Posts by JamesThomas

3

Going Sane~Maps of Happiness

by purplesofa in

jw
friends

has anyone read this book, he really brings out some great thinking.. by adam phillips.

excert from the preface.

even to consider, as i do in this part, how to rear a sane child, or what a sane sexual life would be like: or, perhaps even more behilderingly now, what it would be like to have a sane attitude toward money, is to realize just how much sanity--if it is somethi gwe aim at-- has to be aimed at without a target.

JamesThomas

Hey, Purps,

I agree that a life of sanity should be our major duty; for certainly we can see what insanity is accomplishing in the world.

coaxes us into meeting his ideas halfway, and making them our own.

Since this is from the preface of a book I have not read, it may not have a direct bearing on the book itself. That said, making someones ideas our own, is the paramount reason of insanity.

Genuine sanity, is innate, and awareness simply becomes blind to it because of identification with thoughts, ideas and beliefs as what we "are". I suggest that the last thing we need is more abstracts, as an idea of sanity is not sanity, anymore than an idea of a tree is a real tree. Perhaps instead it may be wise to allow awareness to pierce through all thoughts and ideas to the genuine reality and sanity of our always present true Identity.

We can't get there from a book or other peoples ideas. A time comes to go it alone and be still.

j

5

WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO ACCEPT GOD BLINDLY

by journey-on in

i can't remember where i read this, but it struck a chord with me a while back and i saved it.

as we struggle individually with our belief in god, the story of jacob wrestling with the man or angel sheds an interesting light on the subject:.

"the fact that jacob wrestled with the man all night with neither gaining an advantage over the other suggests that the man was his equal in size, strength, and endurance.

JamesThomas

What I take from that is that we are not supposed to accept G-d blindly, but instead to argue and struggle with Him and with ourselves, perhaps for all of our lives, even if we do not get a clear answer."

I struggled with God for years, or more accurately with the deity idea I was raised to believe in. By far the deepest hatred and anger I have ever experienced was directed at this "God". I came to hate and despise him for every tear ever shed by humanity. If he would have entered the room during one of my many outrages, and I had the power to kill him, I would have with vigor and glee.

Strangely, it was during my last explosively murderously episodes directed at "God", that the first glimpse of eternally pure consciousness was seen. The very same awareness looking out these eyes was watching the whole thing with totally unconditional nonjudgment and untouched perfection (words fail), and it was closer and more intimate than anything ever felt. I was, I am this foundational Purity. So is everyone and everything.

Then, I walked away from all beliefs and mental concepts of the Divine, never to return.

j

25

I Get A Kick Out Of How JWs are Scared To Death of Dying At Armageddon

by minimus in

jw
friends

JamesThomas

Then by that definition, all fundies are "insane".

Exactly. Insanity is to separate oneself from Reality and live in delusion. It's not rocket science. Insanity is prevalent in society, as most people have absolutely no ability to differentiate between what is mind generated interpretation and abstract illusion, and what is genuine Reality. They live their whole life (if we can even call it life) in the side-show of the mind, never actually meeting with the vibrant depths of Life and Reality in and around them. I know, because I too spent much of existence in illusion. I'm quite familiar with it, I know it when I see it. Don't feel threatened dear Min, we see differently, is all. If you see no sense in anything I say, I'm just a fool after all. j

25

I Get A Kick Out Of How JWs are Scared To Death of Dying At Armageddon

by minimus in

jw
friends

JamesThomas

C'mon. These aren't "insane" people.

If being totally lost in a story in your mind derived from a book which has absolutely no bearing on reality, is not INSANITY, then what is??? j

13

Makes you want to spit!

by Gill in

jw
friends

i aught not to laugh about this.....but it's one of those situations where you either laugh or cry!.

we found out that my husband's sister was df'd a few months ago.

we attempted to contact her but she will not speak to us and is still shunning us as apparantly we are 'spiritually weak' and she is attempting to be reinstated into the congregation.

JamesThomas

Gill, I feel that your natural instincts of seeing a very dangerous situation here, is not at all conducive to laughter. This is a serious situation. For some disfellowshipping is having everything they trust and believe in taken away. It may be too much to bear for some.

I would offer her much love and understanding. Perhaps she would accept an anonymous gift or flowers, only discovering the gift givers identity upon reading a simple little note that she is loved and in your thoughts. Could be the best medicine she could ever hope for. If the Witness don't show her love and concern, who will?

j

25

I Get A Kick Out Of How JWs are Scared To Death of Dying At Armageddon

by minimus in

jw
friends

JamesThomas

I could not disagree more.

Witnesses who are overwhelmed with fear have unknowingly allowed themselves to be manipulated to the point of pain-filled insanity. It's one of the most tragic examples of how belief in and surrender of ones life to a psychopathic murderous deity, results in much human suffering and pathology. It's extremely sad, and I feel for them. But there is little one can do for those so confused and insane they don't even know they need help and would not accept it if offered.

The one thing we can do is be present and aware enough in our own life as to not be fooled by any mentally constructed illusion. Perhaps the positive energy of healthy sanity will touch the suffering ones as well.

j

25

when they ask Where will you go...........the answer

by purplesofa in

jw
friends

yep, everyone i have talked to -----first question they ask----but where will you go?

i tell them anywhere as long as it is away from the clutches of the wt.

the house is on fire!

