Water by the River

Not so good for ones inner Feng Shui. Answering your questions is not for the faint of hearted considering the occasional, um, "tough love feedback" But, as in Dinner for One, I will do my very best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XKFoF8jWgE Lots of Love from the chap selling Water by the River!

Koans you can have from SWbtR. I assume that the gig with the cane you can get from other Sellers by the River. Too lazy for that... Koan: So who exactly is mumbling "Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses" towards certain Water Sellers by the River? PS: Just let the Limitlessness you write about saturate and drench your life. Sounds like a good and potentially quite relaxing path to me. Godspeed!

"It is neither being nor nothingness": Madhyamaka: "Its character is neither existent, nor nonexistent, / Nor both existent and nonexistent, nor neither. / Centrists should know true reality / That is free from these four possibilities." in (Not quite) guilty as charged by the River

When you say that absolute being/consciousness is dreaming reality, you are operating from a limited perspective. You perceive the reality of form as a hologram, a mirage, that "consciousness" dreams. something without substance. For you, enlightenment is the perception that this consciousness is permanent. This undoubtedly implies that you haven't opened yourself to the essence of reality. Form is not a dream; it is the inevitable expression of totality, and any form contains totality in the same way that it is contained within it. Truly, any form is totality. Conciousness is just an expression, a possibility that happens , the reality is beyond conciousness and unconsciousness. Absolute reality is a bottomless, boundaryless abyss that is conscious because consciousness arises within it, since its potential has no limitation. But what is is not consciousness. The reality of form is not a tranquil dream of consciousness at play, but the inevitable expression of total depth, a manifest potential that contains totality in its absolute plenitude. The Buddhist perception of form as illusion is a closed perception. It is purely mental, but without the essential openness, which is that of the "heart" in quotation marks, signifying the real substance of reality, its unlimited vitality, its total power. Look, everything that exists as form unfolds in infinite forms; this is absolute life, total glory. Nothing is illusory; everything is real, because the depth of everything is absolute. The depth of a thought encompasses all of reality. Illusion or mirage implies flatness, and that implies limitation. The unlimited lives, and its life is total, because it has no limits. Well, poor chap Selling Water by the River. Writes a disclaimer... So that means all pointers are.... limited! Because a pointer/word/statement is by definition... dualistic and limited. ... and then gets a Pleads guilty as charged I guess. Maybe you like Halaw, especially the statement marked in red: ... and "even consciousness itself". and https://www.actualized.org/forum/search/?&q=Halaw&author=Water%20by%20the%20River and https://www.actualized.org/forum/search/?&q=sentience&author=Water%20by%20the%20River and https://www.actualized.org/forum/search/?&q=Neti%20Neti&author=Water%20by%20the%20River If you allow, before we turn in circles and many replies are requested, instead of continuing discussing about pointers which are by definition insufficient and limited (see the disclaimer), lets do a shortcut. You can consider the quote below as a general answer in case I can't always give feedback on your points and questions: Besides: It is very good that you don't equate (self)-consciousness (which is an appearance) nor anything else that is merely temporarily arising with Absolute Reality. Neti neti. Chanting who is stating all these points again by the River PS: “That which is not present in deep dreamless sleep is not real.” -Ramana Maharshi PS PS: Complaints and unclarities about this statement please directly to its author. Preferably in the form of a Koan. Because the essence of Ramana is also right here, right now.

