I am enlightened. Sincere seekers: ask me anything

[graded24]

@winterknight  Does enlightenment only answer 'who am I' , or does it also 'answer' (satisfy the curiosity) what i like to call "what is this all about!? Wtf is going on!? ' ?  

[winterknight]

2 hours ago, Annoynymous said:

@winterknight thank you for your answer. I would like to ask you another question. You talked about jealousy. It is usually labelled as negative emotion. Whenever i feel these sort of emotion like anger greed jealousy anxiety, i usually find myself in a difficult position to act according to it. For example, whenever i tend to be depressed, i smoke a lot. So how can i experience such negative emotions without acting on it impulsively? And why it is important to experience negative emotions at the very first place?

That's why it's important to experience these negative emotions -- so that they don't control you without your knowing it. And because they are a part of your mind. Once oyu feel them, you can ask what they are really about.

If you feel depressed, maybe there are other ways of dealing with it other than smoking... that may be a way of avoiding dealing with the underlying pain. I'd recommend getting some psychoanalytic/psychodynamic therapy.

2 hours ago, Pilgrim said:

What's the connection between aligning your life in maya with your true desires and - enlightenment? Why is it important for me if I want to reach enlightenment to align my life here in this (illusory) reality with my true desires? 

Because that calms the mind, and without a calm mind, you cannot inquire effectively.

2 hours ago, tsuki said:

@winterknight Can you re-phrase this sentence and elaborate on what do you mean by realness?

Is seeing through the falsity of the mind related to polar thinking?

No, it's not about polar thinking. There's really no way to fully understand it intellectually, and it's pointless to try. You have to directly know it for yourself. Someone else's words are never going to make sense without that.

1 hour ago, Jack River said:

This has to do with what we were saying before about recognition. I have noticed that in seeing this as FASLE recognizing, as in “mental categories”, does not respond or even take place. I mean it’s not that there is recognition but I’m aware of its falsness, but no mental categorical impressions appear at all.

Do you known what Im getting at? 

I think so.

1 hour ago, Jack River said:

@winterknight and this seems to directly relate to the psychological “me” and it’s resistance/attachment to what is in this moment. What would you say to that dude?

If the “me” “movement” is in motion that seems to imply that is resistance/attachment in which pulls up,   sees through, “the me” knows(identification). 

When there is no resistance actually, that recognition too doesn’t seem to take place at all. 

The thing to be realized is that there is never any resistance actually. 

52 minutes ago, Serotoninluv said:

Digging into spiritual concepts seemed to serve me for so long, yet now there is a sense that they are a distraction and are actually pulling me away  from deeper awakening. Sometimes all the concepts seem like fun and games *within* that ISness. That they are all inherently meaningless and have no more relevance than any other input or impulse. Even the spiritual traditions, statues, bowing etc. lack relevance. In the place of emptiness, none of that stuff matters, it is only when the self returns that it seems to matter. In that stillness, ALL of the ideas, concepts, deities, enlightened masters, principles etc are within the illusion. All of it

For a being at this stage, would you recommend more sitting with nonverbal inquiry such as "what is perception?", "who am I?" as a bridge to the stillness of everything/nothing? Is part of deeper surrender letting go of spiritual concepts?

Yes, nonverbal inquiry is totally fine... the key is whether you can stay in that space of stillness. Yes, let go of spiritual concepts if you feel they are a burden, absolutely. Surrender of everything is the end game anyhow.

51 minutes ago, WindInTheLeaf said:

My point is rather, that whatever keeps me from stillness can be processed much faster if I just allow it to unfold. Truth is here now, so when I stop looking for it in time, and just inquire upon what arises post-experience as part of the process of self-discovery that is I, truth is what is.

When 'I' take the wheel I am driving while looking out the back window. I react to certain impressions and attempt to figure out how to drive. But I am always a step behind and try to react to the road behind me. This is actively trying to solve the maze of the mind. When 'I' take the back seat and stop wasting energy trying to drive, I can better sense and deal with, actually better self-inquire upon, whatever causes unrest beneath my surface. 

When anything is let go, it will come back to its resting position. So when I let go, will I not be carried back through my maze and into the light of being? Is any movement of mind what brings me into the spiral of ego? If I am already enlightened, I need not find answers, and if I am not, will any question asked not be done from a place of confusion bringing about more confusion? Truth is like a child playing hide and seek. As long as I am seeking, it is hiding, but if I stop seeking it will come to me.

Edit: Perhaps rather, I will come to truth.

Didn't I already say surrender was fine? That's what you're describing. It sounds like you are trying to persuade yourself.

