Unevolved...

[mdehners]

That's me. I Believe in God/desses and the Survival of the Individual after death....if not Personality, then Soul. I've NEVER Understood the Attractiveness of the Belief that the whole Purpose in Life is to Delete the Individual, no matter WHAT the end product. I'm too big of an Arse to Feel comfortable with ANY Belief-system that has me dissolving into some sort of Universal Solvent....no matter how "Evolved";>.
Even the best of those which consider our Spiritual Selves as hills and mountains growing out of a mountain range. I've thought this way for more than 40 yrs(Spiritual Mileage, not Physical;>)and don't see myself changing anytime soon. I'd much rather Dine in Hel than dissolve into the "All That IS".
Cheers,
Pat

Comments

[weofodthignen]

I'm sorry she keeps getting at you, and I'm sorry about your mother. Your folks do need you, they are just awful about it. Sometimes I think modern families are the worst - then I remember the stuff in the Family Sagas.

I respect the New Age to a certain extent. Those flakes and weirdoes have done a lot to force the Judeo-Xian lumps to realise that other religions exist in this society and they will have to deal with that. They've also been a useful stalking horse/whipping boy. And they've led some people to religions that suit them better, especially Hinduism.

However, as you say, their shtick is deeply insulting to the gods. ... But then so is Buddhism, which is why I can't understand the interest in it that you share. It's the acme of "Life is horrid, the entire purpose of religion is to make your life go away" as well as the acme of in-the-gods'-faces atheism. At least the New Age isn't atheistic. Just unbelievably shallow and self-absorbed. (Come to think of it, that's how I think of Gautama.) I also am more disgusted by religions that proselytize, and New Agers like your sister just can't shut up about it. They're as bad as the JoHos in that respect; however they at least don't have a weekly Sabbath to try to get us all to respect.

I know we are all ONE (om) ultimately. But that's ultimately. It doesn't interest me now. I know Atlantis and so forth are fascinating (but so are non-religious things like cryptids). I know there are an infinitude of possible ways from the bottom of the orange to the top, as a guru once told me. For some poor benighted souls, I guess Buddhism or Xianity is it. And at least New Agers can grok that there are many paths. Sometimes. In theory. But I hope your sister gets a clue that that's what's on here. And that medical science is a path too. It's not as if karma excludes the realm of science.

M

Gah.

[mdehners]

The nice thing I discovered in my little study of Buddhism was that the different Beliefs all lumped under the term....sorta like Christian;>.
Honestly? The only Buddhist Way I find anyway appealing Spiritually is Zen(Ch'an in China). A fusion of Taoism and Buddhism. The Japanese forms particularly. Still, I'm a Heathen at heart. I can appreciate the Spiritual "tech" the Zen teaches though....esp. being Aware and Mindful of your Actions...ALL of them. Even making a PB&J....
Like I said. I love my SIL but she reinforces my impression OF the newage in general....Beleifs that only those who have others in their lives to Cover Their Arses on all levels to allow them to Believe and Act as they do. IME a pretty large proportion of them are students supported by family and wives supported by husbands....
Cheers,
Pat