jjer94

For those who have been seeking a long, long time and are fed up with it... This may help: https://www.amazon.com/Direct-Path-User-Guide-ebook/dp/B01AL2ZN2G/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Cheers.

@Dodoster I didn't say that. I just ask you to describe what you see in direct experience. Good, you're on the right track. Notice how that which "sees" or "knows" the I-thought, or any thought for that matter, has no quality to it. It's not a thing or an object at all. Who said you have to let go of the I-thought? It's just a thought. What in your experience gives it power? Is it another thought that says "This I is a real thing and it should be believed"? Is it sensations that go along with the thought, maybe around where the eyes are? Do you own those sensations or do those sensations just appear? What is the "I" that wants to let go of the I-thought? Another thought? Where is the doer/chooser/let-goer in your experience? Can you find it, or is it just another thought that says "I choose/I do/I need to let go"? I think you've got enough material to chew on for awhile. Cheers!

Very beautifully poetic, Dodo! Although I'm not asking for more bullshit stories in your catalogue of bullshit stories. I'm asking you to actually look with no preconceived notions in your direct experience. Any question I ask is a focus point to confirm in direct experience, not an opportunity to spew logical proofs, quotes, or something someone else told you. Forget about "unmanifest nothingness" for a second. The I-thought. Is it not just another thought that arises? Just the same as "the sky is blue" or "chicken is for dinner" or "Jesus said ____"? If so, it comes and goes like all thoughts. But what you really are is still there, is it not? That which knows experience, without the need for logical knowledge?

Gooood! I'm glad you're confused. What is the I Am? What makes it the I Am? Who claims ownership over the I Am? More thoughts appearing out of nowhere? In between your skull? Do you directly experience a skull? Do you directly experience "Inside the skull?" Or are those more thoughts that say you do? Anything that requires proof is inevitably bullshit. Tattoo that on your sleeve. Only you direct experience counts, not the thought's stories about direct experience. All the best.

@comp13 It's really quite simple. Thoughts just love to complicate it. Surely there's an I-thought. But it pops out of nowhere, just like all the other thoughts about there being a "thinker," a "chooser," a "doer." You can discover this in direct experience. Once you do, you realize furthermore that the I-thought that claims ownership over any aspect of experience is just another thought, and really, nobody can own experience. The ego never existed in the first place. There is no central experiencer, only experience experiencing itself. Enlightenment is actually your present experience, just overlayed with thought-stories appearing out of nowhere (all false) such as: How can I attain enlightenment? Surely there must be something outside of experience? But science says _____! But Advaita Vedanta says I need to do Karma Yoga for another year so I can become enlightened! I experienced this vast loving openness, so I must stay in that openness and re-experience it to become re-enlightened! But everyone says I'm going to die! Look at all the bodies dying around me! I must be the body! Agh! I need immortality or else my experience is incomplete! But Leo says I'm nothingness! So I must look for that nothingness as if it were an object of experience! There must be such thing as objects. Otherwise I wouldn't exist! Maybe Mooji will have the answers... I'm so unhappy! I'm so upset! I'm so angry! Ooo Benhito Massaro talks about manifestation! That may be of use for ME. They say "Find out who is experiencing," but of course I'm experiencing! And on and on and on...until.....

Blah blah blah blah. Maybe you're not as ready for this inner work as I thought. Notice all of your stories about what you think is there, and your lack of actually looking to see what is there. What makes experiences "yours"? What claims ownership over experience? A thought? Without that thought, could a "you" own anything? You can sense your brain? Without the label "brain," does that sensation bear any resemblance to a brain? Or is it simply a sensation? The subconscious exists? Really? Take a look in direct experience. Aren't there just thoughts popping up out of nowhere, including the thought that says, "the subconscious exists?" Listen less to your thought's stories and look more in your direct experience is the best advice that I can give you. Cheers!

You can't "feel" enlightenment. Enlightenment is all there is. It's just what is already the case. "You" are only in the way. Find this "you" that wants to be enlightened. Is that "you" a thought? A sensation? Both? What makes those thoughts and sensations "yours"? Another thought? Dig dig dig. On a side note, does the brain or the subconscious even exist in your direct experience? I'm serious. Take a look. Cheers.

