winterknight

The body is, in the end, a misconception.

It's not that one is experiencing the mind and body as not you, but that the mind and body are themselves only expressions of the Self. They are not independent of it. And when they are not independent of it, they effectively don't exist. Does a candle still exist sitting next to the Sun? To the outside, it might appear as if they exist. But in truth, they do not. Lots of paradoxes here, unfortunately. That's because we're trying to describe something that is extremely simple and obvious, something you experience every single second, and yet which is beyond words.

There's no such thing as enlightenment, so there's really no question about the fact. The idea of a person capable of deluding themselves about this fact is itself delusion. Hehe. It's all beyond logic at the end.

In truth there is no eyeball or knife or doer. Whoever sees those objects will have to decide that question.

Existence is a category. The truth is beyond categories.

Heh -- seemingly yes, but truly no.

Suffering is a misconception. When you look deeply into who seems to be suffering, you find out it never was.

No, no, no, self-inquiry and learning to become honest about what I really wanted, I don't know Well, that's one set of answers, probably the most accurate. I could give another set of answers to the first three questions: yes, yes, yes also there only appears to be, there only appears to be, there only appears to be or: the question is incoherent, the question is incoherent, the question is incoherent Heh.

The problem is that the very idea of "something" is itself grounded in the misconception of the ego. Pursue that ego and the question will disappear.

They cannot become barriers, because there is ultimately no barrier to what you are. No barrier can stand in the way. Your path is guaranteed. Just keep going. You are assured of victory.

This is a tricky question for me to answer -- I don't really think of things in that way. I know some people consider an absence of self-referential thoughts to be the hallmark of a quiet mind, but the truth is that I think the distinction is artificial. Anything that is recognized as a "thought" has an element of self-reference to it. Whether one says the word "I" or not, if there is a thought, there is an implied I. The sense of disturbance that accompanies it, that sense of "identification," is really what might mark it as self-referential. The problem is that that sense of identification is itself an illusion... so we are asking about the details of a mirage here.

Oh, very good question. Is there something? Who says that there is something?

They seem mainly to be places where people compete over who is more enlightened, and who knows better than who else. The actual quality of advice and discussion is almost always very low, and people usually talk past each other. I don't mean just this forum. I've seen it many other places. Why is that?

I was a long-time spiritual seeker for decades. Now I'm a finder -- and am doing a little market research on the teaching side of things, to see whether I want to teach. Any help or thoughts would be much appreciated. What I'd like to know is, if you're a seeker... What kind of help with the spiritual search do you most strongly want and need -- and what would you be willing to pay for it? (If you wouldn't ever be willing to pay -- that's fine, too, just let me know) --one-on-one coaching? --an e-course? --an app? --something else? What would draw you to a particular teacher or method over all the million others who are out there screaming that they know what they're talking about? What are your biggest obstacles and difficulties which you cannot find help with? Do you like the idea of a teacher who is affiliated with a specific tradition -- or do you prefer one who is not part of a tradition? Anything else you want to add? Thanks!