Posts by darkotter83

frozenangler9 said:I get it, I really do, but most days I just don't have the mental stamina for that kind of passive waiting. 😁

There’s actually something else on my mind.

When you lack the patience to sit around and wait for a result, yet you actually have the power to step in and influence that outcome—even if the whole thing is totally unpredictable 😁... how are you supposed to handle that?

Do you just sit tight and do nothing, or do you take action?
And how do you even decide when to hold off and when to move, especially when you can't possibly predict what's coming next?

Maybe I've finally made my point clearer. 😉

I guess mental strength doesn't even matter here... you can't just force it through sheer willpower. It's more about having faith that the outcome will be what needs to happen... though that isn't always what you actually want.
If you have the chance to act but you're terrified of the consequences, I suppose you just end up deciding based on gut feeling.
The choice is ours, I guess... sometimes you stay still and miss out, or you jump in and mess up... or maybe it's the other way around. If you're being realistic and you truly can't gauge the outcome of your actions, then you can't really fail.
The only real issue is patience... waiting for the unknown to become known... and even then, mental effort doesn't help much. It's more about understanding the situation and finding peace in knowing you made a call based on who you are and what you could actually do at the time. So, there aren't really any mistakes... which means there's no such thing as regret. 🙄 🙂

darkotter83 said:...heh...no pain, no gain, I guess... life's lessons usually come with a heavy price tag....😉 😛

Hey there, darkotter83... let's skip the suffering this time, shall we?😕

Karma can be pretty great... maybe you don't always need the struggle.🙂 👍

darkotter83 said:Even a killer might find his way to sainthood at some point.

So he claims—everything is just perfect, all the time.

Hermann Hesse - Siddhartha

It’s all just an illusion, I guess. 😉

Yeah, sure... the soul has these endless, wild possibilities. 👋
Maybe we should try not to stifle them with our own narrow-mindedness. 🙂

pathway said:The first vote 😉

But I guess it’s actually good, isn't it?😁

placidharbor7 said:The ignorant fool from the Great School of Enlightenment and the believer Klimakos both just recited it from memory, truth seeker.

That little "something" of his only exists because it reflects his version of God.
Our dear Klimakos is just crawling on all fours through the darkness and dust of Christ's caves; maybe he'll stumble upon Peggy's cloak eventually.

Where would someone like that even perform such a vanishing act?👋 [/B]

Yeah... I've never been much for definitions anyway... I prefer lived experience...
Everyone just does their best, I guess. 😉

fadedpanther29 said:Listen, darkotter83, whatever that's supposed to mean...

It basically means we'll probably deal with plenty more stuff that triggers either grief or joy, for both of us... but I guess that doesn't really matter. What matters is how it hits us... what we actually take away from it...

You know, that whole idea... that nothing happens without eventually serving our own ultimate well-being...👍

Morgan Hernandez3 said:First off, hi to everyone here. This is my first time posting on this forum. 🙂

One byproduct of karma might be training our awareness so we actually "control" our actions, rather than letting them control us. The real question is how to spot the nature of an event or action ahead of time, instead of looking backward after the damage is already done. It seems pretty simple: just think carefully about everything, especially the things we intend to do.

We all have what I suppose could be called a "conscience." If we’re being honest with ourselves and not just lying to get by, that voice usually tells us exactly what kind of trouble we're getting into. So, maybe karma’s blueprint is actually quite straightforward. To manage cause and effect, you basically just need constant self-awareness and some brutal honesty.

Like the old Greek philosophers used to say, we can choose to be like Prometheus—the ones who think before they act and take charge of their consequences—or we can be like Epimetheus, acting first and then desperately trying to learn from the mess we made.

The choice is ours, I guess, along with all the good and bad fallout that comes with it.

Welcome aboard! It's good to have you here. 😁
I agree, though I think the issue goes much deeper than just the visible consequences... We deal with circumstances we didn't pick but have to endure. Those moments force us to grow and discover strengths we didn't even know we had until life forces our hand. You don't realize your own capacity until a massive challenge pushes you to dig deep. Usually, you only understand why those hardships happened after the fact.
In India, they call this unchangeable karma... like a mandatory checkpoint you have to pass through. It’s something that reshapes our character on a subconscious level. It makes me think of Saturn.... anyway, Shani !!!

pathway said:I can already see you getting "disappointed" 😵

Not really... it’s just part of life, I guess. You think you’ll be immune? 🙂

klimakos said:Get lost, Klackas!
Just because you're on one side right now doesn't mean you'll stay there forever.

