Inliytened1

Ahh..well that can make someone think they can't wake-up . You see you can't put the horse in front of the Cart. That's the same as saying everyone is already enlightened. Yes, they are in a sense because everything is the Absolute already. But there is a distinct shift in which one realizes they are the Absolute.

That's not it. That's a trap. There is actually awakening from this dream.

No self (you're not the self you thought you were) is awakening. All subsequent awakenings spawn from that.

Somewhere deep in the woods there dwells a wolf - eyes, a cold, ice blue. He dreams only to devour alien beings. For only aliens can be his prey. This is my spirit animal. And one day the Buddha stumbles foolishly into the wolf's den - but the wolf only stares sharply at him, curiously, and snarls.

As @Water by the River stated there is appearance...And appearance is reality so that's not a delusion. A better word is that the illusion is that there are humans that are unenlightened (or enlightened) This illusuon is the dream and the dream is appearance. Appearance without substance. Hallucination. That's what everything is. But the dream IS REALITY. Illusion IS reality! Hallucination IS fucking reality!

@Osaid the funny thing is if you meditated focusing on the now you could literally become the now and there would be a shift into what you could call God Consciousness or Infinite Consciousness. What do you think the now is - its Being or Infinity. That is a different or higher state of Consciousness - because the ego illusion that limits the mind is gone..and there are infinite degrees of this. And yes right "now" I'm imagining this but as Leo said imagination is also the Absolute. Everything is the Absolute. It just hinders your growth to downplay imagination and just talk about the now being all that's real. That's a big trap or a non-dualist trap you can fall into.

I have to disagree with you there Enlightenment is not a human dream. That's absurd. This is no human involved at all. God realization and Enlightenment are really one and fhe same. @Water by the River thus God realization the way i look at it is not lesser than a classic non-dual enlightenment or a natural Enlightenment. Anyone can get their own definition to a word.. but to me they should be the same thing. There are a series of realizations not just one. But the key here is that in enlightenment God realizes itself. So there isn't an ego involved.

I think this does a disservice to Existential Love - i think there should be a more comprehensive description of Existential Love - The flow of existence...yes, but much more... It is the connection between Beings. It is the connection between you and the crocodile. Or the tree. It is the connection with you and the universe itself - because you ARE the universe. It is that. It is not some lame definition that you heard from some spiritual guru - like Love is the that there are no differences between anything. Or that Love is just the flow of existence...I mean - It's that, but its much, much more. It is the flow of existence, and it is existence, but do these things melt you? Do they melt your heart? No.. The flow of existence does not melt my heart. Nor does telling me it is that there are no differences between anything. But that connection to other, that unity, that does. @Davino for whatever it's worth I find that music seems to be a portal to opening the connection.

This is good. I like to think it's more of a complete understanding of reality - and thus - the ability to see the ego for what it is...and all of it's foolish tricks.. all of it's foolish illusions that it tries to spin. It cannot compare to the higher illusion that God spins of course -- for God is the ultimate trickster - the one behind the ego puppet. The ego's trickery is mere child's play compared to that. But it allows one to look beyond these illusions and thus beyond suffering, so that when one gets caught up in it, they can quickly see through it for what it is..illusion.

This assumes death really happens to begin with..so now you are going down that rabbit hole. It also assumes there is one consciousness. Or asks whether there is one or multiple. So lets use this for now - If there is but one experience or consciousness at a time..then what would happen is you would die, or in other words awaken, but so you would go on as Infinite Consciousness until you dreamed the time when your body was to be brought back. Or you could dream that you become a butterfly- or a person that then is the one who unfreezes the body your consciousness previously inhabited. It's a mind fuck for sure. Nice one. But you see all the assumptions that need to be made to answer and how they could differ resulting in a different answer...

The crazy part is I know precisely what you mean. You are actually close to enlightenment. DP is enlightenment's evil twin, a phrase coined by Shinzen Young but it's very accurate from my direct experience as i have experienced both... But if you want to break out of the state you are in get back to thinking that the world exists independent of you. It exists in front of you, behind you, and behind the scenes. Get back into the materialist mindset and your sanity will return. Enlightenment isn't for the sane..in fact if you go all the way you won't have a back for there to be a void behind because you will be dead and in God mode. You'll be completely depersonalized.

Nice it's melting me right now as well. It can't be conceptualized I think that is a mistake. It just IS. But when you get it...boy..just watch out. It will melt you. Yes to feel it isn't the right word but still - it can hit you when you simply look in your dog's eyes. He is you but also the bond between the two of you is it. The oneness. The selflessness between the two of you which unites.

@Water by the River great stuff! Haha..don't take my name too literally I made it up 6 years ago 😀

Gotcha..just comes off as arrogant.

This is excellent havent got all the way through but love it so far!

Mayhap I should give him more but only in how he was instrumental in guiding you to where you were able to properly articulate these ideas. I got through two at most chapters of his book as I followed your videos and that was all I needed. Your videos. His book was just the icing on the cake. But now I bet if I sat down with him for two minutes I would probably walk out. I value the ability to connect far more than anything else. Cloud nine freakiness is something he can keep.

In those wild awakenings did you drown in Divine ecstasy? It's so fundamental that you will be too busy being it to need to understand it. Maybe you've already tasted it. If you are looking for some logical explanation of Love to be revealed to you on an existential level I don't think you can find it. Because the word Love in human language references an emotion. And it is that but existentially it is so much deeper. While nothingness, Consciousness, Infinity, and Oneness, those things line up to their definitions both on a human level and existentially. Wikipedia" Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure.[1]

@Water by the River you astound me. do you consider yourself enlightened? What are your thoughts on solipsism and idealism? YOUR thoughts- I want to hear it from you. You don't even have to be limited to these definitions - just talk about your ideas of Oneness and how far it goes. @Leo Gura he may sound like a broken record but he is one of the most interesting characters on the forum. But yes there is plenty else to talk about @Water by the River!! Expand your horizons immediately! 😀

@Lost SoulRalston doesn't acknowledge Love as an existential phenomenon- he sees it only as a human emotion. That's probably the biggest. @Leo Gura you seem to idolize him and give him way more credit than he's due. You're right he does not open to other perspective outside of his own. There are plenty of us genetic freaks out there it doesn't make him some special human.

Well others may have genetics for enlightenment but you have a genius intelligence when it comes to articulating these ideas and also uncovering the mystery behind them. That sets you far ahead of Ralston in my opinion - whether you have the genetic gifts for enlightenment or not - you still found it in your own way.

They were hand in hand from fhe start. Where do you think reducing comes from. But this is a nice way of tying it all together verbally.

There's much more to be to done.

It's identical. If you havent shaken and rolled across the floor from the waves of Infinity, nothingness, and Consciousness - (Divine Bliss and Being itself) than guess what - you havent awoken to Love.. There's more to go. Buddhism was the most accurate when it comes to awakening. And to my knowledge a specific awakening to Love simply isn't there. It wasn't for me either- because Love is the whole thing and doesn't have to announce itself. If you aren't writhing on the floor than you aren't awake. It you are than you know Love and Being. Love is a kundalini awakening. My awakening was spawned purely from meditation just as a side note. I still have my doubts about forced awakenings. But that is why I align with Peter Ralston. The difference is I acknowledge that all of it is Love.

I wouldn't go that far...but useless is a good word.

He's not Hitler. He would definitely improve the economy from where it is now. Just look at it without bias. Look where the economy was before Covid and now where it is under Biden. We were hitting on all cylinders. I voted for Biden last time but now...might be different.