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@AlphaAbundance Death will just bring you right back here. There is nowhere to go. Nothingness is not somewhere else. It is HERE and NOW! If you physically kill yourself, all that will happen is you will change forms into something else. But you will still be here: nowhere, nowhen, nothing, now. You cannot escape yourself. Ever. Think of it this way: you've already killed yourself a million times. Which brought you to this life you're in right now.

When the mind is weak and you seem to have a little control of your mind, you then can make the statement, "I am absolute reality." And when you make a statement like that at the time your mind is weak — but remember your mind has to be weak first — what absolute reality means will automatically come into your mind to take the place of your thoughts. So the picture will present itself to you, that you are like a screen in the movie and everything in the world are images superimposed on the screen. All this will come to you by itself. Can you see the difference? Do you know what I'm talking about? Most of us have been going around saying, "I am absolute awareness, I am emptiness, I am nothing, I am this and I am that." But when we get down to the nitty gritty, the first problem that confronts us, we become angry. So we're really not that at all and they're just dry words. But when you slow down the mind first, then a statement of truth will come to you automatically. And then you can make your confession, like I do every week. "I am not the body. I am not the doer. I am not the mind. I am not any condition. I am unconditioned pure awareness. I am absolute reality. I am ultimate oneness. I am that I am. I am Sat-chit-ananda." And it's not you making this confession. You're not doing it, it is your Self, that's making the confession. You do nothing, you've gotten yourself out of the way. {…} The point I'm trying to make is, don't allow your ego to make you think that you're something you're not. Your ego mind is very powerful. It'll fool you all of the time. Be careful, always watch it. So remember, you do not have to make statements of truth at all. Why? They will come by themselves. All you have to do is to concern yourselves with slowing down the mind. And how do you do this, either through self-inquiry, through observation, through mindfulness, through witnessing. Whatever way suits you. What happens when the mind slows down? Truth takes its place. When you hear the Buddhist term, empty mind, what that means is your mind is empty of all relative terms and relative livingness. But your mind is filled with the Buddha. Your mind is filled with reality. Your mind is filled with truth, all by itself. Now why does this happen? Because your reality is your real nature, that's what you really are. Therefore you do not have to do anything to make it happen. You just have to get your bloomin' nothingness out of the way. When you get yourself out of the way, reality shines forth and all the images come to you. You realize again you're like a gigantic screen. The screen is the entire universe and everything on the screen are superimposed images. They come and they go, they come and they go, they come and they go. But you understand that you are like the screen and you're also like the images. Only the images are not real. But the Self or the screen is real. {…} Then you can say, "All this is the Self and I am that!" For you realize what the Self means. But just to make empty word statements like that is absurd. It gets you nowhere. First you've got to slow down the mind and then everything will pop in by itself because everything is already there. Now you may say, "Well that's hard to do." If you think it's hard to do then you have to start from the beginning and say, "To whom is it hard? Who finds it hard? I do. What is this I?" And go right back to that again. "Where does the I come from? Where does the images come from? The images that I am sick. I am poor. I've got problems. Something is wrong." And the question as far as the world is concerned, "Why does God allow evil in the world?" is answered by itself. And the answer is simply this, "It's mass hypnosis. The world that you're talking about, does not exist," and the examples will come to you of their own accord. Like the sky is blue. The sky appears blue, but in reality there's no sky and there's no blue. There's only space and space is consciousness. And all the planets and all the stars and all the worlds and all the people and all the insects and everything that you can think of, they're all superimposed on the space. {…} And you can call space the screen of life and you are the space. You are not what appears to be. That's what it means when you say, "I am not the body." Because you are really space. How do you prove this? If you were the size of an atom, and you know how small an atom is, and you found yourself somewhere in your body. All of your cells would be equivalent to planets and you would see so much space between each cell. Equivalent to the space between all the planets and you would be in a completely different universe. You would have no body. That's why this universe is sometimes called "the body of God." It's all relative and the absolute is space, the body's relative. So you are the absolute. You are not the body you think you are. Just like the sky is not blue. Just like in the desert, when you see a mirage, you see water. But the closer you get, it turns into sand. It's a mirage. We look at each other and we see people here. But in truth I can tell you there are no others, there's only one and I-am that. Of course when I refer to I-am, I am not referring to Robert. I'm speaking of omnipresence. Every time I use the term I, I'm not referring to myself. I refer to omnipresence. Your true nature is omnipresence. Your body appears the way it appears because of relativity. But your body is formless space. Your body is emptiness. That's why you can truly say, "I am not the body." {…} But from now on you're not going to make that statement are you? What are you going to do? You're going to quiet the mind. And what will happen? When the mind is quiet everything will happen by itself. The truth will come out of you. You will not have to think about it. You will be aware of reality and you will find unalloyed happiness, great joy, a great peace, a great love and you will have a great compassion. And you will be kind to everything to insects, to animals, to humans, to minerals, everything is alive and you will have reverence for all things. This feeling will come of its own accord. If you try to put it on it won't last. That's why some of you always tell me, "Robert I feel great when I'm here at satsang, but as soon as I walk out the door, I feel bad again, why?" That's why, because you haven't developed a consciousness of the truth. When you develop a consciousness of the truth it can never leave you never. You do not go on and off like a light switch. Once you have a consciousness of the truth, you have it forever. And you have a feeling of immortality. You just know, you don't voice it, you just know, I was never born, I can never die and I do not persist while I'm alive. I am egoless, everything just happens. It comes through by itself. This is why I tell you so many times, not to read too much, Jay, not to read too much because when you read too many books on Buddhism and Daoism, on Ramana's books, on Nisargadatta and everybody else in the world, total confusion sets in. {…} Isn't it better just to sit still at home in the silence and stop the mind from thinking? That's the easiest way, it's the best way, it's the simplest way. If you don't believe me, try it. Try it for a week and see what happens. For one week I would like you to experiment. I don't want you to read any book. Think you can do it? Don't look at any spiritual literature. Just sit by yourself as much as you can. And watch your mind, watch your mind. Do whatever you have to do to slow down your mind and then you're going to be amazed. You will laugh at yourself. For when the mind becomes quiescent, reality will rush in. And you'll see it's so simple, it’s so simple. Why didn't I know this all the time? I used to believe by reading volume after volume I'll become enlightened. But it was so easy, I just had to quiet my mind. — Robert Adams, T19: Slow Down The Mind And Let Reality Rush In

