Saturday, 2 December 2023

THE PROBLEM OF EVIL - 3


RAF Air Marshal Sir Robert Victor Goddard

In 1935, RAF Air Marshal Sir Robert Victor Goddard believed he experienced a parallel universe.

Goddard was aboard a biplane going to inspect a dilapidated out-of-use airfield near Edinburgh, in Scotland.

Goddard encountered very severe weather on his way to the airfield, but upon approach suddenly exited into calm, clear skies.

Looking down at the airfield, which he expected to be a litter strewn, weed choked mess, he saw a completely new and renovated airstrip that was in use.


AIR MARSHAL GODDARD



According to the Gospels, one evening Jesus and his disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a boat.

It became very stormy.

Jesus woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" 

Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.


Thailand. In the right state of mind, some people can avoid pain and injury.

1. "Everything is only part of impermanent psychological processes...

"Letting go is the end of suffering." [11]

Buddhism's View That Evil Is an Illusion - John Piippo


Hinduism and Buddhism (and Christian Science) suggest that by applying mind over matter, suffering can disappear.


2. According to Mary Baker Eddy, there is no pain, only "belief in pain"

EVIL AS ILLUSION

3. The Taoist idea of yin-yang suggests that everything is fine if we avoid the extremes.


Some people find it difficult to believe in the God 
of the Old Testament,
the idea for which came from earlier religions.

A lot of the stories in the Old Testament are borrowed
 from the Sumerians.

"The story of Noah and the flood story
the creation of man out of clay,
Cain and Abel,
 the gardens of Eden,
 the tree of knowledge
creation of Eve from Adams rib
and numerous other myths, 
like the throwing of Moses in the river after he was born, 
are all stories found recorded on Sumerian clay tablets
 dating 5000 years back in time."

Hebrew Bible: Plagiarized Mythology.

Evidence of 'near death' experiences lead some people to believe in God.



Eric Dubay refers to the mystery of
"God, Brahma, Tao,
Universal Mind, the One,
the Void, the Field, Infinite Consciousness,
or whatever you want to call it."


God, Brahma, Tao, Void ...

Is God within us?

Jesus said that the Heaven is within us.

Is God a process rather than a being?

Is God not 'a ruler' who directs the world from above, 
but 'a principle' that controls everything from within?

The Taoists and Buddhists might agree.




How real is the world?

Eric Dubay (God, Brahma, Tao, Void ...) writes:

"In dreams you create entire worlds, environments,
 situations, and even other people.

"You interact and converse, create conflict
 and resolutions, get emotional and involved..."

In the parable about the Garden of Eden, 
Adam and Eve created problems for themselves.

Did God create mosquitoes?

Is there an old man in the sky who created the universe?

Su writes in her blog about "the child in a burn ward
screaming, screaming, screaming."

Su refers to Eastern religions and the value of
'Stepping out of mind.....god willing'.

Nina refers to the cruel 'plantation owners' of this world.

Nina refers to the Taoist view of things in
'a select destiny'.




Dawkins does not believe that the CIA
 & its friends did 9 11?

Is there an old man in the sky?

The Jewish, Christian and Moslem religions think so.

The Jewish, Christian and Moslem religions have their
origins in Zoroastrianism, which began in Iran, 

In Zoroastrianism (Zoroastrianism)a:

There is a God who is the Creator and who is all good.

There is an evil force who will ultimately be destroyed.

There is a saviour who will save the world.

In Zoroastrianism we find the equivalents of baptism,
 communion, guardian angels, heaven, 
worship on Sunday, the celebration of Mithras' birthday
 on December 25th, celibate priests who mediate
between man and God, and the Trinity.

(Influence of Zoroastrianism on Judaism and Christianity - (CAIS)©)

People in countries influenced by Buddhism, 
such as Thailand and Indonesia, often seem happier
 than most.

BUT, what if the Zoroastrians have not got it quite right?


The Buddhists believe in some kind of life after death, 
but they keep a noble silence on the idea of God.

