Ok. So, what is my view? What is the right view? To quote(well, paraphrase...hehe) Thich Nhat Hanh, a zen master and buddhist monk, the second most famous buddhist teacher in the world, largely considered to be enlightened, "Right view is no view." And that's it. The only view you could possibly say that I have is the view of all views and no views. Any view that you can come up with is true in a way, and not true in a way. Since there is no view you could possibly have which could be completely right, you see that all views are equally true in their being not fully correct, and yet since there is no view which is correct, that in a way makes them all correct, since the only thing that is correct is that all things are not correct, and that truth contains all things, making them all correct. This is hard for some people to get. Feel free to discuss and ask any questions. I love talking about this stuff.
totally agree. That was your 777th post... "Seven:Sevens, like Threes, deal with magical forces. Sevens deal with esoteric, scholarly aspects of magic. Representative of scholarly activities, mystery, and the focused search for esoteric meanings. Seven deals with the activation of imagination and manifesting results in our lives through the use of conscious thought and awareness. Ruled by Saturn, Seven can represent impractical dreaming, but with a deeper understanding of the aspects of Seven, you can quite deftly utilize its magical vibration to your own benefit." interesting... edit: found this from one of the sites i like visiting. "Seven (7) If 6 represents humanity then 7 - the center of the spiral is humanity's connection to its source, god, Christ consciousness - or whatever name you prefer. Seven is the number of the Universe. It is the three of the heavens (soul) combined with the four (body) of the earth; being the first number containing both the spiritual and the temporal. In looking over the list of meanings it doesn't take long to figure out why the seven has become significant in metaphysical, religious and other spiritual doctrines - as seven represents the virginity of the Great Mother - feminine archetype - She who creates. There are 7 ages of man ancient wonders of the world circles of Universe cosmic stages days of the week heavens hells pillars of wisdom rays of the sun musical notes - sound as frequency plays a key roll in matters of Universe. There are over 80 octaves of frequency - each governing a specific manifestation in Universe. Cultural References In all cultures, myths and legends seven represents... completeness and totality macrocosm perfection plenty reintegration rest security safety synthesis The writings about the seven-headed dragon appear throughout India, Persia, the Far East, especially Cambodia, but also Celtic and other Mediterranean myths. The seventh ray of the sun is the path by which the human beings pass from this world to the next. Seven days is the period for fasting and penitence. The seventh power of any number, both square and a cube and thus was given great importance. Alchemy - There are seven metals involved with the Work. Astrology: There are seven stars of the Great Bear which are indestructible. There are seven Pleiades-- sometimes referred to as the, Seven Sisters. Buddhist: Seven is the number of ascent and of ascending to the higest; attaining the center. The seven steps of Buddha symbolize the ascent of the seven cosmic stages transcending time and space. The seven-storied prasada at Borobadur is a sacred mountain and axis mundi, culminating in the transcendent North, reaching the realm of Buddha. Chinese culture the meaning and symboligies are intertwined throughout in their myths and legends of fairies and animal spirits. Christian: Seven is idealogogy. God is represented by the seventh ray in the center of the six rays of creation. There are seven sacraments; gifts of spirit; the seven of 3+4 theological and cardinal virtues; deadly sins, tiers of Purgatory (in metaphysical belief this would be one of the lower astral planes - or in Buddhism, one of the Bardo planes). There are 7 councils of the early church - crystal spheres containing the planets - devils cast out by Christ - joys and sorrows of Mary the Blessed Virgin, mother of Jesus - liberal arts - major prophets - periods of fasting and penitence - seventh day after the six of creation In the Old Testament there are the seven altars of Baalam; oxen and rams for sacrifice; trumpets; circuits of Jericho; seven times Naaman bathed in the\tJordan. Seven is the number of Samon's bonds; the child raised by Elisha sneezed seven times. The Ark rested on the seventh month and the dove was sent out after seven days. The number seven is used 55 times in Revelation. It usually means fullness or completeness as in seven days of the week. God rested on the seventh day. Examples abound: seven churches, seven trumpets, seven seals, seven bowls, seven eyes etc etc. Egyptian mythology: There are seven Hathors as Fates and the priestesses of Hathor have seven jars in their seven tunics.