abrakamowse

@Natasha It seems to me that the mind needs something to hold on, because of fear. It can't be alone without creating a "reality" and it does that by labeling, that's true. Is always looking for something. Today I realized that I have to stop desiring enlightenment. I mean, I knew that from the beginning. But is like today I had a certainty that I really need to stop wishing enlightenment. Because in the desire itself it is the "thing" that prevents enlightenment to happen. Thanks for your input! Really good pointer.

The question as to what causes the illusion of things has already assumed the existence of a thing that could cause the illusion. Apparent ignorance is causeless - because there is no real ignorance.

Try to see what there's in the now and don't impose ideas about anything. Just search for Direct Experience. And trust your intuition.

Maybe is a different kind of life... probably that new life will open unexpected things. He mentions that at the end of the video. I think about that very often, when you are close to enlightenment or when you are interested in it a lot of things lose sense. Because you don't cling to them anymore, and you realize that you don't need anything. :-)

We have to see reality distorted to survive as "human beings" Check this video https://www.ted.com/talks/donald_hoffman_do_we_see_reality_as_it_is

I had a short experience, while my wife was cutting my hair I sat and relaxed and I thought, I will meditate while she cut my hair. Suddenly it was amazing, I felt I wasn't there anymore. Everything was flowing and happening so naturally. I felt like I was a shell with no content. I am just trying to explain how it felt, but it wasn't exactly like that... there's no words to explain it. It was just some seconds, but it felt like a lot. I think it was less than a second. I will continue meditating and see how this unfolds. Just wanted to share guys! Thanks @Azrael for posting your experience.

They can be dead or alive, I think I will exclude the obvious like Jesus, Buddha, prophets, etc... Mine are Mooji Alan Watts Jed McKenna Eckhart Tolle D.T. Suzuki Shunryū Suzuki Those are some, the most important at this moment.

Thanks for this topic, now I realized how I talk about other people. Not about co workers or friends, family. The sneaky behavior came to me hiding or in disguise in the form of talking bad about politics, actors, famous people... Now I realize that, that's the same thing I was trying to avoid!!! The ego is really tricky! Thanks for posting this topic OP!!!

God is reality, our true nature, consciousness, our higher self... the universe... but none of those words describe him, because "he/she" is indescribable. For that reason Ramana and Nisagardatta called "him/her" THAT. Anyway, THAT is also a word that can't describe God/Reality. One of the best descriptions for me is I AM. The bible says when Moises ask God who was him, God said "I AM that I AM"... that can be translated as "he/she is existence"... "he/she" just IS.

@Random User Try labeling meditation also known as noting meditation. It's really good to become more detached from thoughts. https://youtu.be/StBTuX0tqU8

It's easy, if you go to the home of the forum, you will see it is divided in several themes or topics. I tend to go more frequently to this section (the one we are now) called "Meditation, Consciousness, Enlightenment, Spirituality "

@Tano I understand, thanks for sharing!!!

@Tano I am on his forums, he's really good. I want to meet him someday. Why was it a shocker?

@S33K3R Same thing is happening to me. And I am noticing that doing that makes the "effort" enjoyable and it helps you to improve a lot in whatever you are doing. It's a much better approach.

I think this is a very interesting video, I always have problems setting goals and I think this is a very good perspective. I just wanted to share and read some comments of others experiences about don't setting goals. :-) http://bigthink.com/videos/adam-alter-want-to-succeed-dont-set-goals-set-systems

@Real Eyes I found it on a group in Facebook from Liberation Unleashed... I asked the original poster if I could share it and he told me it was OK because it wasn't from him... so, I have no idea really who is the author... :-) I think they have no problem if we share it everywhere...

