I am no longer walking on the path of Islam .

originally posted by: wirehead
Gosh it's so hard to find the right book with all the answers!

Spoilt for choice to be honest, we've never had it so good lol

ETA
It's why I don't believe any, they all contradict each other and can't all be 'the truth' lmao

a reply to: Itisnowagain

Why do you refuse to answer me when I give you examples of how I changed my life?

a reply to: Martin75

Probably similar reasons you ran away from logical and reasoned debate with me

originally posted by: Martin75
a reply to: Itisnowagain

Why do you refuse to answer me when I give you examples of how I changed my life?

Because it is impossible to find the words.

a reply to: Itisnowagain

It's not impossible, just you are unable to articulate your claimed concept to the class.
That is not the class's problem.

originally posted by: TJames
a reply to: Itisnowagain

It's not impossible, just you are unable to articulate your claimed concept to the class.
That is not the class's problem.

It has been explained but who is going to believe it?

The self; a trick your mind plays on not you.

As you wake up each morning, hazy and disoriented, you gradually become aware of the rustling of the sheets, sense their texture and squint at the light. One aspect of your self has reassembled: the first-person observer of reality, inhabiting a human body.

As wakefulness grows, so does your sense of having a past, a personality and motivations. Your self is complete, as both witness of the world and bearer of your consciousness and identity. You.

This intuitive sense of self is an effortless and fundamental human experience. But it is nothing more than an elaborate illusion. Under scrutiny, many common-sense beliefs about selfhood begin to unravel. Some thinkers even go so far as claiming that there is no such thing as the self.

Not only neuroscientific thinkers. Philosophical and spiritual thinkers also. Psychologist Susan Blackmore does a good job of presenting this selfless perspective in her book, "Ten Zen Questions." I'm fine with it. Actually, more than fine.

I love the notion that "I" don't exist. Takes the pressure off me to know that I'm an illusion. Like Janis Joplin sang, "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." Like salvation. Life after death. Hell or heaven.

Blackmore writes:

But what about me and my conscious experiences? Where do I fit into this integrated system of inputs, outputs and multiple parallel processing systems?

The strange thing is that I feel as if I am in the middle of all this activity, experiencing what comes in through the senses, and deciding what to do in response, when in fact the brain seems to have no need of me.

There is no central place or process where I could be, and the brain seems capable of doing everything it does without any supervisor, decider or inner experiencer.

...The temptation to fall into dualism is so strong that escaping from it, and from the popular idea that we have a spirit or soul, has been a rare insight in human history. This insight is not confined to modern science and philosophy, but can be found at the heart of Christian mysticism, Sufism, Advaita, Taoism, and Buddhism.

All these traditions claim that the apparent duality of the world is an illusion, and that underlying the illusion everything is one.

Along with this often goes the idea that there is no separate self who acts, so that realizing nonduality also means giving up the sense of personal action or of being the "doer" of what happens. This is rather hard to accept, which is probably why such traditions are so much less popular than the great theistic religions, or those that promise heaven and hell to reward the actions of individual souls.

...There's some stupid bastard doing a U-turn in the middle of the road right in front of my bike. I am angry and want to shout "You idiot -- what do you think you're doing? You nearly knocked me off!" Can the sight of that idiotic man be me?

Yes. Of course.

If I stop, calm down, and search for the me who is looking at him I will find only him, and his car, and the road. If I search for the me who is angry with him I will find only the anger bubbling up. It's the same with everything I experience; there is not a separate me as well as the experience.

It is hard to accept that I am all those people walking down the street; that I am, at least in this fleeting moment, that Muslim woman with her stupid veil, that annoying child with the ice cream, that crowd of giggling school girls.

Yet somehow or other this way of looking makes it easier to be kind.

hinessight.blogs.com...

originally posted by: hutch622
a reply to: Kapusta

Quick questions and it may have been asked before . You no longer following Islam makes you an apostate right . There are some very strong views on this and the punishment that should be dealt out to apostates . First question . Do you fear any kind of retribution for leaving Islam . Second question . When you were practicing , how did you feel about persons such as yourself leaving .

Good question ! So apostacy can carry a heavy sentence in Islam in worst case. But that all depends on how the Shriah is interpreted. Some places death may be imminent. Normally we see that in small villages or republic's who govern by their own interpretation of Shriah .from my studies the authentic scripture says that one should be executed for apostacy if that person leaves Islam then leads a fight against it . For example. Let's say since I left Islam I want to now gain a mass following of people to do the same .my following grows and creates fitna (discord ) that spreads . Then this is punishable by death according to Shariah. However ...the law in that secton also states that one can be forgiven for this my simply repenting and reading the Quran . So basically if you live in a country that goes by an orthodox interpretation of Shriah you would really want to have to die for apostacy if that makes sens . Country's like morroco, jordan, Indonesia, follow Shriah accordingly .

But if I went to Syria, Iraq , Afghanistan, Chechnya, and became an apostate I would likely lose my head .

I have no fear of being an apostate .

I a reply to: Itisnowagain

I live in the perceived existence I experience.
It is the one that pays the bills, the one which loves and cries.
What tangible difference does it make in my life if it isn't real?
It's real to my perceived existence is all I can give a # about.

originally posted by: Nikola014
a reply to: Kapusta

How you can say that Islam is a religion of peace when practiced according to Quran, when there are things in there, that make women slaves and call for murder of nonbelievers?

I don't wish to debate scripture. As Somone who practiced Islam ,studied Islamic law for a long time and has left Islam.

The foundation of Islam is a religon of peace. Islam doesn't call for woman to be slaves and kuffar to be murderd . However extremism does and being an Extremist takes one outside the folds of Islam .

Try reading the old testament. It's pretty rough .. just saying.

a reply to: Kapusta

May disagree on some things with you but we all should constantly evolve spiritually, religion is one of the few things I think where its truly personal and we should not accept anyone's word on what any religious book means.

I would be considered a Heretic even in this day and age, so good luck on your journey.

a reply to: Irishhaf

Believe what you like but don't present it as fact.
That's disingenuous.

a reply to: TJames

*shrugs* for him it is fact, none of us are going to know what the absolute truth is till we are standing in judgement when our time is up.

As long as someone is not trying to force me to believe like they do I really could care less.

a reply to: Irishhaf

...Couldn't care less, get it right

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: chr0naut

If enlightenment could come from within, we'd be true deities, transcending space and time, lifting ourselves by our boot-straps into heaven.

We all carry the seed of enlightenment whether we choose to germinate it or not is up to us.

Enlightenment is within you. Buddha cannot give you Enlightenment by his hands. Because the illusion is within you, then samsara and all the problems of the mind are within you. If the illusion, negative emotions, and samsara are from your mind, then enlightenment is also from your mind. When these problems are gone, enlightenment is there. So enlightenment is within your mind.
shamarpa.org...

Then show me someone, or verifiable historical details about someone, who has attained this enlightenment.

Samsara may have some potentially validating details but show me a case of someone escaping the wheel. Then I might agree.

'Till then, by Ockhams Razor, it's probably just self-delusion.