winterknight

Yes. The brain is just a physical manifestation of the mind, which goes far beyond it. Yes, it does end when you have put in enough effort. You cannot know how much that is in advance. Yes, you would want it to. Yes, it's impossible to understand in words... just find it for yourself and you will get it.

God and the ego can mean many things in different contexts. Simple, general definitions for the seeker are: ego -- the sense that "I am a separate person who experiences the world and is in control of my behavior" God -- the true permanent perfect underlying basis of all beyond creation and destruction, life and death, and all other dualities Realization of the Self means seeing through the ego & recognizing one's real Self as God. Yes, it is something realized within. Follow the path by educating yourself and getting honest about your desires, and then engaging in intense self-inquiry -- or else surrendering completely (usually harder than inquiry). Surrender means that you accept whatever happens -- both in the outside world, and in terms of your thoughts and emotions. Let it go. Let it all go. Let decisions go. Let pain go. Let the need to change things go. Or if you feel that need, let that go. Whatever you do, think, or feel, let it go, let it go, let it go. Whatever pain you experience, let it go. Whatever desire you have, let it go. If you feel like you cannot let it go, let that feeling go too. That is the continuous effort of surrender. This will turn into full surrender but you cannot control when that happens, and you must surrender your need to know and to control it, or even to have it at all.

Suicide is cautioned against because if there is one birth, there is another -- there is reincarnation. Suicide doesn't mean you solve your problem. You simply get born again and have to face life's pain all over again, from the start. Better to commit the real suicide -- the one that kills the false self -- which can only happen through inquiry. Then you recognize divine immortality instead of being born again. Then you get all the benefits of life, and all the benefits of death. The video is ok, not great. There's a little truth to it, but it's also misleading. It implies that first there was a person and then it was sucked in and totally disappears, when in fact the realization is that there was never a person. Also, the Self is not this homogenous ball. But it's hard to represent the Truth in images. From the standpoint of enlightenment, the real truth is that there are no other people. Or if there are, they are all enlightened. But if you mean someone who has explicitly sought and seemed to have found and whose understanding is perfect, then no. I don't know what that would be like. It's hard to say, really, about the rest. The problem I was always different... always a little strange. So hard to say how much spirituality changes that fact. I think people seek my presence a bit more, but it's also hard to say for sure. Whether the bodhisattva can sustain a relationship with someone not interested in spiritual work doesn't really depend on their enlightenment but on their prior karma. That's what runs their bodies and minds. Finally, in fact there cannot be said to be any form. But if there is, then just as there are worlds with pain and suffering, there are surely worlds without -- as there are hells, there are heavens. Though even heaven is hell compared to the perfect realization of the Self. Because the realized one sees the truth that what appears to be suffering and pain is actually nothing other than grace and perfection.

We all have an intuition that there has to be Something More than this limited world and limited life. If you listen to it, that's the intuition that matters most -- and that turns you towards the search for spiritual truth. Other than that, you need to use your intuition to listen to yourself... and use that to pursue inner calm and to direct the movements of your search.

Of course the answer depends on perspective. In some sense the response does "just happen" -- but that is not the opposite of having a choice. The very process of thinking about whether to do something is also something that "just happens," and is itself part of the causal chain that results in whatever action is taken. As long as you consider yourself the doer you should consider what to do and what not to do. To reduce it down to whether or not to express anger is simplistic. It is never that binary an option. And it mostly not about judging actions as right or wrong but about understanding and acknowledging the different voices inside. It is first off important to see that you are feeling anger -- for some people, that is easier said than done. Many people push it out of their awareness, unconsciously (this is why therapy can be so important). Once you recognize that you have anger, it may be important to respect and honor it in some way. This process of acknowledging emotions, listening to them, and considering how best to express them -- either to others or just to yourself -- will itself result in a better action. When, though, through self-inquiry and/or surrender you have discovered (not just intellectually -- but in your direct experience) that you are not the doer, these questions don't apply. Now there is of course an in-between point -- if you’ve gotten to the stage where you are engaged in intense self-inquiry and/or surrender, and are highly motivated towards liberation, then the very question of whether you should just "let it happen" or "choose to restrain yourself and act kindly" or whatever will itself be the topic of self-inquiry and/or surrender. Who asks the question?

1. Probably 2. No. Anger is a feeling. Just because you don't express it doesn't mean it's not happening 3. They tend to go together, but not always. For the seeker, good qualities are ways to calm the mind, because bad qualities attract conflict, both internal and external. For the enlightened, good qualities (TEND TO... not always) happen naturally because the identity-based neediness that motivates bad qualities no longer exists. But for the enlightened, really, neither good qualities nor bad exist. Ramana's thoughts on the matter were similar AFAIK

Huh? You mean nobody who isn't "bourgeois" would become a psychoanalyst? Is that what you mean? That is probably no more true of analysts than of other professionals -- higher education generally is correlated with socioeconomic status. Either way it doesn't change the fact that it can be immensely life-transforming for seekers to be seen by an analyst. And that's the point.