\tRa has seven hawks representing the seven Wise Ones. Six cows and a bull represent fertility. There are seven houses of the underworld, as depicted in Egyptian myths, with three times seven gates. Seven is the sacred\tnumber of Osiris. Graeco-Roman: Sacred to Apollo, whose\tlyre has seven strings, and to Athene/Minerva and Ares/Mars; Pan had seven pipes (again a reference to seven musical notes and frequency); there seven Wise Men of Greece. Hebrew tradition: Seven is the number of occult intelligence. There are seven Great Holy Days in the Jewish year; the Menorah has seven branches; the Temple took seven years to build; and\tthere are seven pillars of wisdom. Hinduism there are Seven Jewels of the Brahmanas and seven gods before the floods and seven Wise Men saved from it. Islamic: The perfect number is seven. In Islamic tradition there are references to seven: heavens climates earths and seas colors prophets (active powers) states or stations of the heart The Ka'aba is circumambulated seven times representing the seven\tattributes of God. Magic: There are seven knots in a cord for "spellbinding" and incantations are sevenfold. Certain orders of Brotherhood use theme of tying seven knots in their rope sash worn around their waist. Mithraic: The cave of Mithras\thas seven doors, seven altars, and a ladder with seven rungs depicting the seven grades of initiation into the mystery schools. Pythagorean: Seven is a cosmic number with three of heaven and four of the world. Sumero-Semitic: There are seven lunar divisions and days of the week. "Thou shalt shine with horns to determine six days and on the seventh with half a crown.", the seventh thus becomes opposition to the sun and symbolizes darkness and balefulness and\ttherefore is dangerous to undertake anything on the seventh day because that is the day of rest. We can see here the influence of this belief in other religious contexts. There are seven zones of earth; heavens, symbolized by the planes of ziggurat. There are seven branches to the Tree of Life each having seven leaves. Leaves are symbols of fertility, renewal and growth. There are seven gates of hell, seven demons of Tiamat and seven winds to destroy her---interesting to note that in many belief systems it is said that the astral plane has seven levels to it--one sound on one of those levels is "wind". Seven is a mystic number traditionally associated with Venus and more recently with Neptune. It is the number of feelings and of instincts - of the Group Mind, of Love, whether that strange, indescribable but pervasive feeling of love is towards another person, a pet, oneself or one's God. 'Love' embodies tremendous sexual energy, the emotions of which may be directed in various ways. Heptagon Heptagon is the inward directing of that emotion, the containment, the 'love inside', that is symbolized by the heptagon. It is the love we 'hold' and can equally signify a deep religious conviction, a forming of our God in our own image or an infatuation with another. It is feeling contained. Heptagram The 7-pointed star or heptagram is a mystical occult symbol. Like the pentagram, it has been called the Witch's Star, also the Astrologer's Star. Beyond six points, the polygrams all have multiple configurations and the heptagram may be drawn in two different ways - an obtuse form and an acute angled form; both forms are unicursal, here shown together with the third 7-point figure, the heptagon. In cabalistic terms, the number '7' is attributed to Venus. It relates to Man's mundane feelings and his instincts - to his sexuality . It relates to Man's place in the pattern of Nature and to his linking with the Group Mind - the undifferentiated Soul of Mankind. Man's pattern of mundane life is much ruled by the seven day cycle of the week. The seven classical 'planets' : Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturlend their names to the days of the week and may be arranged around the figure of the heptagram. Placed around the acute heptagram in the order of their apparent speed of movement in the heavens, the 'planets' are ordered along the unicursal line in the order of days of the week. The heptagram also relates to the seven chakras of the body. These are the energy nodes that rise up the course of the spine from the basal node, where is coiled the Kundalini serpent, to the point at the top of the head. The mundane well-being of the body and its aura are linked to the chakras. The heptagram is symbolic of this balanced, flowing of bodily energies and of health. It is a symbol relating to healing and dynamic balance of the body physic. There are two forms of heptagram: The obtuse form suggests passivity, contentment and attuning with nature and its forces; of healthy rhythms and normal sexuality; of balanced feelings and satisfied desires; of normal receptivity and awareness of the feelings of others. The acute, active form suggests an outgoing interaction with nature's forces, making progressive use of them and directing sexual energy. It suggests strong feelings and strongly expressed desires; likewise perhaps, heightened sensitivity to the emotions of others. It is a symbol of the empath and the healer. Combining the three seven - pointed figures together, creates a beautiful mandala of meditation."