Depends: 1. If the thought hypnotizes, then maya. If it moves through ones Infinite Being like the wind, non-grasping, non-hypnotizing, its essence seen immediately once arising out of ones Infinite Being, as ones Infinite being: then the manifestation of the Absolute in the form of a nongrasping/non-hypontizing conceptual thought. Although, paradoxically, there is only Absolute Being and its dream-arisings/mere apperances, either hypnotizing/maya/gripping, or non-gripping/non-hypnotizing. It is fully realizing what one can never not be. What Reality is. Not as idea, but as always available realization, beyond any possible doubt. Because that would just be more thought dream-arisings happening within ones True Infinite Eternal Reality/Being. Besides which nothing can exist. That which is always the case. Truth/Absolute has to be present always, even in Deep Sleep. That gives an idea how utterly empty and non-personal, yet real and permanent/timeless Absolute Reality is. Koan: What is Deep Sleep? What is present in Deep Sleep and right now also? Necessarily always and eternally so? Truth. Unborn. Ones True Infinite Eternal Being. Infinite Consciousness/Being. Giving rise to all manifestations/arisings as the Clear Light of mere dream appearance, lucid and ultimately empty of self-existence. Infinite Consciousness/Being, dreaming all possible realms, dreaming all illusion-beings. Utterly impersonal, silent in its raw-state, and eternal and unborn in time. An Infinite Abyss/Opening, yet containing all possible appearances and realms arising within this Opening of Reality. And yet giving rise to illusion arisings/appearances of personal, separation, center, location, Maya. And of course all words/pointers are based on Duality, and ultimately fail. So, much more precise than pointers are Koans. Like: Koan: Who exactly is asking this question again? Who or what is this Openess/Opening? Selling Water by the River

Zen at War - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_at_War -> Wilber-Combs Lattice Complicated dream...

You made me smile. . Sorry that I didn't ask about your metaphor. Didn't understand it while reading it the first time. I guess for ones Inner Feng Shui "selling Water by the River" helps a lot for not taking ones dream-endeavours too serious/grasping. Extreme 1: Going into a cave & smile and wave: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4tF7e_2Gvw is a bit extreme, and taking it all really serious & hard selling is also an extreme: Extreme 2: Hard Selling: The other extreme, grasping "selling sand by the mirage, and constantly trying to convince others that it's water" - There are large organized religions and many Solo-Prophets engaging in that business, and never quite delivering the promised results. So that dream-field is already quite crowded. I prefer the more relaxed Selling Water by the River approach-congregation, like Harada for example. If one can say something like Harada at the end of this dream-cycle, I assume one has been smiling for the latter 40 years engaging in a balanced approach of responsible dream-walking: For forty years I have been selling water by the bank of a river. Ho, ho! My labors have been wholly without merit. Forty years of selling water by the river, and about fifty years before that gathering water in a wicker basket. Ho, ho! - Sogaku Harada

For forty years I have been selling water by the bank of a river. Ho, ho! My labors have been wholly without merit. Forty years of selling water by the river, and about fifty years before that gathering water in a wicker basket. Ho, ho! - Sogaku Harada So why should SWbtR end up with more merit than Harada? PS: Chapt-GPT: Interpret "In my observation, the main thing that will get the "Everyone is already enlightened/God-realized/whatever" crew to wise up is continued suffering of the self-contraction. And then, hopefully, at some time this life or the next, transcend the self-contraction and let it die&release, which most often a daunting endeavour since it is a form of Harakiri. And yet, all ships end up in the Ocean. The River knows the ocean, and carries all ships slowly towards it, over many lifetimes. But most of the ships do not know the ocean. Some ships traveling the River declare that they already swim in the ocean and declare that there are no sandbanks of suffering in the River. And since the chap Selling Water by the River has limited trust in his abilities to convince these ships about the existence of sandbanks, sometimes a & Godspeed shout from the bank of the River has to be sufficient. Shouting Godspeed & bon voyage & sandbanks to all fellow appearing ships in the River. And selling water. By the River." This poetic and metaphorical passage is a critique of a certain kind of premature spiritual certainty—specifically, the claim that "everyone is already enlightened/God-realized/whatever." Here's a breakdown of the metaphors and meaning: 🔍 Core Ideas 1. "Everyone is already enlightened" - A critique The speaker refers to people who claim that enlightenment or realization is already fully present in everyone, and nothing needs to be done—no path, no practice, no transformation. The speaker argues that this belief, while perhaps metaphysically appealing, often ignores the lived reality of suffering, especially what they call the "self-contraction"—a term often used in nondual and spiritual traditions to mean the sense of separateness, ego, or personal identity. 2. "Continued suffering of the self-contraction" as a wake-up call The speaker suggests that continued suffering is what eventually forces people to re-examine their spiritual certainty. True transcendence of this self-contraction is possible, but it's daunting—compared to Harakiri (ritual suicide) because it feels like the ego/self must die. 🌊 River, Ocean, and Ships — Spiritual Metaphors River: The journey of spiritual development or life across lifetimes. Ocean: Enlightenment, God-realization, or union with the divine. Ships: Individuals on the spiritual path. Sandbanks: Obstacles, suffering, egoic attachments that remain unacknowledged by some. Some ships think they’re already in the ocean (already enlightened), denying the presence of sandbanks (suffering, delusion). But the speaker implies that they’re still in the river—on the way, not at the end. 🧘 "Selling Water by the River" — The Speaker’s Role The speaker takes the humble, somewhat ironic role of someone offering help (water) to those already surrounded by water (the River)—a reference to the Zen koan: “Selling water by the river,” which points to offering teachings where they’re already available or pointing out the obvious. But they also acknowledge the limits of their influence: they can't force realization or insight, so sometimes all they can offer is a smile ("🙂") and a Godspeed. 💬 Closing Tone There is a tone of gentle resignation, compassion, and quiet wisdom. The speaker blesses everyone on the path—regardless of whether they acknowledge the obstacles or not. “Godspeed & bon voyage & sandbanks” is both a blessing and a warning: may you travel well, but also be aware there are real challenges ahead. “And selling water. By the River.” — with humility, they continue offering guidance to those willing to receive it. 🧭 In Short: This passage is a poetic message to spiritual seekers—especially those who claim to have arrived. It reminds them that real realization often involves confronting deep suffering and ego-death, and that the journey isn't over just because someone says it is. All will eventually reach the ocean, but until then, be wary of sandbanks—and kind to fellow travelers.