@Inliytened1 Different words to explain the same thing. I could also say nothingness

@herghly dude...this is not absolute infinity. Absolute infinity is becoming completely consciousness that you are complete nothingness which cannot be expressed by words. You must directly experience complete nothingness which is what you are. Thats infinity.

Isn't the flip side of "nothing is real" that everything is real? After all, existence and nothingness cannot exist without each other. Maybe I just have to try it.

Thanks for your reply. I was wondering about that too. I was wondering the same thing. Since we talk about enlightenment a lot in the forum, I'm going to include that here too. It does relate. Just allow me to try to explain. It's just what I noticed. Remember how Leo did the 10 ox herding pics video? Well, if you digged into that, you will notice that Riding the Ox Backwards is your awakening. That's when you are the no-self (nothingness). Then, you transform into everythingness. Then, there's a "major" transformation back into your ego (body) and this world (realm) where you collapse as a black hole within yourself. You flow into love (bliss) when this happens, and when you finally realize this, your physical environment changes in some way in the form of "ah-ha" moments. If you could apply this in your own life, you become 'enlightened.' You don't suffer when this happens, just like in your awakening, and you're completely detached from everything, including the outcome. It's the end to suffering. You realize that everything is you. That's why it surprised me that at the end of the video, the homeless man mentioned world peace. In the end of the 10 ox herding pics, there is a street person called, The Cloth Bag Monk, who liked to sleep in the snow and mingled with ppl in the market place, esp children, and liked to pass out gifts. I'm wondering, this Cloth Bag Monk lived his life to the fullest as a street person in ancient times. He just had a smile on his face and mingled and went with the flow of things. He didn't look like he suffered, even though his conditions may seem harsh. He followed the "principles" of the deepest awakening (wisdom). I'm wondering, what did he do for a living? Did he babysit out on the streets? Maybe, and no one paid him. He may have just lived off of donations from others since he was considered a "monk." Nowadays, we have the internet. We have a life purpose. We have research and great sources. We have entrepreneurship and startup networking with angel/VC groups esp in major cities across the world. This is our marketplace. We form ideas and exchange our ideas. This is because our society is at stage orange. In the Cloth Bag Monk's time, society was at red/blue. They didn't have the exchange of ideas and opportunities. I think it's time to form ideas and go to our marketplace. Here is a modern day Cloth Bag Monk. I'm a busy person, but looks like I have to follow my own advice.

