cetus

Some aggressors come at you because something you've said may have threatened their paradigm. Even when it's not said directly to them. Then they just can't let that go and 'You needed to be 'C-O-R-R-E-C-T-E-D'' by them.

That's it! It's like Oh, it all makes sense now! It's no longer just words or concepts -but a direct experience to relate the teachings too. That's something you can really build on. Good luck.

@Leo Gura Thank You!

@goodwig I guess psychedelics could be considered 'Miracle Grow' in my plant metaphor of spiritual growth.

@goodwig I agree with everything Leo said. And just to add my experience at this point of my journey to that. Meditation is a great tool to have in your toolbox but it's just one of many. Meditation is great for finding stillness and cultivating persistence and discipline in practice. Meditation, self enquiry and contemplation are all huge parts. Along with some degree of knowledge to point the way. But also some direct experience of what enlightenment is. An experience that can be referenced even when you fall back out of the direct experience. Which will happen. A big part is cultivation. Constant cultivation like tending/ nurturing a garden to maturity. And maturity takes time. Think of it this way. Everything you know and have experienced of enlightenment today is growing inside of you like a seed. And a viable seed is a good healthy start. And like planting a garden, you may set the seed in the ground and not see much at first. Than at some point, a small seedling will break out of the ground. That would be a first direct experience. And also like a new seedling, you may not experience obvious rapid growth after emergence. And why. Because the plant is putting it's energy into establishing strong roots underground that will someday support an established plant that will be fruitful. So it is with the growth of enlightenment. Just because you don't see much obvious progress right now, that doesn't mean it's not happening. You are establishing roots. And just the fact you've already set the seed is a huge start. Keep cultivating and trust in nature/ universe that it knows what it's doing.

@John Iverson Next ask- what is sensing what?

@John Everybody is different but yes, this may very well be part of your personal purging process. As far as going deeper, I find that there is more awareness of suffering. Maybe because one becomes more open and in tune with everything. But there is no personal attachment to the suffering, It's just seeing the suffering as it flows through you like a chilly breeze that comes in one window and out the other again. Fear in itself has no power other than the power you give it. If you don't feed it, it will starve quickly and fall away. Just as a suggestion, you could make fear part of your practice by facing the fear fully as it arises head on. Doing so renders it as the harmless illusion it truly is. Like the magic trick where the magician saws someone in half. It's the mind that creates the illusion of the saw cutting through flesh and bone. In truth the saw is cutting harmlessly through empty space.

An oldie but timeless!

I would probably be breaking out in a sweat thinking about that lie detector! Than realizing my gig was totally up, I'd look him straight in the eye and say, "You got me now. Pull the trigger so I may realize the true Buddha nature" And in that moment I would fully realize my true Buddha nature. There is no one to be a Buddhist. There is no Buddha When you strike a match, where does the flame come from? When you extinguish a flame, where does it go? When the conditions are right, I manifest. When the conditions are no longer there, I am not manifest

@Pallero What I have found is that if it feels strange or different or slightly uncomfortable, I'm on the right track. That's when the biggest breakthroughs usually happen. And what may feel strange and different today, will slowly become the norm over time. Funny how it works that way. Edit: You mention the 'observer perspective' experience you had. That's what I'm referring to. Trust that. Cultivate that.

@aurum I was listening to Adyashanti earlier and what he says @5:00 chimes with what you said here.

@Pallero I'll get right to the point here. Your experiencing these ' flashes of unrealness' from the perspective of the ego. Your ego is having flashes of what it refers to as 'unrealness'. Right? But in truth you are experiencing flashes of realness and that is exposing the unrealness of the ego. See, it's a 180 degree shift in perspective of what is. When you have those flashes, your ego defense mechanism automatically kicks back in and overrides this completely new perspective. The ego even goes so far as to label it 'unreal' when the truth is, it is the ego that is unreal. A few flashes of truth are better than none though. You could consider them mini -awakenings. Or flashes of the non-egoic state. It could be. But for that to happen you must first open up completely to what is said above. Cultivate those 'flashes' of clarity so that clarity (mindfulness) is always present instead of the ego/thought mechanism. That takes work on yourself over time to remain steadfast in that non- egoic/ mindfulness state 24/7 and under all circumstances no matter how challenging to the ego. It's a constant struggle. The ego is always right there there waiting to regain a foothold again. Even for those who have had really deep awakening experiences of the non-egoic state. It's a transformation over time from the egoic self into the non-egoic state. The egoic self took years to establish. It could take even longer to undo that falsehood. But that depends on how strong of an egoic self you've built up and the true willingness to let it go through practice.

@Ritu Whenever that starts happening see it, slowww down, and breath. Simply notice your breath.

The honey of truth can taste bitter.

@How to be wise Knowledge is 'occupied' consciousness. Nothing wrong with knowledge per se, As long as you see it for what it is.

@Dodo A projection....

I've seen this many times at concerts. In the parking lot too before the concert even got started.

See where I put the **** ? You resisted to what is. You had it but lost it. Next time, just stay with the bird. Ask yourself 'where is the sound of the bird located'? If you sit with it long enough, you may be surprised at the answer.

Just sharing a thought. haha But isn't 'ego' just another way of saying thought?

@Outer

Could CRISPR be the next chapter of the human race? Imagine living for 150 years or more disease free. The technology is already here with the help of super computers that target one out of a million genes to either edit out or insert a replacement gene of choice. That genetic edit than carries on to future generations so it's a permanent alteration of the species . The biggest change to humanity in recent history has been the computer and internet. Could CRISPR be next? Leo's latest video about 'Systems' fits this topic well. What could be the implications of playing God with a system such as the human race?

Tons of implications to consider. And I'm sure most of them haven't even been thought about yet. We'll be hearing a lot of debate about this in the near future though. Especially once the courts decide who owns the rights to CRISPR. What a shame it's that way. CRISPR belongs to all humans to decide for themselves if this is a good thing or not. Here's a thought too. Some countries may use CRISPR in all kinds of experiments. Who knows what the hell they could come up with.

@OuterAll good stuff. But on the negative side, wouldn't it also cause overpopulation? Somehow that would have to be addressed also.

Yea, It has for all of us here in that context. But lets say for the sake of conversation that you had cancer. And CRISPR offered a cure. Would you still binge watch the cancer while remaining invisible? The cancer would be part of the present moment, wouldn't it?