old3bob

I don't think Watts was talking from the perspective of "enlightened mind", indications are he was speaking more about simple bodily instincts and the related pleasures of enjoying the energetic elements in the moment without a lot mental baggage like in the innocence of a child...which is fine but that is not the same as the attainment of a Jnani. Btw a great Jnani has reclaimed an innocence which is far beyond that of a child's being it could be said they are, "wise as serpents and innocent as doves" to borrow part of a saying from Matt 10:16. I'd say the Self does not abide in the mind per-se. although mind must be still to not cloud it over.

you mean we don't have to be thousand trick ponies to cover all the ground?

this could be interesting to see: "Fires can't start in space itself because there is no oxygen – or indeed anything else – in a vacuum. Yet inside the confines of spacecraft, and freed from gravity, flames behave in strange and beautiful ways. They burn at cooler temperatures, in unfamiliar shapes and are powered by unusual chemistry.Sep 16, 2020

so in the Alan Watts video he makes things sound so simple, go swimming or dancing and just enjoy life in the moment....be happy don't worry etc.. but to me there is a catch since that only applies to and works for innocent children who are under 100% protection with everything they could possibly need supplied to them and thus nothing else to do or be concerned about because they have the endless luxuries like going swimming, dancing or whatever...such may be so in a some realm but it is not so in this world for living beings in flesh and blood bodies to deal with. There is that saying, "be in the world but not of it" which sounds noble and nice but if that is case then why even be here in the first place, is it just to enjoy the ride yet not pay for it according to some?

sparring partners, good boy https://www.newsweek.com/dogs-reaction-owner-doing-jiu-jitsu-1811842

smaller than a grain of sand among the countless galaxies, yet home to countless beings!

much in the way of abstractions and foreign jargon which is hard to fathom for those not part of a particular group, along with contests to see who is best at juggling such things...so it goes with most religions or ways.

when & why can seeking enlightenment be dangerous? We've heard a lot of night-mare accounts from various members on this subject, what is your take? (and how to back-off when you or things go to hell)

...of course the living Being of the Earth (obviously a different order of being than humans) experiences karma, She has been hammered over and over again for who knows how long with dark karma but will not be broken and prevails in the end along with her Helpers and the Golden one(s) against the forces of darkness that strive to further establish and expand their hell realm upon her. (and they and their dark king will finally be cast out as She evolves)

I'm not qualified or in know on a lot of this stuff...I would say that Kundalini gone wrong instead of sleeping or being improperly messed with through forced and or unsafe practices without a qualified teachers guidance is not the right way to go! Btw if souls could short change or get away with breaking karma/Dharma in the long run then we would all be SOL.

see the Tibetan Wheel of Life for a good pictorial example of realms, better yet go to the other side and visit various (astral or perhaps even higher) realms where able to, to see first hand good examples of same and the evolved levels of countless Beings there-in...nothing silly about karmic law which is active until it is not for uncommon Self Realized Beings.

those cuddly looking guys have quite the sets of claws...

umm, right how could the Absolute judge the Absolute...but there are also countless souls and realms and you can bet your bottom dollar that there is some form of judgement or spiritual weighing of a soul for passage and stays or sojourn's in various realms...there is no lovey-dovey "new age" free lunch, karma is exacting and can only be super ceded by a higher divine force taking action per its wise need.

on a tangent from op: Do you know what is up with all the sci-fi like critters down under? (which seems to have more that the average share of them)

"This beautiful passage is from the beginning of the eighth chapter of Chandogya Upanishad. The meaning is quite clear. 8.1.1 This body is the city of Brahman. Within it is an abode in the shape of a lotus [i.e., the heart], and within that there is a small space. One must search within this space and earnestly desire to know what is there. 8.1.2 If the disciples ask, ‘This body is the city of Brahman; within it is an abode in the shape of a lotus [i.e., the heart], and within that there is a small space; what is it that one must search for within this space, and what should one earnestly desire to know?’—the teacher should reply: 8.1.3 [The teacher replies:] ‘The space in the heart is as big as the space outside. Heaven and earth are both within it, so also fire and air, the sun and the moon, lightning and the stars. Everything exists within that space in the embodied self—whatever it has or does not have’. 8.1.4 If the disciples ask the teacher, ‘If in this body [brahmapura] are all this, all things, and all desires, is there anything left behind when the body gets old or perishes?’— 8.1.5 —in reply the teacher will say: ‘The body may decay due to old age, but the space within [i.e., brahmapura] never decays. Nor does it perish with the death of the body. This is the real abode of Brahman. All our desires are concentrated in it. It is the Self—free from all sins as well as from old age, death, bereavement, hunger, and thirst. It is the cause of love of Truth and the cause of dedication to Truth. If a person strictly follows whatever the ruler of the country commands, he may then get as a reward some land, or even an estate’. 8.1.6 Everything perishes, whether it is something you have acquired through hard work in this world or it is a place in the other world which you have acquired through meritorious deeds. Those who leave this world without knowing the Self and the Truths which they should know are not free, no matter where they go. But those who leave this world after knowing the Self and the Truths which they should know are free, no matter where they are."

the better term is Sanatana Dharma, which btw is not founded by a human being like most other ways. (and has no single Pope like figure) add in: "What are the main beliefs of Sanatana Dharma? According to the notion of sanatana-dharma, the eternal and intrinsic inclination of the living entity (atman) is to perform seva (service). Sanatana-dharma, being transcendental, refers to universal and axiomatic laws that are beyond our temporary belief systems".

“Wonder of wonders! Intrinsically all living beings are Buddhas, endowed with wisdom and virtue, but because men’s minds have become inverted through delusive thinking they fail to perceive this.” the term "Buddhas" is being pointed to as being intrinsic, ok... the term "Self" is also used to point to that which is intrinsic. Why is it that Buddhist Lama's and Hindu Sat-Guru's seldom or almost never get together for tofu and tea - ask them for I can only guess.

That Buddhist quote is way overly convoluted to me... The pure is pure and simple, so simple and astonishing that mind can not encircle it with concepts. Btw, did not the historic Buddha proclaim, "Wonder of wonders!"

some schools use this chart as a descriptive pointer, other schools have somewhat different charts as pointers. #1 below is inherent with the soul and is said to be the purest category of Freedom/Bliss... Parasiva shown before #1 is, but is not said to be of a category thus is beyond a this or that description...

life is a dance, suffering is getting stuck in the mud...

On a tangent: Iron men and wooden ships, just imagine the rip roaring efforts to make her fly across the water!

btw, there are 4 major branches in Hinduism, many fairly major sub-sects of those, and then maybe thousands of minor sub-sects of those (?), along with lots of quasi- Hindu groups and teachers. There are some main precepts that most of these schools follow yet there are also key disagreement's among them; (like dualism and non-dualism teachings) so good luck in figuring them out since the term "Hinduism" and exactly what it means can not be nailed down that easily, although or supposedly the Vedas are agreed upon by all it's schools. Anyway there are conundrums which seems to be common among all religions, or most ways including in the many of the sects of or related to Buddhism. For me the best pointers to the "Self" are located in the Upanishads which many (most) Hindu sects and quasi Hindus study.

That which is - already is, and does not and can not gain or lose anything, thus does not evolve or devolve, but soul evolves or devolves yet comes from that non-evolutionary and is said to return to same at some point and in returning also does not and can not gain or loose anything...so welcome to the enigma which no why can answer... (for the human mind tends to think in terms of gain and or loss and why)

right, there is no separate variations of Self per different schools or ways when it comes down to brass tacks.