SOUL

@Princess Arabia To respond to your topic, emotions are just stimuli in our mind to instigate behavior. It's just that people also overlay a binary concept of good/bad over the top of them that may not really exist. Although, it isn't necessarily a clear cut binary people employ, there's often alot of gray or mixed areas where the same emotions have both positive and negative conceptions about it or are inverted depending on circumstances. Even many of the 'nonduality' crowd uses a binary to describe their experience, though it seems like a contradiction. This isn't to criticize them but it just shows how ingrained in the psyche it is to frame experience and stimuli in this way. I can admit as I cultivate well being and there are expression dynamics from that I recognize it's also a nod towards this same type of framing, though it is less moralistic than the good/bad or right/wrong implications can be.

Sure there are 'books' to cure happiness...it's called social media.

@Breakingthewall That's quite a belief system you have created there. So, let's see if I understand. When we are talking about animals, then the accepted definition of suffer applies yet when we are talking about humans, which also are animals but don't let that distract you, the accepted definition doesn't apply. So animals don't also have memory of something, thus don't have psychological reactions to something that may not be actually happening? It isn't that they are not fully aware of this dynamic happening, it's that it doesn't happen at all?

@Breakingthewall Maybe you all can just link your personal dictionary in your signature so others know what you mean with the words you use, since you have personal definitions for them. You know, it seems the commonly accepted definitions aren't suitable for you. Let me ask...do animals suffer? Or is it only psychological for them, too?

Interesting, another person that has their own personal definition of a word and wants to instruct me according to their own personal definition.

@Keryo Koffa Mistaken interpretation of my comment but thank you for including me in your forum meme art.

Did I say that? Or is that just what you heard? Contemplate that. It's not the contrasting, which can often be a source of self suffering, it's the mindset of 'my belief=true, other's belief=false', which also can often be a source of self suffering, that I'm taking note of. I could expound upon the dynamics at play in that but instead I'll just let you think it through and figure it out for yourself. You seem like a smart person, I believe in you.

So you believe your ideas are true, are real and others that aren't like yours are 'pseudo', meaning they are fake? Hm...ok.

Well, if you want to have your own definitions for words and build a belief system around those personal definitions you are welcome to do so but don't expect anyone else to understand what you are talking about and be aware that when you are 'correcting' them according to your personal definitions there can be the possibility for misunderstanding. Good luck with that. Peace.

There is at least one other alternative... observing. No ignorance, no pursuit, no stress, just simple awareness.

Suffering is not pain? Dictionary disagrees with your definition. So you say suffering is the mind imagining something that isn't actually happening? Well, that's what I call self suffering because according to the dictionary suffering is the actual pain. Self suffering is the mind causing psychological pain and distress, it's in the mind. This is the reason I make this distinction and I find many get confused when it is said liberation is the cessation of suffering rather than the cessation of self suffering. Of course, we could also say that the body is part of the 'self' so it isn't completely accurate to make the distinction this way but it seems to bring more clarity than without it. I guess it could be called 'ego suffering' though it feels a bit awkward of a phrase, it might make more sense.