I had a bit of ketamine, which is pretty darn good at making things feel like a dream. Still feeling it as I type this. I think it happened for a second, I felt for a moment that everything is just a dream happening for the sake of it. That nothingness created a dream that is seen through Sam. Is ketamine making me full of shit or is this really it? Nothingness just dreaming because it can? I am typing this as Sam, just want to know if I'm not falling into a solipsism trap or anything. How can Sam know if he is really making progress on the path when 'his' experience is the only thing that is known? This experience among many others that have been known, when conceptualized by my mind seem very identical to other awakening experiences I read or listen to on the internet. But how could I possibly know that it is truth? If experience is the only thing that is true, how can an experience that feels 'non-dual' be any more truthful than the experience of being fully immersed in Sam? Can truth of experience be verified? I feel as if my self-realization is regressing just by conceptualizing my experience into word and sharing it with you all, but I can't find any other way to verify that my self-realization is progressing. Is this just one of the paradoxes that are supposed to be encountered on the path? Am I thinking about this too much? Love you all, thank you.

Not sure why, but I thought Coral had to do with becoming one with the emotions and states one experiences? As in becoming "anger" or "sadness", similar to what an animal might be, without any resistance of morality, but a complete immersion into reality, not as an observer or actor but simply as reality itself. So I guess instead of sitting there and appreciating the infinitude of nothingness, one would again become immersed into the being of certain aspects of reality. Kind of like a loop?

@Jkris Death does not equal sleep. Can be, but doesn't have to. Sleep equals eternal nothingness. No Self. No awareness. Even no nothing. Death can lead you to nothingness. It can put you asleep. But it can also be just an experience and change nothing, really. It can be a transition. A doorway. A portal; if you will. It can also go totally unnoticed.

I usually scratch all the itches, stretch all the muscles and joints prior to surrendering to absolute nothingness and no movement whatsoever. I often practise giving up the breath as well. Until it decides to come back again. If you resist the nudges it may drive you nuts. Don't get pissed at the ego if you notice a tendency to scratch your nose. Do it once or twice. It may not arise the third time. Discipline and dedication are key for any form of progress, yes. You got to know why you are doing all of this. Why are you breathing? What is it that you want to achieve? Does it fill you up with joy, love and peace? Is it your highest intention? Your highest desire? If it is; an itch or a nudge cannot stand in it's way. All obstacles melt away if there is will, passion and purpose. Consistency.

Suffering occurs when there is resistance. We suffer because we are unable to surrender to what is. Surrender to nothingness and emptiness. Detach from circumstances. Detach from that which only appears to be. We get lost in the story. Suffering also occurs during our desperate attempts to understand that which cannot be understood. Explain the unexplainable. All suffering is completely meaningless. Everything is completely meaningless. That is why you can choose to create your own meaning. Tell your own story, yet not get lost in it. Precisely because you know everything is meaningless. There is no meaning in anything aside from the meaning you create for yourself. And even that is meaningless. And that is exactly why everything is so perfect, meaningful and beautiful. Choose a way to express the beauty you feel inside. Do the same when you suffer. Do that consciously, on purpose. So what if it's all for nothing? Nothing is everything. That is the meaning of no meaning. That is Infinity. Non-stop.

Update: I've come to realize that there is a huge difference in quality and vividness of dream when I do some form of meditation or breathing before heading to sleep. Relaxing the body and mind and staying focused rather than going to sleep while being stuck in monkey mind as you drift off makes for much more detailed and long lasting dreams. I had a very detailed dream recently and it felt like I was in that "world" for three days. I think this is crucial if I am to gain lucidity - I need to spend more time in the dream world in order to observe the differences between it and the "real", waking world. Also, I've been considering that it might be possible to be self-aware (as consciousness), while the body and mind is in deep sleep (not dreaming). I remember reading someone's post here on the forum about that. In terms of spiritual work it may prove useful to play around with sleeping conditions so that such a state could be achieved - it may be the case that ego drops off when the body/mind falls asleep and non-dual consciousness may be more apparent without the illusory phenomena arising within it being a distraction (i.e. you will be aware of yourself as a void of nothingness, in "deep sleep"). All of this is just speculation so I will see what I can do and report back.

What you described is devils advocate. You still don't understand existence itself is meaning. You can't write meaningless in a book without creating meaning. You can't paint a painting about meaningless without creating meaning. To convey meaningless you need meaning. You can't point to meaningless without existence to convey it. There is only existence inside nothingness it's a paradox, it's not a something neither is it nothing.

