eputkonen

The answer will not be found in the books. The concepts gathered cause confusion and make enlightenment more difficult to realize. Just be still, be quiet, be present...cease thinking and be 100% devoted to the experience of the moment. At that moment...are there any problems, do you lack anything, is there anything missing, etc.? Without thinking - which means referring to past or future.

1) 2) Krishna Kali, Krishna Kali Ama, Kali Kali Krishna Krishna Krishna Radha Krishna Radha Kali Kali Krishna Kali (repeat) 3) Mediation, Kirtan 4) This is my spiritual pick-me-up song. Reconnection with Divinity and Joy. Always feel energized, grounded, joyful, and at peace after this song.

No, the ego does not disappear. But .you don't identify with the ego and you are not fooled by it anymore. This changes everything. If you are still worried, you are still being fooled by the illusions of the mind. There is a Tibetan Buddhist saying to the effect - if a problem can be solved there is no use worrying about it. If it can't be solved, worrying will do no good. So, if you truly realized the futility of worry...and that there are not benefits to worry...why would you cause yourself that unnecessary anguish? From my experience...one doesn't. If you see through "worry" and the illusions of the mind you are believing (like worrying about it will somehow make it more likely to go the way you want to)...then you cease to worry. I have had no worries for over 10 years. Even losing my job and being unemployed during the recession (2008-2010) did not cause me to worry. Instead, I did what I could and accepted what could not be changed. If you still identify with and believe the ego...then you worry, fear, etc. If you realize there is no other and never was any other...what is there to be afraid of? Fear requires an "other".

It would be better to not hold onto any image or belief of what an enlightened person would look like. A caterpillar could interview as many butterflies as he wants...and then say to himself, "now I know what it to be a butterfly." But one day that caterpillar will enter the cocoon and when he comes out...the first thought will be, "I never thought it would be like this." I can say there are no limitation on what an enlightened person could do. Eating cheeseburgers, pizza, fried chicken, or whatever is fine. It does not matter what they eat. Some may teach or become monks, but others could be taxi drivers, waitresses, plumbers, entrepreneurs, etc. It does not matter what they do for a living. Even homeless vagrant is possible. There is even a story of one who woke up in prison (From Onions to Pearls)...so even in prison there may be enlightened people. I would say the most outwardly visible trait is the one the Buddha spoke about. Enlightenment is the cessation of dukkha. Dukkha is often translated as suffering, but could also mean discontentment or dissatisfaction. So the enlightened person doesn't really suffer anymore and is satisfied/content with himself/herself and life. There were may teachers and "gurus" that talked a good game and many were convinced they were enlightened, but then Trump was elected as president in the US. Suddenly, some of these teachers/gurus Facebook posts were nothing about how the world is ending, this is not right, etc, etc. The suffering and discontent was visible to all. Now if it was a flash and passed (like surprise and disappointment)...I wouldn't call that outright suffering and discontentment...but for many of these teachers it was days, weeks, or months on angst. They exposed themselves (in my opinion) of just talking a good game but not being enlightened. So if you have problems, fears, worries/anxieties, guilt, etc. (i.e. suffer)...then you are not enlightened yet.

Jim said something to the effect of "I wish everybody could get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer.” Love him.

The ego has conscious and subconscious components. The ego is everything we think we are, but there are also conditioned and largely unconscious aspects of the ego. Like how many people feel they are incomplete or something is wrong with them...and yet have no idea what it could be. It is subconscious. Self-sabotage is because of the ego and usually a subconscious part...as people don't knowing do themselves harm.

There is no self, nor not-self, nor both, nor neither.

@Natasha Sure that linguistic game can be played (because loss and gain are opposing dualistic words and so there are no losses without relatedly worded gains), but then you miss the point of the one-liner.

A few cartoons I created years ago...

