'>favorite 2hu
>TF2 main

Kogasa
Engineer (usually with Gunslinger)';

'>>46638965
Anon, you are being completely silly.

It's not like there's people who believe that various monsters and spirits from legends are actually kind of extradimensional entities.
It's not like there's people who believe that such entities are somehow dependant on human attention for their survival, feeding off on strong emotions.

It's not like there's people who believe such creatures have intentionally shaped human myths for millenia.

It's not like there's basicaly global myths of nearly identical weird non-human creatures like tiny humanoids or demons and they always seem to somehow be doing the same type of things.

It's not like for example tales of encounters with faeries or demons are remarkably similar to modern day reports of UFO encounters, implying these creatures are somehow able to change their appearance to "keep up with the times". It's funny how there's not a Touhou character that did the exact same thing!

And if such creatures were to exists, they most definitively have not steered human society towards a more information dense one. The ancient egyptians didn't develop a fixation on collecting and preserving information as a way to please certain gods.

It's not like there were things like alchemy and astrology that paved way to modern material science and physics that were considered divinely inspired. It's not like practitioners of these arts also practiced magic and communed with spirits. Newton surely wasn't alchemist who considered his scientific pursuits secondary to his spiritual pursuits.

And even if such things existed, surely it ended by the modern age. It's not like Jack Parsons, father of american rocketry, was deeply involved in occultism. He most definitively DID NOT summon the "ufonauts". Seymour Cray, father of the supercomputer, didn't have a weird hobby of digging a tunnel under his house and getting ideas from "elves" there. Quantum physicist don't babble like mystics and there is no statue of Shiva in the premises of CERN. Psychedelics don't open up people to the influence of these entities and people involved in the IT revolution didn't use and abuse these substances.

So in short, it's absolutely silly to think that "Gensokyo" would exist as some kind of a spirit realm and that it's inhabitats could somehow access our communication infrastructure. People who have an intuition that the internet is full of "demons" are absolutely wrong! The idea that these spirits could somehow evolve to live on for example human adoration or sexual attention is not true! There are no examples of historical spirit creatures doing such. The profuse creativity these games cause in some people is just a coincidence, no human culture ever has attributed creativity to spirit creatures!

It's not like the existence of Nue, Miko or Yukari's and Kogasa's neediness for human attention are subtle hints to the reality of Gensokyo! It's not like there is some "Hifuu Club" metanarrative about outsiders finding out about Gensokyo with ill results! None of it is real! We need to go back to discussing cutesokyo vs grimsokyo and pondering the aromas and drop these speculations now!!';

'That's dumb, if the two hoos were really posting on the jay, then how come I am still single despite my repeated professions of love and adoration for Yuuka Kazami, the flower master of the four seasons and master of the Dream Manor?';

'>>46638965
THE GENSOKYO!
THE GENSOKYO IS REEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!';

'>>46639218
>We need to go back to discussing cutesokyo vs grimsokyo and pondering the aromas and drop these speculations now!!
THAT'S IT! Anons, don't you see? This is clearly Yukari trying to deny all the conspiracies around Gensokyo by bringing up
the never ending cutesokyo vs grimsokyo discussion! It's their strategy to keep us outside the truth of what is truly happening!
This is what I mean when I say that they are manipulating us, there's clearly something big going on under our noses and
some posts like this are trying to cover it down.

In fact, I have a theory that says that Yukari and others are trying to cover Gensokyo existence and conspiracies around it
by controlling the touhou fandom and /jp/ with dumb discussions like that instead of focusing on what's truly important!';

'>>46639347
Maybe because she has at least 2 working brain cells and won't accept the confession of a random 4chan /jp/ user?';

'>>46639499
No that can't be the case.
I guess she just never saw them. I'll keep telling the world how much I love her until she does notice them.';

'>>46639478
I'm not Yukari!!! Why would I implicate myself in this conspiracy if I was!? All I'm saying is that these speculations are really silly and when people get very silly they can get into trouble! Maribel and Renko were two silly besties and it gave them nothing but grief!