Glad to hear it. Good luck on the beginning of your adventure...

What we normally think of as consciousness is, yes. The simple experience of your Self. Or were you looking for another answer? Are these under the influence of psychedelics? I always recommend psychoanalytic or psychodynamic therapy to every seeker, and to you it's no different. Whatever these phenomena are, the real point for a spiritual seeker is what meaning they have for you -- and therapy will help you discover that. Other than that, I don't know much about these things, sorry... Sounds like you're on the right track! Keep going.

Yes, you had a glimpse of the Truth. It happened effortlessly and by grace. But because it happened that way, your prior mental habits sucked you right back into the old perspective. So if you want to get back there permanently, it's time to put in effort. Get in touch with your true desires and perform intense self-inquiry.

Not quite, I'd say. See, the "I" is usually used falsely but it has a core of truth in it. That truth is just usually obscured. The search for the I does not simply terminate in the idea that the I is a mere label; it has to terminate in the recognition of the true I, whose nature is perfection, peace, and existence beyond time and space. That starts with inquiry; inquiry leads to glimpses -- peaceful moments of time in which the Self is touched on, but the prior mental habits draw you back. So it is practiced over and over and over again until finally something "clicks" and what seemed to be a temporary glimpse or state of mind is understood to be simply the permanent unchanging Reality, and the former notion of body/mind is seen to be an illusion. Without the recognition of the constant perfect effortless peace that one Is, one cannot be said to be done. Yes, it sounds like you had a glimpse of the Truth and were drawn back by the messy emotional complexities of a relationship. It doesn't really change anything I've said in the past. You have to deal with your emotional issues... preferably through therapy, but if you cannot or will not do that, then through extensive writing about your emotions -- like you are doing here, but you can write just for yourself, a lot of reading of spiritual and psychological texts, a lot of discussion, breathing exercises & mantra chanting if that helps, prayer if it helps, a lot of thinking and effort and work to understand yourself.

A dead mind is simply one in which the background of Self is recognized at all times -- it's just a synonym for liberation or enlightenment. As such, my approach was basically being more and more honest about what I wanted and self-inquiry (eventually that turns into surrender). It's not really about "discarding" thoughts so much as it is about holding on to and deeply following the "I" feeling... which then leads to the dropping of all the things it seems to be, leaving in the end only what it truly is -- but no longer veiled. Once the Self is no longer veiled, there is no more question of difficulty or effort. Difficulty and effort are only for those who identify with the mind. If the Self is not veiled, such identification is impossible. But yes, so long as one is a seeker, there absolutely is an element of practice that makes perfect in inquiry. It does get easier. When one resides in the Self naturally and automatically, there is no more seeker. Thoughts per se are no longer a problem for the enlightened mind. Even if they are there, they may as well not be. Thoughts are no longer seen as thoughts but as the Self. The mind does get progressively quieter, both for the seeker and for the "finder" -- if we accept the existence or appearance of mind. In reality, however, mind cannot be said to exist. When this truth is firmly realized, the search/seeking/effort ends. 1. It sounds like it's working, you're getting glimpses, keep going. 2. You cannot, because technically humans don't realize the Truth. The Truth is that the human doesn't exist. But the first thing you should look for in a potential teacher you meet in person is whether you feel peace in their presence.

Wow, that is a pretty dramatic story. It sounds like what we could call a "mystical experience" -- you got to see a big glimpse of the Truth in an emotionally powerful way. The second thing.

Read books about it, talk about it with others, think about it, experiment with it. But more deeply: dedicate yourself, through therapy, expressive writing/art, and paying attention to your feelings as you imagine and act on various choices in the world, to becoming more and more honest about what you really want, and following that. The truth is you can't significantly change your desires. What you can do is honestly follow the desires you do have -- that will lead you to enlightenment the fastest way possible for you. I don't understand. Can you rephrase? The Self is. It's ok. Could be better than nothing, depending on the therapist. Psychodynamic therapy at least should be pretty common, and many therapists have sliding scales (meaning cheaper if you earn less). And if there are psychoanalytic institutes nearby, you can call them and ask for low-fee possibilities. What this question really shows is that you haven't carried self-inquiry far enough or constantly enough. When you have really dissolved thought -- thoughts can still happen, but you will be unaffected by them. All this arises because you identify yourself with the "doer." Self-inquiry shows that is false. But if you find it too difficult to do self-inquiry while working -- then for the moment, think what you need to think, but keep in mind the thought "I am not the doer of these actions. I merely appear to be." Eventually you will be willing to let go of your attachment to the doer-identity. Well you're already halfway there. You said: "It does not feel like it" -- and that's just right. This is not about asking an intellectual question over and over in different and more clever ways. You know that you are, right? That's not intellectual knowledge. It's not logical deduction. You simply know that you are. So you're trying to feel that feeling and trying to "focus" on it. And in the process of trying to focus on it, you will try to see what that feeling is. And in that process, you will see what it isn't. And when you have seen good and well just what it isn't, you will recognize the nature of what it is -- and that you cannot see it, only be it. So hold the feeling of the I and go deeper with that. It's not about asking more verbal questions. That is secondary to holding the feeling of the I and trying to "localize it" in your experience, to simply see where that knowledge of your own "I"-ness comes from, or what it is .And to keep trying with all your heart until something clicks.

