zazed

I expect nothing less . But when conversing we need to understand the other person's perspective, to be effective communicators. My perspective, is that my true self is not this person or body, but pure being/existence in this moment. So anything i think, is not me. Consciousness to me is awareness, it is pure being and presence, so these 4 concepts are synonyms to me with slightly different "taste". Awareness or "being" doesn't express itself, it just exists, it just perceives. So if your consciousness expresses itself, then you must mean what i call the mind, because my mind expresses itself, or maybe something else entirely Sight, or hearing and all senses are mind. They enter into consciousness, but they have no inherent meaning to it. To have a car enter consciousness as a car you need to first use the thinking mind. Because all human concepts, such as language, or the idea of what a car is, are unknown to consciousness. Consciousness is eternal, I learned about cars and colors when i was a kid. Sight also functions through the eyes and is facilitated by the brain, sight is part of the physical world inherently. So consciousness cannot know a car directly. Consciousness knows the car because it is aware of my mind knowing the car. The brain/body/thinking mind projects its experiences into consciousness, or rather consciousness is aware of it all. Everything the mind thinks, sees, smells, feels, says, does, which can include control of the body. All of this enters consciousness, and consciousness is aware. But that is only regarding my body. Consciousness is aware of everything, more than just this body, it is aware without "knowing" anything. Consciousness is limitless, this body and its mind are projected into it, but there is a lot more projected into it. Meaning we are not the body, nor the brain, nor the mind. We are consciousness and awareness itself. Following my loose "definition", consciousness is something that inherently cannot express itself. So you must mean something else, when you talk about consciousness, I think you might mean maybe "seeing" when you say consciousness, or even all the senses. I am not sure. I don't use ego, because I just put everything this person Zazed thinks, sees, hears and says under "mind", because to consciousness it doesn't really matter in how many pieces i try to label my mind. The mind will never be consciousness. But that is atypical, and not something most do either, but it's my experience.

I always enjoyed Tool. And it is very spiritual for me. I've meditated on heavy metal. But that is actually more of a challenge. You become this tranquility within a storm. Heavy Metal can be emotional music, doing mindfulness meditation with your speakers blasting it, is a good way to train yourself for difficult situations. Most people are fine meditating when everything is perfect, symmetrical, zen sounds, soft lighting, incense and candles. But what if you are in real trouble in the real world, how will your peaceful practise help you there, when all has gone to shit?! You can't kill the metal

We are saying the same stuff mostly. You are using consciousness in a way I've not seen used. Most teachers equal awareness and consciousness. And consciousness cannot express itself. But they have a saying in Belgium "As long as the child has a name, it's fine". your ego, i suppose you mean the thinking mind = my mind with its aspects of thought and self your consciousness, i suppose you mean the 5 senses = my mind as arbiter of the senses, controlling them your mind, you equal this to awareness = my consciousness (this is awareness, and the enlightened true self) More or less, but the English language is failing us here actually. I don't know why you differentiate between the mind expressing itself as images and sounds, versus the mind expressing itself as thoughts? But I've found the thinking mind influences everything you see, when you look at a car, it has a color, it's a nice or ugly car, you know its a car. This instant "knowing" of concepts related to the car is not pure awareness/consciousness, but the thinking mind labeling stuff. This knowing is expressed upon our consciousness, which is pure awareness. It's like consciousness/awareness is aware of the labels put on the car by the thinking mind, but there is awareness they are not my own labels. But again, the English language makes this horrible to explain

ok

Lovely question. I think it depends on your mindset. Lot's of westerners no doubt practice Tai-Chi as a pure low cardio sport. Without the correct mindset that is all that it is. If you are just going through the motions, there is nothing inherently spiritual about the motions on their own. It's the same with meditation actually, there is nothing inherently spiritual about sitting cross-legged on your ass. But if you work towards enlightenment and do Tai-Chi with mindfulness, and based on the slow movements and serenity, that is clearly it's intention, then it can likely be very powerful. It's been on my todo list for a while, to learn Tai Chi, and practice it with full mindfulness.

