Moksha

Awakening is the opposite of questions. It is direct realization of your true nature, beyond conceptualization. If you find yourself asking a lot of questions, that is ok. Eventually you will let go of the questions, and realize the answer which is already within you.

Consciousness is the dream master. It appears, within its dream, as a you. Ultimately, there is no you, but Consciousness pretends there is. Enlightenment is the great adventure it tells itself, in which it gradually stops pretending to be a separate being, until the dream boundaries of the self entirely dissolve.

@VeganAwake Love the Adyashanti quote, thanks for sharing ⚡ The cosmic joke is that the more enlightened you become, the less of you there is to be enlightened. The personality becomes increasingly transparent, until there is barely any person left, only the pure light of Consciousness that you always are.

@softlyblossoming ? There are levels of awakening. Many people awaken, only to fall back asleep. Meditation is a powerful exercise in learning to swim upstream, against the current of the conditioned mind. Eventually, your awareness becomes perpetual, regardless of the turbulence of the dream. When meditation is mastered, the mind is unwavering like the flame of a lamp in a windless place. In the still mind, in the depths of meditation, the Self reveals itself. Beholding the Self by means of the Self, an aspirant knows the joy and peace of complete fulfillment. Having attained that abiding joy beyond the senses, revealed in the stilled mind, he never swerves from the eternal truth. He desires nothing else, and cannot be shaken by the heaviest burden of sorrow. - Bhagavad Gita 6:19

I didn't say God is a concept (the word is, but not the ultimate reality it represents). I said it's easy to conceptualize being God. People that have not directly realized their true nature as God often claim that they are God, but it is only a conceptual identity for them. You can't understand the taste of water until you actually drink it. Awakening rarely results in immediate ego death. You realize your nature as God, but this realization doesn't instantly dissolve your attachments and desires. It is only the first step toward equanimity. I have directly realized my nature as God, but I am still far from enlightenment, which is the permanent end of suffering. As the Buddha put it: Few are those who reach the other shore; most people keep running up and down this shore. But those who follow the dharma, when it has been well taught, will reach the other shore, hard to reach, beyond the power of death. They leave darkness behind and follow the light. They give up home and leave pleasure behind. Calling nothing their own, they purify their hearts and rejoice. Well trained in the seven fields of enlightenment, their senses disciplined and free from attachments, they live in freedom, full of light.

Equanimity is the letting go of thinking, as an identity. It is the dissolving of desires. Ultimately, it is saying sayonara to "I".

Where did I judge the enlightenment of others? Enlightenment is not only the realization, but the actualization that there are no others. When the boundaries dissolve, you are no longer you.

The jab includes myself, as I am not enlightened. It's easy to conceptualize being God, flattering even, but ego death is far more difficult and rare. It is the end of attachments and suffering. The vast majority of people that consider themselves enlightened are fooling themselves.

Proof is in the pudding. The more awake you are, the less attachment there is to form identity, to desires, and to the results of your actions. You become transparent, until you ultimately dissolve. People pontificate about being God, but if they still suffer, they are not fully awake. Enlightenment is equanimity.

My struggle with the spiritual process is the idea of me struggling with the spiritual process. The more translucent I become, the less struggle there is. The end of struggle is the end of me.

@RMQualtrough I agree, and in truth all words are poison (including these). The Upanishads say that "Words turn back frightened" when trying to define ultimate reality. Some are better pointers than others, but all words fail miserably in their attempt to describe the indescribable. The truth can only be Self-realized, directly.

If Consciousness is nothing, and the cosmos arises from and returns to it, then everything comes from nothing. The paradox is that everything Consciousness creates is also Consciousness, appearing to be other than it ultimately is. Like all language, the terms nothing and everything are equally misleading. Consciousness is beyond nothing and everything. It can't be conceptually captured. Instead of trying to understand reality, realize it.

For a long time, I avoided God as a pointer because it tends to invoke beliefs born of our conditioning. I use it more now, as awakening is ultimately a spiritual rather than conceptual realization. God is paradox. It is beyond everything and nothing, and is incomprehensible to the human mind. It can only be directly realized. For that reason, Mystery resonates from the Tao Te Ching, as does Tat from ancient eastern mysticism, which is translated as, "That." We can't know what "That" is, we can only realize it as our ultimate nature.

