Will I be enlightened if I stop thinking for long periods of time?

[assx95]

At my stage of spiritual evolution, 

There are moments when there is the awareness that the hands I am typing with (I'm going meta) are some familiarly unfamiliar machine like parts of the reality which surrounds me : The reality where these hands are moving in intelligent ways to make relatively intelligible text appear on the laptop screen in the present moment. 

If i stop thinking, and remove unnecessary conceptualization in my head, in the present moment, then it gets trippy. Like those weed and acid like vibes (those are the only two substances I've tried) I get high and I find everything enjoyable even the background noise of cars being driven on a distant road, and there is a sense of not fully understanding of what's going on. 

 

 

[SoonHei]

Stop focusing or listening to the thoughts.

You don't think or choose to not think.

Thinking happens and is known by you.

 

Consider that you're sitting in a crowded place and are having a conversation with a person. You are focused soley on what that person is saying. There are others around you and your ears also hear their sound, but you're focused soley on the conversation with your friend.

 

Same way, you will find that thoughts will continue... You cannot "stop thinking"

But you can choose to focus instead on the silence instead of the thoughts.

The thoughts/mind is tricky though and will try to lure your attention to itself. That's where practice comes into play.

 

And yes. By doing this you will come to see that you are Enlightenment itself.

[Inliytened1]

@assx95 thought/concept is form.  To be formless is to become directly conscious that you are the present moment and collapse the self and other duality into isness. (Non-duality)

Pull out your hand and look at it.  Acknowledge it - that is actuality - right now.  The present moment.  If you stare at it long enough, the perceiver and the perceived collapse and you become your true nature - actuality itself.  You and the hand become one.

It happens when it happens but the longer you meditate the greater the chances.

 

 

[Lento]

You may become happy, focused, lucid, or detached through this practice, but never enlightened.

Going "there" assumes that there is a "here" and a "there" to get to (duality). Enlightenment is realising that there is already here (non-duality). You don't need to do anything to become enlightened except dropping the belief that there is something called enlightenment that you should seek (you're still enlightened even if you don't recognise your enlightenment).

While duality can be helpful for practical purposes, you're probably after the Truth. Well, good news! "Here" it is. Being happy, focused, lucid, and detached can help a lot, but they're ultimately unnecessary, so make sure you don't set up limiting beliefs.

Edited December 14, 2019 by Lento

[Inliytened1]

3 minutes ago, Lento said:

Enlightenment is realising that there is already here (non-duality). You don't need to do anything to become enlightened except dropping the belief that there is something called enlightenment that you should seek.

 

Yes the term enlightenment is in itself a relative term.  But there is something mystical that can happen when you dissolve the self other duality.  It is a mystical experience.  It's not just dropping a belief its Being itself.

 

[Lento]

@Inliytened1

That's because you haven't questioned the validity of mystical experiences. A lot of people can have a mystical experience and just go on with their lives like nothing's happened. And even if the experience was deeply profound, it probably wouldn't stick except for some rare cases.

In my experience, mystical experiences aren't necessary in order to have a clear understanding of the self, others, and reality. In fact, a lot of times they can be misleading and a distraction.

But even that understanding is not necessary to be enlightened because enlightenment already is the case, and Truth is already the truth. The understanding might be necessary for a skeptical mind to have a realisation. But nothing else.

[Inliytened1]

11 minutes ago, Lento said:

@Inliytened1

But even that understanding is not necessary to be enlightened because enlightenment already is the case, and Truth is already the truth. 

That's precisely correct.  And that's awesome if you are conscious of this without ever going full circle - meaning go from division to unity and then back to division.

You did it without the round trip and that's great.  (Or maybe you took the round trip, i don't know)  but most people here that are wanting to grasp reality and themselves as God - it you tell them this it makes no sense to them.  Rather if they were to die before they die so to speak and are then reborn they grasp it immediately as they have tapped into mysticism and infinite intelligence.

