Re: Reply on Religion and Marxism: 2

[TheRevWilliams@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Gyan wrote,
> The
>  yogi then no longer feel any external stimulus
>  like pain. This is widely documented in many cultures
>  â?? fire eaters, tongue and flesh piercers, walking
>  on burning coals, etc.

    None of the things you mentioned create pain, or much of it anyway.  They
are, more or less, tricks.  Fire 'eating' is done using a specially made
'torch' (I can provide details in making it if you wish) and as you slowly
enter the flame into your mouth, you breath out a little air, and right when
you close your mouth (making certain your lips are wet) you release the rest
of your breath in one burst, thus extinguishing the flame.
    Walking on burning coals is only done when after the coals are allowed to
burn for a time (I am not certain how long exactly) until they are covered in
gray ash.  Then the 'yogi' walks over the coals, usually only with 5 or so
steps and they do not allow their feet to rest too long upon the coals.  The
main trick is, that coals are great retainers of heat, and so heat is not
conducted easily; you will only get burned if you stand there, instead of
walk.
    Tongue and flesh piercing is a trick I personally do (along with laying
and walking on a bed of nails, breaking a cinder block over my chest,
'popping' my shoulder out of place so that while holding my hands I can get
my arms over my head in both directions, and placing a 3" nail into my nose).
 I have pierced skin on my arms, legs, chest, hands, neck, cheeks, ears
(cartilage and lobe), bridge of nose, and my labret (I only have 5 piercings,
ears and nipples) and the 'trick' is the knowledge that it is only skin, and
doesn't hurt much.  It feels more or less like a small pinch, and! I rarely
bleed from such things, and no mark is ever left.  I have even pierced the
skin on my arm with red hot needles (this is known as 'the fangs of Lucifer')
and to tell the truth, that was less painful than cold needles.
    Am I a yogi since I can 'no longer feel...pain'?
    I have heard that it is rather common for people (called 'fakirs' from
what I understand) to do these, and other, things after claiming that one of
the Divas of the Hindu faith has given them certain powers.  Also, I have
heard, they make some good money off such things, perhaps I should give it a
shot and become a street performer.

>  â??Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is
>  to manifest this Divinity within by
>  controlling nature, external and internal. Do
>  this either by work, or worship, or psychic
>  control, or philosophy â?? by one, or more, or all
>  of these â?? and be free. This is the whole of
>  religion. Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or
>  books, or temples, or forms, are but
>  secondary detailsâ?? â?? Vivekananda.

    That seems to be a definition of his (and your) religion, not a
definition of all religions.  By following that definition, you are
discounting most other religions, and calling them "false."

    Also, if anyone was able to break the laws of nature, they would cease to
be laws of nature.  For these laws (except the 2nd law of thermodynamics
[possibly others, but I only know of this one]) ALWAYS hold.
    Why do you believe what they say anyhow unless they would prove it to
you?  It seems that you are more controlled and hypnotized by them, than most
people are by priests and the like.  Would you believe me if I told you that
I can become invisible, but, I can't show you because then that ability would
be taken away from me?  Why speak of empirical verification for things like
the gate control theory that Jim mentioned, if you don't wish to apply it to
the yogis you speak of?

    I believe quite strongly that someday a maching/program will be created
that can emulate human emotion, someone is probaly in the process of making
this machine/program a reality as we speak.
    I am awaiting your response to my previous responses, but I do not wish
to take part in this discussion, and so there probaly won't be another post
from me on this exact discussion.  Simply because I feel it is going nowhere,
and will not end in either of the two sides coming to agreement.  I have had
my share in these kinds of arguements/discussions, and wish to avoid
them...sometimes I just can't resist though.

-Chris