JamesThomas

Sadly funny how a Witness feels they need to go somewhere. But they do.

If they don't have the WBTS tit, you gotta give them a new one, or they ain't leaving the one they got. It's really an infantile mind set that is impossible to deal with, unless they have come to embody some inkling of maturity on their own.

That said, how about going no where? How about just being present right here, right now, with the only reality there ever IS? Who woulda thought!?

But this sounds ludicrous to someone who is addicted to reaching past reality into some fantasy future. They live a dream, and sadly will die having never lived. The walking dead are common, and includes far more than just the Witness.

alt

j

33

The Way To Love

by JamesThomas in

jw
friends

one of my favorite little books is: the way to love: the last meditations of anthony de mello.. following is from the chapter: be awake.

it may be too direct, ruthlessly honest and straight-forward for many; we are not normally exposed to such hard-hitting guidance.

yet some of you it will touch in a significant way; enough to purchase this rare little gem that you may gleem from its pages much wisdom.. .

JamesThomas

Dear Delilah, and others,

Thank you for your very kind comment. I do not mean to subtract from it when I ask you and others reading this thread, what is it within ourselves that recognizes the very special worthiness of this subject that we would desire to give thanks for this message? Words are conceptual abstracts that only attempt to point to an underlying reality. What is that Reality? What true message can be realized from silently meeting with the intimate depths of being in this moment? Is not our awareness of a deep appreciation a welcoming invitation from our own warm authenticity to meet with it?

What I feel our dear Anthony's words so eloquently display is the simple importance of being consciously-aware of the egoic-self that the mind weaves out of a patch-work story and commentary of "self" and "other". In following Anthony's nakedly honest seeing, the false nature of the believed individual-self, the mentally constructed ego-self, is seen as false. And as more and more of what is false is revealed, more clearly the truth -- which is always here -- is realized and lived. It's that simple.

One way I have found to help facilitate a conducive openness for this inner examination and seeing (which has already be mentioned, but worthy of repeat), is to simply feel and be aware of what it is to breath, and at the same time be aware of hearing the sounds around us without labeling or thinking about them. When thoughts arise, see them. Are they truly necessary for the tasks at hand, if so then use them and give awareness back to breathing and listening as soon as you can. Are the thoughts unnecessary jabber, judgment and story weaving? If so just kindly recognize them as such and return to the flowing breath and listening. Do this a thousand times a day if need be. But soon you will feel the richness of being present with life; and the mind will become more respectfully silent as being lovingly present with Reality becomes the norm.

Thank you all.

j

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Ideas, language, even the phrase each other doesn't make any sense. -- Rumi

33

The Way To Love

by JamesThomas in

jw
friends

one of my favorite little books is: the way to love: the last meditations of anthony de mello.. following is from the chapter: be awake.

it may be too direct, ruthlessly honest and straight-forward for many; we are not normally exposed to such hard-hitting guidance.

yet some of you it will touch in a significant way; enough to purchase this rare little gem that you may gleem from its pages much wisdom.. .

JamesThomas

Choosing Life, yes, there are countless doors to enter the moment; and realization that what is looking back at you, is you, is one of them for sure. When this happens a silent awe and respect enters the picture that even the mind finds is wise to silently honor. We discover these portals very subtly sometimes, don't we.

j

33

The Way To Love

by JamesThomas in

jw
friends

one of my favorite little books is: the way to love: the last meditations of anthony de mello.. following is from the chapter: be awake.

it may be too direct, ruthlessly honest and straight-forward for many; we are not normally exposed to such hard-hitting guidance.

yet some of you it will touch in a significant way; enough to purchase this rare little gem that you may gleem from its pages much wisdom.. .

JamesThomas

Purps:

As I was driving home last night, the air felt like the beginnings of Fall, I know how that feels, when summer ends. the sounds, the smell, What nature begins to look like, getting ready for fall. I began to cry. Where had my summer gone?

When there is no story of loss and remorse, what is here? In this instance it was the exquisite senses of a soon to arrive Autumn; along with the unspoken message from nature that as the seasons change, everything in our life changes too. This, is how it really IS, and to fight it, is insane. So, yes, appreciate what was; and even more important appreciate the present moment of what IS, for it will change as well. Less story, more reality, and life automatically becomes richer and more joyous. Whether we are with some one, or alone.

Where had all my old lovers gone. Why was I alone?
I would not trade anything for the loves I have had in my life. However fleeting they were true and honest, real, intense, deep, sharing. We all had come together at a time in our lives for whatever reason and shared, expericanced for me LOVE.
I have found the most loving gesture was gracefully letting the experiance be over when it really was over and not hang on, lie to myself and say I hated this person, fool myself into thinking it was forever. So now I can carry the love that was expericanced and still feel it even now.

Truly letting go, can be very sweet and refreshingly freeing; and generally all we are letting go of is a story in our mind that has nothing to do with the reality of the present moment anyway. So, we lose a little and gain a lot.

I would like to say to everyone who is reading this, that what is critical is to make a conscious choice to be in the moment and silently and nonjudgmentally feel the aliveness and at the same time notice the mind chattering away as it interprets and weaves a story. I can not stress it enough how important it is to come to a clear recognition of the difference between thought and story, and actual Reality. This is a huge step in coming to awaken to our genuine unbroken wholeness.

j