Posts by Jason Johnson4

Serse_Cosmi said:Let's at least throw some support behind our African-American friends. 🤣

hahaha. They would get absolutely wrecked if that actually happened. 🙂

Honestly, I’m just checking in to tell everyone to go jump in a lake—especially those people who are clearly just throwing insults at Black Americans because they can't handle the fact that there will always be someone better, even if you start out on top. It's pathetic. 🙂
It would mostly be cosmic ser, mr. ex, and a few others like them. 🙂

Major props to the guys on the national team—they really knocked it out of the park. 🙏 🙏 🙏

Thanks for the tip. I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before, though I honestly had no clue what it was actually about.

And while we're on the subject of Tuva, I'm not sure if you caught wind of this, but tonight—well, technically it's already today since we blew past midnight—Gendos is performing at 9:00 PM at the local AMC theater. He's this Tuvan shaman and (deep-)throat singer 😁

http://www.nebofestzagreb.com/

😎

I was reading about this movie in the paper yesterday and got so hooked on the description that I'm actually heading to the theater to catch it in a few days.

http://www.schultzegetstheblues.com/

Anyone else seen it yet?

Give me your thoughts!

👋

Oh, right. It’s playing at the KIC, so if you're interested, you can probably track down the showtimes easily enough. For all you "subtle souls" out there looking for something deep, I can personally guarantee this is going to be a POWERFUL film.😉

The absolute highlight of yesterday's festival lineup had to be a little indie debut called »Schultze Gets the Blues« by Michael Schorr. It’s set in a small mining town up in northern Germany where everyone is getting hit hard by the recession. Once the heavy-set guy from the title finally retires, he tries to fight off the loneliness with his harmonica—only instead of traditional tunes, he starts playing Cajun melodies. It's enough to cause quite a stir in a town like that. But Schultze is a dreamer, and he’s fixated on making his big trip down to Louisiana. Honestly, I think Jim Jarmusch would really dig this one.

redrider63 said:Gautama Buddha responded from the "Self," from the "I AM," so to speak. He didn't make any concessions to individual consciousness, which actually served to drown it; he didn't need to speak in the language of a
DISSOLVED MIND. It wasn't necessary because what He said can't even be understood. WHEN the Self "speaks," there is nothing to grasp, and the mind can't catch it—the "mind" is drowned, it permeates the listener's Self and touches it. There is nothing TO UNDERSTAND, nor is there any explanation for what He said that would be sensible or logical. If that were possible,

THE DROWNING OF THE MIND WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE.

I DON'T SEE WHY BUDDHA WOULD BE dissatisfied?? Just because a person didn't ask the right question doesn't mean much. HE RECEIVED A DIRECT FLASH INTO THE SELF, AND THAT IS WHAT MATTERS MOST

so that the TRUE SELF OR TRUE NATURE
BECOMES AWAKENED.

👋

redrider63, I think you're overstating things in a few places here. This whole idea of speaking from the Self, from the "I AM," isn't quite as mystical as you're making it out to be.

What I was really trying to get at is that Buddha didn't explicitly talk about the transcendental at all, because doing so would just leave people even more confused. Think of this "BECAUSE" as being highly conditional, much like any other "since" or "due to."

_ _ _ _

In the second place, if he goes to a living Sage and seeks guidance from him, he is very likely to misunderstand what the Sage might tell him; for this reason it happens that Sages as a rule do not give out all the teachings they have in them to all questioners alike; they withhold the deeper truths from those whose minds are unopened; for a truth that is misunderstood is more fatal than sheer ignorance.*

* Tradition tells us that Gautama Buddha once gave an answer by which the questioner was unsettled in his faith, as he was too immature to understand the answer aright; on another occasion, when a question was put to him by another immature visitor, he kept quiet; he later explained to a disciple that he did so, because any answer that he could give was sure to be misinterpreted.

And again:

“Buddha was interested only in instructing his disciples
how to attain lasting Happiness. He refused to answer
questions — which were based on and mixed up with the
questioners’ ignorance — about God and other matters. For
this he was described as a Nihilist, Sunyavadi!”

_ _ _ _

Sorry for the wall of quotes, but I grabbed them all at once because they're "well-phrased."

