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I wrote this pdf for Western Left Hand Path folks to explain the purpose and action of the rupa and arupa Jhanas. The pdf was too large to attach, so I put it in a zip file. I'm always up for a good heated debate! :D

I'll post a pdf I wrote about the Jhanas for western LHP folk in the Buddhism section. Thomas may remember my loopiness when I meditated on "non-relativistic space" (try wrapping your head around that!) when someone suggested I meditate on "absolute space." I didn't know they meant "infinite...

I need heated debate or koan work for revelation: devotion just doesn't do it for me. In fact, I think I got this cringe to worship while using the Gospel of Thomas for koan work during my koan junkie days. (One would think that it was designed as a koan book.) I also had my stint as a jhana...

I was stealthily introduced to Buddhist Zen practice by my Sen-Sei years ago. It didn't contain any devotional practices. I've basically been a solitary practitioner and researcher my entire time as a Buddhist.

Well Ptolemy II Philadelphus sent an ambassador named Dionysius to the Court of Ashoka, and Ashoka himself sent dütas to Alexandria. Ashoka reigned from 268 to 232 BC. When did the great library of Alexandria burn down? It was said to be established during Ptolemy II Philadelphus reign, and...

King Ashoka sent monks to Alexandria, so any parallels of Gnosticism with Buddhism are not surprising (to me at least.)

I would go so far to extend it to transforming greed, hatred, and delusion within ourselves, and work to stop the propagation of these poisons. (Hence my concern with the possibility of worship spreading delusion among sentient entities (be they human or otherwise.)

While I agree with you that life is cringe (First Noble Truth) that doesn't mean that everything cringy is worth doing--especially harmful and criminal stuff. We have a brain to figure these things out (which is what I am currently trying to do.)

Be advised, my thinking worship is cringy is my own personal hang-up I am trying to work through.

No, not at all. I'm asking how interfaith works when it comes to reconciling those who desire to worship with those who think worship can be a cause of harm.

Alright, let's go back to what you said about sentient beings in post #33 Is the source of the feelings a sentient being experiences in the objective mind, the subjective mind, or somewhere else? The place that a sentient being experiences feelings or emotions is surely in the subjective mind...

Not necessarily. All our sensory information is processed subjectively. Is being near-sighted or far-sighted an opinion simply because the visual information is being processed subjectively?

I wrote "subjective mind" not "subjective universe." No one else can contradict your qualia (you might be able to, though.)

Alright, beings with a subjective mind can be recognized by their capacity for delusion.

Sentient beings are those who have a subjective mind. Having a subjective mind makes one vulnerable to delusion (mistaking subjective content for the objective.) Therefore, a sentient being can be recognized by its capacity for delusion. The same thing that gives rise to delusion (a...

The "ifs" are based upon the assumption that the deity is a sentient being. If the deity is non-sentient, then it would be wholly different.

Do you mean like a big organization with hierarchy and stuff? Egads, no! Run away!

OK, you have a sentient deity with all of these voices in their head. First, they have to discern if these voices are a product of their all-powerful mind (delusion) or not. (Those who want to merge with said deity don't help matters in this case. It blurs the discerning line between clear...

Well, if there really is a deity, how would that deity be affected by thousands of voices in their head singing their praises, asking for a boon, or whatever?

I'll keep that in mind.