One of the best sites on the internet.
Spiritual Reality : Journey Within ~ A Meditation Guide
Terence McKenna - On Enlightenment
enlightenment, thousand of videos and pages on spirituality
A higher spiritual awareness of the biology of the brain & mind can significantly advance one towards Enlightenment and Zen. The science of biology says that the brain's thoughts are just the result of cells doing work, and teachings on spirituality talk about having a silent mind of Zen.
This site is not for the spiritualy timid.
It's for those who are willing to start looking inwards at the workings of the ego/mind rather than focusing on external phenomena.
One is not subject to negative mentalities and stress when the mind doesn't react (fight or flight) to outside phenomenon.
One is not subject to the faulty workings of the ego/mind at all when one stops identifying the automatic random repetitive thoughts of the mind as being "me."
The very nature of the ego/mind can be summed up in one word... DRAMA. And what is drama? It's the absence of Peace (of mind).
What we think and believe in our minds determines all of our actions, and so, the state of the world, and it's problems, are a perfect reflection of the thought processes of the people that inhabit it. The world's problems cannot be solved by trying to fix the outcomes and EFFECTS of our thought processes. It's the THOUGHT PROCESSES that must be changed.
In other words, every individual has to change oneself in order to change the world. Rather than thinking that others need to change themselves to suit your opinions, you must change yourself, and those opinions. World peace cannot be forced upon anyone because force creates more conflict. People don't like being told what to do, how to live or what to be. World peace can only possibly happen when every individual is at peace within their own mind.
Conflict in the mind creates conflict in the world. Peace of mind creates peace in the world, and it all starts with you. If you're not at complete peace in this very moment, and every other moment, it's because of the thought processes, ideas, perceptions, views, concepts, emotions and attitudes that are standing in the way, in this very moment, and every other moment.
If you want complete peace for yourself, or for the rest of the world, simply let go of those thoughts, concepts and emotions, in this very moment and every other moment. It's no more complicated than that, even if the ego/mind thinks otherwise.
Deconstructing the Ego/Mind
The truth is the answer to every problem that ever has and ever will exist, and if we look at the state of the world today, it's pretty obvious that we are quite unaware of what the truth actually is. Why is it that we're so unaware of the truth? Because we don't want it, we think we already know it, or as Dr. David Hawkins points out in Power vs. Force:
The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior, that "The design of the human mind renders it intrinsically incapable of being able to tell truth from falsehood." This is a guide not only to the spiritual truths that solve ALL of our problems (if we let it and allow it to), but also a guide to Enlightenment, for those who are interested. It was said by Eckhart Tolle in The Power of Now that "furthermore, any teaching that puts the spotlight of attention on the workings of the ego will necessarily provoke egoic reaction, resistance and attack", so this guide won't be for everyone.
The Search for Truth
The movie The Secret, and what's taught in it (the law of attraction), is beginning to take the world by storm, and while this may be beneficial to the masses, for those seeking Enlightenment it's just more relative truth, another obstacle to be relinquished, surrendered and let go of. There's creating specific things intentionally with thought, and then there's having COMPLETE trust and faith that the universe will, and is, supplying EVERYTHING that one "needs."
However, some people might require the first step in order to eventually reach the second. Sooner or later one comes to realize that neediness and craving are never ending and cannot be filled by depending upon external phenomena. Happiness is experienced from within which means the source of it is within, when it's chosen. The more it's chosen, the larger it grows, and the larger it grows, the more we realize it's within. Happiness is a choice, and freedom comes from having no specific "needs" (addictions, cravings) outside oneself. Choosing to be happy at all times brings inner wholeness, completion and peace. If one is already utterly whole and complete, NOTHING else is needed.
In The Highest Level of Enlightenment CD audio set it's made clear that negatives are not the opposite of positives, but rather the ABSENCE of positives (think temperature on a thermometer). It's not possible to be needy and complete/happy at the same time because neediness is the absence of happiness/completion.