It's also an absurd notion that Yukari would encourage the canon discussions as a cover up to some really silly conspiracy theories! They aren't using the discussions to sustain people's interest in Gensokyo either, or to generate strong emotions caused by the different parties' commitments to their beliefs!
>>46639347
>>46639499
Yuuka and all the other Touhou characters don't have thousands, maybe tens of thousands of people offering them their attention, adoration and energies in a twisted form of worship. Surely a single anon could get the attention and favor of such an entity. If one were to exist! Which they most definitively don't!';

'>>46639639
>Maribel and Renko were two silly besties and it gave them nothing but grief!
>pic
Now that I think about it, how come Maribel and Renko haven't been already killed by the FBI or the Japanese government, like for example the hundreds of scientists that had a cure for cancer?';

'>>46639639
>All I'm saying is that these speculations are really silly and when people get very silly they can get into trouble!
WE don't care. Even if we get discriminated, even if we get chased, even if we get abused, even if we get killed, here we will be, conspiracy is an idea, you CAN'T kill an idea. You can't kill a revolution before it hasn't even started!';

'>>46639819
They're fictional characters, silly! They can't get killed.
>>46639893
I think "there's real spirits in a japanese computer game" is an idea too silly to be even really born! Don't need to kill something that will never be born!';

'>>46639001
Luna Child/Alice
Scout';

'>>46639218
"All" roads lead to rome anon.';

'>>46639001
>Gunslinger
I hate Kogasa now.';

'>>46644096
What did they mean by this?';

'>>46644117
What's wrong with the gunslinger?';

'You people are retarded. For one, Yukari cant post here because she says she's 17. And if she didn't, she couldn't overcome the technology barrier ironically enough. Despite binding a well tuned and high spec Shikigami to her service she's completely inept on hardware not designed with magic. By extension, people from Gensokyo posting on the internet is just silly. The Kappa have their own network, and the only other source of technology is Kourindou where they've been so waterlogged only a tech wizard and magic could get them to function. That leaves the Animal Realm—which is outside Gensokyo and access to is restricted—as the only place with functioning internet capable PCs, and let me tell you, they haven't a clue on how firewalls work and those idiots fall for phishing scams on the daily, posting on anonymous pet brushing forums is out of the question. Don't fall for the foolish notion that "muh youkai is invading muh board" because they cant. They'd have to be incredibly intelligent and peerless with technology to get onto your precious boards.';

'>>46639001
>Komachi
>Demoman';

'>>46639893
>you CAN'T kill an idea.
You very much can, and they may try. Ideas die when they are forgotten.
On the other hand, propagating a conspiratorial neo-religious conception of these "youkai" might actually give them MORE power. After all, the most powerful gods are the ones we formally worship, and the youkai were much more powerful when their followers thought of them truly religiously.
Hey, wait a second...';

'>>46639001
Remilia
Loose Cannon Hybridknight';

'>>46638965
Sounds like you didn't put in enough effort to beat any of the games and this is the result of your failure. Explain yourself.';

'>>46646353
Now that's just absurd anon! Why would they want someone to spread negative ideas about them, even if such ideas would paint them in a "religious" light? Completely preposterous!';

'>>46646636
I'm not sure it'll be universally seen as a negative thing. Some people on this board are already too far gone. The effect it might have on them...';

'>>46638965
>There are 2hus posting in /jp/ RIGHT NOW! With us! Gensokyo somehow
has access to the internet
Ran if you're reading this please know that I love you, more than any other touhou. I would gladly become your shikigami servant lover boy. I'll be the son and husband you never had. I'll never be nearly as aloof as Chen or as demanding as Yukari. We can do maths together, cuddle play and kiss and be more...intimate. Please deliver me, save me from this shithole prison planet.';

'>>46646969
Yeah okay get in line asshole I was here first you cant have her.';

'Lads I have bad news...';

'>>46646373
Bro, this thread is a meme, I made it to have some fun with you guys. What the hell do your post have to do with all of this? It is like you just wanted to call someone a secondary.';

'>>46647013
What happened lol?';

'>>46647047
the lewdsokyo isn't real...';

'>>46646784
Umm, I mean, haha, yeah, having people around who have completely passed into fantasy and do nothing but feed constant energy to them would be something THEY would surely like!! Good thing they are NOT REAL!! S-so feel free to continue thinking about the mofu mofu and Aya's aromas and g-getting abducted into the Scarlet Devil Mansion..! It's all just some good fun among the Anons!';

'>>46639001

Marisa
Medic';

'>>46647012
And you will meet oblivion, I can and WILL have her. There won't be a line by the time I''m done with you all.';

'>>46647501';

'You guys are dumb. Touhous like Ran, Yukari, they're too important, too high class. They'll never go out with you.
Anyway, Kogasa, I think you're really cute and terrifying. Would you like to scare me over dinner some time?';

'I aim even higher! I aim to the moon!';

'>>46647553
>>46647501
>>46647012
Imagine fighting for a WOMAN hahaHAHAHA';

'/v/ermin thread. Go back to your secondary circlejerk.';

'>>46639001
Alice
Medic';

'>>46648515
/v/ is a circlejerk?';

'>>46648515
Why is /jp/ so obsessed with /v/? I understand the hate, but at this point it is ridiculous. It is like if /jp/ were secretly in love with /v/ but they hide it with the hate.

