As a pragmatic truth-seeking philosopher, I was very skeptical when I first encountered the Law of Attraction (LOA). Many things I've seen really stretch my credulity. But the more I think about it, the more I see nuggets underneath the hype that make sense to me, if reformulated a bit. While I wouldn't go so far as to say the Buddha was a Law of Attraction proponent, I do think there is some common ground to be found between the two.
We create our world through our thoughts. Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking all seem to agree that the universe/god is actually a set of laws and principles that we can count on to create our world. Stephen Hawking and Richard Feynman both speak in terms of M Theory and String Theory to further postulate how thoughts become matter. Our minds are essentially idea machines that refine our thoughts into electrical impulses which communicate with the same source energy that creates everything from nothing.
Richard Davidson at University of Wisconsin spent the last 30 years measuring brain waves and ascribing a consciousness level using an electroencephalograph. His research showed clear and direct correlation between brain waves and the way we all look at our life: From low frequency thinkers who feel as though they are constantly being victimized, to the self-actualized intellects whose brain waves vibrate at an extremely high frequency and are filled to the brim with information. Again, reinforcing "our thoughts create our circumstances".
Strangely, the Torah, the Bible, and the Tau Te Ching written 500 BCE all appear to say the same thing. The law of attraction is not some new age thinking without scientific basis. It is a fresh perspective that clears the fog surrounding the subject and applies contemporary quantum physics to provide foundation.
Thoughts equal energy;
Energy equals matter;
Thoughts equal matter.
It's not just our conscious thoughts -- but perhaps even more so our subconscious and inchoate beliefs, attitudes and feelings. So let's say for example, we think we don't have enough money and take a miserly view toward what we do have. In Western literature, we have the Ebenezer Scrooge archetype. In the Buddhist world, we have what are called "hungry ghosts." Both characters hold the belief that there is never enough, and are never satisfied. (You probably know some people like that!) And there are a thousand different ways they interact with their worlds that telegraph their attitudes in subtle manners. People respond in kind, further reinforcing their belief that there isn't enough to go around.
Every human interaction becomes a negotiation, a conflict. Some are so experienced and good at it you hardly even notice. If you pay attention you will feel drained when you are around them. They are continually sucking the life blood of those around them. In return they attract similar types seeking to draw energy blood from them. Large egos seem to attract larger egos. These relationships tend to fail in a relatively short period one way or another.
LOA says the reverse is true. If we go around smiling, feeling like life is abundant and that there's much to be grateful for, we will act with openness and generosity of spirit. And people respond to that in kind. No doubt it was this sort of observation that formed the starting point for the Buddha's famous teaching from the Dhammapada:
"Experiences are preceded by mind, led by mind, and produced by mind. If one speaks or acts with an impure mind, suffering follows as the cart-wheel follows the hoof of the ox.. If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness follows like a shadow that never departs." Observe your thoughts -- they manifest themselves in your physical reality.
I am so very thankful to those who have purchased my books and have provided such articulate commentary in response to the books' message.
Warmest Regards,
Peter Baksa.
private blog on tumblr. cut and paste:
http://peterbaksa.tumblr.com/
"The Point of Power", available now on Amazon. He is also the author of "It's None of My Business What You Think of Me!: If You Want to Change Your Life ... Change the Way You Are Looking at It". His website is peterbaksa.com.
Follow Peter Baksa on Twitter: www.twitter.com/peterbaksa
Sorry, not true. You can 'think' your body to do something. And I say that from experience.
Period.
"Ah, but modern physics is wrong!" -- Okay, care to provide anything other than anecdotal evidence? No?
Let me know when you're ready to graduate from philosopher to scientist.
such a discovery would shatter the very foundations of knowledge as it now exists."
Testability is a necessary prerequisite for taking your ideas seriously.
elsewhere, possibly in the article itself.
Please define "pureness of thought".
The problem I have with that phrase is the baggage it carries with me and I would wager with most people. 'Pureness of thought' to me implies some God-like or Jesus-like attribute of "goodness", constantly, in ALL thoughts and at ALL times. I know, from experience, that isn't the case. To me, every thought is 'pure', regardless of what the thought is about, simply because of its source. It's just that we are not compelled by
unknown forces to 'act' upon every thought we have. We still choose which thoughts we
wish to manifest based upon our (usually learned) belief in what is or is not possible.
But you do get what you concentrate on.
when you grow up you'll discover connections in your past you weren't conscious of or aware of and will see the role they played in creating "everything" that's "ever" happened to you.
some "things" take time to reveal themselves, but it seems you're so sure that your the cause of your own life you've forgotten that even your birth was decided by at least two other people
the search for an easy "rule" of life only sells books...the fact that people still NEED to buy those books year after years is PROOF those "rules" are rubbish.
pardon me while i go light some incense, my dog farted
Everything I know and believe in, did not come from books.
And yes you can go light some incense, you never know you just might get enlightened.
Positive energy begets positive energy, but it does not change reality. If people honored the god in themselves, the god in others and the god in nature, they will find significant peace and joy.
and it's Planck. not Plank.