from an objective standpoint i suppose it's hard to argue against but i have a hard time believing in cold logic, no matter how reasonable. i suppose it could just be a subconscious desire to cling to a sense of morality but it would seem to me some things just aren't good lol.
I relate to your post in a belief I have which is that reality is totally subjective. Right and wrong are also totally subjective. I actually wrote my college admission essay on that... I hope they don't think I'm some kind of antisocial hipster. The more people understand this, the less friction there will be amongst everyone in the world. Add some empathy to the blend, and stir.
There's nothing wrong with any of these subjective views. Subjectively, I agree with you. Murder is bad. Certain things are bad. Ultimately, nothing can be called "right" or "wrong," but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with having individual preferences. In fact, I encourage it! I just hope that you are open to other people having their individual views as well. Of course, you can use your own common sense in how accepting you are of certain things. Since being open-minded isn't even ultimately right! lmao
I would view him as bad, knowing that ultimately he isn't bad. Nonetheless, because of my own subjective opinions which I recognize as ultimately flawed, I would hope he would stop murdering people.
'No view' is what appearance is not. So one way of knowing the 'no view' is to know that everything you see and experience, everything you think about, is not true. Just eliminate one thing after another: not this, not that. Everything goes. It all goes: everything you have experienced, everything you can experience, everything you can think, anything that can enter your mind. When all that goes, that, then, is the true reality. You cannot think of it, you cannot conceptualize it.
Can you know ultimately whether he is bad? Might be right to say that he has done bad, and that there may have been good reason for it. We do not really know, unless he will tell us honestly. I would say it is best not to assume one or the other. He might be a killer, or he might be someone who only killed with regret, having been forced somehow into it. I arrive at a contradiction where I should pick up a hitchhiker who seems bad, but might not really be bad. If I am correct, then I am helping him travel. If I am wrong, I could be helping myself die.
Well, yes . . . ultimately we should judge the sin not the sinner. A 'murderer' is still a human being who may have been damaged due to the experiences he/she went through during childhood. Should we just condemn these people simply based on the fact that they do this? Society imprisons people like this as a way of protecting us from future harm, but it's not really interested in taking responsibility for what has created them in the first place.
Thich Nhat Hanh Was very into reading his stuff many years ago, he's the man for sure. I used to refer to him simply as "Thick Nut" with friends because I wasnt sure how to pronounce his name. It was strangely fitting anyway. Some favorites of mine are: "Our own life has to be our message." "People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. "Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment." "The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life." There are many more of course.
I don't think we can ultimately know anything, and that's the beauty of our current awareness I think. Once more people rise in awareness, we'll be able to. The whole point to not being aware is to become aware, I guess you could say. But aside from my beliefs, I would say we cannot. Maybe that person needed to feel the guilt of having killed someone in order to learn, and hopefully takes that knowledge with them on their path through life. I like this guy, good stuff man. There is no past, as past is only experience, and experience is knowledge; both are constant. There is no future, as future is merely anticipation of experience. This is where I feel duality clouds our vision of reality because doubt leads to anticipation. Actually, it could work the other way around too. I guess one could say duality allows for distraction, and a lot of it.