Seeking a book than can provide more answers to Truth

What book other than the Bible can you recommend to a person who wants to probe the reasons, the beginning, and the meanings of things?

Some people look to explore "mysteries" in the occult, and that will actually lead people astray. As things become more fuddled, it seems that the "mystery" deepens. It's a trap! :shrug:

 

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The following book was recommended to me years ago, and it has some simple, yet profound philosophy.

The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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That's very cute. But which is better to live a virtuous life or to know the mysteries?

 

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There are many books on this subject and some are located here:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...5_z9BA&usg=AFQjCNHbXRU2RKKgru29BoJ__-c2zcDadA

These books have been written throughout the worlds history as well as many others. Whatever philosophy of life you want to choose to follow is up to you to decide and by reading all of these books you just might be enlightened but then again you might not be. We all must adjust ourselves to whatever situation we find ourselves living in and perhaps where one philosophy might be helpful for some people it might not be for others.

 

I thought "the good" has existed ever since, they are just there waiting to be discovered. I also thought that our ideas of goodness must not change, whta is good in the past is always good at present and bad in the past is always bad at present whether everyone has already considered the bad as good.

 

That is borderline preaching there "Mind" No I don't Mind "Mind" I be Bad

 

We once thought that by burning witches we would stop evil people from harming others with their sorcery. We once thought that giving people mercury was a good treatment. We once thought the world was flat. There are many things that once were thought of as right now are seen as wrong as well as things that were wrong now are seen as right. We once thought vigilantes were a good thing, but we don't any longer. We once thought that hanging a person without a trial was the right thing but now we don't.

 

The human mind is not limited by the brain and can even exist outside of it.

 

You'll enjoy these books if you want to see how the material and non material world should be used together.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...8r3-BA&usg=AFQjCNF3GxVol5ig2DUBnRY8Aj5ZGZvE9A

 

What do you mean "other than the bible"?
Can you show that the bible actually does provide "answers to truth"?

Your use of the word "astray" implies that you already know what is true and what isn't and have therefore closed off these books. How do you know they'll lead you "astray" and don't contain any "truth"?

 

False.

Really?
Evidence please.

 

The Tao Te Ching is a good one.
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/core9/phalsall/texts/taote-v3.html

Also try science books, the encyclopedia, your local paper.

 

Do human beings really know 'the reasons, the beginning, and the meanings of things'? I don't think that any of us do. We don't have the answers today and there's no reason to assume that the ancients had them either. Traditional texts like the Bible or the Vedas contain myths that touch on the big questions, but I don't believe that credible or definitive answers are be found in those kind of writings. They are mostly of historical interest, illustrating how the ancients addressed the fundamental questions.

My suggestion would be to start by reading a good introduction to philosophy, if you haven't already done so. It won't provide you with definitive answers, but it will help define the basic questions and then explore how different thinkers have tried to answer them over the centuries. You'll probably end up with far more questions than you had when you began, but that's the way with philosophy. With other academic subjects, the more you study, the more you know. With philosophy, the more you study the more questions you have. Socrates recognized it.

No more so than the mainstream religious traditions, I guess. The 'occult' is a collective term that refers to the alternative religious traditions in the West. It designates a whole diverse collection of religious ideas that historically was driven underground by the dominant Christian tradition. If you are interested in studying religious traditions, it makes sense to devote some time to the occult traditions.

There are any number of good introductions to the various major religions of the world. A classic one that I like is Noss 'Man's Religions'. Many colleges and universities use it. If you haven't already done so, I'd suggest reading a survey like this before you dive into reading ancient canonical religious texts themselves.

If you are determined to read the ancient religious texts, in translation presumably, I'm not sure which one you should read. That would probably depend on which religion speaks to you, which one seems to be on to something that you sense is important. Reading an introduction like Noss is one way to get a sense of that.

If you do start reading the canonical texts, you are probably going to get totally bogged down in arcane and incomprehensible detail unless you already have some idea of how the text is structured. So it might make sense to read a short introductory text about the canonical text before you dive into the text itself. There are many surveys of the Old Testament, the Vedas and Upanishads, or the Pali Canon that you can turn to. You will probably need an analytical commentary as well, to help you make sense of ancient and unfamiliar words, assumptions and ideas.

 

A diary.

Literature (fiction) from all times and places - and to read a lot of such literature.

Books with reproductions or photographs of works of art - and to peruse many such books.

 

http://www.mkgandhi-sarvodaya.org/momgandhi/encyclopedia.htm

"I know the path. It is straight and narrow. It is like the edge of a sword. I rejoice to walk on it. I weep when I slip. God's word is: 'He who strives never perishes.' I have implicit faith in that promise. Though, therefore, from my weakness I fail a thousand times, I will not lose faith, but hope that I shall see the Light when the flesh has been brought under perfect subjection, as some day it must."

 

There are interesting case studies--one involving the autopsy of the brain of a 100-year-old nun--in which the brain has all the hallmark signs of Alzheimer's disease but the individual was still functioning normally up to the point of death. And anecdotal evidence tells of people whose brain and body have degenerated yet sheer willpower enables them to continue living so that they can attend, for example, the marriage or graduation of their child. The opposite also has occurred, in which people lack the will to live and do indeed die even though their brain is functioning normally. There is evidence of this in the animal kingdom where we have found that baby chimps who have lost their mother die of a broken heart despite being otherwise healthy. We also know that when parts of the brain have been damaged, it is sometimes possible for other parts to compensate by taking over the functioning of the damaged parts. This is not to say one can live without a brain, especially the hindbrain which controls vital life functions. At the same time, however, the normal functioning of the brain may, at times, not be sufficient for sustaining life, and furthermore the abnormal functioning of the brain is not always restrictive of normal life functioning.

 

There is such a thing as asymptomatic Alzheimer's Disease. It is widely believed (or at least suspected) that the development and maintenance of strong cognitive skills throughout life (aka exercising the grey matter) makes one more resilient. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_reserve

When fish get stressed (often because of other fish) they can die, even when they are otherwise healthy. No-one doubts that there is a significant link between the mind/brain and the body. It's an interconnected physical system, so of course one part effects the other.

How does this support your own contention? It would more aptly be characterized as an argument against it.

Good.

People die of heart attacks and other non-brain related trauma all the time.

Again, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_reserve

 

I'm curious as to why you assume that the Bible somehow differs from this?

What gave you the notion that the 'Bible' even qualifies as a source of "truth"?

 

I wouldn't recommend the Bible for anything other than an entertaining set of fictional stories. As far as books are concerned, I would recommend using the assistance of both books and teachers. I suggest studying Cosmology, Biology, Physiology, Physics, and Chemistry in college.

 

Since the power of the mind transcends physical laws and the brain is limited by physical laws the mind is independent and not limited by the brain.