Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Discussion of the nature of Ultimate Reality and the path to Enlightenment.
mikiel
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Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by mikiel »

For openers, here is a piece from the 159th edition of the email newsletter "Altered States of Consciousness":
Enlightenment or the Fully Awakened mind has been given many names. Buddha means "the enlightened one;" Christ and Messiah also mean that. St. Paul called it "the peace of God that passeth under-standing" and Richard Maurice Bucke named it "cosmic consciousness." In Zen it is satori, in yoga it is samadhi or moksha, in Sufism it is fana, in Taoism it is wu or The Ultimate Tao. Gurdjieff labeled it "objective consciousness," Sri Aurobindo spoke of the Supermind, mystery schools and occult paths speak of "illumination," "liberation," and "self-realization." Likewise, enlightenment has been symbolized by many images; the thousand-petaled lotus of Hinduism, the Holy Grail of Christianity, the clear mirror of Buddhism, Judaism's Star of David, the yin-yang circle of Taoism, the mountaintop, the swan, the still lake, the mystic rose, the eternal flame. (p. xvi)

The perennial belief in (or gnosis of... ed. mikiel) the existence of an uninterrupted intuition of Oneness is rooted in the recurring notion that humankind is uniquely situated to simultaneously experience the finite and the infinite
From my last post in the "Definitions of Consciousness" thread:
Consciousness has the capacity to *just be awareness itself.* This is known to meditators as nirvana, among many other names. It also has the capacity to activate manifestation through the power of intention.

This is not so mysterious when it is scaled down to localized consciousness (each a loci of omnipresent, cosmic consciousness.)

In the course of my meditation practice (an hour a day for 38 yrs) I discovered, after about three months, that I could be absolutely still for awhile and then begin noticing activity in the mind, sensations, etc. Then, after meditation, I could of course become fully active as a "doer", creating "my life."
I each case, the first person, "I" denotes consciousness. It can either be still or active. In still mode it can either be a passive, totally disengaged Witness of all variety of phenomenal experience or transcend awareness of all content whatsoever.

This must remain a total mystery to all who have never experienced "sitting"... just Being Still.

The scripture, "Be Still and know that I Am God" is based on this transcendence of "the creation" into becoming The Creator (locally, of course.)
The above is my "critique of pure reason" for whatever it may be worth to anyone here able to transcend the driven mind even for a brief period of stillness... which is enough to get the essence of it.

When both aspects of consciousness are experienced as ongoing potential reality perpetually and permanently, this is gnosis, non-dual awareness... enlightenment.
Finally, a link from the "Mystical Traditions" section of the "Center for Sacred Sciences" website with a wide variety of quotes from enlightened ones, mystics who "graduated" from all six major Traditions:
http://www.centerforsacredsciences.org/traditions.html

I invite open dialogue on the varieties of enlightenment beyond the doctrine that it is merely clear, logical, reasonable thinking (my take on the "QRS Philosophy" pretending to be enlightenment.)
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Trevor Salyzyn
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by Trevor Salyzyn »

I notice a slant toward mysticism, in both East and West. What happened to old fashioned eudaimonia? Can't people live well without bringing bizarre mythologies into play?
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mikiel
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by mikiel »

Trevor Salyzyn wrote:I notice a slant toward mysticism, in both East and West. What happened to old fashioned eudaimonia? Can't people live well without bringing bizarre mythologies into play?
Just off the top:
eudaimonia -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia
Britannica online encyclopedia article on eudaimonia:in ethics, a self- realization theory that makes happiness or personal well-being the chief good for man ...
Enlightenment is not a feel-good philosophy nor does it have anything to to with " personal well-being (as) the chief good for man."
Knowing the true "self" (as in "self-realization"... see "Self Realization Fellowship") is the the difference between eudaimoria and enlightenment.
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Blair
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by Blair »

You seem to have a grudge, problem with "The QRS" as you call it.

Wether you are right or wrong, your postings and attitude is not befitting of one who is enlightened, or even close.

