Purpose of Religion
The purpose of religion, ritual and symbolism is to give meaning to life beyond the ego-dominated world. As the mind explores these things it is led to thoughts that lie beyond the grasp of the ego and reason. If these practices are done in a meaningless way, that person is wasting his time because the person who knows the significance of what he is doing can overcome the ego's tendencies and make real the Christian purpose of life. Regardless of the suffering we have experienced we are able to achieve a new state of mind and are born again, when we change our focus from the lower layers of the mind to the higher ones. This new state of mind is living in the present and is a projection of living in eternity. The ego has pride in the past and fear for the future so letting go of the future and the past lets the ego drop away too. In reality it is impossible to live outside the present and to put God in the future because this implies that God is not eternal and present. The proof is in our experience by experiment and not theory. When one concentrates only on what is happening in the present, the moment is pure awareness without any desire. To live in the past or for the future invokes memory, anticipation and causes anxiety because these are forms of desires, dreams and fantasies. It is the habit of the ego to live in this unreality, but as we discard and release all ideas contrary to the present, our experience achieves full measure in the here and now. This reality is total and whole, not the past or future because we are not looking over our shoulder or standing on our toes to see what’s ahead.
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I like the devil on one
I like the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. The devil can sometimes be looked on as a symbol for further development by showing us a lesson through pain and it is also seen at times in a negative way. The devil and angel are great because they shows us the dual aspect and the possibility of being seen either as good or bad. They both are angels. The dual aspect cannot be separated because it is like a paper with two sides that are one and the same. Good cannot exist without evil because they complement each other.
My ego keeps my attention on the duality so I am like a ping pong ball being played, battered by the waves on the surface. When I choose to dive deep into my soul even if there is a storm the waves of duality have no effect because everything is clear and peaceful. My guide Jesus walked on the water in a storm and was not threatened.
Suppose our Ego is God's test administrator
Soma,
Thank you for this article. I'd like introduce a radical line of thinking here, by challenging your thinking on the nature of the Ego. I believe we are here to learn lessons from a comprehensive cosmic curriculum. Our Creator, (whom you call God), is the teacher, the universe is our school, our lives are the classrooms and we are the students.
There is nothing that is not of Our Creator. All things are necessary for life to exist and all things necessary exist.
To learn these lessons we need to first discover them. You do this by observing the repeating patterns of your life. Have you ever found yourself in a familiar situation, especially one that you don't like and ask youself "How did I get here? Why an I doing this again?" Sort of like having one foot nailed to the floor, going 'round and 'round. Well this is one of the lessons you've chosen to learn.
As Our Creator is eternally patient we get numerous opportunities to learn. And who administers these lessons?, our Ego. It has no sense of time, is not invested in either the past or future, just doing the job at hand, presenting you with the opportunity to learn the lessons from the curriculum. That's why you can't kill the Ego, it is Our Creator (God) given testor, essential to our learning and evolving. As Our Creator is everywhere present, all knowing thus all powerful we can not destroy anything God creates, the Ego being one such entity.
Rather radical thoughts, no?
Rich
The Ego
Rich, I will let Soma speak for herself, but in most circles that use 'mystcal' or 'psycho-spiritual' terminology , the Ego represents the flesh self, the Earth self, the non-spiritual self, that which must be shed and overcome to become the spiritual self or the real self.
The Ego would be the fallen self and therefore not God's creation but a self or personality we choose.
Fallen Ego?
Jim,
I believe there is nothing that is not of Our Creator (God) that we have free will and must take responsiblity for the consequences of our actions. The purpose of our life is to learn, to perfect our soul thorough enlightenment. We are presented with many teachers. My life has been greatly enhanced by learning from many teachers; Moses, Jesus, Buddha and other persons I've met along my path of life, and still others I've studied, many of whom where from the world of science. As a result I see no conflict between science and religion, they are basically saying the same thing, just using different language.
