What/Who Is God?

RJM

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There are many paths up the mountain. All lead to the summit.

I like this quote by Sri Ramakrishna...

Ramakrishna-9624.jpg
I love Ramakrishna.
Here is the Gospel of Ramakrishna pdf:
https://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/gospel/gospel.htm
 

Thomas

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Some paths are dead ends.
There are so many aphorisms I question – all paths lead to the summit; the teacher appears when the student is ready, etc., etc. All suspect ...
 

stranger

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Taking that from Advaita Hinduism and Buddhism? Absolute reality and the perceived reality! :)

Ffffft! No, just taking if from you, Aup. I don't have to study that stuff, others do it for me. God forbid that I should force an issue with carnal study and squiggly line writing (self, ego effort). Choose rather the path of actionless action. In this way we study only what is essential and consign the rest to the cloud of forgetting. What test are we cramming for? Rather, pass the test without frenzied and fruitless "doing". Just go with the flow of the spirit, or if one believes in nothing else, follow the heart. It could produce unexpected but good results.
 

stranger

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For me, the most economical one. Minimalist, you see. :D

Aup, you echo my thoughts.

Laphroaig is the best Islay scotch money can buy, but the key word here is "money". :(

With that in mind, we turn to other spirits which are more affordable.
 

RJM

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I mostly drink beer or baccardi and coke, lol. Laphroaig is quite a medium priced single malt scotch. It is the smokiest, they say.
 
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Thomas

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Lahroaig is the Marmite of whiskies, if you know Marmite (you either love it, or hate it).
 

juantoo3

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There are so many aphorisms I question – all paths lead to the summit; the teacher appears when the student is ready, etc., etc. All suspect ...
Beyond leading myself, it is not my place to judge.

Perhaps some paths are dead ends, but the climb towards that which we intuitively understand is the thing. I don't believe I get more than one chance, but if we are indeed allowed to return to further our effort, then even the experience of a wasted climb could inform the next path.

None of us is perfect, only in climbing at all can we attempt perfection.
 

wil

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There are many paths up the mountain. All lead to the summit.

I like this quote by Sri Ramakrishna...

Ramakrishna-9624.jpg
I don't...like it.

First I don't believe they are all true, I believe they all have value, and all strive to make man better himself.

Second line I will buy.

Next line is the classic my belief is better than your belief...but I will give you a sideways insult.
 

stranger

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Well, to each his/her own. Many continue to try to solve heart problems with the head, but it will always fall short, alas. The best I can do is to fly above the fray, with eagle eye on all that lies below, on laughter's silver wings.
 

stranger

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I mostly drink beer or baccardi and coke, lol. Laphroaig is quite a medium priced single malt scotch. It is the smokiest, they say.

I stand corrected. This clarifies a lot of things for me. However, in our present distress it is clear that money talks a lot and would have everything else walk. It has it's shortcomings in the long run but for now: "Money is the root of all evil."
 

RJM

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Solomon chose wisdom over wealth, and was rewarded with the greatest wisdom and wealth. No way to judge. We only know each other by what we write here?
 

stranger

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Solomon chose wisdom over wealth, and was rewarded with the greatest wisdom and wealth. No way to judge. We only know each other by what we write here?

Well, no, not exactly. The energies shared through writing are at different levels. You have common posters such as myself, then you have moderators, asministrators, and list owners, who discuss things behind the scenes on a different level. Then you have those who have actually met one another in person.

For example, when I used to peruse the old files I think I read that Juan and Wil had attended a wedding together irl? If they did it irl, then I would tend to think others have also? I could be wrong however.
 

RJM

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Has anything you've written been censored or edited or removed?
 

stranger

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Has anything you've written been censored or edited or removed?

Only a couple of times that I remember. However, my memory is not what it used to be. But this is beside the point.

Hierarchies are quite normal in our present distress, IMO. It's the way of the world. Anarchists, even Christian anarchists like Jacques Ellul sought a better way, but to me it's like they are beating their heads against the wall. Ellul saw this and knew that hierarchies in our present world are in constant flux. The ruling class of today is the oppressed of tomorrow, and vice versa.

He recommended the rather puzzling solution of switching partners in the middle of the dance, to wit: the anarchist must be prepared to denounce any ruling class that has become oppressive, and always side with the oppressed. So the individual anarchist maintains inner balance in this way. Seems a bit complicated and energy wasting to me as I had rather soar above the fray, but the idea is to restore not only inner balance, but outward.

Now, no ruling class wants to be openly evil. Even if that class is oppressive, it must maintain at least a veneer of magnanimity in order to stay in power. When those being ruled begin to feel like they are being used too much, the fire of revolution is kindled and it eventually takes down the whole power structure... only to replace it with another structure, subject to the same temptations. Hence the endless cycling of balance. It is sad to me, but it would seem these are the cards we must play.

Surely there is a better way. A return to higher values would seem to be in order, but I have no idea how that would happen. What is the individual denizen of a kingdom or queendom to do? I'm not sure... however: Knowing nothing, having nothing, seeing nothing, I yet stumble forward.
 
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