Enlightenment Causing Depression/sadness/feeling Lost

[Guest]

Enlightenment causing Depression/Sadness/Feeling Lost

 

I was wondering if anyone else was experiencing these same feelings and predicaments on their journey to enlightenment???

Here is what I've experienced so far...

I've been working on enlightenment for about year now. It's really has been life changing for me. My life has become more simple, relaxed and at ease. Also I've cut a lot of negative and dramatic people out of my life. But now that I realize that we really don't need stuff....like video games, movies, entertainment, friendships, relationships etc, and every thing we define ourselves to be is an illusion or labels, I've started to feel really sad. I also did feel happy and relief to some extent. And I felt a huge weight off my shoulders at certain times but the feelings have been predominantly negative. My life started to go in this downward slope. And it got to the point where I felt ashamed that I needed to use materialistic items to feel good about myself and for enjoyment. It's like I started to deny myself those simple pleasures in life . In Buddhism I think it's called the “beginner's mind”, because when you experience fun things it's the newness that makes it exciting.

I've had my moments where I could sit in my room and feel amazing by myself for a few hours like Leo mentions in his videos, but I'm wondering if I took it too far and too seriously? I started to question the purpose of my life.

From what I've experienced so far I feel that enlightenment and life purpose go hand in hand together. When I started taking the life purpose course a few weeks ago it made it a lot easier to focus on enlightenment as well as bringing balance to my life: friendships, entertainment, and even opening myself up to the opportunity to date again, now that I have more of a clear "vision" of what I want and need to do. 

Maybe if I was a Monk living in Asia in the middle of the woods somewhere it would be a lot easier to give up these things entirely. But I'm also somewhat confused because Leo states in the video “10 things that you don't know that make you happy” that you want to feel like a kid again, and have fun, and have that mindset. I've started to apply that to my life and I've seen a great significance in my happiness levels. My intuition tells me that I'm headed in the right direction. And I realize that even though I'm enjoying the things around me for fun I know I really don't need them at all, because happiness is manifested from within. And I am not my activities, my feelings, my emotions, or labels that I give myself or what was given to me by others.

 

 

Edited July 22, 2016 by Names are labels
Grammar correction :)

[cetus]

@Names are labels Take a break. Go out and do something you love to do. Something that has truth in it. Make doing that your practice for now. taking a break can be just the thing to balance everything out.  You reminded me it's a good time to enjoy. I may need to go camping very soon. Be one with the bear. hehe        

[charlie2dogs]

2 hours ago, Names are labels said:

Enlightenment causing Depression/Sadness/Feeling Lost

 

I was wondering if anyone else was experiencing these same feelings and predicaments on their journey to enlightenment???

Here is what I've experienced so far...

I've been working on enlightenment for about year now. It's really has been life changing for me. My life has become more simple, relaxed and at ease. Also I've cut a lot of negative and dramatic people out of my life. But now that I realize that we really don't need stuff....like video games, movies, entertainment, friendships, relationships etc, and every thing we define ourselves to be is an illusion or labels, I've started to feel really sad. I also did feel happy and relief to some extent. And I felt a huge weight off my shoulders at certain times but the feelings have been predominantly negative. My life started to go in this downward slope. And it got to the point where I felt ashamed that I needed to use materialistic items to feel good about myself and for enjoyment. It's like I started to deny myself those simple pleasures in life . In Buddhism I think it's called the “beginner's mind”, because when you experience fun things it's the newness that makes it exciting.

I've had my moments where I could sit in my room and feel amazing by myself for a few hours like Leo mentions in his videos, but I'm wondering if I took it too far and too seriously? I started to question the purpose of my life.

From what I've experienced so far I feel that enlightenment and life purpose go hand in hand together. When I started taking the life purpose course a few weeks ago it made it a lot easier to focus on enlightenment as well as bringing balance to my life: friendships, entertainment, and even opening myself up to the opportunity to date again, now that I have more of a clear "vision" of what I want and need to do. 

Maybe if I was a Monk living in Asia in the middle of the woods somewhere it would be a lot easier to give up these things entirely. But I'm also somewhat confused because Leo states in the video “10 things that you don't know that make you happy” that you want to feel like a kid again, and have fun, and have that mindset. I've started to apply that to my life and I've seen a great significance in my happiness levels. My intuition tells me that I'm headed in the right direction. And I realize that even though I'm enjoying the things around me for fun I know I really don't need them at all, because happiness is manifested from within. And I am not my activities, my feelings, my emotions, or labels that I give myself or what was given to me by others.

