Do you still suffer?

[Yimpa]

6 minutes ago, Moksha said:

@Illusory Self It's funny how life becomes kinder when you decide to stop scolding it. Almost like a mirror 

Just be careful not to scold the mirror 

[Moksha]

1 hour ago, Yimpa said:

Just be careful not to scold the mirror 

Tell me about it, I spent years berating it until I realized it was only a reflection 

[JellyDogShoe_1Mil]

Nope.

If the appearance of suffering arises, it is quickly recognized for what it is. Just thoughts. 

Edited March 27, 2023 by JellyDogShoe_1Mil

[Brandon Nankivell]

Yes, because I want to.

For example, I recently suffered when I was out on a grape harvest and I didn't do my job correctly. I potentially left thousands of dollars worth of grapes on the vine.

All that was required of me was to look at the vine to ensure the grapes were falling in to the machine, and tell the operator to adjust the machine to catch them.

But I was day-dreaming.

Simple job but I messed up.

And I suffered, because I feared my supervisor's response. It was really fear of my perfectionist self-image being tarnished.

"I'm perfect and I want everybody to know, I can't be seen to make such a foolish mistake!"

I suffered because I wanted to hold on to the image, more than being free of the image and therefore the suffering.

I continue to catch myself suffering because of this deeply-embedded and many-tentacled perfectionist self-image that I developed in my Youth as a response to some personal experienced I had.

Work in progress to let all aspects of it go for good.

[Moksha]

@Brandon Nankivell Great example and self-awareness. It becomes easier to tune out the castigation of the ego when you realize that not only is it unnecessary, it is distracting and destructive.

The human mind is more brilliant than we give it credit for. The simple realization that daydreaming can result in fewer grapes being harvested is enough to make you more aware in the future. The lesson passes through you, and its essence stays with you, without needing to constantly berate yourself about it. If anything, self-recrimination makes future mistakes more likely, not less.

[Yimpa]

3 hours ago, Moksha said:

@Brandon Nankivell Great example and self-awareness. It becomes easier to tune out the castigation of the ego when you realize that not only is it unnecessary, it is distracting and destructive.

The human mind is more brilliant than we give it credit for. The simple realization that daydreaming can result in fewer grapes being harvested is enough to make you more aware in the future. The lesson passes through you, and its essence stays with you, without needing to constantly berate yourself about it. If anything, self-recrimination makes future mistakes more likely, not less.

Thank you, Moksha. I’ll contemplate on this myself as well. 

I’m aware that all of my old tendencies are coming back to test me. They want my attention, but I know deep in my heart that I don’t have to obey their commands. 

[Jowblob]

Im gonna tell you all 'truth' suffering will never stop even if you're god. It only stops when you imagine non existence like sleeping without a dream, but for some reason it cant last a long time. I think the reason for that is because you imagine time, and go to rest with time in mind. But when you're asleep there is no time. So the non existence only happend as a transition to a form of god mode from 1 to another dream. So basically your beliefs and limits constructed the non existence part for a short duration.

[Moksha]

1 hour ago, Yimpa said:

Thank you, Moksha. I’ll contemplate on this myself as well. 

I’m aware that all of my old tendencies are coming back to test me. They want my attention, but I know deep in my heart that I don’t have to obey their commands. 

I'm glad it is helpful, and relate to your experience. Awakening is only the beginning. After your eyes open, you have to learn to remain awake despite whatever waves life sends crashing your way.

For me, the storms actually intensified after the honeymoon period of being awake. I hope it isn't the same for you, but I had to go through an even deeper suffering to drive the realization home, beyond the suffering that woke me up in the first place.

The mind is an amazingly stubborn beast before it submits to being tamed.

[Yimpa]

5 hours ago, Moksha said:

For me, the storms actually intensified after the honeymoon period of being awake. I hope it isn't the same for you, but I had to go through an even deeper suffering to drive the realization home, beyond the suffering that woke me up in the first place.

Yes, that happens to me as well.

Nowadays I’m getting more curious about these intense experiences, rather than rejecting them altogether. I really want to understand what triggers them to arise, and what’s allowing me to handle them.

I feel like I’ve always been sensitive, but I simply didn’t know how to tame this ability. I’m really excited to explore this deeper and consciously.

I’m also really grateful with the people I surround myself now. I used to hang out with abusive people who only wanted to manipulate me, rather than to understand me. 

[Moksha]

23 hours ago, Yimpa said:

Nowadays I’m getting more curious about these intense experiences, rather than rejecting them altogether. I really want to understand what triggers them to arise, and what’s allowing me to handle them.

I feel like I’ve always been sensitive, but I simply didn’t know how to tame this ability. I’m really excited to explore this deeper and consciously.