What motivates you to write what you say here, when it is so derogatory of the people who run this forum?
mikiel
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by mikiel »

mikiel wrote:
Trevor Salyzyn wrote:I notice a slant toward mysticism, in both East and West. What happened to old fashioned eudaimonia? Can't people live well without bringing bizarre mythologies into play?
Just off the top:
eudaimonia -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia
Britannica online encyclopedia article on eudaimonia:in ethics, a self- realization theory that makes happiness or personal well-being the chief good for man ...
Enlightenment is not a feel-good philosophy nor does it have anything to to with " personal well-being (as) the chief good for man."
Enlightenment is the universal cure for suffering, but each individual must realize his/her Universal Identity as the utimate medicine to effect this cure.
Knowing the true "self" (as in "self-realization"... see "Self Realization Fellowship") is the the difference between eudaimoria and enlightenment.
mikiel
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by mikiel »

prince wrote:You seem to have a grudge, problem with "The QRS" as you call it.

Wether you are right or wrong, your postings and attitude is not befitting of one who is enlightened, or even close.

What motivates you to write what you say here, when it is so derogatory of the people who run this forum?
prince,
Your every post in reply to me has been hateful. I don't know your personal history (nor am I interested) but your post is very in-character for you and totally without substantive criticism of the content of my post or the subject of this thread.

Clearly you think and post in terms of personal bias ("grudge") against the universal understanding of enlightenment, as represented in my OP.

The universal Truth of enlightenment is my motivation. I have no personal grudge against Dan, David or Kevin. I know for sure that logic/reason is not an essential ingredient in enlightenment. All quotes in my OP testify to this Truth, as does my direct personal/transpersonal experience as a lifelong mystic and one who has transcended the illusion of personal identity for 18 yrs now.
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Trevor Salyzyn
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by Trevor Salyzyn »

The Encyclopedia Britannica is about as helpful for philosophy as the dictionary. Aristotle's eudaimonia is, for lack of a better word, a philosophical achievement. It is not something someone picks up without contemplation or deep self-knowledge.

What Aristotle meant by happiness has about as much in common with what a common person means by happiness as... oh, the difference between a utilitarian's use of the word "pleasure" and sensory stimulation. (A utilitarian's use of the word pleasure is closer to the meaning in "doing as you please", or freedom). When Aristotle calls happiness the chief end of all activity, he is closer to being charged with stating a tautology than saying something that goes against enlightenment. And when he promotes eudaimonia, I would be very hard-pressed to think that his message is any different than that of Eastern philosophers and their talk of enlightenment (I do ignore Eastern mystics and their talk of enlightenment, since they are thoroughly confused by their unquestioning attitude.)
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Ataraxia
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by Ataraxia »

Have been reading Aristotle quite a bit lately(for Uni) and would agree with that Trevor.

It is also what Pyrrho and Epicurus meant by 'Ataraxia' :)
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Ryan Rudolph
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by Ryan Rudolph »

Enlightenment cannot be beyond logic because logic is an integral part of the reasoning process, and the reasoning process is part of the enlighened experience. In Actuality, we cannot understand anything without logic. logic is necessary to understand any relationship between forms.
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Blair
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by Blair »

mikiel wrote:
prince,
Your every post in reply to me has been hateful. I don't know your personal history (nor am I interested) but your post is very in-character for you and totally without substantive criticism of the content of my post or the subject of this thread.

Clearly you think and post in terms of personal bias ("grudge") against the universal understanding of enlightenment, as represented in my OP.

The universal Truth of enlightenment is my motivation. I have no personal grudge against Dan, David or Kevin. I know for sure that logic/reason is not an essential ingredient in enlightenment. All quotes in my OP testify to this Truth, as does my direct personal/transpersonal experience as a lifelong mystic and one who has transcended the illusion of personal identity for 18 yrs now.

Eh, I don't care less about running you down, I am just curious as to why you say what you do, on a forum that is clearly against your principles.

What do you want to achieve? Do you think this is all a joke, and we can all really get along after all?
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by mikiel »

This thread was actualy motivated by the suggestion (thread)... "that the GF be closed.

