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Translator’s Preface In Vietnam when I was twenty-one a hand grenade or mortar round--the circumstances made it difficult to determine which--blew me into a clear and brilliant blackness. For the next thirty-seven years that glimpse of infinite emptiness, so intimate, so familiar, kept me looking almost obsessively in esoteric books and far corners for an explanation of myself. Then, “suddenly,” the veil, as they say, was lifted. A few months after that occurrence, as my interest in reading began to slowly return, I found myself drawn mainly to the sayings and writings of old masters. What did Buddha have to say? What did Christ? Lao Tsu? Patanjali? I wanted to read them with new eyes. Oddly, in those thirty-seven years of seeking, I had never read the Ashtavakra Gita, and indeed was barely aware of its existence. Then recently, as I sat at the bedside of a dying friend and teacher, another friend placed it in my hands. I opened it and was astonished. Here, in one concise volume, was all that needed to be said. I immediately acquired other versions and poured over them. Each had its good points, but none of them spoke the way my inner ear was hearing. The literal transcriptions from Sanskrit were valuable as reference but required patient study to understand. English translations by Indian scholars made the meaning more clear, but tended to lack a certain rhythm, poetry and nuance of language I felt need of. Translations by native English-speaking scholars were better in this regard, but sometimes ranged too far from the original, or just didn’t hit the notes I was hearing. Then one day I wrote down a verse the way I heard it. I liked what I read. It was infectious. I couldn’t stop. There are a few conventions worth mentioning. Capitalized words like Self, Awareness, God, Absolute, Consciousness, Knowledge, Witness, That, This, Void, Light, All, One, Everything, Nothing, No-thing, Being, Me, You, It, Himself, Bliss, Supreme, Unity and Truth are used as synonyms, although sometimes in context subtle—and ultimately non-existent--differences may be intended. These words all point to What Is—the true nature of Reality. The words universe, world, creation and illusion are synonyms referring to the apparently real (but not) manifest world of physical objects, people, personal self, ideas, thoughts, gods, knowledge, concepts, myths, religions, history, memories, emotions, time, space—everything we perceive through the mind and senses, including the mind and senses themselves. Maya. Synonymous words and phrases used to denote a “person” who has realized Self, who knows Truth, who perceives the Real include: wise one, desireless one, liberated one, liberated soul, great soul, sage and yogi. - Bart Marshall - Source: http://www.holybooks.com/ashtavakra-gita/

So there is an argument that happiness only exists if it has suffering as a reference point. This is a conclusion that can be arrived at if you consider that the idea of everything existing in pairs and as opposites—the idea of Yin and Yang—is fundamental to existence; in this argument, happiness and suffering (I’ll say joy and pain hereafter as they’re shorter words) are not considered to be exceptions to this rule of Yin-Yang opposites, but rather are just another manifestation of Yin and Yang—albeit the most fundamental manifestation of Yin-Yang, as what experience could ever there be in Duality without shades of joy and pain? The argument is that joy can never be separated from pain because joy and pain define each other; they are a pair of opposites, like North and South; they refer to each other to give themselves meaning; without one the other ceases to exist. If all you ever saw was the colour blue then before long you would forget entirely what the other colours were, and the idea of colours, along with the colour blue itself, would then cease to be; considering, say, the greatest joy to be the colour blue in this analogy, the greatest pain as red, and all the degrees of pain and joy in-between—‘rather pleased’, ‘fine’, ‘bit off today’, ‘pretty annoyed’, etc.—being represented by the other colours. [*I know red and blue aren’t directly opposite each other on the colour-wheel, I guess cyan and orange are really, but it suffices for this post.] What’s more, in Eastern thought itself it’s considered that opposites give rise to each other in rotation: mess gives birth to cleanliness, which then becomes messy again; night to day, to night; pressure to expansion, closing into pressure once more; and so on. In this argument it is assumed that joy and pain behave in the same way: the most perfect heaven can become a hell of tedium and constriction if you stay there for too long; and the most violent hell can be inured to and got used to with enough time, until it even becomes a place of amusement and intrigue. Also, in this argument it is assumed that any and all levels of joy—even the very highest, most ultimate, degree of it imaginable—are still just ‘joy’, that all degrees of joy are as valid as each other; there is no splitting of hairs in this argument regarding the possibility of some greatest happiness existing ‘outside the bounds’ of ‘joy’—such a notion doesn’t make any sense from this point of view. I should note here that in this argument while all degrees of joy are considered as ‘valid’, it is accepted that not all beings will gain the same degree of joy from the same stimulus: a TV soap-opera may delight some people while be anathema to others, and meditation may be enormously relaxing and revitalising for some while incredible boring and dull for others; but this point is universally agreed upon by most, I think. There is the further matter of how ‘refined’ each degree of joy (or pain) is, and this actually comes relatively close to agreeing with the concept of an ultimate happiness actually, but stops short enough to still disagree with it considerably—but it is a tangent for another time. The notion of attainment of ‘perpetual-bliss’ is common throughout Eastern spiritual-practices and philosophy: it can be found in yoga, in Buddhist philosophy, and in Daoism (the attainment of Dao), going by various names (I’ve cited some of them in the tags of this post). It is the notion that, with diligence etc. , a person can transcend the plane of Duality and merge with the Non-Dual, whereat awaits perfect bliss and harmony for them, which they may abide in forever after. If we accept the argument that joy and pain are essentially dualistic opposites, then how can we sever them, throw out one, keep the other and then escape into Non-Duality with it? How can we smuggle a dualistic entity—i.e. joy—into the realm of Non-Duality? Wouldn’t Non-Duality be devoid of all experience whatsoever—blanker than blank—as all experiences in existence, including all forms of joy and pain, belong to Duality? even ‘experience’ itself can be thought of as being a dualistic opposite to ‘non-experience’ (though non-experience is impossible to comprehend). Rather than, say, Sahasraha (see Tantric yoga stuff) being an experience of the Non-Dual, isn’t it more apt to consider it as an experience of boundlessness, of formlessness, of unity, of mergence, of the infinite? which qualities are still within the realm of Duality, and therefore the Sahasraha experience itself could still be considered as a dualistic experience. In addition, if the happiness of Nirvana—said to be beyond the ‘illusory’ joys of Samsara—resides in the incomprehensible realm of the Non-Dual, then how can anything—including ‘illusory’ joys of Samsara—be compared to it? If it is beyond all things, how can those who tell of it liken it to anything at all, including to ‘illusory’ joy? How can they say “you know what ‘nice feelings’ are, right? Well Nirvana is ‘nice feelings’ times 100!” when Nirvana is supposed to be completely unlike anything that can be experienced in Duality, including pleasure and pain; so surely, then, there is no way to say that Nirvana is ‘nice’, as ‘nice’ is ‘dual’ and Nirvana ‘non-dual’; and yet, are we not in Eastern spiritual-practices encouraged to seek Nirvana for it being supposedly ‘nice’? So how would you counter this argument and uphold the notion of attainable ‘perpetual-bliss’? Have you met anyone who claimed to have attained it? If so, what made you believe them? If that person was indeed sincere in their claim to that experience, how did that person know themselves that they were not just experiencing a very long ‘high’? Also, how could that person have been operating in Duality if they had entered Non-Duality? If you believe in it after having read or heard about it, what that you have read or heard counters this argument? If both the experience itself and any attempt to explain the experience are beyond logic—due to ‘logic’ being tethered to Duality, and ‘ultimate attainment’ residing beyond Duality in Non-Duality—then how do you know about it in the first place and how are you able to talk about it or think about it—as knowledge, thought and speech all belong to the great despot of Duality—? If it is an intuition of yours that it is real, are you really willing to surrender your whole life in an attempt to attain something based on a gut-feeling? If you deduce its existence by extrapolation of your own life experiences—spiritual ones included—how do you do so?: what about your own experiences hints at the possible attainment of ‘perpetual-bliss’? There is a further argument against the notion of ‘perpetual-bliss’ which concerns itself with permanence-impermanence and with beginnings and ends and ‘ultimate attainments’, and though the argument in this post touches on this—through considering how opposites continually roll and transform into one another, and through questioning the true nature of an Enlightenment experience such as Sahasraha a couple paragraphs above—it’s divergent enough to leave it out here. As an aside, I am not debating here that great spiritual-experiences exist—they certainly do—; neither am I debating the immortality of the soul nor of consciousness—it certainly is—; neither am I denying enlightenment when considered as the notion of a progression through higher and higher levels of awareness, ability and intelligence; this is just an argument against the idea of the existence and attainment of ‘perpetual-bliss’.

Greetings. I'm curious to hear old-timer daobums take on Bill Bodri and his new view on things. If you're familiar with the late master Nan Huai Chin, then you've probably heard of Bodri, who was one of his students. In his earlier works, Bodri focused on the "consciousness-only" approach, emphasizing emptiness meditation and anapana as the keys to success. But in his latest books, Bodri claims that much of what he previously espoused was actually wrong, and that the true key to enlightenment is access to the illusory body, or deva body. He believes that achieving this attainment makes you enlightened and known as a Buddhist Srotapanna Arhat, Hindu jnani, Taoist Immortal, Homo Deus, or 'twice born'. According to Bodri, this attainment is the first rung of the true spiritual ladder that is kept hidden from most people, as they would be dejected about their spiritual efforts and stop cultivating altogether. Bodri also claims that nearly 100% of spiritual practitioners, even monks and nuns, don't know how to cultivate correctly. He argues that one of the main purposes of spiritual practice is to purify and strengthen your subtle body composed of Qi, so that you can achieve the independent deva body attainment while still alive, or lay the foundation for the Sakadagamin stage and then Causal body Anagamin achievement after death. So, what do you all think about Bodri's new perspective? Do you agree or disagree with his ideas? Here are some excerpts from his new book that may be interesting for this discussion: This kind of approach seems very different than the more streamlined Daoist lineages such as those taught by Longmenpai and other famous daoist schools where there's a clear line of development -- and, in a way, is much more "new age" in that Bodri basically says to "steal"/"borrow" techniques from all different kinds of lineages and combine them all in the hope of having the most success, and to do this consistently along with everything else. In any case, I would be curious to hear people's thoughts...

