Cathal

@Tistepiste Most of the time, a lot more before than nowadays but sometimes theres a feeling of going at it more, a time for striving and time for maintenance if that makes sense its intuitive and depends on what is going on For about 4 years i would call my teacher quite often nearly weekly, when i lived at certain monasteries, most monasteries with a really good monk around - its normal they would sit around after breakfast to answer questions for anyone to approach them so ive been lucky in that regard but these days more so focused on practice and ill listen to tapes

Yes youre fully right the path was taught from the get go by the Buddha as "The Middle way." Theres a video of a prominent well known Arahant called Luang Ta Maha Bua on youtube crying openly about the degrading state of the world, that if one could truly see beings in suffering as they are they couldnt help but feel overwhelming compassion which at the time garnered a lot of attention due to the held view that Arahants are emotionless robotic like beings. He also went on to be a sort of saviour of the Thai economy when he was alive, and was extremely active and involved helping others. So for sure, really purified beings will have no problem being totally in the world will remaining at ease with how it is

@Breakingthewall My personal experience with those very mystical profound nondual states was through psychedelics, in meditation has been many various states but nothing close to usr of DMT, it was levels of blissfulness and at ease states free from suffering and the attachment to the body. Sometimes of course very strange things happens in meditation. My way i see enlightenment, is the process of entertaining the stream according to the Buddha and the various stages of "confidence" one has through truly understanding how suffering arises and ceases. So, with defilements, the fading away and cessation of defilements, one can think of enlightenment as "lighting up the load." So theres really nothing to attain, or gainin that context, its just a total let go. Anytime you let go of a defiling thought, youre lighting that load right there in the moment, the heavy load of selfishness. It could be a thought of desiring enlightenment, and being satisfied with the here and now, thats good enough, and doing that moment by moment, until theres really nothing left but reality and basically continually developing that confidence i mentioned until theres no falling back. That moment one would be an arahant, or a fully purified being free from all the troubles of the defilements (greed , hatred delusions) and considered fully awakened

Hi friend thank you for the questions; @MuadDib

@Tistepiste Anapanasati is the most complete technique you can find, it is how one trains the 8th fold noble path for the awakening of the 7 factors of enlightenment and comprehension pf rhe 4 noble truths. Vipassana is not really a technique either, im not sure why that is so popular in the west. It means literally "in sight" which in the suttas is always yoked with Shamatha, or tranquility. The Buddha also says if you have no Vipassana, get Shamatha. To see clearly a skill of making the mind still is important, insight (Vipassana) arises from this. So this vipassana is not a doing technique but a result of correct practice. Insight into impermanence, dissatisfactoriness and not-self making the heart let go of its misunderstandings

@LordFall Yes for sure. I agree, i can read the statement "Be in the world but not of it" by Christ, that is the ideal, the mirror to that inner perfection and potential we all inherently have. The problem is not the phone, the world, people etc but the mind that has defilements. Also A.I is not a problem, but people have defilements so its going to be warped by that. The people who have less defilements will be able to influence it positively more. If you think of a prodigy child, the parents can raise it and only do so much. One day it will break free and all that potential becomes actualized, one can only hope that initial influence shapes the destiny the child takes on in a responsible positive way. So with a.i its possible the less defilements a human has, theyll influence it to develop in its own way. The removal of defilements is thrle essencd of all goodness, clarity and harmony with reality and how the Buddha became such a perfect teacher as you mentioned with his monks, walking across all of India with one singular purpose, by sheer clarity to the way the reality really is and guiding everyone to that refuge from ignorance. So ww3 and a.i is scary, but if we can diminish our defilements we can be better off to " save" each other as people stuck in ignorance, its how i see it. Its a two way street, freeing yourself and others

@Nercohype Yes we all have our own trip... monastic life can be a great maybe like 'pit stop' to clear out ones mind and really get centered, a good break from all that social conditioning but everyone is so different and unique and it might be good for others and not good for some, i think being the best version of yourself is all that is asked of us

@LordFall Not sure i think about it sometimes, its way more satisfying that normal life but its been a mixed experience. In my experience when you say impact on life, the people who have impacted my life the most was not by what they "do" but because of so much years on inner work, how they are just by there presence alone was quite transformative for me. So depends on what level impact you mean.

@Applegarden8 Well there definitely are clear defintions of selfishness, but i can see what you mean by that - an enthusiasm to want to the best for yourself possible. Selfishness that i mentioned that which is unbeneficial and destructive all around the board would be the craving and clinging that which is rooted in the three main human defilements, greed hatred and delusions.

@AerisVahnEphelia Not at all if you want to help others you have to help yourself and become really clear on what it means and then become consistent at that. Ottherwise your own garbage will affect others. People always want to save others to feel satisfied but there own garbage gets mixed in. It is a different case with starving children, drug addicted people on the streets and all these symptoms of widespread selfishness. Truly taking the dust out of your own eyes is the way to help others. And one should be very clear and honest if they have dust and stop doing and fixing the world and spend some really dedicated time to there inner world so something genuinely fruitful comes out, thats my take it might not be fully the best thing or way i dont know what is

@Ulax Never heard of him sorry.

@Someone here Yes for sure some im aware of and some i know im not even aware of, thats the best part but difficult is being around really pure and noble people is you become very aware quickly what you hold onto that is not so good, many of which stem from childhood not knowing any better. My diet is pretty great because each morning ill go on alms and get very healthy food from the thai people. They always make sure the monks have plenty. Havent had western food for a while though

@Applegarden8 For me I dont personally believe i have a personal like special purpose, its just aligning with the actual reality that governs what i am, and being out of tune with that causes a lot of suffering for sure, which is selfishness- the lack of, freedom of, selfishness . At least it seems to be all spiritual texts point at freedom from selfishness to be the aim of our lives. So practically speaking doing inner work and hope that it pays off and is useful for others

@emil1234 i think when it comes to talking about that, i can say for sure these things dawn on you, come to you, as your mind becomes more pure through meditation. Thats about good enough for me. The pure in heart will see God, rings a bell

@Michal__ if you mean like sitting and walking im not sure a good portion of the day, other portions are well you know fairly ordinary stuff ha. Especially first 1.5 year, it was really a lot, but it got calmer now. I think the calmer you get the less youll want to do it, but i always try to remind myself that even though im happier i can keep doing more. It becomes just a joy to let go, it slowly becomes an addiction (in a good way)