1 - You claim he made no concessions to individual consciousness. Well, if he didn't do that, then he simply wasn't ENLIGHTENED. I mean, like Ramanin's cow—definitely not.

It would be great if placidharbor7 could weigh in on these "concessions to individual consciousness."

2 – What do you mean there is nothing to understand? 😁
What exactly are you getting at when you say DISSOLVED MIND?

nor is there any explanation for what he said that would be sensible or logical

🙄

*

The DROWNING OF THE MIND doesn't mean that the "person" can't UNDERSTAND. What we call the "MIND" is essentially the Self, just "seemingly separate." In other words, after the drowning of the mind, the functions of what we previously called the mind still remain, they're just no longer separate from...

*

It doesn't say anywhere that Gautama Buddha was actually dissatisfied. It just says:

"and Buddha discovered that he had unsettled the man’s faith without enlightening him" 😉

*

The Self "speaks" even when a donkey brays, but we shouldn't go
flashing our lights at every single braying donkey.
👋

redrider63 said:When the sage known as Gautama Buddha declared that there is no eternal Selfhood, he was speaking from the vantage point of having already experienced enlightenment. You know, after the Atman has already fallen away.
So, it’s a mistake to think that Selfhood doesn't exist at all;
talking about non-Selfhood or non-Atman just doesn't make sense unless you're negating an experience that actually happens.
SO, EVEN THOUGH BUDDHA WENT A STEP BEYOND THE HINDU REALIZATION OF ATMAN, nobody can actually take that leap without first realizing the Atman. I mean, come on—to experience the loss of Selfhood, the Self has to exist in the first place. That’s just how the gears turn...
Since Atman eventually falls away, it clearly isn't the Absolute or Brahman.
What we cling to as our "true self" is that illusion we’ve been chatting about—the illusion that *is* the Self.
Now, using the word "illusion" doesn't mean Selfhood is a total lie; it just means it's a relative truth rather than an absolute one...

....

consciousness isn't some vessel used to perceive the Self; consciousness can only ever recognize what it is NOT..

--------------------------------------------

just waiting for the Absolute and Brahman to fall away too

waiting for sense itself to fall away

waiting for Truth to fall away

👋

JUST A "HINT" 😉

This was precisely the core of the teachings from the sage known as Gautama Buddha. There was this one time someone cornered him to ask about whether the soul lives forever. The Sage basically shot back: “That soul you're so worried about surviving? It doesn't even exist right now; it’s unreal.” The thing is, the guy asking assumed there was an individual soul to begin with, which is a total misconception, so the whole question was built on a shaky foundation; Buddha didn't mean to deny the existence of the real Self. The guy totally missed the point; he walked away thinking the Sage was saying there’s no Self whatsoever. He really should have followed up with, ‘Well, is there a real Self, and if so, what’s its actual nature?’ But he didn't. He just left, and Buddha realized he’d shaken the man's faith without actually giving him any clarity. It’s worth noting that when a question starts with a false premise, a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ won't cut it—either answer would be fundamentally wrong.

Adapted from:

MAHA YOGA
OR
THE UPANISHADIC LORE
IN THE LIGHT OF THE TEACHINGS OF
BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA

BY “WHO”

👋

dustypilot22 said:Not even the kids who weren't allowed in church. 🤣 🤣

😂 😂

I remember getting chased by the cops just trying to make it to Sunday school, and I was only eight years old. 😢

And then you had them broadcasting those partisan squadrons on the local news stations right when they were supposed to be showing us some kind of paradise on earth. Every Sunday morning at 10:30 sharp. 🙂

🙂

What’s the best example?

MASTERS online 😁 🙂 👋

*

wearyowl29, don't just make promises—actually put pen to paper! 🙂

Karen Sanchez19 said:Maybe those fairies actually had a broom or something🙂 🙂 😂😂

Look, whether they were packing brooms or not, I don't know. But they definitely held their ground.🙂 🙂

I remember back when I was just a kid, helping my granddad out by (willingly😁) scrubbing his feet in a basin—he used to tell me all these stories about old Anthony and the fairies. One story that always stuck with me was how Anthony’s fairies could twist their heads, or more specifically their necks, 😲

Since I can't quite recall the full version of the tale, and since granddad has been gone for a long while now, I recently checked in with grandma to see if she remembered anything. She didn't know much about the fairies specifically, but she did recall some folks, including our old Anthony, tossing rocks into a "bottomless pit" out in the countryside.

