A Fellow Lighter

I'm not sure I follow. The word infinite has acquired much semantic saturation. I've come to find it a tad complicated to recognise exactly how the word is being used in the statements it is used in, such as the one quoted above. If by perception you refer to the way in which one can makes sense of reality, then, yes. Our perception is limited. Okay, I can assume here that by infinite you mean that which is 'endless', an unfathomable depth, in other words. Okay. Understanding, or grasp, is in deed very limited because it serves the illision, the experience, rather, as opposed to serving the reality itself — the mind itself that is. Understanding is still perception, it still refers to the way in which we make sense of the world. How we make sense of the world is literally a matter of making something out of nothing (or that which is not a thing). Hence we have things. It is through imagination that we have things. Imagination is the fabrication of some thing out of that which is not a thing, out of that which is being itself. So, no. One cannot understand that which is not a thing. We can only understand the things we imagine. This is for the sake of experience — not awakening. It's for the sake of the illusion as we call it. Only meditation can bring about awakening. Being-ness requires awareness, not understanding. The infinite is already here, it is not a hidden truth but an absolute one. One needs only to be aware of it.

Final Realisation There are no things, only being. This is true on all levels, all scales and all complexities (or simplicities). This is the total collapse of the Subject and Object dichotomy created by language. The finality of it comes from the awareness of how all identities, all patterns and all statements ultimately collapse into one activity — the mind. There are levels to this mind. Ego-mind is one of them. There is also karma and psyche and more which are all equally mind. All of this is still one activity which is mind. This activity is for the purpose of consciousness, or the self-recognition of consciousness, rather. Consciousness is the only meaning/purpose of mind, or life as most of us will refer it. There are no things. There is nothing but mind.

It's not an assessment, friend. It's a recognition. Sentience is an illusion. No illusion seems like an illusion. If it did then it would simply be called an appearance as opposed to an illusion. Also, it is possible to investigate an illusion without ever realising that it's an illusion. Our scientists do that all the time. The illusion doesn't even need to be a conceptual overlay because it is already an experiential one. Then I, for one, accept this invitation. Sentience refers to the capacity to have subjective experiences and sensations, essentially the ability to perceive and feel things. "How does sentience arise?" There's no plausible explanation for it, at least in the scientific sense. It's the same question as how does dead matter give rise to consciousness, isn't it? And the answer to that is, nobody knows. "What is it composed of?" Still, nobody knows? So many unknowns for something that is right there, blunt and in the open. But its composition forever elusive. And its origin, totally allusive. And yet it appears to be as real as anything else that is apparant to observation: objects and the environment. Now, you can still say it's an assumption to call it an illusion if you want. But if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then I'm recognising a duck as a duck.

Sentience is an illusion.

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you uses to heal your sick self. Therefore, trust the physician and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility. ~ Khalil Gibran

There are degrees to the extent to which you understand something, that's for sure. But there are no degrees to being happy. I'm not sure how to explain this, yet. But definitely, either you're happy or you're not. This is definitely my position which you so strongly contradict (I'm okay with that, btw). The reason why I say that either you're happy or you're not is because, in truth, things don't make you happy. Happiness comes from within, just as hatred comes from within. Hatred is the polar opposite of happiness, btw. And it is also a form of resistance. Yes, this is true. What I'm saying does not suggest anything otherwise from what you say here. Is it broad? All that I'm saying is that all of this suffering, whether conscious or unconscious, is caused by one's own resistance of consciousness itself. This resistance can be in the form of a suppressed memory in which it is still you who is suppressing the memory. It could be in the form of a projection, the form of a defence mechanism, the form of a bad habit like smoking or doing drugs. Really there are many forms of resistance. However, one truth remains. It is you, no one else and nothing external to you or out of your control, who are doing the resisting. Even if your trauma is straight up from your birth, which is highly unlike because you're not yet developed cognitively yet at that stage, but even if that happens to be the case. Should there be resistance from such a trauma, that resistance would still come from you. And, it would still (equally) be the resistance of consciousness. Hence, the struggle is with consciousness. Perhaps not bliss, but definitely happiness. Once something is understood, perhaps something like a wild animal or a criminal or some sort of demonic entity (absolutely whatever) even pain, once it is understood due to awareness, it is impossible to hate it. Why? The mere act of understanding something is connecting to that something in a way that is both transpersonal and impersonal. It has nothing to do with you as an individual, but has everything to do with consciousness. You will be happy even with your scar because you understand that the attack, the violation, or mistreatment you encountered was not personal, not at all. It is exactly enough. Exactly. And if your basic needs are being met, such as the nutrition, the shelter, just the basic stuff, then your struggle with consciousness comes from your own inner resistance. There is a matter that you are resisting. By the way, in case I've still not made it clear. In life, as we call it, there is no choice but consciousness. Consciousness is direct experience. Whatever it is that you're trying so hard not to experience, you will experience it – one way or the other.