I've come to this conclusion some time ago. The language goes in circles around the concept of enlightenment. It's like talking about the taste of apple pie, no amount of talking about it can help you taste it, if you haven't tasted it before. But when you do, you know, this is apple pie. Now i still like to read about spirituality, and watch youtube. I do it because i am not enlightened yet, not all the time at least. And i find it inspiring and showing new perspectives. But i also know not to expect anything, it's just re-framing what enlightenment is like from various perspectives. It's like listening to people talking about these concepts brings me back to how it felt, and then back in that state often. Like, if i pick up Wei Wu Wei, which is really abstract writing (not even talking about enlightenment), i am instantly enlightened when reading it. So I study not now for the knowledge, but just for inspiration/entertainment/passing time/perspective. Reading is like meditation for me, but easier. If i read i am instantly enlightened, i lose all sense of identity when i read anything, especially something spiritual.

Exactly, there is only mind/ego as it is now, and there is consciousness. And if you say "i am well aware of how it moves in me", you are enlightened, you are consciousness being aware. That is when I=Consciousness is fully understood.

I don't really know the correct definition for ego. I think i just call it mind, everything i feel, touch, taste, smell, see, hear, say, write, think is mind. Then there is consciousness, i as a mind barely understand it. I notice the mind is quick to claim anything, and in it's claiming it put itself back into focus. The biggest danger is it's telling the story "I am enlightened now", or even worse when meditating : "Wow, I'm feeling this thing now, this is interesting". Because it can never become consciousness, no more than a banana becoming an airplane.

Exactly, this is the big roadblock for most seekers. You can only speak from mind. But there can be consciousness of the mind speaking. The mind still has its desires, life goals, loves, hates. But there is also consciousness. Everyone is already enlightened, but they have grown their mind into a needy, greedy, fat, insane child, and self-identify with it. Most people are not really working to become enlightened, they are trying very hard to make their mind enlightened, or free their mind, or kill the ego, which is all impossible Language is broken sadly , because we say "I speak from mind". This causes strange hard to follow abstract discussions Because the "I" should mean "pure consciousness" for a Buddha, and there is no real relationship between mind and consciousness. I've found there are two separate things: Mind speaking Consciousness aware of mind speaking The only thing that really can be said about our true nature is: "There is consciousness" All spiritual practice and literature can be compacted to that last phrase.

This answers the negative also. For those enlightened that didn't share. It may be the ego telling you out of fear, you are not really fully enlightenment, identifying within some mock humbleness. There is no reason to share, and equally no reason not to share.

Fascinating. All the suffering in the world is internal suffering for the mind. Since the mind parses it and labels it as suffering. In this way it is part of your mind and part of your reality, but there is only your reality for your consciousness. You are everything. Your consciousness has awareness of the mind's label of the suffering. The mind's label and the suffering is not your consciousness, but it happens inside it. Wanting to make us happy is a weird concept. For yourself, what the perception of our happiness concerns. It is a mental story of the answers in this thread and how your mind interprets them as happy. Then your consciousness is aware of the vision of our happiness constructed by your mind. This may make your mind content, it does nothing for consciousness as pure awareness really. But for a lack of a better thing to do, and a Buddha sitting all day is not very productive, its preferable to make the mind happy by making others happy. Words don't really exist for these things, it sounds so abstract were language fails Fascinating stuff