Dear Dao Bums, In the spirit of sharing, what are your personal greatest hits? My personal top 3 is: 1) Simplified Kundalini Yoga (Vethathiri Maharishi), 2) Talisman qigong (Zhongxian Wu), 3) Sri Vidya (Amritananda / Devipuram). A little bit about each: 1) Simplified Kundalini Yoga (Vethathiri Maharishi) In this system your chakras are opened and empowered by a master one by one, allowing you to tangibly feel the pulsating vibration of energy in each chakra. It takes all the guesswork away, you don't need to rely on outer feedback anymore, you can yourself feel how strong your chakras are. Meditating on each chakra provides specific benefits. It's a complete system for increasing and transmuting sexual energy (kaya kalpa), building health through physical exercises (asanas, pranayama, massage and acupressure), building energy through meditation allowing you to achieve peace of mind and enlightenment, introspection for improving your moral character and getting rid of negative karmic imprints (vasanas/samskaras) and finally philosophical explanations for God, the universe, evolution, astrology etc. Beside the chakra meditations (7 inside the body, 2 outside, 9 in total), there are numerous other meditations which give unique benefits: Panchendriya (5 senses): this strengthens your 5 senses even until old age, and further gives your mind control of the senses. Panchabhuta Navagraha (5 elements and 9 planets): harmonize with universal forces and energies, cultivate energy, improve your destiny. Nityananda (meditating on the energy pervading all over the body): gives ecstatic pleasure and strengthens energy all over your body. Divine State Meditation: helps you to again and again understand and feel the oneness between you, the universe and all living beings. Lamp Gazing: improving eyesight, purifying and energizing your soul, mind, brain and energy, and over time can give supernatural skills. Mirror gazing: one of the most powerful meditations, increasing energy in your body manifold very quickly. Over time can also give supernatural skills. Above is a general description of the system, let me share my personal journey and breakthroughs along the way. 1st breakthrough: when I got the first initiation, I felt a little something between my eyebrows, but not very noticeable. However, when I meditated that night, my God, it was insane. The vibration was so strong and powerful, my mind became completely still, and I just sat in complete peace. 2nd breakthrough: when I got the third initation, sahasrara chakra, I was blown away. When I meditated on the vibration in the crown chakra, I felt the same orgasmic pleasure as just before ejaculating. However, instead of being in the prostate area, and ending after a few seconds, the orgasmic ecstasy just stays in your crown chakra and brain during the whole meditation. At this point... I increased my meditation time a lot 3rd breakthrough: when I got my dwadasangham chakra (12 fingers above the head) opened, after about 1-2 weeks of meditation, one day I felt it REALLY open. Immediately, I was flooded with information. Questions and doubts about life, the universe, things that had happened to me, answers just flooded my consciousness. And whenever I thought of a question, the answer immediately came. I felt at one with God. This also made me meditate much longer, because it was just so interesting. After some weeks, I had no more questions, so I just sat in complete peace and oneness. Nowadays, whenever something is going on in my life, I sit and meditate, and I will understand what's going on and why. 4th breakthrough: lamp gazing. I got SO much more energy after starting lamp gazing. It probably increased my energy levels 5 times or so. 5th breakthrough: when all chakras were opened, I realized just how weak my navel chakra had been. I got so much more energy and much better digestion when I could finally meditate on my navel chakra. 6th breakthrough: mirror gazing. This exercise is insane. My energy must have increased by 10 fold or more when I started doing it. To this day, I can't understand why it is SO powerful, but it increases my energy so much. I rarely ever fall sick, and I am always full of energy now. 7th breakthrough: becoming a master and initiating others. You simply do mirror gazing and meditation on the morning you give initiations to boost your own energy. Just before giving initiation, you say a prayer to God and Vethathiri. Every single time, energy just floods into your system, empowering either your hands or eyes, depending on which initiation you're about to give. It's truly magnificent. I can only imagine how powerful Vethathiri had been while still alive in the body, seeing that such strong energy still comes, simply because of his sankalpa to help as many as possible through SKY. 2) Talisman qigong (Zhongxian Wu) I was doing a 3 day workshop on his cosmic orbit qigong, which I really enjoyed. Due to a ticket sale, I would stay 3 more days after the workshop before flying home. Because Master Wu also stayed some days after the workshop, he decided to offer a one day workshop on "calligraphy healing qigong" for just 25 euros. I was so sceptical and there was no way I believed "painting" could be used as a way of healing. However, I was there for 3 days with nothing to day, and 25 euros was nothing, so I decided to try out the workshop. I came there just to pass time, expecting nothing. However, when we did the mantras, mudras and visualisation, I really felt energy come into my body. Then he asked us to practice healing on each other, and I just didn't believe it to be possible. To my great surprise, it worked! The lady I worked on could really feel my energy and that of the talisman inside her body. I was so surprised. I thought it was probably because I had already been meditating daily for 4 years. But there was no way that this elderly lady with no spiritual background could perform healing on me, she had no training, nor any energy to give. Even when she used the talisman to heal me, I really felt the energy from the talisman coming into my body! I was so surprised. It was not that powerful, but it still worked. I was blown away. Master Wu told us to go back home and practice daily for 49 days, then we would have access to this talisman's healing energy. We could use it on ourselves and others, or even to paint a talisman on paper to use for improving fengshui in the home. I went back home to practice, still not really believing it could be possible. I saw everything through the lens of hinduism: healing I considered a kind of siddhi, and acquiring siddhi is extremely difficult. At that point, I had done years and years of daily mala japa (chanting with prayer beads) of a mantra, completing many purascharans, and it had been quite difficult. And that was just to purify myself, come closer to God and prepare myself for higher sadhana (spiritual practice), including other sadhanas that could produce siddhis or supernatural powers. When I got back home and started practicing, I would do the talisman healing on myself, and I felt that it worked. About 10 days into my 49 day practice, my parents heard about my 49 day project. From that day, they asked me to call them every day when I was practicing, and they asked me to help heal different issues. Also as remote healing (something I didn't even believe in at the time). No matter what I did, it just worked! It worked every single time. They would call me after the healing and tell me everything they had experienced during the remote healing. About 21 days into my 49 days, random friends of my parents would call me and ask for healing. So during my 49 days, I hadn't even finished the 49 days, still the talisman energy was helping me to heal myself, siblings, parents, friends of my parents, and also a few strangers. This experience completely exploded my worldview at the time, and that's why I decided to keep training with Master Wu. I've since then learnt the talismans for all 5 elements (White Tiger, Green Dragon, Red Bird, Mystical Warrior and Mother of the Big Dipper). Mystical Warrior is northern water energy, Mother of the Big Dipper is central, earth energy. I actually spent all my money, and even lend from my grandmother, to travel and learn these talismans (at the time I was still studying, so I had low funds). I spend as little as possible on food and hotel when I was there, so I could pay everything back to her when I got back I still use it for myself, and sometimes if others ask for healings. I also use it to bless what I eat and drink sometimes. 3) Sri Vidya (Amritananda / Devipuram) This is a formerly secret system of Hindu Goddess Worship, which Amritananda has decided to share openly with the world. All Goddess worship can provide great supernatural powers, and the energies also have a great effect on our wordly life, e.g. increasing money and succes, healing etc. I never really cared for hindu ritual worship, I felt it to just be an empty show, and a way of extracting money from the poor. Priests and astrologers convincing poor people they had bad karma and needed to pay huge sums of money for them to do rituals on their behalf. However, when I saw a picture of Bala Tripura Sundari, I felt strangely attracted towards it. These weird feelings prompted me to try and do the beginners module. In the end, if it didn't work, I could just stop after the first module. I got diksha (initiation) for the mantras for the root, sexual and navel chakras. Furthermore, I learnt several rituals for each chakra: tarpana (water ritual), puja (prayer ceremony) and homa/havan (fire ritual). I did it just to try it out. First I did a 41 days tarpana for the root chakra God Ganesha/Ganapati (elephant God). I actually felt energy coming into my root chakra and circulating in the 4 nadis of the root chakra. This suprised me a lot! Further, when I was about 38 days in, I got a call from someone, offering me a side hustle to earn more money. On the 44th day (I continued the ritual a few days extra, because there were a few days my wife didn't do it with me, so for her to also reach 41 days, we extendend it 3 days), I got another call, yet again with another side hustle opportunity. I was really surprised! Firstly, I actually felt the mantra opening and circulating energy in my root chakra and nadis. Secondly, I felt the ritual actually had an effect on my worldly life! This I felt to be the magic from movies, books, series etc, where a wizard does certain rituals to change his life and acquire powers. Therefore I continued with Sri Vidya, and it just keeps giving. I have been given mantras and rituals for the root, sexual, navel, heart and 3rd eye chakra, and I am in the process of completing them all (tarpanas I have completed for all, pujas I have 2 to go, havan I am currently in the process of finishing for all). After this, I will get the final and ultimate mantra for the crown chakra, as well as the ultimate ritual performed directly on the Sri Meru / Sri Yantra / Sri Chakra. This is supposed to be the ultimate, making it possible to acquire all worldly pleasures, all spiritual powers as well as complete enlightenment. Conclusion: My personal greatest hits are: 1) Simplified Kundalini Yoga (Vethathiri Maharishi), this taught me deep meditation. 2) Talisman qigong (Zhongxian Wu), this taught me healing. 3) Sri Vidya (Amritananda / Devipuram), this taught me rituals and mantras to assist my worldly and spiritual life. Question: What are your personal greatest hits on the spiritual path? You can include a small summary of the system, as well as your personal journey and breakthroughs God bless you!

I thought this was interesting for the idea that the process of further enlightenment would be described as a passing through an increasing disgust for the outside breath.