10 minutes ago, seeking_brilliance said:

@winterknight What does "previous life" mean, and does this imply a soul (or memory bank)? 

Yes, it does imply a soul. But no one knows the truth about previous lives, and anyway the whole idea is in the realm of illusion.

11 minutes ago, graded24 said:

@winterknight Sometimes when I am looking for the "I", and can clearly see that I am not the body, thought etc.. i arrive at a weird situation because THEN it feels like the only "I" here is the one looking for the "I", aka the meditator. So there is an "I" as long as I am looking for it, because I, the looker, is it.  I dont know where to go next? 

You say "I'm the one looking for the I" -- but who is noticing that fact?

8 minutes ago, SoonHei said:

@winterknight

please advise about the eternal NOW

You are getting caught up in the intellect. The Self is simply beyond the concept of time. When you recognize it, there will be no past, present or future, and no worries about how they all relate to Self.

4 minutes ago, graded24 said:

@winterknight  Does enlightenment only answer 'who am I' , or does it also 'answer' (satisfy the curiosity) what i like to call "what is this all about!? Wtf is going on!? ' ?  

When your mind recognizes and rests in the Self, you will understand the answer to that question, but it cannot be spoken.

[Jack River]

11 minutes ago, winterknight said:

The thing to be realized is that there is never any resistance actually. 

I understand that. Which seems to be expressed in what I referred too. It was all an impression in the first place. 

Edited November 14, 2018 by Jack River

[Annoynymous]

@winterknight My negative emotion leads me to do things that i dont wanna do, but in most cases i do it anyway. Even if i don't do it, i feel heavy irritation inside. I feel like i am being restraint. What can be done in this case?   

[Annoynymous]

@winterknight If i find out my true desire, should i pursue that? Will it be good for me?

[winterknight]

3 minutes ago, Annoynymous said:

@winterknight My negative emotion leads me to do things that i dont wanna do, but in most cases i do it anyway. Even if i don't do it, i feel heavy irritation inside. I feel like i am being restraint. What can be done in this case?   

I already said: 

a) go get therapy -- follow that link. This should be your first priority.

b) start writing down your emotions in great detail... try to be as accurate and original as possible... or if you don't like writing, then draw them, sing them, or otherwise use artistic expression

c) do self-inquiry -- and ask who it is that feels restrained

[winterknight]

3 minutes ago, Annoynymous said:

@winterknight If i find out my true desire, should i pursue that? Will it be good for me?

don't worry about pursuing it or not. first find it out. you will know it when you feel calm, clear peace at the thought of it

[WindInTheLeaf]

@winterknight ofcourse I am trying to persuade myself, but it is hard when I am not listening. Surrender and self-inquiry are two sides of the same coin. I have to surrender to allow what must be inquired about to arise to the surface, and I must inquire about that which arises to the surface to rid myself from it(by listening to what it has to tell me), allow it to dissolve. If I use self-inquiry to dig for the truth in boiling water, I won't find much but suffering and confusion. You might say that in order to let something go you must self-inquire about it and find the reason you are holding on, the reason why you are not at peace, but if any act of self-inquiry from a place of unrest causes more unrest how can this ever be the way? It's like trying to hit a target by bow and arrow, while firing in the middle of an earthquake. I say be the earthquake and you can never miss. Be the earthquake and you are already there, and by not resisting some things nor chasing others I will be carried to stillness on a beautiful journey of letting go.

Of course if you are unable to let it unfold by itself, and insist on being the man in charge, you may dig holes in search for the truth until you drop from exhaustion and are forced to surrender. But why not, instead of fighting the darkness allow it to wash over you, instead of seeking out truth allow it to come to you. Instead of being the guy who pushes a stone up a hill only to see it roll down for him to start over again, why not become the stone that is pushed to the top and pulled back down by gravity. 

 

[Annoynymous]

@winterknight what is the benefit of meditation?  Why meditation is advised to spiritual seekers? How does it help?

[winterknight]

4 minutes ago, WindInTheLeaf said:

@winterknight ofcourse I am trying to persuade myself, but it is hard when I am not listening. Surrender and self-inquiry are two sides of the same coin. I have to surrender to allow what must be inquired about to arise to the surface, and I must inquire about that which arises to the surface to rid myself from it(by listening to what it has to tell me), allow it to dissolve. If I use self-inquiry to dig for the truth in boiling water, I won't find much but suffering and confusion. You might say that in order to let something go you must self-inquire about it and find the reason you are holding on, the reason why you are not at peace, but if any act of self-inquiry from a place of unrest causes more unrest how can this ever be the way? It's like trying to hit a target by bow and arrow, while firing in the middle of an earthquake. I say be the earthquake and you can never miss. Be the earthquake and you are already there, and by not resisting some things nor chasing others I will be carried to stillness on a beautiful journey of letting go.

