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Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion?
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>genuine belief that you are say, Napoleon's reincarnation is called "mental health problems", but genuine belief in all of the bullshit in the Bible is called "being religious"?
Because people do experience an undeniable connection to something greater regardless of culture. Belief to something greater can be forced on you, or it can be a very real lived experience that comes about almost like an accident. The culture these experiences come up in just determines what kind of religion is built around it and "How far people go". Many religions are largely just harnessing the experience to control the masses rather than teaching them how to achieve spiritual liberation ( as liberated people can't by definition be controlled ), which is very much a real thing though there are people who find liberation through those religions as well. Problem with all this is that it's a subjective thing, completely impossible to measure by anything but self-report. And some weird shit happens for people that pursue spiritual liberation too, which gives rise to fantastical stories that are misunderstood by almost everyone, believers and non-believers alike.
I recommend reading Waking Up by Sam Harris.
But how do you know the "Holy Spirit" experience you refer to is actually supernatural and not merely a psychological phenomenon that you are just labeling as "spiritual". Adding the label "spiritual" to anything would be nothing but a label, a mere device of language.
Regarding your critique of secular ethics and lifestyle, I'm pretty sure many seculars would beg to differ. See for example Sam Harris's book Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion (https://www.amazon.com/Waking-Up-Spirituality-Without-Religion/dp/1451636024).
Finally, regarding the alleged advantage of a more meaningful life that looks to eternity, how does that give Christianity any advantage over other religions? Tons of religions believe in an afterlife. There are people who find meaning in life in other "spiritual" practices which include beliefs in the possibility of reincarnation, enlightenment, nirvana, etc.
What advantages does Christianity offer with respect to competing religions?
How do Christians know that their experiences are genuinely spiritual and not merely psychological? How do Christians know that people in other religions are not having genuine spiritual experiences also? What if they are all psychological?
This.
Headspace is a fantastic way to start. Seriously changed my life too.
If you like what you’re hearing and learning, this book helps further explain many of the ideas: https://www.amazon.com/Waking-Up-Spirituality-Without-Religion/dp/1451636024
<em>Waking Up: A Guide To Spirituality Without Religion</em> is written by a scientist with extensive experience in Buddhist meditational practices. It's not about "the meaning of life," but it might help him.
Yeah, that app is not cheap. I subscribed at the monthly rate before the price went up, but I’ll likely cancel my subscription as soon as I finish the course (I think I only have a few days left); I much prefer unguided meditation at this point.
I also recommend the book Waking Up, which precedes the app. While it doesn’t teach meditation technique, it does explore what consciousness is and what meditation is for. It’s what started me on my journey of rational meditation.
Can I recommend Sam Harris's book Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion? The title makes it pretty self-explanatory, but it might be what you are looking for.
Not sure about the original source, but the image is also for the cover of his book which shares the name of the podcast, Waking up. https://www.amazon.com/Waking-Up-Spirituality-Without-Religion/dp/1451636024
The funny thing is, it makes perfect sense there. But its a strange choice to include the picture and that epic music with the podcast. Its easy to make fun of the pomposity if you don't like Sam.
Emotions are like thoughts - they arise and pass.
As Sam Harris points out in his insightful book, "Waking Up," it takes effort to make an emotion last more than an instant. They, like thoughts, are temporary phenomena that arise in consciousness.
The effort to make them last is our inner narrative, it's indulging them, which gives them fuel to continue. Mindfulness and meditation (practiced consistently) teach you to stop indulging.
edit - link to book
I don't associate myself with any particular religion either and i think this is the correct way to proceed. The perennial philosophy was a good book but also kind of repetitive as any book on this subject has to be. There is so much and so little to write at the same time.
You may not be able to decipher Daoist texts on your own especially without any experience in Zen meditation.
Start with 'Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion' by Sam Harris first. Since Sam is one of the pillar of new-atheism movement he speaks in a language which is understandable, welcoming and reassuring for us. Then you should read some books on mindful meditation. There are tons of books. I picked a scientific one which was closer to my taste. You should also practice meditation so that you become familiar to the various experiences which the monks report.