@Ishanga I see you mention suffering or more specifically the cessation of suffering as your focus not seeking truth and I appreciate this. Although, allow my to expand on this for a moment in a way that I hope will help. I focus on liberation which is the cessation of 'self suffering' and that modifier is a crucial one. As long as we have our bodies we will suffer, if we stub our toe it hurts, when we get hungry there is a pang in our gut, we can get a headache or sunburn, all these are physical suffering that don't go away just because we may have liberation from 'self suffering'. Self suffering is the psychological angst, conflict and misery one suffers in consciousness. It can arise from physical conditions and be about them, but they aren't those 'sufferings' itself. Often our self suffering isn't a direct result of our conditions but what we imagine they are and not what they really are, what they could be but aren't yet or from the past that may have had similar conditions. As well as all the searching we do for meaning, purpose, understanding and truth can cause self suffering. In fact, this forum is a prime example of those searches can cause self suffering, those pursuits are often obstacles to liberation and seemingly the reason why well-intentioned people separate themselves from liberation. The comparing and measuring of our perceptions and experiences with others in agreement or not can be an exercise of self suffering, Our self identity has a need to affirm and confirm our 'truth' with others or find another method, technique or conceptualization to help us attain something that the self identity is actually denying us. The very entity that is creating the separation from liberation through all sorts of ideas and activity is seeking more ideas and activities to solve it. There are always the endless supply of ideas and activities that are the distraction the ego believes are a solution to the problem it doesn't really want to solve because it doesn't serve its desire as self identity. The self identity is the truth seeker, the meaning maker, the purpose pursuer, the spiritual activity doer. It wants to 'get' the fruits of the spiritual path, it gets the reward of the work, it possesses the states of consciousness, it is the 'god'. It will even self identify as 'no-self' as long as it's desire for attention and justification is fed....but never satisfied. Except that liberation isn't an activity, it's not an idea, not meaning, not purpose, it's not even truth. it is just being it, being liberated is a cessation from self suffering and everything that would create self uffering in our awareness of the moment. Being in liberation is abiding in presence. So my reccomendation is not let all the things self identity uses in justifing itself to distract from being present in liberation. All the churning it does to imagine what it requires for 'freedom' is the root of self suffering and the chains that prevent liberation. It is just being it and that presence will fulfill everything we do, say, think, feel and believe no matter what it is.

If nature produced a virus that infected us and it doesn't kill us but it's byproduct was DMT the world would get infected with god consciousness so the 'world's consciousness' would be raised. Then the civilization would fall into chaos because few would be able to function with them alive perpetually like that. We'd turn back into monkeys running the savannas and living in caves. Back to monk

Yea but it's a free range cult... so everyone is god that doesn't exist.

Pulling it out...

If 'bro' clung to yesterday's ideology, or even last week's ideology, then wouldn't that be ego attachment to the past and a hindrance to awareness being present? So always staying in the present perception would be an 'enlightened' way to be, true? Although, just not vomiting it on the forum as if it's universal gospel truth is the next step. Hah

This is something that I find it quite helpful on our journey, recognizing what the ego does and using its ability for our spiritual growth. It attaches identity to what we focus on, so it will do the same for any spiritual and mystical matters we place our awareness on. We just should to be aware that it doesn't evolve all that quickly, so it will lag behind present moment awareness in awakening and be attached to yesterday's revelation but not on the current revelation right now. This is why I would encourage people to 'train' for a lack of a better word the ego to stay present in support of our awareness being present in the moment. Basically, teaching the ego to be present in harmony with our awareness being present.

@Princess Arabia Which is why I clarified that my description was about the ego's behavior in creating separation, not about describing the indescribable, in case I hadn't been as clear with the first reply.

@Osaid This is why I said describing it may not be all that useful because we all have a perspective of it that may not exactly reflect another’s perspective of it. What you call subtractive another may call additive, you view it as removing something that separates from realization which another may view as adding something else that transcends the separation that prevents realization. Another may view it as the realization that the thing being subtracted isn't really there, so it's not subtracting anything, it's finally viewing it as it really is. Or it's not really adding anything because what is always is and realization is not material to add or subtract. Which is the reason I suggest descriptions of realization is trying to explain the inexplicable and often becomes a stumbling block to those that are experiencing the appearance of separation. The milestones along the way on the journey meant to guide us often become the very things that mislead us from getting to the destination, and even to describe it as such may be a misdirection.

@Princess Arabia So it seems a comment that the realization is inexplicable which you refer to as 'enlightenment' is an explanation that appears to already have become a stumbling block because the ego loves to rationalize everything into separation. The ego sets up gates of entry, things to attain, steps to accomplish and many kinds of criteria all designed to keep us on the hamster wheel of activity to 'do' so we can 'get'. The 'warning' as you called it is me describing how the ego behaves to prevent realization, which isn't useful once realized, not describing the realization itself. My apologies for trying to add anything to this topic....carry on and ignore my comments.