Natasha

Yeah that's the part I also could relate to. Took me years to undo the parental conditioning.

No psychological suffering after the shift. I would observe raw sensations of pain without identifying with them. It's funny you mentioned it, because I have also always been highly tolerant to physical pain. I remember when I was in 7th grade I had a tooth extracted without any anesthetic (it was in my country of origin and they'd run out of anesthetics that day). Somehow even as a child I could dis-identify from the sensations of pain and just sit through the procedure and be ok. The shift is in perception. Yes, you realize the sense of self is an illusion. Forms and sensations rise and disappear in raw vastness of reality, life at play. The 'self-boundaries' are conceptual, so is 'skin' and the 'outer'.

Just to give one example, I decided a while ago I'm not going to celebrate Christmas the traditional way. Some people thought I was rude or weird, others thought I'd become a Jahovah Witness lol. I didn't have to do what the society and people around expected of me. I might go to a Christmas sing along, watch favorite Christmas shows at home, have a meal with family and friends. I dropped decorating and all that neurotic shopping and gift giving thing. Now I'm free to enjoy it on my terms and care less what anybody else thinks of that. And if I wanted to sleep through the whole Christmas eve and day or devote that time to doing my art, I would do it too

The 5th one was - I wish I had let myself be happier

Yes was permanent. I can't even say I was seeking per se, just wanted to get to the bottom of something and was open to whatever it takes. Prior to the shift I was naturally immersed into and absorbing teachings from Sadhguru, Eckhart, Leo, Tony Parsons, and Lisa Cairns for a few months. I was razor-focused and isolated from any distraction (got rid of the TV cable, cell-phone, no social media, etc). When the 'seeker' collapsed, the search was over.

I got Self-realized a few years ago without much meditation, while doing self-inquiry one day and the shift just happened

@ardacigin I had glimpses of awareness of being in my Mother's womb and when being born. None of that was conceptual, no sense of time or space, just purely observational. I remember while in the womb looking and like seeing through water at a fleshy wall in front of me. While being born moving through the super tight dark channel, getting stuck, struggling to breathe, and finally the blinding light and first deep gasps of air and crying. The experience was intense and traumatic to a degree. My Mom later told me she had long hard labor. Also, when I was still an infant I have vivid memories of the things and faces that surrounded me. When I look at the pictures where I was just a few days, weeks, months old, I can recognize those people and objects. This might sound strange to some, but perhaps it's a spiritual talent that I was born with? Later in life I got Self-realized without much meditation, it just happened while doing self-inquiry one day.

Flying grasshopper landed on me in the park today. He stayed on my shoulder for quite a while

Hot

That's beautiful. I noticed I've been doing the same. Being able to see magic in seemingly ordinary things is a special gift indeed.

@SerpaeTetra Yes. There was a study where people on their death bed were asked what their biggest regrets in life were. Here's the scoop

That's why I said extraordinarily ordinary

@Aakash Yeah there are a lot of exceptional people who choose to live very ordinary lives. They live on their own terms, not according to the society's or someone else's expectations.

Yep, same here.

@Aakash Yeah watch the video. Ordinary doesn't mean mediocre.

Good one Yep

Yeah, it's like asking someone who is sleeping, "Are you sleeping?". If they say 'yes', that means 'no'

Eight

Because Infinite Consciousness is not limited to function of one's senses/finite mind (human consciousness with a small 's'), it's the essence of reality, the 'stuff' everything is made out of, the nature of existence.

Ghetto

@erik8lrl Beautiful, thanks for sharing

Pinocchio in the puppet matrix - "There are no strings on me"

Gluten

Music to my ears