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@Aaron p that's correct. You wouldn't be making the post or asking the question. You'll know. A small awakening you could call a glimpse. A very brief mystical experience vs a full awakening which is one that accompanies a direct realization about the nature of reality and typically a massive amount of Divine bliss that will make you roll around on the floor for hours crying. It's basically like seeing the tail of the Ox round a corner vs a full on encounter with the Ox.

Kasparov wrote an amazing book called how life imitates chess. I think he answers this question amazingly. For me chess is an amazing way to practice mastery. And being a student of mastery means you aren’t following your bliss. If you are following your bliss you will jump from one craze to another craze and never get good at anything. And the thing is if you get good at one thing very well you can transfer it to another skill. For example I play chess but I use that strategic mind in boxing too. Being a good thinker is a meta skill and I think chess is the best way to practice it.

You'll find that there are many video's where he explains what Enlightenment is, none of them are of the same message, so my take away is not to define it in strict terms.. For me Enlightenment is when in Embodied form, You realize and experience life beyond this Embodiment, beyond this Body/Mind/Ego complex that brings about a sense of Individuality and Exclusiveness, You realize everything is Inclusive, One, Complete, via that a Great Sense of Bliss is with You always, You feel pain still, cry when loved ones are hurt or die, but You are still in Bliss, Bliss is not an Emotion, but one of the Greatest Experiences one can have within themselves, so Bliss is a fundamental aspect of Enlightenment, as is Truth and Consciousness... Sat Chit Ananda!!!

