Key Elements

Enlightenment Pickup Lines: Are you a magician? Because whenever I look at you, everyone else disappears! Are you religious? Because you're the answer to all my prayers. I seem to have lost my phone number. Can I have yours? Do you have a name or can I just call you mine? There are people who say Disneyland is the happiest place on earth. Apparently, none of them have ever been in your arms. I bet you play soccer, because you're a keeper. Did you invent the airplane? Cause you seem Wright for me. If God made anything more beautiful than you, I'm sure he'd keep it for himself.

Nope. Don't underestimate animals. We humans are the only species that has to use $ to live. We work our ass off because of this. While birds and others fly and live freely, and then we claim that we're the smartest. Sometimes some animals, like this cat, for example, come to the rescue: We could live without $, like this: But, there was a population explosion in the previous generation and inflation. Time to really work on our life purpose and connect it with spirituality. That's the only way I could think of to solve this issue. Oh, pls refer to Spiral Dynamics too!

@abgespaced What do you notice yourself doing on your free time? I noticed myself painting. I love art. I used to make tiny decorative baskets as return gifts (aka "goody bags" for children). Used to sell them to parents who were throwing birthday parties for their children. It was too demanding, too many orders. Then, during networking, I met a business guy who asked me, "It's great that you're selling your products - baskets. You can sell 10 a day easily. But, what about 10,000?" That was a good question. Then, I wrote a bilingual book and made a website. That got me my current job as a bilingual teacher. Language arts. I still have a long way to go. I do canvas paintings for my students. Example: I signed it with my website - behind the heart stickers - not ready to show it yet. Hope this helps. I would say, unearth your passion and make it marketable.

Thanks for your answers all! Now, here is the big "secret." It's simple! Whatever you love to do, you have got to practice - lots of practice! Then, you'll get good at it. How? Look here: Of course, you'll enjoy it practicing it cause you said you love to do it. One last thing...you will succeed in it if you put it in this structure: From the book: Guide to Investing by Robert Kiyosaki. Try, try again till you succeed.

What you said here is interesting. I didn't forget it. Yesterday, I was on the bus coming home from work. My co-worker was sitting next to me. She was telling me about a guru that she met. The guru had the ability to travel outside his body anywhere in the world. The guru's wife also gained this ability through meditation. But, it was different for her. When she tried it after a few times, her soul didn't return to her body. So, she died. Well, that's sad. What came to my mind when I heard this was, we can't go to the extremes of anything. Although, meditation has its benefits, overdoing it is also overworking yourself. Things have to be balanced. Another thing that came to mind was, like I said and learned, we still have to live this life to the best of our abilities and to the fullest. We still need to learn all our lessons, grow, and move onto a better place. We still have Maslow and self-transendence being only at the tippy-top of the pyramid. We can't ignore all the foundation at the lower stages of the pyramid. That's where all our lessons are. And, we can't forget to factor in karma. It works in subtle ways. It seems like it gets better when we are able to gradually learn our lessons on Maslow.

To me, it's a non-quitter guy who is also radically open-minded, honest, and kind. Understanding of other cultures deeply. (Coming from a woman's perspective.)

An enlightened person won't come up and tell you that, "I'm enlightened." The person would be too humble. That's part of the definition. You could tell by the person's actions. Here's a story: 1) https://youtu.be/x8aN9O73lgg 2) https://youtu.be/0PQonSiGkVE 3) https://youtu.be/Ozca_5ifwQ0

Well ok, picture this: there is no past, present, or future. Why? It's all in our heads. We think too much as we go about our day. This could lead to overthinking and stress as we go along. We think like this: What are we going to do when we get home? What are we going to do over the weekend? This person didn't do a good job at work...etc. These thoughts are just thoughts. They don't exist. If we knew that, if we practice that, then we are free. We often forget who we are. All these thoughts don't really count. We don't actually exist. We are just here in this "illusion" to learn our lessons. What will count the most is what we do in the "present," which adds up, which is a very narrow frame of "time."

Hey folks, I would like to share this thread here: It's an attempt to describe the lifestyle and some of the qualities of an enlightened person. A story: 1) https://youtu.be/x8aN9O73lgg 2) https://youtu.be/0PQonSiGkVE 3) https://youtu.be/Ozca_5ifwQ0 Traps: https://youtu.be/i288Lnb7NOk

Congrats. Do your very best. Give it your all. Children are great teachers. You'll learn a lot from them. Hang in there. Children help you become actualized very quickly because you'll have to adjust to the shift in paradigm. They will grow and change. Adjust, grow, and change along with them to help guide them well. Set good examples. My children are teens now. I'm just speaking from experience. Best of journey to you.

