DoubleYou

I wanted to say either Tycho or Emancipator but it's been taken care of.

First of all, there's nothing wrong with ego. Only ego can think the ego is wrong. As a professional music producer I've been thinking a lot about this. It's hard to say if art is from the ego or not. It's expression, so it's probably both. I've always used art as a way to express my sense of wonder and awe. Because music goes beyond words it's a great tool for that. I've noticed that when I'm writing for egoic reasons it never really works out. My best work happens from unexpected inspirational moments. Mostly when there's no thought involved. Bottom line, I don't really care where it's from since I don't think I'm in control of this urge to create. It just pours out occasionally. And what a great feeling it is.

Become aware of the ego. As you can see above, it's in total control. Forget about enlightenment for now. It's the ego that's desperate to get enlightened because it doesn't accept itself. So start by recognizing it's patterns without judging it. The ego's biggest trick is denying / hating itself. It's what makes it real. Good luck.

It happened because he questioned the thought "I can't live with myself." It didn't make sense to him that there's an I that lives with itself. And then it clicked. So in a way it was spontaneous but it definitely started with questioning. The man has been teaching people exactly this for years now. Saying Eckhart Tolle doesn't have the experience or competence is just flat-out ignoring most of his teachings.

How do you know this? And what happens after the last one?

When I started meditating there was A LOT of emotional baggage I became aware of. This resulted in crying almost every meditation. It was something I never really did before but meditation is perfect for this. Even the most intense emotions can be observed without judgment. Now a couple of years later as a result of this I rarely cry but funnily enough sometimes when I'm just on my own doing my daily activities there comes this quick urge to cry which lasts for only three seconds or so. It's almost like a sneeze, no emotion attached to it at all. Feels great to be able to do that. I guess these were moments that I used to ignore in the past which resulted in the baggage to begin with. So, let it be. Don't even think about it.

@Happiness You say you didn't experience any filtering, but did you still experience any thought or judgment during this experience? Don't forget that these are things you can be aware of as well. The mind won't shut up, it will still judge. It will do what it has always done. But there is no I that identifies with that.

Then why do great teachers like Eckhart Tolle who seemingly really know what they are talking about keep on referring to consciousness as I Am? My biggest awakening experience was when I was able to observe this I Am and see how it is just a concept of the mind.

There's a much deeper connection with these people than the one you are afraid of losing.

You're not in a movie. You are the movie. But who is watching the movie?

Fear only shows that you're still trying to experience from the ego. But even then, being fearful can be witnessed too.

That's the ego talking right there. Don't conceptualize this experience as 'something that happened'. It's still there. A glimpse is all you need though. From now on there's a knowing. And with that comes a huge opportunity to diminish the ego's power over time. Good luck

By calling them enemies they are already inside your head. For the entire concept of an "enemy" is created by the mind. They're just situations that ask for a proper response. Or not. No need to overthink it. Next time you get angry, try to feel the anger instead of thinking about it. You'll see it's just an automated response. Your thinking mind is that which chooses to act upon it. You are not angry, there's just the feeling of anger. Become aware of this and it loses it's power.

So last night "I" had the experience of enlightenment. The experience that "I" isn't the one experiencing it. It IS the experience. And that there is awareness of that. The number one thing that will bring enlightenment is seeing that the one looking for it is not that which is enlightened. Because an experience can never be aware of itself. The same way a story would never be able to read itself. It's being read. So is enlightenment just an acceptance of that fact? Or is there a way to distance oneself from ego completely? I feel like ego death is the next stop. Which frightens the hell out of me. But at the same time knowing there really is no "me" to begin with makes me laugh. The mind is going crazy on this though. It keeps on asking itself if it is indeed enlightened. The answer is of course always no but that's probably why it's yes in a way. This gets so weird. It's funny how that goes though. Ego trying to explain to itself that it doesn't exist. That's just not gonna work. ------ Bottom line: You, as in, what you think you are. Are the experience being experienced. Not the experiencer. But don't just try to understand this. Try to be aware of it. Cause I still don't understand it. And I never will. Because "I" do not exist outside of a story that's being witnessed. Hope this helps. I'm really excited. Yet also scared. But who am I?

@Saarah Exactly! We're trying to look from a perspective that's unable to ever perceive what really is. We have to somehow accept that indeed "we" are not the witness, but the witnessed. From an egoic point of view that is. And by accepting that, we recognize that there is something aware of that. The thing is, our mind thinks there's two perspectives. But only one of them is real. And we are trying to look for all the answers from the perspective that is not real. I notice the mind keeps on asking the question if there's a way to change the perspective from an egoic one to that of awareness. But that question in itself shows just how the mind thinks. Always two instead of one. That's the tragic part. The seeking mind, the one looking for all the answers, will never be able to grasp them. And that is just fine.

It's great to not "need" anyone. Just be aware that you're not using your loneliness as a shield to protect you from the outside world. Why do you feel like people affect you negatively? Because they can harm you? (Emotionally) If so, I would actually advice to go out more and face these fears. Get comfortable being vulnerable around people.

@Wormon Blatburm That's just one small aspect of it though. Can't just write it off as bullshit because of some guys doing it for the "wrong" reasons. In the end, you're getting rid of an addiction. Which is never a bad thing. The benefits are just an extra. Anyway, I'm starting today. Kind of excited actually. It's just another addiction I never put much thought into because "everyone is doing it." But I feel like it's been long overdue.

Thanks for sharing. Eckhart Tolle talks a great deal about this. Hope this helps.