Our Ultimate Destination

[sqprx]

I just finished reading Adrian Cooper's "Our Ultimate Reality". It got me thinking - what IS our ultimate destination as a spiritual beings? Cooper suggests that in the end of spiritual evolution (when we reach the highest vibration realms possible) we merge with God (or the infinite Universal Mind) and lose our personality.

To tell you the truth, losing my personality is not the most attractive scenario for me personally. Or maybe due to my current physical limitations or ignorance I don't understand something and merging with God is as cool as it gets.

Or maybe after merging with God you realize for a second that YOU ARE the universe and you are God and you are EVERYTHING........ and then you find yourself to be the single cell primitive organism in the boiling soup of particles in the newly forming planet, or in other words, in the beginning of a next cycle of spiritual evolution (to evolve and eventually reach God again and start all over).   This is another theory that were suggested by Bill Harris I believe - God becomes bored knowing everything and being everything and he explores Himself;  plays "hide and seek" with himself in this manner.

And how does reaching the final point ties in with the notion of INFINITE Universe?

What's your take on this guys ?

[Boom]

I like this idea it makes a lot of sense. I've read a lot about progressing upwards to a single consciousness which in effect would be "God".  The recycling back to a single cell and starting over sounds great too!

I think our desire of immortality is what, at the moment makes us not wish to ascend to a single consciousness, but as you climb the spiritual ladder, our desires and thought processes will undoubtedly change to something much much more than we are now.  It's also probably true that you wouldnt join the single consciousness unless you were ready anyway.

[Greytraveller]

Greetings
sqprx you wrote

To tell you the truth, losing my personality is not the most attractive scenario for me personally.

Yes, I agree totally. Furthermore if any person Does manage to reach the highest vibratory level (become supremely enlightened) then why would he or she Want to lose their individuality? What's the point of struggling to learn and be a better individual only to lose that by merging into a greater whole?? Yet that is apparently what many people strive for (the Bhuddists' nirvana et al) but I don't get it??

Sincerely 
Grey

[ZiggyMike]

You guys are right on point, what's the essence of connecting to your higher self and then loosing that individuality to a greater whole, but maybe as you merge with God, you become a militi multi dimensional being who will be everywhere at everytime, and will recognize past present and future of even evolutionary life cycles. It doesn't mean I am a fan of the merger as right now it really doesn't make much sense to me now but I have a feeling it will be "the meaning of life".

[Stookie_]

Well, you aren't your individuality. What makes you an individual are just traits you've picked up during your physical life, and I suppose some unconscious things you brought with you based on previous experiences. But those things ARE NOT YOU. You are much greater than those things, and burning them off is liberation. They come along with physical experience, and as with all things that enter into the physical, they become and eventually decay. It only sounds bad now because it's who you've always assumed you are and can't imagine not being you. Attachment. When you free yourself of this (ego), you realize that you and every being around you are one and the same.

[CFTraveler]

I just finished reading Adrian Cooper's "Our Ultimate Reality". It got me thinking - what IS our ultimate destination as a spiritual beings? Cooper suggests that in the end of spiritual evolution (when we reach the highest vibration realms possible) we merge with God (or the infinite Universal Mind) and lose our personality.

Well, let me tell you what I think.  As usual, in matters such as this it's my opinion, as I don't think anyone knows what really happens, we can only extrapolate from things we experience and in what we read about others experiences, and then project into the future according to what we think happens.

We believe that we are constantly 'becoming', and our experiences in nonphysical reality show that we are constantly learning, and we assume that this means we are evolving spiritually.  We also, at least some of us, have the impression or experience that we either have lived before, span more than our present bodies, and live possibly parallel/multidimensional lives.  Many of us have experiences to support this.

From this I think we construct scenarios that use logic and experience to put everything in context, and sometimes find written works that outline the things we sometimes work out for ourselves- at least this has been my experience.

The thing is, that this 'merger with God' is an extrapolation from the idea that-
God is whole and complete, doesn't need anything from us
As a whole and complete God, then it follows that we already are part of God, but not in an eternal way because matter isn't eternal, by definition; therefore, to make this make sense we then decide that our journey is towards 'reabsorbtion' without individuality- and I for one am not so sure about this.
I personally like the idea that we are 'God thoughts' and already united with God, simply having a temporal existence.
But that's me.

[sqprx]

I personally like the idea that we are 'God thoughts' and already united with God, simply having a temporal existence.

Thoughts having thoughts of their own realizing that they are just someone's temporal thoughts feeling depressed about it. Man...God gotta be schizophrenic 

[Arcanum]

Well, you aren't your individuality. What makes you an individual are just traits you've picked up during your physical life, and I suppose some unconscious things you brought with you based on previous experiences. But those things ARE NOT YOU. You are much greater than those things, and burning them off is liberation. They come along with physical experience, and as with all things that enter into the physical, they become and eventually decay. It only sounds bad now because it's who you've always assumed you are and can't imagine not being you. Attachment. When you free yourself of this (ego), you realize that you and every being around you are one and the same.

Yes, there isn't actually a joining, nor an option to join, as oneness is already the case. All that remains is the realization of that fact. The apparent individual cannot be interested in what oneness actually is because it denies the actuality of the individual. However, the belief in the separate, volitional person is the cause of suffering, which cannot end without this realization.

[Arcanum]

Well, let me tell you what I think.  As usual, in matters such as this it's my opinion, as I don't think anyone knows what really happens, we can only extrapolate from things we experience and in what we read about others experiences, and then project into the future according to what we think happens.

We believe that we are constantly 'becoming', and our experiences in nonphysical reality show that we are constantly learning, and we assume that this means we are evolving spiritually.  We also, at least some of us, have the impression or experience that we either have lived before, span more than our present bodies, and live possibly parallel/multidimensional lives.  Many of us have experiences to support this.

From this I think we construct scenarios that use logic and experience to put everything in context, and sometimes find written works that outline the things we sometimes work out for ourselves- at least this has been my experience.

The thing is, that this 'merger with God' is an extrapolation from the idea that-
God is whole and complete, doesn't need anything from us
As a whole and complete God, then it follows that we already are part of God, but not in an eternal way because matter isn't eternal, by definition; therefore, to make this make sense we then decide that our journey is towards 'reabsorbtion' without individuality- and I for one am not so sure about this.
I personally like the idea that we are 'God thoughts' and already united with God, simply having a temporal existence.
But that's me.

Rather than you being a thought God is having, maybe you are God having a thought you are one of God's thoughts?

[CFTraveler]

Thoughts having thoughts of their own realizing that they are just someone's temporal thoughts feeling depressed about it. Man...God gotta be schizophrenic

Only if there is more than God.  But there can't be, can it?  Then it wouldn't be 'God', it would be something else.

[CFTraveler]

Rather than you being a thought God is having, maybe you are God having a thought you are one of God's thoughts?

That sounds very causal.  But isn't the whole thing non causal?
Just messing with you, I know you get what I'm proposing.

[Arcanum]

That sounds very causal.  But isn't the whole thing non causal?
Just messing with you, I know you get what I'm proposing.

The idea that "we are God thoughts having a temporal existence" is critically flawed exactly at the point where it needs to be most clear. That is, the point where you either identify yourself as the subject, or as an object appearing to the subject.

[CFTraveler]

But isn't the idea of 'becoming' really the transition from identifying yourself as the thought to identifying yourself as the Thinker?

[Arcanum]

But isn't the idea of 'becoming' really the transition from identifying yourself as the thought to identifying yourself as the Thinker?

It depends on what you mean by the thinker, I think.