Nahm

I knew you would have a great answer! Thanks for that! There is a unique 'comfort' in knowing none of this is ' real'.

There's the simplicity of the unique experience of you being you and taking what helps you on your path from either religion, so the bridge between is actually you. another rando- just focus on the many similarities from the words of Jesus and Buddha. Leave the more obvious conjecture, the dogmas. you won't be able to reconsile the two dogmas, that is inherent in their creation and design. there is only a hell for people to judge others.

there are far worse paths! its all good and good for u!

@jse that's deep bro. high praise. i often think of the that irony

love to hear more about those demons. i am encouraging it so i apologize for that but, guy says he's seen a demon, i wanna hear more.

youtube is an easy entry

A admittedly cold suggestion, but I think it will help you so here it goes- Try posting what you want to say in just a few sentences. Try to write and speak this way. After a while, you will think that way and then, you may have the clarity you seek.

@Siim Land Great thought. There is no 'end'. That's a belief. Transcendence has been my path for about 30 years now. Every time I experience it, the super fuckin awesome sensation I get, is the awareness to the infinity of transcendence. Trancscending one thing is a means to a beginning of another thing. An easy example is money. I spent a lot of my life with a belief that having a lot of money would make me happy. Once I had a lot of money, I experienced a certain happiness from it for a while, but then I saw that it was fleeting. That was my experience of transcending money, so I was on to the next thing to transcend. These days, all of my trans pursuits are of the mind, letting beliefs be beliefs. I gain insight to what beliefs really are the more I transcend. Does this make any sense to you at all?

My buddy always talks about how good a pumpkin spice latte at star bucks is compared to a coffee with hazelnut creamer in it from Tim Hortons. He thinks they are 'all the same'. The thing is, he has never tried a pumpkin spice latte from starbucks. He does not realize that I am talking about an experience, and he is talking about a belief. Please excuse my forwardness if it is unwelcome as color of PD encouragement that you do not find pleasing - Bro- you are far to advanced to not have a spent a few years learning quantum mechanics. You are discussing reality without having digested the furthest it has been examined by the greatest mysticists of all time, quantum physicists. It blows my mind to think about the epiphany that waits you, given the effort and focus you have committed to you path, if and when you apply yourself to QM. There is an edge to all of this that no one has progressed beyond in at least 100 years. It is the uncertainty principle. You could be the "Neo".

If you believe in those roles to begin with, then by default it is up to you to make your choice. People have labeled me in my past as exactly that. When I hear this, I tend to think in terms of the food, biology, neurology, chemistry and consciousness in terms of free will and probability of what leads that person to be saying what they're saying. Does that make me introverted or extroverted? Who cares right?

That made me feel so good. Thank you for that! I agree. It seems even the practices themselves can be bottomless pits on thinking if we are not careful. It is a slippery slope mixing any religion with self actualization. At the same time - whatever gets someone interested and going on their path is also beneficial, but still learning that will need to be let go of down the path. Much joy to you Natasha, your words are always so balanced, insightful and simple. This is a path I am pursuing and I always appreciate your example. Thank you again.

While meditation of course has a long list of benefits, imo, stay true to the pursuit of nonthought. Don't get caught up in posturing, etc. Don't delay with more thinking.

Sorry. My bad. One person's harsh is another person's catalyst of progress. It's hard to know online. For what it's worth, my intentions are of help & progress in liberation. In your first post you are saying you don't think you are playing any roles. In your last post you suggest the idea that limiting yourself might actually be a preferable thing for you. If you are 'advancing', resolving, progressing, and you know it because you feel awesome and are loving the insights, then maybe you don't have self imposed limiting roles at all. Self honesty are just some words to point a direction we can check our selves. When I hear self honesty, I feel wonderful. Magical even. Clarity. When my buddy hears it, he gets sad about how he still smokes cigarettes.

What beliefs do you hold? Also, why do you skip answering my questions?

Learn more about reality an discover that life and death are just deep beliefs. Here is a fun entry point.

The personality is a fixed thing to you because you believe it is. That's not true. The difference is between experiencing what the ego is or not having done that process.

@aryberry That's not what I meant there. I meant ego is tricky in this way. When someone see's someone who has recently shed their ego, the peace of mind is obvious. When someone sees someone who shed their ego long ago, and has been living the life they have been choosing, and are fulfilled and content and living in the now, it can appear to to someone else who believes in their own enlightenment, but has not created their reality, that the person has never undergone any processes or transformation to begin with.

In the sense I think you may be asking, yes, they are all the same thing. They are constructed of beliefs. All beliefs are what prevent truth and enlightenment. The product of these things are the very list of things one has to let go of to get to the truth.

@blazed How long have you practiced meditation? I'm surprised to hear that your thinking is still getting in the way, given your rituals.

Religions, and Buddhism, are perspectives. Following them is believing. Learn quantum mechanics instead. This sets you free. If the topic is enlightenment and seeing through reality, scientists did this to the furthest extent currently possible a very long time ago. Learn the science of reality and form your own understanding vs believing or not believing what another person has said about it.

How are you using all this info in your life?

@Flare I will check him out today. I'm curious about what you're saying. How could it be possible that any new information could change the observer effect / uncertainty principle and quantum erasure / delayed choice? The very point of the understanding of these principles already encompasses any new observation.

The thing to learn is self sufficiency, self fulfillment, happiness from within. If you're happy with nothing, then you can enjoy anything without 'attachment' emotions. Like a lot of things, it kinda boils down to doing daily meditation, and connecting with our higher whatever-you-like-to-call-it.

@Flare both sound great to me.

@The Universe Find what?