old3bob

a "something" weapon intended for evil and thus forged by evil is so in and of itself...

True Guru 1st sees the Self by the Self in all beings - and all the rest of the changing states 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc., thus the most important is the 1st while the rest is also taken into account as to where a soul is at... this is one of the powers of the Guru that is hidden in plain sight, for if they could not see your essence which would also help you see it, and otherwise became fixated on seeing you as being this or that category it would reinforce the limits of that category...

I'd suggest chapter one...

every-thing returns, including the "One" which is the firstborn, thus 'dissolution' if used in the context of a return is not of the same meaning as dissolution is normally or often used.

the "dark soul" will or is having his day but will still fall... for in the end the sacred Singer and Her song remains unbroken...

if "Self" evolved then it could also devolve, if it could be gained then it could be lost....in the meantime soul which does evolve is meant to be noble, or of noble aspects.

well as for the subject of title...I'd say no, we are not who we think we are, for thinking or thoughts can never contain It.

the matrix for the Self comes and goes, the Self (or the freedom) does not come and go thus remains...

so thoughts are things and forms and to identify ourselves as being some aspect of such is not freedom, although thoughts and things can be and are used by freedom to deal with the "world"...

...and if the Dalai Lama didn't have India to retreat to years many years ago ago where would that form of Buddhism be now? and if trump continues to destroy what is left of America at a pace of 24/7 where will eastern type religions established in America retreat to (New Zealand can't take very many ) which his fanatic goon squads will surely destroy, some quickly and some after a time !

https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2020/08/18/acfc-carl-bernstein-mail-in-voting-usps-full-episode-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/acfc-full-episodes/

"mind" can be known as the first and the last THING to manifest; also as a great machine (or wheel if you prefer) operating on laws. What is the machine's give unto the machine and what is the Spirits give unto Spirit.

simply put: many methods or techniques related to meditation (and even just the physical) generate or release energy, so if we have unsolved or poorly handled problems at the same time those will also end up getting increased energy...thus the importance of preparation or cleaning house that has been brought up here in several ways. there is also this warning in a Christian parable about a house (soul) that has been cleaned up YET there is still potential danger: When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he roams through waterless places in search of rest; and finding none, he says, “I will return to my house which I left.” And when he has come to it, he finds the place swept and clean. Then he goes and takes seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse that the first (Lk 11:24-25).

a truly realized being is Spirit first, (which is a knowing beyond regular knowing) thus nothing in anyone's mind or of their emotions can be hidden from Spirit - if needed... "be careful what you ask for...", for such truth may strip one of all mental devices and reveal ones secrets of a lifetime, many of which most of us would rather remain tucked away. (or have basically forgotten from 50 or more years ago!)

also sorry for your losses........ drop the idea of a magic or silver bullet deal, for that can not be bought or sold.

One analogy is that we are inside a shell, like and egg shell and at some point that is not enough to satisfy one's being so we start to chip away at the shell from the inside to get out, (and may make some cracks that we can peak through) anyway that is part of the process but what helps a great deal is if someone who has broken their shell sees our state and also starts carefully chipping away on our shell from the outside where they can clearly see what is going on...(since they have already been there and done that) Another analogy or fact is that when we reach out for help then a helping hand can reach out and take ours! Such can not be denied as an active law. Btw. the term "mind" is used differently in different ways...(with there being some major differences between the terms use in Buddhism and in Hinduism!) so I suggest not letting those differences blow your mind.

Well I tried some "Puroast" brand coffee which is supposedly low acid, so far I've had better results with it. ;-)

"...Man follows the ways of the Earth. The Earth follows the ways of Heaven,..." for those who have never heard the mother sing, (or have completely forgotten) how sad that is or would be...

so how many think they know who they really are? (most of us think we are our particular minds or emotions which in the end are taken away)

so are we throwing out revealed teachings like the following excerpt from TTC 25?: "...Hence, "Tao is great, Heaven is great, Earth is great, King is great." Thus, the king is one of the great four in the Universe. Man follows the ways of the Earth. The Earth follows the ways of Heaven, Heaven follows the ways of Tao, Tao follows its own ways." or should we just add a line that says hell (or evil) is comparatively "rudderless" and follows or is of chaos....

as far as devious diabolical stuff going on in the lower astral realms there is no doubt about it! And sure beings of the higher astral realms can see right through the designs of the lower... while humans may or may not see such depending on our state. Btw. when it comes to the lower astral realm (or demonic) forces seeing what is going on with the high astral realm they are completely blind, and can be blinded by the light.

