How is death not frightening from a non-duality perspective?

[MM1988]

As far as I know death in non-duality is very simmilar to what atheists believe. I've seen it compared to deep sleep, when your whole ego is pulled away. So its basically eternal nothingness, pure conciousness. It might be that the conciousness, which is me, will deceive itself again and imagine itself to be a new human with an ego again. All this spiritual work I did is washed away again. I know it only sounds frightening because my ego wants me to survive, but still. As an enlightened being you may get a glimpse of the truth before you die and take on another body. Why? Why would my true self make me undergo a life of suffering again. Why would I deceive myself to be an animal whose life I think is nothing but pure unconcious suffering? Why would I want to experience myself being tortured to death.

I thought of non dual death as waking up and thinking to myself "of course, I am god", but I think this is way to simple. If its more like a deep sleep or coma that idea really unsettles me for some reason. Why are spiritual teachers so chill about it, why would they be cool with the idea of being as an enlightened human and then going on to be an antelope who is eaten alive by a lion. 

Edited January 15, 2018 by MM1988

[cirkussmile]

Death is already the case. Enlightenment is seeing that what you call "you" is an illusion and that you never was.

There's only one thing going on here and it is independent of time. You have to go beyond mind to see. 

 

Much love

[MM1988]

But what would that experience be like from my perspective?

[Leo Gura]

@MM1988 You're not getting it.

Enlightenment IS death.

Once you're dead, will you still worry about death??

[Leo Gura]

@Source_Mystic You're underestimating enlightenment.

The distinction you make between symbolic and actual is a duality, and it will collapse.

See, you're assuming physical existence has reality to it (materialist paradigm). But it doesn't. You were never alive to begin with. That is a self-deception.

Once all dualities collapse, there will literally be no difference between life and death.

I said what I said precisely to puncture this illusion of physical existence which was assumed in the questioner's question.

The problem here is a misunderstanding of what "death" means. "Death" isn't about the body, so much as it is about the idea of "you". This was explained in the Self-Deception episode. Stop thinking of death as a physical process. Death is a mental process.

What death really means is: death of the idea of you.

Because the truth is, there never was a you to begin with. So the only thing that can die is the idea of you.

Death is not a problem of physicality. Death is a problem of false identity. See, you're sort of like an insane person who thinks he's Napoleon. Of course he isn't really Napoleon, but he believes it so much that to him, if he ever stops believing he's Napoleon, that will be his death.

[cirkussmile]

About confusion.

Of course it excist because one can't grasp death with the mind! It is obvious but before one crosses the line it is impossible to "understand". This is about making the impossible possible.

[Timotheus]

@MM1988 Start surrendering yourself to any kind of (physical) pain. Cold shower, extreme workouts whatever. See how it goes. You might notice that pain is just pain, it's an energy and you can feel energized by it in my experience, which is not as bad as your ego is trying to convince you!

This should get you in touch with what's going to come, I think (in my humble opinion, of course)

I develop more and more the feeling that this is really everything I've ever wanted. 

[Thanatos13]

1 hour ago, Leo Gura said:

@Source_Mystic You're underestimating enlightenment.

The distinction you make between symbolic and actual is a duality, and it will collapse.

See, you're assuming physical existence has reality to it (materialist paradigm). But it doesn't. You were never alive to begin with. That is a self-deception.

Once all dualities collapse, there will literally be no difference between life and death.

I said what I said precisely to puncture this illusion of physical existence which was assumed in the questioner's question.

The problem here is a misunderstanding of what "death" means. "Death" isn't about the body, so much as it is about the idea of "you". This was explained in the Self-Deception episode. Stop thinking of death as a physical process. Death is a mental process.

What death really means is: death of the idea of you.

Because the truth is, there never was a you to begin with. So the only thing that can die is the idea of you.

Death is not a problem of physicality. Death is a problem of false identity. See, you're sort of like an insane person who thinks he's Napoleon. Of course he isn't really Napoleon, but he believes it so much that to him, if he ever stops believing he's Napoleon, that will be his death.

Death is actually a physical process. The body breaks down, all your processes do. It’s the end of the body. It’s not a mental process at all. No ego doesn’t mean no death, just no “you”. But if there never was you then you can’t really die.

 

Technically there is a “you” though. But it’s rather complicated as to what that is. Spirituality likes to sweep that under the rug to cope with what happens when the body stops. Much like what you are doing. 

[aurum]

16 hours ago, MM1988 said:

Why? Why would my true self make me undergo a life of suffering again. Why would I deceive myself to be an animal whose life I think is nothing but pure unconcious suffering? Why would I want to experience myself being tortured to death.

Your true self isn't "doing" anything to you. It's difficult to imagine when you're in the struggle, but you chose all of this.

Your true self looks on everything with love. The suffering, the victories, the loses, everything. It's all your journey and when you shift perspective, you can see it's beautiful.

Easier said than done, I know. But that's okay too. Growth and learning is what this is all about.

[David_eh]

I made it here ok and being dead is most likely just like waiting to be born whether there is consciousness or not.

 

We are temporal waves on an eternal ocean but it's all the same water.

[Vignan]

10 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

@MM1988 You're not getting it.

Enlightenment IS death.

Once you're dead, will you still worry about death??

"Death once dead. There's no more dying again." - Yogi

[MM1988]

yeah I'm just more confused right now

[Leo Gura]

Lol 

Maya at her finest.

[Afonso]

Fuck this shit, I'm back to Cheetos & Game of Thrones.

[David_eh]

13 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

@Source_Mystic You're underestimating enlightenment.

The distinction you make between symbolic and actual is a duality, and it will collapse.

See, you're assuming physical existence has reality to it (materialist paradigm). But it doesn't. You were never alive to begin with. That is a self-deception.

Once all dualities collapse, there will literally be no difference between life and death.

I said what I said precisely to puncture this illusion of physical existence which was assumed in the questioner's question.

The problem here is a misunderstanding of what "death" means. "Death" isn't about the body, so much as it is about the idea of "you". This was explained in the Self-Deception episode. Stop thinking of death as a physical process. Death is a mental process.

What death really means is: death of the idea of you.

Because the truth is, there never was a you to begin with. So the only thing that can die is the idea of you.

Death is not a problem of physicality. Death is a problem of false identity. See, you're sort of like an insane person who thinks he's Napoleon. Of course he isn't really Napoleon, but he believes it so much that to him, if he ever stops believing he's Napoleon, that will be his death.

Yeah, except that once you're dead there is no using the illusion of separation to explore.

 

It is a tool, not an affliction for crying out softly. The affliction is the disease of us and them. Or the illusion is being separate, not being period. There is a huge difference in the implications.

 

No wonder people are so confused. 

 

If you're going to teach about non-duality please do so responsibly. There's no reason a proper understanding would lead to a nihilistic outlook. 

Edited January 16, 2018 by David_eh

[Leo Gura]

@David_eh Nihilism? That would be your judgment.

Death is the ultimate, infinite beauty.

P.S. Obviously don't shoot yourself in the head. Attain death through existential inquiry.

[David_eh]

I agree there is a difference between seeing through the illusion and tossing it away but also the death of the ego still leaves a useful and unique expression of the oneness. 

 

 

[pluto]

You cant really fear what you will not consciously experience. Death is the biggest illusion of them all