I am enlightened. Sincere seekers: ask me anything

[winterknight]

7 minutes ago, SgtPepper said:

Thank you. Your answer was helpful.  

To reiterate. Maya is illusory because it uses itself to create depth or the appearances of depth and complexity, but in actuality that depth and complexity is a creation, created to appear a particular way when really it is just Maya. Like an object that can shapeshift into anything, but when you really stare it, its illusory because it lacks any real definable characteristic besides illusory?

I know its one thing to understand something conceptually and another to become conscious, but I have had glimpses of this stuff. 

You're welcome, and yes, that's close, but even the illusory quality is itself part of the illusion. It is not even "really just Maya" -- Maya itself isn't really there.

The image that comes to mind is something that seems like a black hole in space, but as soon as you examine it, the black hole sucks itself up, leaving just space. There's not even a trace of it left. You blink and realize it was never there to begin with. It never sucked itself up, even. It simply wasn't there. So what did you see? You were mistaken in thinking that you saw anything.

Edited November 13, 2018 by winterknight

[graded24]

@winterknight Thanks a lot dude. Your answers have been mighty useful! Enjoy the peace!

Could I bother you in future with a PM if I got a question? 

[winterknight]

5 minutes ago, graded24 said:

@winterknight Thanks a lot dude. Your answers have been mighty useful! Enjoy the peace!

Could I bother you in future with a PM if I got a question? 

You're welcome! And sure, no problem.

[Jack River]

2 hours ago, winterknight said:

I don't understand. You say many people do not seem to be in touch with thought as movement. What does that mean?

The movement of conditioning as the self. The movement of conditioning as in psychological time. A constant movement from the past that continues through the present to anticipate its safety in the future. This is the movement of conflict between 'what is' and 'what should be', between the thinker and the thought. As in psychological reaction that resists the fact and seeks to control that fact by reacting by pursuing an abstraction of what would secure that insecure ? movement of self.

If that movement ends, then there is no ‘what is’ at all, or that movement that was actual, as this psychological movement of self that did bring about chemical changes in the body’s disposition stops.

 You know that feeling of anger, when your temperature rises, you start sweeting, and such...So that movement of time/thought which was an actual process in motion stops, as does the effects on the organism itself, like the temperature regulates itself again, sweet machine turns off. Lol ? 

You see, the action that arises from that movement of self/time no matter the case is actual and is taking place either in the body as chemical reaction, or the actuality that may be expressed as a result of that movement being acted upon. For example, in I’m angry so I run over some poor dude with my car as a result of that actual state of anger. It may be an illusion but it can still be actual. 

For example, if I react out of anger. That seems to arise from a thought about another thought that interprets an insult as being bad or unfavorable according the meaning given..That seems to arise because of the psychological movement that resisted any type of insecure feeling or notion of that “unfavorable” interpretation or image that I may have about myself. 

All of that makes for a movement that becomes actual. As well as the physical/outward action that may be taken as a result, like killing the person who insulted me.  

Desire, attachment, the self and it’s process of identification, pleasure seeking, all are a movement of self/time influenced by past bias/prejudice avoiding the actuality of the fact to provide itself a sense of psychological security. All a movement of fear trying to escape itself..This movement is actual as it is in motion. Im most cases action is influenced by that actuality which breeds an outward expression that manifests as antagonism/violence. 

Awareness observes the entire content of thought as a whole. It doesn’t see its content as just its verbal/conceptual meanings, but sees the content as its meaning and its relationship to feelings/emotional reactions. It is not the self with its bias/prejudice observing the content, but thought itself is observing the content/feelings/emotions/verbal/intellectual meanings as one unit in movement in reaction to what is or as one movement of the self that resists what is and pursues its idea of what should be. This is the self looking for psychological security in thought or can be seen as resistance/attachment which identifies with what is familiar. Thought. It’s knowledge/experience or memory. 

Ultimately this seems to be all a process that arises when the experiencer acts on the idea that “it” is different from what it experiences, an illusion as you said before. 

Thought is always a movement from this to that, here to their, or a movement of becoming, or not becoming. Or accepting or denying. 

 

Edited November 14, 2018 by Jack River

[Forestluv]

1 hour ago, winterknight said:

Self-inquiry will, however, eventually lead to a thought-free state. Or rather an I-free state. Or rather a state free of the normal, burdensome I. Even there you can have thoughts, but they will have an entirely different feeling than thoughts had outside that state. They will not even be felt to be thoughts.

That state is of course your true & permanent nature. It is a "state" only because you are pulled back out of it because of mental habit... which of course is what has to be overcome through repeated practice of inquiry.

This is pretty much a description of my meditation state. Occasionally, there are "normal" thoughts in the background - yet they are far away in the distance. 

During self-inquiry a question like "what is genuine?" may arise. Then nonverbal impulses that arise. As you stated, I get pulled back out of it. I'd say I'm in this state about 30% of meditation time and 10% of "regular" life time. They started off as small "gaps" between thoughts and got longer and longer.

I'd say this true nature presence is "continuous" for stretches of around 20-30min. several times a day. Do you recommend continuing self-inquiry to keep breaking the habit? Or is there a new technique appropriate for this stage?

Also, do "you" still have "normal" thoughts that pass through your mind and there is awareness? I mean you are writing normal thoughts in this thread - is there just no attachment/identification with them?

[WindInTheLeaf]

How do I know what is the right question to ask? How do I know if I am a sincere seeker?

[winterknight]

28 minutes ago, Jack River said:

The movement of conditioning as the self.

...

