Posted inOpen Threads

Open Thread 51 (free speech for comments)

Here’s a new Open Thread. Remember, off-topic comments should go in an Open Thread or they may be deleted.  Off-topic comments have been proliferating in posts on this blog. It’s good to have comments in a regular blog post related to its subject, and it’s also good to have a place where almost anything goes in regard to sharing ideas, feelings, experiences, and such. That place is an Open Thread. Leave a comment on this post about anything you want to talk about. And keep comments on other posts related to the topic.
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

RSSB ABCD: American Born Confused Desi

Below is another in a series of guest blog posts from Anon, an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB stands for Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years, which explains my interest in sharing criticisms of the faith that I also found lacking. What follows is an interesting perspective regarding how a culture, in the case Indian, can be viewed quite differently by an older and younger generation -- which affects the ability of a religion founded in that culture to continue to appeal to people. Gill refers to Jasdeep…
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Posted inReligions

Why there never will be a religious Consumer Reports

My wife and I are long-time subscribers to Consumer Reports. Now we mainly consult its recommendations online, but we also get the monthly paper publication. Of course, we use other sources of product ratings and reviews. Amazon's reviews can be very helpful in learning what purchasers of a product like and dislike about it. Claude, ChatGPT, and GoogleAI provide useful information by searching the internet for sources. After the Oxo induction-ready fry pan lost much of its non-stickiness due to how often I use it for Little Links at breakfast, Hodo tofu burger at lunch, and sometimes stir fry/rice at…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

RSSB: my bottom line

Below is another in a series of guest blog posts from Anon, an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB stands for Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years, which explains my interest in sharing criticisms of the faith that I also found lacking. RSSB: my bottom line I've written many emails here which Brian has amazingly honoured, read, and posted. I am so grateful for this. It was Brian's idea to make these blog posts. I'm also stunned and humbled Brian put together an archive of these. I never thought…
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Posted inArtificial intelligence Consciousness

If AIs are conscious, how would we ever know this?

Consciousness is a great mystery. Maybe. I could be wrong about this (I'm wrong about lots of stuff), but there's a distinct possibility that how we currently view consciousness will end up being overturned by wiser minds in the not-too-distant future. And those minds may not be human. For AIs, artificial intelligences, are rapidly gaining power. Not only may AIs be able to explain the nature of consciousness at some point, they may also become conscious and so be able to describe consciousness as a subjective phenomenon, just as we humans do. Yesterday my wife clued me in to a…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

RSSB: The Godman Moment

Below is another in a series of guest blog posts from Anon, an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB stands for Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years, which explains my interest in sharing criticisms of the faith that I also found lacking. Anon makes some excellent points in this post. The Beatles went to India in 1968 to studyTranscendental Meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In "My strange RSSB initiation story," I speak of the tenor of those times and how I became involved in 1969 with a crazed Greek…
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Posted inMindfulness Spiritual practice/meditation

Meditation Is less about concentration and more about open awareness

Meditation isn't one thing. It is many things, because there are many ways to meditate, and it's impossible to say that any is the best. Or worst. It just depends on what someone feels works for them. Which is no different than eating ice cream. There's no best flavor. Some people prefer vanilla. Others prefer chocolate. Still others prefer a different flavor. Each to their own. For many years, decades really, I practiced a form of meditation based on a mantra and the goal of withdrawing one's attention from the outside world and focusing it "within." I put that word…
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Posted inHumor Radha Soami Satsang Beas

RSSB guru featured in satirical Christmas movie posters

Here's 12 satirical Christmas movie posters featuring the main RSSB guru, Gurinder Singh Dhillon, and the guru designate, Jasdeep Singh Gill. They're really clever and expertly prepared by the person who sent them to me -- who, not surprisingly, prefers to remain anonymous. Humor is wonderful. Most of us tend to take ourselves too seriously, and we also tend to take our chosen form of religion and politics too seriously. These posters are a suggestion to lighten up a bit more.
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

RSSB: the “selfless service” paradox

Below is another in a series of guest blog posts from Anon, an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB stands for Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years, which explains my interest in sharing criticisms of the faith that I also found lacking. Seva means volunteer service. Here's a couple of previous blog posts dealing with selfless service: Is seva, selfless service, possible? Why direct it toward God? What is seva in the RSSB organization? RSSB: the "selfless service" paradox RSSB teaching says that the guru never leaves you and…
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Posted inScience Universe

What came before the big bang? A question that shows limit of both science and religion

Usually I put new issues of New Scientist and Scientific American at the bottom of a pile of science magazines that I try to read in order, oldest first. But when the October 2026 issue of Scientific American came with a provocative cover story that pushed my philosophical button, I had to read several of the Impossible Questions right away. I started with "What Is Consciousness, Really?" by Tim Bayne. It was disappointing, though. The main point of the article was that there's no general agreement about what the word consciousness refers to. So the title of the article referred…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

