Moksha

Anyone. The universe teaches us through suffering. It is how it becomes aware of itself. Maybe there are periods where people don't suffer, but some see those periods as darkness rather than light. We only suffer until we no longer need to suffer.

Concepts are creations of the human mind. Without humanity, there would be no concepts. If ultimate reality is not the human mind, it cannot be conceptual. Transcendent reality is the ultimate mystery. We can try to understand and name it, but any pointers we create are not the mystery itself. We can see the mystery by realizing freedom from the attachments of this world, but even then we cannot name it.

As long as you don't mind your mind, there's no reason to change. Suffering is the ultimate fuel for growth. If you're not suffering right now, why would you seek enlightenment?

There is a difference between the conditioned mind and the unconditioned mind. It is possible to live in the present moment as awareness, free from the conditioned mind. When you do that, the mind becomes a tool. When you don't, you are a tool of the mind. There is an intelligence in ultimate reality that is beyond the human mind. Laws are intelligent and have a purpose. They are deeper than the world of name and form, and they rule this world. They cannot be created or destroyed. This intelligence is the substance of ultimate reality. Now forget all of that, and awaken to freedom from the conditioned mind

Let me think about that Experience can be absolute or relative. Absolute experience is nonconceptual; relative experience is conceptual. Concepts are bound to the world of name and form. The transcendent dimension is nonconceptual. The human mind likes to conceptualize in an effort to navigate life, but it is incapable of conceptualizing ultimate reality. We can only experience reality by awakening to the light that is us, and that awakening is only possible when we release the gravitational pull of the conceptual mind.

A couple of insights that resonate with some of those shared here:

The only thing worse than 95% unconsciousness for a day is 100% unconsciousness for a lifetime Maybe we're not doing so bad after all. From the Bhagavad Gita: It's all about the journey. To answer your question, yes I do find it draining sometimes to maintain presence in my life. Sometimes it's worse than draining; it can actually feel disorienting. I have found it necessary to apply moderation to my spiritual awakening. The Greeks had it right: "Nothing in excess."

The deepest insight is Consciousness becoming aware of itself. This is realized at all levels, from the individual, to the collective, to the cosmic. It is evolution in action.

It sounds like you're on a good path. The key to escaping the mind is to recognize when it is tugging at your awareness, before it pulls you in. At first, you may discover you've been unconscious for several hours before awareness reasserts itself. That's ok. You will eventually catch it in the moment that it is happening, and develop the skill to maintain no-mind even in turbulence. It is strange at first, an altered state of consciousness. I felt my mind fighting against it, a strong momentum to maintain the status quo. I am gradually becoming more astute at recognizing it but staying in stillness, without surrendering to the undercurrent of unconsciousness.

I agree 100%

Even the idea that the world isn't real is still a concept. Dreams and dreamers are concepts. These are pointers, but they aren't the realization itself. Awareness is ultimately a leap of faith. It is letting go of the conditioned mind, even letting go of the pointers, and directly experiencing Source in the Present moment. That primal experience is the beginning of healing, love, and Self-realization.

Yes, at least the only truth that can be known and the only truth with the power to transform the quality of our existence

Realizing that you don't know anything is the first step. It is good that you are getting tired of thinking. Your intuition is telling you that thinking is not the answer. Awakening is just a fancy word for realizing what you already have begun to realize. We are more than our thoughts. Not only is thinking unnecessary, but it is the source of most of our suffering. It promises to give us peace and happiness, but it never delivers. It is voracious, and as long as we identify with it, we will never be free to fully love ourselves. Practice awareness, without thought. Have you ever experienced something in nature so beautiful that it stunned you into silence? Have you felt awe, connection, tranquility, and joy simply by observing a sunset, the face of a child, or a flower, without thought? That is the path to love.

I was just suggesting that instead of worrying about whether or not the world is real, you might experience less suffering by walking the path that leads to less suffering.

As long as you are completely identified with your ego, you will never experience enduring Self-love. Enlightenment is a journey, not an event. Even after you first realize that you are not your ego, it is very likely that you will move into and out of ego for a long time. But even that first step of realization is enough to feel a degree of Self-love.

Enlightenment is love. Self-hatred is one form of suffering caused by identifying with the conditioned mind. Once you realize that you are not your conditioned mind, and practice dissolving the addictions that pull you into your own head, you will realize that you already love yourself and everyone else.

Completely conceptual. My humble question: are you still suffering? If so, maybe concepts aren't all they're cracked up to be

As I see it, enlightenment is experiential, not conceptual. It is not an understanding that you achieve; it is a resonance that you experience, where You become one with You. Literally, the word means "being filled with light". You will experience enlightenment, not when you suddenly know the answers to all questions, but when you recognize the dissolving of ego and the end of suffering.

Yes, this is why I see enlightenment as a journey rather than a realization. Many of us have experienced the awakening of ourselves to ourselves, but that is only the first step. The spiritual practice is to then sustain that awakening regardless of what is happening around us, and in the process dissolve our attractions and aversions. I doubt anyone in this forum is completely free from suffering yet. It is possible, but it has happened to very few people on the planet.

I believe the end of suffering begins when we realize that we are more than our conditioned mind. We still experience pain in life, but suffering is self-created pain: the state of mind-identification. When we are present in the Now, we are free from suffering.

Maybe that's why Source creates. Eternity.

I believe enlightenment is nonconceptual. There is no understanding beyond simply experiencing yourself as awareness, and learning to keep the flame of your presence steady despite what happens in the world around you.

For me, it's not that the existential questions have been answered, but that they no longer matter.

I see enlightenment as a journey, not an event. It begins with the realization that we are more than our conditioned minds, but that is only the first step on the path. Existential questions can be fun, but they can also become a distraction. For me, enlightenment is the process of sustaining presence in this moment, and participating in the creative purpose of the universe. It is ultimately dissolving our attachments, because we experience that everything we need is already here.

I just came across a Buddha story on the subject of this thread, and it taught me an important truth. Enlightenment is the path to living, not a course on metaphysics. Sometimes we (at least I) get caught up in concepts instead of focusing on the message of the Buddha. If you're interested, here's the story: