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First let me say that I'm not projecting this onto any of you, it's just something that has been meaningful to me, personally, and has helped me open my mind by realizing what I feel that I honestly DO understand and DO NOT. I've come to a greater clarity about that. I'm reading a book by Adyashanti, and I really get the feeling he has great wisdom, because reading this book has been one new insight after the other for me. Probably the most significant idea I've gained from it is that I don't really understand what I thought I did. What I thought I knew, wasn't really true clarity or understanding. For example, I've always had this idea that I don't have to TRY, and to just enjoy my life. It occurred to me after reading this book that I don't really and truly understand that teaching, even though I would probably intellectually assent to it, mainly because I've read it in "channeled" material, which has been the source of most of my beliefs. But when I honestly inquire, the truth is that I neither PRACTICE nor understand the teaching. One reason it can be so helpful to see this is because it OPENS THE DOOR to truly understanding a teaching. In other words, it's only when we see that we DO NOT understand a teaching, that we can inquire so as to come to understand it.

MH, You said, "If you have to rely on someone else to tell you what you are feeling or experiencing then you truly do not understand and likely never will." I'm not at all finding fault with you, or judging you, so I hope you don't take offense to this. It's possible that your words are an example of the insight I shared. Of course, I'm not you and only you can know that. But I wonder if you honestly believe, or, as Adyashanti said, truly understand the words you said. I don't see myself as relying on Adyashanti, it was more just a simple insight I gained from reading his book. Also, the reason I read the book was to gain insight and wisdom. I feel that I DO understand some things, and many things I do not. Finally, "....and likely never will." That might be more sentiment than something you actually believe. Again, the only reason I'm saying this is to offer you my blessing, if it's taken otherwise, then I sincerely apologize. Peace.

Lack of love and attack are illusions. All is perfection. No one is guilty.

Silent Thunder, YOU ARE!

I think a healed relationship with self is a non-dualistic relationship with self. Everyone already has a non-dualistic relationship with themselves, they just don't recognize it. The you that is the observer and the you that is the observed are the same you. The you that is loving yourself and the you that you're loving are the same you. Every part of the individual is one with every other part. Every part is the same life as every other part.

3bob, I agree. I think there's two ways of looking at it, both valid. You said the programmer and the program are not the same, but that they have a connection. I think in the sense that they're not the same, the observer is not the observed. But in the sense that they have a connection, they're the same. Krishnamurti says, when you realize that the observer is the observed, that you ARE your anger, fear, violence and so on, you can be free of them. Eckhart Tolle teaches, when you see that you are NOT your negative emotions (that the observer is not the same as the observed), when you no longer identify with them, you can be free. It's just two different ways of putting it. The way I like to think of it is the metaphor of an actor. In the sense that Harrison Ford WAS Han Solo, the observer is the observed. In the sense that he WAS NOT, the observer is not the observed. Exactly like what you said about the connection, but not being limited by it.

I think people believe what they want to believe. The question is, do you want to believe the truth? When the willingness to see the truth is there, it is seen.

Only appearances change. The Self remains the same forever.

Until we realize we are not the self, or ego, we have created, we cannot fully see that we are the Self, which never was "created." I've found that the main reason so many people, including myself, have spent so much time and energy denying Truth, is because the very existence of the "self" they believe they are is dependent on their doing so. It's a great relief to be free of the need to defend one's identity/self/ego, when they no longer take that self to be the real them.

Hi Willem. Know that it's OKAY to feel what you feel, and to look at porn. Forgive yourself for your emotions and pornography on the basis that it's okay and that you have nothing to be ashamed of. If you make it "bad," and feel like you "shouldn't" look at porn or feel negative emotions, you'll only make it more difficult to change. Give yourself PERMISSION to feel what you feel and to do as you wish, and then you're giving yourself permission NOT TO as well. If you think you shouldn't do something, or mustn't, you're only becoming more a prisoner to the thing. I quit smoking when I stopped telling myself I "had" to quit, and gave myself freedom. Freedom begets freedom.

non-meditation no effort, no technique Try it!

The problem I had for many years was that I thought I had to "try" real hard to accept my Self. I made a huge problem out of it, where in truth, there needn't have been one. Finally I realized that the best way to "accept" my Self, Divine Nature, or whatever, was to stop TRYING to and to see no NEED to. Then it became super-easy because at that point I didn't have to do a damn thing, because my Self was ALREADY true. Try a non-acceptance!

Hi everyone. It's been a long while since I've interacted here. It's nice to be back and I hope everyone has been well. The reason I'm posting this is because nearly everyone has the same problem I've had all my life, and I believe that you all can have the same healing I found recently if you're open to what I'm going to say. Ego is only an illusion, a false identity, a misunderstanding. But the part of us that identifies with ego is real, it is ourselves. The problem I've had for many years now, is that the part of me that falsely believed it was ego, was obsessed with its "Divine Identity." This obsession has virtually consumed and devastated me for years. It's been a living Hell. That part of me, my "ego mind," thought it was ego, but in reality, that part of me is just as much Christ Mind, Buddha Nature, Tao, or however you want to put it, as any other part of me. "Ego" was just a false identity. Now that part of me knows this, and its deep-seated obsession with its Divine Identity has been healed. So basically, the part of you that thinks it's ego, is really Divine Mind, not ego. Unless it's already realized this, it definitely desires to know it. I hope this helps many of you.

Thanks for your comments everyone. Nickolai, I agree, a person who has "fully remembered" probably wouldn't need all the pleasures and love from the outside that most people seem to be dependent on. The thing is that the whole reason people need all the external things is because they need their Self. It's never the thing itself the person is really addicted to or dependent on, but what it represents- their Divine Self. As you said, people's desire for status or power is really a need for love. And the "love" people really want and need is the love that they ARE. Whatever form the desire or addiction takes, it's really a need for one's Self.

