Quote (Handcuffs @ 27 Nov 2023 22:50)
Philosophy is very relevant to political and religious matters, so I figured I'd see if people are interested in a thread that is focused on philosophical considerations. Here's a thought I had:
If there is a belief in an afterlife, and this belief is one of an eternally peaceful afterlife, why do we desire extending our lifespan so much? This is different than a question of suicide, as suicide relates to the desire to kill ourselves immediately (or shortly). I think of it as the difference between choosing death v. adjusting your acceleration towards death. Why the adjustment? Why the desire to delay meeting paradise, God, The One, etc.?
In Eastern philosophies such as Vedanta there is not "life after death" there is simply the continuation of consciousness/God/existence(one and the same). Life before life applies to this too.
In the Hindu trinity the 3 "Gods" are broken down into "Destroyer" / "Creator" / "Sustainer". They are merely metaphors to show that their are creative/destructive/balancing energies permeating throughout the entire universe. You as this "name" / "body" / "ego/id" can NEVER separate yourself from that. That's the whole idea of "duality". In Western traditions you are told that you are "separate from God" and that you can only "be" or "realize" "God through "Jesus Christ" or some other prophet.
In Vedanta the highest heavenly body is described as "Brahmaloka" aka the "abode of GOD" / "Highest of the joyful/pleasurable worlds".
The goal of this life is to realize God while in the human form. The highest attainment is known as "Pure-Bliss-Consciousness"(((What Westerners call "Enlightenment"))) and when you see my user name "Swami Vivekananda" the ananda in Sanskrit means "bliss attained". This designation is given to people who "know God" on some level through various yogas/meditations. For example my guru Swami Ishatmananda was given the name "Ishat" by his guru and it's not his name he was given at birth. It's how Eastern's shed their EGO just as Swami Vivekananda was given the name Vivek by his guru. When you lose all attachments and become free of ALL thought only then can you really develop such a heightened level of consciousness.
This is why Hindu's still abide to the caste system on a spiritual level. They believe they CAN NEVER REALIZE GOD in this lifetime if they aren't a monk. They believe you are either a householder or a monk and the householder can not realize God simply because a householder has a "family" or obligations to their Ego which create a massive barrier when you are trying to put all of your being "On God" and reach "eternal bliss".
In response to your wouldn't you rather just die and get there early many "Realized souls" who experience "Nirvana/Samadhi" come back to the "worldly" because they realize "What use is it for me to be in total bliss if others around me are not".
The "bliss" itself is obtained when you realize you NEVER had control over "any of this life/existence". That you were a fool to think you could "know God" or know God "better" or more "intimately" then someone else. You then realize you and this "God" were never separate and that YOU as this "name" / "body" tried so hard to convince yourself of something that was always there. You finally have the "ah-hah" moment when you realize you are ONE with all existence and that nothing is separate. There are so many ways/paths/methods towards realizing and attaining that bliss and believe it or not they don't require you to believe in any God. It is just easier for the human mind to have an IDOL that they worship and put their energy towards. This is why their are thousands of Hindu gods but yet all worshippers are reaching towards that same goal.
"The truth is universal sages call it by many names"
“All differences in this world are of degree and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.”
"All truth is eternal. Truth is nobody's property; no race, no individual can lay any exclusive claim to it. Truth is the nature of all souls."
"Truth can be stated in a thousand different ways, yet each one can be true."
'Truth is one, sages call It by various names. ' (Rig Veda) 'Whosoever comes to me, through whatsoever form, I reach him. All men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me."
This post was edited by SwamiVivekananda on Nov 28 2023 11:53am