UnbornTao

This is the way. Consider how much of your emotional and psychological pain is generated in your own head. A useful meditation is to get physical - either by engaging in a physically demanding activity or through deliberate contemplation. Ask yourself: What's objective here, right now? Notice that most physical objects around you stay unmoved, undisturbed, still - if you're in a room, for example. We don't find suffering in the physical world of objects. This can then serve as a contrast in the mind, revealing the conceptual machinations at play, helping you let many of them go and be free from having to suffer them - or, at least, to create some space around them.

That'd be something.

“I am not asserting that it is morally impermissible to send messages generated by ChatGPT. However, it is relevant to note that employing an artificial intelligence intermediary introduces a non-human element into interpersonal communication. Consequently, considerations regarding transparency, authenticity, and potential misrepresentation may arise. Ethical evaluation depends on the context and the expectations of the recipient.” Wait, forgot to remove the quotation marks.

You would be you in any case

I'm gonna reincarnate as a sentient pomegranate. Be careful what you wish for.

Finally, the recipe for enlightenment.

I have no answer for you in the form of a process or method, if that's what you're asking. This matter is a bitch. Become directly conscious - now. Contemplate. That's the only way. Set aside a week for intense contemplation. Who fears death? What is the one fearing death? Confront those questions with the goal of having a breakthrough. I know this might sound like more of the same foo-foo crap we mentioned above, but consider that there is something real there for you to get - something that could actually make a difference. With enlightenment, one might recognize that he or she was never born in the first place, and therefore can't die. As a side thought, it's funny how young people live as if death were somehow "far away." It's treated as a distant notion. "Yeah, someday, maybe. Let's just sweep it under the rug for now." We seem to passionately avoid confronting the fact that death is a possibility for us now simply by virtue of being alive. Anyhow, I wanted to share that.

I bet it's incredibly sobering. Getting all intellectual and philosophical is easy. I wonder how much we ignore the reality of our own death through such distractions. You know, have you considered pumping out a few enlightenment experiences? This seems like a good opportunity to do so - for real. Achieving some freedom around that.

Oh shit this thread was about sex, wasn't it? Let me lighten the mood now:

Sounds great, man. Glad to hear that. Beat that motherfucker.

@Davino No matter the conceptual machinations one undergoes or the amount of wishful thinking involved, what a chemical can do is alter brain activity. Since you're making that argument, you likely want to believe, or already believe, that they lead to awakening. But how could they? Direct consciousness is not a function of physiology or the brain, nor is it a shift in mind-state. You're chasing the bells and whistles of chemically induced states - which, by the way, can be beneficial, impressive, and dramatic. It easily goes over one's head that "enlightenment" (becoming directly conscious of the true nature of oneself or existence) is neither a perception, a state, nor an experience. It's not even awareness. Now, where do the drugs have their effect? In your experience and cognition. There's no way for a "doing" to produce an absolute result, because the latter isn't a process. And everything occurs as a process. This is an essential insight to have that will change the way you look at this matter. I suspect many of you will choose to remain within that mental framework and narrative, yet the teachers I mentioned elsewhere highlight a fundamental issue with that position which we've been overlooking throughout the conversation. It's wise to listen to them.

But but but... Ramana! Won't somebody please think of Ramana? In all seriousness, though - tackle some of the arguments. For instance, would he lose his consciousness if his brain were messed up? You conveniently circumvent some of these questions. It'd be too discouraging and painful to admit your wrongness, as far as the 'direct' aspect of the discussion goes.

But why believe such claims when your experience clearly contradicts them? Don't take them on faith at the expense of your own experience.

God or you?

Yeah, Mayonnaise.

I don't see how this would be considered a mental issue unless it gets in the way of normal, everyday functioning - it just sounds like active daydreaming, running through imaginary scenarios in your own mind, or "being in the clouds." Don't fret, though - we're all fucked up in our own particular ways.

It's good that you're willing to acknowledge that. I'd add that responsibility doesn't mean blame. You can actually become responsible and move towards your goals without blaming yourself or feeling guilty about past behavior. Focus your time and effort on building what you want rather than on dwelling on your past history too much. Ask yourself questions such as "What am I working towards? What I am looking forward to? What is it that I want to master in life? How can I be more effective in that?" And make it happen.

Sounds reasonable.

Consider that. Additionally, do you think that if Maharshi were to take a bunch of 5-MeO or other chemicals, what he was conscious of would be affected or touched in any way?

It depends on what you mean by knowing, but you're (again) likely referring to the domain of experience. A state is a state. The fundamental blunder lies in the assumptions behind phrases such as: "If I am high on 5-MeO-DMT and super conscious of God…". Can you see how this relates to perceptual phenomena - and that it's relative? If you're actually conscious of your nature, that doesn't disappear when the drug wears off or your state and experience change. It's no more true than believing that taking a shower produces God-realization. Obviously, with the substances, you can experience dramatic shifts in mind state that you can't get from a shower (unless the water is really, really cold!). I should've clarified that I'm not against psychedelics or the retreat, in case someone is thinking that. The retreat could be immensely transformative and valuable for people, but there's no pill for this direct business, and the method can't do it for you. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), my counterargument goes no further than yours: believing that direct consciousness can be chemically induced, or that it is an experience, or a function of the brain, is false. It has more to do with wishful thinking than with reality. It's easy to fool oneself by being carried away by the trip, because it can be impressive, unusual, blissful, "loving," and all the rest.

Consciousness doesn't come and go. The point of it being absolute is that there could not possibly be anything beyond it. How could there be - except as a relative phenomenon, where it is thought of as "lots and lots," and notions of higher, lower, easy, or weaker apply? And it may well be about semantics. You seem to want another term to feel special or like an outlier. But "beyond" is still relative, as hard as it is to understand. Even when it is pointed to, what is it that is being referred to? Any distinction that comes to mind as a result of hearing these terms will, by necessity, miss the mark. Do you mean the subjective, chemically-induced state in which you actually thought you could turn yourself into an alien and record it on camera?