@Steph1988 I already shared a video from a Muslim perspective. Other than that I have little to no interest in Muslims. It's not an important issue for me. Aside from the fact that i don't like generalization. Human beings are all individuals and unique, and putting labels on people, like christian, buddhist, muslim, black, white, is factually incorrect(not even talking about morals here). There are many types of black people, many types of Christians, many types of white people. You can not say a Christian is always so, a muslim is always so, a buddhist is always so without being totally deluded and stuck in black and white thinking. If people honestly think all Muslims are the same, because they all believe in the same book, that is dogmatic thinking i cannot refute. It shows little life experience and knowledge of the world at large. No two people in this world think and behave the same. Anything more i can say would be just the same, and would be a circular discussion. It's a very easy and simplistic view to generalize like that, and to put people into categories and then treat them based on these categories. A point was made by some, that we should be able to criticize Islams. But that point is a total side track to the discussion and a way to hijack this thread to bash Islam. This thread about racism and my post about Muslims never stated we cannot criticize Islamic people. Nobody here stated it was forbidden to criticize. My post was showing a video with a story, on how a white american entered an american Muslims home, and executed him, for no reason. Well, the reason was racism and hate of Islam, most likely. Let's be clear, killing a Muslim does not fall under the allowed context of criticizing, it's just murder, and a hate crime in this context... I should have read my own post again, before replying to @Socrates, because i allowed myself to be completely side-tracked in the heat of the moment.

So, this morning as i was walking into work i was contemplating some teachings about non-duality. As i was walking up the stairs to the floor i needed to be in, i realized i was walking inside myself. It was the strangest sensation, as if reality folded in upon itself and i was the only single thing left. I was able to realize this multiple times today and is part of some realization about reality that is growing in me. There are many senses one has. Sight, hearing, feeling, thinking. So when walking around and looking at the world, one is not really seeing the world. Everything enters consciousness through the eyes, and the eyes work together with the brain to create vision. So when you would think, "i am seeing the words of Zazed here", you are wrong. One does not read my words, the words and the screen exist only in your consciousness. Words don't have any inherent meaning, its just ink in forms. The brain interprets them and everything it sees, as such one is constantly only seeing itself. The air, the moon, the sun, your lover, your enemy, they are all imaginations in your mind, by vision. Now why is this important? It seems to be part of being fully present and becoming enlightened. By realizing i'm walking around inside my own mind, there is a quieting down that happens. There is less desire, because i realize i'm not seeing a hot girl on the corner, but just myself. The hotness exists only in my consciousness, the girl exists only in my consciousness. Reality is light rays entering my eyes, and there likely is a girl there somewhere. But the girl out there, and the girl inside, is not the same girl. And i can ever only meet the girl inside my consciousness. Sound works the same way, just a different sense. Feeling works the same way, just a different sense. I like to compare it with art. Because consciousness is the canvas. The senses are the pencils drawing upon the canvas. But what is drawn is not a flower, it is just the pencil of sight, drawing a flower upon my canvas. The canvas is pure consciousness, the pencil is the eye, the flower is the mind. This realization brought a strange sense of peace, and stability to my mind. I feel like a rock that cannot be moved from it's path in life anymore. And i feel peace, knowing that everything is playing out inside my mind, and that it is within my power to change interpretations as i see fit. It is my toy, my playground. I am the world fully, or i see only myself.

@Socrates The main gripe i have with your post is this : "the truth is that a religon that commands its followers to kill infidels" But it is not a religion itself that command's it followers to kill infidels. It is certain charismatic terrorist leaders recruiting and convincing people to do this. I may have said some things that can be easily refuted if you cherry pick. Yes i unknowingly used a straw man fallacy. But i was more trying to ask the question. What is your proposed solution then? These 1.6 billion Muslims are here, they are not going to go away over night, what to do? You should be allowed to make jokes about a religion, as i stated in my post. Yes they did and do retaliate, but again, brainwashed individuals and terrorist leaders are the culprits. Not your average Joe Islam, with a wife and kids at home, like there are 1.6 billions. If i go out with some friends tomorrow, and kill some columnist for making a joke about Jesus, and say we're christian crusaders. Does that suddenly make all Christians a problem, or we just idiots that needs to be locked up? That is where you are falling into the fallacy of black and white thinking: "A few thousand Islam are terrorists, so the full 1.6 billion must be so." It's oversimplification and bad mathematical statistics too. And yes you are not saying this literally, but you are implying it by saying Islam is wrong as a religion. As for criticizing Islam, i don't see the added value, or how that solves anything. The only solution is stabilizing the middle east. Spewing hatred on the internet will do the opposite and further antagonize people. I agreed in the end, that their book is not the most open-minded towards other religions. But there are still wisdom's in it, and kind things too. It does not automatically make every believer dangerous or a problem.