We can't focus on negatives and somehow expect the "opposite" to happen. Whatever we put our focus on, we receive. Focusing on the negatives will bring more of the negatives. Focusing on the positives will bring more of the positives. This is where we take a REALLY close look at our current life circumstances, and then we REALLY look at the thoughts, concepts, perceptions, attitudes, limitations, emotions, opinions, and beliefs that go on inside our own head, and we realize there's a HUGE connection.
For beginners on the spiritual path, the popular What the Bleep Do We Know?! (Down the Rabbit Hole Quantum Edition) movie is an excellent place to start, as well as Tomorrow's God by Neale Donald Walsch, A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, and the previously mentioned The Secret movie. For the more scientifically minded people, or for those looking for the hard scientific proof, you might want to start with The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe by investigative journalist Lynne McTaggart.
King James Bible
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
<< Ephesians 4:29 >>
New International Version (©1984)
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
King James Bible
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.
Beyond The Secret
The major underlying points to grasp in The Secret, are that, first, unconditional happiness, gratitude, peace, acceptance and forgiveness must be chosen FIRST, and then the rest of one's life will reflect that perfectly. In fact, a person's circumstances and situations are already, and always, an absolutely perfect reflection of the attitudes, emotions, thoughts, beliefs and choices of that individual. Second, a point which wasn't really even talked about, is that everything and everybody is interconnected. All is One. The law of attraction would not work if this wasn't true.
Third, that the law of attraction, what goes around comes around, you reap what you sow, everything comes full circle, the ebb and flow, balance in the universe, or karma, is in effect 100% of the time. There can be no "cause" of anything. There are only effects and automatic consequences of what one is (choices, thought processes, feelings, actions). Picture yourself as a tiny magnet among countless others. Likes attract likes.
Which means that there is no such thing as a co-incidence, accident, random event, miracle, fluke, luck or chaos. The entire universe is basically an infinite electromagnetic field where everything is happening exactly as it needs to according to what we make ourselves to be. To put it simply, EVERYTHING is karma, all the time, and everything is happening spontaneously on its own as an automatic consequence. What you make yourself to be is a choice. What happens to you as a result of what you are, is not.
Next, if there's no "cause" of anything, then reincarnation explains perfectly why "bad" things happen to "good" people, with the science of cellular biology also coming to this realization in The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles by cellular biologist Dr. Bruce Lipton, Ph.D. This book is solid science but it's written in a way that's perfectly accessible to the layman as well.
If we take Oneness to the next level, we come to understand that if you are connected to everything else, then you ARE Everything else. There is no "you", "me", "here", "there", "this" or "that" when All is One. There can be no "other". In The Bhagavad Gita, Krishna refers to this as the "Self", as do other advanced teachings such as Consciousness and the Absolute:
The Final Talks of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. Others have called it God, Universal Mind, Universe, All That Is, Life, Existence, Collective Consciousness, Source, Pure Awareness, Presence, Spirit, Tao, Buddha, Christ, Allah, Love, Energy, Divinity, Reality, Truth, The Absolute, Infinity, Intuition, etc.
It's all one and the same thing, and it's only the limited concepts of the mind, and the identification of those autonomous thoughts as being "truth" and/or "me", that makes us think otherwise. Words are limiting concepts that can't possibly fully describe that which is experiential, Absolute and beyond the limitations of words, conceptual thinking and form, so it really doesn't matter what we call it. It is what is it despite all of our talking about it.
In the 3rd century Plotinus realized the Source of All. His teachings can be found in The Enneads: Abridged Edition and/or Return to the One: Plotinus's Guide to God-Realization.
just like the heart or lungs, the mind is going and going all by itself.
Take 5 minutes to watch the mind and see for yourself.
If you try to stop thinking it just starts right back up again.
Everything it thinks and does, it's doing on it's own.
You have almost no control over it.
You can't stop it by controlling it, but you can (eventually) stop it by watching it non-judgmentally.
You are not the body and its senses. You are not the mind and its thoughts. You are the silent Awareness that is aware of them.
Now the big question is... Do you want to wholely and completely BE that Awareness of profound peace, silence and happiness, which is the real you?
