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What does spiritual wisdom mean to you?

SalixIncendium

अहं ब्रह्मास्मि
Staff member
Premium Member
Did you really not get my point, or are you being pedantic for fun?

No, I got your point, but you're missing mine. Just because you don't realize something now doesn't mean it cannot be realized.

You didn't know what color my refrigerator was and had I (or @Rival in this case) not revealed it to you or had you not found a way to see it for yourself, you wouldn't have even known I had a refrigerator, let alone what color it was.
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
No, I got your point, but you're missing mine. Just because you don't realize something now doesn't mean it cannot be realized.

You didn't know what color my refrigerator was and had I (or @Rival in this case) not revealed it to you or had you not found a way to see it for yourself, you wouldn't have even known I had a refrigerator, let alone what color it was.
@Amanaki asked about things beyond our physical existence. Unless you're claiming that your refrigerator is somehow beyond our physical existence, it's not relevant to what we were talking about.

My point to @Amanaki was that acknowledging that human knowledge is perfectly reasonable, but as a human, he is also subject to the limits of human knowledge. Likewise, anything he claims to know must not be beyond the limits of human knowledge if he actually knows it.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
@Amanaki asked about things beyond our physical existence. Unless you're claiming that your refrigerator is somehow beyond our physical existence, it's not relevant to what we were talking about.

My point to @Amanaki was that acknowledging that human knowledge is perfectly reasonable, but as a human, he is also subject to the limits of human knowledge. Likewise, anything he claims to know must not be beyond the limits of human knowledge if he actually knows it.
Your argument is reasonable @9-10ths_Penguin. But what you may not know about spiritual practice is that when one gains inner wisdom or spiritual wisdom, one goes beyond human thinking. For one who does not believe in anything else then what can be seen or touched in the human realm, there is no surprise that you do not believe in something spiritual, nor is it anything wrong with your way of thinking.
But in my own spiritual practice over many years I have come to understand that the physical realm is only a tiny % of what actually exists around us. Can I prove it to you so you would understand? No, I can not since you do not cultivate the mind and body within a spiritual path. I can not ask you to believe me since you are unable to "accept" the unseen as proves. So to discuss directly spiritual matter will be difficult since we do see reality in different ways and on a different level of understanding (not saying you lack understanding in general of life)
 

74x12

Well-Known Member
I hope this thread can be a good place to discuss/debate the topic of wisdom/no wisdom

When someone speaks of spiritual wisdom, what is your understanding of this topic?
What is difficult to understand in the teaching of spiritual wisdom?

Different religions or different spiritual teachings have their own way of describing wisdom.
Do you find it to be "nonsense"? or do you understand it to be more of a development from within each person who follows spiritual teaching?

And to Atheists who do not believe in something spiritual about life, be it spiritual beings or spiritual teachings.
What are your thoughts about spiritual wisdom?
And maybe the most difficult question to answer. since many atheists say there is nothing except this physical exitance, why is there to you no chance that something "invisible" can exist without you understand it or see it?
Can only science hold the truth?
Real wisdom is skill to do what you know you should. It's easy to talk about it but hard to do it. That's "wisdom".

I don't claim to be wise.
 

SigurdReginson

Grēne Mann
Premium Member
I hope this thread can be a good place to discuss/debate the topic of wisdom/no wisdom

When someone speaks of spiritual wisdom, what is your understanding of this topic?
What is difficult to understand in the teaching of spiritual wisdom?

Different religions or different spiritual teachings have their own way of describing wisdom.
Do you find it to be "nonsense"? or do you understand it to be more of a development from within each person who follows spiritual teaching?

And to Atheists who do not believe in something spiritual about life, be it spiritual beings or spiritual teachings.
What are your thoughts about spiritual wisdom?
And maybe the most difficult question to answer. since many atheists say there is nothing except this physical exitance, why is there to you no chance that something "invisible" can exist without you understand it or see it?
Can only science hold the truth?