In Computer Heaven: The management is from Intel, The design and construction is done by Apple, The marketing is done by Microsoft, IBM provides the support, Gateway determines the pricing. In Computer Hell: The management is from Apple, Microsoft does design and construction, IBM handles the marketing, The support is from Gateway, Intel sets the price.

A man died and arrived at the pearly gates. The Lord himself came out to greet him. The man asked the Lord about the nature of heaven and hell, to which the Lord replied, "Come, I will show you hell." Together they entered a large room where a group of people sat around a huge pot of stew. Everyone there in hell was starving and desperate. Each person held a spoon that could reach the pot; but each spoon had a handle that was too long, making it impossible to feed themselves. So, the suffering was terrible. "Come, now I will show you heaven," the Lord said. They then entered another large room which was identical to the first: the pot of stew, a group of people around it, and the same long-handled spoons. But there everyone was happy and well-feed. "I don't understand," the man said. "Why are these people happy and well-feed when the people in hell were so miserable?" The Lord smiled, "Ah, it is simple," he replied. "Here in heaven they have learned to feed each other."

Nice pic. Why does this happen? Cause no one wants to get with a stranger. Those who do, it doesn't last long. You can't even be a stranger to yourself. You probably won't be happy with life. It's worth the time and effort to develop yourself, get to know yourself, and then find a suitable partner.

I believe you should live each day as if it is your last, which is why I don't have any clean laundry because, come on, who wants to wash clothes on the last day of their life?

I watched Mahabharat, the popular TV series, and thought that Bollywood's portrayal of Krishna is too grandiose. In real life, he was probably a humble man serving Arjun to change the course of history into the more positive. He may have forseen human history; that's why he was helping Arjun. Btw, Happy Shivratri @Prabhaker Hmmm...what do you think of Shiva? And, the other two?

@ElenaO Make it a point daily, starting today, to gradually step into the lifestyle you'll eventually love.

"When you start seeing your worth, you'll find it harder to stay around people who don't."

Although I get what you're saying, I'm not sure if this applies to every single person in the world.

There is no you. There is no time. There is no distance. How would science explain a Satori? Have a look at it from Light's point of view in the clip below:

It got crowded in heaven, so, for one day it was decided only to accept people who had really had a bad day on the day they died. St. Peter was standing at the pearly gates and said to the first man, "Tell me about the day you died." The man said, "Oh, it was awful. I was sure my wife was having an affair, so I came home early to catch her with him. I searched all over the apartment but couldn't find him anywhere. So I went out onto the balcony, we live on the 25th floor, and found this man hanging over the edge by his fingertips. I went inside, got a hammer, and started hitting his hands. He fell, but landed in some bushes. So, I got the refrigerator and pushed it over the balcony and it crushed him. The strain of the act gave me a heart attack, and I died." St. Peter couldn't deny that this was a pretty bad day, and since it was a crime of passion, he let the man in. He then asked the next man in line about the day he died. "Well, sir, it was awful," said the second man. "I was doing aerobics on the balcony of my 26th floor apartment when I twisted my ankle and slipped over the edge. I managed to grab the balcony of the apartment below, but some maniac came out and started pounding on my fingers with a hammer. Luckily I landed in some bushes. But, then the guy dropped a refrigerator on me!" St. Peter chuckled, let him into heaven and decided he could really start to enjoy this job. "Tell me about the day you died?", he said to the third man in line. "OK, picture this, I'm naked, hiding inside a refrigerator ..."

Interesting...could you pls explain or give a few examples? I'm still not clear on this. I thought everything happens for a reason. Try your best in this life. Learn your lessons. Life is a school. Become a "teacher." Set a good example in your own ways, and move onto something better.

@Prabhaker Hmm..how is the example I have just given wasting spiritual energy? You'll lose your soul just for doing that?

Interesting example. I used to like this character a lot as a child - used to get those Pez candies with a green Yoda head. Yoda reminds me of this Zen story: The Moon Cannot Be Stolen Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing in it to steal. Ryokan returned and caught him. “You may have come a long way to visit me,” he told the prowler, “and you shoud not return emptyhanded. Please take my clothes as a gift.” The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away. Ryokan sat naked, watching the moon. “Poor fellow,” he mused, “I wish I could give him this beautiful moon.” There's nothing wrong with living a simple lifestyle. Just exercise and eat healthy. Live where there are lots of trees. Stay strong. However, inspite of all this, some ppl still suffer. They don't just die in their sleep in their old age. Looks like we still need good health care. We're still not at the stage where everyone is getting equal and outstanding health care as a society.

I'm not saying to dominate others or to become popular. Let's say a person has the power to light wood and make fire without any tools. If he's stuck in the middle of the forest in snow for some reason, maybe his car broke down, then he could make fire until help arrives. I'm saying along those lines.