UnbornTao

I'd have shat my pants, probably. Not a big fan of insects in general.

Masturbating by the river.

True. I've begun noticing how the mind immediately shies away from considering the reality of death - not the notion or idea of it, but the present, constant possibility. And of course, not as a general or abstract thing, but as something deeply personal and intimate. My death now. The thing with "enlightenment" is that it's unlike other pursuits, yet at the same time, a real possibility for you as well. We might still think of it as another form of coping, or simply more of the same, a philosophical, abstract diversion of a sort. But the point is that such understanding transcends life and death. Anyhow, prior to that, I think that having a negative relationship to death is virtually inevitable. The Buddha grasped this sense of death, and it probably drove him with an urgent desire to transcend life and death altogether. So we could do the same, although it is unlikely to happen.

It depends on your goals. What are you up to and what do you hope to achieve with the practices?

A thought may sometimes unsettle you and make you uncomfortable - not necessarily in a way directly related to health - and yet still be accurate or effective. For example, as a training exercise, you can actually imagine having a very heavy ball buried underground, chained to your waist, pulling you toward the earth. If you manage to make it real in your own mind, your nervous system will respond accordingly, even though the whole thing is entirely invented. The thought or notion serves to align you with a real principle. Even though it isn't true in any sense, it works. In that sense, it fulfills its function - and may therefore be considered high-quality. Just a thought.

Is this the spiritual way of saying, "You're all stupid except me"? Open to what, specifically? Is this whole mental framework coming from a memory or a conclusion drawn from a state you experienced on a trip - or several? The point would be that you can't chemically alter your way to intelligence either, if I'm understanding your use of the term correctly, because it's not a function of time - in either case. I'd say the only thing it requires is consciousness. And fortunately, it isn't anywhere else but here. It doesn't require a new experience or for something to change, since we're seemingly trying to talk about the absolute. If you mean something relative, then that's a completely different matter.

I had a Misinformation Awakening.

You like talking in riddles, but thanks, I guess.

@Leo Gura Didn't you say that your consciousness is influenced by chemicals, that "psychedelics already produce higher consciousness than enlightenment," and that brain activity and consciousness are totally related? Hmmm...

Right, that's why you had to come up with that vertical and horizontal BS - to set the way for the subsequent argument. That's "process." The premise is wrong. Drugs, by definition, are completely indirect. You are still referring to states and experiences™️. Take a look at the assumptions behind terms such as "highest peaks", "baseline state of consciousness," "buzzing being", "geared towards", and even "consciousness" and "infinity."

It could become the new standard to greet your fellow humans.

@Water by the River Fine, only this time. I'll be Maude.

The mind can be really creative.

This is the way. Consider how much of your emotional and psychological pain is generated in your own head. A useful meditation is to get physical - either by engaging in a physically demanding activity or through deliberate contemplation. Ask yourself: What's objective here, right now? Notice that most physical objects around you stay unmoved, undisturbed, still - if you're in a room, for example. We don't find suffering in the physical world of objects. This can then serve as a contrast in the mind, revealing the conceptual machinations at play, helping you let many of them go and be free from having to suffer them - or, at least, to create some space around them.

That'd be something.

“I am not asserting that it is morally impermissible to send messages generated by ChatGPT. However, it is relevant to note that employing an artificial intelligence intermediary introduces a non-human element into interpersonal communication. Consequently, considerations regarding transparency, authenticity, and potential misrepresentation may arise. Ethical evaluation depends on the context and the expectations of the recipient.” Wait, forgot to remove the quotation marks.

You would be you in any case

I'm gonna reincarnate as a sentient pomegranate. Be careful what you wish for.

Finally, the recipe for enlightenment.

I have no answer for you in the form of a process or method, if that's what you're asking. This matter is a bitch. Become directly conscious - now. Contemplate. That's the only way. Set aside a week for intense contemplation. Who fears death? What is the one fearing death? Confront those questions with the goal of having a breakthrough. I know this might sound like more of the same foo-foo crap we mentioned above, but consider that there is something real there for you to get - something that could actually make a difference. With enlightenment, one might recognize that he or she was never born in the first place, and therefore can't die. As a side thought, it's funny how young people live as if death were somehow "far away." It's treated as a distant notion. "Yeah, someday, maybe. Let's just sweep it under the rug for now." We seem to passionately avoid confronting the fact that death is a possibility for us now simply by virtue of being alive. Anyhow, I wanted to share that.

I bet it's incredibly sobering. Getting all intellectual and philosophical is easy. I wonder how much we ignore the reality of our own death through such distractions. You know, have you considered pumping out a few enlightenment experiences? This seems like a good opportunity to do so - for real. Achieving some freedom around that.

Oh shit this thread was about sex, wasn't it? Let me lighten the mood now: