Moksha

Lack of empathy and love. Awakening is seeing the sameness of yourself in others, and narcissism is only seeing the value of yourself.

The afterlife is no less real than this life. Does the dream end when this form ends? I don't know. I've read some credible NDE's that suggest it may not. It's possible the dream continues, through your dream character, in another form. If you read the mystics, they believed that even within the dream, we create impressions that carry forward into another form. Eventually, when you are ready, the cycle stops and the dream ends. I have not directly realized this, but the Upanishads suggest the possibility: He who is dying merges in consciousness, and thus consciousness accompanies him when he departs, along with the impressions of all that he has done, experienced, and known. As a caterpillar, having come to the end of one blade of grass, draws itself together and reaches for the next, so the Self, having come to the end of one life and dispelled all ignorance, gathers in his faculties and reaches out from the old body to a new. *** When the dweller in the body breaks out In freedom from the bonds of flesh, What remains?... I will tell you Of this unseen, eternal Brahman, and What befalls the Self after death. Of those Unaware of the Self, some are born as Embodied creatures while others remain In a lower stage of evolution, As determined by their own need for growth.

In my experience, they are qualitatively different. Most of my dreams are run-of-the-mill processing of experience, but some few have been profound.

Ordinary dreams are the brain's way of processing experience. If you are worried about something, it often manifests itself in a dream. Extraordinary dreams go deeper. I have had dreams that tunnel through the subconscious, to the Self beyond. They can be a direct pathway to insights, creativity, and beauty that aren't normally available to the waking mind.

Presence. It is less a habit, than the decluttering of the dysfunctional habits you have developed over the course of your life.

The Self that you are is always aware. The human brain is not. Even in your deepest, dreamless sleep the Self within is still entirely aware. Pure awareness is what it actually is.

@Ry4n Great insights, you are on a good path. While it's true that insecurity can motivate you, it never delivers the fulfillment that it promises. When your life is aligned with the inner Self, it becomes more about the journey than the destination. The simplest moments are deeply satisfying in their own right. People waste so much of their lives chasing accomplishments, or numbing themselves to suffering. That's ok, it is part of the spiritual journey too. When we are finally ready, we realize the futility of looking for meaning outside of ourselves, and discover the abundance that is already within. You're young and have your whole life ahead of you. Couple of caveats to keep in mind. Be careful about developing the identity of an enlightened being, rather than letting go of identity entirely. If someone is truly enlightened, they have no need for self-esteem, because they are essentially transparent. They still have a personality, but rather than being defined by it, they are translucent and Consciousness shines through them. Also, realize that enlightenment is a lifelong journey. It's easy to fall into the trap of believing you have "seen the light!" and will never fall asleep again. For most of us, awakenings are punctuated by periods of unconsciousness. Especially when a deep awakening occurs, the ego becomes increasingly desperate, and it's not unusual to go through a dark night of the soul. Eventually, things smooth out, but be patient and kind to yourself in the process.

Consciousness is always aware, even when it seems not to be. It imagines moving between the dreaming and the waking state, but it is still aware, regardless of the apparent state. No matter where it swims, the fish never closes its eyes. ? It is said of these states of consciousness that in the dreaming state, when one is sleeping, the shining Self, who never dreams, who is ever awake, watches by his own light the dreams woven out of past deeds and present desires… But he is not affected by anything because he is detached and free; and after wandering here and there in the state of dreaming, enjoying pleasures and seeing good and evil, he returns to the state from which he began. As a great fish swims between the banks of a river as it likes, so does the shining Self move between the states of dreaming and waking.

Plato's allegory of the cave resonates. People are chained to the wall of a cave, with their backs to the entrance. They can't see the fire beyond the cave, but its light creates shadows that dance on the surface of the wall, and they mistake these shadows for reality. Awakening is being unshackled from the cave, and stepping into the light. At first, the light is blinding, and it takes your eyes time to adjust. Eventually they do, and you see reality truly for the first time. Being filled with joy, you want to share this truth with those still shackled in the cave. But when you return, your eyes have to readjust to the darkness. The prisoners mistake your apparent blindness for foolishness, and attack you for trying to set them free. You can't unshackle yourself, but once you are free, it is an individual journey out of the cave.

Love and belonging is recognized in Maslow's hierarchy, and other psychological models, as a basic human need. As with every model, there are probably some exceptions, but for most it is important to our well being. If someone is fully enlightened, they will still probably engage with others, but the motivation is different. The Buddha didn't need others, and realized that we are ultimately the same, but he cared about helping people end their suffering, even within the dream.

