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Very interesting stuff. It's amazing what comes to the innocent mind of a child. When I was something like 8 years old. I always suspected that everyone is just acting and they are tricking me to believe that this is real life. I also felt that I was always being watched. Having awakened a few times, now I know exactly why I felt that. This sounds like the movie "The Truman Show." But at that time I hadn't watched the movie, because English is my 3rd language which I learned when I was in high school.

I tend to think everybody has ambition - acctually something more basic than that, the ambition producing facility in you, just like we have emotions, body parts, toughts e.c.t. "Lack of intrinsic motivation" or i don't care is more like a clogged up pipe or a closed chakra, if it is directed it is bound to find it's expression and he shows intelligence to attempt to solve this problem by the same mechanism. He has enough ambition to find the problem for his lack of ambition - so therefore I mean he absolutely has amibiton. He is in the beginning of the journey where you are crossing multiple laps. It is after all exponential-like growth in self-dev. From 30 minutes of visualiation to intense years of action towards big projects. The actual problem of the clogged pipe - and this is just the case with most of us - it is clogged by our dietary choices, mindset, lack of exercise, media, instant pleasures e.c.t., so that muse never finds expression, but the mechanism is there and it's in fact working to some degree. You described it pretty well in your - getting in touch with your higher self video. That is literally a starter for directed desire, where ambition shows. I am very suprised that you are not saying the following things: Visioning is the cure for lack of ambition; Self-development is the cure for lack of ambition; Meditation and spirituality is the cure for lack of ambition; Taking yourself less seriously, detaching from outcome, mastery, hero's journey, more emotionally motivating concepts are the solution for this problem; Stopping dabbling, taking decisions e.c.t. are cures for lack of ambition; Sure we are dealing with a complex problem here, however, there are steps to infuse that instrinsic motivation which is synonymous with ambition; I guess you have forgotten about the value you keep providing. And people HAVE IT just like they have arms and legs, just like some people have never in their life experienced bliss, because they havent awakened these faculties. But it is there, even if its malfunctioning in a form of regret, dissatisfaction e.c.t., that is a projection of unused ambition units, which is what this post is about.

@Shunyata no I'm not. The best way I can describe it is that I'm awakened but not fully integrated. My mind is "jailbroken" but currently dysfunctional in many ways. This can happen when dive off the deep end in the psychedelic realm without prior spiritual knowledge or practices. That was my path, but quite a painful one. There truly are no shortcuts! That being said, the awakenings I got from psychedelics are permanent. My entire quality of experience/consciousness has changed, and any practices I've been trying to incorporate have been way more powerful. I have a weird relationship with time, and I may have the capability to sense the future (on one of my trips time literally broke and I separated in time from my friend). It's about 15 seconds, sometimes several minutes, where I have a direct intuition of something about to happen, like a phone alarm or a siren or numbers or whatever. I want to explore and develop this more, but currently it's not repeatable or testable. @Inliytened1 thank you!

You still think you need someone else, higher than you (awakened), telling you what to do. I highly doubt you can awaken with that kind of mindset, since you fundamentally believe you aren't enough. As if someone else can be a better guide than yourself.

First thing to understand is that this is a fools errand. Any method given is partial and may not work for you. It's way too tricky and each mind is a unique case. Awakening is almost always a slow process. However, there seem to be some general themes, just off the top of my head. Awakening can only happen through great suffering. Suffering is the catalyst for change. You must desire the truth and be willing to throw everything else into the fire. You must learn to let go of all attachments, and you must be deeply curious about the mechanice your own mind. Not everyone is meant to awaken because there are huge existential risks involved. You may not, and if that's the case, you have to be ok with that. There's nothing wrong with not awakening in your current incarnation. Enjoy it, have a family if that's what you want. From one perspective, everyone is already awakened. There are many degrees of awakening and awakening experiences. Not just a dozen, probably more like hundreds. The dial of consciousness goes way way farther than you could presently imagine. When most people talk about awakening, it's at a relatively low level. The higher ones aren't even recognized or known to be possible in most spiritual circles. I hope this helps. Many many techniques and methods can be found, and I would be wasting my time and yours by regurgitating them here. You must experiment and find what works for you, and no definitive list can ever, or should, be presented to be rotely memorized and unconsciously followed. That's the surest way to not awakening.

