Spiritual Warrior

A beautifully narrated series of the Ten Ox Herding Pictures Happy enlightening Picture One - Searching for the Ox Picture Two - Seeing the Traces Picture Three- Seeing the Ox Picture Four - Catching the Ox Picture Five - Taming the Ox Picture Six - Riding Home on the Ox Picture Seven - The Ox Forgotten, the Self Remains Picture Eight - Forget Both Self and Ox Picture Nine - Return to the Origin, Back to the Source Picture Ten - Entering the Marketplace with Extended Hands

The self identity is something that is constructed by ourselves. There is nothing inherently True about it. NOTHING true. Based on the simple fact that there is no self to criticize or scrutinise, every decision that you have made throughout your entire life has been perfect. It is exactly what you were meant to do at that current point in time. If we can figure out the make up of the structure of thoughts, then we can figure out a way to change the structure and therefore change the way that we interpret thoughts and hopefully have more control over them.

"We are enslaved by anything we do not consciously see. We are freed by conscious perception." ~ Vernon Howard

Very true. Then it's a question of does the human want to bring things into his or her conscious awareness. Does he really want to face the truth?

Your parents are willingly causing pain to another creature so that it will "taste better" for them. This is very selfish behavior. The universe does not reward selfishness, this will hurt them spiritually.

The Self and the Thoughts that Make it Up The self is comprised of beliefs about who and what we are. What are some examples in my own life? I am a self. My name is Ben. I am 29 years old. I am a dance instructor. I have good intentions although I do hurt people some times. I have blonde hair. I am a short man. I am an attractive man. I am a good dancer. These are all beliefs that you hold true about yourself. They are all thoughts. Thoughts are a complete fiction, which means that there is nothing true about them. If the self is comprised of thoughts then the self is also a complete fiction. Now I can write this down on paper and guess what, it actually does make sense. However, how do I actually experience that the thoughts and self are a fiction? How is it possible to experience this reality when I am so used to seeing things from the perspective that they are true. I am so attached to this human being that I believe myself to be. He is all that I think about. It's actually quite gross to be honest with you. Why am I so obsessed with him and his life story? It's not even that interesting. It's not enough to logically point these truths out. I have to recontextualize my thinking, yet as of right now I have no idea how to do that. To awaken requires a direct experience into the nature of self and thoughts.

The Ego I find the ego disgusting because it lies and cheats and steals in order to get what it wants. Honest communication is not in the egos best interest. It manipulates others and it's environment in order to survive. This act of manipulating is very obvious in primal animals, such as crocodiles. A crocodile will hide underwater, deceiving it's prey that it is not there. Then when the prey is too close to the water to get out of the way, the crocodile springs up from the water and drags its prey underwater until it drowns. However, in human beings the act of manipulation in order to survive is a little bit different. A human not only has to survive in a physical sense and take care of it's body, it also has to maintain the self image that it has concocted, unconsciously I might add, towards itself. When I was a kid, part of my self image was that everybody liked me. As soon as I felt like someone didn't like me, I woul be triggered by a slew of negative emotions, I'd get angry and frustrated and upset. It felt like the end of the world because to the part of myself that believes that he is liked by everybody, this was the end of its world. That part of me cannot stay intact if I experience it to not be true.

The Enlightened Path I am going down a road that no one goes down. I say this because if I didn't think of the enlightened path as something that few people attain, then I wouldn't pursue it. The fact that it is so rare makes it all the more alluring. I am going to be a person that no longer has images of himself attaining any ego-driven goal. All goals from here on out will be for the betterment of other. Let's just start there. This means no goals of seeing your face next to the most beautiful woman, or seeing yourself dancing attractively on a screen, or your face on Instagram with a bunch of medals for winning dance competitions. All goals have to be about other. Your ego, your self does not exist. Therefore, it does not need to be fed. You have been feeding it like a fat disgusting pig all your life. It is full enough to survive for weeks. It wants to puke everything up. The way the ego acts is disgusting. Selfish and maniacal.

