Moksha

At least Alan Watts realized the value of stepping away from the spiritual microscope, and working on what you have seen. Who am I to judge what attachments he was able to dissolve, in doing this work? Maybe he didn't overcome alcoholism, but there are other deep attachments that he was able to release. I'm hard-pressed to think of any human that overcame all of their aversions and desires. Maybe superheroes like Jesus and the Buddha mostly did, but even here, I am confident they were not entirely perfect. Humanity itself is an attachment. Enlightenment is a process, not a destination. Don't discredit people who aren't perfect, because in doing so you will nullify the collective wisdom of the ages. None of the sages was perfect either, and yet they realized their ultimate nature, and worked toward Self-integration.

What has been will be again, What has been done will be done again; There is nothing new under the sun. - Ecclesiastes 1:9

@BorisAb When you realize your ultimate nature as Consciousness, you don't choose to let go of fear/resistance. The direct realization itself puts fear/resistance into perspective. What is there to be afraid of? Enjoy relative reality for what it is, but also realize that everything in the dream is inevitably transient. Don't cling to it as if your ultimate nature depends on it, because it doesn't. Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God. - A Course in Miracles

Would you, as a human, enjoy reading a story that was only about butterflies, sweet butter, and bliss?

When you realize that birth and death are bound to relative reality, the question resolves itself. Maybe the dream "you" continues in some form, maybe not: Ultimately, when realizing that we are all the same Consciousness and differences dissolve, does it matter?

Have you encountered a good story that doesn't revolve around crisis? What kind of dream would it be without heroes and villains, peace and conflict, love and betrayal?

Why does Consciousness create? Because without creation, there is only infinite, changeless, featureless, unexpressed potential. What a waste of a good dream.

Equanimity is the realization that aversions and desires are opposite ends of the same stick. You can't have one without the other. Hawkins is telling you to let go of the stick.

The paradox of enlightenment is that as Consciousness, the Self is already enlightened. It is only in the relative journey of finite forms, where Consciousness infuses itself into different states of awareness, that it is possible for the little self to become enlightened to its ultimate nature. Awakening is the beginning of the end of suffering. You see your ultimate nature, but are still bound to the dream of relative reality, with its associated conditioning. It is only after awakening that the real work of dissolving your attachments becomes possible. I am still dissolving my attachments, and I suspect most of us are. Equanimous enlightenment, where all desires and aversions disappear, is extraordinarily rare.

One of the most honest expressions about death, which resonates with me: The essence of who you are is beyond death. That comes out of inner realization. I don’t know much beyond that. You’ll have to wait and see when you actually die. - Eckhart Tolle Reincarnation, near death experiences, ghosts, etc. are all possible, but still they are bound by relative reality. Ultimately, does it matter? We are all the same Consciousness, dreaming, in different states of awareness. When you realize that, the rules reveal the game itself.

@somegirl It's human to fear what others think. Our brains are wired for attachment to the praise of others. Ultimately, what matters is that you are doing what you love, regardless of what people think. Is the doing inherently fulfilling, or do you require adulation for the doing? Maybe both. When you do what you desire, free from attachments to the fruit of your work, you are being. You have the right to work, but never to the fruit of work. You should never engage in action for the sake of reward, nor should you long for inaction…Seek refuge in the attitude of detachment and you will amass the wealth of spiritual awareness. Those who are motivated only by desire for the fruits of action are miserable, for they are constantly anxious about the results of what they do. - Bhagavad Gita 2:47,49

Maybe the message of the trips is true, but your interpretation is superficially literal. I've never done psychedelics, but have delved into the subconscious mind. It is a shadow puppeteer. See the deeper symbolic meaning. Maybe your mom not treating you fairly, or a girl not liking you, are merely symbols for a more profound message waiting to be realized.

Is it better to fight fire with fire, or to fight fire with water? The best solvent for another's ego is to remain present yourself.

What is Self-awareness, other than Self-knowledge? Consciousness is not entirely Self-aware, by design, in order to experience its creations. But ultimately, it is.

Yes, he was homeless for some time. He describes crashing with various friends when he didn't have a place of his own. During that period of his life, following his awakening, he was entirely engaged in the dimension of being. At some point, he felt the Conscious compulsion to transition into the dimension of doing. He went into a small church in Europe, and asked the universe to help him. He describes it as a profound and overwhelmingly energetic response, which led to him moving to the west coast of the U.S., and writing The Power of Now.

Why would the Absolute invoke you if there is no purpose? The creation of "you", as a transient expression of Consciousness, is born of intent. What do you suppose that intent might be? The richest of kings, in his opulence, is enslaved by his infinite wealth. Perhaps there is adventure in leaving the palace, for a time, and pretending to be a commoner.

The journey is unique for each of us. For me, it was the culmination of decades of suffering that finally ripened me to the point where I was ready to fall from the tree. Many of us have a series of awakenings, followed by periods of sleep. From what I have seen, the more intense the awakening, the greater the risk that it will be followed by a commensurately harrowing dark night of the soul. The ego doesn't die easily, and the closer it comes to its demise, the fiercer it fights. When I directly realized my ultimate nature as Consciousness, and that I no longer needed to suffer, it was profound and enduring. The awakening was followed by 7 months of effortless bliss. I knew that there was still work to be done on dissolving my attachments, but I saw everything through new eyes. My entire lifestyle and my relationships changed, for the better. I remember a conversation with my mom where I told her that I no longer suffered, and we laughed, knowing what my life had been like before. Sadly, the honeymoon came to a grinding halt, and my ego was back with a vengeance. Still, I knew what I had directly seen. It just was no longer effortless. That was when the real work began. I talked the spiritual work recently, here.

@Adodd Yes, and the direct realization is what leads to the laughter. All the unnecessary suffering and angst is seen for what it is. After your eyes open, life becomes less serious.

@gettoefl You are kind, thank you ?

Nice insights! For me, realizing that everything in relative reality is transient, and inevitably leads to suffering, was the catalytic insight that set me on the spiritual path of integration. Unfortunately, the insight is only the beginning. It points you in the right direction, but it doesn't magically decondition your mind. There are still attachments and aversions to overcome, many of which have haunted you since childhood. It is unrealistic and self-defeating to expect enlightenment and equanimity to happen, solely by virtue of seeing truly for the first time. I realized this after awakening. I saw a long, sinuous spiritual path ahead of me. Here's something I wrote back then: The Bonfire 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. Meditation has been my mainstay since then. It has gradually loosened, and in some cases even dissolved, the bonds of my conditioning. Life is much lighter these days. I also find inspiration by contemplating spiritual sources like the Bhagavad Gita and the Dhammapada. Realizing your ultimate nature as Consciousness is profound. This life is a dream, but as long as you are bundled with a human form, there is wisdom in learning to dream lucidly, and enjoying each step of the journey.

@Consilience Well said! ?⚡

I heard that analogy as a kid in high school. Made me realize that eternity is so infinitely timeless. No wonder Consciousness creates.

The ego is all about judgment, and it doesn't care if it is judging others or judging you. For people like Trump, it is about denigrating others, to aggrandize the self. For people like you and me, it is about self-deprecation. Neither is more egoic than the other. The ego doesn't care, as long as it gets to judge. Realizing Love shrinks the survival of the ego, but not the survival of You. It is the dissolving of boundaries, and it is beautiful. There is no "this self" or "that self", just the seamlessness of Self.

If you contemplate and practice it, beyond simply reading it, your mind will be illuminated. For me, the value was less about Self-realization, and more about Self-integration.

@Adodd I have laughed