Ok in your case, can somebody who's awakened still be a seeker or is there no real need for seeking after waking up. So you're saying someone who's awakened can't really be a seeker because there's nothing to seek

When you are awakened you realize that you have never born and are Nothing. There will be no one left to seek anything, because your entire life is just a thought process.

What is the purpose of self inquiry? I can recognize that when the question, who am I, is asked in thought, there is awareness of that thought which is itself not a thought. After that point, I'm left with pressure/tension in the head and other sensations of the body. How deep is the inquiry supposed to go? I find myself getting bored/distracted after repeatedly asking who am I, and it feels like later on during the sits I'm not as attentive to what's occurring as during the earlier portions of my sit. For anyone who awakened through self inquiry, can you give a description of how the process unfolded for you.

rupert spira dynamics he's alright that jolly serene awakened man with his grey cardigan sweater

@IamMystic why aren't there more awakened people? Cuz mankind still has a long way to go.

I'll go through these one by one, but before I do, I feel it would be much easier to get a grasp of RASA & Ramaji's teachings by simply reading 1000, as your understanding of it is not at all what the book or the teachings are about, at all. And, if you don't want to read 1000, read No Mind, No Problem, it's a much more practical book, and goes over how to investigate your mind to identify & see through / eliminate the I-Thought (what Ramana called the separate Self) and also includes a cool little 'Natural Pure Awareness' meditation that I love. I'm no Reiki expert, but isn't Reiki energy healing, and used for various reasons, relatively speaking. RASA is specific to Non-Dual awakening, the nuts & bolts of it is opening of the Crown Chakra & Stabilization in 'Non-Duality.' Yes, of course, THIS is all that exists, but let's be real, walk around and 99.9% of people are not conscious of their being, as Francis' quote below summarizes so well everyone is in 'the absolute state' but most are unknowing of this, and RASA like many other tools, help one realize this & stabilize in their true nature. Here's the link to the RASA description- https://www.rasatransmissioninternational.com/what-is-rasa Again, reading 1000 will clear this up, but Ramaji is not literally saying a separate self exists, letalone that is at a certain LOC. The LOC model is a relative model. Talking about Rupert's metaphors he says that Enlightenment is like Chapter 2 of a 12 chapter book, the LOC model is simply guidance on these 'Chapters', just like the 10 Ox Herding pictures, in fact before going into the model, he goes over all of the different models / maps of awakening. This isn't a new thing, traditions have done this for centuries in one way or another, and the Zen one is most popular. So, no, it does not play into the materialist paradigm, as Ramaji states that The Absolute / The Self is ALL there is, the LOC model is simply referring to how conscious one is of that, as we both know, Ramana Maharshi & Adolf Hitler in Essence are one & the same, YET, one is far more conscious of their true nature, and as a result acts very differently. Yes, I think you are seeing the LOC model as a rating of a separate individuals LOC, when it is simply a 'marker' of how much one is conscious of their own being, just like the 10 Ox-Herding pictures, that's all it is. In fact, like any model, it needs to be let go of when one reaches that point, just like the teachings do. As I said, 'Students' is misleading yes, but we have to use words to communicate don't we? Students is perhaps an outdated term, maybe you can say your helping yourself awaken, or you're simply spiritual friends, but I'm not trying to be semantic, students is usually just the easiest way to word it, but the words aren't really important if one knows what you are pointing to. I personally think it's skeptical as you have a complete misunderstanding of the model, and of their teachings. It is simply a tool used to help beings awaken, just like you may recommend to someone you work with a certain inquiry question, or a meditation technique to help them realize what they truly are and always have been. I mean this quote direct from the RASA page, I don't see how in any way indicates anything such as a separate self- 'The issue of "other" gets fully resolved. You know directly and intimately even when you are talking to people face to face that they are your very own Self. They are your Self... my Self... the Self... the One Supreme Self.' Just to be clear it is nothing at all to do with separate selves, it is literally a model regarding the depths of awakening, and no such model could ever be perfect, but it is ultimately about helping people realize & awaken to their absolute nature & get a better understanding of Non-Duality. Regarding the teaching part, I would again say no. Awakened or not, people have personalities, you have a personality on a human level, and so do I, the Enneagram helps to understand what makes different people tick, what holds people back etc, so I don't understand what you mean by extra layers. If anything, it helps you understand what will be most effective for that being on their own journey, so will cut out a lot of the unnecessary fluff in the long run. And, like any vocation, teaching is a skill, just because one is awakened, does not mean one is able or even ready to teach. Francis also talked about this in this article- https://ericplatt.com/on-being-a-teacher/ , he also talks about it on his BATGAP interview near the end if I remember rightly, and Rupert also talks about how teaching is a skill. Oh, and the reason I don't think what you're saying is common sense, is because you don't really understand Ramaji & Ananda's teachings, and see them as part of materialist paradigm and propagating the existence of an illusory separate self, which couldn't be further from the truth at all, and I think any kind of light reading of either's books will show you that, so I really hope you just read a few pages of Ramaji's books, or Ananda's book, Intimacy With The Infinite (even just for her awakening story, it is incredibly destructive and shows how powerful the pull to truth can be, when one is living such a 'fake' and inauthentic life, pre awakening) I think afterwards if you don't change your opinion on RASA or the model, you will at least see the teachings are rooted in helping people awaken to their true being. And, if not, well we can agree to disagree and still be great spiritual friends WHo else am i going to pester with my LOA & Manifestation questions after all? Jim Newman, in my view is a Neo-Advaitan. Teachings which seriously contrast that of true Spiritual greats such as Ramana, The Buddha & Nisgardatta. It lacks any sort of heart & love, and to be honest, I find it very cold & it is simply watered down Advaita Your comments regarding Francis Lucille to me show a lack of understanding to his teachings, and the teachings of the direct path. He is in fact not talking to an individual but is helping the apparent separate self, see that the separate self is an illusion, and not only see what one is not, but see and stabilize as what one truly is, as well as seeing truly what 'exists' and that The Self / Absolute / Awareness is not only what you are, but is quite literally the fabric of existence, and ALL that is. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but I think these half-baked teachers as Francis Lucille & Rupert Spira call them really need to awaken to infinite Love & the absolute before even considering teaching. I'd recommend reading the article above that goes into more detail about it. Personally, I think saying 'There is nobody there, nobody to suffer & no path' while absolutely true, often does very little relatively speaking to help a seeker who is suffering, and that is where discernment and skill come in to teaching. That answer may be exactly what one being needs to hear, but simply repeating variations of that at every satsang just isn't it, at least to me. But, if it helps you, who am I to judge? If you're stabilized in absolute peace & happiness then the teaching has done it's job right? ANyways, here's videos on the topic-

