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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2011 20:59:49 GMT 9.5
Might meditation and other Raja Yoga disciplines assist the intended recipient in developing the preconditions? Raja yoga is excellent at early to middle stages - being mentally oriented. Meditation, may well be useful, depending on the technique and the practitioner. Masonry teaches a number of useful practices such as ethical actions, brotherly love and standing properly upright Getting back to the subject I came in on: Some teachers credited with being enlightened, for instance, in some Buddhist traditions, stress that there is no God. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_in_Buddhism
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Post by LorrB on May 26, 2011 7:55:18 GMT 9.5
If we are all sparks of the one God, there wouldn't be a God 'out there'.
He Is, I Am, We Are
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Post by paul on May 26, 2011 8:03:31 GMT 9.5
Some teachers credited with being enlightened, for instance, in some Buddhist traditions, stress that there is no God. There are various takes on that: - the Buddha thought that discussions of gods would lead to religious conflict - gods are not important fauna within Creation - God as an anthropomorphic or cultural construct is not essential to spiritual growth. I am God to the cells in the end of my finger. I bring them into existence, sustain them, sometimes care for them. My will is unknowable by them and I happily sacrifice them when convenient. As above so below
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Post by mgc on May 26, 2011 10:34:47 GMT 9.5
im almost 100% sure there r "aliens" in the universe.. i have yet to see evidence of there being any in this solarsystem.. the 5% of unexplained sightings could contain evidence, but is not evidence in itself..
does that mean cells become conscious at some point? what kind of consciousness does a cell have? how does that relate to the consciousness of the collective?
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Post by paul on May 26, 2011 10:49:56 GMT 9.5
If the human brain is considered conscious then there must be some elements of consciousness present in some of the brain cells. The matter is of scientific discussion - e.g. tonyb.freeyellow.com/id68.html
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2011 15:41:25 GMT 9.5
If we are all sparks of the one God, there wouldn't be a God 'out there'. He Is, I Am, We Are "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him!" - Rinzai With no God 'out there' but all being sparks of the one God, is belief in God (as a 'Supreme Being') essential to Masonry?
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Post by paul on May 26, 2011 15:51:18 GMT 9.5
I suspect that the key notion is that there is some sort of Divine Plan or Meaning of Life that all humans of good will should support.
Thus the Mason recognises that there is a higher loyalty or obligation and commits to it as best s/he may.
This Meaning of Life may result in cultural constructs such as gods, God, The Force, the Dao etc
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Post by roman on May 26, 2011 15:59:01 GMT 9.5
The God essential to Freemasonry is the Freemason.
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2011 17:04:16 GMT 9.5
I suspect that the key notion is that there is some sort of Divine Plan or Meaning of Life that all humans of good will should support. Thus the Mason recognises that there is a higher loyalty or obligation and commits to it as best s/he may. This Meaning of Life may result in cultural constructs such as gods, God, The Force, the Dao etc. "That which is not good for the hive cannot be good for the bee." - Marcus Aurelius
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2011 21:36:02 GMT 9.5
Thus the Mason recognises that there is a higher loyalty or obligation and commits to it as best s/he may. Would Secular Humanism suffice? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_humanismSecular Humanism, alternatively known as Humanism (often with a capital H to distinguish it from other forms of humanism), is a secular philosophy that espouses human reason, ethics, and justice, and the search for human fulfillment. It specifically rejects religious dogma, supernaturalism, pseudoscience or superstition as the basis of morality and decision-making.
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2011 21:45:10 GMT 9.5
Abou Ben Adam by James Leigh Hunt
Abou Ben Adam, may his tribe increase Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace And saw, within the moonlight of his room Making it rich, like a lily in bloom An angel writing in a book of gold. Exceeding peace had made Abou Ben Adam bold And to the presence in his room he said ' What writest thou?' The vision raised its head And with a look of all sweet accord Answered:
'The names of those who love the Lord. 'And is mine one?' said Abou. 'Nay not so' Replied the Angel Abou spoke more low But cheerily still and said
'I pray thee then Write me as one that loves his fellow-men' The angel wrote and vanished. The next night it came again with awaking light And showed the names of whom love of God had blessed. And lo! Ben Adam's name led all the rest.
