What is the secret of being ultra smart ?

[Tatsumaru]

Try to picture my goal like a computer game.

 

In every game you have to struggle and train and get better to pass through ever coming harder and harder levels in order to beat it and reach to the end where the glory awaits.

However all games have cheats, with just a line of code you can get to the end, bypassing all the effort.

I think that life is such a game and that there are cheats. I've played the game for quite a while and now I want to use the cheats.

[Jetsun]

The special understanding you refer to is Metaphysical Thought, not physical understanding. All traditions ultimately get to metaphysical thought once the structure of the tradition has been transcended.

 

Yes, it is possible to not need the aspirin at all. If you want to stretch your brain to the outermost limits of metaphysical healing, please consider reading Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy (founder of Christian Science). There is actually very little christianity one has to sidestep; rather, she looks at Jesus as a self-realized one who discovered how to tap into the power of Mind. she takes you out of the realm of physical (in her words, "error thinking") and focuses her thoughts on the unseen, the metaphysical. she applies all her metaphysical understanding to health and healing.

 

She started this journey by triangulating the bible over a period of years, seeking those passages that refer to healing, whether in Old Testament or New. and then she just thought it through, applying her excellent metapphysical mind to the endeavor. I don't think I'll ever be the same after reading this book; for one who truly seeks the mindset of a healer, as I do, please consider sidestepping the occasional reference to christianity and gleaning what you can from the wonderful words of this woman.

 

Thanks I will look it up

 

I see they are giving it away for free for Kindle on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Science-Health-Key-Scriptures-ebook/dp/B004TP910W/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1368269960&sr=8-1&keywords=science+and+health

[Vmarco]

Intelligence is often lacking in "the intelligent" because they are often not (as they say in Cha'an and Tao) in the moment. This seemed to be one of the major differences with the character in "Limitless." He was hyper aware in the present. This is not something you can learn by rote, memorization, etc., and is why so many super-intellects seem to be missing the obvious....

 

The truth is,...cerebral intelligence is never, and can never be, in the moment,....it's impossible. Like the other 5 senses, it can only observe that which is perceived in time,...which is motion,...and as every serious neophyte should understand, there is no Present, Moment, or Instant in time.

 

Suggesting that the 6 Senses are "often not in the moment" is fully wrong,....the 5 Senses cannot ever be in the moment.

 

Thus,...let's mention, as Lao Tzu and Buddha suggested,...that anything not in the Moment, is not real. Why cling to things that are not real for one's identity?

 

"the ego is a monkey catapulting through the jungle; totally fascinated by the realm of the senses....if anyone threaten it, it actually fears for its life. Let this monkey go. Let the senses go.....the only way to understand [the Tao] is to directly experience it." Lao Tzu

 

Let the 6 Senses go. It is impossible to have a direct experience through the 6 senses,...all experience born of the 6 senses can only be experienced through the conditions of the 6 senses.

 

Buddhism says: "As soon as one sense-organ returns to the source, All the six are liberated." Avalokitesvara

 

So,...one does not have to worry about all six,...just let go of one. This was once a question of science,...but then, scoence became sense-based.

 

As I mentioned many times,...René Descartes, concerning the senses, articulated, “All that I have tried to understand to the present time has been affected by my senses; now I know these senses are deceivers, and it is prudent to be distrustful after one has been deceived once.”

 

.

[manitou]

Try to picture my goal like a computer game.

 

In every game you have to struggle and train and get better to pass through ever coming harder and harder levels in order to beat it and reach to the end where the glory awaits.

However all games have cheats, with just a line of code you can get to the end, bypassing all the effort.

 

I think that life is such a game and that there are cheats. I've played the game for quite a while and now I want to use the cheats.

 

This is the method of attainment in most everything in life. Except for the one thing you're looking for. I think that first of all you should determine what Real Intelligence is. If it's to cram all the information you can into your brain. Then you will be learned.

 

That's not the same as Real Intelligence. I'm assuming that because you're asking this question on The Tao Bums you realize there is more to intellience than being learned, as opposed to asking this question on Ask.com or somewhere more traditional. Real Intelligence involves an evolved intuition, in addition to all the studying you've done, in addition to delving into your own character to remove the flaws.

 

I haven't a clue whether I have Real Intelligence or not, but I have been hanging around here for more than a few years. I can break my particular path to whatever intelligence I have to about 3 things:

 

1. I've been a meditator for over 30 years. This focuses the mind, allows you to reign over the monkey mind - the mind where an endless stream of thoughts are present. An endless stream of thoughts disallows you from being in the Here and Now.

 

2. I've read everything under the sun, from a spiritual sense, over the past 30 years. No particular point of view, just everything. they all merge at some point if you extend far enough out in thought.

 

3. I've broken myself down and built myself up due to alcoholism recovery. It was during this process that an odd phenomenon occurred; it started a habit of self-examination of my own motives which continues to this day. Because we are all One, when you break yourself down and find out who you really Are (you probably think you do, but you probably don't) you are also developing the ability to 'see' as, again, we are all One, and true inner knowledge of the self (one human being) will result in knowledge of other human beings as well. Not in particularity of personality, but knowledge of motives, undercurrents, and dynamics; because you've observed the workings of such things in yourself.

 

I really don't think there's any cheating on this journey. True intelligence must involve experiential understanding, and there isn't a shortcut that I'm aware of that can shorten it. If one is anxious to reach the goal quickly, then one can start working on that very quality of character: patience. There's an expression in Taoism that says something like 'Don't fish so hard that you scare the fish away.'