From the world of the hard sciences we have learned that energy once created can not be destroyed, only it's forms change. I believe we have a soul, that it is the very essence of our being. Our soul then exists eternally (this is what I believe Jesus meant when He said we shall have life and we shall have it eternally). We, as a species, all have the same needs and desires. The joy of it all is that we all get to choose how we experience life, what lessons, from the curriculum, we need to learn in order to advance the evolution of our soul towards realizing the perfection Our Creator wishes for us.
As we are here to learn, then our Ego is Our Creators test giver. It has no vested interest in the past, future or the present. It is simply a neutral "entity", created by Our Creator to serve us by offering us as many opportunities to learn as we, individually, need.
My old friend Joe and I many years ago observed that the first time the lesson is presented it comes like a whisper. Fail to hear that and the next time it comes as shout, "Hey, wake up, I'm trying to teach you something". Fail again and you get hit up 'long side your head - wham - with what we call a "Cosmic 2X4". He's had two disasterous marriages, and now his last long term relationship has ended. So Joe's been hit hard. "No mas, amigo". At 73, he's on his own and happy as a clam in a shell. His Ego has done its job well.
So I say to Soma, the purpose of religion is to provide just one way of many in learning what we are here to learn.
Rich
Ego and the Mystical
Once again, Rich, I speak only for me and hopefully Soma will jump in here.
In mystical thought and in some Eastern thought, there is no test. None of us are Job. The one who tests is Satan, as Jesus was tested in his forty days in the desert by Satan.
If you can visualize from those old cartoons and movies, it is like there is an angel over one shoulder and a devil over the other. The angel is the good voice, encouraging us to do the right thing, the devil is the bad voice encouraging you to sin because there is an earthly advantage to it. The devil voice would be the Ego ,in most mystical thought. The Ego or devil must be ignored and we must listen to the good voice.
God is all good and like the parable of the Prodigal Son, just wants us to come home, no tricks, no games.He is there always waiting for us to find our way back. To do so, we must follow the angel voice (or Holy Spirit or Jesus) that speaks in one of our ears.
I do beleive that learning experiences are arranged by the Holy Spirit. They are not tests but experiences meant to hasten us on our path to God.I understand that is a thin line sometimes. If ones house burned down and they might see it as God testing them. A mystic would see it as a lesson that requires understanding. The lesson might very well be, don't be so attached to material things, in one moment, they can be all gone.A subtle difference but an important one.
angel on my shoulder
Jim, that is exactly how I visualize it... as two competing entities (but both me) and two competing voices (but both me) arguing across my nose.
And it's comforting to think of the times that try my soul as lessons, coming from the Holy Spirit. All I have to do is remember, on those days I feel like Job, is to look for the lesson.
LOL
I got a LOL from the arguing across your nose comment, my angel and devil are visualized as talking in my ear and whispering.
hey!
Mine start out whispering in my ear, but they end up hanging off my ears and yelling at each other across my nose. Because when I'm in conflict about something, that's how it is, opposing points speeding through my head so fast.
I go directly to the source.
Jim and Janet,
I love both of your comments. There was a time in my life when I could relate to the two entities on my shoulder idea. Yes, Janet they are two sides of the same coin, your own personal coinage so to speak. In you're case - a $50 gold piece, which as we see from the gold market is increasing in value everyday!
However, after much study, I have concluded it is much more beneficial to go straight to the source - Our Creator. I personally don't need angels, good or bad, on my shoulder.
"When some of the Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come, he answered, saying unto them, the Kingdom of God does not come by observation.
Neither will they say, Behold, it is here! Or Behold it is there! for behold the Kingdom of God is within you."
