UnbornTao

"Dingus", am I right?

Okey-dokey.

@Leo Gura Who's the one believing that direct consciousness is a function of the brain?

Not on my watch!

Oh it wasn't directed at anyone in particular. I'm just saying that the same underlying mechanism is already taking place for most of us, probably in different forms. "I'm the 'spiritual person' that knows best', "my experience is the true one and you're a fool," and things like that - just, on a deeper level.

Why does it seem that every once in a while, a new account from a seemingly deeply troubled person starts a thread calling for help - usually with long-ass posts oversharing their life story? No disrespect, but are you a bot or something like that?

Just consider that one can't possibly get enlightened dishonestly. It's usually quite clear when someone is speaking from an intellectual conclusion. Conflating an experience or state with direct consciousness is a common trap. Replying to past mentions.

It's what's true already. There's nothing standing in the way of presently getting it. But we don't think it's really possible for us to grasp it while doing the groceries - we assume something needs to change and be achieved, like a special circumstance and state. (Since you mentioned the brain in the context of enlightenment, I assume).

Consider that you're very likely doing what the Christian is doing in various forms - the religiosity just happens to be a superficial manifestation of a deeper need for a consistent worldview.

I guess I have a bias. @Someone here I hid your answer again, as it probably would've started another fire. Pay attention to your own role in this, too.

It came and it went, so to speak.

A self-identity (whatever is identified as self) could itself be based on fear as it has no fundamental substance in reality. Just a thought.

@ivankiss @Someone here I hid the conversation, avoid making it personal. Grow up a bit. .... so what were we talking about? Survival, fear?

As long as you guys behave, it's fine.

You already find it beneficial, so be happy with that. As long as you recognize that it is a belief system - and so separate from the truth, provided this is your goal - then there's no problem.

I don't see anything particularly wrong or disrespectful with his first replies. @ivankiss @Someone here Fix your relationship, or get divorced.

Guys, keep it on topic, at least reasonably.

We should take care not to use rhetoric to fool ourselves into thinking our own level of understanding is higher than it actually is. But hey, that's the human predicament. I wrote a fancy paragraph as a response, but I figured the sentence above gets the sentiment across. I finally caught up, Jesus.

There's nothing to remove, so what mechanism? The point is, you're looking for vegetables in a candy shop - and everything is a candy shop. (Again with the analogies.)

Is consciousness a property that sentient beings have? That'd be better called awareness, perhaps - something that is indicative of an entity's capacity for re-cognition of itself and its environment. If we take your use of the word here, the dog is even "conscious" of things humans are not. The entire physical universe could collapse, and it would make no difference in this regard. Both the dog (god spelled backwards) and the human would be startled, though. I just hope the dog doesn't think that ingesting a chemical will awaken him, in any case. As far as consciousness goes, what's a dog and what's a human? What is the assertion that consciousness is had by you, as a human self, based on? And if we expand your argument, why wouldn't taking magnesium or vitamin D bring one closer to (or further from) awakening? Can we see the premise here? Do you think God-realization depends on achieving the right chemical soup in the brain? The point is that brain activity and consciousness are not related, because, with the former, there's nothing to be related to.

Do you think that opening up the brain and tweaking certain parts could eventually produce enlightenment? I wasn't talking about figuring out a logical explanation for a process. And what is it that happens?

@Socrates You actually know a thing or two, liar.