In my observation, the main thing that will get the "Everyone is already enlightened/God-realized/whatever" crew to wise up is continued suffering of the self-contraction. And then, hopefully, at some time this life or the next, transcend the self-contraction and let it die&release, which most often a daunting endeavour since it is a form of Harakiri. And yet, all ships end up in the Ocean. The River knows the ocean, and carries all ships slowly towards it, over many lifetimes. But most of the ships do not know the ocean. Some ships traveling the River declare that they already swim in the ocean and declare that there are no sandbanks of suffering in the River. And since the chap Selling Water by the River has limited trust in his abilities to convince these ships about the existence of sandbanks, sometimes a & Godspeed shout from the bank of the River has to be sufficient. Shouting Godspeed & bon voyage & sandbanks to all fellow appearing ships in the River. And selling water. By the River.

Excellent meant excellent. He is completely correct with his statement. The ship is on course so to say, so godspeed. For me. it seems he is currently a bit irritated with the corruption of the fellow members of our human-family. Who could disagree concerning that, here on our lovely planet Earth where in our times it seems that mostly the 2nd,3rd and 4th graders of the Kosmic Kindergarten Schnool of Souls incarnate? The cure for that is compassion/love/Boddhichitta, or else one continues a bit, um, irritated considering all the daily show of madness of this world. Awakening and and compassion/love are the two legs on which stable Awakening in daily life rests, but he will find that out also in time In schāʾa ʾllāh if God wills. And then he will smile on all children of his Infinite Being. And the children will tend to smile back. Watching the ships by the River & back

Excellent. Retired by the River

https://www.actualized.org/insights/actualized-quotes-238 "Reach a point where you know nothing at all. This is the closest state to God. God is not known like other things. God is experienced as an infinite mystery." Chapeau! Neti Neti https://www.actualized.org/forum/search/?&q=Neti%20Neti&author=Water%20by%20the%20River "The applause of the unprincipled is not only worthless, it is a warning." — John Ruskin