 

 

what do you do when you look for enlightenment for a year?  what do you expect it to be like if you ever find it?

[Ayla]

@Names are labels , this might help. 

 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, cetus56 said:

@Names are labels Take a break. Go out and do something you love to do. Something that has truth in it. Make doing that your practice for now. taking a break can be just the thing to balance everything out.  You reminded me it's a good time to enjoy. I may need to go camping very soon. Be one with the bear. hehe        

That's exactly what I've been doing the last few days.  But it really feels good to know that my happiness is not based off of those things. 
At one point I would watch movies, or even go out walking...and it I wasn't even enjoying it anymore.  I was like what am I doing? Why do I need to do these things to make me happy?  I don't need it.  Minimizing helps too from what I could see....less is more satisfying.

I also think about times in history where people didn't have all these materialistic items ...less obligations, less distractions... I would think i must have been easier to achieve enlightenment.   Just living in the woods on a farm or whatever and just being! lol 

Let's hope Mr. Bear is seeking enlightenment and not dinner! lol

 

[Guest]

@cetus56 @Ayla

2 hours ago, Ayla said:

@Names are labels , this might help. 

 

This is great information.  Very insightful. Thank you so much sharing.  It gives me a sense of ease knowing that I'm not the only one going through these sorts of thoughts.  It's part of the transitioning and learning process.

[Guest]

@charlie2dogs

2 hours ago, charlie2dogs said:

what do you do when you look for enlightenment for a year?  what do you expect it to be like if you ever find it?

That's a very good question, and honestly I don't think I have an answer for you because I don't know what to expect.  I'm not even sure if I know how to tell if I am enlightened or not! lol I'm expecting some sort of heightened state of awareness where I just don't care about anything to some extent.  That I just realize that the outside world is meaningless, and I have total control over my emotions and thoughts in any given situation whether good or bad.  Where I have total control over my happiness.  And maybe my expectations are wrong!

[cetus]

1 hour ago, Names are labels said:

Just living in the woods on a farm or whatever and just being! lol 

Now your talking! Living with the land.   Yea, it's probably for the best if Mr. bear doesn't become one with me.

Edited July 22, 2016 by cetus56

[Emerald]

6 hours ago, Names are labels said:

Enlightenment causing Depression/Sadness/Feeling Lost

 

I was wondering if anyone else was experiencing these same feelings and predicaments on their journey to enlightenment???

Here is what I've experienced so far...

I've been working on enlightenment for about year now. It's really has been life changing for me. My life has become more simple, relaxed and at ease. Also I've cut a lot of negative and dramatic people out of my life. But now that I realize that we really don't need stuff....like video games, movies, entertainment, friendships, relationships etc, and every thing we define ourselves to be is an illusion or labels, I've started to feel really sad. I also did feel happy and relief to some extent. And I felt a huge weight off my shoulders at certain times but the feelings have been predominantly negative. My life started to go in this downward slope. And it got to the point where I felt ashamed that I needed to use materialistic items to feel good about myself and for enjoyment. It's like I started to deny myself those simple pleasures in life . In Buddhism I think it's called the “beginner's mind”, because when you experience fun things it's the newness that makes it exciting.

I've had my moments where I could sit in my room and feel amazing by myself for a few hours like Leo mentions in his videos, but I'm wondering if I took it too far and too seriously? I started to question the purpose of my life.

From what I've experienced so far I feel that enlightenment and life purpose go hand in hand together. When I started taking the life purpose course a few weeks ago it made it a lot easier to focus on enlightenment as well as bringing balance to my life: friendships, entertainment, and even opening myself up to the opportunity to date again, now that I have more of a clear "vision" of what I want and need to do. 

Maybe if I was a Monk living in Asia in the middle of the woods somewhere it would be a lot easier to give up these things entirely. But I'm also somewhat confused because Leo states in the video “10 things that you don't know that make you happy” that you want to feel like a kid again, and have fun, and have that mindset. I've started to apply that to my life and I've seen a great significance in my happiness levels. My intuition tells me that I'm headed in the right direction. And I realize that even though I'm enjoying the things around me for fun I know I really don't need them at all, because happiness is manifested from within. And I am not my activities, my feelings, my emotions, or labels that I give myself or what was given to me by others.