Yes, this kind of problem is exactly why I recommend therapy. If self-inquiry is too difficult for you now, you can also try breathing exercises and chanting “Om” 64 times a day. These may help calm the mind. If you like the idea of praying, that can also be helpful. Later when you are ready you can come back to inquiry.

Are you actually reading my replies and thinking about them? I don't see deep responses to any of the previous answers I've given or questions I've asked you. Answers are useless unless you think about and digest them properly. This is the path generally, this is self-inquiry.

Yes. The Bhagavad Gita, Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, Yoga Vasistha. I would hear them out and ask them why they think that and what they mean by enlightenment.

You're welcome.

It's not exactly about making the ego manageable until the True Self is permanently realized, as if these were two completely different things -- making it manageable, or in other words, calming the mind, is the very core of Self-realization. Now self-image work is a little different than psychoanalysis -- the goal of psychoanalysis is primarily not to ameliorate functionality or health, though that hopefully happens, but to help the person see and understand their emotional patterns, and thus bring into consciousness things they may have been keeping out of it. The result is a more integrated mind, and thus one that is calmer, one that is more in touch with its desire, whatever it is. People come to Truth realization when they are ready for it, when they really want it. To get to that position of true desire, other issues must be worked through. Each person is a kind of puzzle that they must solve themselves. They must work their way step-by-step wherever they are on the basis of emotional honesty: being true to what they really feel about where they want to go. And even when the Truth has been touched or glimpsed, prior tendencies pull the mind back. It helps to synthesize these prior tendencies to understand and get in touch with them. Psychoanalysis helps with these processes. Not everyone needs it, but I do feel like almost everyone could benefit from it. Observe how, in the past, spirituality grew up in the guru-disciple tradition, where the guru was trusted completely with the content of one's thoughts. That's a precursor to psychoanalysis... that kind of relationship can really help move the spiritual process along. It is, but I don't like it as much. I'll tell you why. Yes, awareness is easier to grasp at first, but that has a downside. See, that which is "aware of being aware" is still the witnessing ego, not quite the Self. Awareness as you normally think of it is "awareness of" something. That's the kind of awareness we're normally familiar with. If you focus on that, you'll tend to lock yourself into that "subject-object" notion of awareness. There's a deeper awareness, that is awareness not of something, but is awareness "awaring" itself, so to say. That's the Self. That's very hard to get to if you keep thinking the idea "awareness," I think. But that Self is very connected to the "I." If you follow it, "I" goes straight to that. Of course the "I" is not clear in current experience. The true I cannot be seen. You simply are it. The point of inquiry is to clear away all the things you think of as I out of your experience. What remains, that which cannot be named or observed? That is you! All that said -- do what you feel drawn to. You will learn either way. 1. yes, some disenchantment with the outside world is necessary, correct. not total disenchantment necessarily, but enough to put you on the path. the more you turn away from the temptations of the external world, the better. 2. they certainly can go on simultaneously, and it is useful that they do -- see my answer earlier in this reply. You can yell at people if you want, but that will not end your suffering. Suffering can only be ended by calming the mind through self-inquiry, therapy, expressive writing/art -- by looking inward. You can either simply stay with that quiet, relaxing, or you can ask yourself intently: to whom is this quiet occurring?

it's basically done because of prior karma. It's about prior psychological habits. It may have certain benefits that come with it, but that's not the reason why it's done. Trying to understand the enlightened mind is really not a great use of time. From the seeker's standpoint, it is full of paradoxes. Best to inquire and get there yourself...

Only that which identifies with the body and mind can seek enlightenment. But enlightenment is the revelation that one is not the body and mind, and that the seeker doesn't exist. That's the (seeming) paradox. Only the body and mind seek anything now... and sure, they seek normal things: food, shelter, companionship. But they do not believe these things will grant happiness (though they may grant pleasure, which is different). They only seek them out of past habit. True happiness is already ensured at all times. And the body and mind do not really exist. Sure I do -- if for the sake of discussion I say I have a body and mind. It might appear that I have friends. But in reality there's no body and mind, neither mine nor anyone else's, and thus no "I" to have friends, and no others to be friends with.

Thank you. I don't identify myself with the body... and that is the natural high. But it's not really physical. The body can feel good, it can feel bad. It depends...

No, to me both your question and my answer were clear enough. Going any further is unfruitful. Thanks for your thoughts.

Yes, I've already listened -- not avoided it -- and disagreed with you. That's what you don't seem willing to accept.

It seems to be very important to you that I accept your critique... why is that? Have you asked yourself that question?