Hi friends, Over the last months, it's been getting harder to sign in here and participate. I find myself wanting to be amidst you, because of the love I have for the Bums - and a handful of Bums in particular. So I seem to end up reading a post or two and putting a Like on what I consider to be a beautiful post that points the Way. Or to find a laugh in the What made you laugh today thread. The personality part of me, the ego, still connects to the personality parts of you, and I have enough ego left to want to feel the comradeship of one who lives in Culver City (or somewhere around there), one who lives in Baltimore, one who lives in Baja. There are a few others, I just don't know where they live, but you know who you are. What made me realize that it's time to drop out of active participation, is that I'm tired of my own words. I've been evolving into these words for 40 years and it is partly because of you that I have learned these words. These are not words that come through your mouths, but through your hearts; the hearts that have arrived at, or are very close to, Self Realization. You've pointed me to books, to philosophies; so many things to read and discuss. And it is because of the melting pot nature of this place that I've been here as long as I have. It is through the channel of my heart that these words and ideas come to me now, which I feel a need to communicate to you. I know that to put Freemasonry in the tag portion of this post seems odd. I want to use this as an example, because the 33 degrees of Freemasonry are a very direct path to self-realization. Of course I'm not a Freemason, I am merely a woman. But I did get my hands on Morals and Dogma by Albert Pike at a yard sale some years ago, and was immediately captivated by it. I studied it, and it pointed me to something. When a man begins his journey in the Scottish Rites, he learns the name of a strange entity, introduced to him in the third degree. That name is Hiram Abiff, a representation of Hermes. This entity is introduced as the head mason appointed by King Solomon at the time the temple was built, and it is a lodestar for all further engagement within the Scottish Rites. But it has a more esoteric meaning as well. He is a half god/half man figure, a representation of that of which we are capable of understanding, once realized. I use 'realized' because that is the final necessity for entrance into the 33rd degree. It is a realization of who we are. I'll pick this up again a little later. Continuation along the Freemason path is an arduous task. Each degree, as outlined in Pike's Morals and Dogma, enumerates in grueling detail the character qualities one must develop, but even more grueling, remove from one's character to ascend to the next level; the selfishness, the self centered aspects of ourselves. Any seemingly odd ceremonies are in furtherance of the goal of removing conditioning from the individual; old beliefs, iffy upbringings, rejection of structure, in the end. On a seemingly different note, I went to a retirement dinner a few years back. I hadn't been to a police function in a long time, but when I walked in the door of the conference room, a gleaming bit of light immediately hit my eye. It was the reflection off an oxygen tank worn by a particular man, who I immediately recognized. His name was Jan, and he had been the police chaplain for some years. He wrote a monthly spiritual article in The Blue Line, a police publication which I still get. I was very glad to see him, we used to work together in the West L.A. squad room. As I crossed the room to talk to him, the words 'lack of inspiration' came to mind, because he had manifested a breathing problem. I let that go, and walked up to him. As we talked, I noted that he was wearing a Freemason ring. I asked him if he was a 33rd degree, given the depth of his spirituality. He answered 'No, I'm a 32nd degree'. I'll pick this up again a little further down. There was a 33rd degree Freemason named Manley Hall who is now deceased. I knew him from his lectures at the Philosophical Research Society in Hollywood, CA, where he spoke on Sundays. I tried to get to as many of his lectures as I could - this was in the early to mid seventies. This beautiful man, always impeccable in a black suit and starched white shirt, his white hair gleaming under the lights on the stage where he sat, would slowly walk onto the stage, sit in the chair in the middle of the stage, close his eyes, and start channeling. That was all you could call it. The words flowed out of his being and into my heart, where I could 'feel' the resonance. Although I was young, in my early 20's, something inside me knew that they were true words, straight as an arrow. He had written metaphysical books, a few of which I still have. It was one big seed he planted in my heart, although I didn't have the eyes or the ears yet to understand them - not fully. If I were to reread them today, I would be reading with a different set of eyes. He didn't speak of Freemasonry, not ever. He spoke with the I Am consciousness as his context. And subsequently, in one of his books, Mr. Hall did answer a question about the 33rd degree. He said "Yes, it is the I Am consciousness". In trying to describe this consciousness (which can't be described: 'the Dao that can be spoken is not the true Dao') all I can do is to relate this to my own experience, and say what I have said ad nauseum on this site - the experience of a recovering alcoholic person. The key to recovery, as it turns out, is to go through all previous conditionings, see where we made wrong turns, make amends to those we harmed; all in all a pretty humiliating experience to one with a large flaming ego. But over the past 40 years, the rough edges have been smoothed; the peaks have turned into valleys; patience is with understanding; and most importantly, the realization of the oneness of all mankind, regardless of where on the planet we live, or what religious structure we've been brought into as a child, or adopted as an adult. And as it also turns out, I am grateful for the fact that I was an alcoholic, because it led me here. To you. To a consciousness of oneness. And not just one with people; one with animals. Oneness with trees, with rocks, with mountains, with sky, with fire and all the elements. The total Oneness of life. It is this mind expansion which is our reward - the ability to grasp this consciousness, the I Am. The awareness that we are all the same substance, the same stardust, and that we all have the I Am inside us that knows, although our egos like to capture that knowing to bolster ourselves and elevate ourselves to a higher position. That's a challenge too; to keep our necessary ego out of the mix; that is a practice all its own. But the Valley of the Dao is the goal; the ability to receive everything, to make no judgments, to see things as neither Good or Bad or Evil; to realize that if it's not done with Love, which is utilized in different forms, it's not the true Way. To fully embrace Is-ness, with a twist of agape love and understanding as our guideposts. Lofty, indeed. And here we are, stuck in these skin bags walking this physical earth. And what are religions? They are conveyances to get us to the other shore. Once arrived, there is no need to stay in the boat. Just get out and walk the challenge; the challenge to remain in Consciousness as much as 'humanly' possible, the challenge to meet each situation with love, whatever that requires... and what your wisdom has taught you as to how to apply it. The wisdom of how to love is a great challenge. But above all, love life; not as a feeling, but as a practice. Chop wood, carry water. But with love always, placing ourselves as the valley into which all things flow. No need for contention, no need for ambition; egoless. And finally realizing that we really have no control over anything; that most often, the best answer to the enigma is to Do Nothing. The universe knows what it's doing, and putting our hands into the water usually muddies it. The reason I put such odd references in the Tags box, including will.i.am and Morgan Freeman, is because they get it. The Black Eyed Peas singer gets it now. William James Adams changed the spelling of William to will.i.am. He now lives the I Am consciousness; his words now reflect that. And Morgan Freeman? I saw him interviewed by Larry King once. As Freeman is instrumental in producing highly spiritual documentaries, King asked him "Do you believe in God?" Freeman didn't miss a step; he looked right at Larry, and quietly said "I am god". Larry then said "you mean, you believe in god, right?" I don't recall Morgan saying anything further, other than smiling, but Larry King abruptly changed the subject, no doubt believe that he had a real kook on his hands. I wonder how many folks are still sitting in mental institutions because they have this understanding. That which we have been drawn to search for 'outside' is not outside at all. It's this common entity that we all share. We Are. We are god, in that sense of the word. If you look at all of creation as a spear, we are the tip. We're the thinking, feeling, seeing, touching, tasting, hearing tip. The essence burns within us, always prodding us forward and into situations that are required for our further understanding. Perhaps this is why we learn to still the mind, and why no harm comes to the sage. Because life gets so incredibly smooth; we realized that all Time and Space are ours. And that comes when we finally become capable of stilling the monkey mind. And what is 'It' looking for? Self realization; realization of who we Are. We're 'It'. I guess little kids had the answer all along; 'Tag, you're it!' It occurs to me that that's what all of life, this wonderful earth, is looking for; Self Realization, but on a communal level. There are so many seemingly horrible things now happening world-wide, but I take comfort in the Daodejing when it says 'that which is to be deflated must first be inflated'. When I look at the political stuff that's happening, I try to keep this in mind. And moreover, those politicians which appear most grievous are actually Me! So, we wait and love, trusting that the universe knows what it's doing. Actually, what's even more comforting is the Nowness of it all; and knowing that that which gives me anxiety, when I fall from consciousness on any given day, has actually already happened. That snaps me back. Like Ouroboros, the tail eating snake, I return to my friend Jan, the 32nd degree with 'lack of inspiration' in his oxygen tank at the retirement dinner. We spoke for a few minutes, and then I was about to walk back to my table. As I left, Jan smiled and said "God be with you", and he turned to talk to another. I walked a few steps and stopped, turning around. I realized his 'lack of inspiration' and the need for the oxygen tank. I leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Jan, we are god", and then I walked away. I turned back a few steps later to see how he reacted to this. He had stopped talking to the other person, and he was staring in disbelief at me. His eyes were sparkling, like a little kid's. His jaw was hanging open. He got it. And this encounter was written up in his next article in the Blue Line. At that moment, my friend Jan ascended to the 33rd Degree. He became Hiram Abiff, just in time. He died a month later. For anyone who reads this, thanks for hearing me out. If this turns into a thread, I don't want to make it about me. Any personal comments, please PM me. I'll still be around, just not quite so often. And this is most likely my last lengthy post. Love to everyone. You're the best. Barb Ortega

