Benefits of Enligthenment?

[Neo]

Hey, my 2 cents:

Quote

I can imagine you see all these questions as ego-defenses, but don't you think ego has the right to know at least a little bit about where it will end up after it discards itself?

No - not just ego defences, but you need to be completely and utterly "open" to see any of this, otherwise, might just as well go home now.  

[GeorgeLawson]

On 2/6/2016 at 8:46 AM, Ayla said:

I also think that this is why most enlightened people on the planet right now have become THAT after intense suffering and pain. They have been stripped off all illusion and reached a point where they had nothing left to lose. Right there, in that present moment, they realized their own freedom. They realized that they cannot die because everything they saw as death before, didn't manage to kill them. Now this realization can come with deep searching also, from an inner calling that every human being has. It's just that some have it deeper at one point in their life, others are not yet ready. 

In my own case, within one year, I have been systematically stripped off every little thing that used to bring me comfort and/or distract me. I can tell you that it didn't feel good.... first lost my partner. then my job. then all my friends. then all my savings. then my parents.... at one point, I came to think that someone or something wanted me dead lol - pain was simply excruciating ! I actually ended up on my 5th floor window ready to jump.  

That was exactly the first glimpse into enlightenment: I saw my body crushed, the ambulances, the funeral, the pain... and then the peace. THE realization was that - that peace was already there without me jumping

I had access to it right that moment. 

Do I regret any of it? NO! It brought me into a space that is forever joy and trust. There are no more problems, there is no more striving, no more fear.. no more doing, no more stories, no more drama... I can see them as happenings but they have no impact on me. Maybe a heavy rain is not what you'd prefer, but .. you watch it pass, and you adjust to it and you continue your life

Nobody needs to arrive at chaos. It can be had with introspection, as Leo says, with profound self honesty, and a thirst for TRUTH that nothing can keep you away from 

This is an inspirational story. Thanks for sharing

[Draconis Chaser]

@Ayla

"Maybe a heavy rain is not what you'd prefer, but .. you watch it pass, and you adjust to it and you continue your life"

Words to live by... Love it!

<3

[Amplituda]

On 2/7/2016 at 6:52 PM, Emerald Wilkins said:

This is a great question. Because we are so used to valuing things in relation to our egoic self (which is illusory), we have a difficult time understanding things that don't directly benefit the egoic self. What is important to realize is that the egoic self is only a concept that you have created using your thoughts. You go through life making decisions and sacrificing for this illusory sense of self, thinking that it will bring you happiness and fulfillment. But you are throwing all of your energy into maintaining a very heavy, burdensome illusion. So, when you transcend your egoic self, you get a real experience of being. So, ironically, your egoic self is actually obscuring your true nature and keeping you from true happiness. So, enlightenment (self-transcendence) could also be called optimum happiness. Along with this state of being comes complete peace of mind, even in relation to death. When I had my transcendental experiences I felt completely at one with everything in existence, true acceptance of myself, no stress, no fear (even of death), pure creativity and wisdom from the deepest wellspring of my being, unconditional love, and total authenticity. Trading the egoic self for transcendence is like trading a penny for a billion dollars... when you still get to keep the penny. 

I double that. Experiences I've had are very similar to what Emerald describes. You have a state of absolute happiness just because you exist and everything around you seems to make sense. You're highly aware of where you're and what you need to do and these are just such strong feelings that your mind doesn't even bother to question things it would normally question sending you millions signals. It becomes quite, and you're in a pure state of feeling and understanding everything around you starting with a small stone and ending with the whole Universe.

[Emerald]

43 minutes ago, Amplituda said:

I double that. Experiences I've had are very similar to what Emerald describes. You have a state of absolute happiness just because you exist and everything around you seems to make sense. You're highly aware of where you're and what you need to do and these are just such strong feelings that your mind doesn't even bother to question things it would normally question sending you millions signals. It becomes quite, and you're in a pure state of feeling and understanding everything around you starting with a small stone and ending with the whole Universe.

Well said.  

[jip]

On 2/21/2016 at 10:05 PM, jip said:

Thank you for taking the time to respond Leo:) I don't know about you, but if i look very honestly back on my life i would say i've been pretty happy most of the time. Are you saying it is just an illusion and i'm not conscious enough to see? It seems pretty real though:p I would agree with you that a lot of "succesful" people are probably miserable on the inside, but saying that everybody in the world is unhappy just doesn't really make sense to me. And don't you also think there is more to life than just happiness?(i remember jed saying somthing like you get used to/almost forget the contentment that that comes with enlightenment once you have it after a while)

It's almost a bit as though you tell someone who is unhappy because he has no girlfriend to cut off his balls, so it's not even an issue anymore. Okay, very crappy analogy and enlightenment is probably very great for those who get there but i hope you get the point:P

I can imagine you see all these questions as ego-defenses, but don't you think ego has the right to know at least a little bit about where it will end up after it discards itself?

