Moksha

A nice quote on knowledge vs. wisdom from Eckhart Tolle:

Enlightenment can only come from within. People can provide pointers, but it's impossible to be enlightened by someone else. Aldous Huxley on the pursuit of self-knowledge through drugs:

After enlightenment: meditate and teach. Why meditate? The Buddha, who achieved Nirvana at age 40, regularly meditated until he died at age 80. On summer retreats, he would often go into seclusion for days at a time in order to declutter his mind. The Buddha was enlightened, but he was still human. The human mind has a perpetual pull to revert to conditioned thoughts. Like a garden, it needs regular tending. Why teach? To participate in the evolving expression of Consciousness, and thereby help others end their suffering.

@VeganAwake I agree with you. In the case of some though, I would call the obstacle the "knowledge of illusion". People realize that the world of form is illusory, but they stop there. That realization alone is not enlightenment, nor is it wisdom. Out of context, it is nihilistic solipsism. There is no purpose or value in it. What about Maya is illusion? It's not the world of form itself, but identification with the world of form. The illusion is that we are only humans, rather than humans Being. The Source pervades the universe, and is the essence of everything. Humans are not just one form of that expression; we are the next step in the evolutionary process of Consciousness becoming aware of itself. Rather than dismissing human life as an illusion, why not recognize it for the beautiful thing that it is? Enlightenment is the realization of the Source within us and within everything. It is the practice of allowing Source to dissolve the attachments and aversions that are the reason for our suffering. It is becoming transparent so that Source, which is our true Self, can shine through as the light of the world. What higher purpose or value could there be?

@actualizing25 The only thing we can understand is that reality is beyond understanding. Why do people focus on the epiphany, rather than on the enlightenment? It's less effort I suppose, but you get what you pay for.

You are describing the fundamental difference between knowledge and wisdom. From what I've seen in this forum, the large majority are focused on the former rather than the latter. It's all about "Oh my God, I AM GOD!!!!", and nothing about how that epiphany translates to a more abundant life. What is the point in pursuing the "path of understanding" if it doesn't dissolve your attachments and free you from suffering? The Buddha taught only about suffering and liberation from suffering. That is the true path of enlightenment. Everything else is a distraction.

The answer depends on the aspirant. For me, Raja yoga has been helpful. Yoga (“integration of the spirit”; becoming whole at the deepest spiritual level; from the word yuj, to yoke or bind together; “skill in action” or acting in freedom rather than reacting to events compelled by conditioning) Jnana yoga (the yoga of knowledge, use will and discrimination to disidentify from the body, mind, and senses until knowing we are nothing but the Self) Bhakti yoga (the yoga of devotion, achieve the same goal by identifying completely with the Lord in love; mostly taken by the mystics of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) Karma yoga (the yoga of selfless action, dissolve identification with body and mind by identifying with the whole of life, forgetting the finite self in the service of others) Raja yoga (the yoga of meditation, discipline the mind and senses until the mind-process is suspended in a healing stillness and we merge in the Self)

@justfortoday Some here share your view, but I'm not one of them. Just because matter, energy, and time are relative doesn't make them less real. My perception is part of the calculus, but spacetime is not imaginary. No desire to go into a long debate on this, I just wanted to share my "perspective".

The universe operates by organizing principles and laws, such as evolution, the conservation of energy/matter, and cosmic expansion/contraction. These laws are inherently intelligent, which implies intentional design, but not necessarily self-awareness.

Yes There are many roads that lead to enlightenment: Raja yoga (the yoga of meditation, discipline the mind and senses until the mind-process is suspended in a healing stillness and we merge in the Self) Jnana yoga (the yoga of knowledge, use will and discrimination to disidentify from the body, mind, and senses until knowing we are nothing but the Self) Bhakti yoga (the yoga of devotion, achieve the same goal by identifying completely with the Lord in love; mostly taken by the mystics of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) Karma yoga (the yoga of selfless action, dissolve identification with body and mind by identifying with the whole of life, forgetting the finite self in the service of others) Common among all of them is the absence of conditioned thinking. Thoughts themselves are not harmful, as long as they arise from the abundance of stillness.

Generally, thinking does more harm than good. It's like trying to douse a fire by throwing wood on it. The mind-ego perpetually feeds on itself, and is incapable of wisdom. Don't be its tool. You experience presence by simply being aware and accepting the isness of the present moment, free from thought. Don't name or judge anything, just be. Once established in presence, the brain can be a beautiful tool that will help you find creative and intelligent solutions to life's challenges, but only because it is fueled by presence. The best way to handle conditioned thoughts and feelings is not to fight them, but allow them to arise in presence. Recognize and feel them, but don't get sucked into them to the point that you identify with them and are no longer present. Presence is like the sun shining in an an infinite sky. Clouds are the conditioned thoughts and emotions that float by, and that is ok. The light of presence eventually dissolves them, while you experience the spaciousness that is yourself.

Contemplation is conceptualization. Meditation is meaning. Contemplation has led to suffering in my life. Meditation has led to freedom from suffering.

@vizual Infinity literally means "without limit". It is the state of being outside the limits of time and space. Most of the spiritual texts I've read prefer the pointer "eternal". It is possible to experience eternity even at this moment. In fact, this moment is eternity. For the human experience, eternity doesn't mean living forever. It means experiencing the timeless dimension of Now.

Existence and Non-Existence are dualistic. Objects and Space are dualistic. Manifestation and Nonmanifestation are dualistic. Immanent God and Transcendent God are dualistic. Everything and Nothing are dualistic. Buddha said of arriving at Parinibbana (the final state of Nirvana) that none of the following apply: you exist, you do not exist, you both exist and do not exist, you neither exist nor don’t exist. Nirvana is a state beyond existence and non-existence. It is even beyond the combination and absence of existence and non-existence. Nirvana is Ultimate Reality; the permanent state that is beyond everything and nothing. It is beyond the formed and the formless. It is the eternal state of pure essence. This is why Ultimate Reality is an incomprehensible mystery. It is Nondualistic, which makes no sense to the human mind. It can only be known spiritually, not conceptually.

Awareness is the space in which all things exist. Awareness does not itself exist, which literally means to "stand out" or to be manifested. However, awareness is still real. It is you, it is me, it is now, it is the essence of all things but it is no-thing.

Beliefs are fine, as long as you don't identify with them. If you find yourself arguing with someone over politics, or philosophy, or any other idea, beliefs become a barrier to presence.

The more present you are, the less mental clutter there is. Eckhart Tolle once said that after his awakening, his thoughts were reduced by about 80%. It has taken a while for my brain to adapt to this state, but it is already feeling more natural. It is a wonderful feeling, in fact. The gravitational pull of my conditioned mind has been noticeably reduced. Simply being present and enjoying the spaciousness that is pure awareness has reduced a lot of suffering.

Nobody knows what happens after death. If they say otherwise, they are either deluded or lying. The only thing we can know with certainty is our essence, and that knowledge is nonconceptual.

@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