Natasha

Thank you, @Leo Gura Before enlightenment - drown in ideas and mental circle jerk. After enlightenment - watch birds, hand-feed squirrels

Great job on the posts, guys! You're all making me lolol

@jjer94 Sushi an American invention... who knew?

@jjer94 I don't follow politics. What was the State of Union speech about?

At the peak of his suffering Eckhart uttered in despair, "I can't live with myself any longer". "Who is 'I' and who is 'myself'", the question arose. "Are there two?" Let this be your clue. Hugs <3

Eternity

Read 'dead' as illusory. The sense of self is just a thought that arises and disappears. So there is really no entity he/she thinks that they are. The mechanisms are still at work, however. They're just happening and no one is doing it.

What is the freedom he is referring to, though? He was 'free'/forced not to act on his demons any longer once in a jail cell, but was he truly free to act on love? Didn't his actions speak louder than words?

Truth is not tragedy, it's liberation, peace, end of suffering, unconditional love. You're already truth embodied, just haven't realize it yet. Once you 'see' through the veil of the false sense of self (ego), you'll recognize your true nature is infinite being.

@Joseph Maynor It only becomes a 'problem' if the actor is not aware they are not the character and that the play is scripted.

@Buba Replace the 'I' in your OP with 'ego' and you'll get the answer. The ego is scared shitless of existential thoughts because it means the end of it.

It's what is.

@mk0998 Here's the difference - sociopaths and people with other severe personality disorders live in grand illusion. Enlightened live in grand reality. Self-realized beings with well integrated ego don't go around killing others, they embody unconditional love and acceptance of all.

That's awesome! The pooch would be even happier and less likely to annoy if you throw something cushy on the floor for him to sleep on. I have learned a lot from my dog about unconditional acceptance and gratitude. They live in the moment and are not burdened by concepts like humans are. Their needs are basic and their loyalty is complete. They are unpretentious and quick to forgive, etc. And also this

@Nature Beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

@jjer94 Why not let the doggy in? Dogs experience a range of emotions too - loneliness, pain, need for companionship, fear, etc. I know a family whose dog Chelsea would do same thing as this dog and they just dismissed it as annoyance...until they found her dead in the backyard. Her needs were never understood and attended to - maybe for security, companionship, medical attention, or whatever else. They never even tried to figure it out. That story brakes my heart every time I think about Chelsea's suffering and lonely death

@Monkey-man In a nutshell, the answer is no. There is no one there to want to know.

@How to be wise By default as a survival mechanism.

Liberation is disillusionment, 'seeing' through the veil of deception. It's like an actor in a play who knows he is not a real character, yet carries on with the script. Does that actor deceive himself? Yes and no. 'Yes' in the sense of that he stays playing the role. 'No' in the sense he is aware it's just a role he's playing.

Ultimately, for me it was truth, unbounded freedom, and peace that transcends all understanding/mind. Why wait till you're 'dead' to realize those?

@Shanmugam Check out other pics of me on page 46 and 49 in this thread.. my llama jokes

@Slade Leo has a good vid Real Growth vs Fake Growth where he covers this topic in depth, check it out.

It's myselfie...on a good hair and make-up day Nah...I went for enlightenment instead

@Shanmugam

@blazed Done. Thanks