UnbornTao

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Everything posted by UnbornTao

  1. We're talking nonsense. Become conscious of you and everything there is. Belief systems are impediments to this goal.
  2. Yes and no. It is a form of becoming conscious, like an insight. Then you've got direct consciousness which is about realizing the absolute. But they could be used interchangeably when the word direct is put before the words experience or consciousness.
  3. It ain't much, but it's honest work.
  4. Direct experience is a misnomer as it isn't an experience. It's a sudden leap in consciousness into what something is, like becoming the object being contemplated. Experience is a process, hence indirect, generated and mediated by biological inventions. Seeing, touching, smelling an object. For example, a color-blind person experiences sight differently than you do, and she can directly experience what perception itself is.
  5. @Carl-Richard Instead of taking it for granted, you may be served by further distinguishing between what's intellectual and what's experiential. Also, what is belief and believed? Of what relevance are concepts here? They must be set aside. Guidance towards newly adopted ideals. It's neither sacred nor an ideal but what's true now. "Have I experienced God? Have I experienced no-god?" Then everything that I claim to understand about this matter is belief. The direct approach is the way but isn't a way. It sounds to me that rather than a direct experience, you're talking about going through a state, or perhaps undergoing an unusual experience. Your mind may have made stuff up in relation to the presumed breakthrough which isn't a sign of clarity. What might have driven committed individuals in the past, before having taken up any form of hearsay on faith? Wouldn't there be a simple want to know what's true underlying such pursuit? Here the main instruction is: intent to grasp your nature now. You focus on that until you make a breakthrough. Then all of this will become meaningless mental masturbation.
  6. We bullshit ourselves. That's the main issue. If we don't clearly and personally "experience" our nature or that of existence, of what use is pretending? Even worse, a conceptual system may be confused for consciousness, which is why many people may think and imply to be enlightened. Is it true though? If we were honest to ourselves in the first place, acknowledging one's lack of consciousness in the matter wouldn't be that big of an issue. That insight would provide some openness. If someone were to point a gun at us, most would be hard-pressed to admit that we're ignorant, and this is OK. This is when inquiry can begin.
  7. I'd go in the direction of what @Vajra is pointing out. acknowledge that you enjoy the mental gymnastics and entertainment, or; cut out the bs and start contemplating, discovering stuff in your experience
  8. Keeping up that positive spirit!
  9. What do you want to be up to before you die?
  10. The purpose of this journal is to share ramblings, perspectives and insights on life and personal empowerment in order to increase my own understanding, improve my communication skills and hopefully assist others. I hope the content is inspiring.
  11. @Carl-Richard The creation of religion is a confession of having failed at personal experience. It denigrates the movement towards honesty. Granted, there might be some benefits for some people to gain from engaging in either religion or spirituality, such as a sense of communion and shared values but these are social inventions. If you look around, even what many so-called spiritual people are up to is being followers, not serious contemplators. Entertaining stories and theories that approve of them and of their worldviews are much preferred over a personal investigation. And on the side, there're some committed individuals who want to know.
  12. A sense of emptiness accompanies the lack of authentic self-expression.
  13. @MellowEd Stop the nonsense already. "Whatever one frequently thinks and ponders upon, that will become the inclination of his mind."
  14. I think this is a common phenomenon. Without the expectation there wouldn't be disappointment. It is an ineffective mind pattern, renew your wonder each time and question now.
  15. Most of them seem to be engaged in one form of believing or another.
  16. Remain presently vulnerable in a wide-open state; this is powerful and authentic as opposed to clinging to old presumptions and jumping to conclusions!
  17. Depends on how you define each. If spirituality is defined as the pursuit of direct experience, I'd say very few are spiritual. At that point it'd be more accurate to call it truth seeking. Humans may be driven to believe, regardless of form. Belief does occur in both; it is fundamental in religion while in spirituality it is also significant but given some leeway. Depends on what each person is up to. A direct inquiry doesn't seem to be commonly pursued, believing is much easier and keeps one off the hook. Having breakthroughs must step beyond the realm of belief; this is what people like Gautama presumably did. Also there's the phenomenon of trust which is another thing to look into.
  18. Good. Set those beliefs aside, they're ultimately hearsay, pointers at best. You seem to be pointing out a common dynamic with students – getting disappointed with the teachings after some time, based on the sense that it might all be "bullshit", that it might not be true. This sense is based on the recognition that what you had about the work was essentially conceptual and believed, therefore their reality hasn't been yet directly experienced and verified. Now the real work of going after what's true can begin. Question, wonder, contemplate.
  19. @MellowEd You should do some serious work in the domain of assumptions.
  20. They weren't teaching religion, though. Religion is what the original communication turns into when people fail to grasp it.
  21. Regardless of excuses, if it isn't true, it isn't true. I'd start with questioning what a belief is. If there's willingness to question whether the Tooth Fairy is real, I don't think it's that hard to do. @CroMagna Hell is (equivalent to) the Tooth Fairy. @Inliytened1 It is easier said than done, it seems to me. If one is unwilling then that's an unworkable position as you implied. A willingness to question is essential on your part. From that, it is a fairly straightforward process especially when it comes to obvious beliefs. What do I truly know? Have I actually experienced the reality of this? If I stop believing that this is the case, what's left in my experience?
  22. They can simply not think that or stop regarding it as the truth.