 

 

One thing to be careful about is resistance. If you've made the decision 'intellectually' or 'logically' as to what you should give up, this is likely working at cross-purposes to letting go. So, if you have rules that you've made for yourself, like "I shouldn't enjoy _____." or "I shouldn't be doing _______." or "I have to give up ______" This is coming at it from the wrong angle. You must recognize that your desires, including your desire for enlightenment are not something that you can get rid of through willpower or talking yourself out of it. It just becomes unconscious which is the opposite direction than you want to go in. Instead, allow yourself to go head first into whatever your desires come up... but be mindful while you do it. You can then notice more and more of your internal experience and with attention all illusions melt away. Letting go is what you want. Suppression is the opposite of letting go.

[cetus]

1 hour ago, Names are labels said:

Let's hope Mr. Bear is seeking enlightenment and not dinner! lol

 

[Mal]

The feeling I'm getting by giving up things of this world is relief.  The more I question the object world the better off I am, because this has nothing to do with who we are.

If you are not feeling free from dropping everything then I would hasten a bet that you are doing this not for yourself, but because somebody else told you this is what you should be doing.

That is a losing game.

You said that you don't need friendships or relationships.  Well, that's not true, what should be happening is you are not functioning from a place of deficiency in relation to others here, in fact you should be seeing them as more special.

 

[charlie2dogs]

1 hour ago, Names are labels said:

@charlie2dogs

That's a very good question, and honestly I don't think I have an answer for you because I don't know what to expect.  I'm not even sure if I know how to tell if I am enlightened or not! lol I'm expecting some sort of heightened state of awareness where I just don't care about anything to some extent.  That I just realize that the outside world is meaningless, and I have total control over my emotions and thoughts in any given situation whether good or bad.  Where I have total control over my happiness.  And maybe my expectations are wrong!

im going to help you now by telling you that your expectation are wrong, and will be wrong.   Let me put your mind at ease, when you self realize you wont miss it, you will know, you wont have to question it, or try to rationalize it, you will know.  It will be like going from darkness to daylight.

[Leo Gura]

Of course when you take away all the drug addict's drugs, he will feel a bit sad.

[Richard Alpert]

9 hours ago, cetus56 said:

 

Fuck, that´s scary. I run a lot in the woods and bump into deers, it always gives a nice adrenaline rush. Still waiting to see a fucking bear. I am actually going to running competition in a place which is known for having bears in there.

[Guest]

@cetus56

13 hours ago, cetus56 said:

 

Mr Bear:  Come back! Come back!  I want you to become one with my stomach! 
lol...That is scary though...

[Guest]

@Richard Alpert

4 hours ago, Richard Alpert said:

Fuck, that´s scary. I run a lot in the woods and bump into deers, it always gives a nice adrenaline rush. Still waiting to see a fucking bear. I am actually going to running competition in a place which is known for having bears in there.

I live in Virginia and I Iive walking distance from a big Battlefield Memorial Park so I'm always making time to go walking in the woods.  I find that after I walk in the woods for a good half hour it feels equivalent to meditating for an hour.  It's like my mind shuts off.  No more emotions, and no more thoughts!  The monkey mind chatter is gone!  lol 

NO bear yet!! Thank God!!  I see deer all the time.  I don't know if this is an enlightenment thing, or something that has to do with being on the spiritual path, but I did notice that animals that should be afraid of me, aren't as scared as they normally are.  Deer are usually pretty skid-dish in general, but recently within the last couple of weeks they've allowed me to get uncomfortably close! I even had someone comment about it too.

I make it a point though when I'm hiking to usually go on popular trails with lots of traffic...less likely to see bears.  Sorry Yogi bear, I ain't got no picnic basket for you! lol

[cetus]

1 minute ago, Names are labels said:

 

I live in Virginia and I Iive walking distance from a big Battlefield Memorial Park so I'm always making time to go walking in the woods.  I find that after I walk in the woods for a good half hour it feels equivalent to meditating for an hour.  It's like my mind shuts off.  No more emotions, and no more thoughts!  The monkey mind chatter is gone!  lol 

NO bear yet!! Thank God!!  I see deer all the time.  I don't know if this is an enlightenment thing, or something that has to do with being on the spiritual path, but I did notice that animals that should be afraid of me, aren't as scared as they normally are.  Deer are usually pretty skid-dish in general, but recently within the last couple of weeks they've allowed me to get uncomfortably close! I even had someone comment about it too.

