I am enlightened. Sincere seekers: ask me anything

[pluto]

Do you know what this is and have you managed to stabilize it?

You may need to close your eyes.

[winterknight]

3 hours ago, pluto said:

Do you know what this is and have you managed to stabilize it?

You may need to close your eyes.

I don't know what this is

[d0ornokey]

@winterknight how do you balance non duality with practical life? 

More specifically, I find myself constantly feeling like I should have non duality in my life, and some small practice at the very least, as i feel I will get astronomical gains years from now 

But at the same time nothing in my life is in place and my mental health keeps going out of whack. Do I take care of what's immediately bothering me first?

Or do I get into non duality. I guess I know the answer already but hearing it from you might be nice  

[Paul92]

@winterknight You've suggested ignoring all thoughts for 30 days. But I'd ask, why? If we were not meant to have a thinking mind, or if it is of no use to us, why do we? 

If our thoughts are not ours, then whose are they? Are we all possessed? 

 

Starting to get back in the loop of worrying again. My friends/family are robots etc. I don't see how this helps anyone. 

[winterknight]

19 minutes ago, d0ornokey said:

@winterknight how do you balance non duality with practical life? 

More specifically, I find myself constantly feeling like I should have non duality in my life, and some small practice at the very least, as i feel I will get astronomical gains years from now 

But at the same time nothing in my life is in place and my mental health keeps going out of whack. Do I take care of what's immediately bothering me first?

Or do I get into non duality. I guess I know the answer already but hearing it from you might be nice  

You can do both at the same time; you can walk and chew gum. I literally constantly recommend psychoanalysis (not just any therapy) because some 99% of spiritual seekers have psychological issues that need addressing. Go get those addressed, start reading scriptures, and practicing self-inquiry.

9 minutes ago, Paul92 said:

@winterknight You've suggested ignoring all thoughts for 30 days. But I'd ask, why? If we were not meant to have a thinking mind, or if it is of no use to us, why do we? 

If our thoughts are not ours, then whose are they? Are we all possessed? 

 

Starting to get back in the loop of worrying again. My friends/family are robots etc. I don't see how this helps anyone. 

It's not that we were not meant to have a thinking mind, but that we are identified with it, and can't see through the identification unless the mind significantly quiets for a while.

It's not that we're possessed but that the idea of "we" in the first place is wrong.

Follow the advice I gave just above... all the same links apply to you.

[Jkris]

@d0ornokey @d0ornokey Just sharing my understanding so for.Honestly speaking Self Enquiry is for very advanced souls.

Meaning traditionally it was offered only to people already leading a perfect righteous disciplined spiritual life who are seen qualified for Self Enquiry by Gurus.

"Nothing in my life is in perfect place and my mental health keeps going down"

Only if you lead a perfect life for 23.5 hours.You can sit in meditation for half an hour.

What's perfect life - Daily systematic disciplined routines and a righteous life.

Everything on time.Eating,sleeping,daily excercise.Meditation.

Doing your duty whole heartedly.Honesty,integrity,righteousness.

Money is essential for living.So no escape from earning that.Spiritual life is not sitting idle - so no escape from duties as well.

So put your life in order and take appropriate treatment for your mental health first.

Else calming the mind will be impossible.

----------_------------------------------

Rest follow what winterknight says physchoanalysis theraphy and self enquiry.

 

[Paul92]

@winterknight the idea of 'we' is wrong. Why do people find this liberating or see it as something joyous? "you don't exist, and neither does anyone else!".

It just makes zero sense. We're basically robots. All individuals. But we're not. 

So then I'd ask, if we are not meant to identify with thoughts, why is that our default action? What if our thoughts are our thoughts, I mean, how else could an animal think? 

[winterknight]

1 hour ago, Paul92 said:

@winterknight the idea of 'we' is wrong. Why do people find this liberating or see it as something joyous? "you don't exist, and neither does anyone else!".

The reason is that what you are, once the false ideas are removed, is perfect peace, truth, and freedom.

Quote

It just makes zero sense. We're basically robots. All individuals. But we're not. 

Isn't that the case when you're reading a novel? Do the characters in the book actually exist, or are they really just words?

If you really want to understand, you might consider putting some serious time into studying the schools of eastern mysticism. Read my book or other recommended books on nonduality and get back to me.

Quote

So then I'd ask, if we are not meant to identify with thoughts, why is that our default action? What if our thoughts are our thoughts, I mean, how else could an animal think? 

"Nonduality" -- which is what this forum is all about, what the schools of mysticism all around the world are about, certainly what I'm teaching -- holds that the very idea of humans, animals, thinking, the world -- all of this is a kind of illusion. It's an illusion that causes pain and suffering and uncertainty.

