zazed

Yeah, more or less. What you must realize, awareness is not human vision and it does not have human vision. Awareness is aware of human vision. So what is awareness. It is the thing perceiving sound, sight, feelings, smells. In that sense, what you are conscious of most of the time, is just this human body. And everything you as consciousness sees, is a part of the perceptions you have of this human body. This is why the self identity is so strong for us. But in reality, everything you are aware of, is only facilitated by the human body and the brain. So you don't see my words on a screen. Instead you are conscious of your brain seeing pixels and translating them into words, and you are conscious of that. In that sense, everything is you, but everything is not really you. It's highly irrelevant to becoming enlightened, to understand the correct definitions of the world outside. It won't really help you to think you are one with everything. When you need to stop thinking and just become awareness itself. There is no effort in becoming consciousness, you don't need to understand anything. You just need to be aware. You need to do less...

Perhaps they say that, or it is an incorrect translation. Most masters did not write it in the language you read it. So your trusting unenlightened translators. You can be awareness. You can be being. Both are the same. But you are already that. You just don't realize it. If you were not it, you would not exist. Awareness cannot be aware of itself. Because awareness already is awareness. It's like shining a light upon a light. Awareness can only be aware of what it is not, and what it is not is your thoughts, mind, body. There is something to be had, but in my experience, it really defies words. There is awareness of being awareness yes, but it is more in the sense of being aware of all the things you are not.

Its much simpler really. The tree exists, the brain recognizes the tree, the body has emotions about the tree. None of those is you, but you are very much aware of them. You are that which is aware of those things, nothing more, nothing less. It is so simple, it is ridiculous, and still people cannot understand If you think it is abstract, you are overthinking it: You are that which is aware. You are not that which thinks. You are not that which sees. You are not that which feels. You are not that which hears. You are not that which dies. You are that which is aware. You can only ever be aware. You can never be aware of awareness. So, you can only ever be aware of that which you are not. Everything you are aware of, you are not. You can never know yourself as awareness.

Some say this, but i think it is terminology. They are real, but the illusion is, you think they are you, you think they are the core of your existence. What you are is awareness, this body and thoughts is not you, but you are aware of everything this body is doing. To say it is an illusion is an overstatement, to say it is essentially unimportant this body and thoughts, i agree. There is only one thing to say about enlightenment: You are that which perceives. The body exists within reality The thoughts exist within reality -> You perceive everything, body, mind, thoughts, feelings, sight, hearing, etc... And the thing perceiving all these things is you. Not the thing commenting about these perceptions, those are thoughts, they are not you.

The thought is real, the tree is real, the ground is real. None of these are a self however, they are just reality. The brain is able to make these distinctions thanks to study and learning. Consciousness is aware of all of the above.

The body and mind and thoughts are not a self, they never were a self. They give the impression of self, all these thoughts. And your true self, being pure awareness, somehow has come to believe this to be so.

Its not a separate thing. You are consciousness, it is all there is really. But you as consciousness is confused, and you believe the ideas and thoughts are really you. Then you may think there is you and consciousness. But ideas and thoughts are output, not self defining. Actually the thoughts and ego and emotions are real and happening, but they are not yours, what you are is the thing that is aware of them. Look into yourself, you are aware of everything your body/mind feels/sees.. What you are is just the thing that is aware of these thoughts. Once you as consciousness realizes you are just awareness, just seeing the world unfold, then you are enlightened. So basically, your consciousness is confused and thinks it is your thoughts and body. But if you really look, there is only being. There is only awareness of everything. If you "observe" a thought, who is it that observes the thought? That is what Leo means i believe, by asking yourself "who am I". There is something that is aware of you asking that question. But what is aware can never ask you a question. So you can only be aware of what you are not. Awareness cannot be aware of itself. You can't use the Buddha to seek the Buddha. Personally, i do not think we are all one consciousness. In my experience i am a consciousness.

One thing i noticed in India. Food is very cheap there, even going out eating. Work is also cheap there, getting help in the house and such, no problem. In that way, almost everything produced locally is relatively equally expensive as in Europe. The people earn less, but it costs equally less, so it evens out. Food in Europe is easily 3 to 5 times more expensive, in restaurants and in grocery stores. People from India coming to work here, have complained about the prices of European food shops. But all imported stuff, PlayStation, games, smartphones, foreign cars, musical instruments. Basically anything imported costs more or less the same as it does in western countries. It's kind of a strange dynamic, regular life = no problem. Imported luxuries = very expensive for many. This means it's a lot more sacrificing for an Indian guy to buy a Playstation, than it is for me. Even if our basic life needs cost almost the same.

Is it really important for me to understand, or a requirement even? It is what it is. What is the benefit to me for really understanding such money issues in poor countries, any benefit would be very abstract indeed. I've seen poor countries and visited regular people in India in their homes, but also in Cuba. It doesn't make money something more than a currency you exchange for goods. 3000 dollars would put a smile on my face too. Perhaps you overestimate how rich people are . It's still almost two months pay. The funny thing about cash is, it is more about cash flow. So if you earn like 1500 monthly, which is average here, and you have a loan for a house and some shopping to do, you may need to spend 1100 monthly to live. Utility bills, loans, insurance, car, public transportation. Then you have like 400 left for hobbies and saving for a vacation. You also need to save up for some emergencies, such as a car breaking down, or suddenly losing a job. So adding 3000 dollars to that cash flow would be a big increase still. But now we are getting into political discussions, on how the world is rigged so the working class makes just enough to live, but never enough to really save up and escape the work force. It's the rat race, and a model citizen barely scrapes by every month, until he dies.

Yes, you need enough to survive obviously. And i like some luxury here and there, i like a good kitchen, good pots and pans, excellent chef knives to cut vegetables. Oh and i like good ingredients, which also cost money. I also like computers, so i have an expensive one. And a high definition surround system. Basically, i have a lot of stuff in my house I am not certain how i would fare with less than enough money. But on the other hand, that is not the situation now, so why worry about it? I cannot predict how i would survive in a more apocalyptic society without money, it's a waste of time to try to predict my own future possible situation (and kinda against my philisophy of living in the now). That is what i mean with toilet paper. You use it, and as long as you have enough it's ok. But if it runs out, there may be problems, especially if you run out while using it. We shouldn't put to much importance upon money. But also not to little. It's basically just a tool for us to use, which we can collect more and more of if we don't spend it all at once, and if we have some sort of stable income.

But you only worry about it when you need to take a dump. It won't cross your mind other parts of the day, except perhaps when in the store. It should be the same for money I like to buy stuff, and the stuff can make me happy. But other than that money serves no purpose. I bought a cheap piano, to put some art/music in my life, this even makes me spiritually happy. It's even less useful than toilet paper, toilet paper directly cleans your ass. Money doesn't directly do anything, it's coins and bills, you need to exchange it first. So money is only good if someone else is willing to trade something for the money.

Perhaps money is more like toilet paper. If you need to use it, you use it. But your not stressing about if you have enough toilet paper in your home for all the shit to come. Still you have to get more toilet paper once in a while, so that you don't run out when there really is a lot of shit.

Not really. I believe it is irrelevant and even counter productive to overthink about money. If i have it, i will use it, if i do not i have to be more frugal. Money is not really important from a happiness perspective. It's like taking a shit, it doesn't necessarily make you happy, but you still gotta do it. Going from money makes us not happy, to abdicating money and going for total minimalism, is counter productive. I believe that is black and white thinking. There are many shades of grey. It's not because something is not relevant or directly good for happiness, that it needs to be eradicated.

