TreyMoney

All of existence is a sense perception within consciousness

Have you seen the matrix? There is no cup. What we call a cup is a sound that represents a concept that represents a group of sense-perceptions.

If youre looking for a great book on chakras, check out Eastern Body, Western Mind.

Yes! I found it....YouTube recommended it as a similar video to the link for money as debt.. Thanks!!!!!!

Hello forum. I need your help. There is a computer animation that perfectly details how the Federal reserve prints money and buys bonds....it had an image of a banker on a bike going round and round collecting fees, it had money flowing out of pipes.....does anyone know the animation I am talking about? I thought it was in the IOUSA documentary but it isn't. If anyone knows which documentary this animation is from I would greatly appreciate it!

For me, Maximum Achievement by Brian Tracy

@asifarahim Hence "General Self Help"

So strangely enough Mason I agree with this. The will is not free. Let me work backwards and see if I can communicate this idea clearly. The body acts (similar to, although more complex than, the tree or the starfish) The actions of the body have 3 main causes all of which are intertwined - The environment - The body/brain/nervous system (physical / material aspect of organism) - The mind (non-physical / energetic / life force aspect of organism) The body's actions can be involuntary or voluntary. For example, the mind can voluntarily start or stop moving limbs, fingers etc, but the mind cannot voluntarily stop somethings like heart beat, breathing, blood flow, etc. Although these can be influenced by the mind. But let me get to the point, you know all the above. Who or what causes the voluntary actions right? My answer is "the will" The mind has specialized functions: like memory, imagination, emotion, concentration/attention/focus, introspection, and the will (aka volition) There is no magical free will or self hiding inside the mind that performs these functions, these functions just are what the mind is and does. And the will (or volition if you prefer that word, since it has less baggage than "will"), is that function of the mind that performs voluntary actions such as willing the body to move but more crucially willing and directing the concentration/attention/focus of the mind itself. And what causes the will to choose what it wills? The environment, the body and the mind. Kind of circular logic, I know.

Any question can be used as a loose thread to begin pulling on and begin the process of unraveling. Even the question "How do I know this isn't a simulation" is perfect. This question presupposes and assumes the existence of "I", which then leads to the more fundamental questions "What is this thing called I? Does this thing called I exist?" Eventually you conclude Existence exists or Reality exists or Truth exists or Experience exists or Consciousness exists or Perception exists, all of which really mean the same thing. Then come the dualities: subject/object duality, perceiver/perceived duality, self/other duality.

Will is the ability to direct one's consciousness / awareness

The Enlightenment Triology and The Theory of Everything are absolutely must reads for anyone that wants a direct path to Truth Realization. "If someone (like our dear friend tatsumaru above) says enlightenment doesnt mean truth realization, then its enlightenment they are diminishing, not truth. There is nothing more than truth and anything less than true is false, so to say that enlightenment means something other than truth realization necessarily means youre saying it's within delusion, which doesn't sound very enlightened.” Jed McKenna's book were how I experienced the enlightenment of no-self realization. Your question about love will be answered in Book 3. Books 1 and 2 are all about the awakening process, which is a total war of self vs truth and it is a damn bloody battle which love has nothing to do with really. Book 2 is my absolute favorite....Call Me Ishmael. Book 3 touches upon love, but in a very obscure way. Whatever is, is right. Keep reading my friend. Especially Book 2. Cheers.

from the non-enlightened state there is such a thing as the will.

the ability to introspect and evaluate the amount of relaxation being experienced is evidence of the existence of the will.

@kray hello friend....I don't recommend pursuing spiritual enlightenment unless you have a BURNING DESIRE TO FIND TRUE NATURE OF REALITY AND BEING......the kind of burning desire that makes you wake up in the middle night asking yourself questions like what the hell am i, who the hell am i, where the hell am i, when the hell am i, why the hell am i? If you don't find yourself asking yourself these questions, then I strongly advise you NOT to pursue enlightenment. Focus on creating a great life for yourself! "Truly, I have attained nothing from enlightenment" - quote attributed to the Buddha, but no one knows for sure because the Buddha didn't write anything down.

@RMQualtrough my dear friend, I do not know you, but we are very like minded. I define spirit as the nothingness from which everything arises and to which everything ultimately returns. I define spirituality as having reverence for that absolute, eternal, infinite, objective, ultimate nothingness. A cute little AEIOU mnemonic. The Buddhist saying "Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is Form" perfectly encapsulates the idea of everything being nothing. Nothing is the only thing, which is simultaneously everything. That may seem like a duality, but only from our unenlightened pov. "Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes." - Walt Whitman Nothingness is Brahman....undifferentiated, undivided, indivisible, indescribable, devoid of attributes or characteristics. Somethingness is Atman....differentiated, divided, divisible, describable, containing attributes or characteristics. Brahman is truth. Atman is false. Atman is everythingness. Everything is Atman. I am Atman. You are Atman. Rocks are Atman. Brahman is nothingness. No thing is Brahman. I am not Brahman. You are not Brahman. Rocks are not Brahman. (which is why I vomit in my mouth a little, every time Leo says He is God, or You are God!) But ultimately, Atman, (which is everything), is also nothing fundamentally. (Duality) And if Atman is nothing, and Brahman is nothing, then Atman is Brahman, and nothing is nothing (Non-Duality). I hope this helps....but if not, just ignore it. Cheers to health, wealth, peace and love. Trey

Let's start with a definition: Will: the faculty by which a person decides on and initiates action. From the enlightened pov, from the absolute pov, there is no such thing as person or action. But no things exist in the absolute state. From the relative state of existence, person and action do exist, as does the will. Will is a subset of consciousness. A strong will has the ability to direct the attention of consciousness. A weak will does not have the ability to direct the attention of consciousness, resulting in consciousness simply responding to stimuli. Will is a faculty that must be exercised like memory or imagination. The will is only an illusion from the absolute state where nothing exists. But you don't live in the absolute state, no thing does. You live in the relative state where the will does exists and it is absolutely necessary for the healthy functioning of consciousness. The existence of the will is not a belief. The will can be perceived and experienced. Stop believing that the will is an illusion. That's just another belief, and a very dangerous unhealthy belief. And notice not once did I use the word free. Cheers to health, wealth, peace and love

Rape is immoral because it violates a persons volition. No person wants their volition violated. If a person wants their volition violated, that is volitional, and thus not a violation of their volition. Since no person wants their volition violated, any action that violates a person volition is an immoral action. Rape violates a persons volition. Therefore rape is immoral.

