Hoo boy
So by now everyone knows im the one whos just always gonna argue, so im gonna go forward w this.
@ScarletMountain theres the tiniest bit of truth in what you say. Really, really, really fucking tiny. I got into a conversation with a couple folks the other day, two buddhists and one guy who seemed like a suffi or something else kinda far out, he had a guru rather than a congregation or a sangha if that tells you anything. They, we, were arguing about what constitutes religion. The one (madhyamaka) buddhist was saying that meditation followed by a talk mostly on the subject of ethics in a community setting constitutes a religion. The other, whose name i couldnt even begin to pronounce, argued the opposite, that since buddhists reject the idea of a deity and indeed the *inherent* (in favor of dependantly originating) existance of any thing in its particularity, they are not religious, but certainly qualify as mystical. My contribution, which seemed to piss everybody off, across borh nationality and creed, was this: the word religion is very old, and seemingly has secular origins. It seems to have originally been used by romans at the conscription of soldiers and officers. Ligo has the same origin as ligament, that which connects. Sacrality, coming from sacrare, has the opposite meaning, to seperate. Becoming sacred is the process of leaving the fold, cleansing, strengthening, wandering in the desert, etc (which we should all appreciate). The forgetting of what you know, and the disavowal of all that can be known, is the essence of this stage of the process. "I blind myself that i may see, i mute myself that i may speak". Religo, the reconnection, is something none of us can accomplish alone. It's worth noting that many of the worlds religions, and i only have a little knowledge of some of the best known ones, follow a pretty strict schedule. Youre inducted into monestary life at a young age, taught discipline, ethics and philosophy. At some point youre expected to hit the road, mend your spirit, be a mendicant. You beg for alms, and you give aid and teaching to anyone who wants it. And then, you either return to society or religious life, in either case hopefully a better (and more useful) person. "First there was a mountain, then there was no mountain, then there was a mountain" doesnt only refer to way our perception is shaped by our meditative practices. None of the stages can be skipped. gods work is not like the bullshit work that weve all been mostly smart enough to duck
I suggest you find a community with a solid practice, good ethics, and a good teacher. Cause you sound batshit dude, thats no way to be in the world