Why can't you guys just have fun with a clearly made for fun thread?';

'Alice if you're reading this, I love you and I'm trying to name my daughter after you';

'>>46648567
Why can't you keep your shitposting to /v/?';

'>>46648669
I don't come from /v/ you NIGGER';

'>>46639001
Kaguya
Sniper';

'MEIRA GAMING';

'>>46643433
>"there's real spirits in a japanese computer game"
I don't think you understand. The spirits aren't a part of the game, if anything it's the other way around. The game is part of a complex of ideas, that together form what could be called a spiritual entity: a living nucleus of human thoughts, feelings and actions, reaching out through those actions to touch the real world in mysterious ways.';

'Dubs and Yukari is in the thread RIGHT NOW';

'YUKARI PLS GAP ME';

'>>46639001
Meiling
Demoman';

'>>46639001
Alice
Heavy';

'>>46638965
I dont know lads. I doubt that most of the youkai understand english. They likely just shitposting on 2chan.




Say hello to Alice! (and maybe 1 or 2 of the SDM member)';

'>>46648669
Obsessed.';

'>>46639218
>cutesokyo vs grimsokyo
Literal sectarianism.
>>46644096
Exactly right, and in more ways than we can imagine.';

'>>46653290
But what does all roads lead to Rome mean';

'>>46654150
As an idiom, it means "all choices lead to the same result." In other words, it doesn't matter whether we understand or ignore the spiritual implications of otaku culture, so long as we continue to engage in it.';

'>>46653290
Haha imagine if it wasn't just sectarianism but also some kind of ying-yang thing, cute gives way to grim and then it loops back and both are opposing but interrelated and indivisible from each other! Just a silly thought, don't dwell too much on it!
>>46658272
Not that there of course are any spiritual implications, because that is silly! But just as a thought excercise, becoming aware of the impact of your own behavior on yourself and others can change the way you interact with things. This rarely happens but it can, especially if you end up in some kind of crisis situation!

Thus becoming aware of the spiritual implications of certain forms of otaku culture might either make one radicaly change the ways they engage with it or then make them stop engaging with it entirely!

Becoming rehabilitated from things that can constitute maladaptive coping mechanisms through spiritual means is boring! So let's speculate about the other possibility. Radicaly changing the way you engage with your otaku special interest of choice!

Touhou is super interesting case because it contains so much things derived from real life spiritual traditions, mythologies and has some unsettling, weird, numinous features to it's world, narrative and metanarrative - which are of course SILLY to see as anything else as the phantasmagorias of a high functioning japanese alcoholic man! Please forget he calls himself the high priest of the Hakurei shrine! He is silly!

Anyway, dumb speculative thought excercise with silly implications! Taking in all the things that are NOT going in in this franchise, what would radicaly reconstructing your relationship to Touhou without abandoning it look like??';

'>>46639001
Okuu
Spy';

'>>46658812
>radically change the ways they engage with it
But that's just it. It doesn't matter. Attention is energy, and if you give it energy, it will make use of it. The only question is whether we should or not.';

'>>46639001
Junko
Soldier';

'>>46658272
I always saw the phrase as meaning (you) will reach your destination no matter how you go about it.';

'>>46639001
Remillia
Pyro.

What does this say about my personality?';

'>>46639001
Byakuren
Hoovy';

'What the hell is this shit lmao XD';

'>>46638965
It was obvious! He is the Gensokyo spy! Watch, his suit will turn into a rainbow colored dress any second now.';

'>>46662115
PICHUUUUUUUUUNNNNNN~~';

'>>46639001
Clownpiece
Soldier';

'>>46639001
>Mummyzou
>Medic
I'm too incompetent with guns so medic is the best class for me.';

'>>46661329
If one were to believe this (which is of course silly) then /jp/sies would be pretty cooked! Abandon your identity and try to crawl back to the society that already spat you out once or go on feeding your energies into god knows what! Or maybe run off into a monastery? But there may be just another entity (silly!) feeding of your energies there!? SILLY!

