Shanmugam

@Saumaya Does it appear like this?

I like this conversation too and I have bookmarked it. It will be an interesting experience to read the same conversation after a couple of months.

@SOUL I think there is a major difference between us. Based on my observation, you seem to be very strict in word usage (and based on how you define 'belief', this is just a belief). And The way I use the words is entirely different. I think we may have a very different perspective on this, based on our experiences. Let us forget about the word 'absolute' for a moment. When I have gone through many reports of awakening, I have recognized exact similarities between the way they are described and the way I experience the reality every moment. This is especially true in how Vedanta describes it in many of the books I have gone through. It was an automatic recognition that didn't involve any kind of analysis or thought process. In fact, I was very reluctant to call my experience 'enlightenment'. I think a few of the members of this forum know this. My only intention in even starting to write on my blog was that I want to share what I found in my life experience. Many of the things are coming from how I lived my life as a seeker and what kind of traps I went through. Of course, this is not going to be the same for everyone. But at least, I am aware of some basic patterns of human behavior which I also got confirmed through my study of psychology. The reason why I brought up our past conversation was that I was actually very curious about you and what you were really trying to say. But since some of the questions that I asked you were unaddressed (or probably I failed to notice them when you had addressed), I was bringing up the past conversation again. We can drop that right now since you have clarified many things recently.

@Nothing000 you are welcome

If I compare to how I was living four years before, this is indeed priceless..

Here is how I describe my experience in my bio on my blog: "I feel complete, satisfied and one with existence without any duality, without a sense of an ‘other’. There is no feeling of an independent existence; I feel limitless with absolutely no conflict and my life flows like a river. I still retain imperfections, my genetic traits and I am completely fallible. This way of living is quite ordinary and simpler than how enlightenment is usually described. There is an innocence of a child in my experience of consciousness".

Yeah... I am going to read my own book..

That was too offensive and insulting!!! I just got unenlightened Now I have to start all over again!!!

She already knows that I write on forums, blogs etc.. What is so scary about that?

Yes.. there is really no way to know how other people feel. We only interpret other people's feelings based on our own experience.. That is the only way. But when this happens very unconsciously it is called as a 'psychological projection'. You have never experienced life as another person even for a second. All you know is what has happened in your subjective experience..

Shin is serious for the first time, as far as I have seen... Isn't that unusually funny?

Can you please translate that?

There is humor in every post in this thread.. You need to improve your sense of humor buddy... You have a competition now in being funny..

It is constructive criticism only... Read this post fully and let me know if you have any further questions: https://nellaishanmugam.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/why-do-i-criticize-sadhguru-jaggi-vasudev/

Do you think Criticism is same as hatred? It is not always the case.

"You have made many accusations of me and are offended if I question you about your views. If you question me about my views I will respond to clarify if I can but I don't get offended or disturbed by it" . What makes you be so sure that I got 'offended'? Most of the time, I only see a misunderstanding in the language.. You haven't really engaged in any kind of ad hominem attack or verbal abuse. But if you visit my blog, you will witness a lot of people (Sadhguru's followers) calling me 'idiot' and 'stupid'.. I tell them that it is not possible to offend me and challenge them to try more. .. I even ask them to Google for '100 swear words in English' so that they can find more.. And this whole verbal abuse happened because I questioned their authority and shown some skepticism. . The same thing happened in this forum when I was critical of James Swartz. Again, it was about questioning the authority which I always encourage people to do. "Although, you don't often ask about my perspective or experience, you want to argue about what you accuse me of." The accusations, as far as I am concerned, are as simple as stating my observations.. I am actually very interested and curious to hear your experience and perspective.. Can you elaborate more on your perspectives? (I already read that you wrote about how you got over your childhood trauma) "When people say 'don't teach' to others or are saying enlightenment 'is' this and 'not' that leaves no room for any other view or suggest what they say is 'absolute truth' or suggesting that anything that differs from theirs is false they are speaking from authority. I'm not saying you did all these things, I'm just pointing out how someone is speaking from a mindset of authority." When it comes to me, I got so used to this kind of speaking because, based on the firm understanding that I have gained through my experience from a seeker to who I am right now and based on many agreed upon consensus, I am just saying the best thing that I can. What I say is very simple. Unless one solves his own problem first, he may not be able to help someone else in solving the same problem. But even though I sound authoritative, I always remind people to follow their own light. It is just that I can't say that after every sentence. That will be too weird and will occupy a lot of pages. . It has become my natural way of writing, that's all! I sometimes question people who speak that way to maybe understand their perspective and why they have this 'authoritative' perspective if I can understand it at all but I don't do it to argue or disagree. Some people are disturbed by it and get offended, some just have a discussion with me and we can learn about each other's perspective by it. No problem.. I guess I have been clear enough in the previous passage in explaining that. Sometimes all I can do is laugh, I find humor in lots of things and have nothing to say other than to laugh. If you feel laughed at it's your own sense of self that feels it and if we both are laughing we are laughing with each other. So if you find humor in my words then laugh and I will laugh with you....even if I ask what did you find funny. I can't laugh based on what you think in your mind, I am not a mind reader. .. Again, I am not saying that you are not clarifying things, but you need to be aware that many times the discussion is only about the meaning of words. It happens a lot and I have understood that very well from my experience. But if you indeed find a humor in a lot of things, I assume you do find that in life outside the forum too. Then it will be very good if you share jokes in 'enlightenment jokes thread'... That way, many people can laugh with you... (I am writing laugh with you but Grammarly software that I am using says it should be 'laugh at you' ): Hope you found that funny!

