Exercises For Breaking Down Reality

[LastThursday]

It seems like to 'get to' Enlightenment you have to break loose from the grip of reality. I thought I would share some of my mental thought exercises I practice regularly:

Easier:

There is no cause and effect - it's all one huge coincedence. This is possible in an infinity, you're just lucky to be around when all this coincedence is occurring.

There is no yesterday and there is no tomorrow at all, in fact it's meaningless. The death of the dinosaurs and your birth and death are now.

The guy in the mirror is not 'you', the voice in your head is not you, and also you don't have a head.

Harder ones:

I am in my feet not my head.

The colour green is exactly the same as the colour red is exactly the same as the sound of middle C.

I am not living my life in any particular order, getting older every day, it just seems this way due to habit.

I and my memories and the whole universe was just created fresh, just now, right now (not last Thursday as some believe).

The only thing that's real is your memory of it being real.

 

I would love if you shared yours.

 

[Ether]

No, no no...enlightenment is seeing reality as it is. Not breaking it.

[okulele]

Check out Douglas Harding. He was all about that.

 

[cirkussmile]

Focus on enlightenment and forget about mind games. 

Those questions are not important. When you realize what you truly are you will have the answer to those questions. Priority #1: enlightenment then we can start to think Much love 

[LastThursday]

@Ether that's exactly what I'm getting at. I'm told I don't see reality as it is because I'm not Enlightened, so I need to learn see it differently no? It's also said that Enlightenment is death, isn't that breaking reality?

@cirkussmile if I forget about mind games then how do I 'get to' Enlightenment, will it spontaneously happen without mental effort? Isn't meditation, drugs etc just mind games; or 'playing with your mind', albeit without words?

 

[InfinitePotential]

One exercise that has for me resulted in some a-ha moments / glimpses / shifts in consciousness / awakening experiences is to "ignore everything". 

Ultimately, everything is concept. Even enlightenment, even that "everything is the same", and all conceptualizations and "explainings" of reality. 

The goal is to go beyond concepts into a state of no-mind, or no concepts. So to elaborate, a great exercise is to:

sit in meditation. Forget everything you know. Forget enlightenment, forget that you're trying to achieve something, or "figure anything out". 

Now gently but thoroughly "ignore everything". Any sensation/feeling/perception that you become aware of, "look the other way" with your attention. Just like if there were an annoying noise you might ignore, ignore EVERYTHING. 

Thought arises in awareness, ignore it. The sight of the back of your eyes, ignore it. Sounds, feelings, ignore them. Become completely and utterly disinterested in your experience, nothing in it is what you're looking for. The next thought you have isn't going to be the one that figures everything out for you. Let your attention rest and don't place it on anything in particular. 

What might happen is that thoughts and sensations are sorta flowing around you but you're just there ignoring all of it, til all that's left is the sensation of you ignoring things.... ignore that. 

What's left to place your attention on when you've ignored everything?

[cirkussmile]

9 hours ago, LastThursday said:

@Ether that's exactly what I'm getting at. I'm told I don't see reality as it is because I'm not Enlightened, so I need to learn see it differently no? It's also said that Enlightenment is death, isn't that breaking reality?

@cirkussmile if I forget about mind games then how do I 'get to' Enlightenment, will it spontaneously happen without mental effort? Isn't meditation, drugs etc just mind games; or 'playing with your mind', albeit without words?

 

Exactly that. It falls away effortlessly. The question should be "How do 'I' get to Enlightment". Who are you? It comes to you when effort stops. 

The suggestion is that you stay present at all times. There's no room for speculation when you are conscious of what is. 

[LastThursday]

2 hours ago, cirkussmile said:

Exactly that. It falls away effortlessly.

But for that to happen it takes tremendous effort? My current take on who/what 'I' am, is the awareness for whom the universe was conjured up for its delight and despair. 

@InfinitePotential thank you. I shall try that out.

[cirkussmile]

13 hours ago, LastThursday said:

But for that to happen it takes tremendous effort? My current take on who/what 'I' am, is the awareness for whom the universe was conjured up for its delight and despair. 

@InfinitePotential thank you. I shall try that out.

No one can say how and why it happens. For some people tremendous of effort is necessary just to see that it's not. 

For others it goes more smoothly although some form of practice is most likely involved.

Go your way. Follow what's right for you and keep in mind that what you are looking for is already here. 

I highly recommend a daily meditation practice and making truth number 1 priority.