sprituality- the possibilities are endless!

Gametotravel

Besides that the possibilities are endless!
Have fun![/quote]

With the right kind of spirt; no doubt!

p.s. you gotto look into the mind and body delineation another time.

Paleface

George Harrison, Executive Producer of Life of Brian, a Doolalli spiritual weirdo if there ever was one.

Despite being non-believers, although Graham Chapman was a very spiritual alcoholic - The Pythons agreed that Jesus was 'definitely a good guy' and found nothing to mock in his actual teachings; on the other hand, they shared a distrust of organised religion, and decided to write a satire on credulity and hypocrisy among the followers of someone mistaken for the 'Messiah', but who had no desire to be followed as such. The comedy begins when members of the crowd mishear his statements of peace, love and tolerance ("I think he said, 'blessed are the cheesemakers).

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Only a mediocre person is always at his best. Somerset Maugham.

Aupmanyav

The one who made a fetish of 'ahimsa' was Mahavira (599–527 BCE), the 24th and the last teacher of the jains, who was elder to Gautama, the Buddha (563-483 BCE) by 36 years. He would not react if people threw stoned him or even put nails in his ears.

The Jain concept of Ahiṃsā is quite different from the concept of non-violence found in other philosophies. In other religious traditions, violence is usually associated with causing harm to others. On the other hand, in Jainism, violence refers primarily to injuring one's own self – behaviour which inhibits the souls own ability to attain mokṣa or liberation. At the same time it also means violence to others because it is this tendency to harm others that ultimately harms ones own soul. Furthermore, the Jains have extended the concept of Ahiṃsā not only to humans but to all animals, plants, micro-organisms and all beings having life or life potential. All life is sacred and everyone has a right to live fearlessly to its maximum potential. The living beings do not have any fear from those who have taken the vow of Ahiṃsā. According to Jainism, protection of life, also known as abhayadānam, is the supreme charity that a person can make.

Ahiṃsā does not merely indicate absence of physical violence, but also indicates absence of desire to indulge in any sort of violence. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahimsa_in_Jainism)

Aupmanyav

You do not need them, I too, do not need them now.

machadinha

<cross-posting>

Yes, Paleface ("blessed are the Greek," another fine find -- "Hmm. Well, apparently he's going to inherit the earth"); in one of the documentaries I mentioned there was actually an interesting bit with Terry Jones (I think?) reflecting on all the hullabaloo it created among followers of various religions (with some funny footage of real talkshows involving bishop such-and-such and whatnot), and mentioning how contrary to allegations at the time he thought they weren't being blasphemous, but they were being heretical -- taking the p*ss out of how religions start and how their followers misunderstand and run away with it.

(Apparently all those protests and stuff did their thing to get the movie promoted too, of course.)

But of course your nor any Indian beliefs don't fall under that & so are beyond satire, right? Right. (Can you please clarify what's not organized about mainstream Indian religions or even many of their sub-sects?)

(& Will the real Indian comedian stand up now, please. I believe there exist a few, in fact.)

(Incidentally btw, all members interviewed also reflect on their very real concern that they wouldn't get away with a direct stab at Jesus Christ,* so they came up with a substitute instead -- Brian, as most of us will know --, which worked out better comically anyway. None of them give the impression they were too respectful of the man or the myth in question, and that's not what their other work would suggest either. The documentary is called Monty Python (almost) the truth, for those who want to see it, and sort of chronologically following their comings and goings, I found it a pretty decent watch. Not sure if this is or isn't to be mistaken with the recent -- or upcoming? -- Monty Python: Almost the Truth -- The Lawyer's Cut.)

* In a funny scene, Jones if that's who he is relates how the entire movie concept was born on a drunken bar night in Amsterdam, with them thinking about how Jesus was a carpenter and complaining about the state of his cross which would be eternally falling over. No, it needs some reinforcement here, and...

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Paleface

Satire is welcome and amusing..

Meanwhile, you can blow all your Vedantic and related (or not-so related) yada-yada out of the you-know-where, if you don't mind me saying so. - this sort of thing is not satirical, not even remotely clever, just rude, if you don't mind me saying so..

machadinha

Really stung, didn't it.

That was the plural you though (and after pages and pages of it, I might add); "the ones who like to rap about such stuff"; and who shouldn't be surprised if they get a reaction.

Little childish however to take it all into the personal realm, hm? Sort of like, er, the ego speaking up, so to speak? Wasn't that what this thread was, according to all who subscribed to it so vehemently just before, not calling for?

If this thread was meant to take it elsewhere, it clearly didn't succeed; and don't blame it just on me, it started out with not-so-hidden innuendos towards others practically from the beginning. (As if some had just been waiting for it, in fact.)

