Pathways to Enlightenment

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There is a Chinese Proverb which says: “There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same”

Of course then you have various religions and spiritual traditions which claim that their particular path is the only true way to God/awareness/enlightenment.

And then you find those who don't believe in following any path, but will insist on finding their own way to the top of the mountain.

So what is important to you? Is it more important for you to follow what you consider to be the one "true" path? Do you see yourself more as a traditionalist - in that you owe it to your family or society to follow the path your were raised in? Perhaps you don't see a difference in the paths, but believe that you should pick one and stick to it for the discipline and stability it will give you. Or do you believe in creating your own path? Or perhaps you are one who doesn't believe in paths, but will find another way to the top - or maybe you just don't care.

Please feel free to share your views and opinions on spiritual paths here, but please respect the ideas and opinions of those who post. This is a idea sharing thread, not one devoted to one particular path or opinion, and attacks on those who post a view differing from your own are not welcome.

Namaste

“The Road goes ever on and on down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, and I must follow, if I can, pursuing it with eager feet, until it joins some larger way where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say.”
J.R.R. Tolkien

For Further Reading/Study:

http://www.health-science-spirit.com/spiritualpath.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deepak...a_b_19139.html
http://www.comparativereligion.com/
http://onespiritproject.com/links/mi...ualpaths.shtml
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/SPP.html

__________________

I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
~Robert McCloskey, State Department spokesman

www.sshenry.blogspot.com
www.crystaltransition.blogspot.com

Interesting one Sshenry!

Thanks....lets see where this path leads

__________________

I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
~Robert McCloskey, State Department spokesman

www.sshenry.blogspot.com
www.crystaltransition.blogspot.com

I am fully intent on bush-crashing through my own path, but have a tendency to borrow from other religions and ideas. I was a hard-core christian for 7 years before breaking off onto my own path and find myself re-explaining Christian teachings as a deepen in my own understandings in a "This is what they really meant" kind of way. I think in the future I will be involved in deepen Christians understandings and help them on their awakening path.

I respect all true believers in their chosen religion or non-specific ways. I believe that if one's heart is true we will all end up on top of the mountain together. It is the people that believe things simply because that is what they have been taught is true either by the church or family they were brought up in that bother me, because these people, I find, are too scared to think for themselves.

__________________

GUS bless you
(God, Universe, Source)

Have a gold star Satisfaction!

I don't believe we should follow rules even if we are a member of a certain religion or similar.
This is a problem I have with Reiki healing - I have been a reiki master healer (doesn't mean Im a master, it's what the 3rd level is called which I have been attuned to), but there's so many many people gasping in horror at the 'audacity' of reiki healers who work intuitively instead of traditionally - traditional means they follow set rules despite the fact that it might go against how they feel they should be working with the energy. But like with life - there are constant changes which we adapt to and change with, following the natural course and where it takes us, with all the little avenues off where we can get waylaid for a while and learn something fantastic from not following the beaten track

Ooooooooooooo you're a reiki healer! I've just been attuned to level one 2 months ago. I love it so so so so much... and I'm definitely an intuitive healer. I'm already designing some unique ways to heal... time will tell if they actually work!

__________________

GUS bless you
(God, Universe, Source)

Nice one!! I love it too. Are you doing your 2nd degree anytime soon? Now that is a life-changer!!

It is a simple tag/ title that I have grown a strong affinity for..as well as one I made up.

It is apparent the new qundary of spiritual pursuits of Americans are recurrent in metaphysical subjectivity vs objectivity. These themes are further dissected under the progression of what will be referred to as mans pursuit to become God. The boundaries of this pursuit fall between the philosophical opinion of relativity and absolutism of principles.

It is my contention that the path of christianity is the most philospohically sound, most directional in purpose yielding quantifiable and flexible goals, and most importantly morally comprehensive. It is this very frame work the gives to the whirlwind of human invention and passion..ultimately yielding both benifical and harmful progress in in the evolutionary mind of man-kind.

I will close my remarks on this matter with a observed critique of the "New Age" culture in America and what is likely a prediction of the new pulse of spiritual pursuits.