When I was a Christian, I would have said that whatever the bible says + spiritual discernment = spiritual wisdom.

Since deprogramming myself of that train of thought, now I look at wisdom in a different way. To me, "spiritual wisdom" would be wisdom that impacts you on a profound level; a level that transcends religious doctorine and can speak strait to the human condition. "Be the change you want to see in the world" would be words of spiritual wisdom to me.

As for why there is no chance that something invisible can exist, I wouldn't say there is no chance. As a concept, spirituality is nice. I would like to think that we as humans connect to the earth in a deep and meaningful way. As something that exists beyond a concept, and is supposed to influence reality, that is where I need to see proof. Words that enact change through inspiring a person can be proven, words that enact change through magic and miracles cannot.

As for if only science can hold the truth, I would say that it's the best system we have right now at determining the truth. We may find a better system in the future, but for now, it seems to be doing a fine job of weeding out fiction from fact.
 

Straw Dog

Well-Known Member
I hope this thread can be a good place to discuss/debate the topic of wisdom/no wisdom

When someone speaks of spiritual wisdom, what is your understanding of this topic?
What is difficult to understand in the teaching of spiritual wisdom?

Different religions or different spiritual teachings have their own way of describing wisdom.
Do you find it to be "nonsense"? or do you understand it to be more of a development from within each person who follows spiritual teaching?

And to Atheists who do not believe in something spiritual about life, be it spiritual beings or spiritual teachings.
What are your thoughts about spiritual wisdom?
And maybe the most difficult question to answer. since many atheists say there is nothing except this physical exitance, why is there to you no chance that something "invisible" can exist without you understand it or see it?
Can only science hold the truth?

I understand that the vast majority of reality is beyond my understanding. I discover new things everyday and it keeps me on my toes. I don’t know what the tide could bring in.

I don’t know what wisdom is, but I value virtues like humility and compassion in its pursuit. I’m open to scientific discoveries as useful explanations and predictions.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
I want to share this quote from another Falun Dafa practitioner about wisdom.

"Wisdom" is the manifestation of one's original true realm, and is both majestic and benevolent. Bestowed by Fa, wisdom is one of the elements comprising beings in their original realms. It is also the manifestation of a being's true nature.

As a manifestation of the Buddha's Law, "wisdom" possesses the power of Fa in a being's realm, and so is extremely powerful.

To me as a practitioner, I found this quote to be very accurate in what my understanding of wisdom is too.
 

SalixIncendium

अहं ब्रह्मास्मि
Staff member
Premium Member
@Amanaki asked about things beyond our physical existence. Unless you're claiming that your refrigerator is somehow beyond our physical existence, it's not relevant to what we were talking about.

The refrigerator was an analogy. My point was that one does not have knowledge of something one has not experienced, but that does not preclude one from ever experiencing that 'something' at some point.

Taking it a step further, you would likely never experience my refrigerator without some effort on your part, or if you dismiss its existence altogether.

My point to @Amanaki was that acknowledging that human knowledge is perfectly reasonable, but as a human, he is also subject to the limits of human knowledge. Likewise, anything he claims to know must not be beyond the limits of human knowledge if he actually knows it.

Where did @Amanaki express that "things beyond our physical existence" are "beyond the limits of human knowledge?"
 

Spartan

Well-Known Member
Spiritual wisdom is knowing the laws and warnings, etc., of God. It's what Bill Clinton and Monica should have had/used when they got together.
 

IndigoChild5559

Loving God and my neighbor as myself.
I'm going to describe what I think it the full Monty of wisdom, but even if a person only has part of this, they can be wiser than the average bear. Some of this comes from what Judaism has taught me, and some of it is from my own personal pondering on the matter throughout my life. I am also indebted to:

I believe that at the heart of the matter are experiences that feed wisdom. It is very difficult to describe these "religious" or "mystical" experiences. They can't be forced, you can't hang on to them, you can't really put them into words... But you can't escape the feeling that you learned something important. It's like a HINT of something profound that you can't quite put your finger on. It is as if you have been touched by God.

