PureExp

So much confusion going on here but its ok. I was 100x more confused, but I refused to accept beliefs. Do not believe, just know ! Your thoughts are beliefs. E.g. "mind that is awake". What is mind? WTH is an awake mind? Who or what experiences a mind (or awake or asleep mind)? But this is a good start. "Just an experience", yes exactly. Now, the question is - what is having those experiences? Is there "something" making them? or are there only experiences? If there are only experiences, then there is nothing else except experiences. Is there? Show me a thing that is "not-experience". If you can't show me that, then the obvious conclusion is - there is only one thing, not two, not many. That one "thing" is not a thing. Its a field of experiences, a screen on which every experience appears. It is that in which things appear. You can call it as "I" or consciousness or Brahman or existence, doesn't matter, its one. The divisions are purely mental. Mind itself is an experience (a collection of non-sensory perceptions/objects) Mind's job is to divide, and when you see how mind is doing that, you reach oneness. I can go on and on, but this is a forum, people don't like to read long posts , you will need to see it yourself. No one can prove it just by typing. Lastly - Yet another belief. People see your body, not your awareness. They cannot see it, no one can, no instrument can. Like a fool, people conclude that since the body is inactive, the awareness is "absent". They do not want proof, they do not want to think, thinking is painful, believing is easy, and if everyone believes it , it must be "the truth". Can you tell me when have you experienced an absence of awareness? And how did you perceive that absence, if you were "unconscious"? Sure, you can ask people, but ask them if they saw your body, mind, or consciousness. If many intelligent people testify that they "saw" your consciousness as absent, you will get a Nobel prize. This will be a big discovery indeed. If you are not prepared to accept your own direct experiences and keep depending on people or books, the non-dual path is not for you. The essence of non-duality is ability to see the truth yourself. Its an exact science, you need to define words exactly, and talk and think logically. All the best

Ask yourself - what was aware of daydreams? what was aware of the random stuff? How do you know it happened? What was the background of it? The essence of non-doing is not to stop what is already happening, but to shift your attention to whatever there is that is perceiving the happenings. Simple ! If you try to stop things, manipulate thoughts, memories, you are doing a lot. Don't do, just be....Finally you will see that there is no doer, there is just experience.

@ExtraAwesome What is witnessing the ego that is coming back? Ask, and see. That's all you need to do actually. If you worry, get angry, get sad etc. its just your ego making different faces. Its a one man act. There is a watcher of the act, thats all.

Great replies ! Then there is a related question - will the individuality remain after the liberation? Where by individuality I mean a very fine and mild sense of separation - like oh yes, there was this thing called ego "here", and now there is none, but there is me still watching it all, not taking births anymore, no desires left. I know its getting theoretical, but just wondering. If liberation is total dissolution into the infinite source, then these things mean nothing, there is no one there who got liberated.

Non-dualism, aka Advaita Vedanta, offers very convincing answers to many "hard" problems. Everything seems to fall in place when you adopt the no-two idea. Moreover it is easy to practically test it simply by honest observation and elementary logic. I was wondering what are the limitations of this philosophy. Where it fails miserably, where can it not answer? Any comments (even devil's advocate types) will be appreciated.

Few seconds are good enough How much time does it take for you to answer this question - "Are you aware now?"

@mostly harmless I have no idea. I don't think anyone knows, or if it is even possible to know. Things just are. There are no satisfactory answers to "why", because you can always add a why to the answer you get and it can go on for infinity. Try a good book on metaphysics, epistemology and ontology, you will find some theories. I have some answers to "how", but its too heavy and I'm not sure if its true.

Yes. Knowledge and hard work. Find the problem, find a solution, fix it. Repeat.

@SeekingFreedom Ok I see it. Perhaps you are trying too hard, and just like others say above, it should be a play not hard work ! Do not turn your practice into just another suffering. But then this should not mean there needs to be no effort. The formula is - Effortless Effort A football player does tremendous effort to master the play, but he never complains that it is a pain .Same you see. Gently and silently slip into pure consciousness as soon as you find that Ego has taken over. Do this often and it will become a second nature, and after some time (weeks/months) the episodes of Ego taking over will be very very few. I do the same all day and night, and that peace is the greatest reward I ever had. The state does slip often, but its ok, you can wipe it off as soon as you see it, don't let it leave residues.

