ajasatya

that's what i thought as i was doing my "research", but that's not what i found when i got closer and closer to experienced zen teachers from zen lineages. zen training is a copy+paste of the traditional training proposed by sidhartha gautama and his silent method has been passed on by dozens of generations of super responsible people (thank god again). what you see on the current picture of "buddhism" is very distorted from what it really was.

those are attempts to explain their first hand direct experiences and comprehensions about what awakening is and how the process of awakening occurs in the human realm. but if you ever get really close to a serious zen lineage, you will notice that there are teachings about how to behave and (thank god) they are very rigorous. the difference is that zen does not teach you about Truth. zen is only a method for you to experience it by yourself. a true zen master is awakened to the nature of God and is able to recognize students who are seriously aware of God. the teaching of "there are no teachings" is not absolute. it serves people in a very specific level of practice. but such teaching does not qualify as a general teaching of zen. serious zen lineages come from the teaching of the original buddha and their teachings are the noble 8-fold path.

zen has very straightforward teachings. zen is a practice for the discipline of the mind. have you ever been to a sesshin? the instructions are clear. zen retreats are artificial environments for people to train the presence of awareness.

ok but those are not fundamental characteristics of a human being. you trained yourself to be that way, thus, if you want, you can deconstruct them. this story sounds like my past.

if reality has lost its magic, then explain to me: how come there exists something instead of nothing?

are you married? do you have kids? find a way to rest without putting so much burden on your shoulders. do some research on alternative lifestyles. what if you've been fooled about the suit & tie lifestyle? what if that's not for you?

who are you?

@Wyverz now that the experience is gone, you're turning it into a belief and suffering because of it. let go already... it's already a lie. Truth is now.

True Nature is not supposed to be something that you are not. the feeling of individuality is real and it's also a marvelous thing. just because you had a glimpse of truth, it doesn't mean that people around you aren't having a genuine conscious experience on a daily basis. why not be with them?

@Wyverz yes and no

@JohnnyBravo in the end, everyone kinda finds what they're seeking. whatever you say can be used to motivate the exact opposite of what you were trying to express... it just depends on what the seeker is thirsty for. leo talks a lot about spirituality and the enjoyment of life. still, what did @Sharp see? a genuine and reasonable body of knowledge to support his suicidal tendencies. i am here (not only on this forum) to always offer the best i can, but what people will do with what i say is out of my reach.

@Schahin you, and everything that exists NOW, are the afterlives and the "pastlives" of existence itself.

this is an OLD story, desire and belief. you cannot get out. you cannot get in. you are existence, alive, asking who you are. you will not find the answer somewhere in the universe. the universe doesn't know what it is and it asks those questions through human beings (for example). being is the highest mystery and it cannot be solved, only contemplated. "i am. and i don't even know how." - the universe

@Pouya is your notion of truth true? if yes, you're contradicting yourself if no, then it's an useless insight go beyond the mind. beyond falsehood and truthfulness. what's between words?

amazing. but it doesn't seem like you were able to find the source of impatience. you just felt impatient. why don't you give it a try everyday?

@Giulio Bevilacqua it happens because you're attached to knowledge. what's the difference between knowledge and wisdom?

investigate the source of impatience. sit down for 20 minutes right now and do nothing. you will feel impatience arising. yes, seriously, right now... it's now or never.

LOL where i come from, men are forced to marry older women at very early ages, you know? that's why.

suffering is mainstream. the process of spiritual seeking is an old jewel on the human realm. unless you master the core principles, you won't be able to come up with anything new that's worth passing on. pretty much all questions on this matter (or at least the ones that matter) have already been asked before. and for those, pretty much all the answers have already been thought before. then ask yourself: where does manipulation come from? locate the source of manipulation in your experience.

@phllip103 sitting. if your muscles are too weak or become too tense, try hatha yoga with some serious teacher. one of the goals of hatha yoga is to prepare the body for solid meditation practices.

who are you?

@Mikael89 you're completely attached and identified with the mind. good luck on avoiding discipline and serious inner work. i won't bug you anymore.

there is no way out. the only option is to embrace existence NOW. you've completely misunderstood the message. spiritual awakening is not a path against life as it is. it's exactly the other way around. it's a path towards this moment right NOW. failing to embrace life NOW is offtrack.

@SoonHei the best thing that you can do is talk to the person and acknowledge your mistake. but it only works if you feel deeply sorry and does not expect forgiveness. acknowledging your mistake is already enough.

@Nadosa exercise the body