The situation is especially dire if IT (all the silly people have IT or THEM) doesn't give anything back! I have a sneaking suspicion that, if one were to believe any of this, that it might actually be giving back something!

Members of the Touhou fandom seem to suffer from profuse creativity, dominating the OC thread and making quite a lot of effortposting in even non-content threads! Not to mention the whole universe of Touhou fangames, fanart, pornography (what a wonderful energy funnel!), fanfic, merch and god knows what else outside of /jp/. One could say, if one were to believe, that there is an entire creative community around IT!? This might be good??

But of course not all the things IT appears to be giving might be so bening? Why do so many of the fans appear to be developing a fixation on becoming a "2hu"? Does it derive some sort of bizarre enjoyment from doing this? Or does IT want to incarnate itself into our world somehow??? Now that's an extremely silly thought for you all.

Of course this is all very silly and dumb and none of you should take any of this seriously.';

'>>46639001
>Yuyuko
>Medic
I WILL keep my allies alive.
I WILL cave my enemies' skulls in.
With my own skull.
It has smashed a CRT TV open without me sustaining any pain.';

'>>46667028
At last your true motives come out. I always knew you were on their side. The problem is... you might be right.

>Or does IT want to incarnate itself into our world somehow?
The concept of becoming "real" is a vauge one, and I daresay it already has to some extent, at least in terms of the power it exerts on reality. One can certainly imagine its power growing and it becoming even more "real."
What would that look like? You used the word "incarnation" which literally means "to be put into flesh." Are you suggesting "it" might attain a physical form? You seem to be more of an occultist than I, and I wonder if you have some reason to speak in more concerete terms.
And in a way, are we not already its flesh and blood? We are the hands that do its bidding, and the eyes through which it experiences the world and itself. What more could it want? What more could it actually attain?

This is all hypothetical, of course. I have no intention of discerning any religious implications from this discussion, nor of establishing any practices or patterns of thought based on that information.';

'>>46669381
>At last your true motives come out.
W-what do you mean? My only motive is sillyposting.
>I always knew you were on their side.
Absurd notion! I in no way feel some bizarre sense of gratidute towards the franchise! It's totally not like the games were the first thing to which I managed to commit daily practice that lasted over two weeks. It's not like they were the first thing in ages where I felt I could overcome myself. It's not like this kicked off a cascade of self-improvement people usually assign to things like major life crises or spiritual awakening. It's not like I started becoming more and more aware of the real life mythologies and beliefs surrounding the games. It's not like a bizarre chain of synchronities unfolded where I started seeing the difficulty display font everywhere and it terminated only when I bought a book which fron cover used it. The book most definitively didn't fix my mouthbreathing issues which didn't fix my hyperventilation habits. None of such or more has happened, but if something as profoundly silly were to occur to someone with particular background and life experiences, they might develop very silly attidutes and ideas about the cute girl shooter series such as a very strange sense of gratidute.
>it already has to some extent, at least in terms of the power it exerts on reality
Yes, exactly! But that's...getting to the silly territory too.
>What would that look like?
I really don't know anon. But the signs are there for those with the eyes to see and the imagination to go full silly.
>You used the word "incarnation" which literally means "to be put into flesh."
Did you know the whole miko thing apparently originated from a shamanic practice where girls got "possessed"/possessed by spirits? Just a funny aside.
>Are you suggesting "it" might attain a physical form?
There are already people practicing some kind of apotheosis with it, but probably unknowingly. I'm terrified/curious to see what the results would be if someone would do it with full awareness and intent. As for other things, we live in the promised age of AI and robots, yes?
>You seem to be more of an occultist than I
Haha...occultists practice, they don't just compulsively stuff their heads full of contradictory ideas and stew in torment from being unable to commit into any singular belief structure.
>I wonder if you have some reason to speak in more concerete terms
In my sillest hours I may have or may have not entertained thoughts that this type of language is not just a way to speak about things that escape exact scientfic, materialist realms and that there are actual, real, spirits out there and that sometimes, underextraordinary circumstances, they can make themselves seen and felt. But that's insanely silly to think about.
>What more could it actually attain?
I don't know, and an absurdly silly project that might lead it's participants suffering permanent fits of silliness would be trying to ask it.
>This is all hypothetical, of course.
Yes...all just funnyposting between the schizoanons...as it should be...';

'>>46639218
You're acting like some of the characters exist in actual mythology. That's not true at all!';

'>>46671518
You're right, I totally forgot to to mention that there are no characters in the games that are based on actual mythology.