Rape exists, because sometimes human animals value sex/abuse over respecting the autonomy of the person that is object of their desire. Agree? Then the rapist can justify their actions in 1 of 3 ways 1. Might makes right, the strong have the right to rape others. If I am stronger than someone, I can rape them if I choose. If others are stronger then me, they can rape me if they choose. This is the amoral stance. It is a consistent stance. One set of rules for all. 2. It is ok for me to enforce my will upon others, but it is not ok for others to enforce their will upon me. This is the immoral stance. It is an inconsistent stance. One set of rules for my behavior, but different set of rules for behavior of others. 3. It is neither ok for me to enforce my will upon others, nor is it ok for others to enforce their will upon me. This is the moral stance. It is a consistent stance. One set of rules for all. 1 is animal. 2 is selfish. 3 is moral. It is not a 21st century opinion. The golden rule "Do not treat others in ways that you would not like to be treated" has been around since the dawn of civilization.

Looking for thoughts/feedback on this. I see moral relativism as a problem for the peaceful evolution of society. People and cultures around the world disagree on the nature of morality, and if moral relativism is accepted as true, I think it will lead to more disagreements and more conflict around the world. I consider myself to be a moral absolutist. Moral absolutism is the ethical view that all actions are intrinsically right or wrong. Moral relativism is the ethical view that the morality is not absolute, but is relative to the traditions, convictions, or practices of a group of persons. At the metaphysical level, morality, ethics, and rights are mental concepts / social constructs, because reality is a mental construct. At the physical/material level, morality and ethics have an internal logic. I view morality as being similar to mathematics. Math is a mental concept, but there is an internal logic upon which it is based. Mathematical principles/laws are absolute (a value or principle which is regarded as universally valid), they are not relative. Moral laws do not exist in the same way that the law of gravity exists. You cannot break the law of gravity. Instead moral laws exist in the same way that mathematical laws exist. You either correctly apply mathematical laws and arrive at the right/correct conclusion, or you incorrectly apply mathematical laws and arrive on the wrong/incorrect conclusion. Similarly, I view moral laws as absolute, not relative. There is a right/correct way to determine which actions are right/correct and thus how human beings should act. I view Right actions as actions that do not cause physical harm to another person(s) or property or actions in which all parties involved are consenting participants. I view Wrong actions as actions that do cause physical harm to another person(s) or property or actions in which not all parties involved are consenting participants. This is NAP Non-Aggression Principle + Voluntaryism 101. Help stop the spread of the dangerous virus that is Moral Relativism. Cheers to health, wealth, peace and love. TreyMoney

Thanks for your reply @Godhead I agree with you that rape is wrong relative to the value of personal autonomy over one's body. But, I argue that personal autonomy over one's body is a universal value, valued by all human beings. No human being wants their personal autonomy over their body violated. If they do want it, then it is volitional / voluntary and not a violation. Of course, a person can value their autonomy respected, and not value the autonomy of others, however I submit that this is the fundamental immoral value: wanting others to respect your personal autonomy, but not respecting the personal autonomy of others in return. The amoral position would be might makes might, strongest survive, war of all against all, law of the jungle, etc. The immoral position would be wanting others to respect your autonomy, but refusing to respect the autonomy of others in return. The moral position would be wanting others to respect your autonomy, and respecting the autonomy of others in return.

To those who believe morality is relative or contextual....please explain a situation where raping a human being is a morally permissible / morally good / morally right / morally correct action? If we cannot find such a situation, then rape is never morally permissible / morally good / morally right / morally correct and thus we have a moral absolute. Looking forward to your replies.

If you are new to spirituality or enlightenment, do not waste your time chasing the ultimate truth unless you absolutely have to, meaning you have a BURNING DESIRE that you cannot get rid of and you absolutely need to find the true nature of reality. If you pursue enlightenment what you will ultimately discover is that reality is pointlessness, senselessness, meaningless, devoid of meaning. This doesn't mean reality is bad, it just means it is without meaning. It is no thing. No thing cannot have meaning. Enlightenment will not solve any of your everyday problems and can actually make them worse. You are simultaneously living in two realities: the enlightened reality which is meaningless, and the experiential reality which means whatever you want it to mean for you. Pursue the latter and forget the former unless you absolutely cannot. Cheers to health, wealth, peace and love. TreyMoney

@trenton Believe in, and practice, the Non-Aggression Principle as that which is morally good. Promote the importance of voluntary interaction as that which is morally good. Denounce all forms of involuntary interaction as coercion and immoral.

Hey, I hope this thread is not coming off as a "non-dual war". I simply meant for it to be a warning for newcomers to enlightenment and to give the perspective of someone who feels they did things "out of order"....i.e. pursed enlightenment before pursuing self improvement / self actualization. Cheers to health, wealth, peace and love. TreyMoney

@vladorion Meant "Chasing enlightenment will not solve any of your everyday problems and can actually make them worse." Yes, life problems are total illusions from the enlightened state, but only no one exists in the enlightened state.