Haumea

Sure. I'm quoting from Transcending The Levels of Consciousness, p. 279. (Speaking of "600s" level, i.e. "first stage of enlightenment.") "approximately fifty percent of the time, when this level of consciousness is realized, the body will be relinquished. If not, then physical continuation is in accord with the response of the world, which may urge the necessity of eating or drinking. From within, there is no inclination one way or the other, nor is there a need to communicate or speak." OK, so it's only 50% according to him. None of these things happened to me upon reaching the 600s. Literally, none. Everything was as it was before, except for the "no-self" experience and a certain nihilistic mindset. OK, I didn't know that. That's pretty "out there." Suspicion-arousing.

Shanmugam: Great blog post. I like Sadhguru too, but I've thought he was a "700s" guru (i.e. Cosmic Consciousness, not The Absolute/1000) for a year now (when I still experienced an ego.) He shows the typical markers of a 700s awakening: empire-building, knowledge-based system/seminars, indiscriminately talking about everything under the sun, and most importantly speaking of enlightenment in terms of "expanded sense of self." This entire "most enlightened people die" business seems to be one of the biggest myths about awakening. I didn't know Osho had started it. David Hawkins also disseminated it in his books. Don't get me wrong, as I said, I enjoy his videos and like him, and he's probably great for a lot of people, but there are obvious problems and limits with any guru in the 700s.

"That was then, this is now." The process has been accelerating since the "2012" awakening. In 5 years you'll know what I'm talking about.

I'm going to make a bold prediction. Most of the regulars here will be at LOC 1000 (full enlightenment) within 5 years. (This is a conservative estimate.) By "most", I mean "anyone who is even a bit openminded that such a thing is possible." So basically, just enjoy life and don't take it all too seriously. Meditate if you like it, do yoga or self-inquiry if you like it, but most importantly just keep an open mind that you will be fully enlightened in a matter of years. (I ain't bullshittin', totally serious here.)

Well, I assure you I'm not dead, fwiw...

If I'm not mistaken, "headlessness" is a metaphor for the "full enlightenment" state, The Absolute, LOC 1000. The I-thought no longer arises, so there isn't a "subject" paying attention to an "object." There is attention without one attending and another being attended to. This is all on the existential level. Intellectual powers remain as before so in a sense, everything is "the same."

This is an excellent question, Markus. The best way to explain it is to say that your current LOC is the limiting factor in how much shadow work can be done, but also it's good to do as much of it as it will allow you. When you get to LOC 1000, i.e. "full enlightenment", the shadow work will still not be complete, but the process of shadow integration will proceed on its own, effortlessly and spontaneously. This is why no I-thought doesn't mean "sahaja." See, the basic idea is that the more "ego" you have (i.e. the lower the LOC) the more the ego resists integrating the shadow. The ego is all about safety, defenses, maintaining boundaries. The ego is "what we THINK we are" The shadow is "what we THINK others/'everything not us' is." (And by this I do not mean intellectual understanding or belief, but actual existential frame of reference: how you spontaneously, unconsciously perceive.) Since full enlightenment is Everything is The Self, i.e. no separation, that realization will work towards full integration. It just doesn't bestow it automatically.

@Courtney With the kind of work you're doing, you're better off with something that confronts you with your shadow. Transcendent experiences are cool and everything, but you want something that'll really slam you right into your projected parts. (Basically, in your case, something that will confront you with the need to reclaim and reintegrate your power.)

Permanently feeling like a child = sahaja. This is Adam and Eve, The Garden of Eden, Jesus and "lest ye become as little children..."

Just out of curiousity...can everyone on this thread please post their blood type? Testing a theory...

Let's give women mystics some love. Gangaji

I just visited Leo in the spirit realm. (Not a fan of out-of-body-experience, but a lot of people seemed concerned.) He said he's coming back soon reincarnated as Sadhguru's love child. Seemed psyched about it. Said he's going to reach full enlightenment much faster this way. Said to tell everyone to carry on with life purpose work and self-inquiry. Said you already have a wealth of material to work with, just be diligent.