I don't think all of ego's desires and preferences are "bad." An ego can be healthy or unhealthy. It becomes much more healthy when one ceases to identify with it. It's likely that one who has transcended ego-identification would be very loving, but that has nothing to do with following archaic and harmful "religious" codes of conduct. Much of the world's activity arises from healthy egoic desires. Unhealthy egoic desires would only be that which is unloving or violent, in my opinion.

What about the idea that we don't have to "try", that we can just enjoy our lives and not take life so seriously? We already have what we seek, right? So can we know that and "just be"? I know this has been discussed here before, but I just want to see what anyone has to say about it. I thought of something. Experiment with it. I can experiment with this teaching. Instead of "thinking about it," I would do better to experience it.

This is really amazing in my opinion, Skydog. I could definitely stand to use some of this wisdom in my relationships and I intend on doing so. Thanks for sharing it!

Hi Adept. Your post is very interesting. I'm sure the experience you described is something that only YOU can fully understand. When it comes to knowing what to do and how to cope with a thing, whether good or bad, it's something that only the individual who's experiencing it can really know. In other words, don't look to others for answers. Rather, get still and quiet, and listen to your own heart and soul. That's my opinion. I do have one huge thing to say about this though. And let me stress the word "huge," because this is something that could change your entire way of looking at everything, and also your interpretation of the experience you've described. It's that, ultimately, love is all there really is, and good-will is the only will there is. In other words, everyone has ONLY "good intentions".....the rest is only ILLUSION. If you look deeply, you can see the love, the good intention, the PERFECTION, of people's behavior. This can be done by first having FAITH in the perfection of everything, and in the fact that ALL behavior and thought is born of love, and then making an effort to see the GOOD that comes from the behavior or thoughts, (or feelings, beliefs, etc.). In other words, try to see some good in everything, and know that the good you see was, on a deeper level of their being, part of the person's intention (will). I hope this helps.

Perhaps they already are one. Adi Da gives a teaching about the nature of the Self from two popular points of view, and says that the truth is kind of a combination of them. One point of view is that there is ONLY the "Universal"....we are all the same Self. Period. There are not "individual" souls. The other perspective is that there is only one Universal, but it takes SPECIFIC or individual forms. From this point of view, we are the same Universal, but we are DIFFERENT specific forms of that Universal. The actual truth is somewhere in between. We DO take specific forms......BUT, we are not separate specific forms. In other words, I AM the specific that is you, and you ARE the specific that is I.......we're just not consciously aware of being the same entity. Anyway, I found this teaching very meaningful, I hope it sheds some light on the question.

Look around you. It's amazing, isn't it? This thing called existence. It's a total miracle. We're REAL! It's incredible. Call it Tao, God, or whatever you like, but there's SOMETHING. It may be Mother Nature, but there's something to all this. There's something MORE. We ARE that "something more," whether we realize it or not. Life is divine. The very fact that we exist is unspeakable. It's a taboo, and people don't talk about it much, but everyone ALREADY knows. We just need to break the silence. AWAKE!

4bsolute, You said "how do we create this having, do we imagine it, do we attempt to feel it?" It helps me to approach it by contemplating my true nature. It comes down to you SEE yourself. In other words, do you see your true nature, or do you see lack and imperfection? The following things are true of everyone, in my opinion, and this is how we should see ourselves and think of ourselves. Then we WILL "feel" the truth about ourselves. -We are eternally perfect. -We are infinitely beautiful. -We are very great. -We are guilty of nothing. -We are wholly good. -We are totally lovable. -We are entirely worthy. -We are divine and holy. -We are wonderful, glorious beings. I feel that if we can begin to see ourselves and others in these ways, we will know our own divine nature EXPERIENTIALLY. Think of yourself as a beautiful, glorious, wonderful, and perfect being. This is what everyone longs for, and I think it can be as easy as choosing this perspective.

Cat, I feel that we know UNCONSCIOUSLY. We need to bring to conscious awareness the knowledge we have forgotten, but still have in our hearts. Spiritual practice is obviously one way to do this, but it can become a clever way of AVOIDING truth. In other words, we can use spiritual practice as an escape, and as a way to suppress our deeper knowing. The only real way to discover one's forgotten knowing, the only way that will ever truly work, is self-honesty. Self-honest inquiry into the nature of things is the way to discover the knowledge within, in my opinion.

Infinity, Your words seem very, very wise to me. I agree, we need to unconditionally accept and love all aspects of ourselves. That's how one awakens in my opinion. You also said that you must have wanted what you got on some level, and that we intend things to happen and that our beliefs are like channels for our intentions. These are some of the most insightful words I've ever read, from my point of view.

I know what ya mean, thelerner. But the ironic thing is that you become LESS "vulnerable" when you penetrate into the light. Just remember that there's nothing to fear. Peace.

I love your poem, Infinity. Thanks for sharing it! And I do believe that love is all there really is. Many people claim to believe this, largely because it's a fundamental "New Age" (for lack of a better way of putting it) teaching, but I feel that few people really understand it. Basically, to me, it means that everyone loves everyone unconditionally ALREADY, whether they REALIZE it or not, and everything everyone ever does is LOVING towards all. My home was broken into and my computer was stolen recently. I know that whoever did this was actually LOVING me by doing so. How can this be? Because it was the HIGHEST GOOD for me. Everything is happening perfectly, exactly as it's supposed to. That's how I see it, but I acknowledge that I could be mistaken.