Let me clarify;
A person who experiences joy under certain conditions will inevitably experience suffering too. I guess as long as there is still SOMEONE out there making choices—someone who can choose to align with one side or the other—both possibilities remain on the table.
As long as life exists, and life is eternal, there will be suffering.
The only way out of all this is the disappearance of the SUFFERER—that is, the subject capable of feeling the relationship between one thing or another.
Everything left after that is just life being what it is, by itself.

Sure... that’s basically the definition of absolute realization. Though, while we're operating at this level, the amount of misery or satisfaction in our daily lives shows us the results of our choices. I suppose if someone is generally happy with their life, it means they're on the right track. And obviously, the opposite is true: if there's constant suffering and dissatisfaction, something has to change. You can't expect a different result if you keep using the exact same formula!
So, the truth is... suffering and exhaustion exist as long as there is separation. It vanishes once you reach understanding...
And joy... joy comes from realizing... that in every single moment, everything is absolutely fine. Everything is exactly as it should be, and there isn't anything, absolutely nothing, to fear... because it's all made of pure love.
That's why I'm happy. 😁

Kyle Nelson2 said:I’m asking this because my worldview centers on achieving harmony with the universe—both the one outside us and the one within—rather than distancing ourselves through some cold, detached perception of reality.

I absolutely agree... I suppose that’s what all these theories are actually trying to unify... that’s the whole point of science, isn't it?

But what I really want to say—and you kind of baited me into it with that little "this might sound amateur" disclaimer—is that we don't need to act like we're at some high-level academic summit here. My respect to anyone who feels that way, though.
Honestly, I wish people would just speak more openly. Stop hiding behind their intellect or ducking behind someone else's theories that we all basically already know... I’d much rather they write about what they’re actually experiencing internally. After all, that’s the entire purpose of those theories anyway... to help us become one with everything.
Sending love to everyone!

Sometimes I’m electric... fully alive... a spark
sometimes I’m still... like murky water... just watching my own thoughts drift by.....
sometimes I’m so present that a single moment feels eternal, and I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude... for every second behind me and every one ahead.....
sometimes I feel like a confused kid, staring at life in total awe, eyes wide open....
and sometimes I feel realized, like some sage who finally knows everything and hasn't got a single question left....

Honestly, I love every version of myself, because each state has something to say... they all whisper the secrets of existence into my ear... shedding light on new parts of my soul with every flash of insight...

And I actually enjoy the observation.....
👋

( That’s just how things look on the inside ) and I guess techniques are really just extra tools in the kit ....🙂

shadowgardener12 said:I suppose suffering just comes from misidentifying ourselves with the outside world.
The closer you get to your own center, the less you suffer, maybe.

Thank God, I've finally moved past the suffering! I chose joy instead... it's a much better way to live, I think!🙂 🙂 🙂

Thanks for the input. Honestly, I’ve spent years studying these concepts. I get how the system of karma works—intellectually speaking, at least. I think I grasp the mechanics of it all...
But in the middle of real life, when things are actually going down, I just can't seem to read the signs. I miss the dharma that presents itself right in front of me. It usually hits me on some subconscious level, and only when I look back and dissect why everything happened does the pattern make sense. It’s beautiful once I see the purpose, I guess, but I wish I could be aware of it in the moment. Just recognize it instantly, like some people do. Maybe it doesn't even matter, since I tend to just go with my gut and hope for the best, but it’s still incredible to watch others move through life with such clarity. They seem so perfectly in sync that they can read every single moment as it unfolds... and their lives seem even more miraculous because of it! 🙄
Thanks a million!

Sipping my afternoon coffee and scrolling through this philosophy forum... just thinking about Karma.
I have to admit, I can’t quite wrap my head around the whole concept... at least not fully.
It feels certain that something exists—some kind of predetermination that follows us, or maybe we follow it. I don't really see it as a punishment or some debt we have to pay off, though. It seems more like a pattern tied to our consciousness, creating these processes meant to push us forward and broaden our horizons, I guess.
But what I'm wondering is: how do you actually become aware of your own gift?
Does it just show up spontaneously as an opportunity, or do you need to be consciously looking for it? Is it even possible to stay constantly aware of your direction or your path? Honestly, when I think about it, I'm not even sure I'd be happy if I knew my ultimate purpose right now... just following a set track. There's a certain joy in the discovery, like a game of hide-and-seek where I'm hiding from myself just to be found. Heh, I know, I'm being a little silly.
Anyway, I'm curious to hear your thoughts... hugs to everyone!👋