Many times a person will see things based on what their beliefs are. I remember reading that people used to see fairies all the time, but now their belief in them has changed and now they don't. The same with demons. If you really believe that such creatures believe, then your mind will create them.
I think the mind will try to make sense of certain emotions and even create images.
Originally posted by inimalistIn terms of day-to-day, ordinary functioning, absolutely it is beneficial to relegate some functioning to autopilot. Indeed, I would think that we can function as well as we do an automatic was evolutionarily selected for.
?certain actions might be so common our brain is able to do them without need for constant attentional monitoring, however, I would certainly question the wisdom of anything that would claim or basic automatic functions should be a constant source of attention, as such would really hamper our abilities as a human, and really works against everything our brain is made to do...
However, sometimes being more aware is advantageous, eg, 'situational awareness'.
Think of it this way: the aim, as it were, of meditation is not so much to negate autopilot but to integrate it into a context of choice. This way, instead of always responding to a situation with a habitual response (which has always produced a 'good enough' result), by being more aware, I can evaluate a situation fresh and decide whether a different course of action would produce a better result.
This is how I better remember names of people I meet at parties. 😉
Originally posted by Deadline
There are alot of things that could be considered to be supernatural that are plausible. I think the existance of demonic/angelic type beings is plausible but comparing into a specfic type of being with specific characteristics is not a good comparison.
See, here is where we differ: supernatural does not exist. If something exists, it exists only by natural means. We may not understand these natural means, but they do exist, and with enough time, we could understand them. Therefore a supernatural demon is as real as the Easter Bunny. If demon exist, then they are not supernatural, and in effect they are not demons.
Originally posted by Shakyamunison
See, here is where we differ: supernatural does not exist. If something exists, it exists only by natural means. We may not understand these natural means, but they do exist, and with enough time, we could understand them. Therefore a supernatural demon is as real as the Easter Bunny. If demon exist, then they are not supernatural, and in effect they are not demons.
I dont think so. As I said to you in a prior discussion supernatural is just something that seems to defy the laws of nature.
I don't see the logic were something existing stops it from being what it initially was. So if you prove that God or telepathy exists they stop being telepathy or God? Its like you're contradicting yourself.
Originally posted by Deadline
I dont think so. As I said to you in a prior discussion supernatural is just something that seems to defy the laws of nature.I don't see the logic were something existing stops it from being what it initially was. So if you prove that God or telepathy exists they stop being telepathy or God? Its like you're contradicting yourself.
It is not rather they exist, it is the mechanism by which they exist. A natural god would not fit the biblical definition of a god. Does that make a natural god just a powerful alien?
Originally posted by Shakyamunison
It is not rather they exist, it is the mechanism by which they exist. A natural god would not fit the biblical definition of a god.
Why does it have to fit the biblical definiton of god? So if God isn't infinite, ominpotent etc then its not a god now? When did this happen....wow.
Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Does that make a natural god just a powerful alien?
It fits the defintion, absolutely.
Originally posted by Shakyamunison
You can call a lizard a dragon, but does that make a dragon real?
Thats faulty logic. A lizard is nothing like a dragon an extremely powerful alien is like a god. Especially since you don't have to be infinite, omnipotent, eternal to fit the defintion of a god.
Hell a lizard isn't even big enough.
Originally posted by Deadline
Thats faulty logic. A lizard is nothing like a dragon an extremely powerful alien is like a god. Especially since you don't have to be infinite, omnipotent, eternal to fit the defintion of a god.Hell a lizard isn't even big enough.
Why do you have to have wings to be a dragon?
If you detach dragon from the myth, then dragons to exist. The same is true with god. The common definition of god in the western world is in biblical mythology. If you detach god from the myth, then a god exists. However, you don't find knights lining up to fight Komodo Dragons, and you don't find people worshiping an alien (at least not yet).
Originally posted by Mindship
In terms of day-to-day, ordinary functioning, absolutely it is beneficial to relegate some functioning to autopilot. Indeed, I would think that we can function as well as we do an automatic was evolutionarily selected for.However, sometimes being more aware is advantageous, eg, 'situational awareness'.
Think of it this way: the aim, as it were, of meditation is not so much to negate autopilot but to integrate it into a context of choice. This way, instead of always responding to a situation with a habitual response (which has always produced a 'good enough' result), by being more aware, I can evaluate a situation fresh and decide whether a different course of action would produce a better result.
This is how I better remember names of people I meet at parties. 😉
can you though?
a lot of this "context of choice" is entirely illusionary, its not as though your conscious mind has access to a lot of information these automatic systems don't.
I hear what you are saying, and it does seem just like saying "think before you act" (if I can bastardize your point a little), so I don't disagree entirely, I just don't tend to think more conscious awareness of things is really that beneficial.
For instance, in terms of habitual behaviour, you are just as likely to intellectualize why the habits are good than judge them impartially, if not moreso.
Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Why do you have to have wings to be a dragon?
I didn’t say wings I said big. The thing is its such a terrible example of something you could debate about being a dragon. Its like talking about giants and producing a scan of a midget. A komodo dragon isn’t a dragon and a midget isn’t a giant because they don’t fit the defintions.
Originally posted by Shakyamunison
If you detach dragon from the myth, then dragons to exist. The same is true with god.
I need some clarification here, don’t you mean they don’t exist?
Originally posted by Shakyamunison
The common definition of god in the western world is in biblical mythology. If you detach god from the myth, then a god exists.
Everbody knows who Zeus and Thor are and they know they don’t fit the defintion of the Biblical God. There is no reason why we should stick to God.
Originally posted by Shakyamunison
However, you don't find knights lining up to fight Komodo Dragons, and you don't find people worshiping an alien (at least not yet).
Sorry that’s not really relevant. A Komodo dragon isn’t a dragon because it doesn’t fit the defintion, wether knights fought Komodos is irrelevant.
By the way when I say powerful aliens I don’t mean aliens that are simply more advanced than us I mean aliens that are so advanced its mind-boggling eg tech so advanced it seems to warp reality.
Originally posted by the ninjak
I've had similar experiences but I know I'm not crazy, it's just we do have the ability to "trance out" and have some pretty weird experiences.
That is true also when you are depressed your mind is all strange so seeing what I saw had alot to do with mainly the depression and nothing else but I never went back to meditating anyway.