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Post by paul on May 27, 2011 6:38:07 GMT 9.5
Would Secular Humanism suffice? Not in my view. The human race is part of a bigger system and it has obligations to that. The race has accepted that in the last decade hence the profound commitment to proper stewardship of the planet. The planet in its turn is part of a bigger system - a heavenly temple
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2011 8:47:58 GMT 9.5
What of there being "no God out there"?
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Post by paul on May 27, 2011 8:58:41 GMT 9.5
It rather depends what is meant by God. Many use the term God to apply to their lord or god. Existence is perceived by some to be an organic wholeness that is interpenetrated by a Spirit. (e.g. Having pervaded Creation with a fragment of Myself, I remain) This is God in the sense of the Uncaused Cause. The Uncaused Cause is a logical necessity and a variety of profound humans have reported perceiving that Uncaused Cause. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causeless_causeHumans may hold opinions, but without confirmatory observation such opinions are just that.
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Post by Henka on May 27, 2011 9:05:46 GMT 9.5
The God essential to Freemasonry is the Freemason. So you ascribe to the view that you are a god?
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Post by roman on May 27, 2011 9:40:55 GMT 9.5
The God essential to Freemasonry is the Freemason. So you ascribe to the view that you are a god? EA=Death, FC=Purgatory, MM=Ascension.
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Post by LorrB on May 27, 2011 9:45:40 GMT 9.5
Loved the poem Smithee, thank you for posting it.
If God is Omnipresent, then He must be part everything. If some see Him in different places/persons/things they are still seeing Him, but with a limited focal point, imo.
How to prove God is Omnipresent is the tough ask. Guess that is why such emphasis is placed on Faith, Hope and Love.
Is a belief in God essential to Masonry? With the ritual, symbols, allegories I work with I would say it was essential if one wished to fathom the hidden meanings attached to them.
Can one be a brilliant builder without that belief? definitely!
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Post by roman on May 27, 2011 9:50:38 GMT 9.5
Loved the poem Smithee, thank you for posting it. If God is Omnipresent, then He must be part everything. If some see Him in different places/persons/things they are still seeing Him, but with a limited focal point, imo. How to prove God is Omnipresent is the tough ask. Guess that is why such emphasis is placed on Faith, Hope and Love. Is a belief in God essential to Masonry? With the ritual, symbols, allegories I work with I would say it was essential if one wished to fathom the hidden meanings attached to them. Can one be a brilliant builder without that belief? definitely! Brilliant post, thank you. H.G.W.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2011 11:50:06 GMT 9.5
It rather depends what is meant by God. Many use the term God to apply to their lord or god. Would Pantheism or Panentheism suffice? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PanentheismPanentheism (from Greek πᾶν (pân) "all"; ἐν (en) "in"; and θεός (theós) "God"; "all-in-God") is a belief system which posits that God exists and interpenetrates every part of nature, and timelessly extends beyond as well. Panentheism is distinguished from pantheism, which holds that God is synonymous with the universe.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2011 12:04:23 GMT 9.5
Can one be a brilliant builder without that belief? definitely! Should we then leave that belief to the individual, as with Laïcité? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La%C3%AFcit%C3%A9In French, laïcité (pronounced [la.isiˈte]) is a concept of a secular society, denoting the absence of religious involvement in government affairs as well as absence of government involvement in religious affairs. During the twentieth century, it evolved to mean equal treatment of all religions, although a more restrictive interpretation of the term has developed since 2004. Dictionaries ordinarily translate laïcité as secularity or secularism (the latter being the political system), although it is sometimes rendered in English as "laicity" or "laicism".
In its strict and official acceptance, it is the principle of separation of church (or religion) and state...
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