This is a common belief. In sleep the mind shuts down and when it comes back up there is no memory of deep sleep. There is some of dreams. Its the mind that shuts down, not consciousness, it is not a thing, it does not have states, it is the witness of states. Witness never shuts, it cannot. I never had any unconscious moment in my life. My direct experience is always of being aware. Unconsciousness is not possible. If you are unconscious, who knows that? If you know that then you are not unconscious. Others will tell you that you were unconscious during sleep, but they cannot know about your consciousness, its subjective, no one can see your state of consciousness, they just see an inactive body, not a dead consciousness. Shocking, isn't it? Why no one thinks like this? Thousands of years of conditioning and beliefs. Thats why. Similarly, drugs affect mind, not consciousness. Who is aware of altered mental state? Does consciousness change or contents of it change? Ask and know. (Perhaps this will help, I wrote about this issue in detail there.) Yes, it will seem vague and confusing initially. People have deep beliefs, it takes time to realize things as they are. IMO, you are correct in saying a cpu can't produce consciousness, but its not correct to say brain can. Both are objects, and objects can not produce consciousness. So what produces it? Nothing, it is fundamental. Consciousness produces everything, including cpus and brains and entire worlds and universes. Now, how do I know this? It doesn't matter how, you don't need to believe me. You already have tons of beliefs. Just try to experience it directly. Start self-enquiry. All the best

What are your expectations? What do you really want to happen?

@Afonso These experiences are very common. Its called Mudra (Sanskrit: A Pose, Google it for more details and similar experiences of others). IMO, these are indications that some changes are taking place in the central nervous system (aka brain) and some depersonalization/purification is taking place. There are various explanations/theories on why that can happen. But it is normal and expected for those who are into energy work or energy manipulation paths. All the best

@jse That will be inevitable in future. We are creators by nature. Funny that there is a theory out there which says that the reason we do not see any aliens (ETs) is because they have shifted to virtual realities of all sorts completely.

Just throwing this metaphor out there, its fun Open Photoshop and go on adding any pictures you have as layers. With each layer set to 20-40% opacity, so that it somewhat blends with whats below it. Use a lot of pictures, more the better. Now you will have pile of layers all mixed together. This is Presence (Existence, Brahman). Its all there is. The image will be just a blur of everything. This is the Presence watching itself. The Self (consciousness) as it is without contents, just experiencing what is and itself. Now go to a random layer, right click on the eye icon in the layer and click "hide other layers". Turn opacity to 100%. A picture appears ... Magic ! This is the Self having a human experience, an exclusive experience of limited contents. It has ignored everything else, it has a narrow focus now, but the experience is more defined and is beautiful. However, if you forget about the pile of layers, it is ignorance of a kind. Try using a brush, or changing the color here and there, or cut and paste parts. This is action, and it has consequences. If you are talented, if you know the art, the results are going to be even more beautiful, you will be happy. You must know what you are doing. Else, the picture will quickly turn into a mess, you won't like it. Some people may randomly choose a pretty picture, some may end up with a gray one. But we all have capability to beautify it, add to it. Just needs knowledge and skills. You can practice and become better, this is Sadhana, the cultivation. You may totally forget that there is more, you may think only this picture is there, because now you can't see other layers and have forgotten about them. This is another kind of ignorance. Now, turn opacity back to 30% and hide it. This is death. But if you unhide the layer just on top of it and set opacity to 95%, you get something similar back. Rebirth ! Your earlier work is still there, hidden below it, perhaps you can see some through it. This is Samskaras, latent tendencies, Karmic storehouse. It affects your current picture and actions. Hide it and unhide some other random layer, keep opacity low. Try working on it, create.... you won't see much, its not clear, but some stuff appears and disappears as you change it. This is dreaming. The experience is not so opaque or solid. Hide it, this is deep sleep. No contents there, no experience, except that you are.... Hide it and unhide another layer, set opacity to 90%. A new experience appears. This is Astral projection. You just got a hint on how to experience the non-physical Unhide all, and you are back to the Presence. Don't forget the screen, its the absolute. You can't see it, but its there. PS: Imagine a video with sound in place of pictures, and it gets closer to life. Imagine a 3D view, like a game with an avatar and some freedom to move in the picture. That's even closer. Imagine a VR headset on, and now you are immersed in it, try tactile feedback etc, and its as good as real thing.