Or do you prefer and enjoy the drama and suffering created by the ego/mind? (many people do, but that's because of the ego/mind)
Knowingly or unknowingly, this is why people practice meditation.
That which you are knowingly or unknowingly seeking, is causing you to seek.
It's calling you to Itself. It's calling you back Home from whence you came.
Do you want to "remember" who/what you actually are?
What is Enlightenment/Self-Realization/No-Mind/Liberation, and why do we want it?
gold bullet It's the complete and permanent dissolvement/cessation of all concepts, thoughts and thinking of the ego/mind.
It's the letting go of the very energy behind thoughts and thinking.
It's the actual death of the thinking process of the mind. The individual's self/ego/I literally dies. What you currently consider to be "me", dies, and is no more.
The ego/mind fears that life/existence will end when IT comes to an end, but this isn't true.
It's the realization of what one already is, always was, and always will be, which is changeless and unlimited.
It's the realization of Self as All of Existence, which is Pure Awareness, which is beyond all form, shape, dimension, time, concepts and the physicality of this world.
It's simply the letting go of the emotions, thoughts and thinking that mask and stand in the way of the Infinite Intuitive Knowingness and Awareness of Absolute Truth.
It's for those who seek absolute and permanent completion, wholeness, perfection, freedom, peace, happiness, joy, bliss, etc.
It's a profound ineffable love, peace, stillness and silence beyond bliss and ecstasy, which is well beyond words and description.
It's an innate knowingness of the truths of the universe, because if one is Everything, then naturally, one knows everything.
It precludes individual will, intentions, desires, wants, "needs", emotions, personality, thoughts, ideas, concepts and thinking.
It's not the denial of will. It's for those who wish to serve the world/universe in the highest possible way, whatever that may happen to be, in this very moment, right now.
It's for those who want to let go of the little self; the me, myself & I, which is the source of all problems and suffering.
Purposefully creating worldly "success" with thought (the law of attraction) is one goal, while moving beyond thought totally is a different goal altogether. One helps us cope with this physical world, while the other takes us beyond it forever (no more reincarnation). One perpetuates individual karma (positive & negative), while the other frees us of it permanently. "The truth shall set you free."
Just how does Enlightenment/Self-Realization/No-Mind/Liberation happen?
Lao Tzu's famous poetic Tao Te Ching starts with the words "A way that can be walked is not The Way."
Realize that it has nothing to do with the intellect or scientific proof, but that of firsthand experiential verification.
Realize that to truly know, rather than knowing ABOUT, involves BEING that which is to be known.
Realize that the truth doesn't need the approval of the human ego in order to be truth. Absolute Truth already is what it is. It can't be created by the mind. Realize that because of karma, free will and reincarnation, EVERYTHING is perfect as it is, despite all the prevalent negativities in the world.
Realize that everyone is simply being the level of "truth" that they are currently aware of, and that the truth is only for those who want it.
Realize that people can't help being that which they are. "Forgive them, for they know not what they do." In The Words of Gandhi, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world", and "lose yourself in the service of others".
Realize that because everybody and everything is One, we change the world in far greater unseen ways as a result of what we ARE, compared to what we do.
Realize that separation, duality, polarity and opposites do not actually exist. All is One, which is Self, which just Is.
Realize that there is no duality of "love" and "evil". There are only varying degrees of the absence of Love/Truth.
Realize that space, distance, form and time are illusions created by limited, relative and faulty physical senses and ways of thinking.
Realize that the physical body and the autonomous random repetitive thoughts of the mind are not the real "me" at all.
Realize that you are the Awareness that is aware of the mind and its comings and goings. The more it's watched, the more it disappears.
Realize that everything and everyone is One. The observer and the observed are One. The knower and the known are One. A Course in Miracles says "...you both HAVE everything and ARE everything."
Realize that there is no duality, no opposites and no polarity. Nothing can exist outside of Existence, otherwise it wouldn't exist. All is God/Self/Buddha/Atman.
