Key Elements

A myth? Although I do understand your point, there is something called indigo children. Ralph Smart from Infinite Waters covered that. Maybe the indigo child wasn't aware of his/her wisdom (enlightenment experience) until much later in life. They have to discover that and not pass it off as a dream. There's a difference between being enlightened and having enlightenment experiences. Being enlightened have different levels. Basically, it means that a person is aware of what is an ego, and is aware that he/she is already whole and is the peace (aka peace of mind) no matter what. It goes beyond this at different levels when one starts training himself / herself to 'be enlightened.' Indigo children are more likely to be aware of their enlightenment experiences than train themselves to be enlightened. Enlightenment (Riding the Ox Backwards type of experience, according to Shinzen Young) does help in understanding the ego.

Let's be creative. The 'asshole' doesn't have to be human. (Eg. asshole = addiction = ego; asshole = being emotional = ego)

@Ayla Yes, I couldn't agree more that there is no "you." However, every morning when we wake up into this "earth" awareness, we have a chance to express ourselves and send a message to the world in our own ways. I'm glad I'm a painter. (I'm also a teacher.) I'm not going to leave my canvas board empty before I leave and go to the next realm. I encourage everyone to paint a beautiful picture before they go and send a beautiful message of peace before they go.

Hey..speaking of Michael Jackson. He did sing a song on world peace. ☺ If one aligns his/her life purpose with world peace, the chances of enlightenment experiences increases. I can't think of a deeper alignment for things in one's life to fall into place.

Hey...yummy!! But wait, if we show Leo, will he be able to control himself? He's been talking about ice cream trucks a lot lately...

@jes Jes, I'll answer your question accordingly. A husband could be a great team member, very supportive, protects and secures his family, and makes sacrifices for his family. To find an actualized man like this who is also open-minded takes an actualized woman to realize who is this type of man. This combination is rare at the start of a marriage. Usually the couple has to work things out and be non-quitters in the long run. To have a close family member and/or close friend introduce someone like this to you, that person has to be actualized and very trusted in order to do this. You know what I'm talking about.

Develop yourself to the fullest. Then, you could recognize the actualized man/woman. And, he/she will recognize you. How can you tell? Use the Graves model/Maslow as guide, but remember that the map is not the territory. And, don't just think of money. Of course, by the end of the day, you got to keep working at it and yourself for a happy relationship. This goes for everything else.

@abrakamowse Woody A...didn't he end up marrying his...you know, she actually graduated with a masters. Who am I to judge, right? Well, for me, I guess if a person like that was my only option, and I'm aware of it (past a certain age), I wouldn't want any intimate relationships at all. I'll just go for my life purpose and work on my other relationships, like family members, etc.

@jes Yes...and don't forget...enjoyment, gifts, and talents...the things that make you want to say, "Whoa! Eight more hours of this! All right!" Well, I'm not saying to go overboard.

@jes Also jes...another thing that has helped me is the age old saying... "Slow and steady wins the race." -From the children's story, The Tortoise and the Hare. 2 examples I could think of... I love doing art paintings on canvas board, but feel that I don't have the time. I just paint a little corner each day till I'm done-taking baby steps. Same goes for housework I don't like-a pile of clothes that need to be folded and put away. I just do a little each day. This could be applied anywhere.

Hey jes..I like what you said here. I found a quote that will probably help me and hopefully it may help you too. Just wanted to share it with you...

Question: If something fell into a blackhole, what happens to it? No one knows the answer to this. (Typical answer.) If you think about it, life "doesn't make sense" if you try to map everything out. Blackholes don't make sense too. Are we living in a blackhole (Riding the Ox Backwards)?

@Lorenzo Engel Check out the clip below...at 34:45 Leo started to discover the Zen term, the Ox's tail. What does this mean? Now...hold on...Ox's tail...are they really talking about an animal or something else? Check out Shinzen Young's clips on The Ox Herding Pics: https://youtu.be/x8aN9O73lg https://youtu.be/0PQonSiGkVE https://youtu.be/Ozca_5ifwQ0 The question is, why do they tell the story this way? Very ancient story. And, what is Riding the Ox Backwards really mean in the end according to an enlightenment experience? It's an interesting but discreet story. Anyone who has had an enlightenment experience will tell you that the experience is an outer body experience without the human mind & without the fictional ego, literally. The ego doesn't exist in an enlightenment experience. All you "feel" is peace (nothingness/everythingness = one with the universe) Whereas in the human mind, the ego is there because of "choice," or unawareness. But, if you would like to talk about it with someone, like a master or guru or whoever, there has to be an understanding between the two-no judging. How do we make use of the understanding of enlightenment and/or enlightenment experiences? Below is a clip of Leo talking about creating world peace. How do we discover our talents/gifts in order to contribute to this? Below are some more clips: (Note: I just want to make a little note here. All that I've said has nothing to do with religion. It's the meaning I'm trying to communicate. Riding the Ox Backwards is an extraordinary experience of time & space where one is facing backwards. )