An edited version of my post on that thread:
------------------
...The QRS Philosophy" is a dead end as a "path to enlightenment" in blatent contradiction to what mystics of all eras and Traditions have always *known* as enlightenment.
(See last link on my OP.)

... This forum is the instrument of indoctrination into the "QRS Philosophy"...
But enlightenment is consciousness of our Divine Identity totally transcending the content of consciousness, including the thinking mind.

I would like to see this forum live up to its subtitle and become ...

actually, really, truly a forum for open and respectful "Discussion of the nature of Ultimate Reality and the path to Enlightenment."
----------------------

So far everone who has responded is in total denial of the universal truth of enlightenment as expressed by enlightened ones of *all major Traditions."
See also the work of Merrell-Wolff, a philosopher who had a thorough understanding of both Western philosophy (including Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason) and Eastern mysticism, including the transcendence of the thinking process itself... of which everyone here seems totally ignorant, tho it is the basis of "classical" enlightenment.
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Tomas
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by Tomas »

mikiel wrote:This thread was actualy motivated by the suggestion (thread)... "that the GF be closed.

An edited version of my post on that thread:
------------------
...The QRS Philosophy" is a dead end as a "path to enlightenment" in blatent contradiction to what mystics of all eras and Traditions have always *known* as enlightenment.
(See last link on my OP.)

... This forum is the instrument of indoctrination into the "QRS Philosophy"...
But enlightenment is consciousness of our Divine Identity totally transcending the content of consciousness, including the thinking mind.

I would like to see this forum live up to its subtitle and become ...

actually, really, truly a forum for open and respectful "Discussion of the nature of Ultimate Reality and the path to Enlightenment."
----------------------

So far everone who has responded is in total denial of the universal truth of enlightenment as expressed by enlightened ones of *all major Traditions."
See also the work of Merrell-Wolff, a philosopher who had a thorough understanding of both Western philosophy (including Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason) and Eastern mysticism, including the transcendence of the thinking process itself... of which everyone here seems totally ignorant, tho it is the basis of "classical" enlightenment.

PLease explain why you have "Divine" (Identity) capitalized.


.
mikiel
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by mikiel »

Tomas:
PLease explain why you have "Divine" (Identity) capitalized.
Same question in two threads. Must be of special importance to you... unlike the substance of the posts in each case.

Not too complex. Like "God" or "Ultimate Reality."
And like my sometimes capitalization of the "I" in the midst of my Spirit name, mik-I-el... to honor the One Consciousness in us all.
Get my drift?

So, I'm just wondering... is this diversion from content to grammar/punctuation/spelling (gps) the result of your indoctrination by the founders on the importance of "gps" here (I've dealt with it so many times in reply to so many petty/pedantic critics) or did you come up with this trivia on your own... and if so, why is it important (more so than content) to you?
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by mikiel »

Georg Feuerstein on advaita ("not two"): "The manifold universe is, in truth, a Single Reality. There is only one Great Being, which the sages call Brahman, in which all the countless forms of existence reside. That Great Being is utter Consciousness, and It is the very Essence, or Self (Atman) of all beings."

"Utter Consciousness" is not awareness of this or that. It is Awareness Itself, omnipresent throughout the universe.

Realization of this is enlightenment... not the content and conceit of the human intellect as it exalts logic/reason and places it on the altar as a false idol, the god of the human mind.
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Blair
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by Blair »

This may be so, but why do you keep hammering the point?

Haven't you made your point already? You are repeating yourself over, and over again.

If you are enlightened, why don't you just leave it at that? Let the ignorant suffer, they won't listen to you anyway.
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Tomas
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by Tomas »

.


All melodrama aside .. I've read every single word on your website.



-tomas earlier-
Please explain why you have "Divine" (Identity) capitalized.

-mikiel-
Same question in two threads.

-tomas-
No, the first I ellipsed was (Consciousness), the second was ellipsed (Identity).

Divine Identity
Divine Consciousness




-mikiel-
Must be of special importance to you...

-tomas-
Divine is one of those rare words that has a meaning that is something different to every individual on this earth




-mikiel-
unlike the substance of the posts in each case.