Meanwhile, while Sunspirt can hardly know this perhaps (although I would ask her to check around the rest of the site some more, and I do think it will hold much information for her), there exist ample of threads "dedicated to talking about anything spiritual and your thoughts about it" in this Spirituality forum alone already you'd think. It's hardly a new concept. And if I should need to stress it one last time: I (and no one I've seen) never said India is not spiritual (besides, what if we did; some of the best Indian members I know here have little esteem for any established form of religion there, mind. There! India is not spiritual! You see? I said it!); some of us just called into question if and why it should be any more so than any other places. Reasonable question, you'd think, and I've not seen any good answers to it yet either.

You'd think the onus lies with some others rather who predictably behave like such blasphemous suggestions would have shaken the very roots of their existence. (Sense of humor, anyone?) Well, too bad for you, folks, and no, you can't hide in your own cosy threads. And some of us cynical bastards do in fact happen to know a thing or two about various religions and mysticism and whatnot ourselves, hard to believe though it may seem. You'd better get used to it.

bjp

Mod Note: bjp I have reformatted this into a link. We do not allow large pics in thread posts. You may post a thumbnail here however, if you wish.


http://lh6.ggpht.com/_eVUYQpTxm4w/Ss...rist-relax.jpg

...or get laxative.

Paleface

Stung me, no more than the irritating bite of a machchar Ho ho, Comical little geezer if stinging people is the game. Are we meant to be intimidated? It's all mouth and no trousers me old sunshine. Strength is in controlling oneself, so do please slag away for all your worth, you know not what service you perform.

Like it or not, Vedanta is succour to hundreds of millions of Indians, that they can blow all your Vedantic and related (or not-so related) yada-yada out of the you-know-where may be a tiny bit disrespectful to Them. However i'm sure if anyone had the balls to come here and stand around broadcasting such thoughts, Indians by and large would tolerate it, until that is a hardcore Hindutva type turned up.. then we'd see what the man were made of isn't it?

livinhimalayas

It is not what is said but the way it is said that makes all the difference. Some people may be saying the right thing but the way it is put makes it sound obnoxious. Even if the reader were to utilize all their sense of humour they would be hard pressed to appreciate some of the things that have been mentioned on this thread and elsewhere on the forum in the name of spirituality. Can't people put their point of views in more polite terms.

As far as I am concerned spirituality is divorced from any religion, so why should spirituality be juxtaposed with religion is beyond me. To mention something, Vedanta is not a religion, it is a philosophy you either accept it or you don't or you twist it to suit your individual purpose, which is what religions do with all philosophies.

__________________
He that would live in peace and at ease must not speak all he knows or all he sees. - Benjamin Franklin

machadinha

? Give me one form of "spirituality" that is not dependent on it, or on some fantasized version of it.

kullukid

Macha, it seems you've overlooked the terms & conditions to this thread & are desperately trying to push it in the same direction as the last one. How Sad!!!!
Never mind we are all praying for you. KK

machadinha

...

Aupmanyav

Paleface asked a question about 'ahimsa'. I researched and tried to put the important things for the consideration of the members 'interested in this subject'. Jesus, christianity, islam are not the subject of discussion here, and nobody mentioned them here.

Machadinha, I do not know why are you getting excited? You are a senior member of the forum, we respect you (for the various informations that you provide to those who have questions). As Paleface said, we would tolerate you with all your anger, at least I am not a hindu fundamentalist (although some say that fundamentalism is OK, if it is not directed against anybody).

Monty Python was mentioned by you. I have not seen the video, I do not care about the video (thank God - in a manner of saying, my machine cannot play videos, no sound system, they are heavy on band-width). Most of the time I do not understand western humour. I am sure, Monty Python is talking about some thing important, otherwise he might not have been this famous.

I label myself at an 'advaitist' and therefore an 'atheist' hindu (hinduism has no problem with it). The people are free to follow particular philosophies or modify them according to their views or reject them altogether and form new opinions. That is what is unorganised about hinduism and buddhism, matas - opinions. I have the highest esteem for all the matas in all Indic religions.

livinhimalayas

As far as I am concerned, and I am talking of myself alone before you jump to any conclusions, spirituality has no 'forms' so I do not understand what you are talking about. I am not as enlightened or intelligent as you nor am I as conversant with religions and mysticism as you, so may be I have missed out something here, but I prefer to remain ignorant and live in my fool's paradise where spirituality is not bound by any 'forms'.

Amen to that Kullukid

Well said Aupmanyav. Tolerance of all views and opinions is what spirituality is all about, that is my belief. No one else has to believe in what I believe in and I am not going to argue about it or force people to listen to me. Each person's beliefs are sacred to them and I respect that.