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing there is a field. I'll meet you there." - Rumi

This is my first honest attempt at doing spiritual autolysis. This is a method to attaining truth- realization coined by Jed McKenna. "Autolysis" means self-digestion, and "Spiritual" means the level of self that encompasses the mental, physical and emotional aspects. All you really have to do is write the truth. Just write down what you know is true, or what you think is true, and just keeping writing, until you come up with something that is true. Spiritual Autolysis Journal Entry #1 - Wed Apr 19 '23 - 8:28 AM Lower self: I am a human being. My name is Ben. I know that I am a human being because I was told that I am a human being from my schooling and my parents and everyone else within society. I am told that we as human beings have evolved from chimpanzees or bonobos. Higher self: Okay... do you have any direct experience of yourself as being a human being? Lower self: No... this is just what I have been told. Higher self: Okay... then how do you know that it is true? Lower self: Well... I don't. I am just trusting what other people have told me. Higher self: Okay, then we agree that you do not know for a fact that you are a human being? Lower self: Yes. I agree... My name is Ben though. I was given this name from my parents when I first came out of the womb. Higher self: Have you ever experienced what it means to be Ben? Lower self: Well... I have a bunch of beliefs and pictures in my head that I feel like embody who I, or Ben is as a person, i.e. what Ben is good at, what he's bad at, which people are my best friends, who Ben's family is, etc. Higher self: Okay... Would you agree that these are all just beliefs and pictures in your head, this Ben cannot be a truth within the universe. There is nothing fundamental about it. You do not know what it is like to be Ben. These are all just fictions in your head, beliefs about yourself, there is no being to speak of. Lower self: Yes, I agree. I am starting to see a recurring pattern here. Does the truth lie within being? Higher self: Yes, I think so. Lower self: Well how do you know? Higher self: Well... I don't know, it just seems like the correct way of thinking about things. If all of these beliefs and fictions in our heads are just that, fictions like Pete Ralston has talked about, then how else are we going to come to the truth about things. Lower self: First off, you are putting your faith in Peter Ralston too much. How do you know what he is saying is true? Higher self: You're right, I don't. I want to question what he is saying as well. But... we have already established that there is no inherent truth to the Ben label or the human being label, correct? And this has been established because when we boil down the human being label, this is just a label that other people have come up with in order to label what this species should be called. We call this species human beings. No pure truth to this. Just a label. Same with the beliefs that you hold about Ben, no pure, fundamental truth there either. That is what this work is all about, cutting past all of the bullshit labels and getting to what is truly TRUE. That is what we are after here, and I think this was a good start young Padawan. Lower self: Thank you When will we speak again? Higher self: When you are ready.

It sounds like you died

Great job

Jed McKennas series The End of your world by Adyashanti Peter Ralston books

The motive is not to structure it yourself but to fully understand the structure of the self. Why has it been created in the way that it has? In order to do this, one has to detach from the self. It is impossible to examine the self without zooming out and looking at it objectively.

"Decreasing self increases consciousness" - Pursuing Consciousness page 86

Spiritual Autolysis Journal Entry #61 - Feb 14 '25 12:00 pm Lower self: The self is a construction. It is not a real entity. Higher self: What makes a real entity? Lower self: A real entity is something that is true without a doubt, undoubtedly true. No ifs ands or buts. Higher self: So you are saying that a self is not a real truth... But why can't it be? Lower self: Because a real truth is something concrete, without a doubt true. A self is not real Higher self: Why is it not real? Lower self: When something is real, it is true. It is Truth. A self is something that I have constructed. What I mean by that is I have an opinion of myself, "I am below average height." This is a thought, it is a belief, they are merely words in my head. I couldn't possibly say that they are Truth because remember Truth is something that is true beyond any doubt, and if I just thought "I am tall" what's the difference there... Which statement is the true one? Higher self: The truth is being decided by you, by your own mind. Lower self: Yes, exactly. Therefore, the self cannot be Truth because I can decide what is true about the self. Its not a concrete truth if it is always changing and altering shape. Higher self: Okay, but what about the body? Lower self: What about it? Higher self: The body doesn't bend and change and alter shape, how do you rectify that? Lower self: Oh yes it does.... I was 8 pounds when I came out of my mother's womb, now I weigh 135 pounds. My body has been consistently changing for the past 29 years. Higher self: Okay... So then we have decided that the self is not Truth. Now Mr. Smart Guy, what do we do with that information? Lower self: I don't know. I have to contemplate that... Until next time.

@Hojo what do you chant?