I have consumed all the resources you provided. I have mixed feelings. I see truth in what you said above. A highly spiritual but well-integrated soul should be able to immerse itself in a world that embodies both divine form and divine formlessness. But simultaneously, I also feel that there is truth in the last incarnation video. If a soul has reached the highest level of spiritual accomplishment on Earth, then it's sensible that Earth might seem too boring and lowly. Consequently, the soul should feel out of place in this world. I resonate with both ideas. I'm not interested in human affairs or in humans in general. I feel as though I'm an alien. But I also love some human accomplishments such as laptops, the internet, AI, etc. I love walking and running on concrete roads with grasses and trees on each side, enjoying my solitude. I love enjoying beautiful girls and experiencing the 4 seasons, especially autumn. But I also love trading currencies, considered low-consciousness by many spirituality enthusiasts. I'm not interested in business in general, but I really feel excited to start a business involving a modern 2-story cafe, secluded in romantic natural scenery. The cafe is a mixture of modern and ancient styles - a concrete building but with surrounding balconies on the 2nd floor, resembling a Japanese castle. It feels very good imagining myself just hanging out on the balcony drinking coffee and eating cookies while watching the nearby spring or autumn trees on the horizon. This is divine beauty and spirituality. From time to time, I feel I'm a mystery to myself. I asked for Deepseek's analysis of what I just wrote. The analysis is impressive but its thought process is even more impressive. "And I realized that this being appeared very briefly and said, “you know, the challenge with humanity is not that you’re too incarnated, it’s that you’re not incarnated enough.” And that was such an interesting and provocative statement that I thought, “okay, what exactly does that mean?”" https://batgap.com/david-spangler-transcript/ The quote is from the book Apprenticed by Spirit, David Spangler. Integration/Balance/healthy exchange on all levels of being = Joy and health, and full incarnation (with the potentials of the higher realms also incarnated). Or suffering and escapism, state chasing, and so on. Ken Wilbers take on that: Wake up, grow up, clean up, show up. A synonym for trying to live a happy and joyful, with integration on as many levels of being as possible. A physical universe with near 100% congruent physical/chemical/biological/mental/psychological rules/cause effect (aka little to no magic) is one of the playgrounds of Spirit. Subtle Realms with a near immortal subtle body and no need to bring food on the table.... maybe your soul considered that a bit boring previously?

Endless. No problem. Space is imagined, and your thinking sounds like 3D-thinking and bubbles. 3D-space, and any space, and any dimension (and be it n-dimensional) is just imagined. Space is not real. Absolute Reality is dimensionless and contains/manifests/imagines endless dimensions. Just add a 5h dimension to our 3D-world (and 4th dimension is time), and this 5th dimension is the endless amount of further perspectives/"beings" that are "forgotten" real-time. Et voila, you have endless beings/perspectives, but only one formless and infinite (and that is not not 3D-space or any space/dimension contained) fundamental Reality/Awareness. Add one more dimension and you have endless universes. Cluster them, loop them, do all kind of funny things with them. Mathematics can easily do that with Euclidian or Non-Euclidian dimensions, and mathematics is contained by Reality, so Reality can do it. Now mathematics can handle endless dimensions, and these can even be looped/contained/whatever funny non-euclidian dimensions are possible. Indras Net is just a simplified model/version of the One Reality looking through an Infinity of perspectives/beings/eyes. https://www.actualized.org/forum/search/?&q=Indras Net&author=Water by the River https://www.actualized.org/forum/search/?&q=leavitt&author=Water by the River

Exactly. And conversations between Solipsists & Solipsism aficionados always seem to end a little bit like this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCkerYMffMo Solipsists in the plural is a contradiction in itself, but hey.... Selling Water by the (only) River

