Aztec philosophy episode and human sacrifice

[GuyCrittenden]

I recently listened to Leo Gura's talk on Aztec nondual philosophy, which I think is one of his best. I enjoyed the striking parallels with Buddhism and Tantra and Advaita.

As I listened I had trouble reconciling in my mind their advanced metaphysical understanding and the industrial-scale human sacrifice operation in place when Cortez arrived. I'd be interested in people's insights into this seeming dichotomy.

It seems that when some cultures grok ultimate reality and that this is all Brahma's dream, a human life can be viewed as dispensable. I know there were cultural reasons that the Aztecs favoured human sacrifice (and war/empire), but I also want to tease out why this flourished in view of their profound understanding, whereas in, say, Tibet, the culture was/is peace loving.

[Nahm]

@GuyCrittenden

Not dispensable, just God. 

“The Aztecs” did not favor human sacrifice, just as surely as you do not now.

People are slightly more hip now. Back then, you didn’t need a false flag, just “god’s will”.

[TheAvatarState]

Entire thread on this topic already. And I agree, it is one of Leo's best! Blew me away 

[tsuki]

Even if Aztecs had advanced metaphysical understanding of reality, their egos were much less developed than today's.
What sacrifice and non-attachment means for green people is much different from blue/red/purple.

[GuyCrittenden]

I notice there is another thread on this topic. I suggest we move the conversation over there. The most recent post (as I type this) is from Gura himself who I think answers my question. It would have been ideal for Gura to mention this in the video itself, as many people will wonder about this. But that doesn’t detract from the excellence of the video. Here’s the copy/paste of Gura’s comment in the other thread:

@Angelo John Gage The mistake you're making is conflating the Aztec state with their highest shamanic wisdom.

Let's apply your logic to the USA. How come Donald Trump is putting children in cages and bombing the Midde East when we have people like Eckhart Tolle, Adyashanti, and Peter Ralston teaching nonduality?

How come we have Catholic priests molesting children when the truth of nonduality is readily available in thousands of YT videos?

Every culture has vast diversity, from the lowest of the low to the highest of the high.

The wisest people are never in charge, never in politics, never mainstream.

And don't forget stages of development. Although the Aztec shamans accessed nondual states they were not high on the Spiral. They were mostly Purple, Red, and a bit of Blue. A stage Red person may access a mystical state and then cut out your heart and eat it.

[abrakamowse]

1 hour ago, GuyCrittenden said:

The wisest people are never in charge, never in politics, never mainstream.

I agree with that... I think it's a bit like the romans, who had some great thinkers like the Stoics but they also were a brutal society with the roman circus and all that wars and killing and ego fights to gain more power.