Hi all, Before I switched gears to focus on business, I spent ten years reading and writing philosophy - especially Eastern philosophy and spiritual traditions, including Taoism, Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism, and Zen. If anyone's curious what all of that is about or has any questions they've always wanted answered, shoot.
If everything is an illusion, then everything shares the same level of reality (or non-reality), and therefore it's meaningless to talk about whether existence is "real" or "unreal." Existence simply IS.
clever What do you believe should be the highest priority of every human?; or is each different depending on the person? If the highest is to end suffering, what is the surest way to get there? How can meditation be practiced in everyday situations? What is the purpose of life iyo, or is there any to begin with?
Compassion - doing what we can to empathize with others and help relieve their problems. Mindfulness - being directly aware of the never-ending moment that is "now" without interference from mind-chatter. The purpose of life is to live with compassion. The purpose of doing that is inexpressible in words, because the essence of compassion is the essence of life itself. It's like asking "what is the purpose of waves crashing against the shore?" The question itself should be dissolved in the immediacy of direct experience.
Can you elaborate on how the essence of compassion and life are the same? I could just as easily substitute another virtue. I have heard from some that awareness is only the means to an end (compassion being the end) do you agree? I think i heard that from www.greatfreedom.org... have you heard of it and if so what do you think? Any advice on getting into mindfulness? Suggested books, articles, sites, teachers, quotes, techniques? Mindfulness is INCREDIBLY hard and I have tried it numerous times, each with some success but I need to know more before I dive right in. What made you go into business? Is seeking materialism consistent with your beliefs or is materialism not even your motive?
Compassion is the essence of life because all things are fundamentally linked together and are dependent upon one another for their existence (see dependent arising). Because we are all ultimately composed of the same essence and are not separate from anything else, to acknowledge and cultivate compassion is to be in harmony with the true nature of existence. Maharshi Ramana, J. Krishnamurti, and Richard Rose are all top-notch. If you haven't heard of Rose, check him out here. The link on the left entitled "After The Absolute" is particularly amazing. Indeed, it's incredibly hard to be who we really are because the entire purpose and ceaseless focus of the ego is on being something we are not - an illusion of an "individual self" which distracts us from the reality of our universal, trans-conceptual, silent and wordless higher self. I have a wife and a four-legged family to support, and traditional 9-5 jobs are not for me. That is my motivation. Mansions, gadgets, and trinkets do not interest me. I'll be taking none of it with me when I pass away, and whatever extra I have beyond the needs of my friends and family will be going to good causes.
This may sound like a strange question, but, do you believe including your pets in your meditation sessions is helpful for them? If so, do you have any tips and suggestions in that regard? Further, what are your feelings about dog yoga - do you think it's beneficial as well? Here's a YouTube video I found as an example... [video=youtube;Sjss4a-igUg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjss4a-igUg[/video] Thanks.
How mindful are you in your day-to-day life? Is it as easy for you as someone who's never done mindfulness to get distracted again? What do you think of Jon Kabat-Zinn? Also (after edit): Do you believe in reincarnation? What about a creator? What do you have to say about the popular new age theory that we sort of loosely plan our lives ahead of time and our lives are meant for soul growth? Do any of these questions/answers even matter? What do you think of using marijuana or another similar substance to kick start a spiritual process? I don't smoke much but I've come back with much much insight after a hit on my friend's gravity bong. What do you think of existentialism? I see parallels between that and eastern philosophy... Checkin out your links btw but theres a lot of info... that's a whole book on the one page you said lol