Yes - there is some risk. That is one of the values of having a teacher...he or she keeps you from going off the deep end (if that is where you are headed). Enlightenment is true sanity. To cease believing and being fooled by the illusions of the mind. Of course, anyone who is trapped in their own illusions/delusions deeply enough and if they vary enough from "norm" is considered crazy. For the enlightened...believing and being trapped by any of your own illusions/delusions is partial craziness.

The truth is ever present...and not gained. You simply lost the delusion. It is like looking for your wedding ring. Searching the couch, the bed, the car, the garage, and the various places you have been. Then to notice that you are wearing it. What was gained...nothing at all.

Who(?) found out that who(?) has this deep belief that whose(?) consciousness comes from whose(?) brain and that who(?) is separate from everything else? Who are you? Who are you really?

Good experience. I am happy for you. But you are that stillness.

@key, I would give you very much the same answer to the recent "What keeps you movitaved" question: Meaning is something the ego wants...because if things have meaning, and it does those things...then it has meaning and it is important. Meaning is not needed / necessary. You can just play and have fun. Children don't need meaning in order to play. (please read my post in the above topic for more information about this.)

@electroBeam, motivation and drive are something the ego wants. That is what is needed for work - things you don't want to do. Ask a child "what is your motivation or drive to play?"...and you will have a very confused child. Or you might get the reply...because it is fun. But what is play...but fun. So it is having fun for the sake of having fun. This is play...no motivation needed. Life can be like this too. You can do it just for the fun of it. You might think it would be fun to be a doctor (children play doctor and you can play doctor for real). But to play doctor in a hospital, you have to go to school...you have to get good grades...and so there is the pre-qualifying game of school that must be passed in order to play doctor in a hospital. And so you have fun in school, doing the "school work", because that is part of the game. This would be playing at becoming a doctor...as a pre-qualifier to playing a doctor in a hospital. Like all games...you sometimes lose. And so, while playing to becoming a doctor...you may run out of money and not be able to finish school..and thus not be able to play at being a doctor. That is OK...now play the game of finding financing for school or you could find an entirely new game to play. You can do whatever you want in this life. But do not put conditions on your happiness or enjoyment on only winning. The game - win or lose - is just for fun. It is not about future seeking...but present seeking. As for me, I am playing a mid-aged man who plays at being the husband to a wife and plays at being a father to a daughter. I play the game of corporate recruiting (playing as a recruiter) during the day...which funds (not unlike playing monopoly, life, cash flow, etc.) my house, cars, vacations, etc. I play at playing the drums at kirtans or drum jams whenever I see them available. I play poker in the bar league most Thursdays. I play at being a blog writer about nonduality and awakening. And more. I am having a blast and am enjoying myself immensely. Why do I do it? Because it's fun.

"To awaken, it does not matter what you do...it matters what you cease doing." "Upon awakening, you clearly realize that all of that time you spent in the process of freeing yourself from bondage was the delusion of bondage itself." "The secret is to simply enjoy what is happening." "You can't practice to become what you already are." "Happiness is something you are, when you are not making yourself miserable." "People never attain enlightenment…enlightenment happens to them." "Nothing is ever gained with enlightenment…it is only a loss."

You just need to be 100% devoted to the experience you are having while doing the task at hand. Not self-reflecting on its difficulty or that you don't want to do it. Not commenting, critiquing, or judging the experience you are having while doing the task at hand. In Zen, there is a story that goes... Someone asked a Zen Master, "How do you practice Zen?" The master said, "When you are hungry, eat; when you are tired, sleep." "Isn't that what everyone does anyway?" The master replied, "No, No. Most people entertains a thousand thoughts when they eat and scheme over a thousand plans when they sleep." So, when you are doing calc homework...the only thing you are doing is calc homework. If the only thing you are doing is calc homework...that is being present. Like a great dancer...when they dance...the only thing they are doing is dancing. Just do your calc homework...nothing else. Perhaps put in pauses from time to time...so there can be breaks with no-thought and just feeling the body and experiencing the environment.