A coke and two butterflies in my garden. Seriously, 15+ years of study, and working through mental issues, and building a successful career. I always find other people interesting too, you can learn a lot trough the study of personality flaws in other people. See the inner working, see the predictability. Many people think they make choices, but if i can predict their actions with 100% certainty, how much choice did they really make?

I'm an atheist studying enlightenment. I think there is a method to mind. There is nothing i "believe" about it, because i think faith is self-indoctrination. Always skeptic, i am studying my own mind and have found glimmers of proof towards enlightenment, and learned a lot about my self in the process.

Fuck it, i had made a hugely insightful post i was proud about in this thread. And now its buried behind nonsense and drama. Who is gonna fix my reputations? As for the issues, i don't know people here well enough to comment. But it saddens me to see a fight break out like this. I've had worthwhile interactions with both @Annetta and @Loreena, and i thank you both.

@Loreena What do you mean? Am i the super bulldozer, and is this a compliment or something bad?

I agree, and most of them will actually be ok with that. I have a Muslim friend, and i make friendly jests about his religion all the time in private with him, and he can laugh with it. For example whether certain anime is Halal, he especially likes anime with some teasing nudity in it. Sadly many people seem to be blind for everything except the extremists. @Socrates You are plain wrong. I am an atheist, so it doesn't really apply to me much, but i hate hatred It's also a weird perspective, I don't fully understand what you are pushing here, do you advocate killing 1.7 billion people, over 23% of the world population is Islam? Islam is used by many terrorist organisations to help them recruit people, because conveniently everyone in the neighborhood is Islam. You are confusing the propaganda for the cause, the causes are terrorist leaders operating from the safety of their home, the propaganda is the tool they use. Don't hate the tool, hate, or kill, the leaders (without making martyrs obviously, that rarely helps). Another interesting fact, is that lately many terrorists are home grown in Europe. Were these people are radicalized and brain-washed into blowing themselves up in some fashion. Brain-washing has little to do with Islam. You make a very big mistake, because Islam is not a centralized religion, there is no one Islam. There is also no one Islamic "holy pope". Most Islamic people are just quietly living their life in peace, just like you are trying to do. If you look at the map, you will notice you have never even heard of most Islamic countries, and there are billions of them: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e4/Muslim_Percent_Population_v2.svg It's gross generalization to say, "christian's are such, Muslims are such". But it is an easy and comfortable answer: "Islam is such, done!". To generalize an entire people as evil for the problems with a small minority is just plain narrow-minded, and black and white thinking. Most people are smart enough to realize, you cannot just put a label on people like that, there is so many gradations of grey. I have a Muslim friend, and the idea of him supporting killing anyone is absurd, i also think he is secretly gay and afraid to admit it. It is also a fact that it would likely get him killed since he lives in Saudi somewhere. Still he does all the Islamic holidays and practices. People advocating killing of infidels or gays should be arrested and prosecuted, period. I'm for killing every person that actually wants to kill non-Islam persons. I'll be the first to pull the trigger even, doesn't even matter if they are Islam themselves, it's the killing that is wrong, not the reason. The point is, killing is wrong. People killing other people are wrong and should be put to justice. People reading a book you disagree with, and you think probably causes killing, not so much. That is just your opinion man. Given, i'm not a big fan of their book, and it's not the most peaceful literature. But to say that it is only about killing is wrong. There are many insights and wisdoms in it, but it is true it can be a bit unrespectful of other religions. That doesn't mean we should hate or kill everyone that want's to believe Islam. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Also, remember most kids just believe what their parents tell them to believe. I grew up a christian and was forced to go to church. Now 20years later, churches in Europe are empty and nobody really cares anymore about Christianity, except a minority. Many people claiming to be christian, haven't read the bible and go to search to marry or baptize children, or to see other people marry or baptize their children and for funerals. Like a handful times in their lives, purely as social obligation, not out of fate. Additionally, if you were really schooled about the situation in the middle east. You would know that much of it is caused by western influence there, more pointedly our hunger for the oils. We played a big role in the destabilizing of the region. And it is not actually Islam causing terrorism, but it is the unstability of the region providing a breeding ground for extremists. To fix it, the region needs to be stabilized, unless you propose killing them all?