Luke 17:20-21
I need no intercedent. I draw directly from the omni-all source, Our Creator, go directly to the Kingdom. BTW I use the term "Our Creator" rather than God because, to me, it is a neutral all emcompassing term. Even our nations founders used this term when they said "We are endowed by Our Creator with certain inalienable rights---" In my 2/3 of a century of life I have walked an exciting joyful fulfilling path to enlightenment. I started as a theist (because my Mom said I should beleive in a God), then during my college days I went thru an agnostic phase of self discover, then an atheist phase, (how can a loving God let all this bad stuff happen?),followed by a non-theist phase (I didn't know nor care if there was a God). Thru my studies of physics and psychology, employing the powers of both intellect and intuition, reason and faith, I came to my own conclusions. Like our first 3 American Presidents, I discovered I am a Deist. They were products of the great Age of Enlightenment.
Two personal experiences anchor me there.
7 years ago I was attempting a left hand turn on a fast two lane country road nearby when a woman came roaring 'round a blind corner at an estimated 65 MPH and t-boned my car on the passenger side, pushing my car sideways back down the road about 30 feet the Police said. I was knocked out cold and was flown by Medivac to shock trauma. During that episode I underwent an Out of Body Experience (OBE). I saw two black lines extending from where I was sitting into the distance, where they converged. No one "said" anything to me, I just "knew" if I went there I would not come back. I thought to myself "why would I want to do that? I have a wonderful wife and marriage, so why leave?" It was a no-brainer, but yet I know I had a choice and I choose to stay. Moreover as I reflected on the OBE I remember seeing the two lines extending down the middle of a wide gray valley. I now believe I saw the Valley of the Shadow of Death referred to in the 23rd Psalm.
The second was my recent Christmas Day heart attack. Had we been following our normal Christmas Day pattern we'd have been on Interstate 76 on the road to Pittsburgh to visit Liz's family. Yet I was in a hospital visiting my brother. That facilitated a quick response which prevented any serious damage.
I recall no one living or deceased entity directly intervening in either situation. I believe I am here by the Grace of My Creator. As my family doctor and several other folks have said, I must still be here because My Creator isn't done with me yet.
That's why I also believe I have been divinely guided to the IPC and CrossLeft. This is my next arena of service.
I came by my beliefs via a path of enlightenment, from studies of physics and psychology as well as biology, history and several other studies, including the Bible. As a result I see no conflict between science and religion, both speak the truth but with different languages. All we need are good interpretors. In the next few weeks I'll share how I see the two complementing and not contridicting each other.
In the late 70's I taught environmental studies at 3 universities and in the late 90's I was an ordained minister so please excuse me if I get a bit intellectual and a bit "preachy". Thanx!
Cheers and good will to you both,
Rich
Wow Rich
What a good personal story. Thank you for sharing that.
The angel and the devil sitting on our shoulders are only icons or visulaizations to describe differing points of view. The angel does represent your Kingdom of God within.It is the Holy Spirit of the Creator, with Jesus as our leader and example, showing us the way. The devil represents ,in the context of this discussion, the false self, that leads away from the true path. This is using the term "ego' only in the sense that it is used in most contemporary mystical thought, not its Feudian or contemporary psychological usage.
Dear Soma
You are such a wonderful mystic with such great clarity of thought. The kingdom of God is truly at hand.
I am a soul with a body, not
I am a soul with a body, not a body with a soul. http://thinkunity.com
Sorry, I didn't respond, but my foot got nailed to the floor and I had a lesson or two to learn. I agree problems are our path and lead us to our true self. I feel my ego is a cup floating in the ocean. Yes, it would be similar to an anchor on the physical plane. The water in my cup is the same as the water in the ocean so when I have moments of merging with the ocean I feel a oneness with everything and the cup is just a shell or cloth used to cover myself on this plane. The ego is a doer while my true self is a being, we are human beings that is what I am learning to let it be. The 'doer I' wants to create with many verbs, while the 'pure I' just is witnessing in the midst of action. Jesus said it all, "I and the Lord are One" The Lord being everything as one mentioned earlier. Yes, the kingdom is at hand it is all around us and inside, the hard part is to discover it continuously. Thanks for the great thread and comments