Realize that even what the mind conceives and conceptualizes as being "nothing", void, unmanifest or formlessness, is still within Existence. In the highly evolved The Zen Teaching of Huang Po on the Transmission of Mind, it says "It is an existence which is no existence, a non-existence which is nevertheless existence. So this true Void does in some marvelous way 'exist'."
Realize that there can only be varying degrees of things within Existence, like degrees on a thermometer.
Realize that there is no individuality; no "you", "me", "this", "that", "here", "there", "inner", "outer", etc.
Realize that there is no individual "me", "myself", "mine" or "I."
Realize that there is no "doer" doing anything, because that would imply there is an "individual" to do something.
Realize that since All is One, there can be no "other", which means All is Self, or All is I.
Realize that Enlightenment happens by ITSELF when the little self is left to fall away like a disrobed peice of clothing.
Realize that there is absolutely NOTHING to be gotten, grasped, gained, obtained or attained because The Absolute/Self/Buddha/God already Is.
Realize that Awareness, Consciousness and knowing don't require words, concepts, thoughts or thinking.
Realize that EVERYTHING is an irrelevant concept. All thought and thinking is essentially worthless because Silent Awareness is all-knowing.
It's really just as "simple" as losing interest in all thought and thinking, right now, and not identifying thoughts as "me", right now.
Realize that without the ego/mind interfering, everything just IS. Nothing more, nothing less. All perceptions, views, opinions, beliefs, likes and dislikes are irrelevant.
Realize that The Absolute is not subject to change and even "Is" is an irrelevant concept.
Realize all of this... but not with words and concepts. Just let go.
One sage says in his books, such as Be as You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, that "There will come a time when one will have to forget all that has been learned." In I Am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta it's explained that "When you demand nothing of the world, nor of God, when you want nothing, seek nothing, expect nothing, then the Supreme State will come to you uninvited and unexpected."
Using Zen and Buddhist terminology there's the excellent The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation, The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma and The Zen Doctrine of No-Mind: The Significance of the Sutra of Hui-Neng.
Gloria in Excelsis Deo!
Above all others, the materials that have changed this life the most, because they're the most advanced, recent, clear, simple, lucid, and thorough teachings of all, are the works of David Hawkins, the ones already mentioned, as well as The Eye of the I: From Which Nothing is Hidden, I: Reality and Subjectivity, Transcending the Levels of Consciousness, Truth vs. Falsehood: How to Tell the Difference and Devotional Nonduality (Discovery of the Presence of God).
In actuality there are no secrets. The truth reveals ITSELF, by itself, when we stop thinking we already know it (humility & surrender). Absolute Truth reveals itself when we stop thinking and conceptualizing altogether. No matter what level of truth we currently live/are, it's a complete illusion that it's the highest one. Because Awareness is Infinity, the evolution of becoming self-aware is also infinite. "Throughout history, mankind has been impressed with the state of enlightenment, but from the viewpoint of the ultimate possibility of God, it is only a beginning." - David Hawkins
"The part always has a tendency to reunite with its whole in order to escape from its imperfection." - Leonardo DaVinci
The mind is thinking (randomly babbling) completely on its own.
Let's look inside for just a brief minute...
How long can you keep the mind completely silent?
If you try to stop thinking, it just starts right back up again.
Words, verbalization, thoughts, thinking, and emotionalism are completely automatic.
You can't stop it by controlling it, but you can (eventually) stop it by non-judgmentally watching it.
The brain works completely by itself.
It has nothing to do with "you" doing it.
This means that you are not the doer of deeds, nor the thinker of thoughts.
The mind/body is an "it", not a "me".
The brain's thoughts and body's actions are just the result of cells doing work.
We are not the physical body/mind and its senses.
We are not the mind and its automatic rambling thoughts.
We are the still, conceptless, silent Awareness that is aware of them.
We are the Awareness that is watching the body/mind's automatic functioning.
We are the Silent Formless Observer.
We are the Life/Consciousness/Awareness that is simply aware of Itself as existing.
We have mistakenly identified ourselves as being the physical mind/body.
We have mistakenly identified ourselves with form.
It was an erroneous belief all along.
