winterknight

What do you think spirituality is all about? It's liberation from this kind of pain. Self-inquire. Who is experiencing this pain? That is the ultimate solution. But in addition: a) write, draw, or otherwise artistically represent your feelings in as much detail as you possibly can. do not stop till you feel like you have captured how you are feeling exactly b) try, with the above, to understand what exactly you want to do about the situation... maybe you want to take some action. try that c) as I always say, get therapy Yes, first understand your true nature through Ramana Maharshi's self-inquiry, and then you will be in the best position to understand how to help with the problem of physical pain. It turns out that physical pain cannot affect your true inner peace. The enlightened may yell and shout and scream just like anyone else when in pain, but their inner experience is different. In truth, they are untouched, because they know who they really are. The world seems terribly unjust. When you understand your true nature, you will find out that all this pain and suffering and injustice is only an appearance. Your true nature cannot be affected by it. And if you do want to help the world, there is no better way than by finding your own peace -- then your mind will be in the best position to help the world find it. There's only one layer of the matrix. Don't confuse yourself with distinctions between so-called "nothingness" and "non-duality." The question is simple: are you in a state of clear, calm, peace even with your eyes open and you go about your life? If so, then stay there, whatever you want to call it. And if you leave that, come back to it. That's it. That actually is your true nature right there. Some day you will stop leaving that -- at that moment you will understand you actually never left it and never could leave it. As above. If you feel dissatisfied in any way ("Is there still an I?") then that is not peace. Continue the "doing nothing" or else the self-inquiry till you get to that vast, spacious peace that can be maintained with open eyes. Then don't bother to leave. 1. This is a misleading question and it'll be a misleading answer, but: 20 years that I was on the path. There is no longer a path. 2. Yes, it seemed that way. 3. Another misleading question. There is no "becoming" enlightened because we are all already that. The mind stopped searching, you could say, last year, after those 20 years. 4. After months of intense self-inquiry, and before that, decades of spiritual and psychological work on myself. 5. It is not possible. 6. Aligning myself with my true desire. Ramana Maharshi's self-inquiry.

Oh gotcha. Yes, this is not one of my interests, but thanks for the info. No, if the do nothing technique works for you, that's all you need. Self-inquiry also leads you to the state of pure being. Black and white thinking doesn't work, that's why. Life is far more complex than that. Nature may be fair but in ways that you cannot understand immediately.

The unenlightened are all victims this way -- the whole world is a continuous series of injustices. The only way to peace is to find one's true nature.

There is nothing wrong with being angry, though you should realize that the rapist is a rapist because of a complex background of his own... when you understand that background, you become less angry. In truth, when we are one and the same there is no rapist and no punishment either. When the mind is totally quiet these things disappear. But when we are talking about the world of rapists & punishments, then yes, there must be justice, not exactly punishment. There can be negative consequences to make sure the rapist does not hurt others, for example, and that society feels that this behavior has been condemned. Still, we should try to act compassionately and attempt to rehabilitate criminals if at all possible, and even if they cannot be rehabilitated, they must be treated humanely even in prison.

I used a combination of things: mainly psychoanalytic/psychodynamic therapy, expressive writing where I tried to capture my emotions as originally and accurately as I could, and trying out different things in the world and reflecting how I felt about them -- all so that I could become more and more honest about what I really wanted. That is what facing the shadow is really all about. What kind of channeling? When we find out who we really are, that is the best contribution we can make to solving these other problems.

The hot shower gave your brain a big dose of dopamine, which made you feel good and helped you regulate your emotions and impulsivity. Please go get therapy, it will improve your life a lot. Google "psychoanalytic institute <your city>" and call them and ask for a referral.

Yes, if you are honest about it. "This is what I really want and so this is what I am going to do." -- that is the right attitude Not: "Oh, I really want enlightenment but somehow I just end up chasing girls instead..." Anyway you can do both if you want. Chase girls & self-inquire while you are doing it.

Illusions and karma don't exist for the enlightened. Insects can feel pain and do have egos. Their experience is much darker and duller than humans -- that is the suffering involved. Think of how dull and out of control you are in a nightmare... Humans want to know truth and that is their opportunity to liberate themselves, which is a huge advantage. But I don't really know how karma works, because in truth karma cannot be said to exist. That is only said for seekers. As I said, for the enlightened, there is no karma. That enlightened "I" is the stillness beyond time and space, beyond all dualities, that light which knows itself by itself at all times, and for which enlightenment is not "attained" but is its unchanging nature. But the reality is this question cannot be answered in words. You will have to see for yourself by asking "who wants to know the answer to these questions?"

I followed the guidelines here and did Ramana Maharshi's self-inquiry. The truth is liberation does not really "happen" in the way that seekers think it does, but that said, I practiced for 20 years.

Yes.

