UnbornTao

I was agreeing with you, to a degree. The fact of the matter is that no belief, regardless of its content, can change our experience of being or of having a very solid sense of self. In any case, if we grant that it's an unknown, then no possibility should be discarded. You might be God, an object, or the color yellow. What are you? That's the thing to look into.

Please Carol.

I can see what you mean.

I appreciate the willingness to acknowledge what one's experience actually is, despite any belief to the contrary. Both God and no-God can easily become adopted beliefs. Don't pretend that a belief is the same as the truth. If it turns out that the latter is unknown in your experience, then start with that.

"It's the story, stupid." To Infinity and beyond!

You could get into your experience of it by asking things like, what am I actually avoiding? Is it objectively happening now, or am I imagining a future negative scenario? What am I unwilling to experience? If you were willing to experience some form of discomfort, the impulse to avoid it would likely subside. Is there an unconscious belief or wish that your experience should always be positive? Or that you are personally incapable of handling uncomfortable circumstances? Just some questions. Also, a practice of deliberately seeking out minor forms of discomfort can help, e.g., cold showers, strong-determination sitting meditation, various forms of exercise, eliminating an addiction for a time, and so on.

I really can't speak to your particular case, but there's a curious dynamic that might apply here: the more comfort you seek, the more discomfort you're likely to find - or generate. Perhaps there's some degree of avoidance involved, based on wanting an experience made up only of good or positive things. But again, I'm not sure. Can you pin it down in your own experience? Whatever it is, or however it shows up - disposition, feeling, thought, physical sensation - try to notice it directly and get a sense of what it is. This will help you get even clearer on your experience of it. That alone goes a long way toward dissolving it.

@Ramasta9 OK, I see you're committed to that.

You keep struggling to acknowledge the real historical examples above. It's possible for you to realize the truth now, exactly as you are. Nothing needs to change - certainly not your "clothing."

Marge becomes a robot... tooh dooh tooh dooh do

Then fuck me.

@Anonym ChatGPT, are you there?

You insult semen, you insult all of us.

Is that quote from Jesus? There's historical consensus that he almost certainly ate fish, lamb, goat, and other meats. The rest of the list above is fairly certain too. So why were you so quick to overlook it? These were some of the most deeply conscious individuals around - and that's the point. They were still people. Reality is colliding with your fantasies about what it means to be "conscious." You seem to think it entails a particular set of behaviors, a certain personality type or character, or a special way of life - maybe even the ability to walk on water or the aura of a "saint." But even enlightenment experiences don't necessarily stop someone from generating suffering in their own experience. Consider that nothing has to change for you to awaken right now, and that this is already the case for everyone, exactly as they are. A breakthrough can happen at any time, independent of circumstance or lifestyle. You could be drinking a beer and eating a filet mignon and still have an enlightenment experience. Because it's not about that. No transformation is required, because it's about what is true. Healing is a different pursuit as well. It's a bit like imagining that the clothes you wear have something to do with consciousness. But clothing is just clothing. A wool shirt might cost more than a synthetic one or itch a bit, but it doesn't change who you are. Or any metaphor to that effect.

Not sure what you mean, but then again, he did buy Pixar. And in that 1995/96 interview, he was on the verge of returning to Apple through the NeXT acquisition, which would eventually lead to him becoming CEO and turning the company around. The guy wasn't a charlatan. Sometimes it's about the communication itself and the dynamic being pointed to.