The real "you", the Silent Aware Mind, is not confined to a brain, or anything else.
It's Infinitely Everything beyond physicality.
It's the (formless) Allness of Existence.
It's No-Thing, yet Infinitely Everything.
But thinking about that won't help you realize/experience that.
You have to stop identifying with thoughts altogether to realize that.
Forgiveness is an aspect of acceptance/love/peace/truth.
Resentment is an aspect of hatred/emotionalism/negativity/falsehood.
Forgiveness brings utter peace and serenity of mind.
Resentment brings inner turmoil and suffering.
The negative is left brain thinking, and the higher spiritual is right brain thinking, or right brain in action.
Which do you choose? And when? And how often?
It's totally up to you.
Letting Go
You might also wish to try prayer/meditation, but with only one request... "Please help." That's all. Nothing more. Just "help". This is called surrender. Ask for help and then give your very being, life, and thought processes to God, Buddha, Self, Life, Truth, Love, Selflessness, Nature, or whatever else you might want to call it. If you're truly sick and tired of your current state of existence, it shouldn't be too difficult to do this. Ask for help but don't expect anything specific to happen. Just let go. Results are not always instantaneous, and sometimes a person won't even notice any differences until much later when they reflect upon how life has changed.
Carlos castaneda tells Don juan "You must lose your personal history" The Ego centered self.
When you are unregognizeable to yourself and others, you have crossed over to the far shore, you have resurrected to a new life.
THE PROBLEM
Conclusion at bootom of page
How many thoughts
There are four web sites I have found that range between 12,357 and 60,000 thoughts per day.
http://www.familyaffirmationnetwork.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/fan_positivepower.html
A well-known author was quoted as saying that 'The average person has 60,000 thoughts per day and of these more than 80% are negative'.
Despite the fact that the average person has 50,000 thoughts per day, studies have shown that it takes about 10 years of effort to acquire the 50,000 'chunks' of knowledge necessary to be reasonably creative.
Just makes the statement of it being lower but without giving reason
Deepak Chopra has said that the number is 60,000 thoughts per day. Chopra and others have made various claims about "60,000 thoughts per day", "80,000 thoughts per day," etc., but an actual scientific study has not yet been identified.
Answer
The human brain produces approximately 70,000 thoughts on an average day
Answer?
That sounds about right to me. Judging from internet content share, it probably breaks down to about 69,992 sex related plus 8 non-related, on average.
Answer?
Are we processing thoughts even as we sleep?
There are 86,400 seconds in a 24 hour day.
That means we have a different thought every 1.2 seconds.
The interwebs quote “studies” that claim we humans have ~70K thoughts a day. That’s about .81 thoughts per second if you are awake every second of the 24 hour day (86400 seconds per day/70,000 thoughts). I can’t seem to find the underlying “studies” to determine if they are using an 18 or 12 hour “work-day” for the calc, but, hey, we’ll go with it for this exercise.
70K is also just over the threshold the industry sets as a benchmark for the number of words in a novel.
Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “For those of my Ummah, Allah overlooks the thoughts that come to mind as long as they are not uttered or acted upon.” [Sahih Bukhari]
Researchers have discovered that the average person thinks about 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts per day. Since the majority of us are awake 16-18 hours a day, we think a thought on average every 1.1 second.
Most of the time we are not consciously thinking; therefore, many are the thoughts that are planted in our minds from Shaitaan. As soon as such a thought occurs to one of us, we should deliberately reject it and put our mind to some other task. So long as we do not entertain Shaitaan’s thoughts, Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) will forgive their occurring to us.
It is one thing to have the majority of worthless thoughts forgiven. But with so much thinking going on, why not tap into this power of the mind? Your thoughts lead to actions. Your actions create habits.
The habits of your life will determine your ultimate destiny. Everybody’s ultimate destiny is either the Fire or the Garden. With a purposeful goal, all this thought energy could actually be utilized to achieve something worthwhile. Why not focus it on something meaningful?
The most meaningful goal any one of us could achieve is to get a guarantee of being happy forever. We focus on acquiring a certain level of education, or certain degrees, in the expectation that we will then be able to get certain jobs, have a particular income, be able to maintain a certain standard of living and with it all - be happy.