Lord Shiva story about the blue aspect: "Lord Shiva is known for many things. His matted hair, snake around His neck, His trident, three eyes and the destruction the third eye causes when the Lord is angry. Another spectacular attribute of Lord Shiva is His blue throat. Ever wondered why is Shiva depicted as having blue throat? It is because Lord Shiva consumed a deadly poison for the benefit of all living beings! Let’s know the story of him being called “Neelkanth”, meaning, blue throat. The Hindu scriptures are filled with numerous miracles of Lord Shiva. But among these many miracles, drinking of the poison is extremely significant for all human beings. It is not just a story of how Lord Shiva protects us in every way but also a lesson for us. The blue-throat of Shiva signifies that we do not always need to suppress or react to the vices. We sometimes need to modify the negativities and make them ineffective. Samudra Manthan Before we come to the significance of the blue-throat of Lord Shiva, let us have a look at that splendid story of Neelkanth or the blue-throated God. One must be familiar with the story of Samudra Manthan or churning of the ocean. To get the elixir or nectar from the bottom of the ocean, once the Gods and the demons came together to churn the ocean. While the churning was in process many things emerged out of the ocean. Precious gems, animals, gold, silver, Goddess Lakshmi, Dhanvantri etc. were some of the things which emerged from the ocean which were divided among the Gods and the demons. Among the many things which came out of the ocean, a deadly poison named Halahala was also one of them. This poison was extremely deadly and soon all the beings who came in contact with it began to perish. Even the Gods and the demons were asphyxiated and were on the verge of dying. This is when Lord Brahma and Vishnu prayed to Lord Shiva for help. Only Lord Shiva had the power to control and digest the poison which was so deadly. Since He had the power, Lord Shiva took the responsibility to drink the deadly poison. He drank the poison which started spreading in His body. Soon the deadly poison started affecting Lord Shiva and His body started turning blue. Parvati Saves Lord Shiva from the Poison But did you know of Goddess Parvati’s role in this? Alarmed by the fast spreading of the poison, Goddess Parvati entered Lord Shiva’s throat in the form of a Mahavidya and controlled the poison to His throat. Thus, Lord Shiva became blue-throated and came to be known as Neelkanth. What is the Spiritual Significance of Neelkanth? It is believed that the blue colour of the poison signifies the negative thoughts and vices in our lives. The poison contained in the throat of Lord Shiva signifies that the poison can neither be drunk nor spitted out. But it can be controlled and made ineffective over time. Hence, Neelkanth signifies that we need to control all our negative thoughts and keep working towards achieving our goal. Like many other gods, Lord Shiva has very specific stories associated with the names that he bears. Most of the times, he has sacrificed himself to save humanity or to do good to others. Thus, Neelkanth has a similar tale, which we read earlier. How Lord Shiva came to be known as ‘Neelkanth’ also has a similar tale of self-sacrifice. He is beyond comparison in this field. Let’s see it, pointwise. The churning of the sea. Or, the Samudra Manthan with all its moral significance. In the search of the nectar, devas and rakshashas were engaged in the churning of the sea. Both of them were prompted by the desire to get nectar and be immortal. The typical process of churning requires to have a rope that can be wound around the churning rod. In this case, Mount Mandara was used as the rod while Vasuki Naag was used as the rope. The by-products of churning. Philosophically, it is said that if you churn things, you will get both bad and good products. This is what happened with this samundra manthan too. A vicious poison named as Halahala emerged. It seemed fatal and totally unbearable for anyone present. It is best to take resort in Lord Shiva’s feet To be safe from this poison, it was suggested that Lord Shiva should be propitiated. Thus all the devatās prayed for his intervention. He being Bholenath, easily pleased, agreed to help. The task was not simple! Without doubt, managing such a poison was not easy. Lord Shiva, out of his infinite love for the creation, decided to gulp the poison. He did so. But it could have its effect, and so, he kept it in his throat. It is believed that the poison was so lethal, it did not even spare Lord Shiva – it colored the neck blue. However, everyone was saved and nobody was heart. The protector of the universe then got hailed as Neelkanth, the one having a blue neck. Since then, devotees propitiate this name whenever they want to seek divine protection from Lord Shiva. The significance of this incident – This incident shows that we should keep the bad things at bay and should not allow them to get inside us. They are lethal and can hurt us, but Lord Shiva shows how overcoming these bad things, we can avoid damage to ourselves. Thus, it teaches us a lesson that you should take a note of the negativity around you but yet not let it affect you as you continue your work and activities. Also,did you know of this interesting(non related to topic),fact? Such is the essence of this name that even some type of bird in India is named as Neelkanth just because it has a blue neck. This name is not just a symbol but also very much a legend. Have you prayed to Lord Shiva today?"

