Someone here

@Tim R I place high value on understanding. Because I don't trust the universe. I don't have faith that I'm protected and "everything will be OK" in the end. So I try to supplement that by more "figuring out". At least now I have understanding. I can't accept that I have neither faith not understanding of reality.

Of course reality is a puzzle. An infinite one. Unsolvable one. You told me it's a mystery.

Another word for "reality". For what's happening.

I'm not sure I understand your point Are you saying "the now" is an abstraction?

Happened across this yesterday; "If a fool can see his own folly, he in this at least is wise; but the fool who thinks he is wise, he indeed is the real fool"

Yes. To some degree

@Windappreciator I posted the question half as a wise crack, but I think the answers led me to some learning. Being wise isn't just knowing lots of why's.

Totally.

@Windappreciator yes I do want to be wise. You made me consider what do I mean by wise, and the eventual definition I came up with is "one who knows the course of action that will lead to the least suffering". This leads to Present Awareness's thoughts; my wanting to be officially wise led to suffering when I was told I wasn't.

The NOW ITSELF.

So you just give up? Lol jk The tao that can be said is not the eternal tao, I guess

There seems to be no "now" either. Like when I try to point to it or catch it. It slips

What to expect from doing this work and taking it to the very end? What is the ultimate goal of all spiritual work and personal development? What is the maximum potential to unlock here? What are we really after from all this enlightenment work and Self-help? I heard Leo once saying that realizing you are God will instantly solve all of your problems in life.. Not only that but it will "heal" you from every illness you have. Is that true? My own insights is that there is none. Ultimately everything is pointless and there is no ultimate goal. But then why do the work? What's the motivation? Some might say happiness and fulfillment. But is happiness really achieved in the future after accomplishments X and Y and Z.. Isn't the whole point of spirituality is to find unconditional peace and happiness in the present moment and overwhelming love? I guess I want to know where I am heading with this work? For those of you who think they made it to the very end.. What did you get?

What I mean is that the timeless formless essence is incarnated in everything across infinity. So this very moment is eternity. But we can't deny movement (change) or time. That's like the other side of the coin of eternity. @Jonty ?

@Jonty May I add that eternity has nothing to do with time at all. The moment is incessant within the framework of time yet leaves a "debris" trail in objectivity we capture existential portions of time and structure it into the subjective moment. this compilation unfolds our being in the existential moment. Eternity is outside of time in fact it is everywhere all at once, unconditionally. Our problem is our time bound conceptions. Thanks for allowing my thought

Not sure. But first how do you collapse that duality in the first place? Something seems to be happening and it's self-evident undeniably true.

So What I understand is that motion is necessarily a process. It does not exist at any given point in time. It exists ACROSS time. Existence is always in the NOW... But it marches relentlessly forward. We can't actually stop time to examine [time b], thus, this notion of [time b] is in large part a [concept of something that isn't possible to experience]. It happens so fast that we cannot distinguish between it and the infinitely many instants that exist in the micro second before and after [time b]. If we could observe [time b], however, there would NOT be any motion in that (or any other) frozen moment. I believe we can see the same basic structure in the notion of [infinity]. Infinity is the idea of [endlessness]. In other words, it is an unending process. If the process ever end, what we have is no longer infinty.

There is no where to go.

What is "truth" in your book? Isn't truth ="the world of form"?

It's not so much the wording that matters. Call it work or whatever else. My question is what's the point of these activities? What's the biggest aim behind all this? It's not a straight line. Sometimes I enjoy them. Sometimes not.

Nothing?

Enlightenment and Self-help work such as :meditation.. Self inquiry.. Contemplation.. Yoga.. Exercise.. Diet..shadow work etc

What do you mean?

@Consilience is "lasting happiness" a realistic goal? Since everything is impermanent

Then what's the point of doing the work?