(August 29, 2018 at 6:16 pm)Khemikal Wrote: I suppose it could be seen that way..though that makes it as much of a snake oil sell as institutional buddhism, since we're not actually capable of doing that. Meditation..if it does anything at all, steps you further in, not out.
I can't speak to its actual effects, but I've read an interesting little book
https://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Medit...153740900X
The format is quite educational. Each unit describes a school of buddhism, and its take on what does / doesn't constitute a substantial reality. It then describes a process of meditation-- which is described as the act of realizing the philosophical idea experientially-- i.e. taking it from word to an actual moment of mental realization. It mentions Buddha and other religious institutions only in the context of this or that visualization practice.
The stages are organized in layers, starting with the illusion of abstract ideas which cause us stress, moving through the idea of non-self, and arriving at the most extreme position-- that all of existence is empty, and that in order to arrive at truth, we have to abandon essentially ALL ideas and experiences.
