not really to me, the art of combat seems fundamentally different than the art of something like soccer. One is to be the symbolic force of your will (I’m better at putting the ball in the goal than you) and the other is a more “real” or objective representation of will (I do anything I can to overcome your will physically, you the same).

that’s a great point! Although that seems more in the realm of strategy (chess etc) rather than contemplation of reality.

I recommend looking into Rupert Spira’s teachings. Ultimately, “I” is something to be demarcated from the idea of one’s self, which is simply a mental construct created by the mind. “I” is rather pure awareness, prior to the concepts our mind attempts to impute onto it. “I” (awareness) does not have a sense of self, it is simply pure subjectivity.

I also very much appreciate this post, Gnomon. I look forward to looking more into your cited works.

Thank you Josh!

Hello, I believe you misunderstood what I meant by infinity. I meant the endless transformation of phenomena, the constantly changing form that phenomena take. It’s deeper than a specific form of phenomena which you would designate as “finite.” The infinite aspect is that which changes form, that which has no name or form in of itself. In science they call this energy (I think?) but I do know in Buddhism they call this emptiness.

Thank you all for your responses. For me, eternity is more of an experience, hence why I “know” it to be true (by “know I simply mean for me, obviously not everyone else will have that experience). It’s almost like I can see it and feel it in every passing moment. At least, that’s the best I can try to explain it. If I were to humbly suggest a lowly excuse for a logical argument for it (which some of you may rip to shreds for all I know), I’d probably say that the fact that the present moment was able to manifest (self evident present experience), no matter what form that present moment may be, is an indication that it must therefore manifest infinitely. An innumerable amount of times for all of what we would call “eternity.” I probably embarrassed myself with that explanation, it just seems very difficult to articulate a direct experience I have into a logical proclamation.

Death isn’t to fear, no, without death there is no life. The constant transformation of phenomena is why life even “is.” There is no such the as life and death. There is only the transformation of phenomena in which our human minds impute notions of “birth” and “death,” “ceasing” and “non-ceasing.” The notion of death is a falsity, an illusion created by the flawed mind of an earthly being. Without “death” there can be no “life.” There’s only the unchanging, untouchable state of eternity. This is what I call God.