How Much Did It Took You To Get Enlightned?

[jse]

This is how I perceive our good friend @John Flores:  60% sage, 39% nutty.
 

 

Which side will be victorious?
C'mon John, shine like the brightest star!  We need the best of your very best.

[Joseph Maynor]

About a year.  It started with meditation and culminated with my ego death last March.  But I was meditating for about a year before my ego death.  What precipitated it is I had watched all Leo's videos, including the one ones on Enlightenment.  But more importantly I started to heavily contemplate the question "What am I?"  

But I was already advanced in personal development work and work in philosophy and psychology before I started meditating.

Edited June 25, 2017 by Joseph Maynor

[Ananta]

3 hours ago, Joseph Maynor said:

But I was meditating for about a year before my ego death.

No offense, but if you have no ego who is writing your post? It can't be pure awareness as it has no mind. It is what gives sentiency to the mind, therefore the ego. You are the witness.

[street19]

What the hell did I just read

[Ananta]

7 minutes ago, street19 said:

What the hell did I just read

Is that a question or a statement.

[street19]

Just now, Anna1 said:

Is that a question or a statement.

A bit of both lol. Just a bit perplexed by this John Flores fellow.

[Ananta]

Just now, street19 said:

A bit of both lol. Just a bit perplexed by this John Flores fellow.

Oh, if memory serves me right he has been banned from the forum.

[Tano]

There is no enlightenment. It is a fairytale, right from the beginning when that first man (be it the Buddha or Jesus or what ever) realised there is nowhere to run, but here, in the world. Of course they had to sit in the cave or under a tree to see what is right under one's nose.

Ironic that it spawned religious cults, books, 'teachers' (what? teach you how to be alive?), the whole spiritual business enterprise which keeps sucking human in. The Game.

[Joseph Maynor]

@Tano I agree with the jist of what you are saying here.  Very wise.  There is enlightenment, but not what most people think it is.  It's very simple realization of emptiness, and attachment and releasing.  A separation of theory from reality.  Theory is something we might attach to or release.  Theory does not *underlie* reality in any way.  That's one of the erroneous premises that Indian Philosophers seem to habitually make.  Reality does not contain a Kantian conceptual filter. That too is concept and can be attached to or released.  See that?  Does that make sense?

Edited June 25, 2017 by Joseph Maynor

[Tano]

7 minutes ago, Joseph Maynor said:

@Tano I agree with the jist of what you are saying here.  Very wise.  There is enlightenment, but not what most people think it is.  It's very simple realization of emptiness, and attachment and releasing.  A separation of theory from reality.  Theory is something we might cling to.  Theory does not underlie reality in any way.  That's one of the premises that Indian Philosophers seem to habitually make.  Reality does not contain a Kantian conceptual filter. That too is concept and can be released.  See that?  Does that make sense?

You nailed it in this phrase: a separation of theory from Reality.

Realization of emptiness, release of attachments are simple by-products of what takes place, and are not the big E (and I cringe using the word, but words are all we have in this virtual environment) .

The big E simply means Clarity of Vision. Seeing everything as is. Without filters. While human filters are still present, there are much less of them, and one becomes acutely aware of them within self and others.

[Tano]

I am new here. Joseph, how does one quote another, like you did with my post @Tano.....?

[Joseph Maynor]

@Tano Wow!  I have finally found a like-mind on here.  I figured I was a voice in the wilderness, the crazy uncle who feels sane!  Nice to make your acquaintance Tano!

[Tano]

@Joseph Maynor  I asked you a question before you posted a reply above. It is OK, I found out how.

Thank you. I would like to see some sanity too. It is not likely I will communicate much though. I came with one purpose: to point to the website, mainly because it talks about true reality of Jed McKenna whom I met in Cambodia.

So you see... there are levels of insanity or rather, what drives each one of us individually.

[Joseph Maynor]

@Tano I'm new too.  I think you just hit the quote button.  I don't know how to quote piece-meal yet Just whole-hog, if that makes sense.

[S33K3R]

On 4/13/2017 at 3:47 PM, Flare said:

Well your effort leads you to force your limiting beliefs onto others and calling me stupid. Maybe it's worth to rethink your strategy. 

Don't take being in a flow state, or the so called Wu Wei, for enlightenment. That the reason why Confucius and Lao Tse never really understood each other. The first was searching for mastery the other for enlightenment. Reaching flow states constantly does require effort and might be the end to your suffering. Enlightenment is not about the flow state. They go hand in hand most of the time, that's why it appears to be the same thing. And again, your need for a breakthrough is the exact thing that is holding you back from being so called "enlightened". 

best wishes

This is a very non dualistic statement.

It's interesting that we all have so much in common yet we focus on the minimal differences. 

For example.... We all aim for this state called enlightenment. Yet we assume everyone must take the same path. I believe the struggle is with the ego, but after one day just deciding. I will struggle no more. I changed gears and feel so aligned to the no struggle kind of path. This path is good. I will stay on this path. 

I feel since the river flows right where I need to go, yes I will flow with it. 

I keep my awareness easily now. I'm not enlightened though, that's okay. I will never be. That's okay.