The Taoists refer to some kind of divine force 
called the Tao, but they say that it cannot be described 
in words.

It is difficult to imagine an old man in the sky 
designing this world on his design board.

It is difficult to imagine him designing a world 
in which one creatures survives by eating 
another creature.


So, maybe there was no Bible-style creation.

Maybe things have always existed.

Maybe there is a mysterious something which nourishes us.

Maybe we reap what we sow.

Maybe what we are now is due to what we thought in the past.

Maybe what we will become is what we are thinking now.

...


"Something we cannot define with science and logic is happening here, a grand design, some not-of-this-world intention we are simply not at the rightful stage of development to comprehend regardless of our effort.

"I believe this makes us a unique product of evolution to remain invincible in the face of pure unadulterated evil where vast and continuing material loss strips us to the lowest category of Earthly life and it has no influence at all...

"We go on in trust, always looking forward, accepting each test as triathlon athletes determined to pass and not just well, but intact, because in spite of the incessant repeats, it makes the good, the pure, the honest, the natural reverent and holy, gifts from somewhere else reminding us the world we desire really does exist and one day we are destined to reach it." 


Here are some people's thoughts about life:

1. "It does not matter how long you are spending on the earth, how much money you have gathered or how much attention you have received.

"It is the amount of positive vibration you have radiated in life that matters." 


2. "Nature doesn't disdain what lives only for a day. 

"It pours the whole of itself into the each moment. We don't value the lily less for not being made of flint and built to last. 

"Life's bounty is in its flow, later is too late. 

"Where is the song when it's been sung? The dance when it's been danced?"  



3. 'Religion comes in opposites to be attractive to different personalities.'

Steven Reiss , a professor of psychologist at Ohio State University.

According to Reiss, organised religions address the 16 basic human desires - curiosity, acceptance, family, honour, idealism, independence, order, physical activity, power, romance, saving, social contact, eating, status, tranquility and vengeance.

...
Bart D. Ehrman

4.  The real Jesus reportedly taught that we should tune in to the Holy Spirit, love our enemies, see our own faults before we see the faults of others, heal the sick, feed the hungry and treat our fellow citizens as our brothers.

Most of the rest of the stuff about Jesus is apparently invention.

Tony Bushby writes: "In the fourth century, the Roman Emperor Constantine united all religious factions under one composite deity, and ordered the compilation of new and old writings into a uniform collection that became the New Testament."

"Constantine's intention at Nicaea was to create an entirely new god for his empire... 

"Presbyters were asked to debate and decide who their new god would be... The names of 53 gods were tabled for discussion."

(God's Book of Eskra, Prof. S. L. MacGuire's translation, Salisbury, 1922, chapter xlviii, paragraphs 36, 41).


"The earliest of the manuscripts of the New Testament which are still in existence, do not date back beyond the middle of the fourth century AD."

(Catholic Encyclopedia, op. cit., pp. 656-7).

The World's oldest Bible is the Sinai Bible.

"When the New Testament in the Sinai Bible is compared with a modern-day New Testament, a staggering 14,800 editorial alterations can be identified."



5. Lyndon Nadel writes:

You may have seen this Symbol. It is a Dragon eating his own Tail. It is the ancient symbol for time.

It represents Infinite time, where time begins, ends, and continues all at the same point.

What we live in, is named Infinite time. Meaning that time has already begun, finished and continued down every path.

Every possible scenario that could be carried out in time, has already done so.

Every possible dimension that could exist, has already existed and is currently in existence. All at the same moment.

The time in which we are experiencing at this present moment, has already been concluded, in every possible direction that it could occur.

In one dimension, we all die of a nuclear world war III, in another we all live prosporous lives and man kind reaches out into the stars after conquering human suffering.

It has already happened, and it will happen again.


Lyndon Nadel writes:

We do not have the power to alter or change time; our brains only offer us the opportunity to choose the destiny that we witness. 

We pick and choose every moment, which dimension we head down in our finite lives.

Bare in mind, that you are not altering the universe in anyway; you are not changing what will occur; you are merely chosing between the events you wish to witness in this life.

