Salvijus

? this is well put. The simplest translation for shoonya is probably primordial awareness. A quality of zen. All things arise and pass away inside this void. This void is dimensionless and beyond time. That is shoonya. It's not just a mode of perception really. It's a phenomena of its own. All modes of perceptions are inside this primordial space. Not sure if i followed the second half of what u sayed ?

@Raptorsin7 U don't get to be sceptical about such matters now ? It's like a kindergardener trying to be sceptical about quantum physicst theories ?

True, idk. I think his path is of bodisatva. There are a group of buddhist who don't go into full nirvana and stay a stage lower. They practice love and compassion very similar to Jesus. And they stay around to help people evolve. Just like jesus. I think Jesus is just creating an army of bodisatvas. That's his way, his path and there's a certain wisdom behind that. It's just a theory tho, idk.

Bliss is just a passing stage in buddhism. Buddha says don't cling even to that. Even that is suffering. Go beyond everything. Even heaven ?

Shonyata is not bliss. It's nothingness. Beyond all qualities. There're no qualities in shoonya. Bliss is heaven. Shoonya is beyond heaven. Primordial space. The core of existence. No taste, no smell, no touch, no feeling, no bliss, no nothing. Also i didn't understand your argument why eliminating desires is considered nihilism.

In buddhism it is also sayed that only those who enter deep states of attainment of nothingness can only start understand why buddha was right. And doubts about the path dissipate. A normal person has no chance or brain close enough to grasp such crazy ways.

@Someone here i don't think buddha was a pessimist. My theory is that it takes enourmous wisdom to understand why nirvana is biggest liberation. And it's very hard to understand why. He sayed even heaven is suffering. Even realms of heaven of eternal ecstacy is suffering. What kind of crazy dude would say that? What kind of wisdom does it take to give up bliss and extacy for nothingness? Crazy much wisdom it takes i believe.

A can't remember the details but basicly there are like 12realms with a body and gross existence that u can reincarnate to. Then like 10realms where we exist just as pure mind without a body. And some even subtler levels there are. We humans are living in 5th layer of existence. Which is pretty close to hell actually. That would explain why there is so much suffering on the planet bc we are in a very low dense plane right now. If u move high enough u can't fall down anymore. Some planes of heaven are not eternal, u can still fall down back to bodily planes. Buddha says that even heaven is suffering and one should go beyond all heaven into total freedom/nirvana. I learnt all this info from Goenka vipassana retreat guy.

Buddhism have like 33lokhas or realms after death. Places of heaven and hell. Nirvana is not heaven. Nirvana is beyond heaven. Beyond all 33lokhas or planes of existence.

@kray u managed to call sadhguru, his parents and his followers dumb brainless losers in one swoop. gg ??very concious take.

How do u define a car? How do u define a house? I tried to contemplate these questions and realized u can't define anything in existence perfectly. Definitions are a made up thing anyways. U can define things whichever way u like it. But for practical purposes it's probably better to have a consensus upon each definition.

@Raptorsin7 well yea, avatar literally means an incarnation of god i think so...

The better translation for no-self would be. "The self IS nowhere" this would be the most accurate describtion of enlightenment imo. It implies that the self exists and doesn't exist at the same time. Which is how it truly is. Edit. The self is nowhere and also everywhere. The source of self is nowhere, the manifestaion of self is everywhere. The source of self is formlessness, the manifestaion of self is form. Formlessness can exist without the form, form cannot exist without formlessness. Formlessness is king. (I should put this on my signature)

They are the same thing actually. But it's hard to explain how. Who makes the realization that existence is void of self? Pure awareness/The Real Self is making that insight that there is no self anywhere. One who realizes no self automatically becomes aware of undiscribable, immeasurable Nothingness, aka the Real Self. And one who becomes aware of the Real Self, nothingness, void. Automatically realizes that there is no tangable self in existence. Everything is just passing and going away in nothingness. They are the two sides of the same realization.

Im suprised u made it through actually ? really cool

You don't really need any tips. Just arrive like a clueless wanderer and you'll be okey ? I'm considering doing a 3rd vipassana retreat also next month. 1.A banket could be nice if it's cold in your country. Usually early mornings can be cold a bit. 2.Taking showers everyday is helpful to stay fresh and maintain mental balance. 3.Walking bare foot or lying on the grass is helpful also. 4. Don't go with the impression that the retreat is dificult. 10days is designed for beginners. Every noob can go through it with a little bit of detremination Good luck

If u can enter and abide in the presence of love. That love will dissolve all negativity by itself, no need to direct it at anything. But that's rare. Usually people just repeat a mantra in their heads, i love my self, i love my anger, i love the whole world. That's fake, and that's not how love works and in that sense it's a bit delusional imo. Love is not an acrion that u can perfom on things. It's a state of being. If u know how to enter that state, good. U have a very powerful practice. Otherwise it could be self deception.

I think this could be true. But it's a question whether or not that love is real or is it just halusination? I found that love transforms negative energies into smth neutral. But it's a weird practice. A lot of potential for self deception i believe.

Tru, tru. And mind is literaly incapable of knowing what is right i think. That's why it's eternally confused. Real answers and knowledge come from beyond the mind. The presence of beingness

@Judy2 probably i would chose the path of least resistence. Something in between like u sayed. Trying to pretend to be spiritual and act against all conditioning with nothing but sheer mental will is going to bring a lot of suffering also. I think each one has to descide according to the level of pressure and level of conciousness growth they have. And even if somebody is fully trancended all conditioning may still chose to conform to some level just to avoid unnecessary conflict. There seems to be many exceptions to it. Nobody can explain these things in words i think. One who is attuned to everything and is living from presence simply knows what is the most harmonious thing to do at any given moment spontanuously without thinking. That would be the best and my favorite option. Relying on the mind in such situations is a guarantee of confusion, doubt, and constant wrong choice making ?

These are probably both valid ways u can approach spirituality. If u practice awareness, it will naturally lead to detachment. If u practice the presence of love, it will naturally find expression in the world. The nature of love is to extend itself to others, sometimes dance in joy and celebration. The nature of awareness is to become detachted and unaffected by anything and still and silent. That's why buddhists always become monks and christians alaways go into the world and hug people and spread love around (theoreticly). It's just what happens naturally in those states of consciouness.

Okey, you're right. I was not laughing at people with eating disorders. I just find people who starve themselves intentionally to lose weight to be a bit ridiculous and funny. And i know for a fact there are a lot of them. Almost every woman has that pressure to look lean and it causes them to starve and restrict themselves a lot i believe, at least a little bit. It's not mockingly funny. But funny in a way that it's a bit ridiculous and anti-smart. At least from my perspective.

@Judy2 really? I didn't think it was trauma. If i had to guess it was an insecurity of body weight. Something that what every woman has these days. I bet more like 50% of women have tried to starve themselves to lose weight ? i think that's pretty funny. And insanse. Weird combination of feelings ?

I never counted calories in my life. I just eat until im full. I eat a bowl of fruits, then a vegetable like a tomato and avocado and then a two handfulls of grains with lentils. How much calories is that? I think that's like 500maybe. A small tip. Eating food in this order: fruits then vegetables then cooked food is really good for your digestion and u won't feel bloated in this way. Don't drink water 40min before and after as it slows down digestion.

"I was starving myself" Women are crazy ? But intermitted fasting is not even fasting. I eat twice a day for years, i never even notice it, or would call it fasting even. It's just normal amount that the body needs really.