FoxFoxFox

The only mediation that could result in positive changes when talking about realizing the Self is the third one. Self inquiry is not analytical meditation. It will appear to be so if it is misunderstood and mispracticed. The purpose of self inquiry is to get rid of the non-Self so the Self can shine through clearly. The purpose is not to psychoanalyze oneself. In the words of the great sage Ramana, when asked to take out the trash, one takes out the trash. One does not sift through the bag looking at each piece.

Simply surrender. That would be best. A quiet mind would do you very good at this stage. You have already realized that the mind is incapable of finding its own source and is making you miserable. I suggest you practice inquiry. Whenever a thought arises, without completing it, cling to the "I-ness" that is inherent in every thought (for example in "My mind is on fire" you are admitting that there is a 'me' or 'I' that is the owner of the mind) and eliminate everything else. At some point you should be comfortable with realizing that this "I-ness" is Sat, being-ness, and that it alone is the truth. As part of your inquiry into this "I" you have to abandon all thoughts such as "I am a body" or "I am a mind".

@Consilience Traditionally described, meditation is the act of fixing one's awareness upon an object, whether a candle, a thought, or even one's own breathing - with the purpose of quieting the mind. Of course, different people use the term for different practices, and that might be the case with you.

@Gligorije Self-inquiry. It is the only direct method for knowing the Self. Meditation requires admitting the existence of objects which is duality.

What is ego? It's a collection of thoughts anchored on the fake "I" thought. Put a stop to thoughts and the ego disappears. There's no need for all this dramatization. What you wrote is the ego trying to trick you into thinking that it is immortal. How can it be immortal when it doesn't exist to begin with? In your example "I sit alone in lunch..." you are admitting that you identify with a body. Realize that the body is just a thought, and separate the I am from the body. Then try and find the source of "I". Just like that the ego disappears. It's no so hard to make the ego disappear.

That is just a thought. Let it go. It's a common argument the ego comes up with, that it has to die for God to shine through. But the ego doesn't exist in the first place, and therefore cannot die - meaning there is nothing to be afraid of.

The one looking out of your eyes is God. Everything is God.

Beliefs, and an "I" who drives the body is not necessary for the body to survive. As much as it might seem to not be the case, you - the ego - are in fact not in control of the body. To demonstrate that, the next time a thought arises, separate the object of the thought from it's subject - the "I" thought. For example, the next time you have the thought "I am hungry." separate the "hunger" thought-form from the "I am" thought-form". Doing this immediately dismantles the "hunger" thought, because you realize that it's just a name for an appearance in reality, and it by itself has no substance. Mind you, the point is not to get rid of the sensation of the hunger, do not be trapped in that paradigm. Hold on to the "I" thought for a while and see if you can find its source. The answer is that itself being a thought, is also insubstantial. Once you are able to let go of that thought, the division between "I" and the rest of the world breakdown, because all other thoughts are dependent upon the "I thought-form" to exist (if there is no concept of an I, then there can be no concept of a you). At that moment, you will see that the body moves about taking care of its own business by the unfathomable grace of the Self, without a need for an illusory driver.

@How to be wise Excellent answer. There is no mind-body problem to begin with.

@Luka Tepic I contemplated on this for a bit and have something to share: Let's assume for the sake of this discussion that it is in fact correct to talk about an enlightened being. Normally, this is not correct because there is nothing BUT the enlightened self. It is not correct to talk about someone or something that is enlightened because that assumes there is a duality between the enlightens Self and other things that are not enlightened. But nevertheless let's assume that we can. Let's also call this enlightened being by the Sanskrit term Jnani. The Jnani, having realized the truth of the Self, realizes that they are not the body. For them, there is no distinction between the different appearances within the self. For the Jnani there is no separation between the doer, the doing and the done. The Jnani understands that the Self alone is responsible for its own actions. The body being the Self, also functions independent of the "I" and therefore is only beholden to the undefinable will of the Self. Therefore we can say that Alan Watts was a Jnani because he was an alcoholic and depressed. He realized that these were the simply Karma, and thus mere appearances within the Self. Therefore he went with it. He did not assume an illusory responsibility for the wellbeing of the body, and so did not act to heal it, because he was liberated

Yeah, cats are masters of blissing out.

A true master.

@Truth Addict Dismantle. Get rid of all this nonesense. What you (specifically) need right now is an empty mind. Aim for that. I wish you success. Once you achieved that come back and we discuss the next step (ie. the illusion of the "I" @SoonHei tried to illustrate).

Jan Esman. Craig Holiday. Adyashanti. The three Kundalini masters that I know to be legitimate. Specially the first one I've had personal contact with and in fact was the person who activated my won kundalini.

@Tony 845 Sri Ramana's Maharshi's writing was particularly instructive. As for how it felt, it didn't feel any particular way. It was more like: "Oh yeah I've known this all the time."

Yes.

Kundalini dissolving into reality gives full enlightenment. If you have active kundalini, i sincerely recommend you seek out a qualified master.

@Salvijus Dismissing Kundalini is a real tragedy.

While rare, you can be simultaneously depressed and still enlightened. People don't want to believe this, but you can be the worst person in the earth and be enlightened. You can be depressed, suicidal, alcoholic, or a drug addict, and be enlightened. All of those things exist within the Self. The Self is independent of those things.

Well the pose does nothing. It has no importance in the scheme of things. You could just lie down but then you might fall asleep. I suggest you find something that works for you and stick to that. Once again, the pose does nothing.

Sit on a pillow.

It is preparing the body for upholding enlightenment. You can think of it as prepping you for enlightenment but once it happens you realize why the concepts of "I", "me" and "you" no longer make sense.

@Gligorije Who says there are things?

@caelanb Yes. The depth and breadth of his knowledge was phenomenal. I must have read his book "The Way of Zen" at least 10 times.

Not everybody has an active Kundalini. It's not that they skip it consciously but rather that they don't feel it. Kundalini is divine energy that by default lies dormant at the base of the spine above the muladhara chakra. When it's activated and energized properly it can break out of it's and begin to rewire your physiology in a way that allows you to uphold enlightenment at very intense levels. It is best worked on under the guidance of a qualified shaktipat master.