This illusion can be penetrated if you look very carefully into the mind. If you really want, you can learn about the philosophical arguments for why this might be so, or you can simply take the world of the many people over thousands of years who have experienced this and then talked about it.

As far as why thoughts are our "default action" -- it turns out, after you look very closely, that that is in fact not the case. Basically, you're living in a giant misunderstanding.

Edited July 12, 2019 by winterknight

[SunnyNewDay]

Where does the feeling of being "ungrounded" come from?

[Aakash]

@SunnyNewDay incorrect conscious paradigm of your liking

[winterknight]

16 minutes ago, SunnyNewDay said:

Where does the feeling of being "ungrounded" come from?

That entirely depends on for whom it is occurring and in what context. Any time anyone asks "where is this thought or feeling coming from," the answers can vary from "what you ate two hours ago" to "everything in the universe since the beginning of time brought you to this moment" to "it's god's will."

What you really might be asking is: what's the significance of this feeling for me? If you want to know that, you'll have to become curious about it, and perhaps write or draw or otherwise record your experience of it in great detail... trying to capture what it's like to undergo that experience. And maybe you'll find a message within about the way you view the world...

Edited July 12, 2019 by winterknight

[Beginner Mind]

Why is ignorance the case?  Why have we forgotten Ourself?

[winterknight]

4 hours ago, Beginner Mind said:

Why is ignorance the case?  Why have we forgotten Ourself?

If you look deeply into enough into the I, it will become clear that ignorance is not the case and has never been the case.

[Salvijus]

Why is it important to have a silent mind to do self-inquiry? 

[SunnyNewDay]

any tips for creating a calm nervous system and not always being tinged with a bit of anxiety in situations you're regularly in?

[winterknight]

5 hours ago, Salvijus said:

Why is it important to have a silent mind to do self-inquiry? 

Self-inquiry is about putting forth sustained attentional effort. The mind doesn't have to be absolutely silent, but without the ability and desire to focus intensely -- which requires a relatively quiet mind -- the distractions will keep interfering with that effort.

17 minutes ago, SunnyNewDay said:

any tips for creating a calm nervous system and not always being tinged with a bit of anxiety in situations you're regularly in?

Well, psychoanalysis like I already said. Pretty much any kind of meditative practice faithfully followed (self-inquiry/surrender, breathing-oriented, mantra-oriented, mindfulness, etc.). Watching your other patterns (what you eat, how you sleep, etc.) to see if there are things you could improve in those areas. Those are off the top of my head.

Edited July 15, 2019 by winterknight

[Salvijus]

What's the difference between atma-vichara, self-inquiry form like Ramana Maharshi or Mooji is teaching and neti neti? 

I sometimes feel like there're many ways to do self-inquiry. But they all seem to produce somewhat different results. Like they have a differerent taste when you do them. Yet it also feels like the basis is the same. 

Sometimes I observe the effort, sometimes I observe the movement of my mind, sometimes I observe my identity or self-image, sometimes I question who sees the self-image, sometimes I do neti neti, not this, not this while also observing the identity, person. So many ways to do it. Is it all the same or It's actually different? 

Edited July 15, 2019 by Salvijus

[Beginner Mind]

17 hours ago, winterknight said:

If you look deeply into enough into the I, it will become clear that ignorance is not the case and has never been the case.

Not to harp on this, but, I can assure you I have no direct experience of being anything other than a human being.  Can you elaborate on how ignorance isn't the case?

Edited July 15, 2019 by Beginner Mind

[winterknight]

1 hour ago, Salvijus said:

What's the difference between atma-vichara, self-inquiry form like Ramana Maharshi or Mooji is teaching and neti neti? 

I sometimes feel like there're many ways to do self-inquiry. But they all seem to produce somewhat different results. Like they have a differerent taste when you do them. Yet it also feels like the basis is the same. 

Sometimes I observe the effort, sometimes I observe the movement of my mind, sometimes I observe my identity or self-image, sometimes I question who sees the self-image, sometimes I do neti neti, not this, not this while also observing the identity, person. So many ways to do it. Is it all the same or It's actually different? 

Neti neti is just a concept. Self-inquiry properly done is a focus on something which seems to be literally in your experience every second -- the sense that "I am."

No method is effective unless it gets you to look closely at this "I am"... all the other rivers just lead to that in the end.

1 hour ago, Beginner Mind said:

Not to harp on this, but, I can assure you I have no direct experience of being anything other than a human being.  Can you elaborate on how ignorance isn't the case?

 

It's not really comprehensible until your ignorance (which doesn't exist) is gone. Basically ignorance is a concept... all concepts are false. That's what enlightenment reveals.

[Inliytened1]

You yourself are a concept in the Mind of God.  You are both real and illusion simultaneously.   So to say concept is false is only half true - or true based on perspective.