An appearance. A higher/multidimensional, very durable (survives this life/death) and complex higher dimensional being/apperance (more than 4 dimensions). Ziewes Out-out-of-body experience of the soul: "I was fully awake, and suddenly, it was as if I was seeing myself in the totality of us, in a higher state of consciousness. What I saw was myself—not as a human being—but as millions of energy centers. I could focus in on any one of them. Each energy center was a part of me. Some of these centers held past lives. Others carried unresolved issues problems I hadn’t addressed or had neglected. Some centers represented unfulfilled relationships, experiences that hadn’t been fully lived or resolved. I realized that some of these energy centers were versions of me living on completely different planets. I could actually zoom in on any center and gain a complete understanding of what that life was about, what it had left behind, and how successful or incomplete it had been. I could have spent an incredibly long time exploring all these past aspects of myself—each one forming a part of the totality of who I am. Then, I became intensely aware of the darker aspects—parts of myself that hadn’t yet been resolved. It became clear that there was a kind of mechanism at work. The moment my attention was drawn to one of these energies, something would activate—a process that began aligning other energies or paths with it. Before I knew it, I began to see possibilities. There were opportunities to heal, to resolve these energies, and to bring everything back into harmony." (ChatGPT time-stamp-removal) See also similiar experiences at David Spangler (last book quote, and also his biography), and many other (also historic) cases. And what does this evaluating/life-reviewing/new-life structuring? Something like "cosmic" AIs/Intelligences. We already have AIs, so of course Reality holds incredible powerful AIs and/or higher Beings/Intelligences. So basically, the soul is like when you save the game in a Roleplay-game at every moment, but only the character-skills/points/exerpiences/impressions... get saved, and then put into a new adventure/story-line/incarnation afterwards. And then one learns on some more skills/points and so on. Ain't we are having (imagined) drama, tragedy, horror, adventure, comedy&love, and fun? And the Koan de jour: Who is the player of this game, who is all players while forgetting these other player-perspectives real-time, the game-maker, the world-creator, the game-mantainer? Who imagines and contains all these vast appearing/imagined realms and vastly intelligents "AIs"/Beings/Aliens crossed because of copyrights/tm and replaced by: Higher-Dimensional Beings/.... ? And who is maybe also playing completely different games than the soul/reincarnation game? "What" is "that" Reality which can not not be here? Playing a bit with Apeirophobia by the River, and then relaxing (since, you know, assuredly & verifiably always here with nowhere else to go) and going swimming in the warm River... PS: China? Difference to Germany: The trains are on time. But I still prefer my teutonic hometurf. The flight back passes Dunhuang pretty close (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mogao_Caves) and the Silk Road nowadays, since when one flies with the Austrians they are no longer allowed to fly over the Russians. Very interesting track compared to the usual Siberian track.

Here are first-hand-experience reports of a life of OBEs: https://www.youtube.com/@jurgenziewe9125/search?query=reincarnation And to continue with the bad habit of quoting my own posts : https://www.actualized.org/forum/search/?&q=reincarnation&author=Water by the River This "taking the last incarnation" sounds a bit like the "escapism" of early Buddhism/Hinayana/Theravada and so on. Why should an experienced/old soul not be able to handle an incarnation even in a physical realm more or less gracefully, without feeling too much out-of-place (been there, done that before), and hence try such an adventure once more? Maybe even be a bit helpful for its fellow incarnated adventurer-heroes? There are many realms to incarnate, (subtle realms for example, where it is not so easy to die), many evolutionary paths, many Lilas. Physical realms are just very structured, with clear cause-effect (physical, biological and chemical and higher level consistency of cause-effect, aka "not much magic") and dependend on a quite "breakable" body which follows these rules. Starting in the Astral levels (Afterlife realms), that is changing - already dead, so not much need to work and put bread on the table. Then there are subtle realms and realms beyond these Astral Afterlife-realms altogether, with different evolutionary paths and modes of existence, some more alien multidimensional/higherdimensional and beyond human imagination. Concerning these topics, David Spanglers Subtle Worlds: An Explorer's Field Notes is an interesting work. And his magazin Views from the Borderland (from which all issues are still available). And all of these games are imagined by just One (without a second) Infinite Being, playing with itself in its endless comedies, dramas and tragedies and any other Theatrical style available- Who is that again?

