I have said this before, in so many words, that the truth of materialism is nihilism which is saying that life is, fundamentally, meaningless. It is not difficult to see this if one is not immersed and drowning in materialism; who has no mind left by which to see anything else.
The most astonishing thing about materialism and nihilism is their relationship with death—not death leading to another life, in the example of rebirth, but death as final. Materialism’s apotheosis is death—the big blank. For the living who are materialists death also points to the overall meaninglessness of this life and all of its endeavors and struggles. Death is the nirvana of nihilism whereby all meaning to life is erased. Life becomes absurd.
Religion, it has not been acknowledged as much as it should, has stood against both materialism and its nihilism. Even if religion cannot say with certainty if there is truly a God or a benevolent power overseeing this life of ours, nevertheless, it makes a concerted effort to steer mankind away from the darkness of materialism and with materialism the despair of nihilism.
The finality of death, we can be sure, is materialism’s great hope and maybe its new God. And the nihilist may dwell on death who is thoroughly convinced there is nothing beyond physicality. All the evil he or she has done, even all the good, is washed away by holy death! In this lightless world, Buddhism is an enemy of materialism and its truth which is nihilism. The Buddha certainly teaches the immortal sphere (amrita-dhatu); that we can directly see it in meditation. He also teaches that the end of this life does not completely end, but continues as consciousness (vijñâna) which is reborn again owing to its karmic inclinations. Ultimately, there is everlasting life. Death can be vanquished.
I think I finally remembered being a spirit after my last incarnation. The memory was blacked out because my past life was absolutely traumatic. You know what? All these spiritual toys we use to amuse ourselves--Tarot cards, Yin-Yang, creative visualization, astrology, magick, etc.--are just causing us harm. The more I eliminate, the better I can remember my past lives. I am so tired of being told how to play this spiritual game. Fuck whoever invented all this garbage, anyway. It is a spiritual scam.
Posted by: Electric Black | January 02, 2015 at 09:32 PM
I have some ability to 'see' Karma, but can't always tell what the source of it is. After studying the Buddhist wheel and reading a certain paragraph of the Lankavatara Sutra, I gave up all association with the Yin-Yang. This has enabled me to 'see' better. It appears that acts of revenge in my past life have hindered me from learning compassion in this life. It is amazing what a simple change can reveal.
Posted by: Electric Black | December 30, 2014 at 12:26 PM
I remember her voice. It was literally thousands of voices, tumbling over each other like purest water made of light. It was like the universe, in pure love, singing of every story it had ever known. Her whole body was covered in a light so radiant, it exposed my innermost being. There are no words in any language to describe it. How can this experience not be true?
Posted by: Electric Black | December 30, 2014 at 10:52 AM
Electric Black:
In Buddhism we learn there are many realms of the gods or deva. These beings are quite real. And don't forget, the Buddha is the teacher of gods and men. Two things which might help you are Donald Hoffman's paper on Conscious Realism | http://www.cogsci.uci.edu/~ddhoff/ConsciousRealism2.pdf and the Lankavatara Sutra (it is free on the Internet). You can also follow Dr. Hoffman on YouTube. He is no crackpot, but a full professor. Fundamentally, there is no physical world. It is mind or consciousness generated. You are a conscious agent whose life (or lives) is infinite; not a living hunk of meat whose life terminates with the end of the temporal meat body. Ultimately, you must see that all things are Mind-only; moreover they are configurations of discrimination. It is a tall order but certainly doable.
Posted by: The Zennist | December 30, 2014 at 10:25 AM
The last comment is quite profound. The Bhavacakra depicts precisely about this whole Samsaric rebirth/re-becoming:
http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~rfrey/116bhavacakra.htm
It is an excellent meditative tool for the dying to look at (look at it wholly, deeply and without all previous presumptions/prejudice). Note that the Buddha is illustrated as standing outside the Wheel, not getting caught up in this crazy cycle!
The ghosts Electric Black spoke to certainly can not explain the Ultimate Truth as they are themselves, figuratively speaking, caught in the Wheel as well.
Anyhow, good postings Zennist. Have a happy 2015!
Bodhiratna
Posted by: Bao Tran | December 30, 2014 at 09:35 AM