TheEnlightenedWon

Hey folks, I thought I was "enlightened before" but I wasn't... The final step took months but it finally came in the form of a very simple realization - there is no I to be enlightened. I had heard people talk about it this concept and thought I "understood" it, but experiencing it as a reality is a whole other thing. This video helped me a lot: ^ Adyashanti talks about this and nothingness (which is related to no self in my experience) in other videos

^ There's a lot in my previous post that is open to misinterpretation. Don't overthink it. You're probably overthinking it right now even if you don't think you are. Not thinking you're overthinking it is a thought. All that needs to be done is this: Sit. Experience reality. Don't overthink it.

I like this question. Taking the time to sit, be, and observe. There will be many excuses that arise. See them for what they are. You are not the one making the excuses, they simply arise. Continue taking time to sit. Eventually coming to a place where thoughts quiet and I am at one with the experience. Sometimes the experience is very "unpleasant", "confusing", etc, and the mind wants to take over. There is nothing wrong with just experiencing these sensations. Some of the things that helped me most were realizing: 1) I am not the creator of my thoughts. They arise. 2) I am not the creator of the sensations in my body. They arise. 3) You see: If I am not the creator of either the thoughts in my mind or the sensations in my body, then who is desiring to make decisions? This leads to the realization of no free will. Or another way to say it, the realization that "free will" is a sensation or a thought that spontaneously arises. The statement of these realizations didn't help me. I had to sit down, and experience it. But think about this: If I was TRYING to have a specific experience, I would be presupposing agency. The realization of no agency can only occur when agency is not presupposed. The solution is to sit for long durations and see the way that you truly operate - the way your thoughts & sensations arise, etc. Just observe and see clearly. That is all. It's not supposed to be any one way. It's not supposed to be pleasant. Or peaceful. Or happen in X amount of time. Those are all personal preferences which must be seen clearly for what they are. That is all you have to do. See what's happening within you without trying to restrain or compel it in any way. Hope this helps. Correct, applies to us all. Any more questions?

Sometimes ^ Questions like "what is it like" and "can you tell us if XYZ (thing that can't be proven or disproven) is true?" are distractions in my experience.

Nah

One inch at a time I already answered the first question in this thread. Pain, longing, glimpses of "truth", the sense of something greater than "this". Plenty of "trauma". Although whether the trauma caused my desire for consciousness or was a result of it I don't know. Also, I had a great teacher. 1. There is the possibility of a greater understanding still 2. Uncertain. If you woke up from a dream that you had always thought of as real, how would you know that the "base reality" you woke up into was in fact the base reality and not another dream? 3. There is not a separate dream from reality. You're in reality. The dream is your distorted perception of it. Letting go of distortions doesn't modify the nature of reality, much like letting go of an object doesn't initiate gravity. Although it can certainly change your experience of it. 4. Sure

^ I dunno. When you figure it out, be sure to tell me @Clown Nah, I'm good Creating a habit of present moment awareness. I don't really keep track like that. I'd say its worth a visit. ^ I had an weird ass month long experience in 2017 that involved "heaven", reading people's minds, overwhelming states, and I thought this state was "it" and something I had to get back to. So I thought it would be like that. And I was trying to get back. Then I realized all over the place. @Sri McDonald Trump Maharaj What's the difference like on an MRI? I'd be down to take it if someone wants to pay...

@robdl There's a salad served in a cafe near me thats pretty good. Artichoke Hearts, Roasted Red Pepper, Red Onion, Tomato, Avocado, Fresh Mozzarella, Chicken. @Leo Gura Who wants to know? @starsofclay Lol

I got the answers you're looking for. What I say is open for misinterpretation. Ask me anything.

@alyra take a hike

@NoSelfSelf You can still do your job without controlling your mind. You can do anything without controlling your mind.

@Shanmugam @Saumaya Maybe you guys can help me understand something... I had an experience last year that lasted a about a month where my body was "destroyed" by the energy of God and I became all that is. Eventually, the experience ended. Since then, similar experiences have reoccured several times - mostly after smoking weed and meditating. The experiences had different elements at different times - sometimes infinity/infinite love, sometimes the sensation of being all that is, sometimes experiencing a what feels like another person's ego including their thoughts and past, or seeing through people's surface reality into the true beauty underneath. I have since stopped smoking weed. I feel as though I am an awareness with an Ego inside of me. Sometimes my awareness drifts and I become identified with the Ego inside. When I am aware of identifying with Ego, I can easily let go and just enjoy being. I still have "bad" habits and thought patterns such as procrastination or a sensation of minor irritation at another person. I don't view these as problems, and they seem to resolve themselves on observation. For the most part, the feeling of seeking is gone - whether seeking Enlightenment or anything else. I can feel reality flowing through me - sometimes stronger and sometimes more faintly - but I do not actively experience the full realizations of it that I have had in the past. Is this what people call Enlightenment? There seems to be a clearer view of reality that I experienced in the past and no longer do.

That worldly activity - and in fact activities that could be perceived externally as low-consciousness such as having plenty of sex with multiple partners, eating fast food 5 days a week, or earning lots of money (perhaps through illicit means) - are not necessarily in conflict with Enlightenment. Some on this forum seem to discourage continued development. They don't seem to understand that doing is a form of being. For instance, take a look at these responses to a thread I posted... My question was about continuing development of the mind after Enlightenment: My question was about action and I got responses about inaction. Interesting, no?

^^ OH, and he also made like $53,000 in the past three months. Forgot to mention that.