Let's get serious: the fastest method to enlightenment

[The0Self]

3 minutes ago, AlphaAbundance said:

@The0Self ???

Nvm. I agree with you entirely in any way that may appear to actually matter, though it would only appear to matter, in that case.

[AlphaAbundance]

woahhh

[Byun Sean]

after I did a bunch of these spiritual practices for a few years,

contemplating Leo's free will vs determinism video gave me the one final ego explosion.

[Some Fella]

Thank you all for so many amazing replies! I look forward to experimenting with the techniques & methods that people have recommended. I also would like to apologise for such a late reply to my own thread.


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On 10/20/2020 at 4:19 PM, Fran11 said:

Goog good good, not fucking around, I like it.

I would only add: 

- Constantly noticing and disindentifying from the I-though.

- Some kind of Energy Work.

@Fran11

1. I plan to do a deep exploration of the world of energy work, thanks! Any advice on places to start? Books, meta-sources?

2. Do you have any practical advice for dis-identifying with the I-thought? Would it look something like a mindfulness-based 'if-then' habit, i.e.: thought arises, such as a pre-verbal judgement or something with the word 'me'/'I' in it, & as soon as I notice it, I think this thought: 'this is not me/this is just an impersonal phenomena' & try to notice that e.g. by forcing myself to feel more like a listener of it rather than the active participant in thinking it? If my interpretation is misguided, how would it look like to dis-identify from the I-thought, moment-to-moment?



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@Moksha I will investigate all of these. I loved your explanation of Karma Yoga, it's about time I included more of this than just basic morality practices. Makes sense that if I'm going to do anything, it might as well be what I would do if I was identified with the whole.


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On 10/20/2020 at 5:18 PM, RedLine said:

so, did you do it and achieve enlightenment? otherwise how do you know it is the best way?

 @RedLine Not yet. I'm brainstorming methods & trying to predict which will be the most effective.


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@RendHeaven Firstly, thank you so much for this amazing reply & for taking the time to point out so much of the self-deception going on in my current thinking.
 

On 10/20/2020 at 5:52 PM, RendHeaven said:

A lot of this is toxic as fuck 

 

 

On 10/20/2020 at 5:52 PM, RendHeaven said:

Secondly: "Blast ego-death doses of psychedelics every single day" shows that you are completely and utterly underestimating psychedelics. Your insistence on "ego-death doses" and "every single day" shows immaturity. You see them as a tool for personal gain and in your head you think, "yeah it's worth abusing them for GROWTH!" Think of psychedelics as ALIVE. Think of them as a wise master where you have to earn each other's trust. Your approach lacks patience, reverence, and wonder. Your approach fundamentally misunderstands growth, thinking that it is a straight shot upwards whereas it really comes in waves and plateaus. Regression is a part of progression, and NOT taking psychedelics is a part of taking psychedelics.

 

I have only ever had one ego-death/enlightenment experience on psychedelics, which was terrifying, so I am still a novice in this area. I like this idea of personifying the psychedelics. In my next trip, I will take on the attitude that I am dealing with an alive teacher, as opposed to my previous/current more materialistic approach, where I only consider them as inanimate chemicals causing changes to my brain for the purpose of assisting me with MY motives, exactly like you said. No doubt, if I took such an attitude to learning with a human master, they probably wouldn't want to work with me at all. Makes me wonder if this old attitude contributed to me having such a challenging trip.

 

On 10/20/2020 at 5:52 PM, RendHeaven said:

This notion of "ego-death" is also really interesting, it looks to me like you believe "ego death" to be a part of you dying (that is, you think "my ego" is going to be the one dying instead of "ME"), but no, "ego death" is identical to literal death. It will be no different than putting a gun to your forehead and pulling the trigger. Contemplate why you are so excited to have an "ego death" on psychedelics, but you won't go and get a gun, put it to your forehead, and pull the trigger.

 

I have contemplated this on many occasions since my first ego-death experience. Sometimes I like to do a thought experiment where I imagine that someone has a gun to my head & is about to pull the trigger. I try to make it as vivid as possible, to try to convince myself that it's really happening, then I try to accept my fate or imagine what I might actually do in this situation. Sometimes I think I can accept it, but usually, if I'm self-honest, I'm shit-scared & would try to do anything I could to escape physical death. I would never commit suicide (kill the body). What have you realized from contemplating this yourself?
 