Suddenly, a fairy emerged from the depths and told them: "It’ll be longer before you get home than it will take for me to burn, if you don't settle (~hit) this child down."

The plot gets a little fuzzy after that, but apparently, during those long, freezing winter nights, Anthony would pull out his fiddle and play:

"Oh, fairy, you were nowhere to be found. You promised to help me, yet I haven't heard a sound or seen a glimpse of you anywhere."

:gaensehaut:

When I asked her if she actually believed in fairies, grandma didn't hesitate. "They were here before everything else, honey. Now they've brought in 😁 all these saints and religious icons..."

🙏

Anyway, next time I find myself back in my "hometown," I think I'll pay a visit to one "lady from the psych ward" who supposedly saw a fairy combing its hair when she was a little girl. I'll file a report once I have the details...

👋

Man, this whole vibe is just so incredibly mid, I can't even wrap my head around it... seriously...

I honestly don't get how someone calling themselves a "BHAJA" can be so oblivious to the fact that everything they’re bringing up is just filler—basically just secondary talking points at best. 😕 😢

🙂

Jack Harris3 said:I’m feeling this intense urge to take charge of things. Is there some kind of meditation for people like me? ☕

Oh, there is, Jack, believe me. I mean, what else is there?!

Every time you drink coffee THAT strong, you start wondering what exactly you're looking to rule over!

If that doesn't do the trick—just let it go, keep going, or try to get practical about it. Try mastering your own heart instead. 😢 If you can manage to skip even a single beat of it, I'll officially declare you a total legend of the heart. 🙂

Herpes said:Everything just "happens" out of thin air, Ravana.
People spend all their time going, "I'll do this," or "I'll do that," or "I'll grab my shovel," while the clock just keeps ticking away, blah, blah, blah...
ME, ME, ME...
It's just an endless loop of ego.

But anyway...

Who's down for some pizza!?

No, that’s not quite what I mean—I’m saying these are mental constructs that you just *have* at your fingertips. You don't need to struggle to memorize them or hunt them down like those things people try to force themselves to learn by rote.

Before I get too far into this, I should mention that I’m actually glad to see you showing a slightly different side of yourself tonight (or maybe I was just perceiving you differently before). And hey, don't go dismissing those mindless EMOve posts just yet. Pride in him, pride in her.

*

Cheers, hats off to you!

Balkanijan Pig said:If a monk decides to get married (I’ve gone a little hazy on the topic, so I really hope I’m not talking nonsense here)....

Look, once you actually *learn* a "topic," it doesn't just vanish from your brain. You get it now?

I'm going to leave the rest alone. Honestly, I don't have the energy to go back and forth with you.

Jose Reyes said:Jason Johnson4 says:
_____________________
Look, if you want to screw yourselves over, go right ahead.
_____________________

Master John would encourage you like this:

Stop driving yourselves crazy trying to figure out who is "right on."
One of you is ALWAYS "right on."

Your "burning," immediate perception of the world and of yourself—that is your current reality and your TRUTH. How could there be any "other truths" besides YOURS?
This is the SEC and the essence of No-Advaita teachings.

And according to those teachings, the Balkanijan Pig is "right on," you truth seekers.
According to those teachings, Master John is equally "right on" regarding any "controversial matter."
According to those teachings, even Karen Sanchez19, despite having "fame go to her head," is just as "right on" as the unremarkable Jason Johnson4.

So, live your "burning" REALITY and your TRUTH without any "complexes."
Stop being held hostage by your own unreliable, slippery little minds.
Embrace every shift in perspective that is "blown into" you by Master John's "white cosmic mud of consciousness."
If you can actually "UNDERSTAND" this, all the Balkanijan Pigs & Jose Reyes-like Johns will vanish like water down a drain.
Your fears and horrors will dissolve into the ether as if they never existed in the first place.
Cheers, true truth seekers.