That´s cute, but you don´t fool me. You are mainteinig an ego like all of us. This is actually not even a matter of discussion, there are level of consciousness where the ego doesn´t exist and there are levels where the ego does exist. It exists as an illusion, sure, but since illusion can give you a very real toothache, for the sake of it we take that state into account too. See if you what you are telling me is that you are in constant high-awareness awakened state of consciousness, then that´s fine. I don´t believe you though, but yeah if you would then ego would not exist there.

@Adamq8 So you are awakened, and this is absolutely truth for you? You do not fear the hammer??

This dogma that is just a dream doesn't work. And the reason is that even nighttime dreams are not just dreams. Usually telepathies mostly happen in nighttime dreams. So even those dreams are not just imagined by your own consciousness, but are created jointly by multiple consciousnesses. So, no, is not just a dream. There are rules for how reality is constructed. And if you are not interested to understand these rules, then you are not awakened as you like yourself to consider. You are faaaar from it.

After awakening you learn to experience life to the fullest at will. But is there a simple word for it, LOVE won't do because it is a currupted word and shouldn't be told to the masses as the ultimate thing. We can call it being yourself, being boundless, experiencing life to the fullest, surrendering to your highest self, letting go of ego, love, being ecstatic by nature, being your full potential... With "being yourself" I mean the same thing as people achieve through kundalini yoga. Where the source of creation utilises your energies and your experience of life to its full potential. You become boundless, time moves fast, perception - the experience of life is ever changing, energy is at its peak etc. I can't explain this in a good way, I hope some of you have awakened and get what I talk about. Gurus and spiritual people seem to have all these different ways of explaining this. And now my question is, is one of my examples the general explanation of this "being yourself"? Also how would you explain it?

Well, you can't ever be completely certain, but if your consciousness is high enough you can usually tell who's less/more conscious intuitively. Try being around christians that parrot Jesus and then meet real mystics in a christian monastery. They say the same things but there's a different feel to them. I became aware of these differences after a kundalini experience, I meet a lot of christians (I grew up around them) and can differentiate between those that had awakening experiences and those who are just parrots. If your kundalini is at least partially activated there might be a literal "glow" in your vision when you hear/read/see an awakened person. This exercise works best with Christians, because there's a huge variety among them. It won't work as well with buddhists, since most of them actually take meditation seriously.

