Leo's Practical Guide To Enlightenment

[Aware]

Great question!

The duty that is not in accordance with Awareness, that is the work of others, although someone can perform it perfectly well, its not ones utmost due to not being able to be not attached to its results, and its still therefor better to work in accordance with Awareness even with countless of mistakes, lack of energy and so on.

One must do, what truly is in accordance with their own hearts, no matter the cost, no matter how difficult, always perform your duty in Accordance with your essence, being focused on Awareness and not being attached to its results.

[Samuel Garcia]

How could I exist before ''I'' was born? Without the sensory experience there is no life. Without this body existing how could ''I'' even do self-inquiry for enlightenment to happen?

What is meant by consciousness? I thought consciousness was experience but it is there even before phenomenal experience?

If the self is indoctrinated, can we raise children to be enlightened? Were we all already enlightened then we become unenlightened?

[Pramit]

6 minutes ago, Samuel Garcia said:

How could I exist before ''I'' was born? Without the sensory experience there is no life. Without this body existing how could ''I'' even do self-inquiry for enlightenment to happen?

 

you can't. Really, all you can do through self enquiry is shift your perspective. 

7 minutes ago, Samuel Garcia said:

What is meant by consciousness? I thought consciousness was experience but it is there even before phenomenal experience?

 

its a word in the english dictionary

8 minutes ago, Samuel Garcia said:

If the self is indoctrinated, can we raise children to be enlightened? Were we all already enlightened then we become unenlightened?

I once saw a child point to things and say "What's this?". The adults answer to her the name of the item. But, you see, she kept asking. "What's this?" 

[Leo Gura]

7 minutes ago, Samuel Garcia said:

How could I exist before ''I'' was born? Without the sensory experience there is no life. Without this body existing how could ''I'' even do self-inquiry for enlightenment to happen?

What is meant by consciousness? I thought consciousness was experience but it is there even before phenomenal experience?

Now you're starting to fathom, just a bit, the magnitude of the illusion.

You cannot know what is meant by consciousness at this point, because if you did, you'd be enlightened. The true nature of consciousness is what you're being pointed to find.

To overcome this obstacle, you have to drop all naive realist paradigms of reality.

Reality is not at all what you've been taught it is. And consciousness is not phenomenal experience.

[Juan Cruz Giusto]

2 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

Now you're starting to fathom, just a bit, the magnitude of the illusion.

You cannot know what is meant by consciousness at this point, because if you did, you'd be enlightened. The true nature of consciousness is what you're being pointed to find.

To overcome this obstacle, you have to drop all naive realist paradigms of reality.

Reality is not at all what you've been taught it is. And consciousness is not phenomenal experience.

Agree! The weird thing is that you are conscious or aware but you don't know who are you... Being conscious is the most intimate experience you have but still, don't know the real nature 

[Will Bigger]

I don't even understand what just happened. I set my timer for 1 hr. The first 30 minutes felt like just regular meditation. I glanced at the clock, decided I needed to start questioning harder. Then stuff got crazy, almost like I was high. Started screaming my questions at the top of my lungs, running around, bumping into the fridge . (Only a few minutes post experience, currently.)

i feel like I tricked myself, but I tricked myself into something I've never experienced before . 

[Samuel Garcia]

 

18 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

To overcome this obstacle, you have to drop all naive realist paradigms of reality.

I try sitting right now and not thinking yet no enlightenment happens. Why? It may sound silly but I don't feel like when I stop thinking for a few seconds and just be present, aren't beliefs dropped -- or are the beliefs about reality actually still operating? Is thinking in fact still happening during these few seconds of ''presence''? I suppose one may have to inquire these beliefs -- not just drop them.

[Richard Alpert]

6 hours ago, Motus said:

No Wormon, I never  said family is bad.

No Wormon, I never said either anything about a comparison between internet and family based on family being bad, internet being better.

 

When someone refrained from worldly entertainments, being a servant of the senses, unwholesome behavior, is always concentrated on Awareness (Supreme, all pervasive), and his attention on duty, should he there for not see the Supreme in all living beings?

The internet is used for my duty, in service of the Supreme, and not for celebrating christmas with my family as how you understand it. My real family is that of the wise and not the foolish. However I see the Supreme in both foolish and the wise alike, therefor celebration of christmas and not performing my duty in accordance with the Supreme, failing to see the supreme in both the foolish and wise alike I do see as bad, as not holding one accountable to perfect value due to the sense gratification that comes with celebration.

Therefor Wormon, it is better to perform my duty and not celebrating christmas, seeing the supreme in both the foolish and the wise, and behave accordingly without sense indulgence that comes with celebration. And I perform this duty on internet, sharing knowledge free of cost, me being completely absent of attachment to either bad or good fruits of my duty, surely I do this for my family as how I came to understand it.

 

 

Can you sent me some of that shit youre smoking to me as a christmas gift?

[Leo Gura]

@Samuel Garcia Because you don't exist. And your "life" depends on not knowing it.

Beliefs don't strictly-speaking need to be dropped to realize you are Nothing. You are Nothing all the time. Even when you're thinking or believing. Dropping beliefs is helpful, but ultimately beside the point.