What he said... And there is its cousin - Hypnapompia. Happens while waking up from the sleep. Both states are valuable for launching into lucid dream or for astral travel. There the technical term is MABA (mind awake body asleep). I've utilized those states a few times myself to get into non-physical. Its mother natures way, no techniques needed

Egoic Love || Unconditional Love Is an impure form of Unconditional Love || Is Self itself, the pure unity or oneness of Presence (aka existence, the absolute) Based on pleasure and pain, and so has an opposite – the hate || Non-dual (There is no Unconditional hate, you see) A behaviour that assists in survival || An attribute of the Presence itself Originates from the needs || Originates from the knowledge that everything is just Self(Consciousness), there is no separation of any kind Needs an agent to trigger, vanishes in absence of it || Has no beginning or end, eternally present Exclusive to the object of love || All inclusive. It is seen as love for everything The person become indifferent towards other things or other people whom he does not love || The person shows no indifference towards anyone or anything, he acts in exactly the same manner with all Objects or people are seen as sources of pleasure and happiness || Objects and people are seen as receivers of love, the person himself is the source Easily turns into hate when the person does not get the love and happiness in return || Remains as strong as before, it demands nothing Conditional by very nature || Absolutely unconditional The person in love tends to become possessive and restricts the object of love || Non-possessive, takes no ownership, respects freedom of others and remains free Is about give and take || Is about just giving, takes nothing, lacks nothing The person gets easily attached and dependent on the object of love || Remains detached and independent Causes suffering and pain when the object of love is gone || Remains peaceful and happy as ever, has nothing to do with the objects or people Forms relations and bonds, tries to keep others tied || Does not form bonds, needs no relations, no names for relations, needs nothing at all When bonded in relations, the person demands love, care, security, resources, time or money. Demands anything that ensures survival || Demands are non-existent, instead the person serves others selflessly. Remains friendly and helpful in all situations Love becomes an expression of lust when in sexual relations, a means of fulfilling procreative tendencies of the Ego || Knows no gender, is same for all, irrespective of gender, age, locality, time. Has nothing to do with Ego and its procreative functions, or bodies. Has degrees of intensity from neutral to extreme love || Is same always, cannot be quantified or weighed, doesn’t increase or decrease Has degrees of quality from extreme hate to extreme obsession || Is always of same quality and purity Evokes actions that either enhance love or maintain it || Nothing needs to be done Results in jealously when the exclusiveness is threatened || Since it is all inclusive, all are an object of love Is fickle, easily changes from one object to the other, or one person to the other || Is changeless, since all remain as Self all the time. Is all inclusive. The person is always afraid of the loss of loved object or person || Is fearless, there are no objects or people Causes anger when the expectations are not met || Has no expectations The loved person is forced to comply with the expectations, however inconvenient, in order to maintain the love (or relation) || The person is always free, no one can force him, he gives nothing and takes nothing Deteriorates with the age and looks of the beloved || Does not depend on the structures, mental or physical Is impulsive || Is actionless Is subject to P2P (continuous exposure to the loved object or person causes indifference eventually) || Always remains steady, does not change with mental states The beloved manipulates the lover in order to get the needs fulfilled || A receiver of the love gets nothing except love, there is nothing else to give Modulates one’s actions, influences decisions || Remains uninfluenced and conscious Tries to change the other to suit his needs better || Accepts everyone as they are, sees perfection in all Sees love as an achievement, competes to get more, its about getting more and more || Has an unlimited love already for all, its about giving more and more Is a sign of ignorance || Is a sign of knowledge and wisdom The above is a snippet from my blog - link, if you are interested in reading more about what love is. Be warned that the views there are not for "ordinary people" and such people may get a shock of their lives if they read it all. Your rainbow coloured fluffy ideas about love will be destroyed. Its mainly for seekers, who are open to things as they are. Don't blame me if it changes you forever, I warned you

@mostly harmless All good questions. I can give you some "canned" answers, but I guess it will be better if you experience it yourself directly. It all starts with answers to questions like "who am I?" and "what this apparently external and separate world is?" You are in a right forum to start.

