winterknight

It is already and always the case. The one who thinks they are missing it is the problem. They themselves are the obstacle and the one whom the obstacle affects, and when they disappear, the obstacle disappears, and not only does it disappear, but it is clear that it never existed. There is something which is both seemingly realized within time, but the realization is that it is not realized within time at all.

Not exactly, no. You cannot experience yourself conventionally. But there is direct knowledge of Self by Self. It is inexpressible. It is not just knowing what you are not.

I don’t answer questions about my experience. But if you want to ask questions about your path feel free. Follow the path.

Such a broad, general question is not going to get you a good answer. You clearly are dealing with a very specific situation of your own. Better to talk about that if you want any useful advice. Dark night is not some universal thing or concept. Not everyone agrees it happens at all, let alone over and over. Don’t give it some powerful reality. It’s just a thought like any other.

I’m no expert on the Bible. My impression from some reading is that there are certain passages that can be interpreted in a non-dual light, like when God tells Moses “I am that I am.” Many of Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament can be read as preparation for a mystical view of things. Certainly they have always been spiritual and counterintuitive. Otherwise the Bible is a gigantic document. Some wisdom, some history, some mythology, some stuff which is objectionable today, different messages geared to different audiences. No single generalization may be made.

The second option is reading lots of scriptures and Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi and to do what I call the "metaphorization" of experience. Yes, there's no need to get onboard with Tolle. I'm not sure what you mean. Can you be more specific? What do you mean by "impact"? No. Who is it that found nothing? That's the one you want to look into.

It's looking into the I and finding inner peace. When that is touched, the mind wants more and more to be in that instead of thinking about all the other attachments.

Different people say different things. You'll have to ask him about all that...

You are mentioning the conventional understanding of beginning and end. The idea that there is no difference between the start and end of things is pointing to something which goes beyond the mind. If you want to know that, you have to follow the path of self-inquiry.

The design of the body is a thought. Enlightenment does not give you information about thoughts.

Great story, thanks for sharing.

I don't really talk about my experience because it's always misleading. But feel free to ask questions about your path.

No. There are certain psychotic and mood disorders that are clearly helped through the use of medicine.

Psychiatry can be useful for certain people with brain-based disorders. If by psychiatry you're including therapy, I'm a big proponent of psychoanalysis and/or psychoanalytic psychotherapy (not just any therapy). Here's how to find an analyst. There is only the experience of god in a non-dual sense. "I" cannot experience it.

Well, no generalizations can be made about that, because it depends on who they're speaking to and the context. For example, one could say "people are real not as independent objects but as the Self." What this means is not something the intellect can readily understand. In fact, people can neither be said to be real nor unreal. Nothing can be said that is ultimately true. All the metaphysical generalizations are false, though some are more conducive to self-investigation than others. The third question above was: It's a valid practice to simply drop all thought and effort, including that idea, but not just that idea.

1. The enlightened one is beyond these kinds of distinctions. 2. Before enlightenment, they can help or hinder the quietness of mind conducive to the truth. After enlightenment, there is no identification with a chooser, and thus no one to say that values are either consciously chosen or not.

Well, if you follow the metaphor, there clearly can be no road to get where one already is. But there is the appearance of a difference between beginning and end, and thus of a need for a road, which is why all these practices are created -- to look into that appearance. When it's looked into, it vanishes.

Yes, the beginning and the end are the Self.

The fact that you can ask that question suggests your current treatment is a bad match for your needs. The answer is no. Can you perform surgery on yourself? Therapy is not all the same. Therapists are not all the same. Are you located in Azerbaijan? Is that right? Well if so, psychoanalytic options -- and probably therapy generally -- are probably limited. But I'd try sending a message to the Azerbaijan Center for Psychoanalysis and asking for a referral. Let me know if you have any problems.

Those questions won't make any sense after realizing your true nature.

Ok. If you want to explore this further by asking questions about specific doubts, feel free.

It isn't about what I tell you. It isn't about what anyone tells you. It isn't about ideas like "people don't exist." Those are just stepping stones. The truth is the peace that goes beyond concepts. If profound, unshakeable peace is not your inner experience -- and only you can know whether it is -- then you have further to go. The fact that it seems like such a huge paradox suggests that the understanding is not deep. In the same way that enlightenment doesn't mean that you should suddenly stop eating and drinking because food and water are illusory, it means that you can and should get emotional help if that is called for. If Paul doesn't exist, and everything is egoic and illusory, then so is getting therapy. So there's no reason not to get it. Sure, it is not your choice. So if you do think about and decide on it, it is not your choice. Again, this kind of language is a sign that there is an intellectual understanding but that it has not gone beyond that. As long as there is lacking a profound inner peace, you must continue to 'do' things -- even if that is just sitting quietly.

I would contact the London Clinic of Psychoanalysis and ask them for a consult if you're nearby or if you're not near London ask them what the best steps would be near your city given your financial means/insurance situation.

Nothing is solely anything. He has misinterpreted things this way because of his underlying psychology. If he wants a purely spiritual way to deal with it, then he has to engage in further self-inquiry relentlessly and look deep within to see to whom this 'dark night' is occurring. But even then psychoanalysis helps with that process.

I don't answer questions about my experience, because the answers are always misleading. But if you want to ask about your path, feel free.