Very good. Ones True Being. Can't loose it. Only mistake it with an illusion that was never really the case. Since yours truly has his chinese weeks... : "There is something formless and perfect before the universe was born. It is serene. Empty. Solitary. Unchanging. Infinite. Eternally present. It is the mother of the universe. For lack of a better name, I call it the Tao." "The Tao is the infinite, common source; eternally present within you. No beginning, no end. The essence of wisdom. Just be." and Huang Po: "All the Buddhas and all sentient beings are nothing but the One Mind, beside which nothing exists. This Mind, which is without beginning is unborn and indestructible." And one can call "It" Tao, Buddha-Mind, God, Absolute, Infinite Mind, Raspberry, whatever, even emptiness (although this is also a state-experience that comes waaay before Full Enlightenment). But then one has to immediately say something like form is emptiness and emptiness is form and more important: the Absolute is Reality itself, or else one may just point to a void/causal state, of which there are many.... and these states can be had by a separate-self-illusion without understanding Reality/Totality/Ones True Being. Short Form: Talk about emptiness or experiencing emptiness is in no way already Full Enlightenment. Kensho vs. Satori. This is a nuance that our host either hasn't gotten yet, or deliberately tends to overlook/under-emphasize, in order to bash some more non-enlightened Buddhist resulting in mucho-grande-marketing (sorry, couldn't help : ) highlight the fact that each Full Enlightenment is expressed in the relative form of the relative being (or rather hangover by then) which had had that realization that it really is the Totality. Of the course the Alien tends to see a bit more of the waves of the Ocean, but the Alien (and all there is and ever possibly could be) is still ones True Self.... Infinite and such. Delighting in the fact that one doesn't need a visa anymore for business trips to China and that neither the Tao The Ching nor Huang Po has any remaining valid copyrights left ... by the River PS: @emil1234 I will answer your questions in the next days

Well, um, our host & hero has started promoting meditation. Has realized the limits of psychedelics . Is becoming a nicer human being daily. More and more humble, benelovent and lovely. Chapeau! Less and less self-importance. (Which is btw. the No.1 killer of Awakened Awareness, don't ask me why I am an expert on that... ). "So yeah... Actualized.org solves the entire problem of epistemology, which is why it's so unique and powerful. It's not just some self-help or spirituality channel, it's an absolute solution to epistemology and ontology. Yeah, it took insane intelligence to solve that. The number of humans on this planet who understand the Infinity of Frame can be counted on one hand." Ok ok, but the trend is in place And since I will be going for a business trip to China soon, lets conclude that a bit with the Tao Te Ching: "The Master’s power is like this. He lets all things come and go effortlessly, without desire. He never expects results; thus he is never disappointed. He is never disappointed; thus his spirit never grows old. The great Way is easy, yet people prefer the side paths. Be aware when things are out of balance. Stay centered within the Tao. The Tao nourishes by not forcing. By not dominating, the Master leads. The Master views the parts with compassion, because he understands the whole. His constant practice is humility. He doesn’t glitter like a jewel but lets himself be shaped by the Tao, as rugged and common as a stone. He who defines himself can’t know who he really is. The Master’s power is like this. He lets all things come and go effortlessly, without desire. He never expects results; thus he is never disappointed. He is never disappointed; thus his spirit never grows old. " Singing by the River "as long as ones own imaginations are still annoying, "the" Infinite Mind is still ones teacher" PS: Now to the actual topic: "There is something formless and perfect before the universe was born. It is serene. Empty. Solitary. Unchanging. Infinite. Eternally present. It is the mother of the universe. For lack of a better name, I call it the Tao." And one can go wave-surfing on the ocean (nearly) forever, have fun, explore, suffer, understand, forget, and so on and on and on. Or just drop the illusion, dissolve in the Ocean (as you guess what ) and acknowledge having always been the ocean emptiness H20 THAT once more. And if that dropping happens or not also depends on the soul, and if it has done enough wave-surfing or not. "“When there is no desire, all things are at peace.”"