-tomas-
Right. The internet isn't the best form of communication.. but we're stuck with it.

Second fiddle is video-conference, telephone.

In person, face to face dialogue, trumps all :-)




-mikiel-
Not too complex. Like "God" or "Ultimate Reality."
And like my sometimes capitalization of the "I" in the midst of my Spirit name, mik-I-el... to honor the One Consciousness in us all.
Get my drift?

-tomas-
Not really.

I get the breathing in-and-out kosmos thing bang-crunch etc.


Define divine..




-mikiel-
So, I'm just wondering... is this diversion from content to grammar/punctuation/spelling (gps) the result of your indoctrination by the founders

-tomas-
Look, I was drafted into the US Army against my will and sent to VietNam , no deferments allowed by that time in the tail-end of war - that indoctrination was the only one I would've changed had it been possible.

Fort Leavenworth federal prison? - I don't like living with Roosters - other men who haven't had pussy in a long time and probably never will :-|

This is a forum for -enlightenment- I don't buy into the QRS syllogy any more than that there is cheese on the moon.

I like to see where somebody is going before I join up with them..




-mikiel-
on the importance of "gps" here (I've dealt with it so many times in reply to so many petty/pedantic critics)

-tomas-
My oldest brother has a master's in English - it - the language - didn't work for me..

My grammar is horrible, ditto punctuation. But I make up for it with excellent spelling. I won many spelling bees.

But don't ask me where to place a comma, or draft an outline etc. or ask me what a dangling participle is...

The politicians (puppets) have speechwriters , the string-pullers, if you will.

I done a lot debates in school, give good speeches, not afraid to stand up and give a speech at invited audiences.

My girlfriend of 40-plus years writes them as she knows more than any one else how I think..

Then, I read it (the notes) and tell her that this-or-that needs to be altered to reflect my real meaning of some minor nuance blah blah de bla..


-mikiel-
or did you come up with this trivia on your own... and if so, why is it important (more so than content) to you?

-tomas-
It's like when one is walking down the street and some street-preacher is telling those within earshot that the End is Near! I have the benefit of reading his/her body-language - here at this site - it's just the computer-generated written word we have to go by.

About the best illustration I can think of is the phone rings and it's a Telemarketer who've I've never met in person.

Or, the phone rings and it's a close friend, you know your friend's 'body language' so when the two of you are conversing, the body language isn't really necessary to get to the gist of most any subject matter that comes up. In your head, you 'see' their movements and adjust accordingly.

PS - I go to a lot of the local city council meetings. All the sheeple stand up and put their right hand over their heart and do the pledge of allegiance. I just stand up and look at the city council members. The people behind me probably know me well enough to know that I'm not indoctrinated, or buy into, any system whatsoever..

Leave out your website contents etc.. I get the major religions what all sages are saying (the street preachers)

Just define 'divine' whether capitalized or not.


Tomas (the tank)
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.
mikiel
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by mikiel »

prince:
Eh, I don't care less about running you down, I am just curious as to why you say what you do, on a forum that is clearly against your principles.

I testify to the universal Truth of enlightenment both as I know it directly and as it is expressed cross-culturally by enlightened ones from all Traditions. It is not about clarity of thinking, logic, reasoning as constantly repeated here. I am a truth teller. It is my "calling."

What do you want to achieve? Do you think this is all a joke, and we can all really get along after all?

I continue to "discuss" enlightenment/ Ultimate Reality, which is right on target for this forum's stated purpose even if I'm the only one (left, not yet banned) telling the universasl Truth about it.
This is not a social club where "getting along" is a priority. Radical honesty is priority one with me.

m:
"Utter Consciousness" is not awareness of this or that. It is Awareness Itself, omnipresent throughout the universe.

Realization of this is enlightenment... not the content and conceit of the human intellect as it exalts logic/reason and places it on the altar as a false idol, the god of the human mind.
p:
This may be so, but why do you keep hammering the point?

As the minority voice for the Truth of the matter while nearly everyone else "keeps hammering" on logic'reason as the end-all and only Way to the big 'E.'

