Comments on: Thinking for yourself – spiritual virtue no. 2

By: Katinka Hesselink - All Considering

Katinka Hesselink - All Considering — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 05:11:31 +0000

I had no idea you were digressing that far. Yes, I do believe in reincarnation Buddhi decides – within the limits of karma that is.

By: David Melik

David Melik — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 23:03:59 +0000

I was writing rather figuratively. However, if buddhi is nous, then in the West much tradition seems to exist about nous reasoning. Perhaps from the viewpoint of one lifetime it seems static unless one succeeds at some advanced meditation. If inspiration transfers information from pneuma to buddhi, then it goes through some process. Surely buddhi at least has some choice how to incarnate and even action during inacarnation. (I guess a higher term than thinking is ‘ideation,’ but still even it is focused on objects.)

By: Katinka Hesselink - All Considering

Katinka Hesselink - All Considering — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 14:09:20 +0000

Does Buddhi decide? I wonder…

By: David Melik

David Melik — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 12:46:39 +0000

This is a good post, but I digress… many thoughts are ‘stuff & nonsense.’ Thinkning just has to do with those. I prefer the term ‘mentating for oneselflessness’ or ‘reasoning’ rather than mentating if reasoning is Logoic and is also the spiritual or psychosis process. (Psychosis usually means insanity but also means ‘soul process.’) One must first control oneselflessness, i.e. be controlled by spirit so one’s buddhi can decide whether to think, sense, move the consciousness or otherwise act, etc..

By: katinka - spirituality

katinka - spirituality — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:46:34 +0000

I see you are determined to only see the negative side here. But it is thought that a lot of our science and math stems from a culture of people having learned to think for themselves.

By: Saint Brian

Saint Brian — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:05:39 +0000

A religion telling it’s followers to study the Holy Book of that same religion “on their own” is just another trick. I mean, it’s their book of MASS PROGRAMMING, so studying it on one’s own in no way equates to mental independance. Now if they told the believers to study ALL OTHER religions and science and everything else along with their Holy Book, then I’d take notice. That never, ever happens. Not in any of the Big Three at any rate. They want you to study the programming on your own… So what? You’re still programmed at the end of it all. Even more thoroughly in fact, since now you’re under the mistaken impression that you came to your own conclusions when you only had “approved options from the Holy Book” to choose from in the first place.

By: katinka - spiritual

katinka - spiritual — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 07:54:28 +0000

Yes – Christianity has a bad name in this arena. But other religions have fostered thinking for yourself, and even Paul said that we should investigate all and keep what’s true (or something along those lines).

In Judaism people have been encouraged to study the Torah for a long time. Similarly Protestant Christianity has told people to study the Bible for themselves for a long time as well (though of course there were certain assumptions you weren’t supposed to let go of).

By: Saint Brian

Saint Brian — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:35:10 +0000

Isn’t most established religion against “thinking for one’s self?”

Weren’t the Gnostics killed off by the Holy Church for just that sin?

Maybe I’m too antireligious. Is it just my delusion that it’s so very evil? I keep checking myself, and it still keeps coming up evil…

By: Saint Brian

Saint Brian — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:28:49 +0000

Of all the virtues and values I’m discussing in this series, thinking for yourself is probably the least ’spiritual’.
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And the most essential. Without being able to (allowed to) think for yourself no real spirituality is even possible. Again, IMHO.