If meditation grabs you, Sam Harris is your guru. Read Waking Up. Sam has been interested in meditation for decades, and has traveled the world in search of "experiences". He's a bit of an expert on the topic. It's his alter-ago.
Who said anything about Dogma?
Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you're mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience. (From google)
There are tons of different ways to meditate, and whatever works best for you is the right way. I meditate for 10 minutes a day and I find that it's very helpful for calming the running dialogue in my head. But I also walk 5 miles a day, eat right, and do yoga three times a week.
It's a practice that you incorporate into your daily life because you want to be a more conscious and loving person. There's no prayer or religious dogma whatsoever. Mindfulness & Meditation /= Buddhism.
"Waking Up" by Sam Harris is a great book. From one atheist to another. http://www.amazon.com/Waking-Up-Spirituality-Without-Religion/dp/1451636024
Meditation seems to be a popular secular form of "sprituality," though that word carries a lot of theistic connotations that are distasteful. I would recommend checking your local library, or amazon, for Sam Harris' "Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion".
It's actually from his book Waking Up
My impression of enlightenment based on reading Waking Up by Sam Harris (highly recommended) and Jeffery Martin's PNSE studies is that it doesn't necessarily change your personality much and it does not really have much to do with moral behavior one way or the other. Gupta would likely behave in a similar way whether or not he was enlightened.
Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion https://www.amazon.com/dp/1451636024/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_S8KS6P1HV84SXR0T8ES0
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Science_of_Meditation/T8uSswEACAAJ?hl=en
here is a cheaper version the waking up book here.
here is a cheaper version of the waking up book here.
Sam Harris comes to mind. His books and also the "waking up" app.
https://wakingup.com/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waking-Up-Spirituality-Without-Religion/dp/1451636024
Finde de terminar de leer Waking up de Sam Harris. Me esta volando la cabeza, alguien mas lo leyo?
Ah y polenta. Mucha polenta.
I hear you, believe me! After a lifetime of seeking (and finding!) answers, I had actually collected a great many brilliant insights, breakthroughs, realizations, and true wisdom. But at the end of the day, the well-worn paths in my mind are where I would reliably end up. Some way, somehow. Sometimes in such a new and novel way that it felt as if things had really changed. But in the end, that nagging undertow of dissatisfaction crept back in, chipping away and undermining every achievement.
What finally created reliable and meaningful change in my ability to access true equanimity — the ability to respond to life, rather than simply reacting, reacting, reacting (and yes, having thoughts, instead of them having me! ) — was finally doing a deep study (and practice) of mindfulness meditation and taking it seriously. The free 10-day course/retreat I linked to earlier is great: Free accommodations and food, free instruction, and ten days of silence to deeply practice the techniques you learn every day, applying them in a quiet, natural setting, more than likely somewhere near you.
The instruction is clear and practical; there is nothing to "believe in," no hocus-pocus or woo-woo, just detailed instruction and practice, instruction and practice. Ten days, so you learn to apply the technique when tired, wired, nervous, sleepy, hungry, tense, afraid, bored, upset, sad, joyful...and it works. I strongly recommend Sam Harris's book, Waking Up. That's what finally got me to act on what I'd heard about and do a retreat.
It is super common for people to feel like their mind is separate from their bodies. Sam Harris talks about it in Waking Up.
It's a good book by Sam Harris: https://www.amazon.com/Waking-Up-Spirituality-Without-Religion/dp/1451636024
It took me a decade to return to spirituality after leaving Islam. I'm glad you're still open to contemplating the numinous despite the trauma.
This book may be exactly what you are looking for:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Waking-Up-Spirituality-Without-Religion/dp/1451636024
I would also recommend looking for a mindfulness practice. I use the Waking Up app (you can request a year's free subscription), Medito (free) and have tried Headspace. All of them are great resources. Waking Up has a 25 day course that can guide you to a much deeper understanding of non-dual mindfulness without any of the supernatural baggage.
The author of the app and the book above, Sam Harris, is a vocal atheist and doesn't hold back in his criticism of Islam so his podcasts are a great resource as well.
For me the answer also lies in science. An understanding of cosmology, biology or quantum physics can invoke an awe that far outweighs anything I felt from a verse of the Quran.
Look up Sam Harris. He's a, if you could call it, a devout atheist. Yet is incredibly involved with the experience of spirituality. He's devoted a lot of time to meditation and mindfulness.
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He literally wrote a book on mindfulness but how you can practice it in a secular sense. It's really good, if you don't want to buy the book and read it, he has plenty of clips on youtube where he talks about it.
https://www.amazon.com/Waking-Up-Spirituality-Without-Religion/dp/1451636024
Sam wrote an entire book about this.
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https://www.amazon.com/Waking-Up-Spirituality-Without-Religion/dp/1451636024
I come from a christian home in the southern United States. I also attended a top tier christian college prep school. I was a christian for nearly 20 years of my life. I am now an atheist, and can tell you that you will not find what you are looking for in religion. There is a type of counseling that uses Logotherapy ( Viktor Frankl), I would recommend reading on the subject and consider scheduling an appointment with a therapist. I suffered the loss of my father and younger brother in a 2 year time-span and had found myself in a similar situation to your own. A healthy discussion with a licensed professional can do wonders for your psyche.
As for why I abandoned christianity after all those years Its rather simple. At the end of the day I chose to format my understanding of the world based on a foundation of reason, logic, and facts. My whole life I had so many questions. I felt as though I was constantly reinterpreting what my religion entailed. The absolute worst part of it all was the fact that I had no appreciation for the life I am living. Why would I? My salvation was promised to me in the next life. This was a mere stepping stone. As a result I squandered a large part of my youth because of this belief. I will never make a similar mistake again.
I assure you, any relief you might get from adhering to a religious doctrine will be a product of your own consciousness, not a omnipotent and omniscient entity. You have everything you need to handle the situation you are presently existing in within your own mind. If you feel overwhelmed there are people here and out in the world who will help you. I am going to recommend some literature below should you feel interested. All are books that have helped me in times of existential crises.
Books:
Waking Up: A Guide To Spirituality Without Religion
Ikigai: The Japanese Guide To A Long And Happy Life
If you or anyone would like more suggestions on any topic feel free to message me.
> First I don't agree that the sense of self is a feeling. I'd rather use "phenomenon of the mind" o maybe "construct" for lack of a better expression.
This is really just semantics, no? We can definitely supplant the word 'feeling' with words such as phenomenon, construct, sense, belief etc. I would argue that mind is a lot more encompassing than self, and it would be fallacious to conflate the two. The mind clearly exists, thoughts clearly exist.
The sense of self is encompassed in the mind, but the mind encompasses mental phenomena which we don't usually associate with the volitional self/ego, like dreams (funnily, though, the sense of self still exists in dreams). Thoughts are like dreams. Pay close attention, and they come in and out of consciousness without our volition. But the sense that there is some "controller" of these thoughts is illusory -- and we can see this if we meditate effectively, or take psychedelics. Indeed, since you seem to be a materialist, it would follow for you then that thoughts are a manifestation of the brain itself -- and we do not choose the construct of our brain, or how our innumerate amount of neurons inter correlate.
Indeed, the paradox that we think our thoughts becomes apparent in any beginners meditation practice. Beginners invariably complain that they can't meditate since they can't stop thinking (which is actually great they can observe this!). But, the phenomenon of the self (to use one of your words) is defined as being the controller of thoughts. If we were this controller of thoughts, wouldn't we just decide to stop thinking without any difficulty whatsoever?
> Second, because you can "turn it off" or detach yourself from it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.
One facet of this illusory sense of self is the belief that it is always there and stable. The fact that there are significant moments in one's consciousness where it doesn't exist at all completely counteracts our conceptual understanding of the ego/self.
> Third, and this is a very complicated matter, what does it mean "to exist"? Would you say that a cultural value does not exist? That a convention does not exist?
To exist means to be real. Cultural values and conventions surely have conceptual truth, but they don't exist in objective reality. Jordan Peterson and Sam Harris had a really interesting podcast where they debated truth for over two hours. Maybe check out Buddhist ideas on relative truth and ultimate truth as well?