But it turns out that neither the job is guaranteed, nor riches, nor happiness. We might still go bankrupt, we might still have a miserable family life, we might still be lonely and sad.
Only Allah’s promise of Jannah is a guarantee of happiness. This is happiness that will never wane, only increase. This is happiness that will never end. This is happiness unblemished by worry or cares.
If we focus our thoughts on how to get to Jannah, by reading and studying and thinking over the Quran and ahadith, our mind will be occupied with thoughts of it. Our thoughts will become our actions. Our actions to gain Allah’s pleasure, will become our habits. And such habits will insha’Allah, take us to our ultimate destiny of The Garden.
Thoughts become things and we get whatever we focus upon. If your thoughts are your currency for getting what you want, then what is it that you are spending your currency on?
Thanks for the thought. 70000 is a lot. I have become much more aware of what I am thinking. Positive thoughts keep me moving & any negative thoughts are quickly dealt with & placed in the recycle bin. “Be aware of your thoughts” I believe is the main key.
Be good to yourself, David
Before You Think That Next Thought!
Researchers have discovered that the average person thinks anywhere between 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts per day. Since the majority of us spend anywhere from 16-18 hours awake each day, we think a thought on average about every 1.1 seconds.
That’s a whole lot of thinking going on. With this much thinking taking place there is nothing more important than to focus that energy on a meaningful goal that targets your objective. Whether you are an individual or business manager looking to improve your own condition, the GOAL is the instrument that puts order and purpose into all of this thought energy. Your thoughts lead to action. Your actions create habits. And the habits of your life will determine your ultimate destiny.
The principal premise of the personal development movement is that thoughts become things and that we get whatever we focus upon most. The questions that I think are worth asking are:
1. If thoughts are our currency for acquiring what we want, then what is it that you are spending your currency on?
2. Are you getting a good deal?
3. Are you experiencing the life you deserve?
I have yet to meet someone who claims to like setting goals. Most of us have tried goal setting at some point in our life and failed and just decided it was too much of a hassle. When we come to realize that the goal is comparable to a canvas for an artist we then begin to recognize the importance of goals in channeling our energy towards a desired purpose. The 60,000 thoughts are going to be there day in and day out. It would make good sense to focus those thoughts to an area that would result in a marked improvement of your life.
We are all familiar with the retail buying experience. We walk into a store. Locate the merchandise we want. Pay for it. Take it home. I submit that we engage in this exact same experience in designing our lives. Problem is that when our lives are not going the way we want we are unwilling to admit that we created that condition. It takes a great deal of courage to admit that our belief system might need some rewiring if we are not leading the lives we want.
Look around you right now at your surroundings. Everything that you own is a product of your thoughts. Likewise, everything that you don’t own is a product of your thoughts. Some quality thoughts are considered “too expensive" to even consider contemplating so we never even entertain them. When is the last time that you reminded yourself how “awesome" you are in spite of whatever problems are lurking in your life?
So we often spend our time with the thoughts that are most real to us and the thoughts that we know we can afford. Funny thing is that we have a budget of 60,000 thoughts each day to create whatever we want. In spite of that possibility so much of humanity traps itself in the “closeout thoughts aisle" and then wonders why life has become a battle for basic survival.
Here are a few of the more famous closeout aisle thought patterns:
* “It’s just the way I am. I can’t help it."
* "I can’t control what I think."
* “They are just thoughts for Gods sake! That doesn’t matter!"
* "I just feel that way and there is nothing I can do about it."
The reality is that we CAN help it. There is no more important skill in life than learning to control the focus of our mind. In so doing, we can literally change our destiny. Every decision you make stems for the viewpoint of what you think you are and the value you place upon yourself. In the blink of an eye you can change your beliefs of what is possible and recognize that those limitations you encounter are all part of a flawed belief system.