Absolute Consciousness is beyond time, and perpetually creates and destroys the cosmos. The human mind can't grok paradox, or conceptually grasp how time intersects with timelessness. It is only directly realized as truth.

When the attachments of the self are dissolved, everything false falls away, including ambition. Engagement with life is lighter, and more pure. It is more about enjoying life and helping others, than about proving yourself. You still have to survive of course, but even that is easier because your work is improved by creativity and quality that wouldn't have been available otherwise.

The only proof of your absolute identity is non-conceptual, and is directly realized. When that happens, you will see the unity: The Self seems to move, but is ever still. He seems far away, but is ever near. He is within all, and transcends all. Those who see all creatures in themselves And themselves in all creatures know no fear. Those who see all creatures in themselves And themselves in all creatures know no grief. How can the multiplicity of life Delude the one who sees its unity? Your happiness doesn't hang on this realization. Enjoy the journey.

Is the I creating the magnificent universe limited to the little I that feels so crappy?

Senses are only a seeming. Ultimately, they don't actually exist. Consciousness creates the appearance of senses, but only within the dream that it imagines. The supreme Self is beyond name and form, Beyond the senses, inexhaustible, Without beginning, without end, beyond Time, space, and causality, eternal, Immutable. Those who realize the Self Are forever free from the jaws of death.

The form identity is not imagining this. Consciousness is. You can only imagine within the parameters of your parochial reality. Imagination is just a pointer. Consciousness creates, without being created. It feels, without having any senses. It indulges in form, while being formless. How better to define imagination?

@Red-White-Light Is it about becoming more intelligent, as measured by the SAT? Or is it about Self-realizing absolute intelligence and creativity? Which would you choose? There is a tiny intelligence, which humans vaunt as an achievement, and there is infinite intelligence, which Consciousness channels through the transparent you. Would you rather be a candle, or a magnifying glass for the sun?

It is the same destination, arrived at through the inward or outward path. Whether looking inward or outward, if the seeing is clear, there is no difference. It is all boundaryless Consciousness.

@Terell Kirby There are lesser awakenings that may not even be realized as such. Even children can have these moments of clarity, without seeing them for what they are. I agree that when "the awakening" happens, it is an irreversible paradigm shift. You may still fall asleep after, but the seeing is an inextinguishable fire that will ultimately consume your desires, until there is no you left, only the fire.

Awakening does feel like coming home. However, it is only the first step in the spiritual journey. Most of us, after awakening, fall back to sleep. The challenge is to remain awake for longer periods of time, until it is a perpetual state of being.

You're right to question your thoughts. Someone told me years ago that our thoughts can't be trusted. I didn't understand at the time, but now it seems obvious. Socrates realized it when he concluded, "I neither know nor think I know." I feel this is why absolute truth can only be directly realized. It is Consciousness resonating with itself, and is entirely non-conceptual. When it happens, there is no doubt.

@Thought Art Trust your instinct. It sounds like you have had insights, but have not awakened yet. Awakening is the direct realization of absolute truth, beyond any experience. If thinking is involved, it is not awakening. It is the direct spiritual resonance with your divine nature. This enduring realization of unity, where boundaries dissolve and you see the sameness of yourself in all things, is the purpose of life. But where there is unity, one without a second, that is the world of Brahman. This is the supreme goal of life, the supreme treasure, the supreme joy. Those who do not seek this supreme goal live on but a fraction of this joy.

Similarly, just because someone doesn't realize absolute truth through suffering or meditation doesn't mean others haven't. Psychedelics are appealing, because they require less effort than these other paths. Perhaps the insights they deliver are also less sustainable. How many people have learned not to suffer on psychedelics alone? Even after I understood the need to disentangle from my attachments to get there, it has not been an easy or rapid process. Instead of the instant enlightenment I envisioned from psychedelics, it has required years of incremental practice to even begin to get free of the conditioned feelings, habits, and unconscious urges that keep rising to the surface. And it's not that they have gone or will go away, but how I identify with them as I shift more toward the soul that Maharaj-ji reflected back to me. - Ram Dass

The memories of what happens to your form identity are relatively true, compared to what doesn't happen to your form identity. Time and events exist, within the relative cosmos, but they are not ultimately real. If I dreamed last night that I was flying, it is true that this was my dream. But was I actually flying?

@Thought Art ?