Because every senario has has a different ending, and every moment leads to a different dimension...


...

6. Anthony Peake takes the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics as a literal truth and merges this idea with the time theory of John William Dunne (1875–1949) which says that the past, present and future all exist simultaneously with the outcome being that people can enter the future in dreams or the past by deja vu.




We encounter 'a pretty teenage girl'.

What we perceive is our brain's best guess at what the girl is like.

Donald Hoffman believes that human perceptions of girls and other things are all illusions.


Donald D. Hoffman is a Professor in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, with joint appointments in the Department of Philosophy, the Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science, and the School of Computer Science.

...

The scientists who study quantum physics say that an object does not exist until we observe it/

....

"The current understanding - that all probabilities all exist at once, in the same reality, until you measure or observe them - is mind-blowing. And yet the math is there to prove it."

What is Reality?



Norway 1905

"When we produce a thought, that thought can change us and can change the world in a good way or in a bad way.

"If it is right thought, if that thought is produced in line with right thinking, then it will have a healing, nourishing effect on our body and on the world.


"Just by producing right thinking you can change the world. You can make the world a better place to live..."

Dharma Talk: The Buddhist Understanding of Reality




In John's Gospel, Jesus says: "It is the Father who lives in me who carries out his work through me...

"If you live your life in me, and my words live in your hearts, you can ask for whatever you like and it will come true for you."

In Luke's Gospel, Jesus says: "Give and men will give to you - yes, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will they pour into your lap...


"The kingdom of God is inside you."


At its best after 4 minutes.

How to explain the world?

0 = +x -x

Particles are constantly popping in and out of existence, according to the scientists.

The +x -x could be seen as representing all possible things.


According to the scientists, a bottle of Coke exists in all possible locations, until it is observed existing in one particular location.


The observer apparently decides where the bottle of Coke is to be found.



And, just as a bottle of Coke can be in more than one place at once, it can also be in more than one time period at once.

The observer apparently decides the time period in which the bottle of Coke is to be found.



Our understanding of time and space may be out of date, according to the scientists.

"The world has the incomprehensible property of existing in a 'superposition' of possible states and every so often plumps for one or another."


Jean Piaget[7] stated that young children have to learn about time and space.


There is a lion somewhere ahead of us.

Perhaps we observe it right in front of us, about to eat us.

Or, perhaps we observe it sitting peacefully, eating manna from heaven.

Particles appear to exist in all states simultaneously according to the experiments in quantum superposition


"Experiments in quantum physics seem to demonstrate the need for an observer to be present to make potentialities become real... 

"Basically, what quantum theory says is that fundamental particles are empty of inherent existence and exist in an undefined state of potentialities. 

"They have no inherent existence from their own side and do not become 'real' until a mind interacts with them and gives them meaning

"Whenever and wherever there is no mind there is no meaning and no reality."

Buddhism and Quantum 

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Saturday, 10 August 2019

WHAT IS REALITY?



We encounter 'a pretty teenage girl'.

What we perceive is our brain's best guess at what the girl is like.

Donald Hoffman believes that human perceptions of girls and other things are all illusions.

Donald D. Hoffman is a Professor in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, with joint appointments in the Department of Philosophy, the Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science, and the School of Computer Science.

...

The scientists who study quantum physics say that an object does not exist until we observe it.

....

"The current understanding - that all probabilities all exist at once, in the same reality, until you measure or observe them - is mind-blowing. And yet the math is there to prove it."

What is Reality?



Norway 1905

"When we produce a thought, that thought can change us and can change the world in a good way or in a bad way.

"If it is right thought, if that thought is produced in line with right thinking, then it will have a healing, nourishing effect on our body and on the world.

"Just by producing right thinking you can change the world. You can make the world a better place to live..."

Dharma Talk: The Buddhist Understanding of Reality




In John's Gospel, Jesus says: "It is the Father who lives in me who carries out his work through me...

"If you live your life in me, and my words live in your hearts, you can ask for whatever you like and it will come true for you."