I could almost understand putting something from japanese mythologies, not that it has happened, but anything beyond that is a really stretching it!

It would be absurd if Zun decided to put something from western mythologies into the games. He doesn't like that kind of stuff, he likes cute maids and frills and bloomers, none of the weird polytheistic stuff. Especially not one of the most popular neopagan goddessess. One involved with...boundaries and liminal spaces and magic and all that. Most definitively not into a game widely credited with reviving interest into the series. No way. Never happened!';

'This thread makes me feel weird in an uncomfy kind of way. Have I stepped into something... strange?
>tfw I rediscovered my poetic side over a year after getting into touhou';

'>>46674393
Please do not ponder the implications of the long-supposed existence of thoughtforms as they pertain to touhou project.';

'>>46676377
Why not?
>inb4 'it's silly'';

'>>46677083
>inb4 'it's silly'
Don't worry, I'm not that guy. But like him, I say not to think about it because I want to trick you into thinking about it.
Hopefully enriching your life by giving new meaning to things you enjoy, creating thought patterns that lead to feelings of appreciation and connectedness
in exchange for your attention and spiritual energy
and any hope of freeing yourself from it
as if you had any to begin with ';

'>>46674393
something something /jp/ otaku cult ure';

'>>46674393
>This thread makes me feel weird in an uncomfy kind of way.
Feeling like that in front of these things is both silly and normal at the same time, somehow. Funny how the human mind, after all the efforts to scrub out these things, still responds to it.
>Have I stepped into something... strange?
Did you pass into fantasy?
>tfw I rediscovered my poetic side over a year after getting into touhou
That's lovely.
>>46677083
>Why not?
>inb4 'it's silly'
The dangers of going silly really boil down to two very real things and one that is hopefully only a hypothetical and a metaphor taken too far.

First danger of going silly is becoming silly in front of others. Because we live in a very materialistic culture and because the spiritual scene is a notorious magnet for schizos, tryhards and posers talking about these things is a really fast way to becoming seen as a weirdo. The meme is that /jp/sies are used to ostracism, and that might be true, but it's also possible to become the weirdo among the weirdos. And going to "the spiritual scene" as someone who has started from "hey I noticed this one video game series everyone says is made by an alcoholic lolicon pervert has a lot of real life mythological inspirations and a strange spiritual quality to it" will get you laughed out.

The second danger is becoming silly yourself. This stuff is a rapid transit system to a complete la la land if you can not keep your orientation, wits and moral core. This will annihilate your worldview and rebuild you. Some of the spiritual practices put you into literal altered states of mind, even without any substances involved, which mind you, many of the people involve. The spiritual scene is full of pseuding, manipulation, predatory "gurus" and completely delusional people. But there is genuine, vast insight below all the crap and you have to somehow dig it out while retaining your integrity without becoming some kind of esoteric racist, exploited thrall of a cult, total egomaniac or just flat out insane.

The last and silliest danger is that the most silliest of notions, that there are actual, real spirit entities out there is real. I can't make up my mind about this. I can have three different opinions about this during a single day. If there are real spirits, I think we are completely SOL as humanity. Banishing them with salt or iron or spells or prayer would be the biggest cope in world history. Or perhaps I just lack faith in humanity or divinity and I'm too afraid of forces that are most likely just extremely elaborate projections of human cognition.
>>46677347
>I say not to think about it because I want to trick you into thinking about it.
Haha nooooo I'm just a silly little guy making his silly little schizo posts! It's not that talking about this stuff earnestly feels too bizarre and sincere and crazy either haha!
>Hopefully enriching your life by giving new meaning to things you enjoy, creating thought patterns that lead to feelings of appreciation and connectedness
It really is beatiful. The apreciation and connectedness part is especially wonderful because you can only go so far before you start feeling yourself more apreciative of first yourself, then others, and that ideally would lead to greater connections with other people. Ideally.';

