Who wants to live forever?

Spirituality
#1

This is an existential question, as well as an evolutionary, socio-cultural, and psychological one. For over thousands of generations, we have lived, grown up, made choices, helped or destroyed others, and died. And in most parts, questioned whether we could have lived longer than we hoped. To accomplish our dreams, desires and such. Just as it is in Queen’s song “who wants to live forever?”

Make sure to realize what you are getting into. This thread deals with two big questions:

  • What is “human” being?
  • What is like to live forever?

From this point, if you dare to answer, be aware that you will be enmeshing with a big rhetoric. But I know that you will dare, since most of us here are pursuing answers for big questions, mostly, with our subconscious minds.

[B]Read this carefully[/B]
[I]
Make no mistake, I want this thread to be an open platform where participants could get involve in existential questions. Please do not bring your political stuff here; nor cultural supremecist views, racist claims, historical analysis, comparisons, contrasts and so forth.

[B]ATTENTION[/B]: This is not a HINDU vs WEST debate, nor a chance to play righteousness game. If so inclined, please indulge yourselves with some exclusive spare parts in the junkyard:[/I]

http://www.yogaforums.com/forums/f33/

[B]Do not sabotage the thread![/B]

Yours,
HW

#2

I have just read this brilliant quote from Osho:
(translated from Greek)

To know means to be silent. Utterly silent.
Thusly you hear that serene voice within.
To know means, to let go the thought.
When you are utterly motionless.
Whenever nothing reaches you, the gates shall be open.
You are part of this mysterious existence.
And “know” as part of this existence.
As a participant.
That is, “to know.”

These lines, as it occurs to me, suggest that there is a significant difference between “knowledge” and “to know” in real life, although might not be in a dictionary. So it happens, it is inevitable for me to question,

What do I “know” about myself as a “human” being, while being constantly deceived that “knowledge” gives me the chance to “know” myself?

Is this, then, “knowledge” or the process of “knowing”?

If I am to “know” myself, then in what sense I am human, in what sense, I am not?

If language were out of reach, what would happen to me?

If I “know” that I am to live forever with the same personal feats that I have now, would I be inclined to see death as a “gift”?

#3

Dear High Wolf
I hope I will not sabotage your thread.

What is “human” being?
For me a human being is every member of homo spices, even a mentally retarded human being who does not have a self-awareness and he behaves as a monkey, human being who is a mass murder, human being who is a stockbroker, human being who is a doctor. If I go to history for me it is even Neanderthals were human beings. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neanderthal Question is when it starts something to be a human being? And this is a question which I am not sure, if you have an egg and a sperm and where is a point that it is a human being?

What is like to live forever?
It seems as possibility of enlightenment but I can not know it because I know that only a death and taxes;-) are things which we can be sure.

Take care
Ivana

#4

“never was there a time when you or I did not exist.”

#5

What is human being?

He, who having lived and experienced all lower cellular life forms, evolved to sit at top of His creations, with a free will and karmic load to shed on a lonely path to ultimately realise and transcendent his own self.

What is it like to be to live forever?

Everything in its present form, except Him, is impermanent. Open up our crown chakra and you will know what it likes is to be living since eternity. Buddha it is said, on enlightenment saw in a jiffy all his previous visits to the mother earth

#6

"Everything in its present form, except Him, is impermanent. "

I was unaware that it was a matter of genitals.

#7

amir,
yes it is.
you are too young to know abt birds and bees. or is it?

you have to grow up a little buddy.

#8

[QUOTE=High Wolf;60218]

  • What is “human” being?
  • What is like to live forever?
    [/QUOTE]

To me, at this point, nothing. Everything. A [something/namelessness] surrounded and at most times obscured by thoughts of knowledge and ideas and ideals and wants and actions… A swarm. A storm. Layers. A bud.

Like to live forever seems right now as being… Well. To like to live forever: I don’t know whether approving of it makes it different. Presence appears to be eternal.

These words were probably not necessary.

#9

Hi Wolf what is your replies? Ivana

#10

Nice story about living forever… but what would be the point? 70 years lifespan is “predetermined” for most HUMAN BEiNS… get married, have kids, pay the mortgage, retire rich and die happy.