A Simplier Time I don't think it's an uncommon experience to be nostalgic during the holidays or towards the end of the year. I find myself thinking about how things like Christmas and Thanksgiving felt more special when I was a kid and how much anticipation I experienced when it came to counting down to the 25th when I can finially open the presants that are under my Christmas tree. I feel like the most joy I had towards Christmas was in my elementary and middle school years. Once I got to high school and college, I was so stressed with exams in the end of the semester that I didn't have time to really be mindful and take in the joy of the holidays. Sure, I had winter break where I had like 3 weeks off but much of it was me being a blob in my room to recover from the stress of the semester. So basically, I spent an 8-9 year stretch (since I graduated college a little late) where the holidays were kind of a nuisance where I was stressed and booked to the brim rather a time when I can relax and spend time with friends. I feel like both 2023 and 2024 I have been embracing more of the holiday cheer. I have a stable job that pays me enough and doesn't stress me out so that helps out a lot since I'm no longer a stressed out college student. However, I do remember in 2023 feeling irritable during the month of December because I still had to go to work rather than have an extened period of time off for winter break. I just wasn't used to the way that breaks and the calender year felt after being a student for so long. But I found that after going to a couple Christmas parties and decorating a cookie that life felt a whole lot better lol. This year, I didn't have the irritability since I did take more time off and because I'm getting used to my corporate job on a year to year basis. Rather, I find myself feeling kind of sleepy over the last couple weeks or so. I think much of it is just how the time change and the days getting shorter are messing with my sleep schedule. While my social calendar hasn't been booked and busy, I am enjoying just cozier and quieter nights in with my boyfriend and lets just say that I fiinally understand the hype around cuffing season. While Christmas does feel nicer than it did when I was a stressed out student, I don't feel the magic of the holidays. I feel like there are a handful of factors: family, the distortion of time, and of course capitalism. Family My family wasn't ever super big on Christmas mainly because with the excepion of me, my other relatives never had the sentimentality attached to Christmas since they aren't Christian and grew up in a foreign country that doesn't celebrate Christmas like that. I remember as a little kid trying to emulate the stuff I learned about Christmas from school at home by pushing my parents to make cookies, decorating the house with lots of crafts, and leaving food out for reindeer lol. But once I got a little older I realized that I was the only one doing this and that left me discouraged to push for more. Then the nail on the coffin was my grandmother passing away back in 2016. She wasn't big on Christmas but she enjoyed the vibes. Her main thing was enjoying the Christmas lights and my family would drive around Dallas looking at the lights and we would set up lights at the house as well. But after she passed away, my dad especially lost motivation to do the one tradition we had for Christmas and also felt kind of depressed at the thought of setting up lights or putting up the tree. We didn't do anything for Christmas for years after she passed away. It's been a recent thing that I push him to put up a couple lights and the tree since I'm trying to reframe it as something to honor her memory rather than to have it that makes him feel depressed about her passing. The Distortion of Time I remember the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas feeling like it was forever when I was a little kid. The month of December felt like a year when I was like 5 years old. And it makes sense because a year or even a month was a larger portion of your life compared to when you're older. 1 year for a 5 year old is like 20% of their life while 1 year to a 25 year old is like 4%. And of course there are things like impulse control and patience as you age to take into consideration. But as an adult, while it's good that my job doesn't stress me out too badly like school did, if I don't take any breaks or time off, time can feel like a blob where everything just blends together. I feel like I blinked and next thing I know, Christmas is less than 2 weeks away and I have most of my shopping left to do. Time instead, feels like it's going too fast as I get caught up with my day to day responsibilities. And I feel like this sense of time really impacts my anticipation and excitment for Christmas because instead of being a kid counting down for Christmas day as the hours and days dragged on, as an adult, I just wish time would just slow down a little more so I can get things done and do all of the things I want to do. Capitalism In addition to time messing with my sense of anticipation, I think late stage capitalism, or I guess the awareness of it, probablly packs a larger punch. As a kid, like most children, I used to be so excited about the presents. I wasn't like a little brat about it. I did enjoy the Christmas programs at school, the little parties for my friends and me, and spending time with other people. I always felt like I knew the true meaning of Christmas lol. But when I was younger, even when I was in my early teens, it was so easy for me to create a little Christmas wish list, give that to my parents, and then sit in anticipation for the next month or so for my little wishes to come true. I remeber asking for things like art supplies, video games, and occasionally electronics. I would also get like clothes and blankets which I really liked even if they weren't things that I specifically asked for. However, as I got older, it became harder for me to ask for materialistic things because I don't have super strong wants materialistically. My mind would often blank when someone would ask me what I wanted for my birthday, Christmas, or Durga Pujo. And then that would inevitably cause people to get me something that I usually don't like and never asked for. I do think it's sweet that they thought of me but also I do feel awkward lol. I really relate to this tweet that I'm pretty sure I saw more than 6 years ago: And I guess when you embody the spirit of Christmas and start valuing the things that really matter over the materialism it in a way becomes harder to be impressed by the little stuff. Then there is the whole thing around overconsumption that has really been getting to me. I feel like I'm being constantly marketted to via the internet. I'm seeing gross depictions of wealth over the dumbest things like guest bathroom restocks. And everytime I go to a mall, I just think of how most of the clothes are cheaply made materially and how they use sweatshop labor and how most of the stuff here will end up in a landfill. Even if there are more expensive/ luxury options, I know those aren't exempt from the sweatshop labor and the quality is only slightly better but the marketting is like at a 10 to appeal to people who care about conspicuous consuption and flexing status. There are a few videos that I really resonate with on this topic that articulate my thoughts better than I can in one post: "Why Nothing You Buy Feels Good Anymore" from The Financial Diet goes into more of the convenience culture and overconsumption aspect of why shopping isn't pleasurable anymore. "Talking To Your Trader Joe's Cashier is a a GOOD thing" from Vaush goes into how we're losing community, becoming more anti social, and how shopping used to be more personal in terms of interacting with goods and services and that they had more meaning attached to things wheras now we're dealing with a lot of capitalistic alienation. "Oops, All Ads (And Billionaires): Entertainment Under Late Stage Capitalism" by Cheyenne Lin talks about how modern entertainers like singers, actors, and sports players are basically equilvalent to the court jesters of the medieval times entertaining the kings of our time, ie. the billionaries. And as a result of our shrinking attention spans and the burn out we face due to late stage capitalism, we just take in this slop and we're being marketed to constantly. Not to mention that all of this is happening while most people are struggling to make ends meet due to wages stagnating and not keeping up with inflation, the rise of facism across the globe, and multiple genocides happening simultaneously. It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth to where going to a department store to get yourself and your loved ones something nice feels far from magical. Sometimes ignorance really does feel like bliss. I wish I was the type of person who would be brought out of this funk with a Sephora beauty haul or be the type of person who would count down the days to Christmas day and get super excited over unpacking gifts because I asked for and was getting a designer bag. At times, I even find myself wishing I was like a 9 year old girl who started crying happy tears because her parents got her a stanley cup. I found myself looking at expensive designer shoes and bags for a handful of days this month. I wouldn't say that these are things I can't afford since I am fortunate to have a good amount of money in savings but lets just say that if I made these purchases, I wouldn't feel good because they aren't good financial decisions. I guess me looking at expensive things has been my weird way of trying to grasp at a sense of anticipation that has been missing from this season from childhood. These things feel out of reach in that they wouldn't be good financial decisions but they also do not super unrealistic since buying these things wouldn't bankrupt me. But while I'm trying to grasp at this sense of anticipation and specialness in these designer goods, I don't reach it because I'm painfully aware of the labor practices to create such things and I'm aware of my value system to where I know that none of these things will create a lasting feeling of fulfillment or hapiness. Basically, this is my stance:

@Someone here Good Stuff! I've been preaching the first BE then DO then HAVE modus operandi for awhile now, having natural Happiness/Bliss is what BEINGNESS is, from this standpoint then You go out and/or DO then HAVE, or HAVE then DO, it makes it all that more worthwhile and easier and fun, which is the basic point of life right, go out, fail or succeed, do things, don't do things, learn/unlearn, make friends, lose friends and loved ones and all that stuff, if You suffer it all along the way you'll be stopped at point A and never go all the way, so when Your established in Your BEING then you can go full stride as Sadhguru says, not 2 steps forward, 1 step back as most are doing:)

@Someone here Agree, Happiness, Like Bliss and Ecstasy (which are just more intense Experiences, Ecstasy being the Highest Intense Positive Experience we can have, Peace being the lowest of the Positive, anything below Peace is not living Human Potential) are not Emotions I would say... Pleasure is a shadow of Happiness, it comes then goes and is mostly based on 5 sense organ stimulation, Happiness is not this, its a naturally occurring experience once You create the appropriate atmosphere within Yourself, usually via Sadhana of some sort, some have it more naturally, others not so much, this is due to their individual Karmic makeup, but a Quality Sadhana can fix all of that, the Sadhana does not produce the Happiness/Bliss or Ecstasy, it just fixes the Atmosphere within You to allow it too naturally flow, we are meant to always Experience these feelings, it enhances are natural abilities on all fronts and allows Life to open up and new Potentials to become available to You:)

@Actualising Very good question. I owe my spiritual success to osho above all spiritual material I have come to. Osho initiated me into the Truth and guided me towards enlightenment experiences. If you want to be like osho, start by doing less. He lived a passive aggressive meditative lifestyle. Start to have less and less to and give more time to your well being, rest/good sleep, enjoyment, meditation and reading. Then also stop socializing so much, coming to forums, using social media and exit the matrix mind as much as possible. Just try to stay a whole day without doing nothing literally. From nothing to meditating as much as you can. Slowly get used to this lifestyle until it becomes your new reality. I’m supposing if you will be doing this, you are aiming towards enlightenment. I copied his lifestyle when I got started into spirituality at 18 and had much success in tasting the truth. I couldn’t done otherwise, since it’s like the easiest and surest way aside from using psychedelics. All other methods require more skill, knowledge and balance. With osho style you can just go your lazy way towards enlightenment, resting on bed meditating 24/7. It feels like a resort. I miss those days intoxicated with bliss. Also, read his books, his articles on his website and watch his videos from time to time to feel his silence.

yes this is true, but the problem with taking substances is that it may create subtle change, give a simple realization that there can be another way to BE within ones self, but its not Transformative generally speaking, Transformation means nothing of the old remains. So once in an Experience of Love/Bliss as a natural Experience then everything transforms, the perception of the world is transformed, and enhanced, then Life opens up, Possibility and Potentials in life become accessible, the path to Enlightenment comes closer to living reality!