You're rationslising too much. Love is the reason why you get out of bed every morning, why you do things that keep you alive. Love is the reason why there is any kind of movement. Because, really there is no reason for any activity. All that we do we do out of love. Even though we might imagine some sort of cause, there is none, nor is there any purpose for anything in particular. All motion is driven by pure illogical transrational non-mechanical love. It is spirit.

Oh man 😆 u really get me with these comments of yours. Lol, sometimes I can't help but wonder what kind of a father you're going to be. Hopefully, you'll be a little more gentle – just a little 🤏😊

It appears to be describing the general flow of consciousness: the descent into the unknown then the ascension back to the absolute knowing. However, this could also be describing some sort of two-way stream of polarised a reality – a flow of balance, so to speak.

Thank you guys for letting me know. Thank you so much. Yes. Consciousness has taken a creative role with respect to meaning due to the fact that there is none inherently, there is no objective meaning so to speak. And the infinity, or the Absolute as you put it, knows that there is none. But because of love, because of caring so much, or concerning itself with itself, it does wonder: What does it mean to be infinity? Or what does it mean to be absolute? Really, this is the same question we ask when we ask: What is the meaning of life? Of course, deep down, we're not question existence at all. What we are questioning is our awareness of it, the consciousness, the absolute self, so to speak.

@Keryo Koffa With regards to your two positions, reality being dynamic or being coherent, the mind is capable of constructing the appearance of both. However, the video game analogy describes reality better, with the selective rendering and personalised reality function. However, it's in the mind's capacity to also bring about the illusion of a coherent reality. But there are no bubbles, and there is no reality other than the one you know, even if your reality suggests that there is. It's all part of the game, so to speak.

It is solely beautiful.

Alright. There are no actual layers to reality (mind). For instance, if you picture yourself eating an apple, there is no higher you picturing you picturing eating an apple. All levels are one level. So, to speak of "substrates" as if there are realities greater than the one you are experiencing is misleading. There is one reality, and it is great because it does not limit itself to any particular experience. Experience is impermanent.

The way in which reality is created is non-mechanical. By this I mean that there is no process to it, none so ever. What there is is truth. But I'll explain. Imagine that there is a singular and yet universal current (a current like that of streaming water). However this current is so singular that even its flow is completely in unison, thus rendering it formless due to the lack of any finite features which would be present if this current had some sort of conflicting opposing current. But there isn't, because this current is universal. Alright, now, what I'm talking about here isn't really imaginary, in fact, it's not imaginary at all because I'm talking about consciousness in its purest state. It is the eternal motion of knowing that there is that which knows and it knows itself. A closed loop as you can assess for yourself. Ok, with that being said, what is reality and where does it come from? Reality is an activity performed by consciousness purely out of love. This activity is mind. Think about the verbal form of the word, contemplate it and attemt to broaden its meaning. Reality is the mind of this eternal motion or current called consciousness. With this capability, you can imagine both the possibility of a mindful (active) movement or a mind-less (passive/rest) movement. However, it is still consciousness no matter the movement. It is still one eternal motion. There is still no mechanics to it, nor is there a rhyme or a reason behind this. It is irrational. It is out of love. Love is what drives, so to speak, the motion.