"Among all things existing in the animate and inanimate universe, there is not one single thing that has not been created by me, nor is there a cause that does not derive from me. Thus I am the essence of all, and nothing surpasses me. I am superior to the three dimensions, to the Buddhas of the three times, to the Vidyadharas, to the Bodhisattvas, to the beings of the three worlds, to the whole animate and inanimate universe, because I am the maker of all. Before there was any other teaching I, that am the source, pure and total consciousness, disclosed the teaching of pure and total consciousness." Apologetics? Doesn't sound quite apologetic to me . Chanting "Listen, Sattvavajra! I will show you your own nature. You are me, the source. I am and have always been pure and total consciousness. What is pure and total consciousness?" by the River

The Supreme Source (link above, and quotes/excerpts below) is by the way no obscure or niche author or scripture, but the Kulayarāja Tantra, the "main Tantra of the early Great Perfection tradition", or Dzogchen. "The Kunjed Gyalpo is the main tantra of the early Great Perfection tradition during the "Era of Fragmentation" (9th–10th centuries) period. As such, it is a key source for the early teachings of Dzogchen, ...." from Kulayarāja Tantra - Wikipedia And Dzogchen is, besides Mahamudra, the highest developed meditation system in Tibetan Buddhism. Ati-Yoga, the highest stage. Leo Gura: Yes, Buddhism is precise in that respect. But I have not read any Buddhist description of God-Realization. And no Buddhist I talk to can properly tell me what God is. Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, The Supreme Source: "I am the teacher, pure and total consciousness, whence everything manifests. Pure and total consciousness is the supreme source, it has created the Buddhas of the three times, from it have arisen the beings of the three worlds and the whole animate and inanimate universe. [... ] Pure and total consciousness has created everything and has not created anything. It has created everything because it has created its own nature, pure and total. It has not created anything because within it there exists no need to create. When my nature is not understood and the phenomena that manifest from me become the object of judgement, desire and attachment give rise to the creation of concrete vision that is impermanent and destined to vanish like a magical apparition, and one becomes like a blind man who does not know what is happening. [...I" "As I transcend all affirmations and negations, I am beyond all phenomena. As no object exists that is not myself, I am beyond meditating on a view. As there is nothing to keep apart from myself, I am beyond a commitment to observe. As there is nothing to seek other than myself, I am beyond obtaining the capacity for spiritual action. As no place exists outside myself, I am beyond a level of realization to surpass. As I have never encountered obstacles, I am beyond [everything] as self-arising wisdom. As I am the ultimate unborn nature, I am beyond [everything] as the [true] subtle ultimate nature" "I am called "the perfect condition" becauseeverything is contained in me. I am called "the source" because the teacher, teaching, and disciples arise from my three natures" "I am the essence of all phenomena; nothing exists that is not my essence. The teachers of the three dimensions are my essence. The Buddhas of the three times are my essence. The Bodhisattvas are my essence. The four types of yogins are my essence. The three worlds, of desire, of form, and without form, too, are my manifestation. The five great elements are my essence. The six classes of beings are my essence. Everything inanimate is my essence. Everything that lives is my essence. All the habitats and the beings living therein are my essence. Nothing exists that is not my essence because I am the universal root: there is nothing that is not contained in me. The unborn, the wonder of birth, and the manifestation of energy are the three aspects of the three teachers: this is their condition." "As the three times, past, present, and future, abide exclusively in me, all the Buddhas are in the same condition: this too is my essence. As I transcend the dualism of subject and object, like space I am allpervading, and I constitute the fundamental substance of all phenomena: my essence is pure and total consciousness. I, that am the source, abide in the single state, and in this same authentic condition the practitioners of the "four yogas" "Realize my nature, the supreme source that is pure and total consciousness. Teach that all the phenomena of existence are only myself! If you transmit my teaching, all your disciples will realize my nature and will become this very nature. "If my nature were to be compassionately displayed to the beings of the three worlds who have originated from me,.... Thus I, the supreme source, disclose my nature, displaying it to myself." "Nothing other than this exists; none of the Buddhas have ever received a higher teaching than this from me, the source. Aside from this condition of equality beyond concepts, I myself, the supreme source whence everything arises, have absolutely nothing whatever to display to myself." "Listen! As all of you are created by me, you beings of the three worlds are my children, equal to me, the supreme source. You are me, inseparable from me, so I manifest to you and through the five teachers of my natures I teach the single state of the five essences [of the elements]. I am the single state, I, the supreme source: you too are, you must become certain of this!" "Listen, Sattvavajra! I will show you your own nature. You are me, the source. I am and have always been pure and total consciousness. What is pure and total consciousness?" "Among all things existing in the animate and inanimate universe, there is not one single thing that has not been created by me, nor is there a cause that does not derive from me. Thus I am the essence of all, and nothing surpasses me. I am superior to the three dimensions, to the Buddhas of the three times, to the Vidyadharas, to the Bodhisattvas, to the beings of the three worlds, to the whole animate and inanimate universe, because I am the maker of all. Before there was any other teaching I, that am the source, pure and total consciousness, disclosed the teaching of pure and total consciousness." Bashing Buddhism as if it were one system and as if every have-awake Buddhist were fully enlightened is like bashing Christianity because not every member of every christian congregation is and behaves like a Jesus. The latter move would be less than smart marketing for Jihadists of any kind, at least in the perspective of humble yours truly. Frolicking around at the -ISM bashing by the River