Love or Bliss (you only want Love, Connectedness, Completeness because it gives You a great sense of Bliss) is the grease that keep things flowing smoothly, its is not a goal in and of itself, its just allows Enlightenment to happen smoothly and with Ease, why have challenges and suffering along the way when You can enjoy the ride and get there anyways!!!

I've shared the 5 Sheaths Theory before here on the Forum, I think it explains it well and detailed as to what reincarnates and such... What dissolves at physical death is the Earth Body and the Mind Body (Intellect, Discretion, Personal Memories and such), what goes on is the Energy Body, Etheric Body, Bliss Body (I am not sure what the Bliss Body is, is it a covering for the Atman/Soul, or is it that itself??) Karma is Stored in the Energy Body, so that goes along as reincarnation is happening... Some of what Your talking about is not Karma, its Duality at play which can cause Karma to be in place and being created moment to moment I guess? Karma is cause and affect, residual memory imprints from previous actions in 4 places as a Human Being, Body, Mind, Emotion and Energy, action in these 4 areas are happening on a moment to moment basis, how Aware are You/WE of these actions all the time?? Probably its at a nil level, so therefore most ppl are living by accident, not on purpose or with Consciousness of What they are, and What it means to be Human...But the situation is set up to be perfect almost, Nature if left alone is almost Perfect, the way our planet revolves around the Sun for as long as it is and will be, its perfect, as it the rest of the Universe and Existence, but things are not so perfect on this planet in the Human World, cause we have Free Choice/Will to chose how to experience this perfect place and Universe, via Unconsciousness or Consciousness??

When I created the topic about mahasamadhi or ultimate mukti I was not talking about disappearing as being destroyed, but as a losing the anchor to a limited form. Which, in a way, it is being destroyed, because all we know as egos is limited forms and anchors. But anyways, ultimate goal is complete bliss, which means not taking more limited forms. For sure, I´m not there yet at all. There is not stability still, There is a lot of distractions and going back and forth. You could say Im prolonging the inevitable, but is also true as an ego I don´t have a choice or control in the timings. nothingness seems negative and 'small', thats why maybe seems contradictory to 'everythingness'. My main point is that Reality is real, is awareness and is alive. And that finite reality or identification with form is a delusion.

There is one point that makes the difference in spiritual work, and that is to open yourself. this is the key. In you is reality, the source of existence. It is not love, bliss, or whatever, it is you, so, if you fit in with yourself, the dissonance of anxiety that accompanies you every second disappears. There is only one path, the one that leads to yourself, and there is only one way to find yourself, opening the barriers that close you. It's like a game, you have to be serious to play it, if not you don't do anything

That about everything is love....well, could bullshit in my opinion in most of cases. Let's see, you can reach an opening of yourself that makes being you a pleasure, constantly feeling the flow of existence and seeing that you are floating in the living infinity that vibrates around you and you are that. to have a constant feeling of openness, life, bliss. But of course, if they tell you that you have two cancers and you're also going to go blind, and you're also going to go to a prison in the Congo, then maybe all that love stuff doesn't seem so clear anymore. But I guess that it depends of your level of openess to the absolute. The absolute is absolute joy, absolute creative power, absolute life. If you are totally open to it, anything could be ok We are lost in the abyss, people doesn't realize, you realize it, that why you are searching. We can open ourself , feel the totality and remove the circumstancial, be in the absolute. There is the only possible choice, anything else is madness . Life is going to test us, this is not kindergarten , nothing is guaranteed

@Hojo how can I have an ego death experience without drugs? From what I’ve learned ego death means merging with infinite love but that’s a fleeting experience. I believe the main reason I got blacked out is because my ego was getting in the way of kundalini so much. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t actually resisting though, I was “in the ride” and it has shown me infinity of God’s mind. I mainly saw the darker side of consciousness, but I also merged with love & bliss momentarily. Here’s my first encounter with insanity. I can’t even get into the other ones, there’s actually a storyline to them that won’t make sense to anyone else besides me.

