Why Must Life Feed on Life?

[Something Funny]

@Princess Arabia seriously? You've never heard anyone talk about how suffering is imaginary, or how you create your own suffering, or how you can transcend suffering?

And practicing silence is also a pretty common spiritualy practice, I believe.

This is from chatgpt:
 

Quote

Many spiritual traditions incorporate silence or periods of not speaking as a core practice. These practices are often aimed at fostering mindfulness, introspection, and a deeper connection with the divine or the self. Here’s a list of some spiritual teachings and traditions that emphasize silence:

### 1. **Christianity**
   - **Monastic Silence**: Christian monastic traditions, such as those followed by Benedictine, Trappist, or Carthusian monks and nuns, often include vows or periods of silence as part of their spiritual discipline.
   - **Contemplative Prayer**: Practices like centering prayer or silent retreats (e.g., retreats inspired by Thomas Merton) emphasize inner silence.
   - **Quaker Meetings**: Quaker worship includes periods of silent reflection, waiting for the "Inner Light" to guide them.

### 2. **Buddhism**
   - **Vipassana Meditation**: Silent meditation retreats, often lasting 10 days or more, are central to Vipassana practice.
   - **Zen Buddhism**: Silent meditation (zazen) is a cornerstone of Zen practice, with participants spending hours in silence.
   - **Noble Silence**: Practiced in Theravāda Buddhism, it refers to refraining from idle talk during meditation retreats or daily life.

### 3. **Hinduism**
   - **Mauna (Vow of Silence)**: Many Hindu ascetics and practitioners take vows of silence to focus on spiritual growth and inner peace.
   - **Jnana Yoga**: Silence is considered essential for self-inquiry and realization of the self.
   - **Ashram Practices**: Silent retreats are common in ashrams, encouraging deep contemplation.

### 4. **Sufism (Islamic Mysticism)**
   - Sufi practitioners often incorporate silence as a way to deepen their connection with God. Practices like **muraqaba** (meditation) encourage quieting the mind and soul.

### 5. **Judaism**
   - **Hitbodedut**: In some forms of Jewish mysticism, particularly in the Hasidic tradition, there’s an emphasis on solitary prayer and silence to connect with God.

### 6. **Taoism**
   - Taoist teachings emphasize silence and stillness (jing) as a way to align oneself with the Tao, the underlying order of the universe.

### 7. **Indigenous Traditions**
   - Many indigenous spiritual practices include periods of silence as a way to connect with nature, listen to the spirits, or seek visions.
   - Vision quests and similar rites of passage often involve solitude and silence.

### 8. **Modern Spiritual Practices**
   - **Mindfulness and Meditation Movements**: Influenced by Eastern practices, modern mindfulness and meditation often prioritize silent contemplation.
   - **New Age Spirituality**: Silent retreats and practices are popular for spiritual growth and self-discovery.

### 9. **Jainism**
   - **Maun Vrat (Vow of Silence)**: Jains often observe vows of silence to practice nonviolence in speech and cultivate inner awareness.

### 10. **Sikhism**
   - While Sikhism emphasizes recitation and singing of divine hymns, personal meditative silence (simran) is also a form of connecting with the divine.

### 11. **Baha'i Faith**
   - Silence is valued as part of prayer and meditation, emphasizing a quiet connection with God.

### 12. **Stoicism**
   - Although not strictly spiritual, Stoics like Marcus Aurelius emphasized the value of silence for reflection and self-control.

These practices demonstrate that silence is a universal spiritual tool for fostering inner peace and deeper understanding.

 

[Princess Arabia]

1 minute ago, Something Funny said:

@Princess Arabia seriously? You've never heard anyone talk about how suffering is imaginary, or how you create your own suffering, or how you can transcend suffering?

And practicing silence is also a pretty common spiritualy practice, I believe.

I'm not interested in any of that chatgpt interpretation of what I didn't say. Not once did I use the word IMAGINARY, nor SILENCE and not once did I say he was creating his own suffering. You have turned my statements around in your head and interpreted it how you saw fit to try to make sense of what I said. 

[Princess Arabia]

I'm going to bed. Goodnight.

[Something Funny]

@Princess Arabia saying 

Quote

Take the word suffering out of your vocabulary and you will never suffer again

and

Quote

How can there be suffering within your awareness if the word doesn't exist for you.

Is along the lines of saying that you can control your suffering and that it is imaginary.

2 minutes ago, Princess Arabia said:

I'm not interested in any of that chatgpt interpretation of what I didn't say

I didn't ask chat gpt interpret what you've said. I just asked it to reference spiritual schools that practice silence in one form or another, since you've never heard about such practice before...

[Spiritual Warfare]

3 hours ago, Princess Arabia said:

Take the word suffering out of your vocabulary and you will never suffer again. It's that simple. How can there be suffering within your awareness if the word doesn't exist for you. Matter of fact, don't even talk anymore, just be a mute and only speak at a job interview. Then answer questions asked and say please and thank you. That's it. Peace. Done. You'll be the happiest person on earth. Try it. The mind will leave you alone then and vice versa. I might even go that route. It's easier and more serene. Speak when I'm spoken to, answer when I'm called. 