Some of them like that. For Mahayana and Theravada: https://www.actualized.org/forum/search/?&q=mahayana%20theravada&author=Water%20by%20the%20River Well, there are many stages of "No-Self". Most of them are still quite separate-selves having No-Self experiences, or even cessations. Cessations and prelimary No-Self experiences/states are not (full) Enlightenment, see Nagarjuna and Mahayana ever since. It is easy to bash these as not "God-realized" or whatever. Selling very alive water by the River

Let's respect the change. Isn't nearly everything in manifestation a bit ironic, contradictory and longing to relax its self-contraction and separateness back into a home which in truth was never really left? It is beautiful that Leo is able to continue the refinement of his views, and has the necessary openness for that. Not many people have this openness... And his love for Truth. Godspeed! Come gather 'round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You'll be drenched to the bone If your time to you is worth savin' And you better start swimmin' Or you'll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3E-FrMU580 Smiling & Humming Bob Dylan "The Times They Are A-Changing" by the River

Yes we do. "Those who have only kensho do not know this state of unlimited freedom and profound peace of mind. Indeed, it cannot be known until one comes to full enlightenment." - Yaeko There is a high price being paid denying the summum bonum of Full Enlightenment, and hence not reaching it. On the other side, the point of the ride is the ride. My wife would surely agree that the penguin on the right is sometimes much smarter than the broken record of Selling Water by the River. Working towards smiling and waving by the River Responsibly selling Dream Water by the Dream River

That is exactly as you write: Leos God Realization. A very subtle (but still present) identity/subject/observer "Leo" experiencing the Ox, and projecting itself on it. Of course, it is no longer Leo or personal or anything resembling an ego, doesn't need to have a center, can (and is) already nondual, but it is still subtle identity, a subtle subject vs. object, subtle filters, "having" the God Realization. It is not utterly empty and impersonal nondual Infinite Reality itself. "Something" that temporarily arises is still having the experience. It is not permanent. Which Absolute Reality/True You is. Always here. For the utterly empty and impersonal part, see "What is enlightenment, no, I mean really, like what is it?" by Steven Norquist. The same story in Zen (in Kapleau, Three Pillars of Zen): Harada Roshi on Yaekos Kensho: "I confirm that she has truly seen the Ox .... But as yet there remains a subject who is seeing. Her Mind’s home is still far distant. She must search more intensely!" Yaekos Enlightenment: "I have reached the point of actually grasping the Ox, and there is absolutely no delusion. There is neither Ox nor man." "Those who have only kensho do not know this state of unlimited freedom and profound peace of mind. Indeed, it cannot be known until one comes to full enlightenment." If the subject can't be switched off fully sobre, it can't be switched off fully with psychedelics. Some subtle remnants preventing Enlightenment always remain. And these shut down Awakening after coming down from the trip. Not too complicated actually, but what magnificent illusions Spirit can still invent on the last mile... And there is ZERO chance to anticipate the last shift, the dropping of all filters/lenses/identities/centers/... until it happens. Because if it could be anticipated, it would have already happened. And hence, SWbtR gets his usual beatings, although increasingly in a compassionate way. Selling unlimited freedom and profound peace of mind by The River