Thought is always a movement from this to that, here to their, or a movement of becoming, or not becoming. Or accepting or denying. 

Right, so that's one way of looking at things. From my perspective, all "movement" is illusion. There's nothing actual about it.

[winterknight]

33 minutes ago, Serotoninluv said:

This is pretty much a description of my meditation state. Occasionally, there are "normal" thoughts in the background - yet they are far away in the distance. 

During self-inquiry a question like "what is genuine?" may arise. Then nonverbal impulses that arise. As you stated, I get pulled back out of it. I'd say I'm in this state about 30% of meditation time and 10% of "regular" life time. They started off as small "gaps" between thoughts and got longer and longer.

I'd say this true nature presence is "continuous" for stretches of around 20-30min. several times a day. Do you recommend continuing self-inquiry to keep breaking the habit? Or is there a new technique appropriate for this stage?

You can either:

a) do self-inquiry... but you don't have to go through the whole process... once it is natural, you may simply have to remind yourself with a single tiny thought and suddenly you will be back in the state of peace or

b) if you feel prepared for it, attempt to surrender... let go of all thought, feeling, expectation, desire, action. just totally relax and "be"... whatever happens

Quote

Also, do "you" still have "normal" thoughts that pass through your mind and there is awareness? I mean you are writing normal thoughts in this thread - is there just no attachment/identification with them?

It may seem as if I'm having normal thoughts still... so to say that they are there but I have no attachment is an approximate truth. But the truer truth is that one cannot even say that the normal thoughts are there. What can one really say, if one is being totally truthful? Absolutely nothing at all.

Edited November 14, 2018 by winterknight

[Jack River]

8 minutes ago, winterknight said:

Right, so that's one way of looking at things. From my perspective, all "movement" is illusion. There's nothing actual about it.

Yes, this movement is a reaction that when seen as true and then acted upon becomes very actual. 

Just as it is said we invent/create our own reality.

Edited November 14, 2018 by Jack River

[winterknight]

20 minutes ago, WindInTheLeaf said:

How do I know what is the right question to ask? How do I know if I am a sincere seeker?

Any question about the spiritual path to which you actually want to know. If your motivation in asking is to further your own quest for the truth. Look into your feelings and decide for yourself.

[winterknight]

3 minutes ago, Jack River said:

Yes, this movement is a reaction that when seen as true and then acted upon becomes very actual. 

Well, the ultimate truth is that it's never seen as true, it is never acted upon, and thus never becomes actual.

[ZX_man]

How do I know when I've gotten there?

[winterknight]

2 minutes ago, ZX_man said:

How do I know when I've gotten there?

When you directly know, beyond any doubt, that you've never had to go anywhere, that all along you've been there, that you never left that perfect quiet peace beyond time and space and limitation which you are.

Edited November 14, 2018 by winterknight

[Jack River]

7 minutes ago, winterknight said:

Well, the ultimate truth is that it's never seen as true, it is never acted upon, and thus never becomes actual.

If the self sees it as true, it is acted upon, and therefore is actual. This can be seen in the world today. The “individual” is the world. 

Right dude, or are you referring to this in a different light? 

Edited November 14, 2018 by Jack River

[Forestluv]

7 minutes ago, winterknight said:

When you directly know, beyond any doubt, that you've never had to go anywhere, that all along you've been there, that you never left that perfect quiet peace beyond time and space and limitation which you are.

"I" have absolutely no doubt of knowing that. Yet, it is non-abiding. However, each time I return to the self-based mindset, the self is weaker, a little less there.

I thought you wrote earlier that enlightenment is a one-shot deal. Is it a process for some? For me, it seems like the self has taken several heavy blows during the process and is gradually dissolving away to nothing.

[Outer]

Can you share some art you've painted? From before and after Realization?

[winterknight]

12 minutes ago, Jack River said:

If the self sees it as true, it is acted upon, and therefore is actual. This can be seen in the world today. The “individual” is the world. 

Right dude, or are you referring to this in a different light? 

Yeah, I'm not sure we're speaking from the same framework. The Self cannot see anything illusory as true. The idea that it could is part of the illusion.

4 minutes ago, Serotoninluv said:

"I" have absolutely no doubt of knowing that. Yet, it is non-abiding. However, each time I return to the self-based mindset, the self is weaker, a little less there.

I thought you wrote earlier that enlightenment is a one-shot deal. Is it a process for some? For me, it seems like the self has taken several heavy blows during the process and is gradually dissolving away to nothing.

It cannot be called full realization until you've crossed the point where you realize it is not and never was a process. The "process" based idea is still in the seeking stage. Maybe the final stages of seeking... but still seeking. The end of the "process" will be a realization that there was never any process, there was never any returning to the self-based mindset, etc. In fact that's a good way to think even now. All these "returns" are illusory.

2 minutes ago, Outer said:

Can you share some art you've painted? From before and after Realization?

I don't paint 

Edited November 14, 2018 by winterknight

[Outer]

Just now, winterknight said:

I don't paint 

Where have you expressed your creativity?

[winterknight]

Just now, Outer said:

Where have you expressed your creativity?

In other ways, but I am enjoying my anonymity, so I will respectfully decline to share... I appreciate your asking though.

[Jack River]

@winterknight no dude. I am speaking in regards to being caught up in the illusion of divison. As in the lower case s “self” 

That was my original intention of my communication. This holistic unconditional undivided awareness that observes thought as movement sees the illusion, and in that seeing is action that ends that movement of self/ego/divison. 

Edited November 14, 2018 by Jack River