Post-enlightenment questions

[mike41]

Please only answers from actually enlightened people as in: you experience the state of enlightenment on a permanent basis with little to no traces of your ego left. The lived experience of enlightenment is quite frankly so different than the rest of my life that a person along the path really holds no answers for me. 

Do you tell people you are enlightened?  It's so difficult to explain and everyone's idea of it is so wrapped up in their own desires and ego that it seems pretty pointless to tell people.  Still I feel that people close to me perhaps deserve an explanation of why I'm different?

Would you tell a romantic partner?  When?

How do you deal with the empathy and the emotions?  Perhaps it's just me because I did not develop my compassion well in my earlier years until being immersed in the world made it impossible to ignore.  It's easy for me to distinguish the right course of action but the intensity of feelings is overwhelming sometimes.  On the other hand I don't want it to go away either.

Where do you go to meet another person who is enlightened?  I'm curious to meet someone else.

Do you think that enlightenment alone is sufficient for teaching in the Zen tradition or does teaching require learning a more formal system?  Should I learn yoga to teach others perhaps?  I'm not sure where I'm going to take all of this, it's rather new.

 

[Salvijus]

This thread is just a subtle attempt to strengthen your newly created identity as a "special one" by having people relate to you and accept you as if that identity is true. Thus bringing more validity into that fantasy. Clever. But within the domain of ego games. You'll need to go beyond that if you wish to become spiritual. 

Edited November 8, 2023 by Salvijus

[mike41]

That wasn't an answer to any of my questions.

[HMD]

@mike41 That’s the norm, buddy. You’ll get answers to the questions that you don’t want to ask. 
 

Btw, this community is great to “take all this”. 

Edited November 8, 2023 by HMD

[mike41]

Sure, it's just not useful to me.

[Breakingthewall]

I think that there is no such thing as being enlightened, but rather levels of depth in your perception and your openness. Normally people who think they are enlightened do so because they have adopted a series of beliefs or mental patterns and believe they have discovered something special.

If you have a real openness to the present moment, you don't need to say anything about it, you just live in the moment and that's it. You seek connection with others for pleasure and the beauty of sharing, it does not matter if the other is interested in spirituality or not, the important thing is that are authentic

[mike41]

2 minutes ago, Breakingthewall said:

I think that there is no such thing as being enlightened

OK

 

[Breakingthewall]

@mike41

What is enlightenment for you?

[Salvijus]

20 minutes ago, mike41 said:

That wasn't an answer to any of my questions.

My intent was not to answer the questions. But to expose the subtle ego games behind questions. 

Edited November 8, 2023 by Salvijus

[JosephKnecht]

1 hour ago, mike41 said:

Do you tell people you are enlightened?  It's so difficult to explain and everyone's idea of it is so wrapped up in their own desires and ego that it seems pretty pointless to tell people.  Still I feel that people close to me perhaps deserve an explanation of why I'm different?

Why would you tell them? Is it for your own benefit or theirs? 

The best thing to do is to leave breadcrumbs they would want to follow for themselves. 

2 hours ago, mike41 said:

Would you tell a romantic partner?  When?

 Depends on your partner. If she is into these things, sure. If she isn't, why bother? 

2 hours ago, mike41 said:

Where do you go to meet another person who is enlightened?  I'm curious to meet someone else.

if you meet him, you should kill him.  

You are still new to this, so try to be more humble and seek the Truth, rather than other people. 

[mike41]

My intent is to have my questions answered.  If you are unwilling or unable to do so then there's no particular need to respond.

[Salvijus]

Just now, mike41 said:

My intent is to have my questions answered.  If you are unwilling or unable to do so then there's no particular need to respond.

You just want validation. Boo woo. 

[mike41]

11 minutes ago, JosephKnecht said:

Why would you tell them? Is it for your own benefit or theirs?

I don't generally.  It seems like it might be handy to explain some things but then again it probably isn't any better of an explanation that something with less associated meaning.

11 minutes ago, JosephKnecht said:

The best thing to do is to leave breadcrumbs they would want to follow for themselves. . 

I don't feel qualified as a teacher.  I just try to do what I can to help.

11 minutes ago, JosephKnecht said:

 Depends on your partner. If she is into these things, sure. If she isn't, why bother?

That's a fair point I suppose.  Actually it would probably be worse if she was into those things.

11 minutes ago, JosephKnecht said:

if you meet him, you should kill him.  

You are still new to this, so try to be more humble and seek the Truth, rather than other people. 

That doesn't make any sense to me.  I'm not new to the study of Zen, I'm new to being enlightened.  I started working on Zen a decade ago.  I was just wondering if anyone had any practical recommendations about the types of places where you might be more likely than average to come across someone else in the room that is enlightened.  It's not hard to spot but you need to be near enough to see it.

Edited November 8, 2023 by mike41

[Salvijus]

7 minutes ago, mike41 said:

I'm new to being enlightened

Yea. Keep on repeating that. That will work. 

[mike41]

This thread is like posting "Hey, I'm in Indianapolis and I'm looking for a good place to eat." and then the entirety of the comments are people insisting that Indianapolis doesn't exist or that you can't possibly be in Indianapolis.  What harm does it do to answer the actual question as asked even if I'm not in Indianapolis?

[Salvijus]

That was good. Thank you for the boiling energy tcare

[Salvijus]

12 minutes ago, mike41 said:

This thread is like posting "Hey, I'm in Indianapolis and I'm looking for a good place to eat." and then the entirety of the comments are people insisting that Indianapolis doesn't exist or that you can't possibly be in Indianapolis.  What harm does it do to answer the actual question as asked even if I'm not in Indianapolis?

Your questions were not genuine. It's not hard to answer a genuine question. But there was a hidden agenda behind your questions. You wanted to be ragerded as an enlightened one. A subtle ego trick seek out people who would respond to use as if that identity is true and strengthen a new self-image you started to become attached to and gain validation. 

Edited November 8, 2023 by Salvijus

[Rafael Thundercat]

1 hour ago, mike41 said:

Sure, it's just not useful to me.

You are enligthed and still want to demand usefull answers from others. Derive answers by yourself my dear Awake.

[mike41]

1 hour ago, Breakingthewall said:

@mike41

What is enlightenment for you?

Sorry I missed that in all the junk.

Enlightenment to me means that my conscious mind is calm and quiet.  I am able to see more clearly the reality around me rather than being bothered by judgements, delusions and internal motivations.  I no longer feel anxiety or fear in significant amounts.  I still find the occasional attachment (the last was an attachment to understanding) but they are quite easily removed.  My attention has turned from inwards to outwards and I experience people in a way that is new to me.   I still learn, but from practical experience.  It's the same life as before but the depth of it has expanded so much that it's quite different. 

[mike41]

2 minutes ago, Rafael Thundercat said:

You are enligthed and still want to demand usefull answers from others. Derive answers by yourself my dear Awake.

When I want something I just ask.  Sometimes it works.  I have not demanded anything of anyone.

I'm certain that the answers to these questions will arrive with time but sometimes it's easier to just get a direct answer from someone who has already worked through it.