Surfingthewave

@goldpower123 See yourself hitting the wall as you describe as a sign from the universe you're on the right track. Speaking from experience, when we hit a wall it's because we're about to make some significant gains. Backsliding is all part of the path. The main thing is you're aware of it, that's massive progress. Dust yourself off, pick yourself up and keep going. My final point to you is, what really is a habit? Break it down. It's a thing we do over and over, but why? I've been able to to deal with soft and hard addictions on the path and just laugh at my ego for all the game playing. However, new ones always crop up. It's sneaky but all part of the fun. Be kind to yourself. Every moment has potential, an opportunity for progress. Don't buy into the stories we tell ourselves.

@Raphael Yes our traumas can form a strong identity. It does become a strange loop. Yoga, journalling, talking to friends, walking in nature, listening to music and also taking time out to relax and process were other things that helped. I felt pretty exhausted by carrying all the heavy emotions around. It's important to be kind to yourself. Being afraid of resolving traumas is normal as it is a way of protecting yourself. In my experience working through it has super charged growth in other areas.

@Someone here It's one of the best questions you can ask. Use it as the basis of your practice, rather than theoretically to the forum. You are simply avoiding and procrastinating if you ask the forum. When you ask yourself - you are Self Enquiring. Ask only to yourself and ignore what others say.

@Raphael If you're resolving past traumas then this feeling of fear is to be expected, I went through something similar myself. For me the feeling of fear was not wanting to move towards difficult feelings. Once I had done, processed the feelings and integrated them they moved through me and I could let it go. It can stop you from self development. From my own experience, self care was reallly important during this process as was a good therapist. Also I stopped meditation for a while as the feeling of fear seemed to get trapped (for me meditation when dealing with my trauma not advised).

@neovox The ego loves a journey. Something to seek, something to achieve. The search for Enlightenment is a perfect thing for ego to get stuck to. When you drop the concept of it, as you so describe and focus more on the beauty of the present moment, peace and freedom arise. When we accomplish a goal we feel good, right? It's because the seeking has come to an end, but will quickly be replaced by something else. You cannot accomplish Enlightenment however, you just see more clearly. There are so many views and opinions as to this journey of seeking the Truth but really it's not anything, just a recognition. It is experienced experientially rather than achieved through thought, however. Keeping peeling back the layers of the onion, experientially, and you will most probably arrive at a realisation. The bullshit you describe is in fact the process that cannot be described. It cannot be found by "working hard" on xyz. Only you know when you have found it, as you no longer need to seek anymore. My one tip is follow your intuition, your gut, and not your mind.

You don't have to do anything Before Enlightenment - chop wood, carry water. After Enlightenment - chop wood, carry water. I've been feeling lost when contemplating the After Enlightenment bit. I realise it's not about doing anything it's about living life at a higher consciousness and trusting life will give me everything I ever need. Heavy Yoga Nidra session this week. Daily Breath work meditation. Following the Nidra session the next day I was feeling emotional, fragile and lots of thoughts. I was letting go of deep baggage to do with self esteem and identity. I no longer need outward events and feedback from others to feel good. I no longer need to work hard to get recognition. I no longer need success in my art to feel good. I do it to enjoy it. I feel good lots of ways, so many ways. This is massive progress and life feels light and free. My quest for wealth is deeply rooted in wanting freedom, which I actually have. Freedom from attachments to the now. I no longer put any demand on the moment. The Enlightenment trap is also the What After bit. Adyashanti talks about it in Emptiness Dancing. You are already free. There's nothing else you need to do.

@Gesundheit What you so describe can potentially be very damaging for people, triggering people's emotions. You're not helping people on here I'm sorry to say. Give yourself some love and attention you are looking for. That's the key to this. You will be helping others that way. I'm sorry to hear you are harsh on yourself. We attract what we give. Perhaps work on your limiting beliefs. Work on yourself rather than all this mental masturbation and justifying your position. Meditation, yoga, therapy etc etc.

@Gesundheit The dogged defence of the position you are taking , assumption of another's feelings or disregard for them and saying "your" a lot when interpreting another's comments. Agressiveness can be subtle but very clear. Absolutely you're right it is down to perception but the wider point is about what people gain from this position. It highlights a wider issue of males dominating over a female perspective when it comes to gender bias. A lot of people on here want to listen and learn, a lot of Enlightened folk want to spread joy and love to others. Compassion, empathy and love come with this work. Instead of jostling with the other (which as you say is imaginary) give yourself some self love. This work is counterintuitive. Think about the misuse of the term Enlightenment and perhaps how you have come to use it. @Samuel Garcia Great post. I look forward to hearing more.

@Gesundheit You say life has been rough with you, how so? Someone has been very aggressive towards you in your past, right? So much so you are carrying this anger into your present life. I would suggest spending time introspecting and contemplating the root of your anger. Shame is the basis for most anger. Good luck.

Psychological needs do exist after Enlightenment. Stop spreading misinformation. Or back it up with sources. Do you think you could be projecting? There seems to be a lot of perceptions of Enlightenment here, it is an incredibly unique experience so please be careful. Sometimes a thread needs to be closed. Moderators?