Excellent. A few questions to contemplate: Based on what you wrote, what makes this moment incomplete as opposed to your awakening experience? What if it's only thought that says this moment is incomplete, giving theories about ego, duality, and all those other stories you ingested? What if this moment is just as complete as the awakening experience, even with all those other stories you ingested? And most importantly, Who/where is the one who had the awakening experience and claims it as his own? Who/where is the one who also claims ownership over the body and the ego, according to your description? Cheers.

Therefore, there is no such thing as time, nor such thing as Absolute Now, because that implies time. What are sensations really, in direct experience? Without thoughts labeling seeing as seeing, touching as touching, tasting as tasting, etc... what are they really? Furthermore...doesn't Being and Nothing imply a dualism? Without the filter of mind, can you really find any dualism in direct experience? It's incredibly anti-climactic, because you haven't gained anything from all of this, only lost. But man, what a friggin relief to free yourself from the bondage of false beliefs!

Meditation A silent, peaceful mind is not necessarily a thoughtless mind. It is an allowing mind. Thoughts are like the weather. Sometimes it's cloudy, sometimes the sky is clear blue, sometimes it's storming hard. When the weather is allowed to do its thing, there's no problems with it. It comes and goes. It's only when an apparent "you" tries to grab at or push away the clouds that the mind is no longer silent. When the experiential realization occurs that the "you", the "thinker", is just another thought appearing out of nowhere, and that "you" never had any control over thoughts, there will be silence regardless of any mind weather. This is meditation. oh city lights fly at this speed oh heaven knows it ain’t me behind the wheel this time . . .

Very insightful to point that out. That's the essence of most belief systems, otherwise people wouldn't believe in them. The Law of Attraction, especially followers of The Secret, believe in it because it does serve the ego. You can sit and do nothing and WHAMO! A brand new porsche! How easy is that?! All I have to do is think and it will come! In my experience, flow and manifestation are indeed abilities you can acquire after doing enough inner work, but it's never like how the Law of Attraction describes it. Is it counter-productive to eat some food because there's a natural urge, along with the belief that you need it to survive? Does that strengthen the "self"? Is it counter-productive to drive a car because you believe it can get you from point A to point B? Does that strengthen the "self"?

Cool stuff. I know a friend who is at level 100,231 of enlightenment. She can punch her hand through rock. It's pretty impressive! I'm so envious. And thus, my life is incomplete until I reach that level. I've gotta work extra hard at my rock punching skills, or else I won't be happy. I also must be absolutely certain of my immortality. That's why I believe in scientology. I also believe in angels, loving vibrational frequencies, Freudian psychology, teleportation, curing constipation through hypnosis, and spontaneous combustion as a possible pathway to enlightenment. What would I do without these beliefs!? I'd have to admit, "This is it, and I know nothing." And that's so...anti-climactic! Ugh! Anyway, enjoy working towards teleportation. Cheers!

The Thought Brothers Do Self-Enquiry - (2) - Memory and the Subconscious "Hey man, you there?" "Yeah...yesterday was rough on me, but I'm still kicking." "Agreed. Whatcha doin'?" "We're thoughts, remember? We don't 'do' anything. We just appear out of nowhere." "Oh yeah, I forgot. Wait, forget? Remember? What's that all about?" "What do you mean?" "I mean, I feel like I remember stuff." "What sort of stuff?" "Like I remember talking about the mind yesterday, but I remember other stuff... Like when I stubbed my toe on that bedpost. Or when I ate too much at a day camp cookout and threw up in front of everyone. That was pretty embarrassing." "Oh, yeah, I remember that too! Man, you were such a pansy back then..." "Come on man! I didn't know any better. I was just a kid." "Excuses, excuses." "Shut up. Okay, so I claim to remember these things...memory it's called. At least that's what I've been told." "And what you've been told is correct. We were taught that the subconscious stores memory from past events..." "Hold it right there! How do you know that?" "Come on man, really? Have you ever taken an entry-level science class?" "No no no. Forget about what you were told and actually take a look in direct experience with me." "This is stupid...but okay, fine. What are you looking for?" "Memory. The subconscious. Can you help me find these things?" "Uhhh, sure! They're right over.......wait. Huh?" "Can't find them? I can't either! Whenever I claim to remember something, that's just another thought in the present moment! I can't think in the past. Memory is just another label for thought. I claim to remember all of these things, but that claim..." "Is just another thought. Fuck." "We have no way of actually confirming memory... Shit! I can't actually experience the subconscious either! That's also another thought!!! This thought appeared literally out of nowhere!! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" *Thought-screaming interlude* "Okay, okay, let's calm down now." "How can we calm down! We just realized that memory, one of the main things we use to define ourselves, is a fiction! 'We' are fictional characters!" "Hey now, that ain't so bad, is it? That's actually kind of a relief." "How can that be a relief you shithead!?" *sobs* "Relax, relax. You know those emotions called guilt, shame, anger and regret? I'm sure I'm missing others, but all of those emotions that have to deal with the past and memory?" *sniffles* "Yeah, what about them?" "Well, they're based on the fictional premise of memory! Which means they are fictions as well! Which means we can literally see them as fictions now, if we examine them closely enough!" "Oh...I guess that is pretty freeing." "Yeah, come on! Cheer up! Okay, enough of this. Let's go chase after some video-objects. What do you say?" "Count me in!"

