Ok. I thought this would be interesting. If for some reason you would like to remove It Im sorry for the trouble!
A secluded, high-altitude desert cave, illuminated by a pulsating, otherworldly light. Don Juan Matus sits with an air of ancient power. Carlos Castaneda, his face etched with intense curiosity, struggles to comprehend the implications. Silvio Manuel, a figure of raw, contained energy, radiates an almost predatory focus. An Arahant, a figure of profound serenity embodying the pinnacle of Theravada Buddhist attainment, observes with a penetrating gaze.
Characters:
* Carlos Castaneda (CC): Anthropologist, seeking to understand the nature and purpose of sorcery, and where it diverges from other spiritual paths.
* Don Juan Matus (DJ): A Nagual, a master of sorcery, articulating its necessity for liberation within his unique worldview.
* Silvio Manuel (SM): A sorcerer of formidable power, embodying the warrior spirit, emphasizing the practical application of sorcery in a hostile world.
* Arahant (A): A liberated being, representing the ideal of Nirvana in Theravada Buddhism, challenging the Nagual's perspective on sorcery, advocating for a path of non-action and the extinguishing of all desires.
Dialogue:
CC: Don Juan, we've discussed the concept of sorcery, of manipulating intent and perception. But why is it necessary? Why not simply follow the path of the Arahant, the path of liberation through non-action, which is central to Buddhist teachings?
DJ: The path of the Arahant is a path of retreat, Carlos. A retreat from the realities of the world, from the hunger of awareness. Sorcery is the means by which we engage with those realities, by which we reclaim our power.
A: Power is an illusion, a clinging to the impermanent, a source of suffering. True liberation, as taught by the Buddha, lies in relinquishing all power, all control.
SM: Control is necessary, Arahant. The predators do not relinquish control. They consume. They manipulate. Sorcery is the means by which we counter their manipulations.
CC: The "predators," the "flyers," as you call them. Don Juan, you describe them as a force that feeds on our awareness. How does sorcery protect us from them?
DJ: Sorcery allows us to see their movements, to understand their tactics. It allows us to manipulate our awareness, to become invisible to their hunger.
A: Invisibility is a form of delusion, a clinging to the illusion of self-preservation. True liberation, the goal of the Buddhist path, lies in transcending all illusions, including the illusion of threat.
SM: Transcendence is a luxury we cannot afford. The predators are real. Their hunger is real. Sorcery is the means by which we survive.
CC: But Don Juan, you speak of "allies," of beings from other realms. Are these not also illusions, projections of our own desires?
DJ: Allies are extensions of our awareness, Carlos. They are gateways to the nagual, the realm of the unknown. Sorcery allows us to interact with them, to learn from them.
A: Interaction with other realms is a distraction, a clinging to the impermanent. True liberation, as taught in Buddhism, lies in relinquishing all attachments, including attachments to other realms.
SM: Relinquishment is weakness. We must learn to navigate all realms, to wield the power that resides within them.
CC: So, sorcery is a means of navigating the nagual, of reclaiming our power, of surviving in a world filled with unseen predators?
DJ: Precisely, Carlos. It is a means of becoming warriors, of taking control of our destiny.
A: Destiny is an illusion, a construct of the mind. True liberation, as understood in Buddhist practice, lies in relinquishing all constructs, all illusions.
SM: Illusions are tools. They are weapons. We use them to fight.
CC: But what of the ethical implications? Don Juan, you speak of manipulating intent, of altering perception. Is this not a dangerous power?
DJ: Power is neither good nor evil, Carlos. It is a tool. It is how we use it that determines its consequences. Sorcery is a tool for liberation, a means of reclaiming our stolen awareness.
A: Liberation through manipulation is a contradiction. True liberation, as taught by the Buddha, comes from relinquishing all manipulation, all control.
SM: Control is necessary. The world is not a gentle place. It is a battleground for consciousness. Sorcery is the means by which we fight.
CC: So, the Arahant, representing the Buddhist path, sees sorcery as a form of clinging, a distraction from the true path of liberation?
A: It is a manifestation of delusion, a clinging to the illusion of power. True liberation, as understood in Buddhist teachings, lies in relinquishing all delusions, all clinging.
DJ: And while you relinquish, the predators consume.
SM: And while you meditate on emptiness, we reclaim our birthright.
DJ: Sorcery is the warrior's path, the path of active engagement with the world. It is the means by which we reclaim our freedom.
A: Freedom from the world, not freedom within it, is the true liberation as thought by the Buddha.
8 Comments
Post is cleared from the auto-filter, even through I don't see this as being very useful...apart from a check-in to see how a publicly accessible AI compares Buddhism and Sorcery.
Are you formerly Katana_Ways? You were never banned here. I wanted to know if you are still wasting your time on LSD rather than actually practicing?
It seems like you are just wasting your time based on this post.
Just take some real action...
https://www.reddit.com/r/castaneda/wiki/index/statement/
Why does It matter? In fact It's been a long time since I took LSD. I know I don't need It to explore the Nagual but that doesn't mean I don't have my reasons to indulge again. For some reason my posts from Katana_Ways dont always appear when I post on Reddit. Anyways I just thought would be interesting to have a debate on Sorcery VS Buddhism. That's all.
Well, as long as you want to toss good advice out the window, that means that you aren't actually interested in sorcery.
Have you started recapitulating your life or is that just trash to you?
From Art of Dreaming:
"You are not yet ready for a true merging of your dreaming reality and your daily reality," he concluded. "You must recapitulate your life further."
"But I've done all the recapitulating possible," I protested. "I've been recapitulating for years. There is nothing more I can remember about my life."
"There must be much more," he said adamantly, "otherwise, you wouldn't wake up screaming."
I did not like the idea of having to recapitulate again. I had done it, and I believed I had done it so well that I did not need to touch the subject ever again.
"The recapitulation of our lives never ends, no matter how well we've done it once," don Juan said. "The reason average people lack volition in their dreams is that they have never recapitulated and their lives are filled to capacity with heavily loaded emotions like memories, hopes, fears, et cetera, et cetera.
"Sorcerers, in contrast, are relatively free from heavy, binding emotions, because of their recapitulation. And if something stops them, as it has stopped you at this moment, the assumption is that there still is something in them that is not quite clear."
"To recapitulate is too involving, don Juan. Maybe there is something else I can do instead."
"No. There isn't. Recapitulating and dreaming go hand in hand. As we regurgitate our lives, we get more and more airborne."
https://www.reddit.com/r/castaneda/wiki/buddhism/
You can read through that for your elucidation.
We’re kind of done with that, per the content in the link below from u/Emergency-Total-4851
Drugs damage your energy body, and recapitulation is your only chance to recover.
The stated purpose of this subreddit is to aid in restoring the reputation of Carlos Castaneda and the knowledge he imparted, by pragmatically applying that knowledge IN PRACTICE. This means that we are sticking to what really works, as proven by direct experience by long-practicing members. We need to make clear our intent to move away, as a community, from the mistakes others have made. Content that is at-odds with this purpose will, upon review, be removed.