But my question is about something far deeper than just the language we use. Suffering doesn’t vanish simply because we refuse to acknowledge it. It’s still there, woven into the very fabric of life between predator and prey, in human relationships, and even within our own minds.

What I’m questioning is the very nature of this design. Why does this system exist? What kind of consciousness would create a reality so deeply rooted in pain and predation? For me, this isn’t a question that can be solved by silence or avoiding certain words. It’s about searching for meaning in something that often feels senseless.

 

[James123]

Just now, Spiritual Warfare said:

But my question is about something far deeper than just the language we use. Suffering doesn’t vanish simply because we refuse to acknowledge it. It’s still there, woven into the very fabric of life between predator and prey, in human relationships, and even within our own minds.

What I’m questioning is the very nature of this design. Why does this system exist? What kind of consciousness would create a reality so deeply rooted in pain and predation? For me, this isn’t a question that can be solved by silence or avoiding certain words. It’s about searching for meaning in something that often feels senseless.

 

If the suffering is not exist, can the pleasure be exist?

[Spiritual Warfare]

5 minutes ago, James123 said:

If the suffering is not exist, can the pleasure be exist?

Why does reality have to rely on this constant push and pull between opposites? Isn’t it possible to imagine a world where joy, peace, and fulfillment exist on their own without needing suffering as a contrast? The idea that suffering is necessary for pleasure feels more like a way of justifying something we’ve been conditioned to accept rather than a truth that couldn’t be different.

 

 

[gettoefl]

One thinks one is doing something meaningful and important and worthwhile

One is spinning one's wheels like a dog eating a dog

This is nothing

We think we understand creation but nothing here is creation

You are allowed to choose to drop the ego's delusions and be what you are

Then you will create epical wonderment

 

[Spiritual Warfare]

3 minutes ago, gettoefl said:

One thinks one is doing something meaningful and important and worthwhile

One is spinning one's wheels like a dog eating a dog

This is nothing

We think we understand creation but nothing here is creation

You are allowed to choose to drop the ego's delusions and be what you are

Then you will create epical wonderment

 

it’s hard to imagine how we would create “epic wonderment” without first understanding why we’re caught in a system like this. Do you have any examples of how one might begin to let go of the ego’s grip and move towards that state?

 

[James123]

26 minutes ago, Spiritual Warfare said:

Why does reality have to rely on this constant push and pull between opposites? Isn’t it possible to imagine a world where joy, peace, and fulfillment exist on their own without needing suffering as a contrast? The idea that suffering is necessary for pleasure feels more like a way of justifying something we’ve been conditioned to accept rather than a truth that couldn’t be different.

 

 

Because, opposite sides creates each other. If there is no hot, there will be no cold. 

[gettoefl]

2 minutes ago, Spiritual Warfare said:

it’s hard to imagine how we would create “epic wonderment” without first understanding why we’re caught in a system like this. Do you have any examples of how one might begin to let go of the ego’s grip and move towards that state?

 

Why is because we decided to go our own way, to head out on our own journey and to the god of all we see

That's what we want

That's not what we will

Will is what we truly want per our true nature which is love and unity and eternal extension and creativity

To get out of ego's grip, we need to see god all around us especially in each other

Quote

Dear Beloved, I come to you requesting your infusion of inspiration and direction in thought and deed. I open myself to the truth of love and the unlimited wholeness that I am. Help me see through every thought that claims separation so that I may know my only desire - a desire for oneness with all, abiding in your peace.

May I remember that mind healing is my purpose, and that with every kind thought and every act of patience, I am actively restoring your divine presence in myself and those around me. Let me become an example of this kind of healing, so that I bring hope, health and happiness to others and in so doing see in them the light of your love.

Dear Beloved, I have come to see you as my constant guest and guide. I offer you this tiny gesture to make everything whole, certain that you will expand it beyond my reach. Help me lay down the need to control or fix, and instead, let me tune in to your aura, which leads me toward peace and mercy and love.

May I remember that I am not alone, for you are with me. And may this awareness dissolve all fear, heal all enmity, and reunite me with my true purpose - to share your love with all and to extend the joy of being with you. I trust your hand, and I place my will in yours, that together we may demonstrate healing and unity.

Amen.

 

[Spiritual Warfare]

3 minutes ago, James123 said:

Because, opposite sides creates each other. If there is no hot, there will be no cold. 

I get what you’re saying about opposites creating each other, like hot and cold or light and dark. But I still wonder if that’s the only way reality works, or if it’s just how we’ve learned to see things. Maybe we’ve been conditioned to believe that one thing has to exist because of its opposite.