I think Ralph is doing a great job at being discreet in his enlightenment experiences. Anyone here with enlightenment experiences can learn a lot from Ralph in how to express it without being judged too much. Teal, on the other hand, is very bold, and then became kinda discreet later on. @Leo Gura You are also kinda discreet in some areas of your enlightenment clips. I like the discreetness. Looks adorable and those who gained experiences are able to learn from them.

Learning about the ego through enlightenment experiences & simple understanding of enlightenment... Negative voice and emotion = fictional ego...the thought that helps you to solve problems, go for your life purpose, go for transendence morality, seek for enlightenment that is coming from the "everythingness" and "nothingness" is your true self. This is what "you" call being enlightened. In the end, "you" want to contribute to peace in this world. Having enlightenment experiences is different from being enlightened. Enlightenment experiences are outer body experiences or any wisdom that you get that gives out of the ordinary/meaningful info in life. It helps you understand your fictional ego.

Both are true. One experience can help understand the other. Both mean peace. If there were no extraordinary experiences beyond time and space, no one would be talking about it, and it wouldn't be wide spread and much of a news. Even psychology has a topic called parapsychology. Ralph in the clip below says it in very subtle ways - kinda funny to me but I understand - not so easy to say it openly - cause people do get criticized and ridiculed for it...

@jes Now jes...in order for someone to shed the right light on you in this area, they would have to have a great understanding of the "cultural traditions" and the "background." It's though. Without an understanding, it's likely that they'll shed the wrong light. I'm only speaking from experience. This quote holds very true: "The world is a great book of which they who never stir from home read only one page." -Augustine And, they'll have to know you very well. Careful now, dear.

English / Mandarin If you like your career, you could turn it into a home business and finally a startup. I've been a teacher since the final year of my university. Most welcome..

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1612680208/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467541336&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=Guide+to+Investing+by+Robert+Kiyosaki&dpPl=1&dpID=41UqvEnLtYL&ref=plSrch Yes, true, but I prefer one on one especially with enlightenment experiences, or I like watching informative clips, like Leo's clips, and then researching. Once you find someone that could tell you a lot more, and it's actually informative and not just make-believe, there are a lot of discoveries. I know one can see more than just the no-self (everythingness/nothingness). Even Leo mentioned Ox's tail (Zen terminology) in one of his enlightenment clips. In other words, what I'm trying to say here is...you want to talk to someone who will not shed the wrong light. Both trust and knowledge has to be there. Leo did say in one of his clips-I don't remember which one-maybe it's his Graves model clip-not to get caught up in debates. I do agree with him. We need a lot of time for our life purpose. Yes, of course, it can be the same. Mine happen to be the same. I'm a bilingual teacher (career at a school). I'm also working online, have my own website, and wrote my own book (my startup). I wish you the best on your journey. Much success and peace.

@jes Hey jes..just wanted to tell you (and everyone) that once you discover your life purpose and continue to work on it and grow, it's hard to tell anyone about it. Just continue. Life purpose will bring you joy and peace. 2 things in life that are hard to communicate and express without getting criticized a lot...life purpose and enlightenment experiences. We got to communicate them in smart ways if we want to contribute to world peace and share our enlightenment experiences in smart ways in order to learn from them (and learn from others' enlightenment experiences, of course).

@jes There is a book on it. (See image below.) However, the way I discovered it wasn't by reading the book (or other books on it). I travelled (from US to India). Then, I started networking here and learned a lot. Then, when I saw Leo's clip on Graves model (Spiral Dynamics), things fell into place for me for my life purpose. When I got to India, the book that inspired me the most was Guide to Investing by Robert Kiyosaki. I read this book first. From my experience, I would say reading books is knowledge, but in order for life purpose to come true, one has to take action (baby steps) toward the milestones in the life purpose. Take it one day at a time. What are we going to do today to contribute to this?