Posted by Impermanence on June 2, 2004, at 22:15:28
In reply to Re: I think I've lost my faith., posted by shadows721 on June 1, 2004, at 23:11:29
Like you I really don't want to think there is nothing, it seems pointless to have a planet so rich with life floating in a neverending space so empty for no reason than just luck.
The chances of intelligent life in any of the hundreds of billions of galaxies (that we know of) must be tiny and I'm sure we're pretty special. To think that there's nothing behind it all is hard to comprehend, although science will do all it can to prove just that.
Maybe there was and is much intelligent life out there and we're not as smart as we like to think we are. Maybe we're here because of intelligent alian life that came long before us, who really knows? but then who started them? what caused the big bang (theory)? The questions will never end..
You could have ten times the brain power of Einstein and I'm sure no matter how many equations and laws you come up with you will still be no closer to the truth.
At the end of the day it all comes down to the question of faith, will you believe the words of people who lived on the planet a few thousand years before you? Will you meditate for years and find your own truth? Will you go with your gut feeling? Will you choose to ignore all you where told by others and do what the hell you want without any fear?
Who is right and who is wrong? Does it really matter?When you reach an awareness of how conditioned and programmed we all are you see how truly insane the whole planet really is. Maybe the universe is just chaos and we're here just by chance, maybe there is no reason. Reason and explanation are something mankind seems to need and will invent at any chance. Everything we know, all rules, morals, ideas have just been handed down through generations of sentient beings.
You asked "why is the creator allowing all this suffering to continue." If you go by the words of Jesus Christ then the explanation is simple; we are all given free will. After all 99% of the worlds problems are man made. Humans hurt humans, humans choose to ignore their fellow humans living in poverty and humans are destroying the planet at a phenomenal rate, yet we still say why is God letting this happen. Truth is we're letting most of it happen, we're happy with short term solutions that make our short lifes comfortable and we're happy to let a handful of corporations make the decisions that run our society.
In Buddhism you are thought that nothing is permanent, as my name is; Impermanence!!!! and there is no need to worry about the things we worry about (i.e. all the problems of the world, for nothing lasts), this is really the truth, for the sun only has about five billion years left before it burns itself out (may sound long to us but it is nothing really). Even Jesus said "You came from dust and you will return to dust" which we all will and have. Maybe our short lives really are just a little test to see how pure our souls are. Maybe the most important thing really is to drop your ego, forget about all the things you think are important (Job, beauty, money, house, car, infatuation with other people ect ect), and live your life to help others from suffering, live your life to achieve enlightenment. Then enlightenment really is "unlearning" going back to nothing, forgeting all you where ever thought, to drop the lables we seem to put on every aspect of life, see through the illusions we create. The more I meditate the more I go back to "nothingness", but that nothing is beautiful, I feel love and warmth when there is nothing in my mind, maybe thats God, no sounds, pictures, smells or tastes, just love, just nothingness. A place unspoiled by man, pure. But then is the love I feel just another sence, just a chemical reaction.
Anyway I'm babbling, we will never have the answers, all we can do is make the most of what we know, go with your gut feeling. I'm going to choose to believe in God, whatever God is. When I talk to myself in my mind I feel I'm talking to God and that makes me feel good (not insane).
I guess God is real if you want him/it to be real, forget what everybody tells you and just go with your gut feeling.Btw Rayww thank you for thinking of me in your prayer, that touched me.
poster:Impermanence
thread:351946
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20040408/msgs/353230.html