UnbornTao

@zurew @Carl-Richard thanks. Ultimately, it seems to me like wisdom is an abstract, wide notion that depends on how it's held by each individual.

Is absolute truth a state, then? When using the distinction "state", we might as well be talking about different things. State sounds like relative stuff. Is it possible that Truth is independent from state?

Don't idealize enlightened people. What can be done before enlightenment can be done after it.

True happiness might be inherent in your nature, and it doesn't depend on circumstances. Meaning is created, adopted and applied. Like I said above, happiness may be independent of meaning. What you call happiness is self-survival, like when a monkey gets a banana, he's happy, without the banana, he isn't. Rarely considered is the possibility of being happy even when you don't get what you want! Try to look into it and practice it.

So what is wisdom? Wisdom isn't conventional knowledge, smartness, intelligence, opinion or information. Could be held as an unusually deep and unconventional intuitive understanding and feeling-sense. It could also basically refer to consciousness, being profoundly aware of the truth of something. Consider examples such as Gandalf, Chuang Tzu and Plato. What makes these characters wise as opposed to the average person? Food for thought.

Better not to make up simplistic formulas to fit our preconceptions. What is happiness? It may be a synonym for being! Happiness is independent of meaning.

@Yimpa nice, keep up the good work. Two hours is an impressive feat even for moderately experienced meditators.

I'm also between avoidant and secure and just bought the secure workbook at the attachment project. Have yet to read it but looks like a useful tool for some of your concerns. Check out its table of contents.

That's a good practice, happy for you. In my case, meditating for at least 20min daily is what I do. I've noticed that meditation requires confronting yourself, your emotions and your state in a very positive, straightforward way. Your mind learns to embrace your experience, to let go and to focus. I recommend it.

Avoid procrastinating. Whatever can be done now, do it rather than putting it off. That way it won't linger on your subconscious, causing unnecessary strain and anxiety, and you'll get more done.

Wanting something you don't have means you don't have it and are separate from it. Ta da! It's counter-intuitive - pursuing happiness is based on suffering because it's an assessment of lack. Avoiding suffering also adds to the suffering, it seems to me. Better to confront it in order to grasp what it is and why it is there, which facilitates freedom from much of it.

Suck my nirvana!

I don't know what wisdom is.

Use the kindle app. Apparently it's available here at Barnes & Noble.

What!? I'm out of here.

My wallet is suffering! Buy the book!

You can become conscious of what life-death is but it wouldn't be a matter of conviction but of consciousness. Talking from hearsay, you'd grasp that, since your nature isn't born, it can't die. Immortality is about you directly realizing that, not about a self or body living forever. It wouldn't be life persisting but you. Death is no more you (self), so life stops for that self, I'd say. As for what happens after death, the truth is that nobody knows.

The fact that it is made up doesn't invalidate its contribution. That it is created doesn't necessarily mean it's bullshit.

That's the list that makes us not-so-big performers feel better about ourselves. What about what makes such individuals kick ass? Vision and clarity. They know what they want, they're intrinsically motivated Commitment. They're committed to achieving whatever they've set up to do Practice. They put in the hours into their craft and obsessively practice it A positive relationship towards failure. It is held as a learning tool and thus actively confronted and improved upon etc.

Monks are generally pretty deprived individuals. "I'm not going to jail again!"

First, what do you hold as ego? What is it? I'd say that animals don't have an ego, nor do they have emotions even though it may look like it. But hey, no idea.

Confront, understand, and transcend. It exists because it serves a purpose for you. What is it doing? Why suffer? And why suffer needlessly? You can become aware of self-imposed suffering and do away with it once it is grasped in one's experience as an activity you're doing. I'd say that a bunch of it is unnecessary and can be transcended.

Seems to involve intuition, above all. In any case, I'd say listen for honesty and personal experience. Ask yourself: What are their communications serving? Are they inviting you to look into things for yourself, or are they sharing opinions, beliefs and just entertaining people? Are they coming from direct experience? Are they clear, straightforward? Do they facilitate your own investigations, or do they feed you fantasies and stories? This should leave out most teachers.

Why pursue distraction? What function does it serve? What are you looking to avoid by being distracted? What do you gain by being distracted? What if you stop pursuing it? What if you stay silent, still and present, without any distraction, for a long time? How come that, without distraction, a sense of uneasiness and discomfort seem to arise?