Reflections on Peace, Philosophy, and Life
According to Wikipedia, Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices belonging to the metaphysical family of new religious movements. It was developed in 19th-century New England by Mary Baker Eddy, who argued in her 1875 book Science and Health that sickness is an illusion that can be corrected by prayer alone.
I was introduced to the book written by Mary Baker Eddy when I worked as a Burger Cook back in the 60s. The husband of one of the waitresses working there was a practitioner and also introduced me to the early writings of L. Ron Hubbard (founder of Scientology). Both believed that mental focus is the key to increase conscious awareness, albeit with very different goals in mind. Whereas L. Ron Hubbard's ideas have - in my not very humble opinion - been perverted by the organisation which built on his ideas, the Christian Scientists have remained more in line with Mary Baker Eddy's ideas and beliefs.
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We use that word such a lot "Feelings" - I feel..., You make me feel..., etc. I decided to google the question "what is feeling?" Here is some of what I found, as example from the Collins online Dictionary:
feeling
(fiːlɪŋ )
Word forms: plural feelings
1. COUNTABLE NOUN
A feeling is an emotion, such as anger or happiness.
It gave me a feeling of satisfaction. [+ of]
Strong feelings of pride welled up in me.
I think our main feeling would be of an immense gratitude.
He was unable to contain his own destructive feelings.
Synonyms: emotion, sentiment More Synonyms of feeling
2. PLURAL NOUN [oft with poss]
Your feelings about something are the things that you think and feel about it, or your attitude towards it.
Everyone knows what my feelings are on that. [+ about]
I have also begun to reassess my own feelings about being a woman.
I think that sums up the feelings of most discerning and intelligent Indians. [+ of]
He made no real secret of his feelings to his friends.
Synonyms: opinion, view, attitude, belief More Synonyms of feeling
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Swami Vivekananda.
Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission. He is perhaps best known for his speech which began with the words - "Sisters and brothers of America ...," in which he introduced Hinduism at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893.
That is how Wikipedia introduces this man. I came across his writings in the 60s and, re-reading him today, reminds how profound his teaching is.
You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.
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This book by George Spencer Brown had a profound impact on me.
In it the Author suggests that - and this is the explanation from Wikipedia (see the Links section) :
The form (Chapter 1)
The symbol in drawing that looks like an angle, also called the "mark" or "cross", is the essential feature of the Laws of Form. In Spencer-Brown's inimitable and enigmatic fashion, the Mark symbolises the root of cognition, i.e., the dualistic Mark indicates the capability of differentiating a "this" from "everything else but this".
In LoF, a Cross denotes the drawing of a "distinction", and can be thought of as signifying the following, all at once:
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Another speaker, we invited to speak to the discussion society, was the father of one of the society members, who was a professor at the London School of Oriental & African Studies. His talk focused on Sufism. Again, another finger pointing in the same direction.
Sufism, mystical Islamic belief and practice in which Muslims seek to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God. It consists of a variety of mystical paths that are designed to ascertain the nature of humanity and of God, and to facilitate the experience of the presence of divine love and wisdom in the world.
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