On 10/20/2020 at 5:52 PM, RendHeaven said:

Thirdly: "Don't think ever, lengthen the gaps between thoughts as long as possible" is deeply problematic. You are inventing an "on/off switch" in your mind and then exerting an effort to put the "off" switch on a pedestal while attempting to discard the "on" switch (all of this is self-deception). There is nothing enlightened about this. 

Enlightenment is about letting go and acceptance (regardless of outcome). You are training yourself to hold on to specific outcomes (i.e. "don't think ever") and everything you propose is secretly a way to NOT accept yourself as you are right this moment.

But how will I be able to make progress if I'm distracted by my thinking? Surely the rejection of certain parts of reality is necessary for any of this to work? Isn't doing this the lesser of two self-deceptions, with thinking/monkey-mind being the greater?

Further, isn't the thinking that I wish to silence, ITSELF a form of self-rejection/rejection of the present-moment? When my mind is silent & I am in deep jhana, it feels like I can appreciate [everything] far more than when I am following along with some train of thought about the past or future, solving my problems, etc. I understand that I am acting hypocritical & unenlightened by choosing to silence the mind at the expense of other phenomena, but isn't this the lesser of two evils?

 

On 10/20/2020 at 5:52 PM, RendHeaven said:

"This could serve as a way to measure our progress towards becoming imperturbable super-beings, lords of the earth & sky."

This shows that you're really in it for personal gain. Maybe you were joking about the "lords of the earth & sky" bit, but just the fact that "becoming imperturbable" is the measure of your spirituality makes it very clear that what you really want is the inability to be hurt (probably because you are hurting, right now), as well as a feeling of superiority.

Enlightenment is about Truth and Love. Not invincibility or superiority.

You're 100% correct here, I am in pain & I see enlightenment as a way out, this is my main/strongest motivation in this work. Me no like suffering!

P.s. Yes, the lords of the earth & sky bit was intended as comedic. 

Finally: What do you suggest I do instead? What has worked well for you? 

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On 10/20/2020 at 9:42 PM, electroBeam said:

Been there, done that, you're running round in circles. 

@electroBeam What happened when you tried this? Do you have any theories as to what went wrong/why it didn't work? What's your story, Mr. Beam? Also, what do you do now instead that's more effective?

 

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On 10/20/2020 at 10:02 PM, SirVladimir said:

The fastest method to enlightenment is realizing you already are, and dropping the duality completely. You were brainwashed in the first place to believe you are something less than pure consciousness. You took this belief "I'm not enlightened" by storm & you set out on the mission to find yourself, not realizing you would be chasing your own tail. You are searching for what you already are, how comical is that? Enlightenment has no authority over you, it's not anyhow or anymore important, all those are bulwarks keeping the ego protected. You invent the notion of a "method", which implies something-which-is-yet-to-come, and therefore pushes enlightenment infinitely far into the future.

Then again, our notions of enlightenment are probably different.

Edit: If you genuinely believe to be on a search for enlightenment, It's incredibly risky to take advice about such matters on the internet. You never know what beliefs people have mixed up, what they are projecting onto you, etc. I'm just bringing it to your attention; I know you probably know this, and I don't seek to underestimate you. I suggest you sprawl a bridge between yourself & being. As soon as the spark heaves; the magical mystical childhood magic starts to reappear, you can get a perpetuum mobile going.

@SirVladimir Very cool reply & thanks for the headsup. It's true, I do goal-ify enlightenment probably more than I should.

 

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On 10/20/2020 at 10:53 PM, Jonty said:

The fastest method to enlightenment is realizing you already are, and dropping the duality completely. You were brainwashed in the first place to believe you are something less than pure consciousness. You took this belief "I'm not enlightened" by storm & you set out on the mission to find yourself, not realizing you would be chasing your own tail. You are searching for what you already are, how comical is that? Enlightenment has no authority over you, it's not anyhow or anymore important, all those are bulwarks keeping the ego protected. You invent the notion of a "method", which implies something-which-is-yet-to-come, and therefore pushes enlightenment infinitely far into the future.

Then again, our notions of enlightenment are probably different.