@Loreena Everyone see's a different you. And you see a different everyone. No two people look at a person and see the same thing, some may see a daughter, others may see a beautiful girl, another may see a hated enemy, but all 3 are you. Everything the eye sees, is translated inside the brain, and sprinkled with interpretation and feelings. Nobody has ever truly seen another person, everybody is looking at themselves. Like the entire world is a mirror into your own consciousness. That is my interpretation when teachers say, "I am the center of my universe", or "I am the only one in the universe". People live fully isolated, the senses are just interfaces to consciousness. When you look at the clouds, and think they look wonderful, you yourself are looking wonderful. If you look at something ugly, and think it looks ugly, you yourself are looking ugly. How does this help you? Well, you want to live simple, you want to avoid drama, you don't want things to turn into something shitty, and you want to avoid silly games. simple : personal mental label pasted on stuff happening. drama : personal mental label pasted on stuff happening. shitty : personal mental label pasted on stuff happening. games : personal mental label pasted on stuff happening. You see the folly here? Don't give people power over you like that. I remember a song I liked from when i was a teen "if you still hate me, you're thinking off me", it applies here. We must learn to let go. I know you are reading Tolle from other posts. This is another view on Now i am talking about really. You try to stop judging and labeling shit all the time, and just experience what is, as it is Now. And when it is not, when it is in the past, it disappears. This way no one, or no thing has power over your happiness, unless they are physically detaining you. This way you can just live your own life, and let everything else be what it is. Try to say to yourself as a mantra, when shit happens: "It is what it is", and let out a sigh of relief with it. I don't know how old you are, or if you still live with parents or family, that may be a constant stressful situation for you. In that case, it still applies but is very hard for you. You can try to find very tiny moments of Now, where you are alone or with good friends, and try to realize the beauty of those Now moments. Let everything else just fade away. The more Now moments you can find, the better you will get at finding more Now moments, until everything is one big Now moment. Because problems are not following us around, we are carrying them around by thinking of them. It's like a huge boulder we are dragging along on a chain, everywhere we go, making us tired. We need to just put the boulder down and leave it where it is.

I don't know Shin. Isn't that a personal belief? Personally, i think it is dangerous to follow belief systems, especially ones own. Until i realize enlightenment i wouldn't assume anything. How can you be really sure? The best unenlightened people can do, is read something somewhere and think "wow, this resonates with me, it makes sense, so i believe it". In this way, i have found no proof yet of love or good to be a requirement for enlightenment. As for Zen masters, Zen is one of the most secular and isolated ways to reach enlightenment. They care shit about the rest of the world and are the most egoistical monks that ever existed. The only thing they do is meditate and comb sand into circles around rocks, fully isolated Some in Japan also go on great treks around a mountain until they either die or become enlightened. If they only think about quitting, they have to commit ritual suicide. That is one way to tame the monkey mind : "don't think you wanna quit, or you'll have to kill yourself" The only religion i know of, that in enlightenment seeking embraces humanity and the saving of everyone, is tibetan/indian style Buddhism. Where they put emphasis on metta-meditation, and loving-kindness.