RSSB discounts

Below is another in a series of guest blog posts from Anon, an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB stands for Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years, which explains my interest in sharing criticisms of the faith that I also found lacking. Seva means volunteer service. RSSB discounts This is kind of the sister post to "RSSB hoover tactics". I'd say this is another hoover tactic. When I was in the process of leaving RSSB - I was told many different things from many different people. This came from…
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Posted inArtificial intelligence Radha Soami Satsang Beas

AI points us toward an obvious fact: super-intelligence is useless if it can’t do things in the world

I first heard about David Chapman in 2011, when I wrote "David Chapman's dizzying writings on Meaningness and Buddhism." That post starts with: I don't often use the word "dizzying." Especially in the title of a blog post. Here, I mean it as a compliment, in the sense of… giddy, bewildering. Those are good things when it comes to writings that attempt to get at What Life is All About. Because if we think we understand what life is all about, we don't. Today someone sent me an email. "Wanted to make sure you've seen this one: http://meaningness.wordpress.com as he…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

RSSB: The Missing Generation

Below is another in a series of guest blog posts from Anon, an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB stands for Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years, which explains my interest in sharing criticisms of the faith that I also found lacking. GSD stands for Gurinder Singh Dhillon, the primary RSSB guru. Charan refers to Charan Singh, the RSSB guru prior to Gurinder Singh. Sawan Singh was a RSSB guru quite a while ago. RSSB: The Missing Generation Over time I observed the attendees of the centres. Who else…
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Posted inFree will

If free will exists, evolution is responsible says a neuroscientist

Like most people, I enjoy reading books that I agree with more than books I disagree with. But since I'm such a firm believer that free will is an illusion, after I saw a mention of Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will, by neuroscientist Kevin J. Mitchell, I wanted to learn why the author is on board with free will. I'm just a little ways into the book. So far, I'm enjoying it. Mitchell is a good writer with a pleasing style. He acknowledges that there are sound arguments against free will. He just feels he has some…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

RSSB: the Gill problem

Below is another in a series of guest blog posts from Anon, an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB stands for Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years, which explains my interest in sharing criticisms of the faith that I also found lacking. GSD stands for Gurinder Singh Dhillon, the primary RSSB guru. RSSB: The GILL problem Many will know RSSB has a new guru, Jasdeep Singh Gill. He's not the main guru - although he does sit on the podium, has authority to speak, authority to give initiation to…
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Posted inArtificial intelligence Science

What if an alien civilization, or AI we created, knows the secret of the universe but we can’t understand it?

In my religious-believing days, Eastern religion variety, I loved the term, ultimate reality. I used it in talks I gave to members of the religious organization. I used it in books that I wrote which were based on the spiritual teachings I once embraced. My assumption was that whatever ultimate reality was -- my guess was All-Pervading Conscious Energy -- the problem lay in learning its nature, not in understanding what that nature was, once it had been revealed. Meaning, we humans had the ability to grasp what ultimate reality is all about. While it wasn't an open book, the…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

RSSB: Generational Gulf

Below is another in a series of guest blog posts from Anon, an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB stands for Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years, which explains my interest in sharing criticisms of the faith that I also found lacking. After Anon's post, I'll share some thoughts from another RSSB critic that roughly reflect what Anon is saying here. RSSB: Generational Gulf In my time at RSSB I saw a lot of multi generational goers. RSSB was majority and overwhelmingly Indian, even at Western centres. RSSB genuinely…
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Posted inFree will Science Universe

Provocative idea: time passes because the universe is continually computing

I've heard of Stephen Wolfram, but don't know much about him. Google AI enlightened me as to his impressive background Early Academic Success: Born in London in 1959, Wolfram was a child prodigy in science. He earned his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) at age 20 and later worked as a professor at the University of Illinois. [1, 2] Wolfram Research: He founded Wolfram Research in 1987, where he serves as CEO. The company launched Mathematica, a major computational software program used across technical and academic fields.[1, 2] Wolfram|Alpha: In 2009, he launched Wolfram|Alpha,…
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Posted inMiscellaneous Radha Soami Satsang Beas

Try new Search feature (and see RSSB financial scandal video)

I'm pleased to announce that the previously crappy Search box in the left sidebar has been upgraded massively, thanks to me switching to the SearchWP plugin. Results show up instantly. I've tried it on some old blog posts and am blown away that my 4000+ posts have been indexed so quickly. Comments appear to have been indexed also, though I'm not absolutely sure about this. UPDATE: As I was testing out the improved Search feature, I came across a 2019 post, "RSSB guru (and me!) appear in animation of Singh brothers scandal." Watching the video again, I was struck by…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

RSSB and children

Below is another in a series of guest blog posts from Anon, an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB stands for Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years, which explains my interest in sharing criticisms of the faith that I also found lacking. Anon makes a point at the end of his post that I've thought about also. RSSB does seem to be a declining religion, because young people aren't attracted to it. Kind of a tough sell when the "marketing" is no sex outside of marriage, strict vegetarian diet,…
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