I've been listening to The End of Your World by Adyashanti and I feel like I am going through something elevated. I'm starting to look at all of my thoughts for what they truly are. They are thoughts and not real, tangible things. Thoughts are a complete hallucination. This means that there is no truth to thoughts. Any thoughts. ANY AND ALL THOUGHTS are a hallucination. Now let's think about the ramifications of this...I as this ego cannot trust a single thought for Truth. That is scary business. Where does this leave us? If a human truly wants to take the trip down the spiritual path, what does he have to do? He has to shut off his thoughts... Now the question is how does he do this?

Chapter 7: Structural Tension As you master structural tension, you are able to generate and release energy which becomes available for direct use in bringing forth what you choose to create. Structural tension requires two components: The first is to know the result you want or having a vision The second is to know what you now have, or current reality. The difference between what you have and the result you want creates structural tension. Structural tension may be resolved in two ways: Through a change in current reality so that your outward circumstances correspond more closely with your vision. On the other hand, the tension can be resolved through a change in your vision, or giving up on the vision.

The Path of Least Resistance by Robert Fritz Book notes Introduction: “One of the fundamental principles is that there is a direct connection between what occurs in your consciousness and what occurs in your external life, and that if you initiate change internally a corresponding change will happen externally.” “Energy always moves along the path of least resistance, and that any change you attempt to make in your life will not work if the path of least resistance does not lead in that direction.”

Chapter 6: The Orientation of the Creative You are capable of creating any life that you want to create for yourself, so dream big. Really really big. Don't settle. New things are popping up everywhere; new dances, new games, new technology, new ideas, etc. What you really want to be is completely in your own hands. Now grab the reins and start steering. Making things up: An interesting truth is that we make things up all the time. You as a creator makes things up. What do you want for your life? You make it up! Every song and dance ever created was made up, all of it, every creation has been made up. Don't react, create! Focus on the result: “What do I want?” Or “What result do I want to create?” “If you ask the question “How do I get what I want?” Before you ask “what result do I want to create,” you are limited to results which are directly related to what you already know how to do or can conceive of doing.” Organically formed processes: Once a vision is clear, processes organically form which lead to the accomplishment of that vision. In the Creative orientation, process is invented along the way. Since a new result might require a completely original process, limiting yourself to preconceived notions of what processes are available can be fatal to spontaneity. It is best to allow processes to form organically from within the vision of the result. A new structure: Rather than overcoming limiting patterns you may establish new and effective ones in which the most natural structural tendencies are toward a fulfilling and satisfying life. This shift in orientation from the reactive-responsive to the Creative requires a new structure to be in play. This new structure is called structural tension.

No children but I am an uncle

Lower self: The purpose to life for human beings is to reproduce. Higher self: How do you know this? Lower self: Because this is what we do in order for our genes to move on. Higher self: And what is the purpose to that? Lower self: The purpose is to evolve. Higher self: Evolve into what? Lower self: Evolve into.... The greatest possible version of ourselves that we can create! Higher self: Why though? Why evolve at all? Why not just stay still and not grow into anything? Lower self: I don't know, I mean I guess you could. I mean no ones stopping you.. but there is this unnerving feeling inside of a human being that says "I want to be more!", "I want to be good!" "I want to be courageous and kind, a true gentleman!" * Higher self shrugs* so the purpose to life is to evolve, huh? What is evolving ? What does it mean to evolve? Lower self: To evolve is to change. Higher self: Could you be changing into something that is worse than what you are now? Lower self: well first we need to ask the question what does it mean to be "worse"? Higher self: ahhh... now we're catching on. What do you think? Lower self: Worse is deemed as less beneficial to you. Better is deemed as more beneficial to you. Higher self:More or less beneficial towards whom? Lower self: Me. Or anybody, everybody. Higher self: Is that all humans or all things in general, animals too? Trees? What about the other planets in the solar system? What about the planets in the other solar systems? What about the other universes and multiverses? What about the living beings far out into the galaxy? Lower self: Hold on just minute! The original prompt was the purpose to life for human beings is to reproduce.... Higher self: Yeah... But and then you started talking all of this gibberish and it was hard to understand you. Lower self: Hard to understand me? What do you mean by that? Higher self: Listen, do you want to get at the truth of a thing or just the truth that benefits you the most? Lower self: the truth of course. There is nothing more noble than pursuing the truth. Higher self: Yes, but there you go right there... You are pursuing truth because it is a noble thing to do. You will get no where until you decide to pursue truth for its own sake. Until then, you are not ready.