Maybe he means psychotherapy. Freud and Jung tend to take a lot of flak in scientific circles, though. (For good reason, of course; their practices did not really show scientific rigor.)
"Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life"
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Still palliative, they attempt to cure, they don't provide.
Pantheism and atheism are very similar. Buddhists don't really have a concept of athiesm, because the term originates in the west, and eastern spirituality have a long history of practice with no concept of a supreme being. They tend to have a more integrated concept of themselves and the cosmos, more philosophical than pious. It has more in common with atheism and experimental science than the blind faith of theology.
Real Buddhists believe in gods as a different concept than what is associated with Western theology
I don't think eastern spirituality is dissociated from the concept of a supreme being. Atheism as it is followed in the West is only present in those who are exposed to Western values.
The concept of God however is very different.
You must have never read any Buddhist scripture. The Buddha believed in karma, supernormal powers, reincarnation, higher and lower gods, demons, etc...He talked about some of devas in the Vedas such as Indra as existing on another world...but just like with Hinduism the devas and humans are not that much different, humans can attain higher perfections
An interesting story is the one where The Buddha said that when you perform supernatural powers the skeptical will insist that you're doing magic tricks and the faithful faith will increase, so you've accompished nothing.
There is also another story where one of The Buddha's disciples meets a faithless man who didn't believe in gods, the results of good and bad deeds, reincarnation, etc...(sound familiar atheists?) and The Buddha's disciple convinced him that higher and lower gods did exist as inhabitants of other worlds (he pointed to the sky).
So clearly The Buddha believed in the supernatural, clearly not atheistic.
"Eastern spirituality" is a broad category in which there is much diversity. So is "atheism in the west".
Bare scientific fact is not meant as a replacement for all your other faculties as a human being. But a scientifically informed person can better play with a full deck.
Bare scientific fact is not meant as a replacement for all your other faculties as a human being. But a scientifically informed person can better play with a full deck.
Considering I don't see how mysteries in life and wonder are exclusive to people who are spiritual, I don't see much point to this thread. How do I feel? I feel like making a sandwich.
I'm wondering what filling you are going to use.
I'm aware of cause and effect, reincarnation, rebirth, and the possibility of beings more advanced than me out in space. Atheism doesn't mean what it once did - an uninterested, incurious, uninformed, anti-intellectual person.
The supernatural doesn't mean what it once did either. They knew about the gaps in their knowledge, and called it the supernatural. Much of how Buddha taught was allegorical. He had two separate philosophies actually, one for the common person similar to the religions they were familiar with, the other more pure and subtle, reserved for those capable of understanding. This teaching is almost existentially bare, and in it's fully realized form, one doesn't even recognize separate things, much less theological concepts.
The supernatural doesn't mean what it once did either. They knew about the gaps in their knowledge, and called it the supernatural. Much of how Buddha taught was allegorical. He had two separate philosophies actually, one for the common person similar to the religions they were familiar with, the other more pure and subtle, reserved for those capable of understanding. This teaching is almost existentially bare, and in it's fully realized form, one doesn't even recognize separate things, much less theological concepts.
The Buddha had one philosopy, the interpretations are based on what people got out of it, based on their perspective or understanding.
You're just trolling aren't you?
You're not really interested in a discussion.
Do you get some perverse pleasure out of yanking my chains?
Sam, I've attempted discussion with you only to eventually get responses like, 'blah blah blah, yada yada yada' each time the reality of the real world comes in contact with your religious ideologies.
But, it's still necessary to point out your BS, whenever it surfaces.
Mental health is a very broad category and science has a lot to say about it's various topics that include:
* ADD and ADHD
* Alzheimer's
* Autism
* Brain Injury
* Dementia
* Depression
* Disorders and Syndromes
* Epilepsy
* Headaches
* Hearing Loss
* Insomnia
* Mad Cow Disease
* Multiple Sclerosis
* Parkinson's
* Schizophrenia
* Sleep Disorders
* Stroke
And so on. While there is a lot to be said about personal choices in daily behavior and overall "mental health," there are some very specific things that science has been able to treat that a yoga position or the calming effect of tai chi hasn't a hope of touching.
