The capital "S" is to identify the Spirit of God and the small "s" is for any other spirit.

The spirit inside of a man as I have come to know it is that thing which proceeds thought. The best way that you can identify the spirit of a man is by what he speaks. This is because the spirit proceeds thoughts and thoughts proceeds actions. So it is very easy for you to tell me what your spirit revealed to you because all you have to do is tell me what's on your mind.

OK! I understand what you mean by spirit. But do you realize what a complicated question you asked? What's on my mind? Many things. Like, perhaps the spirit does not proceed thought. Perhaps the thought is the spirit! Or perhaps the thought "clouds" the spirit.

I also wonder, can we trust our thoughts? Most of us are a blizzard of thoughts that goes on and on. In Buddhism we call that "Brain-Chatter." We meditate to quiet those thoughts until the mind is still. (Harder to do than it sounds!) It is in those times that the true Spirit speaks - when there is no thought. The Christian, deep in silent pray, experiences the same thing.

What's on my mind is, why cant we all experience something like that? To just be still, not to be "working" to fix things or to change people's minds or change their actions - just be still, then we will KNOW that the beam in our eye needs more attention than the speck in our brother's eye.

OK! I understand what you mean by spirit. But do you realize what a complicated question you asked? What's on my mind? Many things. Like, perhaps the spirit does not proceed thought. Perhaps the thought is the spirit! Or perhaps the thought "clouds" the spirit.
It's not complicated CG. Whatever you speak is what is on your mind.

I also wonder, can we trust our thoughts? Most of us are a blizzard of thoughts that goes on and on. In Buddhism we call that "Brain-Chatter." We meditate to quiet those thoughts until the mind is still. (Harder to do than it sounds!) It is in those times that the true Spirit speaks - when there is no thought. The Christian, deep in silent pray, experiences the same thing.
Not really CG. It is when we are silent that the mind speaks the most and you hear thought more loudly.

To remove "Brain-Chatter" (as you put it) we are thought to read the word of God. Mainly because the word of God consumes our thoughts and allows His Spirit to speak to us without interruption.

David said it best in Psalms 1:2
1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

This is easy for me.
Do you want to know why it's so hard for you? Meditation itself is thoughts!
What you think about determines your state of mind. When you use the strategy of just remaining silent all it does it put your mind under the stress to remove its natural function of thinking which to me has a more negative effect.

This is why the Bible teaches in Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

What's on my mind is, why cant we all experience something like that? To just be still, not to be "working" to fix things or to change people's minds or change their actions - just be still,
Well it's according to your assignment in life CG.
If my assignment was to bake bread I would be a baker. In the Kingdom each believer has a different assignment but we all have one mission.

I can have faith and "just be still" like you said without "working" but that will accomplish noting because faith without works is dead.

James 2:18
But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

20
But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

26
For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

then we will KNOW that the beam in our eye needs more attention than the speck in our brother's eye.

When have I ever casted a stone at anyone here in this forum?
Did I ever tell you that because your a Buddhist you will go to hell? God has plans for every man and He is the final judge.

[QUOTE=CG]I also wonder, can we trust our thoughts? Most of us are a blizzard of thoughts that goes on and on. In Buddhism we call that "Brain-Chatter." We meditate to quiet those thoughts until the mind is still. (Harder to do than it sounds!) It is in those times that the true Spirit speaks - when there is no thought.[QUOTE]

I usually quite the brain chatter by watching some TV or browsing the internet :-) Nothing else besides alchohol will do it for me, though I dont always feel like having a hangover! After coding for 12 hours or so brain chatter is the highest, takes me a couple hours to calm down after writing, reading, all that code.

Delroy! Thanks for your answer. Alway good to hear from you.

It seems we have a different understanding of meditation. The meditation you are writing about is really contemplation or reflection on a subject or idea. Not a bad thing to do! We need to do that from time to time and I know that Christians contemplate, or reflects on the words of the Holy Scripture, as indeed, Buddhist do on their Scriptures.

The meditation I am talking about does not seem to exist anymore in the Christian world. This meditation in a conscious quieting of the mind and allowing the Spirit, nature, God, call it what you will, to come forth, without effort. What is know in Taoism as Wu Wei (Pronounced Woo Way and means: action-less action.) Or as some put it, "Sitting quietly, doing nothing, but nothing gets left undone." In the Bible we read, "Be still, and know that I am God." That is the kind of meditation I am talking about but if one has never experienced it, it is hard to visualize.

