Spirituality
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“I have realized that the past and the future are real illusions, that they exist only in the present, which is what there is and all that there is.”
— Alan Watts
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The Buddhist concept of reincarnation differs from others in that there is no eternal “soul,” “spirit” or “self” but only a “stream of consciousness” that links life with life. The actual process of change from one life to the next is called punarbhava (Sanskrit) or punabbhava (Pāli), literally “becoming again,” or more briefly bhava, “becoming.” The early Buddhist texts discuss techniques for recalling previous births, predicated on the development of high levels of meditative concentration.[15] Buddha reportedly warned that this experience can be misleading and should be interpreted with care. He taught a distinct concept of rebirth constrained by the concepts of anattā, that there is no irreducible atman or “self” tying these lives together, which serves as a contrast to Hinduism, where everything is connected, and in a sense, “everything is everything.”
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Indeed, religion allows people to imagine that their concerns are moral when they are highly immoral – that is, when pressing these concerns inflicts unnecessary and appalling suffering on innocent human beings. This explains why Christians like yourself expend more “moral” energy opposing abortion than fighting genocide. It explains why you are more concerned about human embryos than about the lifesaving promise of stem-cell research. And it explains why you can preach against condom use in sub-Saharan Africa while millions die from AIDS there each year.
— Sam Harris
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All that we are is the result of what we have thought. It is founded on our thoughts. It is made up of our thoughts. If one speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows one, as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the wagon. All that we are is the result of what we have thought. It is founded on our thoughts. It is made up of our thoughts. If one speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows one, like a shadow that never leaves.
— Dhammapada 1-2 / Müller & Maguire, 2002.
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David Lynch – Meditation, Creativity, Peace; Documentary of a 16 Country Tour [OFFICIAL]
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David Lynch explains Transcendental Meditation
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Temper
A Zen student came to Bankei and complained: “Master, I have an ungovernable temper. How can I cure it?”
“You have something very strange,” replied Bankei. “Let me see what you have.”
“Just now I cannot show it to you,” replied the other.
“When can you show it to me?” asked Bankei.
“It arises unexpectedly,” replied the student.
“Then,” concluded Bankei, “it must not be your own true nature. If it were, you could show it to me at any time. When you were born you did not have it, and your parents did not give it to you. Think that over.”
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Nansen’s Ordinary Mind
Joshu asked Nansen, “What is the Way?” Nansen answered, “Your ordinary mind–that is the Way.” Joshu said, “Can it be grasped (for study)?” Nansen replied, “The more you pursue, the more does it slip away.” Joshu asked once more, “How can you know it is the Way?” Nansen responded, “The Way does not belong to knowledge, nor does it belong to non knowledge. Knowledge is illusion. Non knowledge is beyond discrimination. When you get to this Way without doubt, you are free like the vastness of space, an unfathomable void, so how can you explain it by yes or no?” Upon hearing this, Joshu was awakened.
Mumon’s Comment:
The question Joshu asked Nansen was dissolved by a stroke. After being enlightened, Joshu must further his pursuit 30 more years to exhaust that meaning.
Hundred flowers in Spring, the moon in Autumn,
The cool wind in Summer and Winter’s snow.
If your mind is not clouded with things,
You are happy at any time.
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How does cannabis itself work in the pineal gland?
Research on rats has shown that the pineal gland contains a functional endocannabinoid system,
in that cannabinoid receptors type 1 and 2, and the endogenous ligands
that bind to them, anandamide and 2-AG, are all present.
The study showed that the activity of the CB?-receptors varied
according to a daily cycle, with lowest activity levels occurring at the
end of the daylight period. It also showed that levels of an enzyme
responsible for synthesizing new endocannabinoid molecules, NAPE-PLD,
was reduced during the middle of the dark period.
Furthermore, the study showed that presence of THC reduced the
activity of an enzyme known as AANAT, and in doing so reduces the
synthesis of melatonin itself. An earlier study on rats
also showed that THC reduced the activity of AANAT, and suggested that
the mechanism that occurred was as follows: the neurotransmitter
norepinephrine starts a cascade of reactions, the end result of which is
the production of melatonin. THC disrupts this norepinephrine cascade
and thereby reduces the production of melatonin.
It is likely that THC’s endogenous analogue anandamide performs the
same action of reducing the norepinephrine-induced release of melatonin,
and is therefore fundamentally involved in pineal gland function. It
seems that low levels of anandamide or THC are therefore needed in order
for melatonin production to increase. As melatonin levels increase, as
they should normally do at the end of the daylight period, feelings of
sleepiness should occur.
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Neil de Grasse Tyson on the afterlife.