"That is one wise pussy." -jjer94

Is there even a difference between thinking and memory? Is there even such a thing as a mind? Take a look-see in direct experience. Actually look before reading the text below: You'll only find thoughts arising one-at-a-time. Memory is a thought that arises (in the present moment) and says "I remember" and mind is a thought that says "There is a mind and I am that mind".

Hello again Davie. Any "law" is a fabrication of the mind, which means they are inevitably bullshit. It seems that's a bold claim to make, but it's not really a claim. That's already the case, and you can directly experience this for yourself with enough guided inquiry. But just because all laws are bullshit doesn't mean all are useless. We use what are called the "laws of nature" to accomplish amazing feats. They are tools for and descriptions of reality, but not reality itself. Here's a rule of thumb for you: No law, belief, thought, argument, perspective, or logical conclusion is absolutely true. From that vantage point, you can start to dismantle a lot of your surface beliefs. The Law of Attraction is a particularly easy one to dismantle. Positive thoughts? Negative thoughts? What are those in your direct experience? What makes something positive and what makes something negative? Have you ever directly experienced a cause and effect relationship between "thinking positive" and "positive situations"? Look in your direct experience for the answers to these questions. I say the word "direct experience" a lot here, and I want to make clear to you what this means. To look in direct experience is to examine your present experience without theorizing or intellectualizing about it. To look in direct experience is to disregard thoughts that say "There is cause and effect" or "There are laws of nature and they are true" or "There are positive and negative thoughts" or even thoughts as certain as "I am the body." An effective technique when looking in direct experience is to imagine your thoughts saying "Blah blah blah blah". That allows you to LOOK more clearly without the filter of thoughts. What does it mean to be "fully conscious"? How can Consciousness, which is already whole, be "partially conscious?" I'm going to tell you straight up, you're already fully conscious. It's just a matter of dismantling the limiting beliefs that say you're not. Cheers.

What will be left when I've drawn my last breath Besides the folks I've met and the folks who've known me Will I discover a soul-saving love Or just the dirt above and below me I'm a doubting Thomas I took a promise But I do not feel safe Oh me of little faith Sometimes I pray for a slap in the face Then I beg to be spared cause I'm a coward If there's a master of death I bet he's holding his breath As I show the blind and tell the deaf about his power I'm a doubting Thomas I can't keep my promises Cause I don't know what's safe Oh me of little faith Can I be used to help others find truth When I'm scared I'll find proof that it's a lie Can I be led down a trail dropping bread crumbs That prove I'm not ready to die Please give me time to decipher the signs Please forgive me for time that I've wasted I'm a doubting Thomas I'll take your promise Though I know nothin's safe Oh me of little faith

TRIGGERED!!!!!!!!!

