Seeking the other side!

[jacksonjob0689]

Well, after staying with Jain Dharma for a while, I dont feel that it is right for me. I also find that that is just fine But, I still want to get to the other side, call it what you will Nirvana, Moksha, Self-Realization, etc. But that is ultimatly my goal. I have seen in some Dharmic paths that samsara, or the world we are in now, is one side of the river and that Moksha is the other side of the river. Im choosing not to hop on one of the Ships (Major Religions) to get to the other side, but to make my own wittle boat and row to the other side however I may see fits. So wish me luck!

I guess this means I am a seeker!

 

[Windwalker]

But, I still want to get to the other side, call it what you will Nirvana, Moksha, Self-Realization, etc. But that is ultimatly my goal. I have seen in some Dharmic paths that samsara, or the world we are in now, is one side of the river and that Moksha is the other side of the river.

An interesting realization that comes is that when you've crossed that river, you look down and see your feet actually never left the shore you had been standing on as you looked over at the other side. You didn't actually go anywhere. You just opened your eyes and saw where you were the whole time. What was left behind, that other shore, was simply illusion which prevented you from seeing where you were the whole time.

Im choosing not to hop on one of the Ships (Major Religions) to get to the other side, but to make my own wittle boat and row to the other side however I may see fits. So wish me luck!

Following a traditional path may not work well for some, while for others it is helpful. But even in not following them, you can still draw from their knowledge and expertise in finding your own way. There are pluses and minuses to both approaches. But I will add, that in both the traditional path and the individually forged path, in the end they are both solitary paths anyway. We all die alone. And the last thing to go before meeting God, is holding on to your ideas about God you've brought with you on the way. That means transcending your religion too. It's hard to let go of our beliefs, especially about God, in order to see Truth as it simply is.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Greetings and salutations. Welcome to RF. May you fare well on your journey and find what you are looking for here.

 

[Electra]

 

[ChanaR]

Well, after staying with Jain Dharma for a while, I dont feel that it is right for me. I also find that that is just fine But, I still want to get to the other side, call it what you will Nirvana, Moksha, Self-Realization, etc. But that is ultimatly my goal. I have seen in some Dharmic paths that samsara, or the world we are in now, is one side of the river and that Moksha is the other side of the river. Im choosing not to hop on one of the Ships (Major Religions) to get to the other side, but to make my own wittle boat and row to the other side however I may see fits. So wish me luck!

I guess this means I am a seeker!

Hi Jackson. I don't really know what I am. On the one hand, I'm quite comfortable practicing Judaism. One the other hand, I'm constantly seeking and learning from everyone.

Have you read Siddhartha by Herman Hesse? If you haven't, it's a book absolutely made for you. It doesn't embrace any particular religion. But it follows a man on his own dharmic path. It uses a ferry crossing over a river as its Great Metaphor, but with a twist--that's what made me think of you. I'm DYING to tell you the end of the story, but I don't want to spoil it for you. The book will always have a special place in my heart, because there is a moment where he listens to the river, and when I heard it in my mind, for just a moment, I could see. My eyes are tearing just from the memory of it's beauty.

Does it help you to think of particular religions as simply the rhyme scheme, not the content of the poem? They are simply the lattice upon which place our understanding of the Divine, to make it comprehensible to us.

You've probably already discovered you aren't looking for the "right one," but simply "the one that's best for me." Ultimately, what we need to benefit from a religion is a faith community to build us up,challenge us, love us, and feed us lots of great food LOL. You said you prefer the dharmic paths. Keep trying them. But I think really, you would do just fine in any of them.

BTW, there is a new one called Yi Kwan Dao, which is the second most common religion in Taiwan, and is now headquartered here in California. It is dharmic in nature. It takes from all the world religions, both eastern and western. It's worth looking into -- they are good folks.