Haven't you made your point already? You are repeating yourself over, and over again.
You mean like "Logic/Reason is the One True God" over and over and over ad infinitum?

If you are enlightened, why don't you just leave it at that? Let the ignorant suffer, they won't listen to you anyway.
"Let the ignorant suffer?" Ever heard of the Bodhisattva vow? I don't belong to any religion or Tradition, but I share this intent to serve where I can to share the "Truth that sets us free" from all suffering.

My calling is to speak the Truth. It is not up to me how it is received, or not. I certainly have no delusions about folks like yourself actually "listening." You are the rocky ground upon which the "seeds of enlightenment" (my first website title) are wasted as contrasted with fertile soil receptive to the Truth.

So, back atcha... Why do you "keep hammering" on me about it?
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by mikiel »

Your post rambles far and wide almost totally ignoring my reply/inquiry to/of you.

"Just define 'divine' whether capitalized or not."

Yes sir! Right away sir!

As per common usage sans the "supernatural" refs in dictionaries. (The natural cosmos is the Divine Body... the whole universe, both known and unknown. I don't "believe in" supernatural "miracles." Consciousness as Creator/Healer, for instance is a natural functional interaction between the transcendental and the manifest.)

Wiki- dic:
"# (of or pertaining to a god): deific, godlike, godly
# (eternal, holy): hallowed, holy, sacred
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Tomas
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by Tomas »

.

mikiel,

Simple .. define 'divine' in your own words.

Not some damn dictionary.


.
mikiel
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by mikiel »

Tomas wrote:.

mikiel,

Simple .. define 'divine' in your own words.

Not some damn dictionary.


.
I already said I have no special definition but rather accept the commonly used definitions and quoted the usual synonyms.
I gave one example of how my usage differs from common parlance as per "the supernatural."

I don't know (or care much) what you are driving at here.

If you have an issue around the word or a special definition, spill it out. I have no need to put my special stamp of meaning on the word.
Get it yet?
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Trevor Salyzyn
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by Trevor Salyzyn »

mikiel,
So far everone who has responded is in total denial of the universal truth of enlightenment as expressed by enlightened ones of *all major Traditions."
If you want me to add to the list of people that I think were enlightened, state a case for each individual. There are diamonds in the rough in even the most ass-backward traditions.
See also the work of Merrell-Wolff, a philosopher who had a thorough understanding of both Western philosophy (including Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason) and Eastern mysticism, including the transcendence of the thinking process itself... of which everyone here seems totally ignorant, tho it is the basis of "classical" enlightenment.
I call bullshit. Aristotle talked about the transcendence of the thinking process in eudaimonia, and Ataraxia reminded us that his name comes from Epicurus' word for that exact thing. So we're not totally ignorant.

I am well aware of the writings of Kant on enlightenment. He even wrote an essay on it. I believe it was called "What Is Enlightenment?" Never heard of Merrell-Wolff, no clue if he was a broad-shooting academic trying to fit everything into a System, or if he knew what he was talking about. If you want me to believe he was enlightened, I would need some more information.

As to Eastern mysticism, I make the same separation as I make with Western mysticism. The philosophers are far superior to the mystics, in reasoning ability and capacity for enlightenment. I would read St. Augustine over a fundie any day. There are maybe a handful of Eastern philosophers that I'm familiar with: Zheng Zhu, Lao Tzu, Sun Tzu, Gautama, maybe a few more scraps here and there. All of these men display a far superior grasp of reality than any Eastern mystico-babble I've cared to read.
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by mikiel »

T.S.,
Here, yet again is the link shared in my OP with quotes from enlightened ones from all traditions... and intro quote for each section by Joel Morwood:
http://www.centerforsacredsciences.org/traditions.html

If you deny them all, you are hard core against the universal truth of enlightenment from all Traditions.

As to how mysticism goes beyond phiosophy,
And here again is an intro to Merrell-Wolff:
http://www.integralscience.org/wolffsheart.htm

More on Merrell-Wolff:
http://www.merrell-wolff.org/philo.htm
http://www.integralscience.org/gsc/

Maybe if you would actually study the material we could have an intelligent conversation about it.
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by Trevor Salyzyn »

miki, I have no reason to believe, from his intro quotes, that Joel Morwood is enlightened. I'll give an example. Let's say someone says, "the reason the undefined is undefined is because definitions, by definition, define", would you have any reason to believe he is enlightened?

