The Dhyana Moment

[Hoplite]

I was having a discussion with a friend earlier today and this came up. This friend is not religious nor has she ever been and she asked me, very directly, "What value do find in religion?"

It's a simple question, but one that I've always found extremely difficult to answer for one reason; the experiences of a religious person are different than those of a non-religious person.

In Buddhism, there is something called "dhyana", it refers to a state of meditation and internal stillness where great clarity is possible. It's the closest I can come to describing the state of being that came when I became truly religious, I remember exactly the circumstances when that happened. It is impossible for me to truly describe that sort of feeling to someone that has not experienced it.

This sort of disconnect makes it difficult to explain why I am religious to others.

I feel that religion is a subjective, not objective, experience.

I dont know that there was an actual point to this, just...thinking out loud, I guess.

 

[molten_dragon]

Interesting thinking. I agree with it though. I'm a lot like your friend, I've never been religious. I've gone to a few different churches a few times, and gone in with an open mind each time, but every time the experience was completely mundane. I never felt any connection with a higher power or any sort of divine presence. It's probably why I remain a skeptic about religion to this day.

 

[Deuce]

I had a moment like that, except for it was when I decided that all of the religions are wrong... :|

 

[scourge99]

I was having a discussion with a friend earlier today and this came up. This friend is not religious nor has she ever been and she asked me, very directly, "What value do find in religion?"

It's a simple question, but one that I've always found extremely difficult to answer for one reason; the experiences of a religious person are different than those of a non-religious person.

This sort of disconnect makes it difficult to explain why I am religious to others.

I feel that religion is a subjective, not objective, experience.

I dont know that there was an actual point to this, just...thinking out loud, I guess.

Sam Harris has a good lecture on this. Each part is about 7 mins. Part 1 is just a buildup and introduction to part 2. so if you don't want to watch the whole thing then just start at part 2.

In Buddhism, there is something called "dhyana", it refers to a state of meditation and internal stillness where great clarity is possible. It's the closest I can come to describing the state of being that came when I became truly religious, I remember exactly the circumstances when that happened. It is impossible for me to truly describe that sort of feeling to someone that has not experienced it.

I had that same experience when a smoked a lot of pot in Amsterdam. Some might consider that a form of meditation.

 

[lizzie]

Interesting thinking. I agree with it though. I'm a lot like your friend, I've never been religious. I've gone to a few different churches a few times, and gone in with an open mind each time, but every time the experience was completely mundane. I never felt any connection with a higher power or any sort of divine presence. It's probably why I remain a skeptic about religion to this day.

I was reared in a very religious Christian environment, but found after I reached adulthood that I couldn't believe or accept some of what was being taught to me. This led me on a 30 year search for some kind of answers that made sense to me. I find completely acceptable beliefs in several religions, but I still don't adhere to any one belief system. That being said, my life has been a continuous string of events that has led me to feel completely comfortable with the thought of God, whether or not it exists. I live in a state of not knowing, but now I am comfortable with that state of mind, and all is well. I sometimes get accused of being an atheist, but that's not accurate at all. I just accept that there are certain things that are unknowable to the logical analytical mind, and I accept that there are things that I know in the other recesses of my mind.