I make it a point though when I'm hiking to usually go on popular trails with lots of traffic...less likely to see bears.  Sorry Yogi bear, I ain't got no picnic basket for you! lol

@Names are labels My house backs to dense woods. I often meditate there and than I'll just sit and lose myself in the surroundings with a silent mind. Often all kinds of animals and birds will come close to me as long as I'm still of course. Sometimes even deer walk very close. I don't know if they know I'm there or not? Nothing like being alone in nature to bring out the silence of mind.

[Guest]

@Mal

14 hours ago, Mal said:

The feeling I'm getting by giving up things of this world is relief.  The more I question the object world the better off I am, because this has nothing to do with who we are.

If you are not feeling free from dropping everything then I would hasten a bet that you are doing this not for yourself, but because somebody else told you this is what you should be doing.

That is a losing game.

You said that you don't need friendships or relationships.  Well, that's not true, what should be happening is you are not functioning from a place of deficiency in relation to others here, in fact you should be seeing them as more special.

 

I've definitely have been feeling some relief.  I think it's the perspective I had was wrong.  When I have less things, I have less expectations and with less expectations it has brought me relief.

i think it is very easy to get caught up in trying to impress others with enlightenment.  I've caught myself a few times going in that direction and I had to bring myself back out of it.  I'm working on grounding myself.  When you work on enlightenment and life purpose and you interact with others around you that aren't on the same path it feels awkward. People don't understand what you're doing or what you're trying to accomplish.   It's like you're the black sheep!   Fortunately, I've begun to meet a few people on my journey recently that have similar paths. 

Relationships are tough to handle when you are also working with enlightenment and life purpose.  I've taken Leo's advice about casual dating and seeing that there are multiple options, instead of feeling that you need to be desperate and cling to one person.   I'm making it a personal dating requirement in my life that if you're not working towards enlightenment, life purpose and bettering yourself you're not even dating material.  To some that's harsh, but I just feel that I'm in a place that I can't relate and connect to others if that is not there.  I've tried dating people that didn't but the chemistry just wasn't there!   I've just recently met one so far, that has been very promising, that has my similar views, and I'm crossing my fingers that things might work out between us.  It's so easy to get into a relationship and get caught up in materialistic things  and fall off track, and lose sight of what you want to do.  However,  if you have similar paths you can help each other grow, along your journey, with your vision.

[Guest]

@Emerald Wilkins

14 hours ago, Emerald Wilkins said:

One thing to be careful about is resistance. If you've made the decision 'intellectually' or 'logically' as to what you should give up, this is likely working at cross-purposes to letting go. So, if you have rules that you've made for yourself, like "I shouldn't enjoy _____." or "I shouldn't be doing _______." or "I have to give up ______" This is coming at it from the wrong angle. You must recognize that your desires, including your desire for enlightenment are not something that you can get rid of through willpower or talking yourself out of it. It just becomes unconscious which is the opposite direction than you want to go in. Instead, allow yourself to go head first into whatever your desires come up... but be mindful while you do it. You can then notice more and more of your internal experience and with attention all illusions melt away. Letting go is what you want. Suppression is the opposite of letting go.

Thanks for your insight, advice and perspective.  I see now that I need to change my thinking in that direction.  In the world we live in it would be completely impossible for me to give up everything, but to know it the back of my mind that we give these things meaning may be enough.   It sounds like I need to work with my subconscious mind, where all habits, behaviors and beliefs stem from.

Yeah I was definitely becoming very suppressed, but I was letting go at times.  (It's funny because as I write this....there is no I...there is no self...lol) 

Consciousness has allowed me let go of TV and video games and become more outgoing and apart of nature.
I wonder how a person that's enlightened writes emails...knowing that there is no I !!!! ...lol

[Guest]

@charlie2dogs

14 hours ago, charlie2dogs said:

im going to help you now by telling you that your expectation are wrong, and will be wrong.   Let me put your mind at ease, when you self realize you wont miss it, you will know, you wont have to question it, or try to rationalize it, you will know.  It will be like going from darkness to daylight.

I think Leo has a check list somewhere that lets you know if you're actualized or not...

Is it a permanent feeling?  Because I think I've experienced this several times during meditation, and hypnosis.  You just feel so calm and at ease. You just go with the flow of things and be in the present moment.