@electroBeam, being present is great...but sitting and being present (meditation) is not the only option. You can mow the lawn while being present, wash the dishes while being present, etc. You can do work while being present. There is no reason why you could not do things (even work) and not also be present, peaceful, relaxed, and having fun. Sitting and doing nothing (i.e. meditation) for periods of time can be done too, but you can eat while being present, shower while being present, get dressed while being present...and continue on the whole day being present while doing things.

Most of the time. For me, it is the natural state. Presence is the norm. If don't find myself out of presence often. If I notice some sort of not enjoying what is, suffering, or not accepting what is...then that very noticing brings me to presence again. I get pulled out of presence most due to deep rooted conditioning that I am still not aware of. So when something like the above happens...I take a moment to delve into it and ask myself "what is causing this...what is the root?" And often, I see the root. Then it is a matter of questioning that understanding (belief, assumption, etc.)...because it is flawed or incorrect. When the issue is seen through, the understanding changes...and then the same situation in the future will not pull me out of presence. Then I continue on (in the day) in presence.

Who am I...that is the second "book" that starts on page 36 of my copy of The Collected Works of Sri Ramana Maharshi.

I would say pretty much anything by Ramana Maharshi: Talks with Ramana Maharshi The Collected Works of Sri Ramana Maharshi The Spiritual Teachings of Ramana Maharshi Be As You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi Sri Ramana Gita I also like Bankei: The Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei Bankei Zen Also would recommend The Zen Teachings of Huang Po. It is very short, but I also like the Hsin Hsin Ming by Seng-ts'an (3rd Patriarch of Zen)...a free version is here. As for Spiritual Books for beginners - my first book was Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda...and I recommend it. I have been re-reading The Truth Is by Sri H.W.L. Poonja (aka Papaji...Gangaji's teacher)...it is good. Adyashanti has been mentioned...and I have read a few of his books, listened to a few of his audios, and watched a few videos...all have been good. Eckhart Tolle has been mentioned...and I recommend it for being present. Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki is also very good. I guess these are my favorite books.

I live in Minneapolis, MN...but in a couple years I will be living in the Tampa, FL area. I visited Vancouver once...great city! May go back some day.

@Ry4n , the Five Remembrances are just some of the certainties of life. Much of our suffering is caused by denying the certainties of life. We suffer when we deny reality...reality always wins. Trying to accept them is pointless however...that is the mind trying to fake it. You either accept them or you do not accept them (there is no try) - based on your current understanding. If you don't accept them, then you need to delve into it further to realize the futility of not accepting and denying it...and the self-created suffering by denying it. Only through deeper understanding will you find you totally accept it. Otherwise you may find a split formed by the superficial understanding/knowledge of the mind, but in your heart you don't really buy it. So you may say "I realize I am of the nature to have ill health...there is no way to escape ill health"...and then suffer (beyond the discomfort of the actual illness) and not accept the next cold you have. Because in your heart/body, you don't think you should be ill (ever)...even though with this body, we will certainly be ill at times. There is a deeper level of understanding/realization that hits deep within the being...it become an undeniable certainty...and so you cease denying it and fighting against it.

No need to imagine...this is it.

Yes, sex can still be enjoyed. Don't fall for the myth and misconception that after enlightenment you could not enjoy a good meal, enjoy a sexual relationship, or otherwise do fun things. The difference is that you don't have to have it to be happy. There just is no attachment to it. Also, you would not try to manipulate another to have sex or manipulate another through sex. Sex can be a free expression of intimacy and love. It doesn't have to be a tool, a way to inflate one's ego or deflate the ego (if you are not getting any), or otherwise see it as a gain or loss. Sex that could hurt another would be avoided. After enlightenment, just as you can enjoy a beautiful sunset, enjoy an orchestra playing some well known and loved piece of music, or any number of other countless simple-pleasures there are in life...you can still enjoy sex. Of course, your sex life might end...who knows? Or it could ramp up and increase...who knows? It may be unchanged. Know one knows how a specific person's sex life might change.