cetus

Check this out. Put it on full screen with your vision at a soft focus at the center of the screen. The images will merge into 3d.

@Ross You could become enlightened this very moment with no effort at all. Lets try ! What you may think of as a separate "self "is an illusion. What you may think of as "other" is illusion. EVERYTHING is one field of awareness that is often misinterpreted as separateness through a distorted mind. Can you accept that? Or, is there lots of imaginary work to do yet to get back to this truth again?

@Ross This work is all about tearing down false belief systems. Everybody is different. The person who holds on to those false beliefs will have a hard time of it. The one who just accepts letting them go will sail through it with ease.

@Emerald Wilkins He who thinks he knows where he's standing is in for trouble.

@Emerald Wilkins Think about this. Where does everything exist but does not include time?

@Emerald Wilkins Time is duration. Plank times. It's all stills or frames. Like a flip book. You flip the pages and it gives the impression of movement or passing of time. How many times have you heard people say in a direr circumstance that their "whole life passed before there eyes"? It's all stills. It's all a snapshot. Time passing is a total illusion.

Yea, What is that? I know when I'm meditating. But what's the void? The definition of daydreaming means lost in a certain thought. A subject like being at the beach. This is blank awareness as far as mind is experiencing.

@Infinite I can feel the oneness in that statement. The totality

@Infinite 1.You're becoming so mentally aware that the mind dissolves into 'nothingness'. From the perspective of mind, that experience it more as stillness or awareness becoming so prevalent that "mental awareness " or "mind" or self awareness become totally consumed. To vanish? or not to vanish? Is that not the remainder of the ox? Where is Leo?

When there is that state of pure self or pure being, the bliss of that experience arises from the very fact that there is no content. Empty awareness is being experienced. But so is time. I have a general idea of how long I have been in that state. That's the part that I kind of have a problem with, time. All I can suggest is try experiencing what I am talking about and decide for yourself. Or maybe you have already. It does feel a lot like when deep sleep happens. But I remain in my posture. My head doesn't nod or anything. Just for the hell of, try it sometime. When your in that deep state of silent bliss beyond all thought and there is just a silent witness, dissolve into it. See what happens.

@Arik Sounds good to me. Cultural conditioning is a major factor. The culture you grew up in and the beliefs system too. Also the mind or brain seems pretty hard wired to this reality that is experienced every day. After a while you think that's all that exists as in what is happening in the world. Forgetting that there may be more to us on a subtle level. Reality can so easily over shadow that subtle self. From the time we wake to the time we sleep our whole world is made of man made stuff. I look around me and what do i see? All creations of mind. We live in an artificial existence. Not that there is anything wrong in that in itself. But it only adds or deepens the illusion. Most of my life I thought about living in a cabin in the wilderness. That's a hard life but well worth it. Once you did do that, I think you wouldn't want it any other way.

Thanks for making that distinction. It sounds like it is mental awareness that sometimes is lost from you description. Like I said, it doesn't happen very often but when it does I always wonder what that is. It happens when true self or "pure being" (as i call it) is experienced as floating in a silent, infinite ocean. In that state there is a silent witness also of that experience happening. I once put out the intention to dissolve into that silent ocean, and I did. That's when it happens. I know I'n not dozing off. I know the difference. Than awareness comes back and continues floating in that silent ocean. Only at that point do I realize that I had vanished for a moment or two. That is the impression it gives. I thought I was experiencing absolute nothingness or total non-existence. So I guess by what you are saying, I am just becoming unconscious? No advantage in repeating that? So this raises another big question for me now about what happens when the physical body dies. I thought I had some idea of the answer to that. You become non-existent. Maybe not? Who can really say for sure? I'm thinking now about Allen Watts and his talk about becoming absolute nothingness. I will listen to that again with fresh ears.

@Huz88 It didn't stop Forrest Gump............

@Infinite Thank you, very useful information. Since I have experienced the disappearance of "existential awareness" in meditation I really didn't know what that was that happens from time to time. I wasn't sure if I should avoid it and stay mindful or just except it when it does happen. I'll probably just leave it to the powers at will for now? I'm not totally sure about what to do. Thanks for bringing up the word "Samadhi". I looked up the definition and it gave me some answers. *I'm not saying by any means that's what I experience. Thanks again

@Anthony Gosal Hi Anthony. Right after reading your post I found this and thought maybe you would find it useful.

@Infinite Nirvikalpa samādhi, on the other hand, absorption without self-consciousness, is a mergence of the mental activity (cittavṛtti) in the Self, to such a degree, or in such a way, that the distinction (vikalpa) of knower, act of knowing, and object known becomes dissolved — as waves vanish in water, and as foam vanishes into the sea.[3] *This seems to explain what I am referring to as "Vanishing". It happens from time to time. Not always.

@Infinite "Am I not understanding here". Same question. Could each of our minds be just a refection of each other? Two mirrors facing each other? "When one is unaware". What becomes unaware? That's the paradox. What remains or returns to know that a total void happened while meditating? There is no experience or awareness to bring back but something remains to know that. Non-existence is beyond all "known" awareness. Awareness is a part of the manifest realm as far as what we are discussing as mind and knowing. Does pure awareness continue to be present within the non-manifest/void? Mind will never know that. I've experienced a state of pure being. Nothing but the pure bliss of empty awareness ( Samadhi?) But mind can recall all of the experience. Samadhi being a state of bliss, a bridge between the mind and the absolute void of non-existence?

@Infinite During a deep meditation, awareness sometimes vanishes. Than comes back again to a silent witness of emptiness. You are saying I should stay at being a silent awareness at all times during meditation? Don't vanish into it?

@rush That's a great question. I have always daydreamed a lot. I know that's just mind, but mind can really travel. I would often put that to use designing something useful. And other times awareness would become a blank space. What is called "staring off into space". I would suddenly come back into self awareness and wonder "where did I just go?" I never thought of it as a negative thing. Actually it felt pretty good. I experienced that since I can remember. Probably A.D.D. Hehe So it seems like it all depends on if there is content to the awareness or if it is empty. I now learned to place intention on empty awareness through meditation and integrated that into what I have always experienced.

Mothers of newborns do it all the time.

@Tonyb Just last night I woke from sleep to take a piss. I got back in bed and stayed aware that I was falling back into sleep. I thought to myself " why not stay aware going back in". I was exploring all kinds of things happening within awareness. Than I started to consciously generate the experience at will. It started off as a kind psychedelic trip like google deep dream, even better. Unimaginable colors and shapes that don't exist in reality and I was making it all happen. I explored that for a little while than I changed it up to more of a reality based dream and explored that until I finally fell off into deep sleep again. That's as far as I can get. That would be like a twilight sleep but still, it was very cool just to explore!

@Henri Thanks Henri- I'll look in that now.

@Henri I was reading all of this and I find it very interesting. I have a question that I always wondered about. Maybe you can give me some insight on this? I have multiple sclerosis. My last MRI showed two lesions on the top of my brain between hemispheres. And I think three or four lesions along my spinal cord. The lesions on the brain effect my balance and the lesions on the spinal cord effect mostly the use of my legs. I have always wondered if lesions can also effect my chakras and the flow of energy. Or maybe that has nothing to do with it? If you can give me your impressions on that , I would be very grateful. Thanks Henri

What I'm saying is to always be totally present and in the moment throughout your life.

I'd avoid it like the plague. the total annihilation of your understanding of everything. keep living the dream. @Dash Us Pain My worst nightmare would be if when my time finally comes to the end of the road, to say to myself "I went through life with eyes half shut with preoccupation and self". Never having them fully open untill that last breath.