Detailed talks on Buddhism & enlightenment maps from someone who has had cessations

[BipolarGrowth]

The second video is a bit better IMO, so I recommend watching it first. 
 

Navigating Attainments & The Complexity of Awakening – Teachings From The Psych Ward #4

Suffering, The Ananda Method and Comparing Models of Enlightenment –Teachings From The Psych Ward #5

This is a great book which can be accessed for free if you’d like to learn about things I mention such as stream entry, nirodha samapatti, cessation, and other Buddhist terms. It has helped me tremendously in understanding the process of insight and awakening in Buddhism. https://www.mctb.org/

These videos do get a bit heavy on Theravada Buddhist jargon and maps, but they also discuss other enlightenment map systems. I also talk about some of my unique methods. I’ve found that a great way to put your ego on the chopping block after a deep spiritual experience is to make an honest (as much as you can be while likely still on a spiritual high to an extent) assessment of yourself. If it really does feel like an enlightenment realization, God realization, or something else, make the claim confidently to yourself and consciously watch how that changes over time. I found myself having many emotional responses based on the ego trying to defend its new level of specialness that it wants to feel. The process for me was to feel these as fully and consciously as possible and research maps from other spiritual traditions and go back to the maps I was using for more clear understanding. 

 

These videos were recorded 1-2 months ago. A lot more mature progress has been made since. My enlightenment realizations have been put in new context. I understand how enlightenment realizations relate to suffering and normal life in a more nuanced way. In the end, I’m incredibly confident that I’ve at the minimum reached stream entry according to the Theravada maps. Reaching cessation several times has made spiritual progress come much more quickly, and I would encourage people truly motivated to awaken to learn about it and potentially pursue it as a goal if it feels right for you. 
 

Please keep in mind that maps are only a very small part of spirituality. There are many drawbacks and advantages to using them. 
 

Lastly, these recordings were done while I was still in a semi-manic state related to my bipolar disorder diagnosis, so keep that in mind. There’s some added goofiness, immaturity, and enhanced idiosyncrasies among other odd things due to this. The “enlightened being” designation you see on the screen was put there by my friend and editor. It was also egged on by my enhanced ego at the time. 
 

If you want to discuss Buddhist techniques or have any questions, feel free to shoot me a PM.