No, you have not, to my recollection thrown a stone at anyone here in this forum.

You also wrote, "Did I ever tell you that because your a Buddhist you will go to hell?" No, you have not. No more than I have every told you that unless you awaken to your Buddha nature you are doomed to repeat the cycle of life, death and suffering. I have never said it because I do not know if you have awakened to that nature. You might well have done so! As you say, "God has plans for every man and He is the final judge."

P.S. Please notice that I said "we will know that the beam in our eye needs more attention than the speck in our brother's eye." WE, not just yours, or not just mine but "we," all who read this posting and more besides. It was not directed to you by "we" in general.

Thanks for the reply CG. It is always good to hear from you also :)
The meditation you are speaking of I have never came across in the Word but so far I have been thought to not open my mind to anything but the Word of God.

The scripture you quoted ("Be still, and know that I am God.") has really noting to do with meditation.

In that scripture God was giving a warning to those who were raising up against His people. It was like a Bahamian saying when they jump in a fight: "Now hold on!" "these my people so if you fool with them you fool with me and I could beat all a yall."

Other translations of that scripture would say this to make it clearer:

Psalms 46:10 - The New American Standard
"Cease {striving} and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalms 46 - The Good News Translation
"Stop fighting," he says, "and know that I am God, supreme among the nations, supreme over the world."

Like you said we will all know in the end but you have your and I have mines.

It was like a Bahamian saying when they jump in a fight: "Now hold on!" "these my people so if you fool with them you fool with me and I could beat all a yall."


dread dey make me laugh when dey say dis cause most dem dat say dis can' even fight! :dancer:

dread dey make me laugh when dey say dis cause most dem dat say dis can' even fight! :dancer:

Your right Rory :D
But it's good for me to know that God doesn't call a bluff.

Thanks for the reply CG. It is always good to hear from you also :)
The meditation you are speaking of I have never came across in the Word but so far I have been thought to not open my mind to anything but the Word of God. ..

Fear not! There is no danger in that kind of meditation. I know a number of Christian who meditate in that way. They see it as opening their minds to God. There is no intention on their part to do anything else.

The scripture you quoted ("Be still, and know that I am God.") has really noting to do with meditation..

But, yes it does. It says Stop! Stop what you are doing. It says, as you quoted, Cease {striving}, Stop fighting. Such meditation helps one do that. To stop thinking human thoughts that can lead to contention and see who God really is.

We all need to Stop! From time to time. A good meditation can help one do this.

Fear not! There is no danger in that kind of meditation. I know a number of Christian who meditate in that way. They see it as opening their minds to God. There is no intention on their part to do anything else.
Whatever works for them.



But, yes it does. It says Stop! Stop what you are doing. It says, as you quoted, Cease {striving}, Stop fighting. Such meditation helps one do that. To stop thinking human thoughts that can lead to contention and see who God really is.

We all need to Stop! From time to time. A good meditation can help one do this.

I don't need to meditate to stop fighting. All I need to hear is Gods' voice and I would hit breaks.

The Rasta smokes marijuana, the Hindus use incense and so do many other religions. I will stick to the reading my Bible.

ever since my HBO went down ive been stressed out! :shhh:

ever since my HBO went down ive been stressed out! :shhh:

No HBO? How do you survive? :what:

Honestly, I have not seen an HBO Channel in years - but I made it through, one can kick the habit. There is life after HBO! :rip:

Whatever works for them.

I don't need to meditate to stop fighting. All I need to hear is Gods' voice and I would hit breaks.

The Rasta smokes marijuana, the Hindus use incense and so do many other religions. I will stick to the reading my Bible.

Whatever works. I agree.

As for the incense. I went to an Anglican Church the other week, and I could hardly breath for the incense and I am used to them in Buddhist ceremonies.

Christianity has use incense for centuries. Some people think that the Church used it because in the Middle Ages people did not bathe as often as we do now. The truth is, the smoke of the incense, as it rises to heaven, takes the prayers of the worshipers with it - so it was believed.