For the wise person, it gets translated into a natural walk of righteousness, of knowing right from wrong, of loving one's neighbor as one's self. There is an ease, a naturalness to it for the wise person... It is as effortless for such a person to act with kindness as it is for them to read a book or shoot hoops or sing a song or whatever their hobby may be. For them, the way of virtue flows like water running downhill because it is sustained by these experiences.

But they are not content to settle for this innate morality. They study to improve their moral and spiritual understanding. They read the sacred texts and the sages. They spend time mulling over moral dilemmas, trying to figure out how to apply the principals and rules they have learned. They believe that God loves them as they are, but also that he calls them to something ever higher.

Another element of their wisdom is the worship and appreciation of the Divine. They know their place in the universe. They care for what is beneath them, and exalt the Creator above them.

However, they are well rounded. Their lives are not dominated by right action, study, and worship alone.

For example, knowing how brutal life can be, they savor every joy that comes their way, no matter how small. Indeed, they have learned to enjoy the boring times, because that means that no negative drama is going on! I call this an attitude of gratitude -- the ability to enjoy the simple beauty of the sun shining in through a window.

They are hopeful, but it is a realistic sort of hope that is conscious of the complexities of life.

They are aware how truly difficult it is to change people's minds, and therefore how high the cost is of being too frank. They put a premium on getting along, and therefore tend to be very polite. They have the capacity to sit with someone with an opposing view and not feel the need to convert them. And they have the capacity to see things through the eyes of the other person.

The wise person draws a very small circle of what they actually need, which makes them much more resilient and far less anxious and depressed when things that are helpful but not actually needed are taken away.

They are deeply aware how foolish human beings can be, and are never surprised by it. They know how to laugh at themselves. :) They've come to accept themselves for who they are with all their warts. They also are realistic about others. Knowing the sort of pressures that come to bear on us all, the wise are slow to anger and judge, and have a much easier time forgiving.

The wise realize that it is impossible to go through life without making at least a few incredibly stupid mistakes. They don't waste time in undo regret.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
I'm going to describe what I think it the full Monty of wisdom, but even if a person only has part of this, they can be wiser than the average bear. Some of this comes from what Judaism has taught me, and some of it is from my own personal pondering on the matter throughout my life. I am also indebted to:

I believe that at the heart of the matter are experiences that feed wisdom. It is very difficult to describe these "religious" or "mystical" experiences. They can't be forced, you can't hang on to them, you can't really put them into words... But you can't escape the feeling that you learned something important. It's like a HINT of something profound that you can't quite put your finger on. It is as if you have been touched by God.

For the wise person, it gets translated into a natural walk of righteousness, of knowing right from wrong, of loving one's neighbor as one's self. There is an ease, a naturalness to it for the wise person... It is as effortless for such a person to act with kindness as it is for them to read a book or shoot hoops or sing a song or whatever their hobby may be. For them, the way of virtue flows like water running downhill because it is sustained by these experiences.

But they are not content to settle for this innate morality. They study to improve their moral and spiritual understanding. They read the sacred texts and the sages. They spend time mulling over moral dilemmas, trying to figure out how to apply the principals and rules they have learned. They believe that God loves them as they are, but also that he calls them to something ever higher.

Another element of their wisdom is the worship and appreciation of the Divine. They know their place in the universe. They care for what is beneath them, and exalt the Creator above them.

However, they are well rounded. Their lives are not dominated by right action, study, and worship alone.

For example, knowing how brutal life can be, they savor every joy that comes their way, no matter how small. Indeed, they have learned to enjoy the boring times, because that means that no negative drama is going on! I call this an attitude of gratitude -- the ability to enjoy the simple beauty of the sun shining in through a window.