I don't understand what is just a chemical process in the brain and what isn't.

When you're enlightened, you're never alone Because the "you're" to be alone is gone All the egos and the world they own Are just the Self when you've come home.

Can you find the center, i.e. "the separate self"? If not, you're experiencing a non-duality state.

In my experience, mental clarity and general cognitive ability are unaffected by ego death/stabilizing in non-duality. What may be happening is that you're getting close and the ego is messing with you to warn you off. You can get negative thoughts, depression, even fake heart attacks. The only difference between before and now is that the personal narrative cannot be maintained - the center point which you need to do that is no longer there, replaced by a sense of emptiness. Everything else is the same: thoughts, feelings, actions - the difference is that it happens spontaneously. It doesn't feed the ego, positively or negatively.

Excellent observation. Holding grudges is unhelpful to the spiritual person. I think this will help you put things in perspective - it's a fascinating read. "The Divine takes men as they are and uses men as His instruments even if they are not flawless in virtue, angelic, holy and pure. If they are of good will, if, to use the Biblical phrase, they are on the Lord’s side, that is enough for the work to be done."

You come across all kinds of beliefs floating around. Not all of them are to be taken seriously. Always consider the source as well as the content.

What you specifically see in enlightened experience is inconsequential. The nature of "self" that you experience is what matters -- and it is the same across cultures. Not feeling like a "separate self", e.g. is a universal experience. Whether you feel at one with Buddha or Jesus is irrelevant. You are at one with some representation of the divine, versus most people who aren't at one with any version of the divine. The divine is formless and static. Different cultures create different symbols for the formless and static. The senses do not perceive formless and static. They perceive shape, color, etc. God isn't perceived with the senses, so what you actually "see" is irrelevant. There's a feeling of being at one with God in a certain stage of enlightenment. This is also universal. There's a feeling of experiencing some version of a spiritual guide in another stage. What shape they take is irrelevant as well. Scientists are very good at abstract thinking, until they become willfully literal-minded when it suits their prejudices.

Depends on how smart you are and how mature and disciplined for your age. I think above a certain IQ level you don't need college, unless you want to go for social reasons, to make connections, or if there are extraordinary professors you could benefit from (most professors are not extraordinary.) Assuming you want to be an auto-didact, you'll be able tailor your own curiculum and probably come out ahead by learning what truly captures your interest in your spare time. I guess people may be saying to you why not go have fun for 4 years if it's free? And that's a legit point and something to take into consideration, but if you feel like it would be a waste of time and you're ready to work now then that wouldn't be a big loss.

Pretty much this. It's basically The Big Five minus the Neuroticism scale. Develop your tertiary and inferior functions. E.g. I'm an INTJ, so I work a lot on my Se inferior.

Hey Afonso, The 5th level I think is frequently underrated by many. The dirty little secret of enlightenment is that many fully realized teachers got there by being around their fully realized teachers. That's the bullet train, baby. Meditation's the bike.

Get rid of the "I am a separate self" feeling and you get non-doership, i.e. permanent flow. In other words, stabilize in non-duality.

Hmm. "How would you characterize the nature of the self?" Even then, they could fake a higher level answer without directly being at that level. It's more reliable to observe them for a sufficient length of time, and if you are familiar with different levels of consciousness, it isn't hard to guess in the ballpark.

You could have had the best teacher, the most comfortable pace... and it's still your demons that are arising. You can't control the way that manifests. The unconscious mind has a message to send to you, and you can try and understand the message or run from it. That's ultimately what this is about. You even admit that your temporary depression was useful in terms of insight, so you have experience with what I'm saying. The people who developed psychosis were probably already on the edge and seeking a solution, so I'm doubtful that self-development actually directly caused it. Relatively mentally healthy or even just garden variety neurotic people do not develop psychosis as a result of self-development. I know you're not seeking enlightenment, you're seeking relief from anxiety. That's why I did shamanic plants. To end anxiety, you take responsibility for your well-being - stop self-neglecting. That was the gist of the message I got.