I'll avoid Merrell-Wolff until you can convince me that Morwood is legit. We'll take this one step at a time.

(Yes, yes, this will be a highly unintelligent conversation, but I don't have an IQ of a million.)
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by mikiel »

Trevor Salyzyn wrote:miki, I have no reason to believe, from his intro quotes, that Joel Morwood is enlightened. I'll give an example. Let's say someone says, "the reason the undefined is undefined is because definitions, by definition, define", would you have any reason to believe he is enlightened?

I'll avoid Merrell-Wolff until you can convince me that Morwood is legit. We'll take this one step at a time.

(Yes, yes, this will be a highly unintelligent conversation, but I don't have an IQ of a million.)
Do you wanna play a b.s. word game or discuss classical enlightenment? The above statement is obviously absurd. No, I would say anyone saying the above is a not-very-intelligent bullshitter.

Lets try an actual quote from Joel and then focus a serious conversation on what he means.
From the "Teachers" section of his website...
http://www.centerforsacredsciences.org/ ... l#teachers :
Some people who have come to me have been disappointed to discover that I have no supernatural powers to transmit, no magic wand to wave, no extraordinary knowledge to dispense which can make them instantly wise, loving, and happy. "Who, then, are you?" they ask. "What's your secret?" My secret can be summed up in one word: Selflessness. Selflessness is the Truth. Selflessness is the Way. Selflessness is the Fruit. In reality, there is no 'you' nor 'I' nor any 'self' whatsoever. There is only Consciousness Itself—the One True God—which is what we are. All that is necessary is to Realize This, because to Realize This is Wisdom, to Live This is Love, to Be This is Happiness. So, if you really want to know my secret, look to your 'self'. In finding the source of your 'self', you will find Consciousness Itself, and nothing else. Then, you, too, will be free of your self and all its sufferings.
PS: The above is consistent with all 58 quotes (including Joel's) from enlightened ones in the Mystical Traditions link.
PPS: A study of Merrell-Wolff might provide the necessary insight to understanding all of the above, since he was first a mathematician fully informed in Western philosophy before he integrated Eastern mysticism as the direct experience of The Ineffable... the latter of which is the key do the door out of your silly conundrum above.
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Re: Enlightenment Beyond Logic & the QRS Doctrine

Post by Trevor Salyzyn »

Do you wanna play a b.s. word game or discuss classical enlightenment?
Either/Or? I think you can fit a few more options in there. I would prefer, in discussing enlightenment, to weed out what is definitely not enlightenment. That is my method. Notice, if you will, that I refer only to Joel here, and am not questioning the quotations he picked. I find much more wisdom in the selections than in the editor.
The above statement is obviously absurd. No, I would say anyone saying the above is a not-very-intelligent bullshitter.
I was a paraphrasing what he said in #2. I took out all the filler, and found it was impossible for me to determine if he is bullshitting or not. The only difference is that he was more cunning than simple and direct -- but I don't consider an intelligent bullshitter any more wise than an unintelligent one. I guess, since you consider the paraphrase to be bullshit, that answers my question. He is bullshitting, at least on #2.
The above is consistent with all 58 quotes (including Joel's) from enlightened ones in the Mystical Traditions link.
Consistency is not sufficient for wisdom. A catalog is consistent. With all the unnecessarily capitalized words, unlikely questions, and single-words-in-quotes, it reads like he is making a list of a bunch of stuff he has read, rather than offering a solid explanation of enlightenment from personal experience. It reads like something I could have written in highschool, at the outset of taking on philosophy. (When I first joined the Genius Forum, I sounded like a textbook, but that does not mean that I understood everything in my textbooks.)

I remain unconvinced that he is wise, although I do not doubt his intelligence (or, at least, his memory). His cup is so full, I do not think there is any room for emptiness in it.
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