'>>46678704
>I can't make up my mind about this
Why do you need to? All "truths" are analogies, any label we give to something is arbitrary, and reality exists entirely within the mind of the observer.
You could say there are "real" "living" "conscious" spiritual "beings" with "physical forms"
Or you could say there are swirling fractal patterns of collective thought, that manifest into the world through people's words and actions, and make their way into your reality through your own mind.
There's no need for these to be distinct concepts. Viewed from a materialist perspective, one is an analogy for the other, and one might even say a rather apt one. And since analogy is the only form of truth, if the analogy is apt, that means it's true, to the extent anything can be true.
Approaching the truth from a materialist perspective is a needless abstraction, however. It's necessary for some people because our culture is materialist, and will not allow us to believe anything that it can't justify. But even materialism is just an analogy, and it's possible to approach the truth from other directions if you have an open mind.
Reality exists in the mind of the observer, and more people throughout history have lived in a reality with living gods than without.';

'>>46681209
>Why do you need to?
Because it's very stressful not to come to some more or less definitive conclusion about something that I am so interested in. It is also very crucial for if and to what kind of direction I want to go with any spiritual practices.
>reality exists entirely within the mind of the observer
I find it hard to belive that it exists entirely within the mind of the observer. I think perception of reality largely does. Interpretation of events and the meanings we give to them certainly is. But the bear in the woods is also real, and if you do not respect it's reality it might eat you.

But are the orbs of light in the woods which distort human perception and trick people into eating poisonous mushrooms real like the bear is? Are demons real? Angels? The gods of old? The capital G-god? The inhabitants of Gensokyo?
>it's possible to approach the truth from other directions if you have an open mind
It certainly is and I would say I am very good at juggling different perspectives which have also included "I'm insane" and "I am really good at projecting vague anxieties into supernatural entities which may or may not exist" and I certainly hope it's more of the latter.
>more people throughout history have lived in a reality with living gods than without
The idea is certainly incredibly appealing and there is probably a reason why it is so.';

'>>46669964
GIWTWM!!!!!';

'>>46681372
The bear is real because it's made of atoms, right? This notion is a recent Western materialist invention that I find preposterous.
Orbs of light, angels, gods, God - They can also kill you. People have seen them and truly believe to have seen them. They can talk to people, influence people, consume people. They can think. Regardless of what you imagine them to be made of, these are indisputable facts. How can we say they aren't real?
Some of these phenomena have rational explanations, but those are merely arbitrary reductionisms to a framework, and not the whole truth. The bear is a collection of atoms, but it's also a bear - both are true. Likewise God is a collection of thoughts but also a god.
If you're looking for a definitive explanation, I can't help you. I can tell you that living, breathing beings, even consciousnesses, can exist and be made out of thoughts, but I can't tell you what their biology is like or how their minds work. The abhorrence modern science holds for analogies, and the degeneration of religion brought on by rampant materialism, has made it difficult to study these things.';

'>>46639001
Marisa

I main Trolldier';

'A fun thing anons should check out even though it's not very /jp/ it plays with a lot of the ideas I've read from here and (you) may have a fun time reading and thinking about it. Mage the ascension.';

'>>46683081
Anon, I hate to break it to you, but the idea that reality is a collective hallucination and can be altered by perception has been around since before written language. also TTRPGs are lame

My recommendation if you want to read about something really interesting that has a lot to say on this topic is to read up on Zen, and Buddhism in general.';

'The only 2hu dreams I get have Yukari in them.
What does it mean jaypees?';

'>>46683187
Unfortunately Zen and Buddhism don't touch much on the topic of the phasing out of magical practice through science, the strength of the outside world.';

'>>46638965
If you are a 2hu lurking right now from Gensokyo
reply to this post or you will get pregnant tonight';

'>>46681381
I don't know if I should encourage you or not, but you know that could be you, right?
>>46682411
>Orbs of light, angels, gods, God - They can also kill you.
Yes, but are we talking it about in some "haha the memeplex possesses (You) and you are no longer (You) so you're dead" way or "you can whip yourself into a panic attack so severe you die of hypertensive crisis" way or what?
>How can we say they aren't real?
Well yes, there's plenty of kinda intangible things that affect people that can harm them and even others, but I still think there is a substantial difference between intangible real thing makes you a drooling nutjob, intangible real thing made someone a political extremist that killed you and intangible real thing chomps your head off like the bear can.

Because if they can bite our heads clean off I suppose it's better to hope all those banishment rituals and salt and iron nails sure work, at least if we really really really believe they do!!!
>I can tell you that living, breathing beings, even consciousnesses, can exist and be made out of thoughts, but I can't tell you what their biology is like or how their minds work.
But can you tell what's their extent of influence, can they directly affect physical things?
>The abhorrence modern science holds for analogies, and the degeneration of religion brought on by rampant materialism, has made it difficult to study these things.
Very much agree here! It's sad! Especially when we are talking about one of the most relevant things related to the nature of reality.
>>46683081
It's great! I haven't played it, but the lore is great and the system of trying to make spells that don't shatter people's ideas of reality too much is really interesting.

