Enlightenment and Self Development (A Paradox?)

[Juan Cruz Giusto]

Hey! I always had in mind the actual paradox of enlightenment and self development. How can you actually be self actualizing if there is no self? Why even try to self develop if we are living in a dream? After enlightenment, which is the point of life? How can you be happy if you know that you are actually living in a lie? I think sometimes the knowing of enlightenment fucked me up a bit. I'm thinking about it constantly and I cannot live life fully knowing that I'm living in a illusion, Why would I actually want to become enlightened? Some questions to think about >D

Edited February 7, 2016 by jcgiusto

[Leo Gura]

Firstly, 99% of people are not doing enlightenment work, so for them self-improvement is all there is, and it's FAR better than doing nothing.

Secondly, the term no-self is a bit misleading. What it really means is, "The self you think of yourself as being is false. But there is a True Self which awaits discovery." You as a personality or a human being is a fiction. But you as Absolute Nothingness or pure awareness is REAL! It's the only real thing! So self-actualization is still valid if you just understand which self is being talked about. When you start to get into enlightenment work, you're basically doing a deconstruction of the false self in order the allow the True Self to shine << that's what the deepest self-actualization work is. It's like washing your car by removing dirt rather than painting over the dirt.

So in my mind, there is no paradox. The paradox is only on the surface, at the level of language. Life still goes on and there are many practical steps you can take to improve how you flow with life.

[Juan Cruz Giusto]

I've been doing meditation for like an year now.. Should i focus on self inquiry a little bit more and let meditation on a side? Which is your current meditation session? 

[Leo Gura]

If your goal is a direct path to enlightenment, then more self-inquiry would be better.

I alternate between both. My meditation and self-inquiry have sort of merged. I do at least 1 hour per day. But lately I've been doing 2-3 hours per day when I have time.

A good schedule might be: 1 hour of self-inquiry and 1 hour of meditation per day, never missing a day.

[Juan Cruz Giusto]

That was my objective so I'm in a good path.. For now trying to increase the sessions duration (for now 30 min without missing a day). Sometimes i get pretty anxious because of all this stuff but then i remember a have a few years to create an actualized life.. It is not something you build in months. People should start thinking more long term since thinking short term makes you reactive to the world.. I wonder if after enlightenment this type of thinking is useless (i really love this kind of topics)☺ 

[Leo Gura]

Yup, slow and stead wins the race. Be the grounded tortoise, not the neurotic rabbit

[Guest]

N/A.....

Edited February 8, 2016 by Na