👋 🙂 😁 😎 🙄 😉

Legend, I don't even know what to say after reading that. Thanks a million for the clarity and the "nonsense" that opened up 👍 👍 👋

I read through it, but honestly, I don’t have much to add. You’re basically just stating the obvious at this point: any God we can dream up is really just a product of our own imagination and mental gymnastics.

So what? If we go down that road, isn't the whole concept of an "absolute" just as much of an abstraction? What does that even change?

Fill me in if I’m missing the point again.

It feels like you might have missed my drift entirely earlier on.

Balkanijan Pig said:It’s either one or the other—otherwise, you just throw in the towel and end up doing absolutely nothing.

Honestly, I'm wrestling with this exact same thing. I have a feeling this whole "either/or" thing is just an illusion. Maybe we just need to be brave enough to admit that none of this actually makes sense... and then, somehow, in the middle of all that chaos, everything finally starts making sense. Or am I totally off base?

Balkanijan Pig said:If we're talking about a monk getting married (I’ve lost the thread a bit here, so bear with me if I'm talking nonsense), the whole point is that he chose a lifestyle defined by renunciation. To me, it feels almost like cheating—actually, maybe even worse than cheating on a spouse. Sure, they can get married. But if someone decides to settle down, they shouldn't be hypocritical and lose their mind the second they see a cute girl in a skirt.

At the end of the day, these are all just mental constructs. But for Raman, both this body and this entire world are nothing more than mental constructs. Raman wasn't a monk or a layman; he never even considered marriage because he was completely beyond all that. Is it me or is it you? As long as we're conscious of our bodies, as long as duality still feels real to us, I think it's pretty pointless to use Raman's enlightenment as an excuse for self-delusion. In my current state, I'm definitely not indifferent to women, and I'm certainly not in a state beyond all appearance and duality where it wouldn't matter at all whether I got married or not. I can simply pick one of those two options and stick to it; I can't just say "it doesn't matter," because in my mind, it *does* matter. If it truly didn't matter, these questions wouldn't even come up, and I wouldn't even notice monks, wives, or married people.
For most of us, though, it really isn't like that.

Don't sweat it; we're all talking nonsense. Me first.

*

I feel like you're being a little too polished here. I can tell by that "I've lost the thread" line that you've been polishing this up just like I spend my time trying to polish other things—trying (right up until tonight, anyway) to hide the fact that I'm faking it. But honestly, we're just lying to ourselves. Because, let's be real, who actually cares? 😢 Honestly, let's stop screwing ourselves over.

I'm not trying to defend monks getting married, nor am I pointing fingers at them. I'm just pointing out that you've been getting on my nerves for a while now with your constant (and according to people who know you—not malicious) "trolling."

It's easy to go looking for hypocrisy. Believe me—if I started looking, I'd find it in you immediately. You claim you aren't immune to women, yet you try to project this specific vibe all the time.

"As long as we're conscious of our bodies, as long as duality still feels real to us, I think it's pretty pointless to use Raman's enlightenment as an excuse for self-delusion."

Just like it's pointless to use Raman's or anyone else's enlightenment as a way to judge others.

Let it flow, junger mann 👋

Karen Sanchez19 said:The only way you can experience Him is through your own imagination. But honestly, a God like that is just an illusion.😁

So what then? Is samsara not basically Nirvana itself? An illusion isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, the word "illusion" shares roots with the Latin word for "to play." To play! Karen Sanchez19, oh Karen... I think the fame might be going to your head.

Oh, boy, here we go.
I’m practically shaking in my boots.
Whoa!

Porky Pig said:Just another "enlightened" guy acting way smarter than most of the other "enlightened" crowd.
Honestly, if he wants to stay out of it, fine by me. I was talking about God—or whatever you want to call the highest thing your brain can actually wrap itself around.

No, it’s just that last night—or maybe today, I lost track—I finally realized how little I actually know. Neither I nor anyone else here really does. That said, when I say there's no God, I'm not even debating whether He exists or not. I mean we can sit here sulking like a bunch of little monkeys twenty-four hours a day, and "He" still isn't going to show up to fix things.