Posts by David Vaughn75

Charles Wood73 said:That’s an interesting way to put it. It makes me wonder, though—do you think animals possess a soul? And if we follow that logic, does a chicken's clucking carry its own sort of linguistic energy?

Look, animals have souls, period. And those souls can drift into just about any vessel—another animal, a human, an angel, a demon, or even some half-god type deal.

A soul is its own entity, right? The body is just the location—it's where the soul happens to be hanging out at the moment.

Switching gears to this whole clerical-fascist mess:

So, kom1 and Kenneth Cruz67 are out here trying to argue that the Inquisition and those religious heresy trials never actually happened. Honestly, it’s the same kind of delusional nonsense you hear from Holocaust deniers claiming Hitler didn't go after the Jews. Look, there's a massive difference between debating if certain numbers were exaggerated and straight-up falsifying history to suit an agenda, but these two aren't even debating—they're just lying.

I say we permaban kom1 and hand Kenneth Cruz67 500 points for being such a clown.

Besides, kom1 has been riding everyone on this forum for the last week straight, insulting basically anyone who breathes, and I haven't seen a single moderator step in with a warning yet.

I don't want to clutter things up by starting yet another thread, but apparently, I can't even shoot Terry Barnes7 a private message

The guy follows me all over this damn forum just to tell me how much he can't stand me—and honestly, he’s been acting like this forever 👎

The Holy Spirit is pure energy, while Kundalini is raw power

Honestly, if you’re getting all worked up and offended by someone else's opinion, it just shows you aren't actually confident in what you believe.
It’s everywhere lately—this whole vibe where religions constantly preach that God loves you, God is perfectly just, God is pure goodness, and everything is just sunshine and rainbows. But then you look at reality? You're struggling, life is throwing punches left and right, and problems are hitting you from every single angle.

Something just doesn't add up there, and deep down, that kind of disconnect just eats away at a person's self-esteem.

Melissa Cooper3 said:It sounds like you just have a miserable outlook on everything. Honestly, maybe if you swapped out your forum, stopped chasing after fake gods and hollow spirituality, and actually started learning something useful, you wouldn't feel this way? You probably feel like crap because you're wasting your life on nonsense, and that tiny shred of common sense you have left is trying to tell you to stop poisoning your own mind.

So, what's the pay grade here? Are you getting paid to try and "fix" random people on the internet, or are you doing this whole unsolicited life-coaching thing for free?

Melissa Cooper3 said:Let me see if I’ve actually followed your train of thought here: is your entire argument basically that since there's a theoretical infinity of options that are superior, we should just settle for eating garbage by default? Is that really where we're at?

Nope.
Bad is bad, period. Doesn't matter if things change tomorrow or stay trash forever.

Joseph Bailey41 said:So, if that's the case, what's the point of having a mediator at all? 😁

Because trying to stumble onto actual truth through pure speculation is damn near impossible. I mean, sure, it happens, but it's like winning the Powerball when you're one in a million.

Elizabeth Castillo87 said:So, what are you getting at here? Are you actually suggesting we should spend our entire lives tethered to just one single teacher?

Not necessarily just one, but every single one of them has to be a pure servant of God.

Thomas Nelson25 said:Honestly, most people don't even know their own purpose—they're just happier when they let life take the wheel and go with the flow.

If you're out there actively hunting for meaning, you haven't found it yet.
There's always something getting in the way.

They're just being carried by good karma.

And once that karma runs out, they crash hard into depression and end up chasing a high just to feel something again.

Nicole Barrett76 said:Every individual who exerts such immense energy to hunt for life's meaning is actually being obstructed by a massive force known in India as Maya, which Christians refer to as the Devil.

For me, I simply cannot exist without this pursuit of purpose. To my eyes, those who merely drift through life seem nothing more than parachutists caught in the wind.

Maya is riding on Krishna's back, which means if you're truly looking at Krishna, you won't see the Maya.

Joseph Bailey41 said:Better by whose standards, though?

Yours and God's.