Of course if you are unable to let it unfold by itself, and insist on being the man in charge, you may dig holes in search for the truth until you drop from exhaustion and are forced to surrender. But why not, instead of fighting the darkness allow it to wash over you, instead of seeking out truth allow it to come to you. Instead of being the guy who pushes a stone up a hill only to see it roll down for him to start over again, why not become the stone that is pushed to the top and pulled back down by gravity. 

Sure, sounds good to me

2 minutes ago, Annoynymous said:

@winterknight what is the benefit of meditation?  Why meditation is advised to spiritual seekers? How does it help?

Meditation is good because it calms the mind, and a calm mind is essential for self-inquiry.

Edited November 14, 2018 by winterknight

[Annoynymous]

@winterknight Why calmness of the mind necessary for self inquiry?

[Forestluv]

@winterknight Thank you for your time and effort! This thread is a wonderful help to increase the consciousness on the forum 

[winterknight]

12 minutes ago, Ero said:

@winterknight

????

Thank you. 

 

You're welcome!

11 minutes ago, Annoynymous said:

@winterknight Why calmness of the mind necessary for self inquiry?

Because self-inquiry requires intense concentration which requires a calm mind.

Just now, Serotoninluv said:

@winterknight Thank you for your time and effort! This thread is a wonderful help to increase the consciousness on the forum 

You're very welcome. Glad I can be of some help.

[WindInTheLeaf]

@winterknight surely you must have more than 'sounds good to me' to a question about whether any of the answers you have given throughout the thread are of any use for (sincere)* seekers?

*how can any seeker be sincere when he is actively seeking truth? How can he hear the answers when he is asking questions?

Edited November 14, 2018 by WindInTheLeaf

[winterknight]

1 minute ago, WindInTheLeaf said:

@winterknight surely you must have more than 'sounds good to me' to a question about whether any of the answers you have given throughout the thread are of any use for sincere seekers?

they are of use. but they may not be of use to you.

[WindInTheLeaf]

2 minutes ago, winterknight said:

they are of use. but they may not be of use to you.

how are you so certain they are of use that you have not even the slightest bit of uncertainty about it?

[Forestluv]

@winterknight During meditation today, the mind became still and the self-inquiry question "What is Love?" arose. There was no analysis or thinking about what love is. Yet, there was also no nonverbal appearances of what Love is. The question just existed there in the stillness. It just sat there. Then it would dissolve into nothingness and reappear. Yet, nothing else related to Love appeared. 

Should there be attention effort to maintain the presence of the inquiry? Or is it ok if it dissolves and reappears? (When it dissolved, mental chatter was still low and off in the distance).

[graded24]

@winterknight I added more questions before you got to answer  

You answered first one. can you please answer the others. Thanks! 

[winterknight]

Just now, WindInTheLeaf said:

how are you so certain they are of use that you have not even the slightest bit of uncertainty about it?

when you are at the peak you can see the paths up the mountain. why does it bother you so much?

3 minutes ago, Serotoninluv said:

@winterknight During meditation today, the mind became still and the self-inquiry question "What is Love?" arose. There was no analysis or thinking about what love is. Yet, there was also no nonverbal appearances of what Love is. The question just existed there in the stillness. It just sat there. Then it would dissolve into nothingness and reappear. Yet, nothing else related to Love appeared. 

Should there be attention effort to maintain the presence of the inquiry? Or is it ok if it dissolves and reappears? (When it dissolved, mental chatter was still low and off in the distance).

No, you can just let it go. The only inquiry that needs to be maintained is into the "I" -- or else simply surrender and relax all thinking. Those are the two linked ways.

[Forestluv]

2 minutes ago, winterknight said:

 

No, you can just let it go. The only inquiry that needs to be maintained is into the "I" -- or else simply surrender and relax all thinking. Those are the two linked ways.

Cool. It was like the stillness didn't care about the inquiry and let it go. My mind had an idea of what it should look like.

When you say to maintain "I" inquiry, would this include "Who/What am I?", the "I Am" and simply "I"? And when the inquiry drifts away, maintain attention on it? And if nonverbal impulses do not appear, just maintain the presence of the inquiry?

There is part of me that feels like "something" is supposed to happen with self-inquiry. Sometimes it doesn't feel like *self* inquiry because the self isn't present. It feels simply like "inquiry". That the inquiry is acting like a stillness stabilizer.