it sets the spirit free!
Just 'believing' you are good is useless. If I just believe that and do not get to the bottom of how my negative emotions operate, it's sticking my head in the sand and asking for trouble. I do not advocate that. This process is about waking up, not staying asleep while evil deeds mount from belief in "I."
I do hate to see a good chess player like yourself lead down the wrong path, and wasting his time with blunderous openings, only to find out in the end that he is being pinned, forked and scewered in some dark squared corner!
I appreciate your concern. You are a credit to your faith. You feel your path is correct for you. I would not try to dissuade you from it. I just prefer working in a direction that seems much more practical. I don't believe God will cast me into hell for all eternity if I proceed in the manner of increasing my natural capacity for kindness and compassion through millenia-old methods.
Originally posted by chinking58Hit 'Reply & Quote' next time. To be selective about what you want to address, edit the bottom box on the Reply screen and cut/paste it into the top. Be sure and take off the italicized parts if you don't want the whole post in a box. Also, you can put words (or sentences or paragaphs) in bold by using 'b' and '/b' in brackets. Italicizing requires 'i' and '/i' in brackets, without the quotes..
Hey, how do you guys do that selective highlighted quoting from other posts? can someone show me that trick?
Good luck. 😉