Awakening through the intellect is impossible.

[RendHeaven]

6 hours ago, SourceCodo said:

This is an interesting dichotomy to me.

 

On one hand, there is absolutely no room for intellect if you’re awakened to absolute unity and presence. It just simply doesn’t get used or thought of because you’re always in flow.

 

On the other hand, there’s no such thing as awakening without intellect. The concept of awakening is an entirely intellectual experience and pathway to self knowledge. Even the insights and epiphanies that ultimately shut you up is “instantly” intellectually delivered. 

Everything you’ve ever experienced or done was likely processed with intellect. Denying that to me is just ignorance or willfully lying about it because it’s natural to process experience with the mind. That being said, your post-awakened self is not driven by the intellect. Or at least is done in a more indirect way.
 

I’d argue that once awakening happens, you’re finally free to start winding down the overused and abused intellect. But not before.

I like that

[Breakingthewall]

the intellect is important because it is necessary to understand the barriers that limit you. the intellect is part of the dream, so obviously it cannot dissolve the dream, but the deep understanding of what the ego is makes liberation possible. 

a solid intellect creates the necessary framework for the awakening to occur and not be perceived as something terrifying

[ivankiss]

It is interesting to see that it can go both ways. For me, awakening is something that just started happening naturally and spontaneously, on its own, without me having any kind of understanding of it. I gained that understanding later on, once I was already deep in it - so to speak. I searched for explanations for what was already happening.

While for a lot of other people, the opposite is the case. They come across this information and become curious about it. They go deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole and that eventually triggers an actual awakening for them. 

It works both ways. Everything is connected, one way or the other. It all goes hand in hand.

[Loveeee]

I would say that on the contrary you need infinite intellect to willingly move from selfishness to selflessness, that move can not be done otherwise because the robot that you are is entirely programmed to do the precise opposite

And by selflessness I mean you're willing to live through whatever your self wants because you love your self, very radical 

[UnbornTao]

"Through" implies process and medium, which are indirect.

When it comes to enlightenment those are irrelevant.

The only real "requisite" is consciousness.

Edited January 4, 2023 by UnbornTao

[gettoefl]

intellect is knowledge; the knowledge you need is to dump all your knowledge so to become pure again there you find intelligence ie awaken

[SeaMonster]

There are 4 yoga paths: karma yoga, bhakti yoga, jnana yoga and raja yoga.

Jnana yoga is the path of knowledge or intellect.

Every path is not for everyone.  Most people on the forum are innately cerebral, so jnana yoga is not for them. IMO it's more for people who are naturally impulsive or sensual or emotional.  That type of practice would force them out of their comfort zone, which is the whole idea behind yogic practice.

So all these discussions must be held in their proper context -- namely that people are different, have different innate tendencies/personalities/biological predispositions. THERE ISN'T ONE UNIVERSAL PATH.

E.g. I've learned to recognize that karma or raja yoga was more appropriate for me.  

If a cerebral person does jnana yoga, they are basically indulging their ego (why e.g. I've said multiple times that Leo is plainly on the wrong path for his own progress, he likely needs bhakti yoga.)