Also - I'm not scared of death. You come out attacking assuming that I'm sprouting new age stuff. I'm not. I'm simply trying to respond to a pessimistic comment in a positive way and to make the author feel better about his perception of existance. I've studied physics for well over 20 years now and I've met and talked to many others who have PhDs as well. QED by Feynman is actually my bible. I actually bring it with me everywhere I travel. Either way - before offending someone and coming out firing next time, maybe you should calm down and take a deep breath. I'm not trying to offend or hurt anyone - although it appears to me that you are.
Sorry for the very late reply. /u/dang has imposed a severe rate limit on my account
> You come out attacking assuming that I'm sprouting new age stuff. I'm not.
I mean, you honestly are, quite objectively. You are literally relaying your own interpretation of Buddhist philosophy, specifically the teachings of no-self and impermanence.
> I've studied physics for well over 20 years now and I've met and talked to many others who have PhDs as well. QED by Feynman is actually my bible. I actually bring it with me everywhere I travel.
Well that doesn't really mean anything. Physics doesn't say that time is an illusion. In relativity, time, like space, is a very important parameter, since it is when events occur. In fact, gravity on our Earth is primarily due to the bending of time. Hardly seems like relativity is telling us that it's illusory. In Quantum Mechanics, time is a very important parameter, and can't even be easily reconciled with space.
> Either way - before offending someone and coming out firing next time, maybe you should calm down and take a deep breath. I'm not trying to offend or hurt anyone - although it appears to me that you are.
This quite well illustrates what I'm talking about. You are very quick to apply the Buddhist teachings of no-self and impermanence to the "pessimism of death", but now that you want to be mad and offended, you quickly forget about it. Your irritation is too clear and vivid to ignore, just like your life.
"Life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost. We should strive to awaken. Awaken! Take heed! Do not squander your life." - Zen Master Dogen
In Zen we called what you are doing "attaching to emptiness"
"I mean, you honestly are, quite objectively. You are literally relaying your own interpretation of Buddhist philosophy, specifically the teachings of no-self and impermanence."
I'm sorry - but could you show where I'm actually implying or stating that there is 'no-self' or 'impermanence'? I'm implying that we're infinitely powerful beings that misperceive the interconnection within reality. I'll once again pull up a quote from Einstein to reiterate my position:
“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” - Albert Einstein
All I did was attempt to state that we are all inter-connected. Everything else you talk about is your own skewed and incredibly wrong interpretation of what I'm trying to state.
"Well that doesn't really mean anything. Physics doesn't say that time is an illusion."
And the same back to you. Your PhD in Physics means nothing to me, so blatantly talking about it like it gives you some sort of extra credentials makes you look extremely ignorant. Also - apologies for stating something in a manner which wasn't clear. Time is clearly a PARAMATER IN THIS UNIVERSE AND IS NOT AN ILLUSION. I can't think of anyone who would be stupid enough to deny the existence of time. What I meant to say is that the 'FLOW' of time is an ILLUSION. Here - this is a great watch for anyone that's non-you and that wants to understand what I truly meant to say:
"Life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost. We should strive to awaken. Awaken! Take heed! Do not squander your life." - Zen Master Dogen
I 100% agree with this statement.
In Zen we called what you are doing "attaching to emptiness"
Once again, I'm not sure where in the world I'm "attaching to emptiness." Once again - you're adding your own interpretation here so I have no further comments for you.