I cycled for 40m, i had less mental anxiety about it, and was able to just be cycling. Had an average HR of 153, was sweating like crazy, and felt completely relaxed and serene. I felt like i was conscious of all the sensations, but they did not define me, almost as if i was hovering slightly above and behind my head (not literally). Then i meditated for 20m, i saw my mental states as they were, no attachment, i was able to be. I stayed with the sensation of seeing everything playing out, my thoughts, my feelings, but it just was as it was. There was no attachment or identifying. I haven't been able to just be like this during meditation for some time. For now it seems like a success, or a good placebo effect

You have trained your mental voice to talk with itself. Now it's talking in your head, going around in circles making you crazy. You also describe something that resembles a standard panic attack, which is nothing spiritual at all (it may surface when doing spiritual work, it does with me, because my mind is naturally anxious). http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/panic-attack-symptoms Just stop caring about your own thoughts. Stop taking yourself so seriously, and let go. You don't NEED to think. Have some fun, have some laughs, perhaps take a break from your spiritual practice. You may be forcing yourself to be this "spiritual" thing, but the body/brain/thoughts can never be spiritual. It's just a tool. It's no more you than your vacuum cleaner. With your vacuum cleaner your body cleans the house. Like with your body consciousness roams the earth. Love your body and mind, like the faithful vacuum cleaner of life, carrying you through the world. But don't identify with it. You can love a good vacuum cleaner, it's never let you down, it sucks really well. But you won't identify with it, you won't think you are the vacuum cleaner. Then why do you think you are this mind and body?

Money doesn't make you happy as such. If money makes you happy or unhappy, your living in the future, anticipating it's possibilities. Right now, reading this post, you don't need direct money. You may need it to pay your internet bill, but paying your internet bill doesn't make you happy either. Buying a new toy may make you happy, anticipating it's arrival and it's use. But soon the newness of the tool may wear off and you get bored with it, searching for another thing to buy. The money in this way is past and future in anticipation, dreaming and regret or forgetting. Money may make the brain/mind/self temporarily happy, it cannot in itself make the true self happy, it cannot bring real permanent joy. Regardless, a minimal amount of money to live comfortable is a requirement for happiness and enlightenment in today's society. Aside from joining a Buddhist or other monastery and letting everything go. But then you are substituting money for the security of the monastery, which is a crutch in the same way really.

Be aware, think nothing of it, continue. You are not the body, whatever it does, unimportant.

A quote from the article: https://philosophynow.org/issues/61/What_Is_The_Nature_Of_Reality Even scientists realize we are not the body, and we are perceivers, perceiving reality through a limited interface.

I may do it while cycling stationary, if that is ok? I've found exercise meditation very rewarding, and challenging. Muscles screaming in pain, drops of sweat itching on the skin, the mind that is asking to stop soon. And then trying to realize fully, there is no self, this is just sensation, it just is. Accepting the suffering as it is. I use no music, video or any other "relaxing" shortcuts when i do this. Relaxing in being while the body is suffering, is very rewarding

I'll join around 20:00 CET. I'm doing awareness or mindfulness meditation, which is just being being, its the only kind i do

When you are frustrated you are living in the past. Thinking about things that happened some time ago. Are they now here? You are frustrated, because you have a story of how things should be, and it is not playing out how you imagined. Now you are worrying about the future, trying to figure out how to do it better next time. This is text-book selfing, or self-identifying. There is no reason for awareness to teach, you should just be able to be being itself, now. I have a similar problem when i'm aware. My brain will start thinking and imagining how i would explain it to one of my friends who is interested. Or even how i will explain it in these forums. This makes my brain like some kind of tiger, ready to jump on whatever should happen during awareness. If it pounces, i am lost. constantly searching for clever insights, instead of just being pure awareness. I'm living in the future, excited to explain next time i see my friend, but this is not enlightenment, this is the self. Work more on your own enlightenment, not on that of others. You are giving control of your self, of your own enlightenment away to others by teaching about it.

A longe haired messiah is better than any old pope in my book!

but you are not getting emotional, who is preaching? try not to self identify with the teachings. you are not the body, you are not teaching. the words of non duality are not it, they only point to it. it's like a road-sign to a restaurant, the sign is not the restaurant.

i'd enjoy seeing this happen in the future.

@SOUL fair enough. i still would like more information to understand your views, if you're still willing to share? I didn't mean to imply anything about needing to understand eachother, was merely referring to our different usage of words not being a factor for disagreement, because they are just language. I could've used better wording.