It is very common to see people besotted with "methods" and "techniques" in the spiritual path. Learn x, y, or z methods/techniques and you will get enlightened/Self-realized, or you will gain power, etc. But no method/technique has the ability to give anyone enlightenment. Enlightenment is simply the realization of One's Self-nature/True Nature. Very rare are those individuals who only practice methods/techniques and become Self-realized. Because of the way the world works, Self-realization requires someone pointing/telling us what our True Nature is. Without these pointers, it is very difficult indeed to get Self-realization. But don't consider this post as knocking methods/techniques. They certainly play a big part -- but only towards the purification of the mind. Why is the mind so important? Because it is the primary organ of knowing (yes, I called it an organ, albeit it is a subtle organ). If the mind is cluttered, scattered, or dirty, the truth cannot be seen, no matter the words that point to it. Similarly, even if the mind is pure, clear, and focused, without the words, there is usually no impetus towards Self-realization. I think of the methods as the vehicle to allow the mind to become clear and transparent, so the Self is known as it is, without the employ of phenomenal objects of knowledge. One topic that seems to be a source of much contention is that of the "levels" of realization/enlightenment. Some worthies think that if you realize your "True Nature" it is not enough, because you have to TRANSFORM completely into that True Nature (or however else one chooses to articulate this graduation process). Therein lies the biggest drawback of not having direct experiential knowledge -- because if one realizes True Nature, then it becomes very clear that there is nothing else left to transform, because every "thing", every phenomenon, is made up of that True Nature through and through. It is akin to stating that "I realize the Table is made of Wood, but this realization won't become completely REAL until the Table is fully transformed into wood!" What a preposterous idea! How can the Table become any more wood than it already is? Similarly, how can something made of True Nature become more True-Nature or Completely True-Nature? There is nothing other than True Nature -- period. P.S. For the sake of sanity, please don't make statements like, "The wood needs to be transformed back into the tree, then the seed and so on". That raises questions (at least in my mind) about your intelligence That brings me to the topic of "Rainbow Body". When I ask someone, "what is the purpose of developing a rainbow body?", pat comes the answer, "to become immortal", or perhaps, "To completely transform into True Nature". Inquire for a while, what is it that needs to transform into "True Nature"? Is there anything that is "not True Nature"? If there is already the realization that this world of names and forms is merely an appearance within True Nature, then where is the need to become "immortal" and "transform completely into True Nature"? What purpose does transforming the physical body into a flash of light serve? Where will such a being go? What would they do? Isn't that just a misunderstanding of True Nature? Who wants to be 'immortal' in that way? But that doesn't mean that transformation is not real. The transformation that is meaningful, is the dropping of behaviours and tendencies of the mind which keep veiling True Nature from the mind.

A tricky and very interesting distinction is present in Maharshi's work between samadhi -- a profound state of concentrated absorption where the distinction between "I" and "not I" breaks down -- and laya, which is also absorption... but in which ignorance does not break down. Both are states or profound peace. Samadhi can easily turn into laya, Maharshi says, so seekers should be warned. Elsewhere, however, he says that states of peace need not be interrupted. So which is it? Well, the answer lies in where the seeker is along the path. The mind has to be turned inward and concentrated, and various methods that produce laya can result in this; but the ultimate samadhi is not one that turns into laya, but is that which is seen when even laya is questioned, self-inquired into, or surrendered.

There is a difference between the feeling of the still mind, that is, bliss, and the sense or coming of Knowledge of the Self, whose nature is insight... Even insights are temporary and *not* the real Self, but they constitute the 'gate' part of the 'gateless gate', and there are certain distinguishing characteristics that can be helpful for the seeker: the inversion of in and out in what I've called in the past the spacious mind. You thought you were a body inside the world; now you see that you are a world within which a body is. Insights are revisited over and over again through self-inquiry and surrender until they burn away all residual ignorance and become steady, at which time it becomes clear that insights and ignorance were both illusions.

Through self-inquiry and surrender, we orient towards the thought that is the base of all other thoughts... the thought that isn't a thought, that is our Self. Its vast impenetrable space is that against which all other thoughts dash themselves and evaporate harmlessly. Orienting towards that, we realize that there is nothing but that orientation, effortlessly and always. In this video I talk about the nature of this unthought thought, its position on the border of the timed and the timeless, and its feel.

What is the meaning of ego? The word has many different and complicated meanings in the spiritual literature. Is it the sense that I am? Is it the emotions and fantasies connected to the self-image? Is it identification with these? Is it simply any kind of desire at all? In this video, I go through some of the possibilities and their implications…

Extensive and detailed information on Buddha Amitabha https://buddhaweekly.com/amitabha-buddha-infinite-light-whats-name-merits-vast-name-amitabha-practice-synonymous-compassion-happiness/?fbclid=IwAR3XkVoXlL3Dc9ozoMY3BwAG30xNX31cqzO8520rOZD66z8ATB3mxfWlRno

Hi I'm a newbie, I've started to get into Taoism only recently, and beside the confusion around lineages, efficient practices, light body, real/fake teachers, etc., something more foundamental isn't quite clear to me: what is the actual goal of cultivation and of Taoism more in general? I come from an induism background (I'm not indian, but I've been to India, had teachers, studied scriptures, practiced meditation, had great unexpected results, etc) and if you consider that tradition, even though nobody can't really describe well what Enlightenment is (for obvious reasons), at least a newbie can have some sort of idea. I mean it's also called with a name and a good description which is Turiya and Sat-Chit-Ananda. Then if you are lucky enough you experience what it actually means concretely, which is not a state of unchanging perfection where angels cuddle you and pay the bills for you lol, but of course it's pretty amazing compare to "before" so to speak. All this to ask you guys, what is the so called Enlightenment in the Taoist tradition? I'm asking this for 2 reasons: 1. I don't see the connection with endless cultivation, I mean to achieve what beside permanent peace, happiness, satisfaction? 2. If a person, as in my case (I'll spare you the whole story which started with a spontaneous kundalini awakening until the crown chakra and it happened out of the blue, but I've been extremely lucky and blessed, I'll be grateful forever), does feel, or "has achieved" if you prefer, permanent peace, happiness and satisfaction, what is the point of cultivation? I'm asking genuinely, these are not rhetorical questions. I see that basically in the end all traditions point to the same thing which is Pure Awareness, calling it with different names (Rigpa in Tibet, Nirvana in Buddhism, Dao in Taoism, Moksa/Turiya in Hinduism, etc.), so that's why I don't get the whole cultivation thing if you have to anyway "simply" dwell in this ever present Consciousness. Of coure there is no end to the Evolution, it would be naive to put a limit to the infinite, but I'd say it's much "higher" and healthy to be full of love, peace, compassion, kindness, etc. compare to being able to levitate, fly, light up things, or who knows what other siddhis there are... I hope I have been clear enough to give you guys the opportunity to shed light on. Thanks a lot! P.s. If you are wondering about my nickname, well yes I'm genuinely looking for a real efficient safe practice to see what light body actually means, especially if it improves compassion, kindness, love, etc. You are all welcome if you wanna share something

