We all know the Buddha claimed to be enlightened. And most claim in that same regard, Jesus was too. Buddha described it as an end to suffering, Jesus saw it as salvation.
I know it's an apples to oranges comparison, but many who claim to be enlightened say that everyone is capable of this. Along with the process comes compassion, forgiveness, lasting happiness, gratitude for all life, and really every positive emotion without any of the negatives.
So how do you guys feel about the concept?
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[–] Reddiggoat 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago (edited ago)
I hear you on the religions - life-centric ideas don't get billions of followers for thousands of years without having something to them.
As for emotions, I'll have to agree to disagree. I don't think you could have foresight without the fear/anxiety the ideas would evoke. Ideally, yes, but you can't rationally prepare for everything in life. I like your idea of moving beyond emotions rather than discarding them but I still find it very helpful to stay attuned to all of them. (A crude example: with a bit of practice, you can trigger your own fight-or-flight response for a variety of uses. For me, I need to access some stress/fear emotion to be able to do that.)
[–] middle_path [S] ago
At least we can both be rational about it. Agree to disagree.
As for the fight or flight, check out Wim Hof. He's a crazy fellow who can, and has taught others, how to take full control of their bodies using only breathing and exercise. A person lying on their back can produce as much adrenaline as a man in a burning building. Cool shit.