81–90 of 103 posts
Orthodox Christianity has a very rich contemplative history. In particular, understanding concepts like the nous do quite a bit to illuminate our more modern idea of ego and the false dialectic of big vs. small / null ego.
Orthodox Christianity has a very rich contemplative history. In particular, understanding concepts like the nous do quite a bit to illuminate our more modern idea of ego and the false dialectic of big vs. small / null ego.
Any recommended reading? Thanks!
- Byzantine Theology is a good overview of many of the concepts that differentiate the East from the West (https://www.amazon.com/Byzantine-Theology-Historical-Trends-...)
- Divine Essence and Divine Energies (a critical distinction that has been lost in the West) (https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Essence-Energies-Ecumenical-Re...)
- Any of the works by St. Maximus the Confessor
Lots more...
Sweeping assumptions on large groups and immeasurable concepts like ego are rarely credible because you will never have the kind of data to justify any blanket claims.
This seems more like a 'fetishisation' of the other based on a lack of understanding, and often there is no desire to understand, just label and dismiss. Why would anyone even do a study like this?
The Onion nailed the West's current interest in yoga twenty years ago[0], and it's only gotten worse. It's amazing how much money you can make as long as you divorce religion and spirituality from a practice optimized over a thousand years by religious and spiritual experts. Sort of like having an amazing search light but not the slightest idea where to point it or what we are searching for would look like. [0] https…
I think meditation should be examined outside of the scope of eastern mysticism, it need not be associated with it.
The Onion nailed the West's current interest in yoga twenty years ago[0], and it's only gotten worse. It's amazing how much money you can make as long as you divorce religion and spirituality from a practice optimized over a thousand years by religious and spiritual experts. Sort of like having an amazing search light but not the slightest idea where to point it or what we are searching for would look like. [0] https…
I'm not really interested in buddhism, but have practiced meditation. I have to say meditation itself brings a great calmness, especially for my anxiety, and I was quite skeptical when it was recommended. I think meditation should be examined outside of the scope of eastern mysticism, it need not be associated with it.
While there is always an airy of "hoaky mysticism" to most religions, one possible self-consistent explanation is that that this "hoaky mysticism" of eastern religions might in fact be the logical consequence of thousands of hours, days, weeks, months, years, of meditation. Maybe western self improvement is just in fact a precursor to a precursor to the final enlightenment that hey, none of this self-improvement shit matters?
I think many here are mistaken that yoga/meditation are of Buddhist origins. They are in fact of Hindu origin. Yoga mainly focuses on 1. Exercises that stimulate the base of the spine, and 2. Breathing technics. If you imagine the brain as a flower and the spine as a stalk/root; a flower needs stimulation at the root for it to blossom. The focus on breathing is to get more oxygen to the brain. Combinedly these two he…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ironically, the biggest evidence of this here might be the idea that the ego should be kept as small as possible. Whether or not it's a real thing, it still needs maintenance (arguably a huge benefit of meditation), and there's probably a healthy size (though I hate this spatial metaphor; people are far more complex than that).
Having no ego isn't really a good thing. Before modern times it makes you starve and die, because you didn't feel like you need to be selfish to take precautions for winter and put the needs of others first. Today, it'll prevent you from becoming well off and free from corporate bullshit, because you don't really have ambition. So you have to work for the rest of your life in some middle class job. Having a big ego i…
There is a big difference between ego and narcissism. Many people have low self-esteem, which means that they are constantly doubting themselves, feeling less worthy than others, feeling destined for failure, feeling too timid to take reasonable risks, etc. Meditation helps to restore correct ego functioning in humans, creating a balanced perspective where the self can thrive and does not inflict self-harm by allowin…
Yea, I found this positioning odd too. Many people in my life could use some more, err, self love and maintenance. This is hard to balance right, but that's something meditation would help with massively.
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What's worse is all the "hipster yoga" classes and movements taking place. Remember seeing that "Yoga with goats" class? Or "Yoga with kittens" in the studio. It's a great example of first-world privilege and "living in the bubble" that we do here.
I’m not sure what’s wrong with this, why does everything have to be completely authentic to the original source?