My wife's epilepsy is successfully managed with anti-seizure medication. Stroke victims can rehabilitate with both medication and therapeutic physical and mental exercises if conducted soon after the stroke. Some severe mental health issues that include delusions, hallucinations, and difficulty coping with reality have been successfully managed with medications and even neurosurgery. Much has been gained in understanding the phantom limb phenomenon and helping amputees deal with severe pain that follows amputation.
ADHD, while probably over-diagnosed, is a real condition that has real results with the right medications to assist patients who are having difficulty in school.
The search for cures in diseases like alzheimer's and parkinson's is promising.
And so on.
Science has had, and will continue to have, much to say with regard to mental health.
* ADD and ADHD
* Alzheimer's
* Autism
* Brain Injury
* Dementia
* Depression
* Disorders and Syndromes
* Epilepsy
* Headaches
* Hearing Loss
* Insomnia
* Mad Cow Disease
* Multiple Sclerosis
* Parkinson's
* Schizophrenia
* Sleep Disorders
* Stroke
And so on. While there is a lot to be said about personal choices in daily behavior and overall "mental health," there are some very specific things that science has been able to treat that a yoga position or the calming effect of tai chi hasn't a hope of touching.
My wife's epilepsy is successfully managed with anti-seizure medication. Stroke victims can rehabilitate with both medication and therapeutic physical and mental exercises if conducted soon after the stroke. Some severe mental health issues that include delusions, hallucinations, and difficulty coping with reality have been successfully managed with medications and even neurosurgery. Much has been gained in understanding the phantom limb phenomenon and helping amputees deal with severe pain that follows amputation.
ADHD, while probably over-diagnosed, is a real condition that has real results with the right medications to assist patients who are having difficulty in school.
The search for cures in diseases like alzheimer's and parkinson's is promising.
And so on.
Science has had, and will continue to have, much to say with regard to mental health.
One might say the rise in mental disorders in society is directed related to the decrease in spiritual and mental health.
Eastern spirituality provides for mind and body health and is a wholistic approach that embraces both personal, communal and environmental concerns.
While science can provide answers after the fact, prevention of the conditions which give rise to unhealthy stressors on mind and hence, body are not a scientific concern, but a spiritual one.
Eastern spirituality provides for mind and body health and is a wholistic approach that embraces both personal, communal and environmental concerns.
While science can provide answers after the fact, prevention of the conditions which give rise to unhealthy stressors on mind and hence, body are not a scientific concern, but a spiritual one.
Just a thought here sam. This sounds extremely uninformed, reactionary and irrational. I will give you a chance to restate and/or elaborate.
In any event, spirituality as a sense of the mysterium tremendum of the cosmos and the untapped potential of the human mind are present in many atheists. Deep self-reflection is a characteristic of the path that many atheists take. The atheist's spirituality may not stem from the dogma of some cultural indoctrination, but it can be just as deep and powerful. In fact, being based on the acceptance of the universe as we percieve it and our real interaction with it, I would propose that a thoughtful atheist's spirituality is more rewarding than the common dogma-based variety.
You're speaking of the Western concept of spirituality."Shock and awe" are not what Eastern spirituality represents.
How would you measure the level of "spiritual health" in a community? While the philosophies of the east, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, ect., may contain approaches to good mental health, they don't prevent it. They too, offer solutions after the fact. Many people that seek out Buddhist sanctuaries do so because they suffer.
I don't doubt that Buddhism encourages a kinder attitude towards the environment, but give me a scientist any day if I want to know what's really going on.
I don't doubt that Buddhism encourages a kinder attitude towards the environment, but give me a scientist any day if I want to know what's really going on.
What are you talking about sam? I understand what eastern spirituality represents. I've extracted some helpful ideas from the zen aspects of buddhism, as you're already aware. Why must you be so condescending?