The practical side of "Many paths, one destination"

[tinythinker]

This premise is obviously not of value to those who explicitly reject anything that vaguely resembles "religion", nor for those who are staunchly exclusive in their philosophical/theological views on such matters. But for everyone else...


A common idea that I have run across from highly realized practioners from various religious and spiritual traditions can be summarized thusly -

Yes, when we get closer to the Source, particularly in contemplative exercises descreasing our false self and increasing our direct understanding of our true nature, the descriptions of the experiences of the saints, mystics, and deeply holy women and men start sounding similar and in some cases virtually identical. However, in order to "get there", one must be firmly rooted in a particular tradition and method, which ironically then allows for a greater genuine appreciation of and sharing with other traditions the deeper you go. Some useful analogies include starting to dig a well in one spot, then stopping and starting somewhere else, so that after a long time and a lot of effort you end up with several shallow pits but are still no closer to reaching the water. Or more on point, there may be many paths to the same truth, but you can't walk them all at once.

[Metacrock]

All the postmodern stuff cuts both ways. The atheists really hate it, but that's indicative of the type of atheist. The scientifically embeaued type who know little of liberal arts hate it, but it's really made by and for atheistic thinkers. Despite this fact it cuts both ways, even though Derrida and co. did not forsee that..

I say this because the construct that sepeartes us form the actual reality of the world just as easily privileges belief as skepticism.

[tinythinker]

I say this because the construct that sepeartes us form the actual reality of the world just as easily privileges belief as skepticism.

Shhhhhhh! You're going to freak some people out and make them really, really upset.

[Metacrock]

I say this because the construct that sepeartes us form the actual reality of the world just as easily privileges belief as skepticism.

Shhhhhhh! You're going to freak some people out and make them really, really upset.

ahahahahahahahahaha

[sgttomas]

I say this because the construct that sepeartes us form the actual reality of the world just as easily privileges belief as skepticism.

Shhhhhhh! You're going to freak some people out and make them really, really upset.

rotflmao

[Metacrock]

I say this because the construct that sepeartes us form the actual reality of the world just as easily privileges belief as skepticism.

Shhhhhhh! You're going to freak some people out and make them really, really upset.

rotflmao

you like that one?

[sgttomas]

heaps and gobs of irony.

...me likey

[Metacrock]

heaps and gobs of irony.

...me likey

ahahahaha good!

[Antimatter]

For what it's worth, I've long been convinced that, on the subject of the supernatural, various flavors of universalism and naturalism are the most reasonable, defensible, and practical worldviews one could take. Though I err for the latter in the absence of any clear evidence, I have few philosophical objections with universalism. Perhaps this is my own conceptualization of the same dipole Meta described between belief and skepticism.

[Metacrock]

For what it's worth, I've long been convinced that, on the subject of the supernatural, various flavors of universalism and naturalism are the most reasonable, defensible, and practical worldviews one could take. Though I err for the latter in the absence of any clear evidence, I have few philosophical objections with universalism. Perhaps this is my own conceptualization of the same dipole Meta described between belief and skepticism.

you are half way there. repeat after me, "the glass is half .... full!"