Lucky7Strikes

And how do you identify yourself? By your body? By you mind? By your habits? When we seek into the awareness that brings about the thought, the knowing, of "I-ness" we can't find anything beyond whatever it is that we experience at the moment. And that moment is unbinding to any phenomena, but transition from one condition to another. See! Right now! It is all flowing as conditioned. When you say make choices, what prompts that person to make that choice? Most likely past chain of events that conditioned that person or that situation to play out as it would. All things happen by a cause, something just doesn't arrive from nothing, likewise, there can be no beginning or end, everything rolls on.

I don't think I have any more problems regarding having or not having an ego. It is something that just occurs like the drop of rain, or the sun rising. Same thing with the will. It's not as if I will suddenly stop doing anything. My preferences, choices, and all that will probably continue, and even my meditation practices. But there is absolutely no pressure about anything because I can only act according to what I am and most importantly I always have been. There is also a great humbling about all this. No one is any greater or worse. No effort is monumental. No realization too great. No achievement so praise-worthy. No suffering so painful. No downfall so tragic. And even all that I'm writing now is just a part of the greater manifestation of awareness beings balancing reality out, between all kinds of stories, struggles, happiness, blah blah blah. It's absolutely nothing special, because there is nothing special or exempt from all this.

In that context you are right that the phrase "on its own" doesn't make sense. But I used that phrase to counter the thought of a controller behind actions. It is wrong to see a agent doing anything. There is just doing. But I like your analogy because it addresses another issue, which is of dual perception. Experience often takes on a dual perspective. Time and space could not be cognized if it weren't experience dually as with a this, "I," and that, "you." Or this,"the present moment" and that, "the past and future." But with inquiry the dividing line between the duality is seen to be false, that duality happens in the non-dual conscious awareness.

When you say you, you you. My question is what is this you that chooses. You won't find anyone there, because "you" is simply what is arising at this moment, whether that is your thoughts, whether it is dual perception, whether it is non-dual perception, whether it is driving....whatever. You are this. And "this" does not choose in the traditional sense of there being an individual who will act among certain choices. It just is. All a one flow.

I'm not sure whether Sartre delve as deep into the notion of personal identity. But yes, when the wasp sits on your arm, you will probably need to slap it away. It is a reactionary act, just as with...everything. One's will to do something is simply a continuation of habits, formed, altered, changed, by the whole entire interaction of "your" being within the world. It makes perfect sense within modern science too: everything is a reactionary movement of chemicals and signals. It is all happening on its own.

The terms "free will" itself is a oxymoron. The Buddha (if you want to use Buddhism here) no longer has a will and therefore he is free. If anything, the Buddha exists as the truth, or a unit in existence that becomes aware of its own condition and probably passes that down to other people. But thats all he/she is. Something that is composed of all the parts of a cycle, cannot escape it. You can realize it, but it is still a part of it. The duality of Nirvana and Samasara are just as part of each other as my foot and hand.

Well, I'm sure to a tick, the dog would be a better companion.

Ralis, if you are willing, I would like to actually have a discussion with you in regards to the difference between your belief of existence and mine. Let's us try to not insult each other but arrive at a reasonable conclusion. If you don't wish to do so, I would like to let people who read you comments and what not know that you are unwilling to do so. What is there to fear? And as a start, I want to ask you what exactly you believe makes up a person's identity: Who is Ralis?

In my approach to no-self I remember two distinct experiences. One was that I wasn't the body or mind, wherein a great bliss took over my body. Everything opened up to a possibility and inquiry of "what am I?" and "what is this?" For few days my body seemed to take on a whole new experience, I felt immune to suffering both physically and mentally, my mind seemed to suddenly let go of a clog of self-obsessed blockages, etc. This was about 2 and a half years ago. My second experience came when I came across the insight that there was absolutely no one here except for the experience and arising of phenomena. Oddly, it came when I was reading through Advaita stuff; that there was no agent of action, no will, just stuff happening. That there was nothing raining, just raining. This was about a year ago. Again my body convulsed with bliss, I sat in full lotus almost spontaneously for more than 30 minutes, which seemed impossible before since my knee joints couldn't handle even a minute or two. A lot of meditation and other insights and Kunlun happened, but the two above were ones having to do with the whole "self" fiasco. But I no longer fully agree with the "insight" I came across above. I don't think that is the right way to understand no-self teachings. After, I did not stop reading or contemplating, because something seemed amiss. It was probably because I came across no-self teachings through a "teacher" who was pompous and arrogant. I don't know. Something within me could not bring myself to disagree or agree. I'm still figuring it out. I personally believe that suffering is a necessary aspect of existence. People should dream if they like to dream and become enlightened only if they truly desire to. Earthly existence is good because it has a wide range of...everything. We should offer the possibility, but never educate without giving a choice. Egoic suffering is good in this sense. Just my 2 cents.

