Tommy

I do not believe myself to be religious by any measure. Grew up with religious instructions. Learnt about Jesus and somewhat of the Bible. But, have distanced myself from actual church. Got exposed to Buddhism or rather Zen Buddhism. Liked it cause it said to actually try it for yourself. So, practised sitting meditation on and off from young teen to retirement. I do not believe it has made much difference in my understanding of the world around me. But, learning about Buddhism has shaped my way of looking at life. So, guess that I practise so I can become a better person. And yes, there are days that I wish that I was not trying to become a better person. Stuff happens.

I wish to not believe your brain is broken. Depression is a bad place to be. As in anything, it all begins with intent. Some might call it will. Only you are in control of you. So, if you want to have interest or anything else, you have to want it. Have the intent to do something about it. I certainly hope you get yourself out of this rut. Depression does not get better with time. It takes an incredible amount of effort to lift oneself by the bootstraps out of depression. I wish you the best.

How does one distinguish actually being 100% present in this moment and being identified with the thought of one being in the present moment? The trick of the mind is lead the ego into thinking one is doing something it isn't capable of doing?? Or is it the constant mind thought of being present in the moment that leads to being mindful?? Or am I just thinking too much about this??

Please, no arrogance here. Maybe a bit of difference in understanding. Buddhism does acknowledge Ying and Yang as a part of Dualism. It is part of the conventional knowledge and not the absolute knowledge. Sorry, for me, I do not know how to explain such things. And Vipassana is just a method. Not good nor bad. The person(s) practicing the method are the ones reflecting the value of the method. Of course, these are not the topic of this thread. Back to the soul in Buddhism, .... The teachings of the Dharma is only the vehicle or method to bring one across the waters. Once across the waters, one should drop the vehicle and move forward. Getting caught up the teachings is just another trap the mind makes. It will get one no where when entangled in argument.

I think there is a big difference between becoming enlightened and becoming a Buddha As being a Buddha implies having learned much wisdom. Where as becoming enlightened is the first steps in learning the wisdom the Buddha taught. And so, the first thing taught is the four noble truths.

Sorry for my comments here. Does beating down a man, better than lifting them out of ignorance? And yes, I do have dust in my eyes. But, I also have love and empathy in my heart. Again sorry for my comments here.

I believe there is a misunderstanding here about what the Buddha taught. The Buddha taught that there is no self as one believes themselves to be. As the Buddha found that one is an aggregate of things which believes itself to be a real self. Much like a car, if you take the pieces apart, there is no one piece that says that is the car. So, in relation to a self which one believes one to be, there is no piece inside one to be called the self. Buddha never said there is a soul nor did he say there is no soul. But that there is something eternal about one. That is what goes on to rebirth. Not reincarnation. Often one believes that something of the self survives rebirth and those are the clues to show there is rebirth or reincarnation. Those are the only markers that one knows to look for. However, it is only the remnant energy. What is reborn can not be seen by ordinary eyes. You might call it a spirit or soul. Believe what you must so you can sleep at night. It changes nothing. Only when one has experienced their true nature will they begin to learn. Okay, this is what I believe. But, I could be wrong. I always leave space for being wrong. That way, I can always learn.

Don't know Qigong. And don't know why there are so many repeat of the same thread?? But, looking it from an outside view point, which may nothing to do with you, ... Grounding is usually finding that one is not grounded and how to proceed from there. Do you have a teacher?? Certain exercises should be done with fore knowledge and guidance. Energy flows where one believes the consciousness resides. So, going for the head? Disturbing peace and sleep? Yes, it would seem to me to be a red flag. Still the question comes up, do you have a teacher? Well, I am sorry that I can not help. Hopefully you will find a teacher who can help you to move forward in your practice.

Thanks.

This is why I have cleared my ignore list. Because whatever they have to say, whether it makes me mad or angry, is showing me a side of me. And regardless, I need to face that as part of my journey to be a better person. Somedays, I wish I wasn't trying to be a better person. Yeah, Still got a massive ego.

I thought mindfulness comes from your practice. The more you are able to focus the mind and concentrate, you will then have more mindfulness thru out the day. Oh, the "You are not your thoughts" is very similar to trying to not identify with thoughts and drop the thinking mind. Of course, we do need to have a thinking mind to navigate the modern world. So, guess more with not identifying with thoughts. Eh, but what do I know. What do you define as mindfulness??

I have had you on the ignore list for a long time. And now you have reminded me of why that was. Yes, facepalm is a disagreement. But, you are free to view it as any way you would like. That is the beauty of emojis. Cause they represent more of an emotion rather than words. Live long and prosper.

I can related. There is a curiosity about the nature of the universe.

That isn't what I said. But if you wish it so then what can I say? I just do not exactly agree with your views.

Sorry no patience. Too long-didn't read. If one needs to refer to a complex paper about the nature of consciousness then maybe the subject is also too complex for simple discussions on a social forum. But, then again, it depends upon the participants. I like meditation cause it doesn't require deep thoughts and complex math. It doesn't need ideas of how one thinks one exists. And that is the attractiveness of meditation even if I can not do it properly. Guess, I will sit in my delusions a while longer.