Yes, it is possible. But I don't really see a big difference between 'reading/journaling' and 'watching videos' though.. Assuming that your intention is in the spiritual path, why not spend time in meditating, self-inquiry, doing simple activities like walking mindfully etc?

@Nahm this is exactly what is going on: ...................................................... Kevin: After all, everyone wants to be happy and fulfilled in their lives Martha: What if I don't want to be happy and fulfilled in my life? You are using a lot of authoritative statements... Kevin: I guess we can't really have a conversation anymore then... Martha: that's hilarious... You said everyone 'wants' to be happy. You know what you want. but why do you place that on me? Why do you measure me or anyone else according to your standard... your "wanting"? Kevin: ok.. We are done.. thank you Martha: thank you Kevin: Alright, I want to have some tea. Do you want tea? Martha: bahaaaa! Just now you said you 'want' to be 'happy' and now you 'want' tea'? Kevin: I just said everyone wants to be happy. What is the problem with that? If you don't want to be happy then its fine.. No one forces you to be happy! Martha: I never said I don't want to be happy. I just asked you a question because I always question people.. By the way, for some reason, you don't want to let go of the conversation that we are 'done' with. You must inquire if you are really happy. Kevin: But what is the purpose of the question? Can't we really have a normal conversation like everyone else? Martha: that's hilarious.. Again, your standards of what is 'normal' need not be my standard of what is 'normal'. That is what I am telling you from the beginning. Kevin: Alright, we are really done this time... Martha: Whatever you say, my friend ....................... End................ (by the way, Kevin is still curious to find out what is really wrong with Martha and why Martha is doing this. But he has discovered that having a conversation is not the best way to do that. )

@SOUL I already told you one thing... Many disagreements happen because of semantics.. In your reply, a lot of disagreement is due to only that.. And I am not going to say anymore word regarding the rest of it. . Because then it will be a 'false portraying', according to you... But there has been too much fuss about the authority here.. Just because a person is not an authority, it doesn't mean that what that person says will not make any sense to me or doesn't have any value.. Of course, I don't consider anything as infallible authority... But it also doesn't mean that I am not going to listen to anyone, I am not going to try anything that anyone says, investigate or test anyone says either. I talked about Adhyaropa Apavada very briefly in my previous post, even though I have spent a year in actually trying to find out more about it.. I investigate not because I think it is an authority but because I know that history indeed has a value. Nobody would want to reinvent the wheel. In fact, a very important criticism I have about Vedanta is that it says scriptures are infallible and eternal authorities.. I have written about it on my blog, Quora and in this forum too. I have said something very clearly in this same thread. Here it is: I don't think what has been said in that post is really that hard to understand. It pretty much summarizes what I wanted to say. There are two things which are very important: skepticism and open-mindedness. And I never endorse considering something or someone as an infallible authority. I have seen many people in my life. But this discussion has provided me an opportunity to find someone who is ..............................................(I am not going to say that. But I promise it is not anything abusive at all. ) thank you

yes.. I don't think you need Kriya yoga..

Yoga is not a fitness program.. .. And Kriya Yoga is not going to be like working out in a gym.

you are welcome buddy

why? are you @Faceless?

@Shin @Ether your turn.. post your pics..

'It seems like you are still seeking' - thats your belief! ' I don't really care about all this stuff' I simply do what I enjoy doing this moment and that causes a lot to be accomplished, without even a feeling that I am doing all this...That is exactly how life is happening for me.. It is your 'fault finding' posts which starts a conversation with you and me... I have absolutely no issues with discussing things. And as you always do, you have completely ignored the whole post I made by saying 'I don't know anything.I am at peace.'... Why do you care about posting in this forum then? What makes you to post 'bahahhaa' in the threads? Why do you care about the kind of posts the people make here and find faults? thats my question.. ..