How can you plan infinity? One would just sit on the ones but all this infinite time. We are active because we have limited time to do things we want to do… Living forever would throw us in to another dimension …Live forever = do not exist at all…

#11

“get married, have kids, pay the mortgage, retire rich and die happy.”

To simply marry, reproduce, make enough money, is nothing more than one’s ancient animal instincts which are simply interested in nothing else except survival.

That is simply an excuse to remain asleep in one’s comfort and security. Because otherwise, one has to go through the inconvenience of asking questions, inquiring, investigating, and all of the discomfort that comes in the process of figuring things out. The fact is that only those who are willing to loose their lives ever come to a taste of eternal life, and as long as one continues seeking outwardly for one’s happiness, no matter what one does - suffering is inevitable.

#12

"Live forever = do not exist at all… "

That does not mean that there is nothing which cannot be called eternal, which is not just the original nature of your own being, but that of the whole existence.

#13

[QUOTE=The Scales;60290]“never was there a time when you or I did not exist.”[/QUOTE]

Very good!

न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं न त्वं नेमे जनाधिपाः।
न चैव न भविष्यामः सर्वे वयमतः परम्॥ २-१२॥

na tvevāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ |
na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ sarve vayamataḥ param || 2-12||

Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.

Bhagavad Gita

#14

I am already an eternal being, only my body changes.

Two days ago my grandad passed away. I told my mum, aunties and nephews the same thing: he is not gone, only his body has gone. His soul no longer had use for that body anymore which at 83 years of life had become tired and worn out, diseased and not working properly. So he peacefully left his body - slowly closed his eyes at home and passed away. Now he will be in the spirit plane for a while, he has already visited my mother in her dreams yesterday and he said, “Why is everybody so miserable, I am ok, nothing has happened to me. I am still here” and then incarnate in another body to continue from where he left off in a fresh body suited to his needs.

#15

"I am already an eternal being, only my body changes.

Two days ago my grandad passed away. I told my mum, aunties and nephews the same thing: he is not gone, only his body has gone. His soul no longer had use for that body anymore which at 83 years of life had become tired and worn out, diseased and not working properly. So he peacefully left his body - slowly closed his eyes at home and passed away. Now he will be in the spirit plane for a while, he has already visited my mother in her dreams yesterday and he said, “Why is everybody so miserable, I am ok, nothing has happened to me. I am still here” and then incarnate in another body to continue from where he left off in a fresh body suited to his needs."

An endless series of assumptions which is as a mirror for one’s whole life up till now.

#16

I am really not interested in listening to your babble Amir on this matter. This is my grandad I am sharing about who has passed away recently. It’s been a big shock to the family. The least I can expect from you is not to do your normal babble routine and mystify the matter.

#17

Any amount of babbling is not interested in you either.

#18

SD,

Very sorry to hear of your grandfather and I’m glad it was a peaceful death.

To be a “human” being? Nothing but energy in human form.

To live forever? We all live forever. Only the form changes. As far as my human body goes, each year the body ages. With aging of the physical form, comes wisdom and knowledge in the forever young mind. At times it is difficult to look at me at 53, still thinking like I did when I was in my 20’s, but alas, those times are getting fewer and farther between. The body is not made to live forever and is only a temporary house.

Thanks High Wolf for posing this question!

#19

[QUOTE=AmirMourad;60807]“get married, have kids, pay the mortgage, retire rich and die happy.”

To simply marry, reproduce, make enough money, is nothing more than one’s ancient animal instincts which are simply interested in nothing else except survival.

That is simply an excuse to remain asleep in one’s comfort and security. Because otherwise, one has to go through the inconvenience of asking questions, inquiring, investigating, and all of the discomfort that comes in the process of figuring things out. The fact is that only those who are willing to loose their lives ever come to a taste of eternal life, and as long as one continues seeking outwardly for one’s happiness, no matter what one does - suffering is inevitable.[/QUOTE]

ok…you love to pick pick in words…

lets say one wan to practice yoga for all life, get enlightened, sink in to smadhi… same thing…if one has unlimited time - one would never get anywhere…

#20

[QUOTE=AmirMourad;60901] I told my mum, aunties and nephews the same thing: he is not gone, only his body has gone. [/QUOTE]

Amir, you are really wise!

but I prefer to hold my believes to myself in such situation, and would advise you to do the same in the future… since other people might have other believes… it could make you mum and other relative quite upset, if they have another perception on this matter…