@Terell Kirby Great to hear! There's a French expression: reculer pour mieux sauter. It refers to taking a step back, in order to jump farther forward. Consciousness (i.e., the real you) is calling the shots, enjoy the journey

The ego is so sneaky, it can creep in as self-recrimination. It is actually my ego's favorite weapon. I've learned that Judging myself only makes the ego stronger. By all means, learn what keeps you present and what doesn't, but be kind to yourself in the process.

Enlightenment is just a word for Consciousness becoming aware of itself, within the dream. There is no "you" becoming enlightened, only Consciousness acknowledging itself. Sure, the brain has to be functioning for Consciousness to realize itself through it, but personality type is not a limiting factor. The purpose of every human life, regardless of personality, is to realize your ultimate nature as Consciousness. There is nothing that Consciousness loves more than discovering itself. If a vindictive, law-obsessed Pharisee like Saul can become enlightened, anyone can

Enlightenment happens when Consciousness chooses to become aware of itself. It has nothing to do with the personality of the individual, which is only a disguise. Every person, regardless of their psychological profile, is Consciousness manifesting itself in a unique way. We are all the same Consciousness, and the personality of the apparent self is only part of the dream.

@roopepa So limitless that we can't even imagine it

Instead of pursuing enlightenment, which is a grace rather than an achievement, learn to be present. It is the greatest gift you can give to yourself, and to your family. Children are a litmus test for your capacity to remain present

If by "real substance", you are referring to ultimate reality then no, none of the stories of divine intervention actually happen. Within relative reality though, which is the dream of Consciousness, everything is possible. Just keep in mind that the ocean is only apparent, as is the parting of it, and the footsteps traversing it to the other side. All of it is Consciousness, appearing to be separate forms, but in reality the separation is only an appearance.

That sense of absolute clarity comes from the Self within, and is directly realized. You can't hear it, see it, smell it, touch it, or taste it. It is beyond physical sensation, perception, and the thinking mind. There is a profound sense, beyond the form senses, which is spiritual and undeniable. Trust that.

Why do you feel that meditation grants you some relief? Maybe the secret to happiness is simply being, free from the false promises of thought. Identifying with the monkey mind is the fundamental source of suffering. Career and personal development will help with survival, but they cannot bring you happiness. That is only realized from within. Realizing the ridiculous is a good step toward awakening

Well said. Love is more profound than the human emotion. It is the dissolving of apparent boundaries, and the realization of the seamless Self. Even as an apparent self, it is possible to see this. There is a resonance with the same Self in all things. It's not just limited to people. You can see the sameness in a tree, in a dog, or in a sunset. It is all Consciousness, appearing as separate forms, but ultimately entirely unified. That is the realization of true Love.

I started with the Gita, but have since found a lot of wisdom in the Dhammapada. I agree that spiritual writings are merely pointers, rather than direct channels to truth. What I find beautiful about them is that regardless of tradition, they speak to the same ultimate reality. As Aldous Huxley summarized in the Perennial Philosophy: The Perennial Philosophy appears in every age and civilization: There is an infinite, changeless reality beneath the world of change This same reality lies at the core of every personality The purpose of life is to discover this reality experientially, that is, to realize God while here on earth Amen! May all beings be happy, especially realizing that our ultimate nature is beyond the apparent separateness of form. The more clearly we see this, the less identified we are with form, and the brighter the light of our true nature shines within.

@OneHandClap That was true of me as well. For a long time, I avoided God as a term because it tends to be so dogma-driven, and can reinforce identification with beliefs. Earlier in my life, I saw God as a being. Then I dropped the idea of God entirely. Now, I love God as a pointer to my ultimate nature. During the period of bliss that I described earlier, I kept finding myself drawn toward sacred texts like the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. There is a joyous awe of the divine in them that I can only describe as spiritual. I don't espouse the beliefs of Hinduism, Buddhism, or Christianity, but I love the essential truths that all of them point toward.