Yes, karma is cause and effect, though it may go beyond physics. Traditionally, karma goes way beyond physical cause and effect and is about divine cause and effect. For example, acting immorally might be a cause of someone being reborn as an insect in their next life. But you said it yourself correctly: "there is no I. and no maya..." (and thus no karma).

Yes, it can help, but it's not a quick fix. Good therapy takes time. Contact the Seattle Psychoanalytic Society at (206) 328-5315 and ask for a referral. Psychoanalysis is the most intense therapy and it requires several meetings a week, but there are therapies which are less intense also available. They should explain all that. You don't see intelligence; you are the intelligence.

You can't have a theory of everything, though. The ultimate truth is beyond theories & words. You said it yourself -- "the ineffable." It is impossible to have a "complete understanding" of it when the very name says it all: ineffable -- that which cannot be spoken. Theories require speaking the things they are about. Therefore the ineffable cannot be understood in a theory. But anyway, that's all I'll say about it. If you enjoy thinking about this stuff, go for it.

Ok, you can say that if you want. What's the point? What does it buy you? it doesn't help science, and it doesn't help the spiritual quest.

I'm not sure what you're arguing... Consciousness is simply not reducible to matter. Remember dual aspect monism? If consciousness cannot be reduced to matter, then it cannot be created by the brain. The brain is matter.

We already had this whole discussion about the color green and all that earlier in the thread, remember? Can't say much more than that.

If you call it an "observation," there is immediately a self (well, technically a self-concept: that's not the true self, that's a false self) invoked. Any time there is a concept there is a self. In truth there cannot be said to be an observation. Even "thoughts of an observation" is a concept, and therefore that also involves a self. Giving up observation simply means relaxing the mind. Surrender. Self-inquiry is difficult to grasp... until it isn't. It's difficult because it's pointing to the blindingly obvious. You can't recognize it because it's so damn obvious. That feeling of "behind the eyes"... who is aware of it? "I am," right? The rule is: I cannot be that which I am aware of. So when you notice that feeling behind the eyes... that feeling that "I am aware of that feeling behind the eyes" -- where or what is that I? That's how you question. And whatever answer you come up with... go through the same sequence. When do you stop? When you have a little lightbulb turn on and the mind suddenly finds itself at peace. You'll know it when you find it. Yes, of course you cannot pinpoint me. That is the whole problem. And yet you have this feeling that "I am." So what is it? Yes, it is exactly that -- obvious and you cannot pinpoint it. And yet you must try very constantly to try to pinpoint it -- and if you do, suddenly it will open up and you will have a whole new perspective. Correct.

No, when you recognize your true nature, you will see why this question does not make any sense. You are not stuck in an illusion. That is the illusion. You are not stuck now, you were never stuck, you can never be stuck. The "illusion" is not actually trapping you, even right this second. It's hard to comprehend this as a seeker. Inquire into the "I" and you will understand.

When you realize enlightenment, you realize that you are not your body and mind. Therefore you were never born, do not die, and cannot be reborn.

Falsely implies an observer. Better to question the I, or else to give up observing... when you give up paying attention to the things around you, including your thoughts and feelings, the Self is what remains. It holds you always.

That can happen sometimes, yes... The therapist does not need to be on a spiritual path, as long as he is supportive of you being on your spiritual path. The key thing is that he helps you with your emotional obstacles. Do you feel like he listens? Is he nonjudgmental? You already said he does bring good insights to the table. These are the keys. If you feel like he is "trapped in ego," that is something you should bring up with him. That's a negative feeling towards the therapist that might be coming from your past, and that you and your therapist should be able to talk about together. Who is this "I"? Look into that and you will find your answer.

Interesting. think I can come across as very normal until people get to know me and they they might start to see how I'm weird.

There's nothing inherently wrong with them, but obviously it's not good if they're used out of craving/addiction/emotional dependency. Also, obviously they have risks associated with them of various kinds, so just be honest with yourself about that fact. I don't really think in terms of chakras, so can't answer that part. On the spiritual search you want to calm your mind and increase concentration, so whether masturbation is good or not relates to that. Depends on your personal psychology. For some people, not masturbating can calm their mind -- can take it away from constantly fantasizing about sex, watching porn, etc. Nothing wrong with those activities in themselves, of course, but they can make it harder to have a calm mind. For others, moderate masturbation might be the best way to calm the mind, and nofap might actually make the mind way more agitated. So it's a judgment call based on your individual psychology. You're trying to get to a place where you are not addicted to sense pleasures (of which sex is one). Nothing wrong with them, but dependence on them for happiness is a sure recipe for suffering.

Heh. It's only tiring if there's identification with the one who is answering

I have not, personally, no. The key is to look at much more than your gender, and examine your own individual psychology and figure out which path is the one that you feel able to follow.