Sum up the meaning of life in one sentence.

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Magnus
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24 Dec 2009, 6:07 pm

It can be a favorite quote.
It can change too.

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Last edited by Magnus on 25 Dec 2009, 1:42 am, edited 1 time in total.

southwestforests
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24 Dec 2009, 6:15 pm

Magnus wrote:

Sum up the meaning of life in one sentence.

Whoa, that's a tall order!
No can do right now.
Have to think.

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Magnus
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24 Dec 2009, 6:24 pm

Fear not, for the phantoms in your mind know more than you realize.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHapDS2fcFE[/youtube]

SporadSpontan
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24 Dec 2009, 6:33 pm

To be free.

(That's the only reason I bother to stay alive.)

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Magnus
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24 Dec 2009, 6:41 pm

SporadSpontan wrote:

To be free.

(That's the only reason I bother to stay alive.)

You may have just killed my thread. I am free sometimes. How do you find meaning in life, when the points don't add up, when you are trapped. Or, is that just me?

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24 Dec 2009, 7:22 pm

42. Yes, I'm quite sure...

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Magnus
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24 Dec 2009, 7:25 pm

pakled wrote:

42. Yes, I'm quite sure...

That book was so annoying!! ! :lol:

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24 Dec 2009, 9:13 pm

Magnus wrote:

SporadSpontan wrote:

To be free.

(That's the only reason I bother to stay alive.)

You may have just killed my thread. I am free sometimes. How do you find meaning in life, when the points don't add up, when you are trapped. Or, is that just me?

lol! Sorry Magnus! Anyhow I think it's a very worthy thread - worthy of consideration.

I never consider myself free (yes, Never! lol) whilst I still have delusion. By that I mean the inability to directly perceive reality for what it is. I think that 'there is more than meets the eye' and until I can see what that 'more' is I'm not free.

When the points don't add up I try to figure out why not. But if the points in question don't seem relevant to my ultimate purpose I don't bother - they can remain as scattered concepts until the day when everything makes sense at once.

And I consider myself always (yes, Always! haha again!) trapped until I have freed myself of all ignorance. By that I'm not referring to relative worldly issues, but rather the ignorance that holds things to exist the way they merely appear to.

NB: Delusion and Ignorance mean the same thing in this post and I apologise for any confusion created.

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Philotix
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24 Dec 2009, 9:25 pm

I can sum up the meaning of life in one word: Love.

It's all that humans desire in the end, we all want to be loved, and we all want to love. Even if we hide it deep within, it's really what's at the heart of everything that we do.

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24 Dec 2009, 10:12 pm

I guess I am basically a selfish person... for me it's

To enjoy and survive.

My enjoyment and survival include attempting to make the world a better place around me, so it will be more enjoyable and less likely to be a crime statistic. I try to help my friends enjoy theirselfs, happy people are more enjoyable to be around.

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25 Dec 2009, 12:11 am

Tao that can be called Tao is not true Tao, the Name that can be named is not the true Name.

There are things that cannot be expressed in words, they can only be known. The quote holds a LOT more meaning than that, which is why I said the quote rather than the other sentence.

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25 Dec 2009, 12:43 am

MrLoony wrote:

Yeah because once you're experiencing Tao you're beyond all conceptions or labelling of such as 'Tao'. There can be no 'outside looking in' when it comes to the true Way. If you're pouring tea into a cup and observe the fact that you are doing this the opportunity to experience Tao is lost. The watcher and the doer must become one in a single moment in order to achieve that effortless unity that is one's self and the universe.

NB: Taoism is not my area of expertise so please tell me if I'm way (Way! haha) off the mark here.

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25 Dec 2009, 12:45 am

Oregon wrote:

That doesn't sound selfish at all.

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25 Dec 2009, 12:55 am

SporadSpontan wrote:

MrLoony wrote:

It's a common misconception that just because tao means way, then Tao must, therefore, mean Way. For a lot of Western scholars, they claim that that's what that sentence means. In reality, it's because calling something Tao introduces differentiation into it, and describing it introduces differentiation into it as well.

So Tao means something that has no differentiation, yes? No, and this is the problem with describing it. Saying that Tao means not differentiated means that differentiated things (i.e. you and I or red and blue) are NOT Tao.

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Philotix
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25 Dec 2009, 1:00 am

I never liked the concept of the Tao.

I just don't like something that is supposed to be "understood by not trying to understand", and that's pretty much what all those phrases boil down to.

If I can't analyze it rationally... if I'm supposed to find some part of my non-rational mind or turn my mind off entirely to understand something... no thanks.

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25 Dec 2009, 1:01 am

Philotix wrote:

I guess it depends on your definition of 'love'. According to the tradition I follow 'love', or also 'loving kindness' is defined as the wish for others' happiness. So in that respect I'd agree that's at the heart (heart! haha - literally heart chakra!) of everything we do.

Though unfortunately for some that is only a future time reality when eventually their own happiness becomes less or equally important as others' happiness. And also according to my tradition - this 'love' that is focused on others is ironically the only way to achieve our own happiness. We just have to take an example of how happy we feel when we've managed to make someone else happy. The more we pluralise the 'other' in 'others' the happier we become. So basically the only boundary to our potential happiness is the limit of 'others' existing in all the universes (as the objects of our love).

EDIT: When I say it's the only way to achieve our own happiness I mean a lasting happiness. We can still become happy by merely serving our own self-interests, but as explained above - the more objects of love we include the more happiness we can experience. If we only love ourself then the potential for happiness is very limited when contrasted with the vast opportunity in 'otherness'.

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Last edited by SporadSpontan on 25 Dec 2009, 1:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

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