Hello ! Few things about me, I currently reside in LV, Nevada, originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Background is Brazilian/Argentine.. nor sure what else to write here so I thought I would go ahead and share an experience with you all. Excited to hear what everyone else here has experienced! A few years ago and a few months then into my spiritual/meditational journey, I had an encounter that changed existence itself for me. Only a few people know, and recently I decided that I would share it with anyone out there so that they may see what the depths of your Self holds at all times, and anyone who has had a transformational experience themselves. If you read it, thank you for the time Here it is: At the time of my transformation a few years ago I was doing my regular meditation at around 2 A.M. The living room was virtually pitch black. 20 minutes into the meditation I decide to simply let go of my 'internal clock' that determines when I have meditated for the usual 30-40 minutes and I curiously go into seeing how long I can stay in that thoughtless meditative state. I would have to say about 45 minutes into it that I start hearing a very loud high pitched ringing/noise in both my ears.. as it got louder and louder so this bright light in my mind's eye would become brighter and brighter. This was a pure white light that looked as if someone had turned on their headlights to my face at point-blank range; my eyes are still closed this entire time and never open. This goes on for about 15-30 seconds and then the sounds and light are now accompanied by what seemed to be hundreds and thousands of voices giving me praise, so many voices that it was hard to figure them all out at once but I did not need or try to because I was receiving the core of the message intuitionally, I knew, I felt. It was like being in the middle of a fully filled coliseum, with everyone there cheering for you and loving you unconditionally with Love that reached deep into the past, present, and future all at once. These were immense feelings of achievement and how proud they are of me to come this far into myself, and that they have always been here and always will be here for us all. That they have loved me and all of us since the beginning of it all and continue to do so indefinitely. I was filled with incredible emotions of pure agape, pure love, and interconnectedness that took over my entire being. I smile with Love and Gratefulness and all I can struggle to say is " Thank you " as my eyes begin to form tears. As the loud ringing noise dies down and things begin to get darker, so do the voices dissipate. But it didn't feel as if I was going back down in consciousness, I went higher. Higher into a dark expanse that felt infinite, eternal, empty, vast and yet also containing the entirety of existence itself, all that has been, all that is, and all that will be. Which is plainly also, just all that is. There I could not identify with the part of myself that says 'I' or 'me' anymore. I could not understand it, it was so abnormal and really, non-existent to me. Not only was I in that Void, but I knew and felt my Self AS that Void itself. I was Everything and Nothing all at the same time. It was quieter than quiet.. no sound beyond the sound. Empty. Yet also filled with ALL of existence itself. Pure Oneness. What came, later on, was light, it looked like stars in the distance and stardust but also water, a different type of water/fluid. It filled my view with hues of purple, blue, indigo and a whole array of lights among this void. I stay in observe in a balanced awe. I open my eyes and break down in an utter joy that is beyond any comprehension. About 10 minutes later I comfy myself on the couch in which I usually would sleep on. As I close my eyes, I am in awe of that same sight of stars in this Void still there even after my meditation. It was pure bliss to shut my eyes and head off into sleep, gazing out into the star-filled space in front of me. I was whole, and one with All That Is. This feeling later went on to stay with me for months after, I was born again. Glad to be here with you all, and I'm looking forward to bouncing off of each other with anything that can help us grow -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Later on, I plan to host dark room meditations/retreats for periods of 12 - 21 days. Thanks for reading and Love to you all :)🙏✨❤️ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Words can never convey the beauty of a tree; to understand it, you must see it with your own eyes. Language cannot capture the melody of a song; to understand it, you must hear it with your own ears. So it is with the Tao: the only way to understand it is to directly experience it. The subtle truth of the universe is unsayable and unthinkable. Therefore the highest teachings are wordless. My own words are not the medicine, but a prescription; not the destination, but a map to help you reach it. When you get there, quiet your mind and close your mouth. Don’t analyze the Tao. Strive instead to live it: silently, undividedly, with your whole harmonious being." - Lao Tzu (Hua Hu Ching, chapter 31)

Devotion and Worship may be something you secretly dispise or are attracted to. It can be for some a sign of giving up on autonomy and or willful self journeying and isolation from mass hysteria and lazy followership. But it has nothing to do with these things - though all elements of human frailty may be found as is true everywhere. In abiding wakefulness grace is ever present - gratitude pours forth to nothing - it is not in devotion - it is the light But Devotion simply dawns - it dawns as one sheds the ebbing rude coarseness that stood solid on so many willful grounds of insanity and ignorance. In the beautiful stillness - the boundless Presence - the magnificence and majesty - Devotion is camaraderie with the highest light. It is attending a dance with Angels. IN NOTHING great transcendence radiates within - one cannot but be in devotion. It is not a choice or a falling or failing - it is the twilight of all holding - the touch of one finger to the hand of Divine Essence in Living Light. Love unbounded - unbinding

It is interesting to read and listen to Awakened teachers that have come from a long established lineage as well as teachers that have Awakened and then adopted a long established lineage as their teaching. It is also interesting to see Awakened teachers using their own words from the present and often changing the typical fashion of going about helping students to be pointed in practice and general sniffing around trying to get a clue what this “illusion” thing is all about. There is no question that there are benefits to a great well established lineage. And it is very possible for an Awakened teacher to adopt a lineage in which they have no prior base. But I am acutely aware that many of the past lineages of the very best and most productive sorts have wording and dogma that make it nearly impossible to clarify in a new students mind even the slightest whiff of what they are actually alluding to and teaching. Some of the most refreshing and superb Awakened teachers are uncompromisingly direct and clarify the “project” of Awakening so simply and so well that by comparison many extraordinary old lineages appear to actually create more detours than road maps by entailing incalculable destinations and using words and structures of teaching that are basically misleading by their vary exactness. I am not starting this topic with any objection - it is a remembrance that when I Awoke the experience was so utterly and completely unlike anything I had read anywhere in the great ancient traditions that I was completely unsure of what had transpired. And it is in this remembrance that this topic is created. I am from the “long” traditions - lots of practice and the idea that perhaps in ten lifetimes you might Awaken - they are in many ways as perfect as they are full of bullshit. Yet some of the emerging short forms - particularly those engineering quick Awakening are also very questionable. But some new teachings are very clear and offer real lasting abiding Awakening from simple yet strong well worded contemporary guidance. What cannot be expressed very clearly to many reading this is that once Awakened some stupidly simple teachings are clearly seen to be among the very best teachings to Awaken and some of the most superb and complex lineages make it nearly impossible to see the Forrest through the trees. Some seemingly very simple Awakened teachers are unquestionably the best pointers to truth and best practices for Awakening to Self, while some of the most authoritative Awakened teachers from some of the oldest and finest lineages are simply so immersed in initiations and transmissions and proper progress that they have put the cart before the horse to a great extent - as though teaching post Awakening work is best done prior to Awakening. It is tempting to utilize an old and wonderful lineage as an Awakened person considering or being brought into teaching - everything is already laid out and easily tweaked where one would like and students can plug into the tradition. It can also radically slow further progress in one’s post Awakened unfolding. And deep within one Awakened can wonder if teaching is what will be happening if at all. I also partly bring this up because of how brutally some “advanced” seekers judge “simple teachers” who are often obviously to those Awake of the highest attainment and often speak little from any lineage at all.

