Earlier quoted context omitted.
Spirit doesn't necessarily mean God.
It certainly doesnt mean believing in nothing.
Does belief in nothing equal not believing in something?
Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?
551–560 of 966 posts
Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?
#552Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m curious. How did you originally arrive at the conclusion that god didn’t exist?
We all come by it by different ways but I'll share my story. I was mormon up until around 30ish. However, researching the history of the mormon religion ultimately led me to completely disbelieve the faith claims of the church. From there, atheism was just sort of natural. Why, for example, would I suddenly believe that any other religious sect got it's supernatural claims correct when the one I was raised with, got…
> So what does that leave me with? Facts, logic, and evidence. Any religion that can give me solid evidence that the supernatural is real and exists would win me. None have succeeded (and I have had fun looking into a few).
What tools would you use to prove supernatural claims?
Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?
#553I'm a religious Jew, in a bit of a crisis of faith. I still pray three times a day, I still make shabbat and observe holidays, I even still learn Torah even though I don't really believe in it anymore, because I find being well read useful when I have to explain the times I do break the cultural norms to people. Orthodox Judaism in general has a lot of laws everywhere: what you wear, what you eat, what you put in you…
> a society that will treat you like a stranger and disown you if you don't get married, let alone if you have a relationship with someone of the same sex
How do you reconcile these within yourself?
My curiosity is about true spiritual practice - the alchemy inside your being.
Is your practice to humble yourself to the rules for example?
Or to follow them while knowing in your heart that they are limiting and possibly outdated?
Externally you could be taking the same actions. Internally it’s not the same.
Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?
#554Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I had been taught I could simply confess whatever and it would be forgiven I still remember the day at Sunday school when we had to confess. I was a good kid. I had absolutely no idea what to confess. I consulted my Mom who told me to "make something up". And thus my first sin, that I can remember, was lying to the priest.
In hindsight, it was definitely the concept of original sin that got my young mind spinning, not understanding how for example a newborn baby could be innately sinful. All downhill after that.
It's interesting to note that many (or perhaps most, depending on how you count) Protestant denominations in the U.S. do not believe in "original sin" (which is a surprisingly nuanced belief system anyway.)
For example, the Southern Baptist Convention, which the largest Protestant denomination in America, do not believe in original sin, and do not practice infant baptism (or sprinkling).
Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?
#555Atheist-ish - no spiritual practice of any kind. In terms of beliefs, I think there’s a tonne of massive, unanswered questions about the universe, and it’s certainly possible that there are forces out there that resemble spiritual concepts. Something vaguely resembling a soul, or an intelligent life that created the universe, that sort of thing. Or not - I have no real opinion on this other than “nobody knows”. I do…
Sounds like you're more of an Agnostic, no?
That depends on the formalism and the objective. If we accept agnostic priors then the most rational belief implied by those priors is atheism, via the same formalisms that give us Ockham's Razor. That belief is conditional but it is a very strong condition such that you would not expect someone that held agnostic priors to not also be operationally atheist for all practical purposes.
Similarly, most atheists seem to hold agnostic priors but fully realize the implications of that by calling themselves "atheists".
Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?
#556Not long ago in my new apartment after breaking up with a long time girlfriend I had an amazing experience while meditating. The odd thing was I never really meditated back then. Something just told me to do it. I was led on an internal journey that showed me some things about my self. One, don't turn away from uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. Two, don't judge yourself. Three, the ego or this idea of myself is an…
I recommend that you pick up a copy of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki. It may really resonate with you as well as deepen your insight. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0834800527/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK...
Great! I think you may get a lot out of it, and I wish you well on your journey. It's without question the most-loved Zen-related book in the English language, and there are many them. It has greatly enriched many people's Buddhist practice, including mine.
Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?
#557Militant agnostic
Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?
#558Earlier quoted context omitted.
How much time do you spend on social media (including youtube and HN)? How much time do you spend watching tv? How much time do you spend watching sports? I have shifted my attention to what is most important, doing these spiritual practice things first, and letting those other activities slot in around the time. Our lives are basically determined by what we put our attention on, so why not give the prime real estate…
Not that much. I especially hate youtube and will read over watch a video any time of the day, I do not have instagram, I do not own cable tv, I do not watch sports. But to give more insight into what motivates me in life, I have been blessed with the love of nature and animals especially, own pets, taking care of which is a daily time and money sink, but also without fail gets me outside each day of the year and in…
I agree that communion with nature is really important. Noticing beauty in nature is especially helpful. I am happy you are finding the joy in simplicity. I'm still cultivating that virtue.
Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?
#559I used to be devout Mormon, and a hardcore one at that. It was woven so deeply in my reality, that everything had spiritual significance for me. A few years ago, I encountered history, documents, and truths about the religion that were never presented to me. Since then, I've slowly, painfully, removed myself from the religion, and removed the religion from me. It's extremely painful to go from a space where everythin…
Hey fellow former devout mormon here. Im sure our journeys have been radically different but I identify so much with what you are saying here.
Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?
#560Day starts with prayer and studying scripture by myself for awhile, then briefly as a family before everyone goes their way. Part of the personal prayer time includes seeking direction on who I might help that day. Throughout the day I try to take little breaks for a brief prayer, longer if I'm stuck on a programming bug whose solution eludes me and for which I need extra inspiration. Also I try to go on a daily walk…
How does this align you to the teachings? How does this alignment manifest in your moment-to-moment experiences?