@Preety_India Who's they? It's not discussed much because this forum, particularly this part is dominated by young heterosexual males looking for dating advice. You're a breath of fresh air so keep it up! The status quo doesn't exist, it's just a lot of people moaning about the same thing from the same view point, creating fear. Opening minds with new experiences reveals a whole new "quo" and when it comes to dating this is needed. Gender and sexuality are actually fluid which impacts on the way relationships are perceived, therefore how dating is perceived. It takes a lot of consciousness and open mindedness to arrive at this realisation. Women don't want what a lot of men here think they do, but I'll be accused of gender wars so I'll stop here.

@Preety_India Great thread. I'm all for Game B, this is the way modern relationships are heading in terms of challenging and letting go of binaries around gender, sexuality, attraction, marriage,partnership, gender roles, prejudices etc etc Why does it make people feel uncomfortable though?

@Yahya Yes life is my passion. When you experience Truth, life becomes magical, mysterious and indescribable. Life becomes the most valuable thing, if you see it's infinite nature you will be passionate and grateful. You have to let go though and trust. Humans by nature want/seek to suffer as it keeps the ego alive. It starts with a sense there is something else. Follow that feeling and you will get there.

Because you are still believing the mind, the voice. Transcend the mind, you will find happiness there.

@Andrewww Think of five things that make you feel good. Do them, regularly. Now think of five things you are grateful for. Write it down. What brings meaning and purpose to your life? Pursue it. Do the above and you'll experience happiness.

@Bazooka Jesus I'm not quite sure what your point is. So what if he wasn't balanced, most great artists aren't!

@Bazooka Jesus But this begs the question, what is great art? Who cares? The more awakenings I experience the better quality and rawness of my art. Surely it's about an expression of this rather than what it looks like/sounds like etc. Yes I agree it's about what you do with that divine inspiration rather questioning do you have it or not. There is no separation between messenger and message. But many artists get caught in the trap of creating art to be successful rather than creating art to answer divine inspiration. John Lennon didn't give a **** about who listened to his work, he created masterpieces because he listened to his own inner guide. It's counterintuitive yes, but so is the root of pursuing Enlightenment.

@Andrei_Tabarna I think the expression of suffering is an important part of the artist's tool, yes. I also think @erik8lrl makes an important point about content and structure. To pursue Truth and Beauty in art is the path for a lot of artists and this may cause suffering along the way. As an artist myself it's more about the process rather than an end result. What I've realised is the artist's path is similar to awakenings, the practice of art is like an Sadhana. You leave the end result to God/universe/self. Suffering may come from too much attachment to the end result. Picasso had years of traditional training, but had major success when he threw the rulebook out the window and painted what he truly saw, letting go of the end result.

Teal Swan assumes alot despite her disclaimers. @Emerald has made some really important points about this issue of male containment, particularly the role it can play around femininity if there are feminine wounds around safety. Males will never know what it is like to feel unsafe as a woman, so it is important for females to explain this carefully if this is an issue in a relationship. Teal swan is coming from a very heronormative angle assuming sexuality and gender is binary. In many relationships this isn't the case. I think more and more there is fluidity in these areas, which could be why both genders can struggle with relationship roles and particularly managing attachment difficulties.

I think William Blake, Leonardo Da Vinci and Paul Cezanne were pretty Enlightened. As for musicians, David Bowie, John Lennon, Kate Bush, Dave Grohl, the list is long. I don't agree that the greatest artists that ever lived did not pursue Enlightenment, I think they did actually and their work is a testament to it.

@Zizzero Masculinity and feminity are cultural and social concepts. Gender differences have been influenced and shaped by hundreds of years of social conditioning. There are no masculine and feminine traits. It's all in the mind. In relationships, men shouldn't have to "live up" to societal expectations of what a man should be, neither should women, as it's all constructed, therefore illusory. Fear and upholding beliefs are behind a lot of the statements. And what really are beliefs? Bring awareness to why you are discussing what you are discussing.

Time What is time? We are obsessed with time - getting things done within a certain time, judging ourselves based on the years we've been or not been on the planet, using time to frame and structure our lives and always running out of time. I haven't got time for this, we say. Time to do this. I didn't get time. It's time. What happened to the time? But really time does not exist. It is a concept. There is infinity. There is consciousness. But what does this look like in terms of time? There is no comparison, it's like comparing an elephant with an apple. Totally different things. You cannot fit consciousness into the limits of time. When we drop the pressure of time, we relax. We enjoy the everlasting presence. This is timeless. The present = endlessness of time.

@Chris365 I like this analogy. It takes years to get here so well done. I think humans struggle with the word Emptiness. There are a lot of words which can have negative associations however as you describe, it is absolute Freedom. You're right about attributing blame, we like to take the blame and the credit! That's the bit that should wake us up. Life itself. But we're blind to the illusion.

When you stop seeking you will see: that which is, is.

The difficulty of this work Two things happened to me today, I hit a wall with this work but also had a deep realisation. This work takes you to the root of who you are, and can be difficult, emotional, draining and you can feel like giving up. But giving up myself is exactly what I am doing. It is these times that can bring you to your biggest and most deepest insights. I was aware today of the role I take on as "the seeker" . And letting this one go is the hardest. Wanting to give up this work is a feeling, a sensation which largely is your mind rationalising why you need to listen to you mind, or the illusion. There are so many traps, one of the biggest being the seeking trap. Today the big realisation was realising the profound reason to why I am here. To experience existence, ever changing presence. It was a fleeting moment which affected me deeply. I cried as I was suddenly aware of how I nearly died when I was born (due to complications) and how lucky I am to have the gift of life. Sometimes the most profound insights happen when you really and truly let go.