Thx anyway

 

Leooooo

Have you ever contemplated the idea that perception=reality

So if you perceive the world as a place full of suffering with deluded unhappy people and the only way you can ever be happy is through spiritual enlightenment, then that will very likely be your reality and you are indeed not going to be happy until you get enlightenment. But why perceive it that way? Why not reevaluate everything and see that this whole existence thing is magical and that we're already extremely lucky to experience anything, let alone having a human experience in the 21st century. Why not enjoy the dream-state while we're in it instead of despising it as something we need to wake up from? What' s the point? Fact is that you (the chimp you, that is ) could die tomorrow without ever having achieved enlightenment. Why put happiness off for another year or 5 when it's here, right now, for free. You don't need enlightenment or anything for it. If you still want to know the truth of existence badly, i think that's great and amazing that we have that opportunity, so by all means go for it 

[Ayla]

5 minutes ago, jip said:

Why not enjoy the dream-state while we're in it instead of despising it as something we need to wake up from?

@jip , CAN YOU? Enjoy every moment of your life? If it is so, by all means...you are right. Live like that. The only thing is that consciousness will call your chimphood back to reality over and over again - and the chimp will perceive that as suffering, as a strong pull. The more advanced your chimphood becomes, the tighter the pull will be with "time" and the worse the suffering. So all that Leo is saying is, begin as soon as you feel the pull, so it doesn't strike you right in the face... 

 

[Isle of View]

Some benefits of Enlightenment:

• you feel complete, there is no lack, you're lacking no-thing
• it's not that you have no goals or desires, but those are not comming from a sense of lack, and as you are already complete and "nourished", you do not clinge to the outcome of your doings. 
• you follow your basic nature, you know your core-signature and know if you deviate from your center. This enables you to come back home whenever you want.
• as you are already nourished, you do not accumulate stuff  that is of no importance to your unique nature.

The easiest way to enlightenment is to acknowledge the fact that you do not lack anything. Everything is already perfect. All the imprefections are mere labels on top of your experience. See through the illusions you projected and/or have agreed upon. When your mindfulness is such that you no longer have any urge to give meaning to stuff, pull-in experiences from the past or fears about the future and project them on top of what is there, you're home. Once there, you will have your point of reference, your unique signature.

Don't try to reach enlightenment from a lack of enlightenment. Theorethically speaking, you're always enlightened, or, more precisly, your basic nature is always there. The clouds of imperfections are darkening your light. Therefore, before you reach your light for the first time, you work from the bottom to top, knock-knock, you knock on the door. Once there, you have a new outlook, an enlightened view on your existence and can now pervade differently. You will still have "work to do" to maintain your new found, centered "position". This will be your journey of enlightenment, as your first enlightenment was only a glimpse at how beautiful existence actually is. Bon voyage!

Never beat your self up for not being enlightened. You are. If only you stop producing the lack of it.

As an anecdote: the snake came to Eve in the Paradise and said she should eat from the tree of which God said, if they eat from it, they would die. But the snake told Eve, that if she eats from it, she would be able, like God, to differentiate Good and Evil (labels). They eat from it, and ever since suffered from the use of labels. They've been already perfect, perfect life. The lack was promoted by the snake and Eve and later Adam did buy it. They were told that God is better than them and wants to prevent them from being as potent as He is. Well, that makes for a beautiful lack, doesn't it?

Don't buy it. If you've found your nature (which is connected to all there is), there is no lack anymore. You may want to upgrade your surroundings, but you won't clinge to it as if your existence and bliss would depend on it. The whole existence becomes a part of you and you a part of the whole existence, abundance all around and perfection in all there is. No lack. Nothing is not-done. Snakes that come your way are gently handled. You know where you go if you go. Nothing is missing. Your longing for others to see how you see arises. You learn that they have their own, unique signature and that they will approach exisistence in their own fashion. And also this is perfectly fine, as it only extends the infinity of all there is.

You will still play. You will still entangle yourself with games. But it will be from a different perspective. And you will know how to come back home.