quote from Swami Krishnananda "....Over and above all things, what we lack is an ultimate faith in the existence of God. We have faith in God, but it is a child’s faith, faith in a God Who seems to be far away from us, Who may help us or may not help us, Who is physically distant from us, a concept of God which does not leave us even after long study of scriptures such as the Upanishads, the Gita, and so on. We can never believe that God is near us because it is something which the mind cannot contain. The mind is always under the notion that God is a little far off, and that is why we do clandestine activities. We entertain private notions, prejudices, and repellent attitudes in our own hearts due to the feeling that the divine principle ruling the world is a little far away from us. Even when we pray to God, we pray as if He is a little far from us. This is a notion which has been in engendered in our mind from our birth. But to the extent that we regard God as distant, to that extent there will also be delay in the response from God. We pray, and Prahlada also prayed, but the prayer of Prahlada was instantaneously answered on account of his trust in the omnipresence of God. The Vaikuntha, the Kailasa or the Satyaloka where the supreme divinities dwell, to speak in the language of our own theology, is not far away from us if we honestly believe it. If this belief takes possession of us, we will not stretch our hands begging for favours from other people. Vaikuntha and Kailasa are not away from us, and the Narayana of Vaikuntha or the Rudra or the Siva of Kailasa can come to our aid just at this moment because they are nearer to us than our own throat, our own nose and our own eyes. It does not take time for them to manifest themselves. The more clarified is your concept of God, the quicker is the response that you receive from God. If your concept of God is muddled, then there is no proper response. So clarify your intellect, purify your understanding, and then take to the path of yoga. Then you will see that the moment you sit for meditation, the mind will run to God like an arrow towards its target because of the similarity of nature between the mind and the object of your aspiration. But if the mind and the object of your aspiration are made differently in constitution, the one will not attract the other. Just as your mind is connected with your subjectivity, the ultimate Godhead that you are seeking also is a universal subjectivity. If you regard yourself as a subject and God as an object, then it will take a lot of time for God to come near you. You regard yourself as a subject, thinking God is an object; therefore, there is difficulty in contacting God. But God is not an object; He is the subject behind even subjectivity. So to conclude, the evolution of the cosmos is a tendency of the Spirit to gradually absorb externality and objectivity into subjectivity and universality. The outside God becomes the inward God, and then the universal God. The world that is outside us and away from us, of which we are very much afraid, becomes our own friend and becomes inseparable from our own self. Natural forces become our own friends. The world becomes our guide, and the God Whom we are seeking becomes our nearest and dearest possession...."

A fine resource for the Upanishads with commentary well worth study and consideration... https://www.swami-krishnananda.org/

I haven't except some of the cold stuff Star Bucks sells which is probably not the same quality? Thanks for the heads up and cheers also!