Edit: If you genuinely believe to be on a search for enlightenment, It's incredibly risky to take advice about such matters on the internet. You never know what beliefs people have mixed up, what they are projecting onto you, etc. I'm just bringing it to your attention; I know you probably know this, and I don't seek to underestimate you. I suggest you sprawl a bridge between yourself & being. As soon as the spark heaves; the magical mystical childhood magic starts to reappear, you can get a perpetuum mobile going.

 

@Jonty I like this practice too, very relaxing 

 

 

[Some Fella]

@Byun Sean

On 10/21/2020 at 6:50 AM, Byun Sean said:

after I did a bunch of these spiritual practices for a few years,

contemplating Leo's free will vs determinism video gave me the one final ego explosion.

Very cool! I also have had good results from contemplation. I got an enlightenment experience from contemplating where my sense of self is located, but it wasn't permanent! 

[seeking_brilliance]

And are you holding down a life supporting job while performing all this? 

[Dumuzzi]

The best and easiest way to enlightenment is through the grace of the Goddess. 

Allow her nectar to flow down from heaven by surrendering your ego to a higher power and you will become enlightened.

[Michal__]

7 hours ago, seeking_brilliance said:

And are you holding down a life supporting job while performing all this? 

You could hold a job easily since your sleep need would decrease.

Some aspects of your life would definitely be negatively affected though.

[Atmagyani]

I became enlightened with the following process.

Keep doing as mentioned below and in a process you will feel joyful, blissful and ultimately become enlightened 

Being purified by his intelligence and controlling the mind with determination

giving up the objects of sense gratification

being freed from attachment and hatred

one who lives in a secluded place

who eats little

who controls his body mind and power of speech

who is always in trance

who is detached, free from false ego, false strength, false pride, lust, anger, and
acceptance of material things, free from false proprietorship, and peaceful

—such a person is

certainly elevated to the highest position and remains in Bliss, Paramanand forever.

Once you do above in totality, in a process you suddenly start feeling joy within which keeps growing for longer and longer time.

From here everything happens automatically and you remain in Bliss.

[The0Self]

1 hour ago, Atmagyani said:

I became enlightened with the following process.

Keep doing as mentioned below and in a process you will feel joyful, blissful and ultimately become enlightened 

Being purified by his intelligence and controlling the mind with determination

giving up the objects of sense gratification

being freed from attachment and hatred

one who lives in a secluded place

who eats little

who controls his body mind and power of speech

who is always in trance

who is detached, free from false ego, false strength, false pride, lust, anger, and
acceptance of material things, free from false proprietorship, and peaceful

—such a person is

certainly elevated to the highest position and remains in Bliss, Paramanand forever.

Once you do above in totality, in a process you suddenly start feeling joy within which keeps growing for longer and longer time.

From here everything happens automatically and you remain in Bliss.

Probably one of the most helpful things anyone's ever posted.

But that's not enlightenment. It's ok though. Duality is survival.

[SoonHei]

do everything totally

and don't look back

flow like a river

no thinking

just doing

thinking inclusive in the doing

forward

[Waken]

Hmm I think you forgot to toss away all your ideas about how life works and what will get you where you want to go and follow Bashars suggestion instead on following your excitement/passion/joy every moment of the day. 
Just a reminder

Edited October 28, 2020 by Waken

[Quantum Toad]

Total Sensory Deprivation.

[Some Fella]

@Atmagyani Very cool!

[Some Fella]

@Quantum Toad I like this idea a lot. 

[Thestarguitarist14]

Yoga, meditation, shamanic breathing and DMT.  Worked for me.

[EnlightenmentBlog]

Thinking and contemplating the right way can too be a powerful method. Don't know why the thread is going against that. 

[The0Self]

Perhaps just meditate and figure out what you want.

Nonduality is the story that cuts through all the other ones. It may resonate. Head in tiger’s mouth, if you are there, you wait for it to either bite off your head/ego, or not.

[Moksha]

22 hours ago, Some Fella said:

@Quantum Toad I like this idea a lot. 

Dissolve the italics and wake up

[Visionary]

Lmao. Its useful to approach Enlightenment this way. Until its not.

But you need to live through it to understand. So you can laugh at yourself in 2 or 3 years. Even though it was a necessary stage. Do your thang homie.