They are hopeful, but it is a realistic sort of hope that is conscious of the complexities of life.

They are aware how truly difficult it is to change people's minds, and therefore how high the cost is of being too frank. They put a premium on getting along, and therefore tend to be very polite. They have the capacity to sit with someone with an opposing view and not feel the need to convert them. And they have the capacity to see things through the eyes of the other person.

The wise person draws a very small circle of what they actually need, which makes them much more resilient and far less anxious and depressed when things that are helpful but not actually needed are taken away.

They are deeply aware how foolish human beings can be, and are never surprised by it. They know how to laugh at themselves. :) They've come to accept themselves for who they are with all their warts. They also are realistic about others. Knowing the sort of pressures that come to bear on us all, the wise are slow to anger and judge, and have a much easier time forgiving.

The wise realize that it is impossible to go through life without making at least a few incredibly stupid mistakes. They don't waste time in undo regret.
This is wise words.
 

gatehrdy

New Member
I hope this thread can be a good place to discuss/debate the topic of wisdom/no wisdom

When someone speaks of spiritual wisdom, what is your understanding of this topic?
What is difficult to understand in the teaching of spiritual wisdom?

Different religions or different spiritual teachings have their own way of describing wisdom.
Do you find it to be "nonsense"? or do you understand it to be more of a development from within each person who follows spiritual teaching?

And to Atheists who do not believe in something spiritual about life, be it spiritual beings or spiritual teachings.
What are your thoughts about spiritual wisdom?
And maybe the most difficult question to answer. since many atheists say there is nothing except this physical exitance, why is there to you no chance that something "invisible" can exist without you understand it or see it?
Can only science hold the truth?

The Bible gives a description of where wisdom comes from in many places, but one of my favorites is in Proverbs.

"Pro 2:1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
Pro 2:2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;" KJV Bible
 

Skwim

Veteran Member
I hope this thread can be a good place to discuss/debate the topic of wisdom/no wisdom

When someone speaks of spiritual wisdom, what is your understanding of this topic?
That having or showing experience, knowledge, and good judgment derives from some spiritual realm.

What is difficult to understand in the teaching of spiritual wisdom?
That it exists.

Different religions or different spiritual teachings have their own way of describing wisdom.
Do you find it to be "nonsense"? or do you understand it to be more of a development from within each person who follows spiritual teaching?
Lacking evidence that it exists I find any pretense of it to be delusional, or at best, nonsense..

.
 

Shad

Veteran Member
I hope this thread can be a good place to discuss/debate the topic of wisdom/no wisdom

When someone speaks of spiritual wisdom, what is your understanding of this topic?
What is difficult to understand in the teaching of spiritual wisdom?

Different religions or different spiritual teachings have their own way of describing wisdom.
Do you find it to be "nonsense"? or do you understand it to be more of a development from within each person who follows spiritual teaching?

And to Atheists who do not believe in something spiritual about life, be it spiritual beings or spiritual teachings.
What are your thoughts about spiritual wisdom?
And maybe the most difficult question to answer. since many atheists say there is nothing except this physical exitance, why is there to you no chance that something "invisible" can exist without you understand it or see it?
Can only science hold the truth?

It is a term of sophistry to me
 

osgart

Nothing my eye, Something for sure
Knowledge is power, and wisdom is how to apply that power. Spiritual is another word for the power of love, honesty, and all virtues such as those.

It is good to recognize that humans can apply spirituality to their own self lives and realize a better way to live by heart. True spiritual wisdom is loyalty to the virtues. Recognizing what each virtue means, and then having the wise discretion of knowing how to apply the virtue in one's own life is half the battle.

Spiritual wisdom means nothing to a person if they are none affected by virtues.

I see it is reality that a person can be affected by virtues, and thenceforth they become meaningful reality in one's own world. But certainly not all people are so moved by virtues.