I mean, come on—God isn't exactly gonna drop something into your lap that you wouldn't personally consider an upgrade, right?

Melissa Cooper3 said:The whole idea of asking "what if I just changed my reality?" is honestly such an absurd, half-baked question because the possibilities and answers are quite literally infinite.

So what, we're all supposed to just eat crap because there are infinite ways to argue that crap is better than something else?

You haven't convinced me—I'm sticking to the good stuff.

Joseph Bailey41 said:And I've honestly never even heard of this Paramatma you're talking about.

It’s not that I "need" anything from you. Honestly, I was just trying to have a conversation because I get the sense that people have been feeling pretty lonely lately. But instead, you just want to keep drumming on the same points we've already covered on this forum a million times over. Anyway, to each their own. I won't keep interrupting your little deep dive.

Nice try with the "attempting to converse" bit... I didn't even mention my spiritual teacher, yet you're already attacking the intentions behind some theoretical writing that hasn't even happened 🤷

Austin Nelson2 said:I don’t have a spiritual teacher. I simply don't believe in handing over the reins of my life to anyone else.
Years ago, I did listen to some advice from a spiritual man—and I actually had the chance to witness his own life improve because of it—which led me to realize his guidance was indeed sound.🤷

But man, what if life actually turned out way better if you just let someone else handle the tailoring?

Nicole Barrett76 said:I suspect that isn't actually the case.

From what I understand, there is a sect in Bengal known as the Baula, a group of somewhat unorthodox Vaišnavas who are heavily criticized and rejected by many others in India who fall outside that circle.

One of their songs begins roughly like this:

"That is why, brother, I became an impulsive baul,
refusing to follow the commands of any master."

I cannot recall the specific mood I was in when I read that poem, only that the book was written in our language.

If they truly do not follow the dictates of a master, choosing instead to live by the whims of their own intuition, aligning themselves with nature through impulse and acting purely on their own volition—much like a wind that shifts unpredictably from one direction to another—then, of course, they possess no guru at all.

I believe this might be the most sincere post in this entire thread.

If there's no guru, then there's no lineage of disciples stretching back to Brahma, which would basically mean all that Vedic knowledge is just a total fabrication.

bluemason3 said:Does this psychopath care about little kids too? You know, the ones he kidnaps, rapes, murders, rapes again, and then bakes in an oven? Or is that when "necessary measures" only apply? perembozanskerucice Karma, right here. Karma? What's that supposed to mean? Forget karma. I'm stronger than that. JebesKara JaSamJaci God?

It all comes down to whatever baseless fantasy is convenient enough to bridge the gap between the nonsense we believe in and actual reality. 🕺

God just makes sure everyone gets exactly what's coming to them.

Look, at the end of the day, nobody is going to pile more weight onto your shoulders than the stuff you went out and cooked up for yourself. You know how it goes—you make your own mess, you deal with your own fallout. It’s all on you.

Joseph Bailey41 said:Sold. 😬

Look, we all have our own traditions to follow. My teachers are following the same path laid out by those Bago writes about—think of them like the collective spirit of the Deer, the Owl, or the essence of Sjenica... I won't list them all here because I’ll inevitably miss someone. I capitalize those names intentionally; I’m not talking about just any random deer or owl, but rather the "collective soul" or the underlying "essence" of those species. I don't really function well within a "herd" mentality, and honestly, I wouldn't dream of trying to teach others something I haven't mastered myself. To truly guide people, one would first have to encounter the true Man, and even Diogenes couldn't manage that in broad daylight, let alone expect me to find my way through the darkness of my own ignorance.

So, maybe this conversation would flow a little more naturally if you shared something about your teacher and how you two actually got along. We’re all coming at this from our own personal perspectives, so without that context, I feel like we’re just spinning our wheels.

I’ve never even heard of some collective deer or owl nonsense before. Honestly, what are we even talking about here? Total gibberish.
Look, here’s the deal—you could basically become an owl if you reincarnate into one, and then that owl gets to be a man. It's all wild, right?