Love is an actual experience, not a concept @Someone hereif you are able to feel love while eating a dogs shit. Is not about what is or what is not Love. Is wether you feel love, Bliss, just by existing. Just by Breathing, just by being. Is wether the mere process of you being here becomes a Blissful experience, thats all that matters Thats all that matters. Then you Will use your Mind consciously to choose whether you should eat a dog shit or a Donut. Dont mix apples with oranges. 🙏

OK. In my experience there is no such thing . What is known as "unconditional love" in spiritual community is not bliss or positive emotions..it's an overarching unity that encompasses the whole spectrum of all emotions. So pain..misery..disease..hunger ..filth ..happiness..orgasms..dog shit ..etc ..are all unconditional love. In Leo's interview with Curt from theories of everything.. Curt has asked Leo if love is not romantic love but rather an all encompassing substratum that includes everything that exists..then why calling it "love" and not "bugaboo "? And Leo's response didn't convince me . Since the word "love" has emotional connotation then why insisting on calling it love if its not romantic love ? Then why did you say each atom in the universe is made of love if you're not always in love?

No, I mean the ingredientes table of the universe is made out of love! Or Bliss, even better

If you make a radical post like this, expect to get radical answers. It seems as if you are connecting death with awakening, which is a big trap. You dying is not you becoming one with God. You talk about an idea of becoming one with God, a wish that you want to be realized, a certain state where you think suffering will end. Awakening is not an idea, nor a 'future hope for bliss and unconditional happiness'. Awakening is an extremely slow process of deconstructing yourself. Psychedelics should be used as an extra tool to help guide your path. For example, if you want to get better at socialising, you can take a shortcut by snorting a line of amphetamines... you'll be the most social person in the room. But then you have to come down and end up with your real self. OR you can realize that there are no shortcuts that lasts, and start working on your social skills through dedicated practice. I'm sorry to hear that you are suicidal. I've also been. I was clinically dead for a few minutes, after an OD of benzos, hand sanitizer and cocaine. I also wanted to die because I thought that everything is meaningless, and so I might as well just take the shortcut of dying and become one with God right? The disconnect, the gap, is way too big. Ground yourself in actuality. Not any idea.

You're clearly not spiritually mature enough to take any psychedelic. A psychedelic is anything but a quick fix. Ground yourself in current, material reality. Your wish to 'die and become God' is ridiculous. I'm not saying this to put you down. I've been there and having premature insights and awakenings is the opposite of infinite bliss

The path is narrow, as sharp as the razor's edge, and perilous (dangerous) in the extreme. The idea 'I am God, I am Love'—ever pure and free, having no taint (stain) of worldly desire—is a great concept. If you can choose this trend of thought and follow it vigorously (with effort and dedication), it may help you to rend (tear apart) the veil of maya (illusion), the One concealing itself and appearing as the many, provided Reality wills it. But to live a life of pure detachment (freedom from attachment) from all needs of the body, from all desires and longings of the mind, all your actions and thoughts need to be directed towards Infinity. Always keep alive the sense of discrimination (ability to judge wisely). Reflect thus: 'I feel some joy here, but is it of the abiding (lasting) type called Atmananda (the bliss of the Self)?' There must be keen (sharp and focused) discrimination between that which is fleeting (temporary) and that which is abiding (permanent) forever. Think always about the precept (teaching) that the Guru has given you: 'I am God.' While moving about, working, or resting, always seek refuge (protection and comfort) in That. You must read about matters which will develop both introspection (self-reflection) and insight (deep understanding) into the realities of life; constantly seize opportunities conducive (favorable) to that end. In all your thoughts and outward actions, your sole aim must be to stick to God-Reality steadily (firmly and consistently) at all times. ~ Sri Anandamayi Ma

It takes you nowhere. You don't find any answer. You are just temporarily distracted from the real world. It's peace, not bliss. It's love that's unspeakable. It's empty. It's only suffering.