In Luke's Gospel, Jesus says: "Give and men will give to you - yes, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will they pour into your lap...

"The kingdom of God is inside you."


Doctors studying patients with multiple personality disorder have discovered something strange.

One of the personalities possessed by a certain patient needs glasses for their eyes.

But, another of the same patient's personalities does not need glasses for their eyes.

Or, one of the patient's personalities is diabetic and another of the same patient's personalities is not diabetic.


When the patient switches from one personality to another, their body actually goes through real changes, such as differences in blood sugar levels.


In other words, the mind can alter the body.


The Powers-That-Be do not want us to know that they are constantly trying to control our minds, and shape our personalities.

They want us to be addicted to 'negative' states of mind.



Can you get your brain and body not to suffer from any physical and emotional injuries?

If so, this could be useful for people walking on burning coals, or for people training to be angels.

If you are a benevolent and skilful doctor, or an angel, the ability not to suffer physical and emotional injuries and ailments could be useful.

However, if you are an immature young child, or an evil general, there may be useful lessons to be learnt from suffering temporary pain.



Prahlad Jani says he has not eaten or drunk for 70 years.



"A devout Christian called Therese Neumann (above) did not eat or drink for 35 years. 

"She was watched 24 hours a day and confirmed not to have eaten or drunk anything for 2 weeks with no ill-effects, dehydration or weight loss." 

The Biology of Belief  / Therese Neumann.


"Jainist Hira Ratan Manek claims not to have eaten anything since 1995. 

"He has been studied under controlled conditions by teams of scientists and doctors many times and was never observed to eat or drink at all. 

"One time he went 211 days under careful supervision, another time 411 days."



Tibetan monks and Indian Yogis can apparently use meditation to control their body functions.

In 1936, a French cardiologist called Therese Brosse traveled to India to study yogis.

She found that the yogis could slow down their heart rates to abnormally low levels.

In the 1950s, another group of researchers studied yogis lying for 8 hours in air-tight sealed boxes.

The Yogis were able to survive by slowing down their heart rate and breathing.



Jack Schwarz practiced mind over matter.

He could put a long sail-maker's needle through his arm without injury.

"He also displayed his ability to regulate his body's blood flow by causing the puncture hole in his arm to bleed or stop bleeding at will...

Schwarz was studied by researchers at the Menninger Foundation who found that he could indeed control bodily processes with only his mind.


Mirin Dajo

"Mirin Dajo was invited to Switzerland to have his abilities formally studied under laboratory conditions. 

"In front of a group of doctors and journalists, Dajo had his assistant stab him through with the steel rapier and as always he did not bleed or even flinch. 

"He then calmly walked upstairs with doctors to take his X-ray which undeniably proved that no trickery was involved and he was indeed impaled.


Some people's brain cells may see motherhood as being 'unconditional love and forgiveness'.

Other people may see motherhood as being 'disappointment and ridicule'.


Some people's brain cells may see the body as being potentially healthy.

Some people's brain cells may see the body as being potentially sick.

"What we ultimately do is tell ourselves a story about what the outside world is."

(Dr. Joe Dispenza, What the Bleep Do We Know?)


Research has shown that patients who have feelings of helplessness and hopelessness have a lower chance of surviving serious illnesses.

Patients who visualise themselves being healed, have a better chance of surviving serious illnesses.



Candace Pert, former chief of brain biochemistry at the National Institute of Mental Health, suggests that mind is present throughout the body and that emotions are the links between matter and mind.

The Spiritual Universe


"Thoughts change brain chemistry."

(Dr. Joseph M. Carver PhD, Emotional Memory Management: Positive Control Over Your Memory.)

If we are constantly bombarding our cells with the same negative attitudes, emotions, and beliefs, our biochemistry adapts by creating more receptor sites for those particular brain chemicals which cause our problems.




"People often become physically/chemically addicted and dependent on various negative states of being such as depression, victimization, frustration, or jealousy. 

"Over time we crave more of the peptides (certain brain chemicals) we're addicted to and create repetitive dramas in our lives in order to receive our next dose."