Metaphysics...This term is rooted in philosophical study identified as an academic investigation in the fields of cosmology and ontology that serve to define the principles of reality transcending that of science and explaining the ultimate nature of being and the world. In lieu of this an emerging conotative meaning has developed to include the non-philosophic investigation in the subject matter of esotericism and theosophical inquery.

Metaphysical subjectivism MS is the theory that perception is reality, and that there is no underlying, true reality that exists independent of perception. (wikipedia)... essentially consciousness is the only perception.

In contrast

Metaphysical objectivism MO is the theory that there is an underlying reality that exists independent of our perception and consciousness.

As we begin to ponder on these ideas, we are called to remember the ascertions of "to be or not to be", "I think therefore I am", I am the One, or simply "I AM" these percepts are in contrary to the delivery of "Brotherhood" "Unity". There percepts begin to formulate our ability to reason how to become God, a God, or reach/ be with God him/her self

In history at one time people thought we were in the center of the universe and that the vastness of the heavens moved aound earth...
Later we learned this is far from the fact, and as our understanding of the universe evolves, we learn that we have gone from the principle to a mere possibility.

The human consciousness fights to find its principle purpose, existence and meaning amongst a possibilities of options.

These options plaque the insecurities of knowing and ignorance to the point were the consciousness begins to ask themself the quinessential question of oblivion........."why?"

The metaphysical subjective initiate would argue the "why" from their perception. This consciousness attempts to gather different "sources" and already ascribed "thoughts" as the initial sercurities to the answer of "why?" The MS initiate would then vainfully attempt to find self-reasoning of purpose in these notions to form a hybrid of belief and maxims. Thus the consiousness births an opinion. Ideally speaking...no two MS initiates would have the ultimate same belief of "why?" and "purpose".

The metaphysical objective initiate would argue the "why" from an existing "cause". This consciousness attempts to search for the "cause" as an established ascribed "way". The MO initiate would connect to this "way" and relish in the indoctrination of its precepts as the initial securities of trust to the purported answers given of "why?" The MO initiate would then adopt an invesigation of student in the ascribed "why" to find full fillment of reasoning as to the answers for "why". Thus the consciousness recieves a proof of truism for the initial faith in trust.

It is apparent that symbolically these two initiates seem different. It would be as if one ascribed to karate as aform of martial arts and the other a mix-martial artist.

Yes I will before the end of the year. Don't feel ready for it quite yet, maybe in October

__________________

GUS bless you
(God, Universe, Source)

in Islam there is a Byword that says:number of ways to god is the same as number of people
And there is a premier question,Do you know Where you are?
if you can't answer it even with best map you reach nowhere
i think first (and most important) step is to khow yourself and
recognize the place that you are
persian Sufism says human is god's ostourlaab(a tool for predicting stars location invented some hundered years ago)
i believe in what wrote in the portal of Delphi temple:Know youreself

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdgO4UDrwm8

Tolle on Enlightment

As the MS AND THE MO initial have now found the "why" and the "purpose", they begin to strengthen their "opinion" and "truism" respectively.

As an illuminarian I mention this observation as finding fullfillment, but for the sake of conversation I will refer to it a "proofing of belief".

Proofing of belief is a process. For the indoctrinate it is revelation of truth and for the opinonated it become evolving positons. They both are hallmarked with the them of mans pursuit to god.

I believe the best way to discuss this hallmark is in the theater of what I call "Mans Fight and his Triumph".

Many have heard of the following..
Man Vs Nature
Man Vs Man
Man Vs Himself
Man Vs God

These "acts" in the theatrical play of "Mans Fight and his Triumph" will allow for playful discussion of our attempt to identify ..........GOD

Man Vs Nature..
Is man of the order found in nature...a being meant to be in balance and in harmony with observed cycles and the elemnets of earth, or is man a sentient being a plague a virus meant to subdue the world or a creature meant to beautify and cultivate the earth for the purpose of man.

The MS initate would begin to place valve of self vs value of earth and begin to ascribe a set conscious domain for the existence of both. The MO would do like wise but would ultimately balance the domain as a respect for the essence of life itself therby diverting focus on relationship persceptive and focusing on the observed truism.

Man Vs Man
Is man set to be inconflict with others whom are competitors in the order of life and it is thru conflict that darwinism like precepts establish the order of relevance based on opportunity. Or is man meant to search for the uptopia balance equality. So does order equate to equality?

The MS initiate would search to validate self and succed others to the security of the vainity of self or what some would call "ego consciousness".
The MO pending on the indoctrination would observe conflict as a result from the degradation in the triusm in the ideal of the "brotherhood of man" and thereby constructing resolution of conflict to be a reconciliation focused on establlishing union thru equality and it is the revelation of the "order" of mankind.

Man Vs Self
This is the classic match of self and selflessness, vainity and humility, and most eloquently put the "Humanity of Man". Is the carnal existence of man wrong. Are we not animals by nature, and bounded to the instinct of self preservation. Perhaps not. Are we not Sapiens. Are we not thinkers meant to ponder and transcend the natureal drive of carnal existance of realities and dream to invision the created reality not observed but fashion from our will and consciousness. You can see the instinctual drive of mating loving and hating...but you can not bear witness to the intectual thought of dreaming and fantacy.

The MS initiate would search the observed revelations about the natural man and his tendencies and couple it with the myriad of intellectual postulates to create a superego of understanding as asension that can not be duplicated grasp or identified therefore not observe except by the purposeful passion of the initiate. The MO initiate would often point to an avatar or best example of "the way" and ascribe to be such.

Man Vs God....(mwhahaha)
Is man god/immortal or mortal? But if he is 1/3 god does that make him closer to god and less immortal. But man dreams and dogs dreams but can a dog create from a dream? Questions upon questions Man begins to beg the question of his own mortality. Like any ego, the quienessential reflex of life is to want to live..to gasp for the last breath of life keeping it for self and not surrending it to the "air".

A MS will still submit to the belief that this can not be it...I will evolve I just dont know how. This ponder typically ends up as wishful thinking with a less than developed proof. The MO will again retort doctrine by which some achievement of bliss is the key achievement of essence.
Both decrees vainful create a part of mortality that in immortal in its very nature.

Finally after the battle comes one of my favorite quotables....
"I came, I saw, I conquered"

Will the consciousness conquer life by championing a belief that is both unremitting yet unestablished and wishfully unproven to analytical inquery.

Or does the death of an ant any different than our death in this vast universe of life, and therefore what is the value of life it can not be owned to be lost.

So there stands the martial artist whos life passion is useless to the adversary or friend that refuses to fight but rather battles with the mind

gtg continue later

i do not know who you are, i will ask - if you have the time - post more!!!!!


westerners need a more positive representation of islam so they don't believe all of the LIES told about it.

THANK YOU, and may you bring peace through knowledge, understanding and communication wherever you travel.

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neither a follower nor a leader be
http://www.xoxos.net (free VST plugins)

I love the wording of that line "The number of ways to god is the same as the number of people."

Coincidently (perhaps not) I have been reading about the astrolabe (American spelling). It was "perfected" by Rabbi Abraham Zacuto in the 1400s. He was a Jewish Rabbi, Astrologer, Astronomer and Historian. It was an instrumental tool in Columbus' voyage to America as well as other expeditions from Europe out to the far ends of the earth. Zacuto himself left Spain during the Inquisition rather than convert to Christianity. He found refuge in the Muslim-ruled Ottoman Empire, that welcomed many Spanish Jews who needed to resettle and they enjoyed many civil liberties.

Not the current set of relations between major groups - but time is twisty if nothing else.

i create my own path.

I was born with an inherent assumption that if a large number of people were doing it then there was probably something wrong with it. Hehe.

But in the end we take similar paths even if we call them something different.

However the view from the top is most definitely not the same for everyone!

Thank you for posting this. He is amazing!

I could listen to Eckhart and Gangaji all the time.

What a wonderful message.

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"most people do not know how to love, wich is sad because we are all starving for it."

"there's a karmic momentum to our lives."

"all this hurrying soon will be over. only when we tarry do we touch the
holy."

lol I'm the same, I lose interest in 'popular' things.

How would you know the view from the top is not the same if you haven't reached it yet?

__________________
“To underestimate is to lose

“The sad truth is that most evil is done by the people who never make up their minds to be good or evil

“The dog that barks doesn't bite