I spent about thirty minutes trying to log my thoughts. Within minutes I discovered that my focus was literally “all over the universe." Hundreds of disjointed thoughts entered and left my consciousness in a matter of minutes. Trying to keep track of them all was an exercise in futility. What this simple exercise taught me though was to understand the importance of goals. A goal certainly adds a focus and structure to thinking.
The more ambitious the goal the more it forces us out of the “closeout aisle" and into the realization that the biggest obstacle in our lives is usually ‘us.’ The one thing I can guarantee you is that you will spend your thought budget every single day. Consciously or unconsciously you will think one thought every 1.1 seconds.
With this being the case don’t you think it might be a good idea to make a concerted effort to focus your attention on the things that you want to create? Isn’t that the entire purpose behind having goals? Isn’t that the entire purpose to happy living?
A good friend of mine is working diligently on expanding his business. The one thing he is focused on is understanding that his growth in the past was a direct result of his thinking. Now as he confronts the future he recognizes that his thinking has become the obstacle to getting to the next level. Interesting dilemma isn’t it? You want to grow but you have to be willing to change your thoughts to do so.
Sounds real easy until you have to confront this issue yourself.
The one question that he reiterates to me every time we speak is…
“What would a person have to believe and think about regularly to experience this?"
I have no doubt that within this question lies all the wisdom that an individual or organization would ever need to be able to achieve whatever they wanted.
“What would a person have to believe and think about regularly to experience this?"
As I started asking myself that question I began to uncover counterproductive illusions about beliefs, ideas and thoughts that I nurture without even realizing it. Maybe you can relate? It reminds of the comment Mark Twain once made when he said, “I have been through some really terrible stressful things in my life..........some of them which actually happened."
The secret of business success is ridiculously simple. So much so that we often dismiss it. What thoughts have you planted that are creating your current experience? What illusions do you regularly entertain that prevent you from being responsible for every area of your life? You can blame others for the unhappiness you feel, or you can take responsibility for your life. But you cannot do both. You must make a choice.
The 'divinity that shapes your destiny' is you!
Every day for the rest of your life you will think roughly 60,000 thoughts. Unless you focus that energy into some meaningful purpose you are doing yourself a huge disservice. Set ambitious goals for yourself and you will be well on your way to choosing the best thoughts energy can buy! The focus that this will create in your life will speak volumes. A question that will assist you in this regard whenever you experience a setback is:
“What would a person have to believe and think about regularly to experience this?"
Think about what you think about, before you think that next thought!
Be careful with what you agree with!
Copyright 2004 Harald Anderson
a Forumite said
I counted the number of people that were killed by God in the Bible. I came up with 2,476,633, which, of course, greatly underestimates God's total death toll, since it only includes those killings for which specific numbers are given. No attempt was made to include the victims of Noah's flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, or the many plagues, famines, fiery serpents, etc., with which the good book is filled. Still, 2 million is a respectable number even for world class killers.
But how does this compare with Satan? How many did he kill in the Bible?
Well I can only find ten, and even these he shares with God, since God allowed him to do it as a part of a bet. I'm talking about the seven sons and three daughters of Job.
killings
God 2,476,633
Satan 10
No contest.
This God, according to the Bible, is directly responsible for many mass-murders, rapes, pillage, plunder, slavery, child abuse and killing, not to mention the killing of unborn children.
It always amazes me how many times this God orders the killing of innocent people even after the Ten Commandments said “Thou shall not kill”. For example, God kills 70,000 innocent people because David ordered a census of the people (1 Chronicles 21). God also orders the destruction of 60 cities so that the Israelites can live there. He orders the killing of all the men, women, and children of each city, and the looting of all of value (Deuteronomy 3).
He orders another attack and the killing of “all the living creatures of the city: men and women, young, and old, as well as oxen sheep, and asses” (Joshua 6). In Judges 21, He orders the murder of all the people of Jabesh-gilead, except for the virgin girls who were taken to be forcibly raped and married.