@fridjonk I mean more stages or names within the non-dual. I found this picture on integral theory and I am interested in if there are any told stages at unitive. As you go through life in the unitive stage like Buddha or Krishna there is a progression from an outsiders perspective. I am looking for names or stages such as sage, guru, awakened, enlightened. I don't know any more.

The meaning is always in the head of the perciever. The goal is only to explain the shadow of the real thing as to guide or help those on the journey of life. Love works fine, such as every other explanation. It's just that there doesn't seem to be one explanation that is mainly used. And for us that have awakened there are grades of how deep you are loving and being, are there words or names for those at a certain point of being? There seems to be in the yogic culture/history but I don't know of them as of yet. These names might also have a hard time reaching the people of Europe or America.

Who is asking why? "From the Upanishads on down, there have been sages who have discovered the meaning of ajata’s message, and have declared “no creation” or “no origination” or “no birth” etc. They are stating that the nature of ultimate reality is emptiness or nothingness or a void, and that from a “condition” of emptiness not anything can ever come out or originate or appear. In other words, any thing which appears to exist is not, and cannot be, a creation from nothingness. Put another way, any thing which seems to appear is not real, from the ultimate standpoint. This is not a denial that things do seem to appear. Both anything which seems to appear and the person to whom they seem to appear are unreal. The analogy which is classically given is that of a sleeping dream. In the dream, you–a figure which is not actually real–interact in a world which dos not actually exist. In this analogy, when you–whom ajata says cannot have had this existence from the start–wake up from the sleeping dream, you are nevertheless an unreal person seeming to live in a world, which does not exist in actuality. In other words, the waking “dream” is a continuation of the sleeping dream. Neither one can be anymore real than the other. Another way in which the literature puts this is to say that all forms are empty. Anything which is truly empty cannot be said to “exist”; and where existence is out of the question, “not exist” is not applicable. You, as a form, are empty. The world, as a form, is empty. In other words, both are nothing. Both have not ever been created, or originated. Though they seem to appear (within the big Dream), both are without any actual reality. The seeming person continues to live out her life (from supposed “birth” to “death”) in a seeming world, in a seeming universe. Yet, in what could be said to be the true or ultimate reality of emptiness, not anything ever has, or could, happen. From the ultimate standpoint, there is not anything that ever needs to be explained. Any questions which arise and any answers are within the Dream–and the Dream is not real. Those who understand this, the sages would say, have awakened from the big Dream. Whether one does or does not, in the end, makes absolutely no difference. But for those who do awaken, all their questions–within the Dream–are seen to be utterly empty". -- Ajata Project (Robert Wolfe) ajatasunyata.com

@xxBryantxx in my opinion as far as i understand the situation the problem isn't some consciousness gap but lack of proper communication. it seems she doesn't care about your subjective experiences and you think she's too 'unconscious' to understand you. i think if you truly were awakened as you say you are then there shouldn't have been any problem in the relationship if that was the only thing. the problem is like in a lot of relationships i think and nothing about this one is special. i think what you need is to have a serious talk and share what you two hold in yourselves while accepting and not invalidating the other's subjective experience. your true emotions, your true needs and which needs you both feel are unfulfilled. i think you might use spirituality and consciousness as an excuse to not do emotionally laborious work thats necessary to keep a healthy relationship. take this all with a grain of salt as i dont know the whole situation.

Does an awakened person not feel grief for the death of a loved one?

@Nthnl becsuse when you awaken you as @Nthnl will perish leaving only Truth. You BECOME it. This is NOT a belief. Keep an open mind here or you will be banned. This work is not for everyone. Very few of the current world population have ever awakened but we hope to change that with the teachings here.

Ofcourse no. It's the total opposite that. You are literally torturing yourself. That's why awakened sages like Buddha and christ teach compassion and no violence.

Well if you are awake you realize everyone you thought are dead aren't dead..they didn't go anywhere.. They are right here. You. An awakened sees the self in all and the all in the self.

If you have a loved one, you've got chips in the game. You'd always be biased towards their survival. So I'd say yes, an awakened person would absolutely grief a loved one. You'd have to be so awake to not grief that there would be no point in loving that person more than another, but then again, you'd also be so conscious that you wouldn't even be in a human state anymore. Edit: Why in the world do I comment about things I've got no clue about...ego alert.