Moksha

@mandyjw Interesting that the etymology of matrix points to Source itself

Beliefs are a product of the conditioned mind. To the extent we are able to be, in a state of no-mind, we are free from our beliefs. I still have a lot of beliefs, but I'm slowly getting there.

I'm sad to say: I believe death is the end of the personality. Who you are, at least who you think you are, is gone. If it's any consolation, the essence of us and of all things is, I believe, everlasting. Notice: "believe". None of us really knows squat.

I have a new favorite song. Thanks again for sharing this. Now that I’ve seen the plague of conceptual thinking, I’m off to live in the unborn peace of the wildwoods. Every being in existence is threatened by affliction and totally bound by terrifying chains of duality. Since beings prefer to believe that the Buddhas have taught that they should do only what they like, and nothing else, when I teach the real dharma way, everyone reviles me like an enemy. Even if you spend this life in introspection, it passes so quickly, without pausing, day or night. Having seen that laziness always gets the better of my virtue and that this mind won’t settle, even a little, I’m off to the wildwoods right now. All the dharma collections, the sage has taught, come down to giving up desires, and settling evenly in the peaceful truth, nothing else. Oh mind, consider your mortality and be intent to go to the wildwoods. Intellectually understanding phenomena’s nature, and leaving them as mere objects of mindfulness, is no help. Don’t dwell on the past, or fantasize about the future. Don’t engineer this natural, ongoing presence. Don’t direct the mind or draw it within. Just let it settle, without distraction, resting without grasping, or conceptually structuring this clarity that is vivid, quiet, lucid, illuminating. You needn’t think about anything other than the needs of beings. This message, spoken for your benefit, came straight from the heart. Mind, take it, and head to the wildwoods.

Thank you for sharing this. I only watched a few minutes, and have bookmarked the rest for later. It is beautiful. I am happy to hear that you are in a better place now in your life.

So happy to hear that you have experienced this for yourself. When you are present, your mind no longer becomes a distraction. You are able to draw on the infinite pool of creativity and intelligence that is consciousness, and actually use the mind as a conduit in solving any obstacles that you face.

Exactly

You asked if there is a way out of suffering. We are trying to help you, but we can only point. If you want to end the suffering in your life, learn to be present as much as possible. Experience the healing light of stillness and allow it to dissolve your attachments to the world of form. It is easier said than done, but it is possible. I continue to slip into unsconsciousness, but I am increasingly present. And my suffering is less as a result.

@Someone here The illusion is the unconscious identification with the conditioned mind. Being conscious is different from being conscience. All of us are conscience, but relatively few of us are conscious. Enlightenment is consciousness that you are conscience, It is the end of illusion and suffering.

The ego is the illusion that you are your conditioned mind. Realizing yourself as consciousness is the end of ego. Staying present in that realization is the end of suffering.

Yes. Ego is complete identification with the conditioned mind. Presence is the realization that you are not your conditioned mind; i.e., the end of ego.

@Bulgarianspirit Obstacles can be painful, but pain is different from suffering. Suffering is only necessary until it is no longer necessary. Obstacles are powerless to touch who you are, and they are the universe's way of helping you learn not to suffer.

Life gives us obstacles as an opportunity for realization and growth. Obstacles are not a problem. They only become a problem when we resist them. All obstacles conflate to a single question: Do you accept the isness of the present moment, or do you suffer as a result of refusing to accept it? Once you learn to live in the Now , obstacles will no longer seem insurmountable. You will navigate them with intelligence and grace.

I agree with you. I would only add that freedom from suffering is not only a realization; it is the regular practice of staying present, noticlng our attachments and aversions, and dissolving them with the light of consciousness. There are exceptions, but for most of us this practice takes years, perhaps even a lifetime. How do you know if you are making progress? You suffer less and love more.

@VeganAwake Cuckoo = Insanity of the mind Lying awake at night = Hamster wheel of the mind Something = Illusion of the mind Moksha = Letting go of the mind

The faith was the letting go that allowed me to have the direct experience.

@Nahm As are you,

I agree with you. The experience itself is all that matters. Everything else is conceptual and unnecessary. I used to think "ultimate truth" mattered more than anything; now I only engage in it for play. The meaning of life is found in "ultimate experience". @Chris365 Yes, and so are you

@Chris365 I agree that Consciousness is the ultimate reality. I don't know that it is, nor do I need to know that it is. Let's say I have faith that it is.

The best motivator for enlightenment is suffering.

@Persipnei In the end, the only answers that matter will arise from inside of you If you're interested, I highly recommend checking out the Bhagavad Gita, particularly the translation by Eknath Easwaran. From your questions, it seems like a guide that could help you find some of those answers within.

@Chris365 Do you believe there is an ultimate reality? Is Consciousness objective? @Nahm If only direct experience was objectively valid @PopoyeSailor Thank you for the good wishes, and I'm happy to hear that you have found meaning in your life. I have eaten the fruit, and agree that it is quite delicious. I don't care whether or not it is objectively real. All that matters to me is that it provides sustenance and peace.

From an Eastern perspective, the Uncaused Cause is eternal and unchanging. It is "unmanifested reality". It creates the manifested "world of name and form", which eventually dissolves back into itself, and the process continues forever. Some would call every manifested thing an illusion, but I see it differently. I believe that matter and energy are real. Eastern scripture speaks of both God Transcendent (unmanifested) and God Imminent (manifested). The apparent paradox is that both Brahman and Atman are the same, much like the sun and the manifested rays of the sun are the same. Ultimate reality is nondualistic, i.e., infinity is both all and none; the sun is One.

@Carl-Richard Redundancy implies reality. As we've been discussing in the thread, reality is in the eye of the beholder. You view it as redundancy, based on a perspective which may be true, but is not objectively proven to be so. @PopoyeSailor We are all unavoidably biased. We can only do our best not to be, but even then we are still biased. Even objectivity as a universal standard is a form of bias. I have spent many years reviewing "proofs" of the supernatural, only to realize that there aren't reliable proofs. My standard for proof requires objective, replicable research demonstrating that a particular hypothesis is probably true (i.e., >95% likelihood that the result is not due to chance). Even then, it is not absolute proof, but at least it is something. People claim absolute proof for every belief system (Christianity, Hinduism, Paranormal Activity, etc. etc. etc.), but if such proof really existed, why doesn't everyone accept it? Is it because we're all biased, or because the proof is tenuous to begin with? For a good pointer, I recommend The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan.

You will get different answers depending on who you ask. From an eastern perspective: I love the idea, but for me it is just an idea In a broader sense, it coincides with the scientific view of an expanding/contracting universe.