Hi everybody. The nature of my request is to consult anyone who could help me understand the nature of my experiences and tell me how/where can I develop them/learn more. It will be a bit long but please be patient, it’s necessary. I got initially interested in Taoism when I was 12. I read a book from Alan Watts about Taoism, later I moved onto Lao Ze, Chuang Ze and Lieh Ze and it I immediately started to relate to it, and it just felt natural. Since then I researched many philosophies and occult schools, but Taoism kept being the closest to my core values. I’ve experienced several very significant experiences over years, and this far no one could tell me more about their nature. 1) I dreamt of future events. When they happened some 5 percent of the details were different (there were dogs instead of cats for example) but everything, including the locations that I never visited before were just as in my dreams. 2) I had a vision (meaning it felt physically real) that I was floating upwards through purple clouds and that I was going to die. I said to myself that I am not afraid because I lived according to my values, and then a voice told me: You’ve understood the lesson. Now return to the Earth and complete your mission. when I woke up my body was shivering and being full of electricity. I was lying in my bed but I felt I was in a vertical position. 3) After practicing Baguazhang, meditation and Taiji 6 hours per day for a period of one month, one day as I was walking down the street, I closed my eyes and I could “see” everything, as if I was feeling how cars and people were moving. It was like seeing blue shapes within a dark background. In the same period I went to play basketball once and my mind entered into some sort of trance. Although I was really skinny my strenght was almost super-human, ( I was pushing much heavier guys than me as if they were children)I was performing the most weird and acrobatic movements winning every game. I could score from the most difficult positions effortlessly. During the 3 hours I played I was in a state of bliss, and as I was playing my energy was increasing instead of me getting tired. I don’t know if that was Wu Wei but it felt similar. 4) I had a vision that I was an old Chinese man walking with my wife (also a Chinese lady) through a forest. We got to a point where there was an energy source on the ground and it told me to be the source of all my incarnations. If I listen to its advice, I was told that I can exit the circle or rebirth during this lifetime. 5) I saw a previous life of mine where I was a nobleman in medieval Italy. 6) I had a lucid dream or at least a very vivid one where I was a Taoist priest, flying through the sky and fighting demons who were after me. I hid on a ceiling of a building resembling a gothic catedral. They were right under me in a huge room (I was able to see through the floor somehow), and they gathered a pile of naked unconscious people, for sacrifice purposes. The demons said (speaking about me), “he’s becoming too powerful, we must stop him”. Their intention was to be able to “see” where I am by killing all those people. The sacrifice would allow them to do so. 7) During the same period of meditation and training I’ve mentioned I tried once to focus on everything within my visual field at once, without being focused on one thing. I was being present and alert, ai just felt as if by not focusing on one thing my energies aren’t tied to one goal/task but everything is equally important. Then I entered a state of mind where I could feel that every object around me was almost like physically connected to me, and I started to cry, because I felt an amazing amount of joy by being united with everything. I walked for a few hours around the town, with tears on my face, and then it just slowly went off. I am not interested in developing any powers, but only into reaching that state where I am simply what I am, in contact with my true essence and energies, beyond the limits of the rational mind. Any advice is highly appreciated. I would also like to study some forms of Neijia or Baguazhang, that could help me learn more about myself but I need a good instructor, even in China.

Hello bums, Given that there are no short cuts, some paths tend to be a little less vague, covered in scripture, history, dogma, etc. Quite a vague question to ask, but as most may agree, all paths lead towards the same realization. I was hoping to get sum Bum perspectives on what some of you may think (or believe) by your own knowledge and experience, to be the most straight forward path. A lot of room for interpretation, but given your answer perhaps you could fill that interpretation with your own 2 cents as to why. Feel free to comment.

People are mystified with or annoyed at people who have woken up making statements like “all you need is to be silent/still” or “nothing needs to be done”. For those who have spent years trying to “get something” - energy, grace, etc, is an assumption that they are somehow incomplete and will be fulfilled when they “get some thing”. Years of toiling, practice, austerities, thinking pile on. But mostly there are moments of experiences of “bliss”, a glimpse here, a taste there, and the elusive “awakeness” keeps playing hide and seek! But there really is nothing to “get”. There is a lot to give up though. The reason is simply because there is nothing one gets from the “outside” that wakes you up. In a sense no one really was asleep, so no one wakes up. What goes away is the mistaken identification and sense of bondage. All that is needed is simply that — give up the mistaken notions of bondage and simply trace the culprit back to its source. The culprit is the mind, and the 10,000 things it creates. It seems so hard because it calls for a type of undoing that is counterintuitive. The mind likes to do this and that. It’s job is to solve problems and subdivide one into many. So simply letting it be seems like the hardest thing to do. But all is needed is, to not get swayed by its fluctuations. Just keep watching it and trace it back to its root. Feel free to discuss the points raised here. Happy awakening

I am sharing an answer that I wrote in Quora. Hope people find this useful, especially the newbies in this forum: The word ‘Enlightenment’ can be defined in many different ways. We have so many words in different traditions which are synonymous with the term ‘spiritual enlightenment’. The list of words are endless and the definitions are endless too. Some people exaggerate it, some people understate it, some people say that there is no such thing called enlightenment while the majority of the world’s population haven’t even heard of it. First, let me describe spiritual enlightenment in terms of what disappears. Deep down in people’s minds, there is an underlying dissatisfaction with the way things are. People want many things to be different from the way they actually are. There is a craving for becoming something that one is not and there is a resistance to the way things are. Everyone is moving towards a goal, a destination that is in the future. The hopes of arriving at that destination seem to give some solace and if those hopes and dreams are threatened, we tend to suffer. This burning uneasiness and dissatisfaction can be likened to a fire that is burning. The extinction of this fire is enlightenment. The word ‘Nirvana’ means extinction. The Truth About Spiritual Enlightenment — book trailer There are also two other words ‘moksha’ and ‘mukthi’, which literally mean ‘liberation’. These words refer to how enlightenment feels like. A typical human being is bound by various things. He is bound by his own past intentions. He is bound by his beliefs. He is bound by the opinions of other people. But deep inside the heart of every human being, there is a longing to become boundless and expansive. We try to accomplish this by accumulation; we accumulate knowledge, possession and experiences hoping that these accumulations will make us boundless. But these very accumulations cause further bondage. Now you have to protect them because losing them will essentially mean losing yourself; because you derive a sense of identity from these accumulations. A typical human being is actually in a self-made prison. But the saddest part is that the majority of the population don’t realize that they are in such a prison. Spiritual Enlightenment liberates you from the self-made prison I have heard a quote by some anonymous person which goes like this: “One of the greatest mental freedoms is truly not caring what anyone else thinks of you”.. Imagine the kind of freedom you will get when you no longer worry about what other people think about you. And, also imagine the kind of freedom you will get when you are no longer afraid of losing anything. Imagine the kind of freedom you will get when you no longer worry about future and past! What is usually called as enlightenment is the greatest freedom ever. It is not only a combination of all kinds of freedoms that I just talked about but it is also a freedom from the sense of a separate self. It is a permanent freedom from the story you have about you. Once a person is enlightened, he feels like a huge load has been taken off of his shoulders. There is a sense of an immense freedom which is priceless. It literally feels like escaping from a prison. Once J. Krishnamurti asked his audience if they wanted to know what his secret was. Then he revealed his secret in just one sentence. He said, “I don’t care what happens”… Simply put, this is enlightenment. Nothing ultimately matters and the whole life becomes a play or a game. When we play a game with our friends, we play it without any seriousness. Even though we make sure that the rules of the games are followed and that we do what we are supposed to do in the game, we don’t lose our sleep over it (unless we are playing in a tournament). Playing your role in life as if you are just playing a game is the greatest sense of freedom. Enlightenment naturally makes you to not to care about the end result of whatever you are doing. At the end of the day, nothing ever matters. That doesn’t mean you will be irresponsible. You will just enjoy what you are doing rather than being focused on results. Your actions will be driven by intrinsic motivation. Whatever I have said so far, sounds quite logical. But I haven’t touched the core yet. The core and the essence of enlightenment is realizing that you as a separate person or entity is an illusion. You create a solid sense of self inside your mind and you define the boundaries of that self physically by your body and mentally by your story. But science and spirituality tell us that there is no such solid, consistent self. This doesn’t mean that your body and your mind doesn’t exist. But a sense of self that you derive from your body and mind is just a deep-rooted belief. Since you have this belief for such a long time, you don’t even recognize that it is a belief. This may even sound absurd or unacceptable to you simply because you have lived with this belief so long. We have built layer upon layer on this belief which makes us very difficult to see through this belief. Someone asked a question in Quora before. The question was “Can an atheist believe in spiritual enlightenment? “. The word ‘believe’ here is a bit odd.But this question comes from an assumption that spiritual enlightenment is somehow related or tied to religious beliefs. But in reality, an enlightened person is an upgraded atheist. Let me elaborate. The only thing that an atheist doesn’t believe in is the existence of a personal deity, a creator God who answers your prayers. But an atheist may still believe that his next door neighbour is a jerk and his boss is an a**h**e. An enlightened person, on the other hand, doesn’t believe in anything. He doesn’t even believe that he is separate from the existence. Once the sense of a separate self dissolves, you realize that you are existence itself. All the boundaries between you and the world simply disappear. You cease to exist as a person but you continue to exist as the existence.Realizing that you are not an entity separate from existence is enlightenment. It is not just realizing this as a fact but realizing it in your actual moment to moment experience. This is not to say that enlightenment is a special experience or an altered state of consciousness. When you are living a life as a liberated person, you simply experience the reality without any duality. The reality is felt in its purity without any distortions. Your life then becomes free-flowing, conflict-less, guilt-free, fearless, peaceful and fulfilled. Nothing is lacking anymore at the absolute level. There is a sense of innocence and genuineness in your moment to moment experience. It is quite ordinary then how enlightenment is described or thought of. So, what causes this illusion of separate self or duality? Left-brain interpreter is the culprit. The left brain interpreter refers to the construction of explanations by the left brain in order to make sense of the world by reconciling new information with what was known before. The left brain interpreter attempts to rationalize, reason and generalize new information it receives in order to relate the past to the present. The concept was first introduced by Michael Gazzaniga while he performed research on split-brain patients during the early 1970s with Roger Sperry at the California Institute of Technology.] Sperry eventually received the 1981 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his contributions to split-brain research. Left and right brain functions of human brain If you just look at the above picture, one thing is clear. You left brain engages in things which require categorization. Your right brain specializes in helping you to see everything as a whole. Dr. Chris Niebauer, a neuroscientist writes in his book ‘The Neurotic’s Guide to Avoiding Enlightenment: How the Left-brain Plays Unending Games of Self-improvement’ about the left brain interpreter. Let me quote a few lines from his book: Quote “The left-brain interpreter is categorical, it creates division outwardly and inwardly, so let it do its job, let it do its thing. “ “Again, there is the interpreter created category of “me as I am” vs. “me as I want to be” which are both just thoughts bouncing around in the skull. So, ironically, if you are trying to improve yourself, you can’t. The notion that your self needs improving is an interpretation and we are going around interpretations. There is an irony in most bookstores called the “self help” section. I might suggest renaming this as “Books that reinforce the illusion that the left-brain interpreter can be what it isn’t free of itself.” “The interpreter also creates and sustains our collection of categorical thoughts called our beliefs.” It is this left brain interpreter which also creates the duality. It categories your body and your story as a ‘me’ that is separate from the existence. Spiritual enlightenment is going beyond all the dualities. It leads one to resolve all the internal conflicts and to feel one with everything. It removes the idea that there is a separate entity inside which has to enhance itself for fulfilment. The left brain may still continue to categorize things, but they are not solidified in our consciousness and we are not urged to protect those solidified entities. To know more about spiritual enlightenment, get my book: ‘The Truth About Spiritual Enlightenment: Bridging Science, Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta’. (Indian readers, click here: Bridging Science, Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta eBook: Shanmugam P: Amazon.in: Kindle Store)

