Mason Riggle

Tryjng to be like yourself, and trying not to be like yourself, are the same thing. They are both 'what you are doing' which is 'being like yourself'.

If you cut a hole in a net, it has less holes in it.

“When I was quite young and quite small for my size, I met an old man in the Desert of Drize. And he sang me a song I will never forget, at least, well, I haven’t forgotten it yet. He sat in a terribly prickly place, but he sang with a sunny sweet smile on his face…” “When you think things are bad, when you feel sour and blue, when you start to get mad… You should do what I do! Just tell yourself, Duckie, you’re really quite lucky! Some people are much more…Oh, ever so much more…Oh, muchly much-much more unlucky than you!” - Dr. Seuss

I'd like to remain asleep, but I keep waking up!!

@Zeitgeist ??

@Zeitgeist This conversation is happening, isn't it? Is the 'you' that's having this conversation the same 'you' that's growing your hair? Your hair still grows, even though you're not trying to grow it. "Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water." - Zen proverb.

@Zeitgeist when I comment, it's just more me being me. When we talk about anything.. more being. Can you stop 'being you'? Trying to 'stop being you' is just more 'being you'. Aren't you always 'being you'? How hard are you trying to 'be yourself'? It's effortless, because you're not 'doing it'..

@Zeitgeist We're being.. doing is an illusion. There is just 'being', and you're always 'doing that'. Consider: What do trees do, other than 'be trees'? Which part of the tree is responsible for how it is? There is no 'you'.. there is no 'doing'. It's all happening, and no one is 'doing it'.

@Gesundheit well that's awfully nice of him. ?

So.. according to the devil, thoughts come from the devil?

Where did thoughts about Islam come from?

exactly. It can be recognized that 'trying to be like yourself' and 'trying not to be like yourself' are both 'being like yourself'. Your organism does what it does. It grows hair, it thinks thoughts, it makes choices, and there's no 'you' hiding somewhere inside your organism 'doing it'. I am always just 'being me', effortlessly. No trying neccesary.

@JayySur exactly.

Can you choose that which does not occur to you to choose? Who chooses what occurs to you?

Consider that even if you had 'free will'.. if you could 'choose' whatever you want.. How would you choose what it is that you want? Do you have 'free want'? Can you want to choose what you don't want to choose? Only if you want to. Do you see the problem here? Choosing 'freely' would be synonymous with 'no reason for choosing what you choose'. Choices would be free of influences, free of causes, free of desires. 'free' choices would be purely random. You couldn't explain why you chose what you 'freely' chose.. You could say, 'because I wanted to', but then you couldn't explain why you wanted to, unless you chose what you wanted.. another choice you couldn't explain how you made 'freely'.

@isabel sounds about right. Often 'ego' is defined as 'identifying' with thoughts and feelings. Organisms think, and occasionally, one of the thoughts they have is 'there's a separate 'me' inside 'my organism' who's aware of the thoughts'.. but that's just more thought.

'Everywhere I go, there I am' - unattributed 'I have no other self than the totality of that which I am aware' - Alan Watts

@Shane Lim l totally get where you're coming from.. On occasion, I've stopped watching a couple of Leo's videos part way through because I 'got the message'. You don't have to sit through the whole hour long 'tying your shoes' tutorial if you figure out how to tie your shoes in the first 10 minutes.. That being said, I'm sure there's still a lot I can learn from Leo. He's a master at what he does and there are many facets of learning. If nothing else, experiencing his content is as 'enjoyable' to me/Me as many other things I/God could be experiencing (they must be, otherwise why would I experience them??) so I come back to it when I want to, and I don't when I don't.

For me, the realization of 'no free will' was fucking awesome. It's led to a whole set of other realizations, such as 'no self', the illusion of 'doing', and also the infinite God. There's no 'me', there's nothing for 'me' to do ('doing' is an illusion).. yet I continue to be how I am.. How cool!! My intelligent organism still behaves intelligently, all by itself. Of course, this happened the same way a plant grows a flower.. it happens if and when it happens when the conditions are right. If I was born as you, I would be you right now, but I was born me, so 'being me' is what I 'do' and I never try to do it.. I just 'am me', and have no choice in the matter. LIBERATION! Not having free will is so.... freeing?

@Kel Varnsen a good (not perfect) analogy is dreaming.. every character in the dream (and in fact every part of the dream) IS the dream.. but these characters don't 'actually exist'.

@EnlightenmentBlog Survival for the Lion is Death for the Antelope. Tell me, when the Lion eats the Antelope, is that productive, or counter-productive?

Him first.

Wow, this really clears things up/makes things completely unclear!

@Inliytened1 So, I'm not God when I am? This is what you are saying? When I 'don't know that I AM GOD, is when I'm 'NOT GOD'. You might as well just say 'God is not God'.