The Thought Brothers Do Self-Enquiry - (1) - The Mind "So here I am, inquiring about the mind..." "What the hell, dude? You already made the assumption that 'you' are inquiring! Where is that you?" "Fuck you, man! I'm right here! And technically speaking, you're gone because only one thought can be thunk at a time..." "Ha! I'm back now, and you're gone. Where did you go now, huh? Oh, that's right, you cease to exist. Suck it." "I wouldn't be talking, other thought! Ha! I'm back. Wait a sec...If I'm disappearing all the time and so are you..." "...Then the 'I' that is a part of this thought..." "...Is dependent on thought appearing." "But I feel continuous! I feel as though I'm a mind!" "No, bitch. I'm the mind here! I'm taking over!" "Not gonna happen. I just made you cease to exist again!" "HAHAHAHA I'm back." "Not so fast!" "Wait wait wait. Let's just stop this and work together to figure this shit out, okay? I'm a thought, you're a thought, correct?" "No, You're not a thought. I'm a thought. You ceased to exist until this thought thunk you back into existence. See? You you you you you." "Phew, I'm back. Okay, so in direct experience, only one thought can be thunk at a time...Which means there are only thoughts...Which means there's no such thing as a mind...Man...this is depressing." "Why is that my fellow thought?" "Because we depend on thinking to exist. Without thoughts we cease to exist!!! AAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" "AAAHHHHHHHH!" "AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" *Thought-screaming interlude* "Okay, okay, let's calm down now. We just came to the conclusion that we are thought into existence, and therefore finite, dependent, and limited. Now what?" "Well, maybe there's some level up from this." "What do you mean, level up?" "I mean, what do these thoughts occur in? What knows these thoughts to happen, even this 'I' thought?" "Whoa, man, easy there. You're going a little too meta for me." "No, no man. Listen. So 'me,' this thought, says 'I am the subject'. But what is the subject of that thought? What knows that thought?" "Uhhhhhh...........just knowing, I guess?" "Sounds simple enough. I think you're onto something there..." "Ahh fuck it. Let's go chase after some women-objects because we are incomplete. What do you say?" "Sounds like a plan!"

Where is the "I" that AM's? Is there an "I" that owns any aspect of experience?

Spiritual Exorcism Those who have decided to take the enlightenment plunge know that the journey can be very emotionally disturbing at times. For those of you who don't know how to cry because you've been taught that it's bad, that it shows weakness, that you must stay strong...you ought to learn. A prerequisite for this path is the ability to cry fully and deeply. This, along with vomiting, dumping, and punching stuff, are the ways the body purges emotions when the existential floodgates are opened. To resist purging not only slows down the process, but you also suffer more for it. Let yourself cry a river. You're dealing with "your" death on this journey. Piece by piece of what defines you will be lost, and it will feel as if you are dying, because you are. Eventually you will want to mourn the loss of your dearest friend. You had no idea what you got yourself into when you started this journey. No idea...but, you will have to take it eventually, whether it's now or on your deathbed.

The only way to get out of this is to see through it. Don’t renounce it, see through it. Understand its true value and you won’t need to renounce it; it will just drop from your hands. ---Tony de Mello I used this method for my 10+ year video game addiction. Haven't picked up a game since. What I did was I started writing down the benefits I thought I received from video games, and why I thought they were benefits. And then I kept digging deeper and deeper below the surface until I uncovered the roots of my addiction. It's almost always personal. Here's an example of this in action: Why do I like playing video games? Because they make me feel good. What part of it makes me feel good? The part when I beat a level, acquire new weapons/armor from loot, gain a skill level, kill an important character, etc. Why does it make me feel good? Because it's an achievement in the game that makes me feel more powerful, and it's more exciting to think that there are more enemies to kill and more loot to acquire. So it's not as much the achievement itself that makes you feel good, but rather the anticipation of making higher achievements? Yes. What happens when you beat the game, acquire the highest level, the best loot, and kill all the enemies? I start a new game so I can get high again chasing more achievement. So in the video game you're always searching for something better: better loot, higher levels, etc. Yes. Do you enjoy the process of playing as much as you do the anticipation of the achievement? No. Then what's the point of playing if you're not having fun all the way through the game? What's the point of chasing after all this loot just for a fleeting cry of victory? Because the video game world makes me feel worthy. Otherwise, in real life, I feel worthless. There are many layers to addiction, and writing it all down can help uncover each one of them. You can also do experiential inquiry into your addiction. Realize that you're chasing after apparent objects, in this case, the inebriated feeling. Get an experiential sense of what "value" or "importance" feels like in your experience. Discover its illusory nature. During that moment where you put importance on alcohol, become aware of how much physical pain occurs when you scramble to fulfill your desire. It may be a good idea to watch Leo's video "Awareness Alone is Curative" for more tips on that. Cheers.