 

~ Chris

 

Edited March 1, 2016 by Isle of View

[werlight]

9 hours ago, Isle of View said:

Some benefits of Enlightenment:

• you feel complete, there is no lack, you're lacking no-thing
• it's not that you have no goals or desires, but those are not comming from a sense of lack, and as you are already complete and "nourished", you do not clinge to the outcome of your doings. 
• you follow your basic nature, you know your core-signature and know if you deviate from your center. This enables you to come back home whenever you want.
• as you are already nourished, you do not accumulate stuff  that is of no importance to your unique nature.

The easiest way to enlightenment is to acknowledge the fact that you do not lack anything. Everything is already perfect. All the imprefections are mere labels on top of your experience. See through the illusions you projected and/or have agreed upon. When your mindfulness is such that you no longer have any urge to give meaning to stuff, pull-in experiences from the past or fears about the future and project them on top of what is there, you're home. Once there, you will have your point of reference, your unique signature.

Don't try to reach enlightenment from a lack of enlightenment. Theorethically speaking, you're always enlightened, or, more precisly, your basic nature is always there. The clouds of imperfections are darkening your light. Therefore, before you reach your light for the first time, you work from the bottom to top, knock-knock, you knock on the door. Once there, you have a new outlook, an enlightened view on your existence and can now pervade differently. You will still have "work to do" to maintain your new found, centered "position". This will be your journey of enlightenment, as your first enlightenment was only a glimpse at how beautiful existence actually is. Bon voyage!

Never beat your self up for not being enlightened. You are. If only you stop producing the lack of it.

As an anecdote: the snake came to Eve in the Paradise and said she should eat from the tree of which God said, if they eat from it, they would die. But the snake told Eve, that if she eats from it, she would be able, like God, to differentiate Good and Evil (labels). They eat from it, and ever since suffered from the use of labels. They've been already perfect, perfect life. The lack was promoted by the snake and Eve and later Adam did buy it. They were told that God is better than them and wants to prevent them from being as potent as He is. Well, that makes for a beautiful lack, doesn't it?

Don't buy it. If you've found your nature (which is connected to all there is), there is no lack anymore. You may want to upgrade your surroundings, but you won't clinge to it as if your existence and bliss would depend on it. The whole existence becomes a part of you and you a part of the whole existence, abundance all around and perfection in all there is. No lack. Nothing is not-done. Snakes that come your way are gently handled. You know where you go if you go. Nothing is missing. Your longing for others to see how you see arises. You learn that they have their own, unique signature and that they will approach exisistence in their own fashion. And also this is perfectly fine, as it only extends the infinity of all there is.

You will still play. You will still entangle yourself with games. But it will be from a different perspective. And you will know how to come back home.

 

~ Chris

 

@Isle of View 

Sounds familiar..  Looks like we are drinking the same wine my friend. ?

 

"You realize that paradise had always been in front of you. You realize that all the beauty, love and joy you will ever need is already inside you so you stop searching for any of these things outside. You feel complete. There is nothing left to desire so all your desires slowly disappear. The only desire you will have left is a deep desire to be present, a desire to enjoy the amazing beauty of everything around you.

You fall in love with yourself and you fall in love with life. You fall in love with what IS."

 

[Buba]

On 2/8/2016 at 3:52 AM, Emerald said:

When I had my transcendental experiences I felt completely at one with everything in existence, true acceptance of myself, no stress, no fear (even of death), pure creativity and wisdom from the deepest wellspring of my being, unconditional love, and total authenticity.

And how are you now?

[Emerald]

1 hour ago, Buba said:

And how are you now?

At present, I definitely live from the perspective of ego. But I am a lot less neurotic as a result of those experiences and the inner work that I've done over the course of the past 9 or 10 years. I don't take things quite as seriously as I used to. 

[Shin]

2 minutes ago, Emerald said:

At present, I definitely live from the perspective of ego. But I am a lot less neurotic as a result of those experiences and the inner work that I've done over the course of the past 9 or 10 years. I don't take things quite as seriously as I used to. 

How is your husband ?  

[Preetom]

1 minute ago, Shin said:

How is your husband ?  

How is your baby?

 

[Shin]

1 minute ago, Preetom said:

How is your baby?

 

He's sleeping on the couch,

After having barked all day.

Asshole 

[Buba]

11 hours ago, Emerald said:

At present, I definitely live from the perspective of ego. But I am a lot less neurotic as a result of those experiences and the inner work that I've done over the course of the past 9 or 10 years. I don't take things quite as seriously as I used to. 

This is awesome. Wish you happiness.