It is wise to recognize one's own heart and that they have this faculty. It is foolish to pass the heart off as not being real. Spirituality is a lost reality on today's world who see themselves as mere arrangements of molecules and nothing more.

Since eyes look outward it is hard to see inward toward those things of one's own heart.

Its a component of being I know I have. People may not realize that they have this component. Or they call the human heart something else entirely.

But the heart needs knowledge and wisdom of itself. Or one runs the risk of getting trampled on emotionally. Blind to self is never a good thing. Its good to know of one's self. To know who are your friends and who are not. That to me is spiritual wisdom. I don't find it very common. It's a lost art of reality.
 
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Audie

Veteran Member
I hope this thread can be a good place to discuss/debate the topic of wisdom/no wisdom

When someone speaks of spiritual wisdom, what is your understanding of this topic?
What is difficult to understand in the teaching of spiritual wisdom?

Different religions or different spiritual teachings have their own way of describing wisdom.
Do you find it to be "nonsense"? or do you understand it to be more of a development from within each person who follows spiritual teaching?

And to Atheists who do not believe in something spiritual about life, be it spiritual beings or spiritual teachings.
What are your thoughts about spiritual wisdom?
And maybe the most difficult question to answer. since many atheists say there is nothing except this physical exitance, why is there to you no chance that something "invisible" can exist without you understand it or see it?
Can only science hold the truth?

This quest for
Spiritual Widdom is nothing but self indulgent
nonsense whose function is to make you guys
feel superior to those not so afflicted.

Your 'question" for "atheists" demonstrates
that last.
 

Audie

Veteran Member
Knowledge is power, and wisdom is how to apply that power. Spiritual is another word for the power of love, honesty, and all virtues such as those.

It is good to recognize that humans can apply spirituality to their own self lives and realize a better way to live by heart. True spiritual wisdom is loyalty to the virtues. Recognizing what each virtue means, and then having the wise discretion of knowing how to apply the virtue in one's own life is half the battle.

Spiritual wisdom means nothing to a person if they are none affected by virtues.

I see it is reality that a person can be affected by virtues, and thenceforth they become meaningful reality in one's own world. But certainly not all people are so moved by virtues.

It is wise to recognize one's own heart and that they have this faculty. It is foolish to pass the heart off as not being real. Spirituality is a lost reality on today's world who see themselves as mere arrangements of molecules and nothing more.

Since eyes look outward it is hard to see inward toward those things of one's own heart.

Its a component of being I know I have. People may not realize that they have this component. Or they call the human heart something else entirely.

But the heart needs knowledge and wisdom of itself. Or one runs the risk of getting trampled on emotionally. Blind to self is never a good thing. Its good to know of one's self. To know whom are your friends and whom are not. That to me is spiritual wisdom. I don't find it very common. It's a lost art of reality.

"Who" not "whom .

Knowledge of English is good too.
 

Audie

Veteran Member
I'm an atheist and believe in spirituality and the invisible; I don't believe in deities/beings/entities. I guess spiritual wisdom to me would be someone who fully lives their healthy and personal values. I admire people who have a connection with the spirits and their ancestors. While the former is hard for me to understand, when I see the relationship and benefits of it of the two, I see it real in people.

I see spirituality by means of how we act. Sometimes I see it as an aura in people. I rarely see it but it's not specific to knowing "spiritual plains" but appreciating the mundane (say working with the earth) and the spirits (say working with the personalities of different parts and traits of the earth) together. It's, how can I say, refreshing to see.

I like seeing people live their religions and values to their full potential and appreciating their five senses with their "sixth." Not forgetting that they are part of this world too. Many say the cliche, look to the present or be in the present. Our past is our foundation, so why put it aside. If we just sat and didn't think of our future, then our children etc would not have the benefit of carrying on wisdom for future generations to come.

Every person has wisdom. I think we would see it more without division.

It is where these religious sorts claim special
access to wisdom denied to unbelievers that they
get really obnoxious.
 
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