Obviously, you won't. Only a person with an intelligence greater than our own can point out our flaws. This is the reason, stupid people tend to remain stupid, they do not know their level of intelligence and cannot evaluate intelligence of someone who has an intelligence greater than their own. This is the "natural law", if you prefer, a person of lower intelligence has no clue how intelligence others are, he thinks he is the most intelligent one, most of the time. Something interesting - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect

What does a brain do? Any new findings to share? Are you implying that brain is the cause of consciousness? Yes, not by a Turing machine, on which our current computers are based. What about quantum computers like DWave's QC? Aren't you assuming that computers will remain just like they are now, boxes with circuits? Say after ten thousand years, what will a computer look like?. We are only about 50 years into their evolution. Anyhow, a computer need not "generate" consciousness, it cannot. Any material system, including the brain, cannot produce consciousness. Matter is generated by consciousness, not the other way round. Consciousness is fundamental, not matter, and hence a suitable material arrangement will express its experience of its essence, its ground, as consciousness, the witness of it all, just like we do in the form of human bodies and brains.

Why can't you do both? Isn't everyday life consciousness too?

@Leo Gura Sure, I can see my own about me after logging in, (as a tab on the right). But can't see anyone else's (with or without login). I just see "view activity". When not logged in, I can't see my own also. @jse

You are confusing between consciousness and a medium that expresses consciousness. If consciousness is fundamental, and which it is, any medium would express it equally. Humans are only a medium, a biological system that express consciousness. If you set up a machine that is equivalent in complexity to a human, it will start expressing the very same consciousness. Humans bodies and brains are made of atoms and so are robots and their silicon brains. If you assume that there is something "special" in organic matter, or that it comes with an added "soul", you will be in a big trouble providing any evidence for it. And the question remains, because one can easily make an "artificial soul". From what? Soul matter of course The belief that a machine cannot be conscious comes from an assumption that the machine needs to "generate" consciousness. Its only a belief, and is a stupid one. It has origin in ancient belief that humans/living things are made of "special matter", i.e. living matter, that has an add-on called soul etc. Its obvious that everything is made of exactly the same stuff - elementary particles of same kind. There is nothing special in a biological system when you compare it with a non-biological one. And more importantly, consciousness is not an add-on feature, its the fundamental background of all matter, living, organic or inorganic. Of course, there cannot be an "artificial consciousness". What would its nature be like? How would it experience itself? Like some fake plastic consciousness? You see, its difficult to imagine a fake consciousness. Because there cannot be one. You can have a machine, that can show fake behavior and can be programmed to lie that it is conscious, but if it says it is conscious and if it really is, it will be the same old real consciousness that we all experience. Imagine if you scan a human body, and recreate it exactly atom by atom - will it be conscious? Of course, else the original will be a zombie too. This is because a pile of atoms, however you arrange it, does not "produce" consciousness, it merely expresses the consciousness that's already there, it is made of consciousness. So why can't a rock be conscious? Again the confusion here is that the rock needs to behave, walk and talk like a human. It is not an arrangement that can express consciousness in way a human can. It expresses consciousness in its own way - it behaves like a rock. If you are interested, I recently wrote a post about it here :

Its the most difficult thing you will ever attempt I speak from experience, people have immense egos, Jupiter sized... and as soon as you tell them - you are wrong here, you need to fix this about yourself, they resist and will charge you like a mad bull. Not only they do not know, they do not want to know. The ignorance is so deep that its not just not knowing, its not knowing that they do not know. And perhaps a few levels deeper still. Not so long ago, I was exactly like that, so again personal experience here lol. That's why I appreciate much what some people and teachers (like Leo) are doing, they are trying to do the impossible, impossible for an ordinary person like me.

@Leo Gura One more problem , I can't see the "about me" parts in profile of others. I can see that in mine when I edit it, but perhaps no one can see my about me. Is it a bug or some feature that enables after x posts?

@Electron IMO, the cause of all that mess is ignorance. Which is not knowing what you essentially are. So it all starts with knowing the answer to "Who am I?" Once it is known, all (well most) of ignorance is killed. Probably the following will sound heavy spiritual mumbo-jumbo - So you can skip it, if you like. Consciousness is there in presence of love and also in absence of it. Love or any other feeling/emotion happens in consciousness, not the other way round. In fact I've never experienced an "unconscious" state of myself. It is not possible to do that for anyone. If you are experiencing "unconsciousness", that is - total absence of consciousness, then who is conscious of that experience? You see, it is paradoxical, impossible, its an error to even say that I was unconscious. Its nothing but an assumption resulting from ignorance of who you are. Thanks to Rupert Spira, who cleared it up for me. You can find that in one of his videos, he explains it much better