Look, if you really want to get down into the weeds of this stuff, there's only one true collective Over-soul out there—it's Paramatma, which is basically just the yogic side of God.

Look, maybe this whole conversation would actually go somewhere if you’d just open up a bit about your teacher—you know, what they were actually like and how you two clicked (or didn't). Right now, we're all just throwing out our own random takes based on our own baggage, and honestly? We're just spinning our wheels and talking in circles.

Look, there's just way too much ground to cover here—I could go on forever—so you really need to narrow this down. Pick a specific angle or a tighter topic if you actually want to get anywhere with this question.

mistybison said:If you aren't able to identify a true teacher, you run the risk of falling prey to many frauds. I truly hope that doesn't happen to you. 🙂

Look, I already told you—God looks out for people. You're sitting here questioning how I could have believed that back in my younger days, but honestly, what else am I supposed to say?

Bottom line is, if you're looking for something real, you'll find it, because God takes care of us.

Joseph Bailey41 said:Let’s switch things up for a second. Instead of just hyping each other up—which I love because we really get each other—let’s actually try to define what this whole "herd instinct" thing even means, and what a "herd" per se actually is. From what I see when I head down into the city, it doesn't look like a "herd" at all. It looks like a bunch of individual personas just wandering aimlessly, each playing their own little political game. It’s more like the chaotic movement of subatomic particles than some kind of organized super-organism.

Sure, right now they might all be sharing the same emotional state (and honestly, it's a vibe you can smell from blocks away, so I personally prefer keeping my distance), but in the grand scheme of things, it's all temporary and fleeting. If you were to ask any one of them what they're actually afraid of, they wouldn't even be able to put it into words... so by definition, this isn't fear, it's paranoia. That's why conspiracy theorists are having the time of their lives right now; they feel like pigs in mud because finally, other people are starting to "see" the Illuminati, the Masons, and whatever else they're obsessed with.

How do you teach a "herd" anything? You don't. You can't. Because a "herd" doesn't have reason, it can't remember, it can't learn, and it can't achieve insight. It doesn't even have an instinct, because that concept doesn't exist in this context; it's just a mental construct used by people who try to control others because they're lonely and empty inside. Reason—and even emotion, intuition, or instinct—is something possessed exclusively by individuals. You can only have a conversation with individuals; they are the only ones you can teach, and the only ones you can learn from. A herd (whether you call it a mass, a crowd, or just the unwashed masses) isn't a factor. It isn't a force of nature, and it isn't a conscious, active subject. It's nothing. It’s just a temporary mental illusion sustained only by "faith" in the concept itself—basically, by us accepting the terminology. It's a cheap magician's trick.

Well, obviously you're going to teach individuals. How else would you do it?

But look, a Man is a pack animal by nature; without a community, he wouldn't have survived a day in the wild.
That’s why you teach the individual how to behave within the herd. 😉

mistybison said:[Beljki mode on] A child might not actually be avoiding sugar, or perhaps they say they aren't eating it just to be good. We don't know if diabetes is the real reason for the dietary restriction or if the boy is simply acting out of pure kindness. 🤔[/Beljki mode off] 🤣

One should always maintain a reasonable level of skepticism to protect oneself from various... charlatans 😁 looking to take advantage of us. 🧐

Quincy:

The universe knows your intentions and sends people to you based on them. If you aren't looking for anything serious and just want something to kill the boredom, that is exactly what you will get: some joker selling you smoke and mirrors. If you want to dedicate your entire life to God, the universe will send you a true teacher.

That sounds a bit too New Age for me. I used to believe in those kinds of ideas when I was nineteen, but I moved past that long ago... 🤷

Quincy:

I prefer the concept of surrendering to God over enlightenment, mostly because I have no idea what enlightenment even is. A person who has surrendered is freed from fear. You can recognize someone who has surrendered to God by the fact that they don't seek power over others, but instead focus solely on helping others find freedom.

