Pauline Bureau

I have been told several times that while meditating or even during the day, when thoughts come in, one should not push them away, but just watch them and let them pass. Yet, I find it sometimes hard to FEEL the difference. I think I am letting them go but at the same time I try to focus on something else than the thought itself, like a body sensation or a sensory perception, as to urge and help the passing of the thought and not let it "stick" onto me. But isn'it a kind of manipulation ? Meanwhile, I also find that naming the thought like "oh, this is jealousy", or "oh, this is this boy again" etc helps to distance myself from it and therefore to let it pass, but maybe that using words during the meditation (even though I only pronounce them in my mind) might prevent me from reaching a meditative state of consciousness when the rational mind shut down ? Thanks in advance for your accounts and advice and time !

does it mean that seeking Enlightenment is the symptom of some kind of a failure ? Is it a "quest" for those who did not find any fulfilling/ enriching/ captivating other way to spend their time ? (since we can chose whoever we want to be since we are nothingness (for me it's like we are all like cups of different shapes and we choose to put everything we want to within))

Thank you for your answers, by "path" I meant that seeking Enlightenment is a real commitment that in effect requires a lot of time and energy (meditation sessions, writing, reading, isolation...) to the point that it is something you choose to do instead of others things you could be doing and in which you could actualize yourself as well, without enlightenment, just by being committed and making of it your purpose (creative passion for ex.) so that yes it is gambling, all the more since the motivation to seek for it relies only on the words of a minority of people who are told as being enlightened. Because, why do we really want to know truth if it's not to actualize oneself ? It is, isn't it ? So what if people have already a passion that they are mastering and that make them feel alive ? Or they just "people who prefer to remain stuck in illusions" ? Are they people still too blinded by ego ? Are they what all people seeking for Enlightenment were not able to be but ?

Hi everyone, Leo's video on beliefs and the fact that we should question everything, his words comprised ; really put me in a confused state of mind. Because of course it led me to question Enlightenment : " is Enlightenment a belief ? To what extent is it more legitimate/trustful than any other paths ?" "Is it not one more idea only based on the words of others ?" These last two questions come from some moments during which I am so confused about "what is truth?" that I am even led to think "maybe Enlightenment is just another conspiracy ". Don't you think that the path toward Enlightenment requires a belief in the fact that it is going to bring us 'truth'/ pure and infinite happiness" ? Is the fact that I have these questions a symptom of the fact that I did not have enough spiritual "experiences" ?

Thanks for your answer, but does it mean that you have found a way to reconnect with them ?

Hi everyone, I can't prevent myself from being scared about the fact that the process toward enlightenment could lead me to distance myself from my family or to feel more alone since it is becoming a bigger part in my life that I can't share with them (they are not a at all into spirituality-consciousness and they would think I got into a sect If I try to explain it to them). How do you deal with that ? Are you able to remain close to your family even if they are at a lower level of consciousness ? Pauline.