People are too identified with their self. They want status, they want power, they want to be recognized, they want to be loved, they want to be respected, they want more money. They are actually fully enslaved, fully absorbed in the rat-race. Better to live in the now, let them all be, we don't need them! Right now, there is only you, and the words you are reading now. There is nothing else. This is Now. Forget about anything longer than 1s ago, and anything further than 1s ahead. The only truth is your computer screen and these words. In this truth, you don't actually have problems, how can my words and your computer screen be a problem for you? Why exhaust your limited energy upon thinking about various douche-bags around the globe. Let them rot, who cares really? They are not here Now. Depression is a serious affliction. But it's also an illusion. Depression is a story about the past. You may say, I've felt like this for weeks, so i'm depressed. But there is only the Now, last week doesn't exist except as a memory. How can you be truly certain this depression is not a mental illusion? And does it even matter if you were depressed yesterday, yesterday does not define you... If you can just let go, and start anew from today, wouldn't that be great? We can live simple. Most people cannot. Forget about them, they are not here now. There will be nonsense forever. But the nonsense does not define you really. When you are walking in the forest, you are walking in the forest. The mind thinks it is pleasant. It will also soon be over. When you are listening to nonsense, you are listening to nonsense. The mind thinks it is not-pleasant. It will also soon be over. Everything is impermanent, you just float from Now, to Now, to Now, to Now, to Now, to Now, to Now, to Now, to Now, to Now. There is really only Now. There is joy in this both ways. The now is fascinating, and that which is horrible is brief. That which is wonderful is also brief. As such there is wonder in the briefness of the now, and nothing really lasts. Isn't that liberating, something new to perceive every moment? As for the Now, it is only you. Every word i typed here is formulated inside your perception. These are no longer my words, they are your words. By the time you have parsed the letters on the screen, they have generated meaning in your head. Your mind gives the meaning, by its knowledge of English language, but also it's personal history. You may completely misinterpret the words, such is fine too. Such is the same with anything you perceive. You only perceive yourself, so it's actually your nonsense you're hearing In this way, you have only ever seen yourself, heard yourself, loved yourself. When you love someone, you love a mental projection of him. An interpretation parsed through sounds, sights, smells and history. In essence, you love your own mental story of the dude, but you never known the dude himself. This is what they mean by, you are the center of reality. It is true because everything is colored by your interpretations. Everyone is isolated in their mind perceptions, people never really meet other people. The eyes, the ears, the mind colors and interprets everything, nothing is pristine, nothing is really true. PS. My mom is the biggest enemy of my enlightenment practice, and i live alone. Calling me with all kinds of stupid morose questions, needs and problems, its like i'm her father now. Worst of it is, if i set boundaries, i'll feel guilty. Every time she called it used to ruin my entire day, even entire weekends, non stop feeling guilty about not being able to drop everything for her. Now it ruins like 15m, until i manage to let go. Family has enormous power over us, they are a big part of our ego and who we think we self-identify as. Their love is of primary, even primal importance to our body/fake self.

@STC If the ego is searching enlightenment, it's the wrong part of us seeking. Nothing we will find. Someone searching enlightenment for these reasons, will first have to let go of these reasons, before he reaches it. Being a hero of the story, with "servants", is a contradiction entirely, and totally impossible. Like, if you want to be enlightenment, because you need to be respected. One of the first things you will realize, is there is no need to be respected. Then you will suddenly be enlightened. For me, truly, mentally, i am having my issues. I will admit, i am not 100% normal, compared to others. Enlightenment for me, is some form of release from my broken mind. I couldn't care less about how other people perceive my enlightenment. I just want to be happy really, and at peace.

For me, i'm doing all this, to become mentally healthy actually. I just want to find piece of mind. Since there are enough teachers around, and assuming i experience some form of ego death, i cannot imagine a need to have my own disciples. I'll probably just say "fuck you all, i'm enlightened now", and stay in the comfort zone of enlightenment forever or something.

So, lately i've felt quite happy with my practice and the insights found on these forums. But i've found boredom to be an issue now. I just don't really know what to do during empty moments. What are some good activities for the bored buddha?