When they wanted more virgins, God told them to hide alongside the road and when they saw a girl they liked, kidnap her and forcibly rape her and make her your wife! Just about every other page in the Old Testament has God killing somebody! In 2 Kings 10:18-27, God orders the murder of all the worshipers of a different god in their very own church! In total God kills 371,186 people directly and orders another 1,862,265 people murdered
You can do the math
God's Hit List (those murdered by God directly or by his orders):
The entire population of the earth except for eight survivors (Genesis 7:23).
Every inhabitant of Sodom and Gomorrah except for one family (Genesis 19:24).
Every first born of Egypt (Exodus 12:29).
All the hosts of the Pharaoh, including the captains of 600 chariots (Exodus 14:27,28).
Amalek and his people (Exodus 17:11,16).
3,000 Israelites (Exodus 32:27).
250 Levite princes who had challenged the leadership of Moses (Numbers 16:1-40).
14,700 Jews in a plague who had rebelled against Moses following the killing of the princes (Numbers 16:41-49).
All the subjects of Og (Numbers 21:34, 35).
24,000 Israelites who lived with Moabite women (Numbers 25:4, 9).
All the males, kings, and non-virgin females of the Midianites. (Numbers 31:7, 8).
The Ammonites (Deuteronomy 2:19-21).
The Horims (Deuteronomy 2:22).
All the citizens of Jericho, except for a prostitute and her family (Joshua 6).
12,000 citizens of Ai. Joshua hung the king on a tree. (Joshua 8:1-30).
All the people of Makkedah (Joshua 10:28).
All the people of Libnah (Joshua 10:29, 30).
All the people of Gezer (Joshua 10:33).
All the people of Lachish (Joshua 10:32).
All the people of Eglon (Joshua 10:34, 35).
All the people of Hebron (Joshua 10:36, 37).
All the inhabitants of the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs and all their kings (Joshua 10:40).
All 31 kings and inhabitants of their countries, and the south country, and the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same from Mt. Halak to Mt. Hermon (Joshua 11:12, 16, 17, 12:24).
10,000 Moabites (Judges 3:29).
10,000 Perizzites and Canaanites (Judges 1:4).
600 Phillistines (Judges 3:31).
All of Sisera (Judges 4:16).
120,000 Midianites (Judges 8:10).
25,100 Benjaminites (Judges 20:35).
50,070 people of Bethshemesh (I Samuel 6:19).
All the Amalekites (I Samuel 15:3, 7).
The armies and five kings of the Amorites (Amos 3:2).
The Moabites and 22,000 Syrians (II Samuel 8:2, 5, 6, 14).
40,000 Syrian horsemen (II Samuel 10:18).
100,000 Syrian footmen, followed by 27,000 who were crushed by a wall (I Kings 20:28, 29, 30).
42 children eaten by bears (II Kings 2:23, 24).
185,000 Assyrians killed by an angel (II Kings 19:35).
10,000 Edomites, followed by 10,000 more whose killers brought them to the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, that they were broken in pieces. (II Chronicles 28).
120,000 Judeans (II Chronicles 28).
75,000 Persians (Esther 9:16).
God kills 70,000 innocent people because David ordered a census of the people (1 Chronicles 21). God also orders the destruction of 60 cities so that the Israelites can live there. He orders the killing of all the men, women, and children of each city, and the looting of all of value (Deuteronomy 3).
Conclusion, scientists say we have an average of 70,000 thoughts per day, see Duet above, and tell me that the bible is NOT talking about the killing out of those thoughts that are drerived from normal waking consciousness, yes they are!!!!
these are against God, because these thoughts are derived from the physical, the intellectual and emotional mind.
total thoughts per day is 1,260,000, that's waking hours on the average. 490,000 a week
1, 960,000 a month
470, 000,000,000 a year.
It's difficult to tell exactly how the bible writers determined the number of thoughts, and exactly how they calculated them and what time periods they used, but needless to say, we can now understand why god killed so many people in so many tribes through out the Old Testament.
Maybe 2,476,633 is the number of thoughts in a week, from their point of view, since everything in the bible happens in sevens, I feel as though the used the seven day week to calculate the number of thoughts.
Just a thought!
Oops!
"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart, And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them."(Genesis 6:5-7 kjb 1611)
The problem.
and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually
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