What if joy, peace, and fulfillment could just exist on their own, without needing suffering to balance them out? Maybe we’re limiting ourselves by assuming that opposites are necessary for things to make sense.

Do you think it’s possible that there could be another kind of balance, one where extremes aren’t required?

 

[Spiritual Warfare]

1 minute ago, gettoefl said:

Why is because we decided to go our own way, to head out on our own journey and to the god of all we see

That's what we want

That's not what we will

Will is what we truly want per our true nature which is love and unity and eternal extension and creativity

To get out of ego's grip, we need to see god all around us especially in each other

 

Amen

[Salvijus]

You're always part of something bigger. To be eaten is not a bad thing. It means you've ascended into a higher possibility. Humans are not on top of the food chain. You have to let yourself be consumed by grace and you will know the joy of being eaten alive 🌟 🙏 🪷 🦋 

Edited 22 hours ago by Salvijus

[Basman]

For something to be there it something else can't be there at the same. Like if a cloud forms on an open blue sky, that automatically negates the existence of both a completely clear blue sky and a different cloud at the same time in that moment. You can't have both at the same time.

For an animal to exist it must come at the expense of other things that could and want to exist in its place. Survival is maintaining your form for as long as possible until it inevitably passes on and changes. Everyday you immune system destroys millions of bacteria that threaten to undermine the integrity of your body. That is at their expense at the same time that those bacteria want to proliferate and survive at your expense.

A predator-prey dynamic is simply the passing on of energy to maintain a form. Prey are in a sense themselves predators in the sense that they consume plant matter (life) in order to exist, which itself consume sunlight.

It is not possible to live without it being at the expense of something else on a fundamental level. Its why I accept animal suffering for food to a certain degree. Human prosperity cannot exist without it being at the expense of nature to a certain degree.

Edited 21 hours ago by Basman

[Spiritual Warfare]

5 minutes ago, Salvijus said:

You're always part of something bigger. To be eaten is not a bad thing. It means you've ascended into a higher possibility. Humans are not on top of the food chain. You have to let yourself be consumed by grace and you will know the joy of being eaten alive 🌟 🙏 🪷 🦋 

Interesting one. It makes me wonder though, is it possible for life to exist in harmony without the need for consumption and sacrifice? Could there be a way to experience true fulfillment and growth without the cycle of predation?

What if grace and joy could flow without the need for something to always be consumed?

 

[Spiritual Warfare]

5 minutes ago, Basman said:

For something to be there it something else can't be there at the same. Like if a cloud forms on an open blue sky, that automatically negates the existence of both a completely clear blue sky and a different cloud at the same time in that moment. You can't have both at the same time.

For an animal to exist it must come at the expense of other things that could and want to exist in its place. Survival is maintaining your form for as long as possible until it inevitably passes on and changes. Everyday you immune system destroys millions of bacteria that threaten to undermine the integrity of your body. That is at their expense at the same time that those bacteria want to proliferate and survive at your expense.

A predator-prey dynamic is simply the passing on of energy to maintain a form. Prey are in a sense themselves predators in the sense that they consume plant matter (life) in order to exist, which itself consume sunlight.

It is not possible to live without it happening at the expense of something on a fundamental level. Its why I accept animal suffering for food to a certain degree. Human prosperity cannot exist without it being at the expense of something else.

I can’t help but wonder if this cycle of consumption and suffering is the only way life has to work. Is it possible for life to exist without coming at the expense of other life? Perhaps we’ve been conditioned to see the world this way, but is there a possibility of a different form of existence that doesn’t rely on this constant predator-prey dynamic?

What I’m getting at is whether it’s possible for human prosperity or any form of life to evolve beyond this pattern. If so, what would that look like? Could it mean a new kind of harmony, where everything can exist without the need to sacrifice something else?

 

[Salvijus]

1 hour ago, Spiritual Warfare said:

Interesting one. It makes me wonder though, is it possible for life to exist in harmony without the need for consumption and sacrifice? Could there be a way to experience true fulfillment and growth without the cycle of predation?

What if grace and joy could flow without the need for something to always be consumed?

It would be a static existence without any growth. Consumption is what makes growth possible. Smaller life becomes part of a bigger life. And so on forever. Ever higher. Ever greater. 

[Spiritual Warfare]

1 minute ago, Salvijus said:

It would be a static existence without any growth. Consumption is what makes growth possible. Smaller life becomes part of a bigger life. And so on forever. Ever higher. Ever greater. 

What if there could be a way for life to expand and evolve without needing to take from others?

Maybe there’s a different kind of growth that isn’t based on a cycle of predation, something that allows for both expansion and harmony.

 

[Salvijus]

1 hour ago, Spiritual Warfare said:

What if there could be a way for life to expand and evolve without needing to take from others?

You're not taking from others. You're including it into your system. You merge your conciousness with smaller conciousness and you both become part of a bigger conciousness. And then you get consumed by a guru conciousness. But you don't dissappear. You become part of a larger conciousness.