The illusion of self is ingeniously persistent. Thoughts can be extremely subtle. Attachments can be extremely subtle. There is a whole complex of attachments to the body, mind, and life story of which you are not even remotely mindful yet.

Those naive realist paradigms run extremely deep. You've been indoctrinated into them from birth. So you're unaware of them. It might take years of work and research just to start to see what they are.

In practical terms, the reason the illusion isn't seen through is because your mindfulness muscle is too low. You are not yet aware of your subtle body sensations or mental imagery.

Which is why I highly recommend have a separate mindfulness practice, as I describe it in this video:

https://www.actualized.org/articles/mindfulness-meditation

The bottom line is: it's like you're asleep inside a dream, inside a dream, inside a dream, inside a dream. You don't even know where to begin to get a foothold. You assume your rock-bottom understanding of reality has some validity to it, but that too is just part of the dream.

[bobbyward]

@Leo Gura what is the difference between this self observation technique and self inquiry as taught by Ramana Maharishi ?

[Leo Gura]

@bobbyward Maharshi's method was dead-simple: just sit and put single-pointed awareness on the True Self. Wait until enlightenment happens.

The problem I find with that instruction is that it doesn't work well for Western egos. We need more structure and more direct pointing, otherwise we get lost in all our scientific models of reality. The modern Western mind is probably 1000x more monkey-mind prone than the minds of those people Maharshi was teaching. Our culture is extremely toxic in this regard. Internet, smart phones, TV, video games, etc did not exist in Maharshi's time.

And very few of us are as naturally spiritually gifted as Maharshi was. We don't have that kind of single-pointed focus without extreme training.

[Aware]

 @Richard Alpert  Maybe you can ask someone who can understand this and is intelligent enough to put it down here so you can get a hold of it.

 

Lets make it a challenge. Who could grasp my writing? And put down its meaning? Surely this person demonstrates intellect if can.

[bobbyward]

@Leo Gura i think this video is a good summary of Maharshi's technique. 

I am confused though, a lot of teachers say dont try to stop thought its counterproductive. but this seems to be what Maharshi was advocating. thought arises, inquire into who has the thought, the one who has the thought cant be found as a result thought disappears, and the goal is to stay in this no thought state as long as possible as often as possible until you realize your true nature.

 

[Aware]

4 minutes ago, bobbyward said:

I am confused though, a lot of teachers say dont try to stop thought its counterproductive.

Yes, and when you grow tired of one teacher telling you this and the other is telling you that, then what will you eventually do?

.... (exactly, and same you will do when having enough of those thoughts).

[Empty]

@Leo Gura I have been meditating in a serious way for 14 months now without missing a single day. The longest I meditated was 4 hours a day. I can feel the emptiness profoundly, but I am probably still far from enlightenment.

I want to know, in a simple way, when I get enlightened, Does this emptiness stay with me all the time? 

Blessings Be Upon You!! 

[bobbyward]

@Motus you are so wise !

[Leo Gura]

42 minutes ago, Empty said:

@Leo Gura I want to know, in a simple way, when I get enlightened, Does this emptiness stay with me all the time?

Once it is REALLY seen and understood, it should stick. The Truth is ALWAYS the Truth. It doesn't disappear.

One of the problems with meditation is that it's more of an exercise in state change. So you can hit very profound states, but then you drop back down.

Enlightenment is more about just thoroughly understanding what's already true, regardless of state. This is accomplished through a careful and comprehensive deconstruction of the self until no more illusion remains. Sorta like deconstructing a magic trick. Once you've really understand the trick, you can't be tricked by it any more. But if you only half-understand it, it will still trick you.

The Truth is true no matter what. But your connection to it may vary. For example, if a grizzly bear attacks you, you're probably gonna forget your true nature for a while, even if you're truly enlightened.

The bulk of post-enlightenment work is deepening your connection to the Truth such that it pervades your entire experience. A master will embody the Truth even if a grizzly bear attacks him. But that takes real work.

[Aware]

58 minutes ago, Empty said:

Does this emptiness stay with me all the time? 

Enlightenment.

 

Please readers, understand. That no stage is permanent. I have never came across something, that changes as fast as the mind does. The problem is not that one does not have had an enlightening experience. The problem is remaining, sustaining. Well things can't sustain, there for seclusion from unwholesome deeds, no possessions except that which is necessary for duty, and remaining concentrated on Awareness. The mind can change then what it wants, it has nothing to bind to. No big house, riches, entertainment no behavior where an I must be there (unwholesome behavior always needs sense of self).

It can  and will go through all stages, but if it has nothing to bind, one dwells anywhere, without attachment. (I called this many times in previous posts, living in accordance with Awareness).

Look at the quote (not necessary words), get rid of what is not necessary for your body, or for Awareness, and you will be free of mind.

Edited December 20, 2016 by Motus

[Aware]

I will promise you all something.

If you start trusting that you are in essence no different then anyone else, being Awareness that is all pervasive. 
Start trusting the teachings that lead to live in accordance with Awareness.
And start trusting those who follow it.
You surely will be gifted with intelligence and insight soon, or later.

 

[sgn]

@Babybat LOL!!!!!!!! Nice video