Moksha

It is all the same Consciousness, in different states. The appearance of created things is mythical, but their essence, which is Consciousness, is real. Everything confuses those who regard things as separate from the Self. Brahmins, kshatriyas, creatures, the universe, the gods, everything: these are the Self. - Katha 2.4.6

It is not just about letting go of thought patterns. Sensations and feelings are also products of the conditioned mind. In meditation, the purest moments are spacious. Thoughts and feelings come and go, but you are the space itself. Realize your ultimate nature as the sky, across which the clouds of the conditioned mind come and go.

When there are no thoughts about it, only being, it feels like clouds moving away from the sun. There is only the shining Self. Thoughts come and go. Allowing them, without identifying with them, is the path to enlightenment.

⚡ The glimpse is the beginning of the ending of suffering. I don't feel a lot of people understand this. Opening your eyes is a profound first step, but it doesn't dissolve your attachments to the dream. It is simply the realization that you are in a dream. Letting go of your desires, and embracing equanimity, is the exit from the maze. Something I wrote a while back, which speaks to this: Bonfire of Being Consciousness strikes the spark of my undoing, Catching in the kindling of thought, Consuming it to soot, intensifying, Crumbling the timbers that it wrought, Purifying fire ever rising, Burning through the ropes of my desire, Devouring the karma of my making, Soul wind stirring these flames higher, Scattering the ashes of my suffering, No delusion left, only the fire.

Dealing with your demons is a sign of spiritual progress. People pursue awakening, as if the seeing itself dissolves the conditioning of decades. It doesn't. Awakening is only the first step on the path to enlightenment. Then the shadow work begins.

Perfectionism is based on a lie. It is the false belief that the human form has the capacity for flawlessness, in a phenomenal world that is constantly changing. In the dream, where dualities are inevitable, perfection is impossible to achieve. The Self hidden within, which is the dreamer, is already perfect. Your purpose is not to find perfection within the dream, but to realize the perfection of your ultimate nature. When you do, the drive for external perfection will dissolve. Instead, you will see lucidly, even with the dream. Life will lose its seriousness, and creativity and joy will naturally flow.

From the ultimate perspective, there is no time. Consciousness is beyond time. Its infinite manifestations have already happened, and are yet to happen, which only makes sense within the relative spacetime realm of the dream. Consciousness is every form, and experiences every form, but the individual form does not experience everything. The "I" that experiences everything is incomprehensible to the individual "I".

I agree, and should have clarified what I meant by identification. I was referring to the false identity that some people develop as spiritual teachers, because the role makes them feel special. Having people gathered around them in a circle and nodding at their wisdom only strengthens their ego. I feel that is why Eckhart Tolle used the term "external identity". He wears teaching like a cloak, which he removes when it is no longer needed. It doesn't define his sense of self: When I'm with people, I'm a spiritual teacher. That's the function, but it's not my identity. The moment I'm alone, my deepest joy is to be nobody, to relinquish the function of a teacher. It's a temporary function. Let's say I'm seeing a group of people. The moment they leave me, I'm no longer a spiritual teacher. There's no longer any sense of external identity. I simply go into the stillness more deeply. The place that I love most is the stillness. It's not that the stillness is lost when I talk or when I teach because the words arise out of the stillness. But when people leave me, there is only the stillness left. And I love that so much. A true spiritual teacher speaks from a place of presence, getting out of the way, and allowing Consciousness to communicate through them. They may not even speak at all. Ramana Maharshi is known for sitting in silence with his students, as a primary method of teaching: Silence is the true upadesa. It is the perfect upadesa. It is suited only for the most advanced seeker. The others are unable to draw full inspiration from it. Therefore, they require words to explain the truth. But truth is beyond words; it does not warrant explanation. All that is possible is to indicate It. How is that to be done?

Identifying with your career choice, or anything else, is egoic. It is not who you actually are. Living lucidly is realizing that ultimately, there is no individual identity. I advocate celebrating the dream, and the character within the dream, while realizing that it is only a dream. It is the best of both dimensions. You are free to enjoy the dream, without being bound by it.

Identity is ego. If someone is truly awake, they see through an omnidirectional lens. Sub Ek...it is all One.