Also, it has a lot of the same themes as we have been talking about because it draws from real life occultism and esotericism to an extreme degree, it's not just something that was made up on a whim.

And I think it could be very /jp/ if you wanted it to be. For example, what if the Hakurei Barrier doesn't protect us from them, it protects them from the concencus?
>>46683187
I find the idea of the Concencus that tries to get itself back together very interesting, and since 2019 we have seen at least two major world events where I personally really felt our very real Concencus stitching itself back together bizarrely fast. It's interesting even on a mundane level.
>read up on Zen, and Buddhism in general
Recommend us some sources, then!
>>46683228
Of course you dream of the boundary youkai, do you even need to ask?';

'>>46683742
>Concencus
I can't tell if this is a spelling error or some esoteric term I haven't head of yet.';

'>>46683742
what does it mean if every time i've done large doses of acid or dissociatives koishi has appeared in some way or fashion? i agree with what's being implied, but it's getting scary levels of familiar for me. she appears in my dreams, she tells me she's me and i'm her, and not in the generic canon that typically implies that being without consciousness = without conscience, but in a selfless, lovefilled kind of way of someone who wishes to be no more than witness consciousness. regardless of past drug use, taking drugs made me realize the way i am. in this way, the bear in the woods became obvious when i finally understood (yet also will never be able to adequately put into words) what ego death is in itself. it fills me with a desire to take more (LSD the absolute most), but i can't decide if it's exactly the safest. it's helped me accept myself, reality (as in the reality as humans know), and filled me with a profound sense of interconnection to everyone and everything, grounding me to my own experience while letting me forgive myself for the helpless way i used to feel and came to understand things (in ignorance). it taught me mindfulness in a world where i otherwise wanted to constantly kill myself, where i hated myself for virtually no reason, where nothing had any point whatsoever - and honestly, i still struggle with the thought loops, but at least i have some kind of power over them now, a much more profound sense of self awareness that becomes the color life is painted in.. the best way to put it, is that the mind is a mountain. we carve and wear it down with our thoughts, like water over millions of years. when ego death comes, it is like snow has covered it instead of rain, and we can no longer see ourselves. but, when one cannot rip themselves off a path their mind is so dead set in, flowing down with the gravity of that which has been carved against our will, like an avalanche our guts spill and things are fucked forever. i am scared of this happening to me as i go down this path.. perhaps it'll just be sledding forever for me, but i can't also say i don't see speaking from within this analogy that something awful, terrible could happen. all i know is that koishi is nothing but pure love and i am happy to be her friend. thank you koishi.';

'>>46639001
Kokoro
Scout (I'm a fan of mobility)';

'>>46639001
Kanako
Medic
Something about efficiently healing while dodging literally everyone out to rip you a new one is satisfying.';

'>>46683742
My point is, the fact that one can kill you by rearranging your atoms and the other by rearranging your thoughts is a needless distinction. The physical realm and the mental one are equally real.
In fact, in a lot of ways the mental realm is more real. It's possible for a mind to be completely disconnected from reality - we call that insanity. But a mind completely disconnected from thoughts and ideas is no mind at all.

>>46689536
I've been in a similar place to you. My advice is that your mental journey is a pilgrimage across a vast unknown land, through all kinds of climates and terrain. Your goal should be to find the place where you're happiest, settle there and build a home. If you get too enamored with the thought of paradise just over the next hill, you may find yourself falling off a cliff.';

'>>46689101
Just a typo.
>>46689536
>what does it mean if every time i've done large doses of acid or dissociatives koishi has appeared in some way or fashion?
I don't have the answer other than that's super fascinating.
>lovefilled kind of way of someone who wishes to be no more than witness consciousness
If Koishi were to be real/"real" then she might genuinely enjoy such very much.
>i am scared of this happening to me as i go down this path
It sounds like you have gained a lot from your experiences already. Overdoing it might just lead you to pass into fantasy.
>>46691765
>The physical realm and the mental one are equally real.
Well I guess I need to do something about the entities/my paranoid fixation on them wanting to harm me then!
>I've been in a similar place to you.
Was it Koishi that appeared to you too?
>Your goal should be to find the place where you're happiest, settle there and build a home.
That would be my advice too. I suppose that goes for basicaly everyone!

