winterknight

The traditional Hindu answer is that those who seem to attain enlightenment effortlessly in this life have exerted the efforts in previous lifetimes. Indeed, even to get to the point where one is interested in the idea is said to take many, many lifetimes.

Not without a hell of a lot more research. “Normal” mental illness is hard enough to scientifically define, let alone transpersonal ideas, so good luck.

No, it’s got nothing to do with qualities. Being is beyond all of the things you list. It has nothing to do with incorporating qualities. When your mind inquires into the “I am” and becomes silent, are there qualities? Worrying about qualities should make you ask: Who is worried about these qualities? Who is asking these questions? You are getting confused by thoughts. You will never find answers there.

Yes, so the answer is that if they act in a “good” way it happens spontaneously. In fact, to them they are not acting at all. But the real answer is that the question itself still comes from a position of ignorance. It comes from a position that still believes in people. It’s like waking up from a dream and then wondering whether the other people in your dream also woke up, and if they woke up, why they’re still so nice in the dream. Only further inquiry can cure this.

Every one of these questions is based on the false identity with the body and mind. You must keep inquiring into who asks these questions until it is clear — and when it is, you will see that these questions actually don’t make any sense. Ok great. Yes, the true Self is the same in all states.

Find out who is asking the question and you will have satisfaction on this point. From the perspective of mind a mystery always remains, but the deep satisfaction you want can be found by going beyond the mind, which you can do if you follow the path of inquiry.

Yes, what I said above is that you cannot understand in words the answer to the question you are asking. I already gave it but you didn't seem to understand. So better just to discover it yourself.

Well, what I'm saying is that the perspectives are all wrong. Anything put in words is wrong. See, I could say: "From the absolute truth perspective there cannot be said to be any I, any typing, or any world." But these are just words. You will have to feel it yourself to understand.

In the end there is no different "small self" perspective vs. "true self" perspective. These ideas are just put out there as a bridge for the seeker, as a kind of helpful crutch for a while. The absolute truth is beyond both such perspectives. So, in a nutshell: there is no answer I can give in words to this. You will have to inquire deeply into who you are and then you will find the answer.

Who is it that wants to become an enlightened master? You must hunt down the I every waking moment. Stay in constant self-inquiry. This "where to go next" and "how do I become" are products of the ego. Issues like whether you "keep awareness" during sleep and all that are totally irrelevant for a seeker. Thinking about such things is itself a trap. It's enough to know that you ARE during sleep, dream, deep sleep, waking... and to look deeply into what this "I" is.

It doesn't much help your path to have images of what enlightenment is like. Such expectations are usually obstacles.

I generally don't talk about "my" experience because it's misleading. If you have questions about your path, though, let me know. I don't know what you mean by primary experience -- I've never used that term. As far as concepts, they are necessary to begin with. You need to understand enough concepts that you feel comfortable with the path. So read, think, and ask questions. These are my takes on self-inquiry. And these are my takes on the path as a whole.

As I said above, usually it is a requirement that someone who successfully takes on self-inquiry have a quiet enough mind to pursue it. That usually means they would have pursued development before self-inquiry. In the Hindu texts self-inquiry is recommended for a mature seeker who has already developed in many ways. Usually, but not always. There are always exceptions. Self-inquiry doesn't aim at personal development; it aims at transcending the personal. Yes, enlightenment is enlightenment without distinction. Yes, enlightenment from self-inquiry is the same as buddha nature. All the other development of personality is just to create a quieter mind. But remember -- enlightenment is the clear felt realization that no such thing as "enlightenment" exists. If that has not been seen, then ignorance remains.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'structured embodiment' system. Do you mean the eightfold path, etc.? There can be structure in Hinduism too. You can read a text like Drk Drishya Viveka or the Bhagavad Gita and get loads more structure than just self-inquiry. Recommendations about diet or sleep and morality and much more can be found. There are lots of different paths for different people with different temperaments and abilities. The path must 'fit' the seeker. In the end you'll have to end up in self-inquiry in one form or another. But while self-inquiry is the royal road, most people need to quiet their mind in various ways first before they can successfully pursue it. They might need to deal with various psychological issues they're having -- using therapy and other tools -- before they are ready to proceed on self-inquiry. Buddhist -- or Hindu -- structures can help with that.

Perfect. So what's the problem? This idea that there is a doubter that you are still attached to IS the illusion. Every time it comes up, inquire into who that is and go back to the place of silence.

Well, hold on a second. Is it really true that the "I am" wants something -- for example, to kill the doubter? When you say "I want to kill the doubter," who is aware of that thought? When you look for the "I" in that sentence "I want to kill the doubter" --> what happens to the mind? Right.

Who is it that wants to "kill the person doubting and thinking theres more to do"?

This is not a pipe

Just a short audio clip I made on this point.

Extreme suffering may or may not cause surrender. And if it did, it may or may not 'last.' Totally depends. No generalization can be made. Effortless surrender is not really an event, anyhow -- it is simply recognizing what always is.

Not quite. The point is that effortful surrender melts into an effortless “waking up” where it is clear that there was no such thing as surrender or effort. You must put in the effort to surrender — that effort will then be dropped “for you.”

Self-validating, meaning that when one knows that, one also knows that it is true beyond all doubt. Yes, experiencing is in quotes because normal experience involves a subject and an object -- "I experience that." This "experience" is not like that.

Right. Well, in philosophy there's a multi-thousand year literature on these topics. If you want & need, delve into that. But in non-dual spirituality, it comes down to something very simple: Yes, our senses, mind, thoughts, and feelings can delude us. Yet the testimony of spiritual "finders" is that there is another way of knowing -- one which is not subject to these limitations. The end of the spiritual search is to come into contact with that mode of knowing. It's a self-validating means of knowledge. So what is it and how does it work? We can only talk about it very vaguely and approximately. Anything we say about it is going to be wrong. But there is a way of 'experiencing' it for yourself. That's the spiritual search. That's the Truth/Knowledge referred to. Does that answer your question?

I'm not sure what you're asking here. Do you mean philosophically, grammatically, or what? You are going to have to give a lot more context as to how this question came up for you in your search, why you think it matters, what you mean by it, what answers you have contemplated, why that answer doesn't satisfy you, and so on if you want me to be able to effectively respond.

Yes, emotional work is a huge part of the work for most serious seekers. I always advise seekers to consider psychoanalysis/psychoanalytic psychotherapy (not just any therapy) (how to find it) -- I've done it, and it's been very valuable for dealing with complex internal emotional issues. Prepare to invest time, money, and effort. It will be worth it. I also highly recommend expression of your emotions in an artistic medium -- what I call metaphorization, especially in the context of attempting to be more honest about what you want (more detailed in my book). Finally, each person is a specific little puzzle that they have to solve themselves. Observe yourself, try to find your triggers, and experiment. Perhaps there are other things in your life you need to deal with that influence your emotional difficulties -- the food you eat, your exercise patterns, and -- perhaps most importantly -- the people around you.