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JacquesCousteau
Being.
Registered: 06/10/03
Posts: 7,825
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Re: Is There Any Eternal Value To Existence? [Re: ekomstop]
#2847430 - 07/01/04 01:08 PM (19 years, 8 months ago) |
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Excellent!
*airguitar*
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Source
Remainder of anUnbalancedEquation
Registered: 07/28/03
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Re: Is There Any Eternal Value To Existence? [Re: JacquesCousteau]
#2847437 - 07/01/04 01:09 PM (19 years, 8 months ago) |
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Made sense to me too!
-------------------- What you're searching for is what's searching.
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MarkostheGnostic
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Re: Is There Any Eternal Value To Existence? [Re: Source]
#2847682 - 07/01/04 02:26 PM (19 years, 8 months ago) |
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Your answer to yourself is Buddhist - a acosmic religion, not a historical religion. The first category of religion devalues the infinite complexity of existence and speaks only to its transcendence or 'liberation' from existence. Most Gnostic schools of antiquity likewise had this view.
One historical approach, theologically speaking, is that GOD created, not of necessity, but of His/Her nature which is creative, generating, Love. GOD, from this Orthodox Christian view created other sentient beings so that they too could Love and realize the Source of their Love. GOD therefore had to 'deny' His/Her Infinite Nature, or create finitude (space-time) so that existence could 'Be,' outside of GOD's transcendent Nature, yet be suffused with GOD's Immanence. Christian PanENtheism - GOD is mysteriously 'Present to' the creation, yet not co-extensive of identical with creation.
Jewish Kabbalism (Lurianic school) says that GOD created out of a certain logical necessity - that without creation, there would be an unactualized Idea in GOD. In other words, GOD's Infinitude MUST contain the reality of finitude, or GOD's Infinitude would be 'lacking' something, and Infinitude cannot lack anything. Also, GOD may actually 'need' humainity (and presumably other sentient species) to 'repair' a cosmic cataclysm that resulted in what the Kabbalists call 'the breaking of the vessels' - the 10 'Spheres' of the Tree of Life were shattered at creation, and 'Restoration' of the Divine Sparks in humanity needs to be 'gathered back' to GOD. As Microcosmic 'image and likeness' of GOD, we humans have work to do to restore the creation to its original complete condition. In the process, we become complete humans, conformed to the Universal Human - Adam Kadmon - who Christian Kabbalists identify with the Christ.
In Orthodox Christianity (particularly) and in Kabbalistic Judaism, we have a cosmic purpose. All of this exquisite detail, just the human body alone (have you ever seen a photo of Petra Verkaik?!!) resounds with intelligent design. What? All of this is merely an illusion to be disregarded? Perhaps in light of an impersonal absolute, if that be one's metaphysical 'summum bonum,' but despite the GOD above attributes - Ein Sof in Kabbalism, there is still GOD with attributes insofar as WE have attributes and are in the 'image and likeness' of GOD. Mystical Christianity and Judaism (as does the Saguna and Nirguna Brahma of Hinduism - GOD with attributes and without attributes respectively) recognizes a Godhead above the personal GOD, but unlike Buddhism, which recognizes ONLY the former, we can still pray, be 'heard,' and known by GOD - and KNOW GOD insofar as [S]He gives us the grace to KNOW. Peace.
-------------------- γνῶθι σαὐτόν - Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself
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JacquesCousteau
Being.
Registered: 06/10/03
Posts: 7,825
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Re: Is There Any Eternal Value To Existence? [Re: Source]
#2847851 - 07/01/04 03:19 PM (19 years, 8 months ago) |
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Even more excellent, since you were the one I was trying to get through to. ;p
*air guitar*!!
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Source
Remainder of anUnbalancedEquation
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Re: Is There Any Eternal Value To Existence? [Re: MarkostheGnostic]
#2847916 - 07/01/04 03:37 PM (19 years, 8 months ago) |
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Thanks Markos,
I guess its difficult for me to understand in what way creation can affect 'God' - whether positively or negatively. As I said, I think creation is an interplay between opposing forces in which neither ever gets an eternal upper hand on the other. My biggest existential fear is that darkness will overcome light and maybe I am just trying to convince myself that this is not possible.
The worst thing that ever happened to me was when I realized that I am eternal. Now I am trying to figure out just what eternal existence means and what exactly this state is 'like'. If God created in order to 'repair a cosmic cataclysm' then that isn't good news. If God created out of desire to bring about other sentient beings with the capacity for love then that isn't good news either.
I find solice in the idea of 'God' the eternal 'Me' as everything and nothing. A field out of which the cosmic play happens but nothing changes. This says nothing really about 'God' and doesn't endanger it with ramifications proceeding from creation.
-------------------- What you're searching for is what's searching.
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Zahid
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Re: Is There Any Eternal Value To Existence? [Re: Source]
#2852391 - 07/02/04 06:48 PM (19 years, 8 months ago) |
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God, in His unmanifested glory is perfect in the sense that He has made Himself the treasure that he is. Before material reality came to Be (as Markos said, the creation of space-time) God was the 'spectator and spectacle'. He decided to make Himself the source of life, which is consciousness so that it can return the source of consciousness/being - the treasure that is God. Because nothing is unto God, anything that becomes manifested as His externalized ideas will lack any fullness because it is not God; while He is ever so present, that connection is like that of a dream and a Dreamer. The purpose of the soul's journey through the manifested dream is to realize the fullness within them; the Divine Spark of life! Complete realization of one's own spark is gnosis. It is here when one reconnects with the True Being and their spirit mixes with His spirit in a final awakening of non-duality and physical self-denial. Maulana Jalal ud-Din Rumi defended the mystical shahadah of an infamous knower (Husayn ibn Mansur the Hallaj) who lived centuries before him who was executed when he said 'I am God.' Maulana asserted that Hallaj's comments were in fact the most humble words any man could utter in the right intention as it is a sign itself of the non-duality and self denial that flowed through the life of Hallaj. If al-Hallaj had said, "O Allah, you are my Lord and I am your slave.", it would imply duality as Hallaj [the 'I] himself would still be implied. In this lesson one must see that God and consciousness is not seperate. When 'I am God' was uttered, only the Divine reality existed through al-Hallaj's being. In a poetic or even metaphorical sense, it was God speaking through al-Hallaj (not literally of course, as Hallaj could have picked a better choice of words to describe his gnosis. His person decided to say 'I am God' despite his being was discorporated into unseen reality). Every spirit is made out of God-stuff, as only His countenance is the True Reality.
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