How can you tell if someone is free from fear or capable of freeing others? I just heard news about a priest who was administering communion to congregants in a church—violating gathering protocols—from the same bowl. Clearly, neither he nor his followers fear the virus, believing that God protects them. Is that who you want to be? Having "blind faith" in God and walking through fire and water for your convictions?

There's a massive difference between being a skeptic and just being a jerk to the person you're talking to.

Personally, I figured you were smart enough to get the point I was making.
Instead, you're just throwing out mindless questions just to hear yourself talk.

That sounds way too New Age for me. I used to buy into that kind of stuff when I was nineteen, but I grew out of it a long time ago, so... 🤷

If you don't have anything actual to contribute, then don't quote me.

How do you even know he's free from fear? And how do you know he can even liberate anyone else?

Ask a psychic and find out. Pretty sure that's the only way to read someone's mind.

mistybison said:Goodness, how can that possibly be a Zen story? Zen stories originate from an era when people didn't even know diabetes existed. 😁

Why would a child believe that man in the first place? 🤔 If he was already so skeptical toward his own family and doctors, why would he trust a complete stranger making claims? Such a gullible kid... though certainly good material for a future follower of some guru. 😁

Quincy:

If you want to acquire knowledge on how to achieve liberation from suffering, you can only receive it from someone who has achieved liberation themselves. 😉

How can you know if someone has actually attained liberation and isn't just lying to or manipulating you? Is it based on eloquent speech, the peace, compassion, and tolerance they radiate, the wise thoughts they share, their charismatic presence, or an aggressive, persuasive delivery? All of those things can be practiced, especially if the person is talented.

Quincy:

Someone who speaks about what I do not practice will teach no one anything.

What does "practicing the attained liberation" actually look like and how is it demonstrated?

A Zen proverb 😁 states that before enlightenment, a person chops wood and carries water, and after enlightenment, they still chop wood and carry water. An observer cannot determine if someone is enlightened simply by watching them. In fact, it is believed that only someone who is enlightened can recognize enlightenment in another, though to such a person, it hardly matters anymore. 🙂

I explain everything to you three different ways and you still come back with the same questions 🤦

It doesn't matter if the guy is a celebrity or a complete nobody—what matters is whether he actually lives out his own BS. Your soul can sniff out who's legit. Like, look at parents who tell their kid to stay away from sugar while they're sitting there devouring a donut; those people have zero credibility, so their words don't mean squat.

Quincy:

How can you even tell if someone has actually found enlightenment and isn't just lying to you or playing you? Is it based on how smooth they talk, or the peace and compassion they radiate, or maybe all those deep thoughts and that charismatic vibe? They could even be using an aggressive, persuasive style. Honestly, all of that can be rehearsed, especially if the person is a natural performer.

The universe knows exactly what your intentions are, and it sends people your way based on that.

If you aren't looking for anything real and just want something to kill the boredom, that's exactly what you'll get—some con artist selling you smoke and mirrors.
But if you truly want to dedicate your entire life to God, the universe will send you a real teacher.

Quincy:

What does "living out your enlightenment" actually look like in practice? A Zen proverb 😁 says that before enlightenment, a man chops wood and carries water, and after enlightenment, he chops wood and carries water. You can't just watch someone and decide they're enlightened. In fact, they say only someone who's already reached that state can recognize it in someone else—though, by that point, they wouldn't really care anyway.

Personally, I prefer the idea of surrendering to God over "enlightenment," mostly because I haven't got a clue what enlightenment even is.
Someone who has surrendered is free from fear.

You can spot someone who has surrendered to God because they aren't out there trying to grab power over anyone else; their only real interest is helping other people find their own freedom.

bluemason3 said:Wait, is this woman actually serious? Where did she even get this? 😁

Maybe it was actually Gandhi?:
https://www.habitsforwellbeing.com/b...ted-to-gandhi/

Or is it just some internet myth?

Honestly, it feels like just another one of those reductive New Age fairy tales. 🕺

Don't be naive; their whole job is churning out these cheesy little stories, quotes, and aphorisms all over Sanasma and beyond. 😁

Go ahead, why don't you try doing a deep psychological analysis on the types of people who flock to forums just to lecture everyone else on why religion is supposedly "bad."