Sadhguru on the lost concepts of Heaven and how this is a disability to humanity, to think that there is another place better than this place.. The key is that Life is within You, and it is outside of You but first You have to discover that You are Life itself, and when You realize this then Bliss is natural for You, and via that "What about Me" leaves You and then You can open up other Potentials for You to explore, that is Enlightenment comes into play in Your Life..

bruh... He has not transformed but he does not want to accept it. He just thinks Life is about feeling God or Infinite for some hours and then dreaming again the rest of the time in ego consciousness. Ime there is a higher possibility. Stepping into a new territory and leaving your old town for ever. Where is the destination of that path? Unfortunately the destination that was in my case was when laid down the psychedelics and real path began. With psychs I see no other path than going and up and down endlessly. When you go up and down constantly are you going somewhere or are you going in circles? That´s the goal 😎 To ultimate disappear from experience. @cetus A wise man once said: Is easy to not get entangled with pain, misery, sadness. But is much more difficult to not get entangled with pleasurable states: joy, ecstasy, etc... Even samadhi ultimately will be another attachment. Attachment to ecstasy or Bliss. Even that is not IT

I like this story it’s a good enough story for me to adopt and believe. I love the irony in that suffering does not lead to death. It’s designed that even through suffering you wanna fight in the opposite direction of death. It’s so twisted. Your purpose is part of the masterpiece that keeps me in the opposite direction of bliss. I’m sitting at the edge of a cliff looking out into a sea of Bliss and yet I don’t have the awareness to jump in. I’m profoundly unaware. lol

@Ayham Kriya Yoga truly works if you practice it daily. It requires a great deal of discipline, but the results are absolutely worth it. I received teachings from the Yogananda lineage; my teacher’s guru was Roy Eugene Davis (a direct disciple of Yogananda) . My teacher name is Chris Sartain. I’ve been practicing Kriya Yoga every day, without missing a single session, since October 1st of this year. The power of Kriya Yoga lies in its transformative effects on the brain. It enhances the functionality of the frontal lobes, improving focus, reducing stress, and quieting the “monkey mind.” It also sharpens your IQ, discernment, and intuition—some of the most tangible physical benefits of the practice. On an energetic level, Kriya Yoga fosters a subtle sense of bliss. Over time, it cultivates a more positive state of mind, reducing negative thoughts and bringing a sense of inner peace. Unlike psychedelics, which can create intense but fleeting experiences, Kriya Yoga is stable and cumulative—each day’s practice builds upon the last. This is because Kriya systematically dissolves the energetic blockages you’ve accumulated throughout your life. While psychedelics can be transformative, they often overstimulate the nervous system. Kriya Yoga, on the other hand, strengthens and harmonizes it, promoting long-term health and balance. With consistent practice, it’s even possible to develop siddhis (spiritual powers)—I’ve already experienced one myself. Advanced practitioners can also produce soma, a blissful nectar generated by the brain. Another hallmark of advanced yogis is the awakening of the sushumna nadi, the central energy channel. This awakening makes accessing mystical experiences easier and more natural as time goes on. The only significant challenge of Kriya Yoga is the necessity of daily practice to reap its benefits. However, once you start experiencing the profound bliss and transformation it brings, maintaining the discipline becomes second nature. Waking up early, even at 5:30 a.m., feels effortless because you don’t want to miss out on the rewards of the practice. That said, you don’t have to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to practice Kriya Yoga. The key is finding a consistent time that works for you. If you’re doing an extensive Kriya routine, it may take some time, so you’ll need to adjust your daily schedule or make lifestyle changes to prioritize it. Lahiri Mahasaya taught that for the average person, achieving enlightenment is an incredibly slow process that takes millions of incarnation'S. However, Kriya Yoga provides a way to transcend this lengthy process. With dedicated practice, it’s possible to achieve enlightenment in a single lifetime or, at the most, within a few lifetimes for those who progress more slowly. Yogananda encouraged his disciples with the hopeful reminder: “Keep at it! You’re almost there.” If I have one regret about Kriya Yoga, it’s that I didn’t take it seriously sooner. It has been one of the most transformative decisions of my life.