Dear all, I successfully published my first book 'The Truth About Spiritual Enlightenment: Bridging Science, Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta' in Amazon. It is available in both kindle and paperback versions. I am able to provide the kindle book for free for five days using KDP select. The kindle book will be available for free from 24th Nov, 2017 to 28th Nov, 2017. I invite the members of this forum to take advantage of this free promotion. Kindle version: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078494FQB Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1973364549 Here is the description of the book: "Spiritual enlightenment is becoming a buzzword. Enlightenment is a popular niche for people who write or read about self-help, meditation, healing, psychology and more. But do you really understand what enlightenment is? Is it some kind of altered state of consciousness, a solution to get high without drugs, a way to live life in 24/7 bliss, a myth or a complete scam? Is there any scientific basis to enlightenment or spiritual awakenings? This book has the answer to these questions. This book attempts to bridge spiritual teachings of Vedanta and Buddhism with science. It gives you a practical and reasonable path to end your suffering and live a peaceful, satisfied and happy life. Above all, it will help you to find your own way and follow your own light. The book will also introduce you to some important concepts in psychology, which are related to spiritual awakening. The concepts and solution presented in this book are based on the author’s own experience. It also has a chapter that narrates author’s own spiritual journey which led to a complete spiritual transformation. The book also has a separate chapter which talks about scientific research done on spiritual enlightenment."

I was thinking that apart from being able to defend yourself, cruelty and sadism might paradoxically be signs that an individual is, or at least was, in extreme attunement to the most intimate parts of the human condition and that's why he can be an effective sadist, because he understands. I remember a quote from somebody saying that only someone who understands people on a deeply profound level could possibly be a sadist. And isn't understanding people the same as understanding life? Wouldn't that make sadism a symptom of enlightenment? In our upside down world there are upside down people, who do upside down things, in an upside down manner, to at the end get back at this upside down society. And isn't enlightenment, in the same way, an upside down manifestation of what society wants?

The function of a 'religion' is to re-link or re-bind oneself to the natural state. Nothing that can be written, read, heard, chanted, realized, or comprehended contains more than human constructed fantasy choice to replace appreciation of the natural state with fleeting confusion. Buddhist temples in the US contain suffering beings, including a master pointlessly suffering the suffering students. Buddhist temples in China and Japan contain suffering beings, including a master pointlessly suffering the suffering students. Zen temples in the US contain suffering beings, including a master pointlessly suffering the suffering students. Zen temples in China and Japan contain suffering beings, including a master pointlessly suffering the suffering students. The teachers and students at each share and exchange various levels and styles of pointless suffering to hone the practice. The more expensive/elite the facility or retreat, the more creatively the participants have to work to maintain ways to replace the natural state with pointlessly suffering experiencing being in the company of their own mind. Discourse is centered around exchanging delusions, and a variety of non-committal ritual gestures, often including sitting. The summation of all religious texts, from Sumerian to Vedic, to Zen, to Buddhist poetry that may leave ones face streaked with tears of joy, is not more than some patterns of ink droplets or pixels, and does not contain the real or aspects of the natural state. A religion that you spend an hour a week on at a church or temple, or 20hrs a day on will offer no more than a body that's older and closer to death afterwards if it's done as some type of 'practice' or 'exercise' as opposed to a mindful lifestyle. All expressible thoughts are fleeting delusions that mercifully arise and persist and conclude, having never contained more than human sensory phenomena artifact induced confusion of what may be. The natural state has never for an instant been out of reach of any being, an experientially programmed and self-sustaining dependently arising illusion of thoughts are grasped at like vapors while the natural state remains. Waiting to appreciate Now tomorrow is death while the gift of the bodies function is still active. The universe shared an incredible gift of another spinal injury that included exactly the right number of weeks of laying immobile in an ocean of exactly the right amount of pain sensations delivered with every breath to befriend pain and all sensation with equanimity and sincere gratitude. Seeking 'Buddhism', or any religious dogma or ritual or doctrine adds another set of constructs separating awareness of the natural state. While this loan of energy in body-shape remains animate and responsive to the will of your consciousness, seek experience and embrace it. Unlimited Love, -Bud