It's actually deconditioning. Your mind has been conditioned to look for happiness outside of the Self for your entire life. Meditation counters that. Instead of allowing the currents of the mind to pull you under, develop the capacity to remain present, regardless of what conditioning throws at you. Swimming upstream dissolves the ego, and it becomes increasingly desperate. It's like the Wicked Witch of the West melting when dumped with a bucket of pure water. ? The ego will throw your deepest shadows at you, hoping to snag your attention and steal the energy of the Self that has sustained it. See it for what it is, and let it dissolve. What is left is who you are.

Spiritual teachers who identify as a spiritual teacher are not true spiritual teachers.

When this is seen, the game is not over. It becomes less serious, and more fun. Lucidly living in the relative dimension of sense perceptions, without identifying with them, is the true purpose of the game.

I agree. Consciousness has an overall upward trajectory, toward Self-realization, within the dream. Any good dream requires drama. Dualities within the dream demand balance. They are opposite ends of the same stick, and when you pick up the stick, you inherit both. Within the dream, there can't be order without chaos. Overall though, Consciousness trends toward awakening. It is its primary purpose. When the cosmos finally awakens to its true identity...? The dream cycle begins again, and microorganisms swim in the sea of relative reality.

@Endangered-EGO Unfortunately, when it comes to the West, you're right. In the East though, teaching nonduality goes back thousands of years. I see a spiritual tsunami coming for the West, with an overall trend toward greater Consciousness. That said, like most paradigm shifts, there is a struggle between chaos and order before society finally grows. The West has been pretty chaotic the past few years People like Eckhart Tolle and Alan Watts have migrated Eastern wisdom to the West, in a language that many people understand and embrace. My hope is that the overall upward trend will continue. Tolle believes it will, but time will tell.

Psychedelics aren't necessary for enlightenment. Some people have benefited from them, but many sages attained enlightenment through meditation and deep introspection, without drugs. Depending for the rest of your life on an external catalyst for internal growth sounds like an attachment.

⚡ Being is knowing.

@Endangered-EGO As I see it, meditation is less about technique, and all about integrity, courage, and resolve. When intent is pure, it will slice through dogma like butter, and reveal the true Self. Yes, wouldn't it be valuable if this was taught in school. Meditation vs. math?

@Endangered-EGO The maxim is that there is no wrong meditation. I agree. There is value simply in having a consistent meditation practice. The beauty of meditation is that its quality matches what is needed in that moment. You learn to observe the shenanigans of the mind, without being drawn into its drama. The ego doesn't go down without a fight. I see meditation as judo, rather than karate. It's all about allowing without engaging, until the ego exhausts itself through its insatiable, narcissistic need to win. Eventually, it collapses and the energy that it stole from you is restored.

@Endangered-EGO Definitely not restricted to meditation. I didn't even begin serious meditation until after I reached the Dark Night stage Some people meditate in order to awaken, but in my case, I meditate in order to survive awakening.

Thanks for the link. Lengthy, but insightful, and although framed in a meditative context it is consistent with my life experience.

Conscious insights are directly realized, beyond conceptualization. They are not thoughts; they are direct knowledge. Because they are direct, you can't verify them from others, only from the Self within.

As I define it, deep insights are truths that arise from Consciousness, while faith may or may not be true.

From the ultimate perspective, everything in the cosmos is a delusion. However, from the relative perspective, insights and awakenings are real. If everything is Consciousness (and it is), then even the dream forms that Consciousness creates are also real, because they are still Consciousness. As the same fire assumes different shapes When it consumes objects differing in shape, So does the Self take the shape Of every creature in whom he is present. - Katha 2.2.8-10 Consciousness assumes the form of everything it creates, and resides within each form. It has the capacity to become aware of its seamless Self, even within that form. That realization is what insights and awakenings are.

What if the secret of not suffering is not in arriving at a destination, but in realizing the serenity of the Self in every step? When you hang your happiness on some future state, you are bound to be disappointed. Fulfillment is only realized where the Self resides, which is in the hidden cave of the heart. The wise, realizing through meditation The timeless Self, beyond all perception, Hidden in the cave of the heart, Leave pain and pleasure far behind. Those who know they are neither body nor mind But the immemorial Self, the divine Principle of existence, find the source Of all joy and live in joy abiding. - Katha 1.2:12