Why seek "God"?

[ananda]

These practices seems very Christ like, to me.

I'd have to disagree, unfortunately ... at least in regards to the Christ of the common NT.

 

[dlamberth]

I'd have to disagree, unfortunately ... at least in regards to the Christ of the common NT.

That's interesting. The Eight Fold Path is everything I experience IN Christ. I'm unable to experience the Heart of Christ and not also experience the Eight Fold Path as well.

 

[dlamberth]

Thanks for sharing. Have you met your God?

Yes!

 

[ananda]

That's interesting. The Eight Fold Path is everything I experience IN Christ. I'm unable to experience the Heart of Christ and not also experience the Eight Fold Path as well.

Do you experience the following as part of the "Heart of Christ"?:

"But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me." Lk 19:27

 

[IAMABELIEVER1979]

NM

 

[IAMABELIEVER1979]

Thanks for sharing. Have you met your God?

No I have not. But I do believe he is real.

 

[ananda]

No I have not. But I do believe he is real.

Why?

 

[IAMABELIEVER1979]

Why?

I don't exactly have evidence that God is real.

But the reason why I believe that God is real is because I just don't believe the world began on its own. To me it's illogical.

But I also believe in my mom's testimony on how she became a Christian. I have seen the fruit in her life. I have heard both my mom and my dad's testimony. I have lived with them and they don't lie.

I also saw healing that occurred in the name of Jesus. I saw my sister get baptized in the Holy Spirit.

But I believed before I saw these things.

Basically I believe because of what I heard and what I've seen.

 

[ananda]

... Basically I believe because of what I heard and what I've seen.

Thanks for your testimony. All we can do at the end is operate according what we know for ourselves

 

[dlamberth]

Do you experience the following as part of the "Heart of Christ"?:

"But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me." Lk 19:27

No!

 

[ananda]

No!

I'm not sure why it should be called the "heart of Christ" then, unless you are referring to another Christ (e.g. not of the NT)?

 

[dlamberth]

I'm not sure why it should be called the "heart of Christ" then, unless you are referring to another Christ (e.g. not of the NT)?

The "Heart of Christ" that I know is what I experience as I sit in the skin of Jesus and experience what He experiences of the stuff that is a cosmic wide expression that flows through all that is. Like yourself, I only know what I personally experience.

 

[ananda]

The "Heart of Christ" that I know is what I experience as I sit in the skin of Jesus and experience what He experiences of the stuff that is a cosmic wide expression that flows through all that is. Like yourself, I only know what I personally experience.

Indeed. Is the Jesus you experienced described in the Gnostic Gospels?

 

[dlamberth]

Indeed. Is the Jesus you experienced described in the Gnostic Gospels?

It's more of the "Christ" experience than anything else. But that experience is not limited or bounded by a single person named Jesus. It's a process of gnosis, not to be confused with The Gnostic Gospels. But I do experience the Gnostic Gospels as closer to the way than what I see in the Bible. That's also where the Eight Fold Path can be experience in the Heart of Christ.

 

[ananda]

It's more of the "Christ" experience than anything else. But that experience is not limited or bounded by a single person named Jesus. It's a process of gnosis, not to be confused with The Gnostic Gospels. But I do experience the Gnostic Gospels as closer to the way than what I see in the Bible. That's also where the Eight Fold Path can be experience in the Heart of Christ.

Thanks for sharing.

Considering the varied (some peaceful, some violent) perspectives around the alleged person and names/titles of "Jesus" or "Christ", I personally find it more useful to associate my experiences of the Eightfold Path with the "Mind of Buddha". No doubt you and others experience otherwise.

 

[dlamberth]

Thanks for sharing.

Considering the varied (some peaceful, some violent) perspectives around the alleged person and names/titles of "Jesus" or "Christ", I personally find it more useful to associate my experiences of the Eightfold Path with the "Mind of Buddha". No doubt you and others experience otherwise.

For myself, I'm unable to separate the Mind of Buddha from the Mind of Christ. They come from the same source.

 

[ananda]

For myself, I'm unable to separate the Mind of Buddha from the Mind of Christ. They come from the same source.

I can understand how you might hold your perspective.

With my background in the NT, however, the two figures are polar opposites (as I see it).

 

[dlamberth]

I can understand how you might hold your perspective.

With my background in the NT, however, the two figures are polar opposites (as I see it).

The perspective changes dramatically as one moves closer to the source, as "experienced". On the other hand, there is and always be a difference if one goes by beliefs and dogma, which is what your doing with the NT as a background. I'm not into beliefs and dogma. But I can completely understand why you may be having difficulty with the experiential part. That way of knowing has become lost for the most part in this modern materialistic culture.

 

[ananda]

The perspective changes dramatically as one moves closer to the source, as "experienced". On the other hand, there is and always be a difference if one goes by beliefs and dogma, which is what your doing with the NT as a background. I'm not into beliefs and dogma. But I can completely understand why you may be having difficulty with the experiential part. That way of knowing has become lost for the most part in this modern materialistic culture.

My experiences are not solely with dogma, but also with higher states of mind. I am merely stating that, in light of my own experiences, I would not call them experiences of the "heart of Christ" or of "Christ". I respect the fact that you do, however.

 

[toLiJC]

I claim that the Eightfold Path is great and right on the basis of personal, direct experience, that application of those practices in my daily life results not only in great and right results, but I notice that they improve me immensely as an individual towards greater peacefulness, loving-kindness, compassion, empathy, and equanimity, among other qualities.

On the other hand, I have no such personal, direct experiences associated with belief in the dogma I used to uphold - dogmas similar to what you state here (except perhaps anxieties and fear with the thought of offending "God" or being sent to his hell).

for the last millennia there have been many spiritual/religious people that had experience with all kinds of spiritual things so strongly that most of them have been firmly convinced that they have known God, the divine truth or the divine reality, however, the "darkness" has its own ways to mislead people making them believe they have known God or the divine truth/reality, because there could also be many occult matrices where the souls of the religious worshipers that believed fast in the "gods" of those matrices could easily be immersed respectively in a whole delusive world/universe and the delusion could be very strong working at highest/deepest levels

2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 (NIV) "the secret(i.e. the occult) power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends(i.e. the divine devises) them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.",

Jude 1:8 (NIV) "on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings.",

(the same verse from ESV) "these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones."

so what guarantee is there that the personal experience is enough by itself, even if it is quite direct?!, is there any guarantee that the worshiper won't be deceived if he or she relies mainly on what they perceive?!

Blessings