That’s the real childish behavior here, if you ask me.

mistybison said:Everything I have learned up to this point was correct—for that specific moment in time.

However, reality is fluid, and what holds true now can easily change later. We shouldn't cling too tightly to any single piece of knowledge or formal study.

Knowledge is much like a Russian nesting doll; within every layer, there is another one waiting to be found, endlessly. Every small thing we discover shifts our perception, changing how we see the world and, ultimately, who we are.

There are endless ways to learn. You can study books or people, but you can also learn from every experience and every person you encounter. If you choose that path, anyone or anything—be it a person, a plant, or an animal—can become your teacher.

Of course, we are discussing spirituality here, not basic multiplication tables. 😁

It makes sense to me that someone would pass on their own knowledge rather than just repeating someone else's.

In reality, many people do exactly that—they pass along what others realized, interpreted through their own understanding. On the other hand, our collective knowledge is simply a collection of all our experiences, shaped by countless individuals and the teachers they passed their wisdom down to. We are all walking encyclopedias of information, even at a surface level, carrying knowledge that stretches back through generations.

There’s this perfect little Zen story.
There was this kid with diabetes who wasn't supposed to touch sugar, but he kept sneaking it anyway, landing himself in the hospital over and over. His parents spent years trying every trick in the book to make him stop, but nothing worked. Everyone in town told him the same thing, but he wouldn't listen.
Finally, they took him to a Zen master who had a quick chat with the boy, and after that, he never touched sugar again. When the parents asked the master how he managed to reach the kid, he just said, "Well, I'm a diabetic myself, so he actually listened to me."

If you’re looking for the kind of knowledge that actually frees you from suffering, you can only get it from someone who has actually found that freedom themselves. 😉

Someone preaching stuff they don't actually practice isn't going to teach anyone a damn thing.

mistybison said:For me, learning happens naturally and spontaneously. 🙂

Look, when you’re "learning" like that, there might be a tiny chance you actually pick up something useful, but honestly? The odds are astronomically low.

bluemason3 said:We could be even more specific and say this is primarily a hallmark of Tantra.

As such, the defining feature of the largest body of modern (heavily Tantric) Hinduism—mostly comprised of cults established during medieval reforms, along with a smaller portion of younger Tantric Buddhism (specifically in Tibet) from that same era.

I view this as a long-term unhealthy religious phenomenon. It pushes the already exaggerated psychological regressiveness found in many religious groups to an extreme, keeping people trapped in a perpetual illusion of security through a childlike relationship with pseudo-parental figures. Ultimately, it prevents anyone from ever reaching true maturity or taking real responsibility.

And please, don't lecture me—gurus have existed in Hinduism since forever.

I believe this is a long-term unhealthy religious phenomenon. It pushes the psychological regressiveness already found in religious groups to an extreme, trapping people in a perpetual illusion of security through a childish relationship with pseudo-parental figures, which ultimately prevents them from reaching full maturity and responsibility.

Seriously, why would anyone walk away from a warm, loving home where everything is perfect just to go chase some spiritual teacher?

No kid in their right mind would ever do that.

Rachel Kern5 said:Every self-proclaimed "spiritual teacher" out there tries to sell you their own version of a religion, but let’s be honest: religion is generally just a safety net for people who are terrified of ending up in hell. Spirituality is for those who have already been through the fire and survived. 🙂

Wait, so what? You're saying hell is actually a great place and we shouldn't be scared of it, but instead we should head down there to find spirituality? That theory is a massive stretch.

To me, it just makes sense that someone passes on their own knowledge; they aren't going to pass on someone else's.

swifttiger75 said:It’s not about those that Jesus lets in—it’s about the ones who let Jesus into their hearts. The bear within you holds all the answers.

Honestly, I have zero clue what "letting Jesus into your heart" even means. Like, scientifically speaking, the heart is just an organ that pumps blood...