UnbornTao

... and God said: "Let there be misogyny!"

That's not what I said. Not many enlightened women are widely-known partly due to their historical roles in many cultures. It seems to be true that, generally speaking, men are more likely to become hermits or monks-philosophers, while women are more socially-oriented or outgoing. In any case, both sexes are completely capable of this pursuit. It simply requires commitment and the discipline to follow through. Is it a "male" self or a "female" self? It's a self, after all - doing work that threatens its (presumed) existence. It isn't easy for anyone.

"The Flower Sermon is a story of the origin of Chan and Zen Buddhism in which Gautama Buddha transmits direct prajñā (wisdom) to the disciple Mahākāśyapa. In the original Chinese, the story is Niān huā wéi xiào (拈花微笑, meaning "Picking up a flower and smiling")." Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower_Sermon#:~:text=The Flower Sermon is a,a flower and smiling"). Apparently, yes, but such cases are rare. You should take them with a grain of salt. If you grasped your nature (again, not a small if), then it may have occurred in your own case. Likely, though, you're talking about something other than enlightenment - as you said, psychic abilities. A deep state, connection, or feeling isn't a realization of your nature. This breakthrough is self-validating. When it occurs, the individual is clear as to the nature of what they became conscious of. Yet, this clarity isn't a function of mind or of wanting something to be true - it's a function of the direct consciousness.

Why not do it without input from AI? While it can be useful overall, relying on it kind of defeats the purpose of contemplation. You could ask: What is my experience of intuition? And then contemplate it in real time - either as you try to intuit something yourself, or by observing others who seem to be doing so.

What do you mean, specifically? You need to take into account how women have historically been relegated to very limited roles in many cultures. There was often a strong stigma around women speaking openly about these topics - they might have been seen as mad, or even as witches. As a result, they may have had to veil their insights in “acceptable” religious language - or poetry, perhaps. And that’s just one factor. I’m aware that similar dynamics may have applied to certain groups more broadly - like Sufis - regardless of sex. But the point is made - poorly, but it is made.

I don't see the point in bringing up the sexes. Both are equally uninterested. Seriously though, humans as a whole couldn't care less, except when it is pursued as a fantasy called "the truth."

It might be that most forms of suffering - not physical in nature - are not caused by external circumstances to begin with, and therefore aren't imposed on us against our will. Each of us plays a central role in the generation of this kind of suffering. As for meditation, I'd say the practice is about healing and training the mind - which are also aspects of survival. You meditate to calm down, improve your state and experience, sharpen your concentration, and so on. Contemplation, on the other hand, is the sincere pursuit of truth through questioning. We might say that seeking what's true is a different pursuit from the survival of the self - though it doesn't necessarily contradict or negate it. As an analogy, survival is like the kernel of your operating system. We often see 'survival' as something beneath us - but it can also be viewed simply as life. In that light, rather than resisting it as something negative, we can learn to embrace it more fully.

So, can we perceive that there's no "tree" there?

@Carl-Richard @zurew See? Funny coincidence. Not so easy to ascertain what a tree is, after all.

Heard it while walking past a beach bar.

Hard wood.

@Carl-Richard Too flat and 2-dimensional.

To be clear, when I said that solipsism is a belief system, I was including non-duality in that category - as well as any other system of this kind.

What is its purpose and what are the rules? How many players are on the pitch? What tactics are used? What’s the role of each player? Why do you like it - if you do? Have you ever played it? If so, what was your experience of that like? Questions like these can lead to useful answers. Sometimes, the responses don’t need to be extraordinary - just honest descriptions or explanations. Also, if applicable, consider why the other person is asking. That context matters. Maybe they’re asking out of a desire to connect, to be entertained, or simply to start a conversation. In such cases, the question might just be a pretext for social interaction, and therefore secondary to that goal.

Seriously though, I've found the practice largely beneficial - though not without its share of anxiety and frustration. I'd recommend giving it a try. It forces you to confront discomfort and override one of your most primal urges. You might even experience a sense of spontaneity and lightness - sometimes even ecstasy. I'm not talking about extremely long periods without food, btw. I haven’t done fasts longer than 24 hours. This isn't medical advice.

Essential for longevity!

How Not to Die, by Michael Greger. Important note: you are going to die at some point.

What's the issue? Make sure you're using the account you used to purchase the book list. Note that it's different from your forum account. If that doesn't help, contact Leo via DM.

Freedom from the Known, J. Krishnamurti.

You don't need to figure out your way into enlightenment. Just leave it as an open possibility that's currently not accessed. And go directly at you, whatever that is.

It depends on what’s being addressed. Is it a watermelon, a principle, a mathematical formula, fear, soccer? Your question is useful - it invites new ways of thinking about things, even if they’re commonplace. But could you clarify it a bit more? You can always go further by asking yourself more questions, like: What exactly am I trying to talk about? What’s my experience of it like? How am I relating to it? How does it affect me? What do I feel in relation to it? What would I say is there, as that particular thing, without considering its relationship to me?

Locate in your experience the profound and pressing background urge to believe - in anything at all. Why is it there? What is it based on? What is it like to stand on your own two feet, without any belief whatsoever? What don't you find in such a bare - and yet more real - experience?

No one. There wasn't even a post to begin with.