The Biology of Belief


"Living with positive, life-affirming, non-limiting thoughts/emotions/beliefs leads to physical health, wellness, and even miraculous supernormal abilities."

The Biology of Belief


"To save her trapped son, Angela Cavallo lifted a 1964 Chevrolet and held it up for five minutes while neighbors arrived, reset a jack, and rescued her unconscious boy. 

"Similarly, a construction worker lifted a 3,000-pound helicopter that had crashed into a drainage ditch, trapping his buddy under water.

"In this feat captured on video, the man held the aircraft aloft while others pulled his friend from beneath the wreckage."   Spontaneous Evolution / The Biology of Belief


According to some research at Princeton University

We can mentally influence - and are influenced by - the thoughts of others.

We can mentally influence biological processes in bodies other than our own.

We can mentally influence the functioning of non-biological systems.

The Next Great Turning - Context Institute


Now, if we are going to be angels in Nirvana, or Heaven or Paradise, we may have to dump our personalities.

Paradoxically, it may be that if we give up our supposed 'free will', we can then follow the will of 'God' (or go with the flow, tune into the Tao, realise that we are part of 'God') and live happily ever after.

The Buddhists would say that our sense of being a separate 'self' is an illusion.

We should practise non-attachment to lots of things.


"All the delightful things of the world - sweet sounds, lovely forms, all the pleasant tastes and touches and thoughts - these are all agreed to bring happiness if they are not grasped and possessed.

But if you regard them merely as pleasures for your own use and satisfaction and do not see them as passing wonders, they will bring suffering.

-Sutta Nipata, Blog: Pleasure and Joy

Alexi Helligar (If everything is just an illusion) refers to the 'zero state' of 'self'.

"Living beings resist the zero state so they can experience enjoyment out of what is essentially nothingness."


Being an angel in Heaven, Paradise or Nirvana does not mean that one is without compassion.

Some Buddhists see an enlightened being as one whose changing self is highly developed.[16]

One with "great self" has a mind which is not at the mercy of outside stimuli or its own moods, but is imbued with self-control, and self-contained.[17]

The mind of such a one is without boundaries, not limited by attachment or "I-identification."[18]


One can transform one's self from an "insignificant self" into a "great self" through practices such as mindfulness.[19]

The suttas portray one disciple who has developed his mind through loving-kindness saying: "Formerly this mind of mine was limited, but now my mind is immeasurable."[19]

With "nirvana-after-death", paranirvana, the last remains of physical life vanish, and no further rebirth takes place.

With nirvāṇa the consciousness is released, and the mind becomes aware in a way that is totally unconstrained by anything in the conditioned world. 


At its best after 4 minutes.

How to explain the world?

0 = +x -x

Particles are constantly popping in and out of existence, according to the scientists.

The +x -x could be seen as representing all possible things.


According to the scientists, a bottle of Coke exists in all possible locations, until it is observed existing in one particular location.

Atom Is Seen in 2 Places at Once - New York Times 

The observer apparently decides where the bottle of Coke is to be found.



And, just as a bottle of Coke can be in more than one place at once, it can also be in more than one time period at once.

The observer apparently decides the time period in which the bottle of Coke is to be found.



Our understanding of time and space may be out of date, according to the scientists.

"The world has the incomprehensible property of existing in a 'superposition' of possible states and every so often plumps for one or another."


Jean Piaget[7] stated that young children have to learn about time and space.


There is a lion somewhere ahead of us.

Perhaps we observe it right in front of us, about to eat us.

Or, perhaps we observe it sitting peacefully, eating manna from heaven.

Particles appear to exist in all states simultaneously according to the experiments in quantum superposition


"Experiments in quantum physics seem to demonstrate the need for an observer to be present to make potentialities become real... 

"Basically, what quantum theory says is that fundamental particles are empty of inherent existence and exist in an undefined state of potentialities. 

"They have no inherent existence from their own side and do not become 'real' until a mind interacts with them and gives them meaning

"Whenever and wherever there is no mind there is no meaning and no reality."

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