I sometimes take issue to the kind of language that says: "one recognizes one has always been one with the source." It's very misleading in a way when we say source. Or when we say "one realizes reality," or "it is seen that it has always been so." It's also very misleading to say what has "always been so." But it's really just a preference or labeling an experience. Inner, outer, self, no-self. I can say orange in several different languages. I like to think in terms of being in tune with reality, being one with the Way (Daoists have a way with words!). When someone denies gravity, we can say he is crazy but to him, in a weird sort of way, there is no "gravity." The more he acts in this delusion, the more he convinces himself of another world (in which there is no gravity). And his experience, which is nonetheless "real," arises from falsity. Yes, he will suffer because he will jump off bunch of buildings . But when he realizes that there is gravity and begins to act according to it, he doesn't suffer as much. We can't say that for this man there has always been "gravity" or that there has never been "gravity," he just experienced gravity in different ways. One with denial and other with acceptance, neither is truer or more real, it's just a preference of will. Haha! Sorry, that was a stupid example.

Ralis, go away. LOL. I'm just kidding. You know I love you. .

I don't think your posts reflect the understanding of the listener. They are always the same, and I doubt most read through them anyway, which is a pity because they have a lot of good stuff in them. Why do we have the same arguements with the same people here over and over? I can't say I have much of that either, but I'm understanding more and more what it is, and I just wish you would learn how to filter and organize your posts so that it isn't written just for your own benefit, kind of like "here it is, I've written the Truth, and now you figure it out" but for the actual understanding of the reader. Again, this is my opinion. You always seem to have good insight into Thusness' teachings, but I can't help but wonder how much you've progressed reitering them over and over....

Xabir is pretty bad at skillful means. Which makes me doubt his level of realization. Just an observation.

Great post. Most 'insights' we produce come from attachment. I believe that our existence is already self-knowing, all the fog just hinders it from shining, insight reveals itself the more we are willing to observe with... Humility and courage... Habits, including this worlds, are just so hard to see through and let go of.

It's a weird feeling I have these days. I am very happy with everything. Everything feels extremely weird. This existence is weird, random, like a playful dream that rises up for the sake or rising up, just because it can. The reasons for beginning on this journey no longer matter: the anger, insecurities, obsessions, desires, the ego, the needing to figure everything out. I don't much care anymore what is yesterday, today, or tomorrow. I play along with the things I have to do. When I'm in pain, I'm in pain, and when I'm happy, I am happy. But everything is fine because experiencing is good in itself. Whenever I feel or think, it's like: wow! cool! how cool is that! There is no direction or anything to do. I don't even feel the need to meditate anymore, or do Kunlun, or think about non-duality, or dependent origination, or the Self, or enlightenment, or who's right and who's wrong. Sometimes I sit, and I just sit. I eat, I just eat. I complain so I just complain. Or whatever: existence simply reveals itself. I don't worry much anymore. When I feel the need to do something, I just do. When I don't, I don't. I don't think i care about dying anymore. Or going to hell. Or going to heaven. Or awareness. Or no awareness. Or starving to death, or over eating. Or time or timelessness. Compassion or suffering. This body or soul. I like to sleep, I like to play, life is like rolling on my bed sheets on a breezy Sunday afternoon. I just am. Everything seems to be practice for nothing. Practicing...living...just living. Creating without a purpose. An endless dream; I feel more and more awake the deeper I dream. Mmmmmm....

Everyone's practicing!

HAHA! CLiches sometimes need new spices!

Truth is in the smalles things. .

Thank you Xabir!

People build their egos as walls (which is different than having or not having one), but eventually they all crumble down. The ugly thing is when they cling to them as their last resort. Something like : do you know what I've been through??? kind of talk. All things change. All things die. Nothing is invulnerable. Unless one is in tune with this reality, you will suffer. LET IT RAIN!! NOT BECAUSE I HAVE A ROOF, BUT BECAUSE THE WATERS THAT DRENCH ME WILL BE BLISS IN IN ITSELF!! kind of thing is much better. Well I do actually agree with you that my posts are useless here and won't do anyone much good. So go on. I wish you luck.

SF Jane, I feel that you are here to uh...justify yourself. You harshly filter people through your ego. You listen to who you want, and don't consider beyond what your conceptual frame is. We all of course have this, and need it, but we should at least be sincere in trying to understand each other. What's the point of this thread? Not much. Your ego rambling on in all its fragile doubts, pride, and sense of entitlement. Some people applaud you for sharing and what not, but behind the seeming honesty is the vicious readiness to cut down anyone in your way. Maybe you've been burnt once from being too open minded, but that shouldn't lead you too far to the other side. Why can't you stay in the middle?

Dude, Chilllllllll. Buddhists like to debate. So what? It's good. You don't? Why not? Oh shoot, I'm being a jerk again!

Crash crash crash!!!! BOOMMM PPPOOWWWW!!!! POW POW!!