This paper serves a fourfold purpose 1) To confuse the reader 2) To obscure what it should illuminate 3) To enhance the self-esteem of the author 4) To kick your ass further Honest looking brought me here and what have been seen is: 'I' is a thought. Thought arise from memory (intuitive archetypal or individual). Memory arise from experience. Experience arise from perception. A thought can not think, and perception cannot perceive. There is no 'you' to perceive. Just perceiving happening. No you to be aware. Just awareness. And here in this honest looking, is where the 'I' or 'ego-structure' instantly collapse and the illusion of self is seen.The fact that it has been seen will stay as true and change the viewing perspective for good, and forever make this insight recognizable. It can't be unseen. When you have seen a giraffe in reality you'll have no trouble recognizing it , and see the difference from imagination of say the Capricorn or Donald Duck... The difference of reality and thoughts about it. The impact varies. For some people the collapse of the ego is permanent, and they are 'done' and have no trouble with letting go, trusting and resting in the pure creative intelligence of life unfolding. But for most the 'ego-structure' just don't give up so easily even though it has been seen to be an illusion. To die, or a complete annihilation of the 'I' as a fixed foundation, is very scaring on deep levels of the mind. And it fights back afraid of loosing grip. The 'I'-thought is like a cannibal living on other thoughts in an attempt to survive. Due to long time habitual functioning of the mind the 'I' or ego will hide in the background behind every thought (most clearly in communication) and create some form of identification. And that's why a forum like this , and those branching from it, can be very helpful tools. As can meditation (effortless non-judgemental awareness) and Satsang (Sanskrit सत्सङ्ग sat = true, sanga = company). Honest looking is just as important in what is happening after seeing no self. Having passed The Gate all that is left, is to keep looking at the depth of the implications of no-you . So, Looking is the only technique you'll ever need, provided honesty is your compass. Being aware of our own fantasies/beliefs tend to dissipate the unconscious power of it, loosening its hold on us. This is why consciously examining the ego loosens much of its grip. The principle of the ego is unconsciousness . Whereas the power of conscious awareness enlightens what is unconscious in us, and thus frees us from conditioned compulsive necessity to cling to it. Post gate some part of the ego is able to develop a sense of direction and function as 'guide' for questioning beliefs and thoughts arising from conditioned and habitual mind, exactly as direct pointing initially did, and make way for seeing 'no-you' again and again and again. In a loop out in 'investigation' back to see no-self. In this looping , apparent separation engenders the searching. When there is no one, there is no loop and there won’t be any questions. No agent. Not here, not there, not anywhere is an agent to be found. Progress is paradoxically possible because things are seen to be empty with no inherent 'foundation'. It simply just gives action/reaction a new dimension. So mind is not your enemy it's just the way it works. This will automatically make the functioning of the mind change as it sees that its conditioning has nothing to cling to but the illusion of and 'I'. And as the fear of annihilation is overcome 'you' or 'self' or 'separate entity' becomes more and more transparent before identification disappears totally. 'You' is dying but there's still living....( Note that this does not imply 'being like the animals', cold nothingness, nihilism or lack of motivation or initiative.)...This doesn't mean depersonalization, just that the persona is seen not to be a inherent fixed entity (in fact nothing is), and seeing this is liberation from clinging to it. It is not disappearing but clinging to it ceases. If to be or not to be is the question, to be and not to be is the answer. The process, or work after the Gateless Gate, will therefore be different for the apparent individuals, though following the same pattern of less and less resistance. Only reluctantly the mind will admit that it hasn't any clue whatsoever of what is going on, and shuts up when all expectations, ideas, believes and concepts must be rejected. In this silence a transcendental revelation happens that can not be conceptualized and understood. There is no 'understander'. There is no 'you' back there making it all happen. There isn't even a 'you' back there watching it all happen. There is no entity back there that is aware of what is going on. Awareness is simply arising because the right conditions are in place for awareness to arise. Then recognition happens that there truly is no separation between awareness and the object of awareness - they are one and the same. There is absolutely nothing left to identify with. Do not suppose that what you realize becomes your knowledge and is grasped by your consciousness. Although actualized immediately, the inconceivable may not be apparent. Its appearance is beyond your knowledge. This doesn't mean that you give up thinking. Imagination and abstract thinking is very useful and not a feature to avoid. It just means that the idea of a self is seen as an idea , and not identified with. It is indeed possible not to have self-referential thoughts at all, and no thought at all when not needed . But non-self-referential thoughts used for planning and problem solving are are showing up spontaneously. Self-referential thoughts, are emotional and "sticky" while planning/problem solving thoughts are not. Stillness is the base so to say. Same goes for stories. Stories are the human way of expression. The perspective from which it is viewed is crucial to the way action takes place, and seeing through the illusion of self changes the perspective radically. However, do not be fooled by the conceptual paradox that such gradual development or evolution implies cosmological or psychological distance to be covered. The direct path is in your face all the time. There is no 'you' to be enlightened. There never was. BUT BE AWARE: This is just words picked up in the flow. And they are like shadows from a visitor carrying a torch behind his back. There is a danger of regarding words as names: for then they create forms or images which perpetuate ignorance while creating an illusion of knowledge (grasped by a knower)!!!!! From wherever and whenever this insight is communicated, it has no connection with end-gaining, belief, practise or process. It cannot be taught but is constantly shared. Because it is all that is, no individual can lay claim to it. It needs not to be argued, proven or embellished, for it stands alone simply as it is, and can only remain unrecognised and rejected, or realised and lived. This morning a blackbird was sitting in the top of an apple-tree singing , and expressed the simplicity of awakening , far better than words. It is indeed a gateless gate. Bon voyage.

Knowledge will awake your consciousness, what you have to avoid is to seek for "information"... read those things that resonate in you, follow your intuition and the knowledge will give fruits.

Great explanation @Azrael

You are welcome. You will notice the effects almost immediately. At least that was what happened to me. After meditating some days I noticed how easy it becames to "dissolve" negative thoughts. It's like the mind or the brain becomes accustomed to see that the thoughts are independent and happen anyway. The brain is like a machine, you can train it to change your perspective. The other thing is that the senses are the only thing that you can be sure of, they are the only thing that makes you perceive the "outside" world. You don't know if what you see is exactly that, because when you see the light hits in your eye, then it sends electrical signals to the brain, that are interpreted in a way where you see the "solid" world. But you don't know that, you don't see the objects and even the light that hits your eyeball you don't really see it. So the "labeling", the senses is the only thing you really know listening, hearing, smelling, seeing, thinking, etc...

Do Nothing = Do Nothing and Mental Masturbation = Mental Masturbation

The labeling what it does is to to stop separating things so much, is like an step to mindfulness. Before you used to name things like table, chair, house, cat, etc... now you just say "hearing". After a while you will see that the mind begin to get accustomed to that and it tends to "separate" from the objects. You are not so involved on the objects when you label them more generically. That also helps to not identify with the thoughts. So, don't worry. Keep doing it until you see the results. Don't try to understand how it works. Just do it and see the results. :-)

Four Noble Truths The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism are stated in simple terms as: Suffering exists Suffering arises from attachment to desires Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path

I did the do-nothing meditation. I could reach to a point where I didn't feel my body. I was just the mind, but I could do it like 10 minutes, after that I couldn't meditate again. Will try that again tonight.