UnbornTao

"Spectacular, grandiose, huge" are ~~relative~~ distinctions. What process?

I don't know how they're using the term but literally the first question relates to emotions, which are irrelevant when it comes to enlightenment. There's no way or methodology to verify enlightenment except by becoming conscious yourself. Perhaps another realized human can sense it on another.

Knowing what consciousness is vs exploring altered states: Is that what you're talking about? Seems to me like it is.

First, let's question the validity of such claims. What did he went through? This "ask me anything" attitude is predicated upon false preconceptions -- assuming that enlightenment implies knowing everything. It doesn't. It's being directly conscious of the absolute nature of you, existence, life or another. It's only the beginning. It doesn't tell you what time, self or space are, as examples. OP doesn't clarify what enlightenment is in his experience. He also seems to be coming from a cosmology.

Nobody knows whether genetics have anything to do with "spiritual attainment". Honesty and hard work, on the other hand, do seem to have a correlation with producing insights. Genetics isn't an impediment to enlightenment because it is relative. In the end, what matters is what you become conscious of, not whether it happened on the beach or on the mountain (relative).

Sounds good. Too much rhetoric though. Your description is too dramatic and doesn't sound like it's grounded on experience. Another issue is that you bring up irrelevant stuff when it comes to enlightenment: Why bring up life purpose, meaning, good and evil, shamanism? These are relative matters. That it is beautiful and that many people get convinced doesn't mean it is authentic. To be clear, I'm not denying the possibility that you might have had an enlightenment or insight. If that's the case, you might be confusing the consciousness with what your mind did with it. Only you can know. Coming from a cosmology and referencing external sources doesn't sit right with me. Phrases like "I'm the father, I'm the bodhisattva, I've crossed the stream, holy grail, winning love, true vine" sound like your experience doesn't stand on authentic enlightenment. You seem to want to convince others with rhetoric instead of simply communicating what you went through.

@ThePoint semen retention works relatively quick for me. It's been a couple of weeks at most and I already feel more masculine, deeper voice, stress resilience, etc. Probably because it increases testosterone. Now, I can't say for sure. There may be various factors involved. This is obvious but nevertheless useful to make sure that it is well handled: restful sleep, clean diet, mindfulness, exercise, etc. Start with one small change, if you prefer. Avoid added sugars, caffeine, TV, excessive internet and smartphone use, etc. That will at least free your awareness and time. From that, a course of action will become clearer, imo. But in the end, you need to take action. I stopped using internet and my smartphone for an entire week and that dramatically increased my calmness and sleep quality improved.

The only thing that's true is the truth. So yeah, -isms are false specially because they approach the matter superficially, intellectually. A lot of people want the convenience of just having to choose and adopt a belief system of their liking. Even if the -ism is based on an individual that was authentically realized, it inevitably degrades into dogma as that's what the masses tend to do with any teaching. That said, Buddha's teachings are genuine and profound. They may empower your work in various ways. For me, they're simply inspiring. No need to become a Buddhist (whatever that entails in actuality) in order to benefit from its teachings. Just, you know, kill the Buddha in the end. Which is to say set your so-called "knowledge" aside when contemplating your own experience.

That it is uncommon doesn't imply impossibility. Anyone can become conscious of their nature because what they are is already the case. If you disagree, you're conflating possibility with probability. I guess "should" is irrelevant in that aspect. And meditation seems to me aimed at healing and calming the mind, which of course won't necessarily lead to direct consciousness. For that, we should start thinking in terms of contemplation, in my view.

@Godishere is never late. He arrives precisely when he means to.

@Adamq8 I think you're confusing a self with the nature of Being.

"Alexander the Great found the philosopher looking attentively at a pile of human bones. Diogenes explained, "I am searching for the bones of your father but cannot distinguish them from those of a slave." – Diogenes.

We're born ignorant and with almost nothing. Geniuses make themselves that way. Certainly, a healthy upbringing and supportive environment can assist one in becoming masterful but these are external factors beyond the individual's control. Take a look at their lives. The ones with painful upbringings are more likely to be geniuses, not the other way around. Trump vs Elon Musk lol Additionally, Da Vinci was homosexual and left-handed in a time when both were socially condemned, plus he had some serious emotional problem/s and a shitty childhood if I recall correctly.

Two intriguing perspectives on maturity: Being able to do something outside of one's self-concerns Helping someone without needing them to know about it

True creativity is inventing something that didn't exist before. What often passes as creativity in our culture consists of putting things together and adding a touch of one's "personality" to the mix. That's just rearranging what's already there. Observe how something can be created from scratch. Is nothing the source of creativity?

What are the components of powerful communication? Being present, as if "behind" the communication itself. Being at the source of your experience - and grounded in it.

What a gem.

I discovered Lord Of The Rings relatively recently. One element I loved was this song, especially when it plays at the end of the last movie. Beautiful, imo.

Humorous comics that depict cultural and self-hypocrisy and double standards in a witty way. Fun read, in my opinion. https://search.brave.com/images?q=the far side https://www.thefarside.com/shop/books

You're not being honest enough. Look into your own perspective and emotional state first before blaming "others." You might be frustrated for whatever reason. The "place" where that frustration occurs is where you've got to put your attention on, which is yourself.

It might be useful to realize that anger is based on hurt. Be more honest by allowing yourself to experience your hurt. Anger is a manipulation to do something with the hurt. I suggest you look into that.

Why is it easier to destroy than to create? What forms of destruction do you often engage in? What would you like to create?

That's one way to go about it but it sounds reductionistic too. That a food makes you feel good in the short-term doesn't imply that it will have a positive effect on the body in the long-term. Caffeine products, for example, may make you feel good just after eating them but aren't necessarily healthy -- low-quality chocolate, energy drinks, etc.