> Would you say that a magic trick is not real or does not exist just because it's not what it appears to be? > > The magic trick is indeed real, even if your perception makes you see beyond the actions of the magician.
Hmmm. No. The illusion of magic can appear real, but that doesn't mean the magic is real. I feel this analogy, if anything, just substantiates my point.
I cannot stress enough I am not making these claims based on religious dogma or pseudo science, but on scientific inquiry and experiential observation. They are increasingly investigated in scientific realms.
You seem like an intelligent and thoughtful individual, and I'm not explaining these points as clearly as I can (I'm very sleep deprived) or, indeed, as others do far better. Do check out Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality without Religion by prominent nueroscientist Sam Harris and/or Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment by evolutionary psychologist Robert Wright.
If you ever end up doing so, I'd be really curious in your reflections -- especially if you still disagree that the self is an illusion. :)
About a year ago I had a spontaneous experience much like what you're describing. It was life changing, and I couldn't be more thankful for it. It may be overwhelming to you now, but I think you'll be thankful for it soon.
I've spent a lot of time trying to understand what happened. Mostly I read lots of books. Waking Up, Pihkal, and Toward a Psychology of Being helped a lot.
In particular, Maslow (well-known psychologist and author of the second of those books linked above) made a study of what he called "peak experiences". Perhaps that's a good description of what you're going through now.
If I were you, I would start a daily practice. I wish I'd spent more time meditating during my experience.
Also, as others in this thread have said, finding a teacher might be a good thing.
Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion - Sam Harris
https://www.amazon.com/Waking-Up-Spirituality-Without-Religion/dp/1451636024
Also excellent.
It seems you have much to learn about spirituality. But don't take my word for it. Others have written a lot of good things on this topic. No soul or anything that survives death is necessary.
Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris.
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle.
But even if we could agree on something called a soul, why would a drug that affects the brain have anything to do with it? Or do you mean that your brain is your soul?
I recommend reading Sam Harris' book "Waking Up" - the entire book is about this subject, and it's an excellent resource.
Strictly meditation? Or, understanding and dealing with your compulsive mind as a broader subject?
- Sam Harris' "Waking Up" is excellent.
- "Mindfulness in Plain English" is excellent.
- "Practicing the Power of Now" is excellent, though it doesn't delve deeply into meditation as a practice.
- If you're just getting started, I always recommend the free guide I link to in this comment.
I've mainly done mindfulness meditation, where you just focus on your breathing. You can do this 10-20 minutes per day. Don't do this while you're tired, since it requires focus. You could try a guided meditation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPpUNAFHgxM) or just set a timer and sit in silence.
I've recently started "loving-kindness" meditation as well. Here's a really good thread about it with people talking about the perceived benefits (if true, it's amazing): https://www.reddit.com/r/Meditation/comments/4ot45g/positive_effects_of_metta_meditation/
I think I'll start doing 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation in the morning or early in the day, and 15 minutes of loving-kindness meditation at night.
There's also a "spiritual" side of meditation. If you don't know what spiritual enlightenment is, you should definitely look into it. You can learn more about it from Alan Watts' lectures on YouTube, https://www.amazon.com/Waking-Up-Spirituality-Without-Religion/dp/1451636024, and https://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenment/dp/1577314808
Read this book by Sam Harris:
https://www.amazon.com/Waking-Up-Spirituality-Without-Religion/dp/1451636024
You might be able to get it at your local library.
The full title is "Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion", for those interested.
Yeah fair enough
anyways... here's a link to a book where some neuroscientist called Sam Harris explains it a little better than I could I guess :S
https://www.amazon.ca/Waking-Up-Spirituality-Without-Religion/dp/1451636024
Exactly. I am an atheist, but there is no doubt to me that prayer can be beneficial to the person who is doing the praying (not if you are praying for another person). It is really just another form of self reflection and meditation, which have shown to be highly beneficial.
For those non-believers out there I always recommend Waking Up: A guide to Spirituality without Religion by Sam Harris.
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