@Telepresent Oh im very aware this is just for fun, hence the titel "a rant" and my comment: And thanks for steering the conversation back to track. It seems quite common for people to first try to destroy an idea instead of just playing with it, even when asked to (Creative people seems to generally play first) My Idea is a bit similar to your alien idea in a way. Guess there is alot of talk about us living in a matrix like simulation. Thinking about it...if we create AI that can know human experience and God create human that can know Gods experience and teach itself about itself then, what to say There is something that created God? Maybe it goes back like that into infinity? Not sure if you can get "above" nothingness thou if that is what God is... @ivankiss Interesting. But we do tend to divide and group stuff together, human creations for example into: art (for enjoyment) and technology (for survival) which can be subdivided, and some stuff is inbetween. Otherwise we cannot communicate well, as all is nature and nothing needs to be said. Similarly the creation of AI is a subdivision of technology that is completely new...similarly to human mind is a completely new technology of reality. Guess all I am saying is that it is a big shift, something big is happening.

@EvilAngel Maybe we can start saying "Nothingness is totally identified with the false sense of self in that body-mind" instead. Let's see how long it takes before we all get locked up in a padded room.

@EvilAngel yes indeed, but conscious experience of being pure nothingness will answer your question!

pure nothingness, pure awareness or pure being is what you are, the rest is just an idea..

@Jack River exactly right. Closing your eyes feels like a less authentic and fluid way to become stilled. I actually find staring into nothingness with eyes open distracts me less than with eyes closed.

3a.so where am i on the path? i'm pretty lost, i understand i haven't fully surrendered to the emptiness/ nothingness. 3b. have i atleast caught glimpsed the whole ox or glimpsed a full enlightenment is what i would like to ask, but my opinion is there's no telling from another individuals prespective what i have experienced in my direct experience, you can only guide to what sounds right and what doesn't, because then theres no next steps but to embody it consciously to a mastery level, if i had to put it into an anology, i'm trying to create an imaginary ledge to stand on, on the mountain of nothing, because i'm lost in absolutely nothing. even the word enlightenment is not real, because it's pointing to this absolute nothingness which is not what my conceptual ideas of enlightenment were. but its very relieving and peaceful to know that its all an illusion, (well i say illusion, but its not even that, it's just nothing) 6. thank you 7. thank you

@Cortex yes, you are. You are nothingness (no-self). Then, you transform into everythingness. From there you transform back into your ego. While this is taking place, you are at peace--no suffering at all. You're completely detached from what is occurring. You're complete and free (even while making such a transformation). When you go back to your physical ego and this physical world, you'll think that this experience is absolutely amazing! Oh wow! It's so massive being that infinite black hole and collapsing into myself! Because you felt a love (bliss) when you became embodied again--which indicate that you're in the to love realm--earth. However, even though it's amazing to the ego, it's really nothing. Later, if you look carefully, life itself (you) operates on the "principles" of an awakening. Yes, sometimes life may seem hard. You have to struggle to work. Some ppl really are in a "horrible" situation. But, "horrible" is an illusion and it's temporary. This is just a scarcity mindset. There is no distance between you and success. Your awakening points out that distance is an illusuion. Everything is temporary. There are always ways to learn to get out of it and go with the flow of life. Transformations in life are flows. Flow into love. You did that in your awakening. Learn to love yourself first and eventually others. Teach them how to live and love. When you mastered this, you become "enlightened." Beautiful life lessons from the deepest awakening that can be applied to living life to the fullest: Easier said than done. Sometimes we have to unlearn many things.

@CreamCat @Sahil Pandit Just a thought for ya’s, also illusory, but, thought is dualistic seeing one side or the other, which always reveals you are the one, aware of the two-ness. Also, odd reminder perhaps but, pupils are nothingness, you. Notice the eyes you see are twos, but as you see, it is one, and all are emptiness.

Yes, it is one and the same. During an awakening, you'll actually see yourself as the entire universe (aka, no-self, nothingness, infinity, whatever you call it) going back into your "small, little" ego. If you include such a description in your LP, be tactful in how you say it. That's all I'm saying.

Pursuing this will only set you up to fall. You do not need a relationship. It is impossible to form a relationship that is not based on an illusion. If you want to live within an illusion, press ahead. Otherwise forget it, and surrender to the infinite beauty and bliss of the nothingness of now.

@cetus56 I never said I live off bread and water. I said it can be done. There is no need to desire foods the egoic mind would consider to be more 'pleasant' than others. I think you have a lot of growing to do, Cetus. I don't want to hijack this thread. The Truth remains, you must submit to the bliss within the nothingness of Being. Anything else is an illusion.

You are not submitting to the bliss of nothingness. While you still have thoughts, you are not Being.