I'm still interested in good sources on Zen buddhism if you were that anon.';

'>>46639001
Yuuka
Medic';

'>>46683742
>>46692190
>sources on Zen buddhism
I was hoping you'd ask that :)
Here goes:

Deep Dive into Emptiness
https://www.lionsroar.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Deep-Dive-into-Emptiness.pdf
Emptiness is the central concept of Buddhist philosophy. Understanding it is not only essential to understanding anything else in Buddhism, but also to understanding the world.
Western science and most Western secular philosophies have emptiness at their core without even realizing it. Some call it nihilism, but the Buddhist innovation is that once you've broken the universe down into nothing, you can build it back up into something full of happiness and peace.
The reason this justifies spirituality is simple: Once you admit that a "self" is only created by our perceiving it as one, you realize you can "create" a self by perceiving it. This is what I've been getting at by saying the mind creates the world.
If you read only one thing, read this.

Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment by Robert Wright
https://ia802504.us.archive.org/view_archive.php?archive=/32/items/rehat-dulu-22052022/REHAT%20DULU%20%2822052022%29.zip&file=REHAT%20DULU%20%2822052022%29%2FINPUT%20DATA%2FARCHIVE%2FPANDANGAN%2FKEBUDDHAAN%2FWhy%20Buddhism%20Is%20True%20The%20Science%20and%20Philosophy%20of%20Meditation%20and%20Enlightenment%20by%20Robert%20Wright%20%28z-lib.org%29.pdf
As someone from an engineering and scientific background, I find this book to be a nice aid in building toward Buddhist thought from a materialist perspective, which is kind of what I've been trying to do in this thread. I generally don't think this is the best approach to understanding, but if you're someone who's trapped in that way of thinking, this might help open the door. It's also just a great intro to Buddhism.
There are two main things I think you can take away from this book. The first is that it's possible to be spiritual and materialist at the same time.
The second is a little more intricate: because Buddhist thought is able to map so well onto our totally divergent Western way of thinking, it must have even greater aspects that we can't even see. Imagine it like a great tree: our little bush of Western materialism can exist completely under its canopy. In other words, once you've grasped the narrow part of Buddhism that maps neatly onto Western philosophy, you've only just begun.

(1/2)';

'>>46697628

(2/2)

If you're already on board with emptiness, just want something lighter, or want to actually practice Buddhist meditation, a general overview of Zen would be a great place to start. Check this out:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/japanese-zen/
The reason I love Zen in particular is because it has a great outlook on how to approach thought, and what it believes wisdom and enlightenment to be. I think if you wanted to actually practice Buddhism, this is where you should look. It has a practical view of wisdom and its applicability to everyday life, and its meditation techniques are built with this in mind, and are therefore both practical and accessible to a Western audience.

My main advice when studying Buddhism is to treat the commandments of the religion as the end result of the philosophy, and not as a foundation. The foundations of Buddhism are ideas that have extremely deep implications, and the lifestyle is only reached from that starting point by a long personal journey, and may not even be where you end up.
Ignore texts that focus on the commandments and telling you how to live, how monks live and meditate, self-improvement BS disguised as philosophy, etc. Instead, try to grasp the core of the philosophy, and let it guide you on your own way to understanding. As this beautiful page (which I again encourage you to read and think on) >>46681209 so eloquently puts it, the religion itself is only a means to an end - that end being true understanding.
That said, I do think Zen has a lot of good ideas about how to go about the journey, such as meditation techniques and thought experiments.

I find Buddhist philosophy and Buddhism to be endlessly fascinating. There's so much we can learn from it, and it can be taken in so many directions. The idea that someone not only realized the ultimate truth of the universe so many millennia ago, but also dedicated himself to preserving this knowledge by creating a whole religion around it, such that we can still appreciate it despite being thousands of years removed culturally, linguistically, and historically, is inexpressibly awe-inspiring and wonderful. We owe it to him and everyone who has carried this knowledge forward to try to understand it, and we stand to gain everything if we can make the most of this gift they've given us.';

'>>46697628
>>46697640
Wow, that's a lot more than what I asked for and much better presented than I expected. Thank you for this.

I really apreciate you pointing me directly towards the core and attempting to link this all to western thought which I am much more familiar with.

I will read both Deep Dive into Emptiness and Why Buddhism is True. Both seem very much worth the time.';

'>>46639001
wriggle scout';