UnbornTao

That isn't enlightenment, but getting clear on what something is doesn't mean you forget how to recreate it. You might have implied that understanding such distinctions (thoughts, emotions) as in "enlightenment" would make you unable to drive, etc, as you'd be operating without them so to speak. You can experiment with experiencing without concept, but the moment stuff has to be done, you'll bring up whatever's useful for getting a job done, concepts in this case.

Personal preference. I like the one with the quote.

Couldn't be here without you.

That you're willing and committed to undertake such an adventure sounds like a good first step.

Becoming directly conscious of what's absolutely true now. Knowing what you are doesn't make you stupid, which is to say you can do what you could do before, like driving a car, etc. Do not presume what that is. Leave it as an open question.

Quite revealing.

You yourself said you hadn't got it, and then proceeded to share some conclusions likely influenced or based on your interpretation of hearsay. Like trying to take ten steps without having taken the first one. If you truly get in touch with the sense that you're uncertain about this matter, that's a more powerful place to contemplate from than coming up with plausible and reasonable explanations. Better to remain open.

I knew it.

No extrapolation. This is not a place to have one's beliefs validated. Relax. Go take a walk.

So what? Ignore it, it gets in the way. Stop making up BS, it isn't true. Be grounded in your own work.

Of course you can ignore it. The gist of it is: why worry about it? We don't know what's true. Believing in what another has told you is irrelevant.

You're coming at the matter too superficially, so don't worry. Relax and be honest. Everything's alright.

It isn't true. Stop trying to figure things out. Ignore it and go about your work.

It is a belief system that is precipitating such experiences. Notice you adopted such assertions at face value. And if negative things are being experienced, you deeply misunderstand and are not doing the real work. Breathe, be honest and contemplate.

It is hearsay and nonsense. Who cares? Throw it away. Start contemplating from scratch, that is, without presuming to know what anything is, which is the case for everyone. Good luck.

Definitely.

You don't know what you're talking about. Avoid speculating and jumping to conclusions based on what you've heard from others or have come up with by yourself. First, contemplate and grasp your nature, then your question may get resolved on its own.

"Go vote for me."

Being alone, without any distractions, tends to provoke strong emotional reactions, as you're confronted with your bare, mundane experience. As a culture, we focus on acquiring things - whether possessions, entertainment, relationships, and so on - hoping to find something external that will enhance our experience or finally make us whole. In doing so, we completely overlook our own personal experience. Why is there such a strong urge to avoid confronting one’s experience, stripped of artifice? Why, for example, is meditation difficult to practice, or even actively resisted? Could it come down to disliking one’s life and self as they are? You might feel existentially lonely or uncover long-ignored pain, among other things. Have a look.

What about the winter joy? Be enthusiastic. What if it's a misdiagnosis? May be adding to the assumption that it is in fact externally caused. Have you ever been disinterested and tired, and then suddenly enthusiastic and joyful? Maybe look in that direction, too.

Don't speculate based on hearsay you've taken on as belief. Question from scratch. It's useful to start with you, your nature.

Sure. Face the wall.

Social constructs.

Is love a function of accepting what is? When it comes to others, is it about accepting what they are wholesale?

ChatGPT, self-terminate now.