I’m also really grateful with the people I surround myself now. I used to hang out with abusive people who only wanted to manipulate me, rather than to understand me. 

The deeper you realize the absolute, the more clearly you see that you are creating these experiences for yourself. The absolute within knows what is needed, and is guiding itself toward realization and liberation.

Being sensitive is a double-edged sword. When you identify with the personality, it is easy to be hurt. But the sensitivity can also help you realize your absolute essence more easily. Despite the challenges, I feel it is a gift.

[Yimpa]

10 hours ago, Moksha said:

Being sensitive is a double-edged sword. When you identify with the personality, it is easy to be hurt. But the sensitivity can also help you realize your absolute essence more easily. Despite the challenges, I feel it is a gift.

Yeah Moksha… for example, I fell in love with someone; I never felt like that in a very long time. Then I had an awakening  experience the same night.

Ever since that experience ended, I’ve been trying to catch lightning in a bottle again by attempting to deepen my relationship with this person. However, it just doesn’t feel authentic because I’m trying to recreate a past experience. 

When I fell in love, it was completely unplanned, illogical, and was very intimate. I’m now trying to recreate that experience with logic and control, but it’s just creating more suffering for me. 

I wish I could just ignore these feelings, but it won’t leave me alone. 

[amanen]

Suffering is not real, it is an illusory energy

[Yimpa]

9 minutes ago, amanen said:

Suffering is not real, it is an illusory energy

Oh yeah? Then you clearly haven’t contemplated what suffering is deep enough. 

Or maybe your genetics don’t allow for suffering ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

[Breakingthewall]

2 minutes ago, Yimpa said:

Oh yeah? Then you clearly haven’t contemplated what suffering is deep enough. 

Or maybe your genetics don’t allow for suffering ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Suffering is the dissonance between what is and what should be. Since the second does not exist, it could be said that suffering does not exist either, but the anxious energy that exists between the two feels very real.

[Moksha]

8 hours ago, Yimpa said:

Ever since that experience ended, I’ve been trying to catch lightning in a bottle again by attempting to deepen my relationship with this person. However, it just doesn’t feel authentic because I’m trying to recreate a past experience. 

Astute personal insight, it will serve you well. Suffering is the result of trying to keep lighting in the bottle from escaping, or trying to force it to return. Either way it is a futile effort, and only results in the entrapment of your attention.

Enlightenment is learning to toss away the bottle, and open yourself to the energy of what is flowing through you in this moment. Instead of resisting it or clinging to it, you honor its teaching and allow it to move on. You are in the flow state, where nothing that happens distracts you from your absolute nature. It is seen and appreciated for the transient, phenomenal experience that it is.

[Breakingthewall]

 

On 30/3/2023 at 6:51 PM, Squeekytoy said:

certainly does, but that's no evidence that it's anything but illusory

spirituality tells you that you are creating your suffering and that it does not depend on the external and this is false imo. you are also the external. spirituality, heavily influenced by Buddhism, tells you that you must isolate yourself, become indifferent, turn off your impulses. but you are a human among humans. you need your community. If this community is, for example, that they make you a slave and force you to work with a whip, the boss rapes your girlfriend and they sell your children, you will suffer. If you rebel against this and your life is war, torture and murder, as it has been for millions, you will suffer. these are extreme cases, before them there are many shades of suffering. To get out of suffering you must modify the environment because you are the environment. you are a hive entity, not an individual. To end suffering you must create an adequate environment, modify the exterior, change places, jobs, people. I said before that suffering is the difference between what it is and it should be, and should be is imaginary. But it is is imaginary too. Both are imaginary and real same time. To match them you have to move both, if not, the harmony will be extremely difficult 

what is possible is to accept your suffering. you still suffer but you don't fight against it. is part of reality

Edited April 1, 2023 by Breakingthewall

[Jwayne]

On 3/24/2023 at 11:50 AM, Leo Gura said:

How conscious you are has nothing to do with how you feel. You can feel good and not be very conscious. You can be very conscious and not feel good. Be careful conflating these two.

If you try to link these two variables in your mind, you will get into trouble. Reduce your suffering if you wish. But do not fool yourself that that means you understand anything about the ultimate nature of Consciousness. A long ass strong determination sit is NOT the same thing as deep consciousness! You can light yourself on fire with gasoline, but that is not the same thing as Consciousness!

The connection is that suffering which is created by one's own unconscious narrativity comes to an end as you become aware of it. And that's no small part of the total share. But physical and circumstantial suffering aren't abolished.

 

Aurobindo, for example, did teach that even physical suffering is a part of ananda and a major part of his personal efforts in Integral Yoga was regarding that subjective transformation of his experience.