snowleopard

@John Iverson Yes, it was a silly joke ... Anyway, the 'movie' already is Eckhart's countless videos, a few of which I've watched on youtube. I can see his appeal, and trust it inspires some deeper inquiry.

@Waifu Yandere This feeling is indeed normal. It's also a sense that everything is already complete, exactly as it is -- so how does one add to it? Many seem to get into some kind of selfless compassionate service, and find a lot of fulfillment in that. Others seem to be compelled, for whatever reason, to get back to nature, where perhaps the divine essence of it all inspires the soul. Also, should it come to pass, having children keeps one busy for quite a while. But whichever, keep the faith that following the wisdom of the heart is always available.

I've never read it; I'm waiting for the movie ... Oh wait, I am the movie Seriously, it's good you're checking out some ideas, and if that inspires deeper inquiry, then all the better.

Being solitary and reclusive by nature, I've never been attracted to the guru scene or circuit, so I've never really had the problem of choosing one. I feel that with or without a guru, there is still no substitute for deep inquiry. However, as a wise guy once said: 'By their fruits ye shall know them.' So I guess maybe look to the guru's 'yield' -- i.e. the 'graduates' -- for the evidence. I also resonate with the idea that the best gurus make themselves redundant as quickly a possible.

Mozart was working so furiously hard he wrote The Symphony No. 1 in E♭ major as an 8 year old ... little prick !

@BjarkeT You asked what was the problem with materialism, and you've been given several avenues to investigate ... Now go into it with an open mind, and reach your own conclusions. No-one else can give you answers in lieu of your own inquiry.

@BjarkeT I don't think the problem is with the scientific method, per se, the problem is that it has failed to resolve the materialist assumption that consciousness is an emergent epiphenomenon of matter (the very premise of materialism as an ontological model), when quantum physics has never found any so-called 'matter' that hasn't been reduced to probable wave functions in a void of potential. So if that is not an example of the problem with materialism -- about which you asked in the title of your post -- and you can't see that, then I'm really not sure what one can possibly say to convince you otherwise.

Gotta love watching materialist scientists conceding that when it comes to consciousness, they are indeed baffled.

@BjarkeT The point is that if a hardcore materialist scientist became skeptical about materialism's inability to explain what has been called the 'hard problem of consciousness', then why not investigate and posit possible alternatives, instead of having blind faith in the materialist paradigm? It does no good to just keep referencing information from those who are indoctrinated into that paradigm, when clearly it doesn't provide all the answers.

@BjarkeT Kastrup was a hardcore materialist scientist working as a computer engineer at CERN, where state-of-the-art particle physics investigation is being done, who has been published in Scientific American, and other well-known scientific journals, so if you're not going to give him credibility, then who are you going to give credibility?

@AleksM Well, it wasn't really a serious conjecture ... Anyway, relieved to hear I'm not a stoned angel !

I know little about the guy, but as usual, in the dualistic scheme of things, there is another side to the story ... for what it's worth

Then again, maybe the human condition is what a higher dimensional being experiences when they take their equivalent of a psychedelic trip

@Lauritz Being in The Netherlands, I suspect he has some experience with psychedelics, but if so, he hasn't revealed that in his writings -- at least not that I'm aware of. However, whether or not psychedelic-related, he has revealed having some paranormal and transpersonal experiences.

@Lauritz Love that poem -- and that musical accompaniment -- from Kastrup's More Than Allegory, a wonderful book IMO -- especially Part 3, wherein he explores a possible futuristic take a how psychonauts may someday journey, revealing insights from an entity called 'The Other'. I still wonder if that poem may have been dictated by such a Daemon

@egoless I wonder, what does becoming dead mean, since there is no origin or causation in the first place? Can anyone point to when one began? And if no beginning, what does that mean for its ending?

@AleksM Oh right, I forgot about that !

Quite simply the seeming duality of a segregated self-identity vs a world 'out there'.

@jse I feel there could be other interpretations of panpsychism, which don't necessarily deny the primacy of consciousness, however it's still a kind of dualism, and I agree that it is very different from nondual Idealism. And so, by definition, as ontological models, they can't be reconciled. Bernardo Kastrup, who leans toward nondual idealism, elaborates upon this theme, which may be pertinent here ...

Isn't time how long it takes to go from now to now?

@blazed Well, I've only been posting for a couple of weeks, so I don't know how long the distracted 'masturbation' has been going on overall. I can only say I have been encouraged by how many young minds are here showing any interest at all, and can only trust that to everything there is a season.

@blazed Yes, as I said, it's no substitute for deep inquiry. Maybe Leo should do everyone a favour and shut it down then

@blazed For sure, these forums can be an escape, and are no substitute for deep inquiry, but then, so can expensive weekend retreats with an 'enlightened' guru. I know someone who has attended more of those than I can count, and as far as one can tell, has no interest in deep inquiry, but has a lot of merit badges to speak about. So I don't underestimate the role of these forums as a kind of online satsang, just because there's no-one dressed in white beside a bouquet of flowers, addressing the adoring crowd. And if, as has been suggested, that the Maitreya, the future Buddha, will not be an individual, but a society, then what better way for that society to coalesce than in this chrysalis of cyberspace, wherein its teachers can emerge in countless mysterious ways and forms -- even as those who we might dismiss as insignificant. It all can serve a purpose, even as only a stepping stone on the journey.