 

[Lento]

@Inliytened1

I might be using a different approach, but it certainly doesn't invalidate other ones. I can't know what would click for anyone, really, but I can only try.

[Nak Khid]

3 hours ago, assx95 said:

Will I be enlightened if I stop thinking for long periods of time?

Yes

[Shin]

It's what is aware of thinking or not thinking that is what you have to focus on, not the silence.
The state you seek is there even when there is huge amount of noises and sensations.
Even when your body/mind becomes unconscious, the real you is still fully conscious.

[V-8]

4 hours ago, assx95 said:

At my stage of spiritual evolution, 

If i stop thinking, and remove unnecessary conceptualization in my head, in the present moment, then it gets trippy. Like those weed and acid like vibes (those are the only two substances I've tried) I get high and I find everything enjoyable even the background noise of cars being driven on a distant road, and there is a sense of not fully understanding of what's going on. 

 

 

You appear to have identified a very noble inquiry,...how deep do you wish to take it?   To enightenment?  One of the first things is to forget about enlightenment, or any expectation.

Observing your "thinking" is a noble inquiry because thinking is one of 6 senses.  

"The senses do not grasp reality in any way" Socrates

This is because the senses can only perceive the past,...it is impossible to see, smell, touch, taste, hear, or think in the Present.   There is no Present in time,...and the 6 senses are all part of time.

"The senses do not know, but man believes that his senses do know--and in that belief lies man's confusion" - Walter Russell  

Same with Taoism,..."Recognize that eveything you see and think is a falsehood, an illusion, a veil over the truth" - Lao-tzu

"True understanding does not follow from the sense-organs."  Buddha

And so you don't waste a life seeking your inquiry by way of meditation,...a Long Path trap that many are tether to....

"Do you think you can clear your mind by sitting constantly in silent meditation? This makes your mind narrow, not clear."  Lao-Tzu  Huahujing

“If your purpose is to medicate dukkha,...then meditate. If your wish is bodhi,...practice absolute bodhicitta.”  a Chan  saying.

Hui Neng said that meditation is unnecessary, and warned that such practice can easily become a narcotic.   

"Free yourself from meditation, practice non-meditation" - Kyergangpa Chökyi Senge

"The practice of meditation is represented by the three monkeys, who cover their eyes, ears and mouths so as to avoid the phenomenal world. The practice of non-meditation is ceasing to be the see-er, hearer or speaker while eyes, ears and mouths are fulfilling their function in daily life."   - Wei Wu Wei  

"in my regard there is no view on which to meditate" - Kunje Gyalpo

"You don't need to meditate for hours and hours to attain inner peace.  You need only to see, feel, and act from the heart."  Kung Fu Panda

"Meditation is about repetition, whereas Non-meditation is observing something totally new in every moment. If you want to connect with the open, spacious quality of mind, at some point you have to stop trying to meditate."  Lama Willa B Miller

"The state of non-meditation is born in the heart...."  Jigme Lingpa

"meditation and religious teachings are all gentle deceptions meant to soothe the inner coward, not forge the inner hero."  Jed McKenna

Historically, Siddhartha Gautama was near dead from meditation when a young girl named Sujata (likely a dakini) offered him some food (perhaps rice cooked in milk). Some say a state of appreciation filled him from this meal, and others as he recovered his physical strength, through a state of appreciation, he realized the nature of Dependent Origination from which suffering arises.

Look at it this way,...those at Turquoise (Spiral Dynamics 8) or higher, do not meditate.  Meditation is a practice for Sentient Beings to enjoy their their delusion.

[WelcometoReality]

12 hours ago, assx95 said:

If i stop thinking, and remove unnecessary conceptualization in my head, in the present moment,

Recognition that this moment is all there is is an important step.

Everything will happen in this moment so drop the notion of a future enlightened self. Drop the concept of a thinker thinking thoughts. See through the illusion NOW.