[Stosh]

I'm not sure he did it without a brain. I think I see what he's saying. All is One. We are part of the All, the One.....and us humans seem to be the part of creation which represents input of certain types of stimulae. It's like we are the tip of the spear, the part of the All that takes in physical phenomena. However, we are at One with the animals, the trees, the rocks, the earth, all of it. It's just that we're the sensory part. As mind is surely more potent than matter, and capable of creating anything of which it can conceive, it surely is capable of bypassing the traditional means of taking in sensory perception. Lucid dreams may be an example? I'm not sure there should be put limitations on what we can sense. A plant can sense danger, it is said. And yet, they have no ears or eyes. Water responds to words, as proven by a Japanese scientist whose name I can't recall at the moment. He would freeze different samples of water after the water had been exposed to either kind words or harsh words. Then he would examine the crystal patterns with a microscope; he discovered that those water samples which were exposed to kind words like Love, Harmony, etc. had gorgeous patterns within! Yet the water samples to harsh words (I hate you, etc) would result in deformed and rather ugly patterns. (We've had a thread on this fellow once or twice; probably someone else can remember the name) And yet the water has no ears or eyes either. I don't think we really have a clue as to what non-humans can sense, be it animal, vegetable or mineral. Have you ever looked through one of those optical things they sometimes have at zoos, where you can look through it and 'see' the world as how the animal sees it? I think it was a bat, maybe, that sees in neon green. Their universe in their awareness is very little resemblance to ours. And yet, they 'think' that's all there is, and that's the universe they live in. So what I glean from all this is that there countless 'universes' which are as real to them as ours is to us. Even at that, none of us human beans share exactly the same universe either. There is no way that you can see exactly what I see, even if we're standing next to each other. Unless we could figure out a way to superimpose both of our sets of eyeballs one upon another, my universe is going to be 12" different than yours, if we are standing a foot apart. The tree I'm looking at will look slightly different where you are standing; one branch will look a little longer to me, another a little shorter to you. It could almost be said that anything 'sensory' at all has their own universe to contend with. But there is an intersection at which all universes can unite as One; the intersection of Be Here Now and Love your Brother as Yourself. This intersection is arrived at by removing all inner distortions that life has thrust upon us; all paths, if viable, will wind up here - this is the place of Grace and inner peace.

I agree with your points about subjectivity, and if that was the point they were trying to make, then so be it, but as I read it they weren't , they were instead warping the subjectivity that you are talking about to mean that you don't need eyeballs to ,drive a car, for instance

[Stosh]

I'm not sure he did it without a brain. I think I see what he's saying. All is One. We are part of the All, the One.....and us humans seem to be the part of creation which represents input of certain types of stimulae. It's like we are the tip of the spear, the part of the All that takes in physical phenomena. However, we are at One with the animals, the trees, the rocks, the earth, all of it. It's just that we're the sensory part. As mind is surely more potent than matter, and capable of creating anything of which it can conceive, it surely is capable of bypassing the traditional means of taking in sensory perception. Lucid dreams may be an example? I'm not sure there should be put limitations on what we can sense. A plant can sense danger, it is said. And yet, they have no ears or eyes. Water responds to words, as proven by a Japanese scientist whose name I can't recall at the moment. He would freeze different samples of water after the water had been exposed to either kind words or harsh words. Then he would examine the crystal patterns with a microscope; he discovered that those water samples which were exposed to kind words like Love, Harmony, etc. had gorgeous patterns within! Yet the water samples to harsh words (I hate you, etc) would result in deformed and rather ugly patterns. (We've had a thread on this fellow once or twice; probably someone else can remember the name) And yet the water has no ears or eyes either. I don't think we really have a clue as to what non-humans can sense, be it animal, vegetable or mineral. Have you ever looked through one of those optical things they sometimes have at zoos, where you can look through it and 'see' the world as how the animal sees it? I think it was a bat, maybe, that sees in neon green. Their universe in their awareness is very little resemblance to ours. And yet, they 'think' that's all there is, and that's the universe they live in. So what I glean from all this is that there countless 'universes' which are as real to them as ours is to us. Even at that, none of us human beans share exactly the same universe either. There is no way that you can see exactly what I see, even if we're standing next to each other. Unless we could figure out a way to superimpose both of our sets of eyeballs one upon another, my universe is going to be 12" different than yours, if we are standing a foot apart. The tree I'm looking at will look slightly different where you are standing; one branch will look a little longer to me, another a little shorter to you. It could almost be said that anything 'sensory' at all has their own universe to contend with. But there is an intersection at which all universes can unite as One; the intersection of Be Here Now and Love your Brother as Yourself. This intersection is arrived at by removing all inner distortions that life has thrust upon us; all paths, if viable, will wind up here - this is the place of Grace and inner peace.

Yeah my word choices are harsh more often than need be-but the frozen crystals of water can't know the intent of words since the sounds used are arbitrary, that which may be harsh in english may be very pleasant in swahili. There is no ugliness or beauty in stars or water or flowers , its just there if you perceive it to be. The water guy and the brain guy are obfuscating , that which is really 'the way' things are and how it all works. Edited May 11, 2013 by Stosh

[Tatsumaru]

The truth is,...cerebral intelligence is never, and can never be, in the moment,....it's impossible. Like the other 5 senses, it can only observe that which is perceived in time,...which is motion,...and as every serious neophyte should understand, there is no Present, Moment, or Instant in time.

 

Suggesting that the 6 Senses are "often not in the moment" is fully wrong,....the 5 Senses cannot ever be in the moment.

 

Thus,...let's mention, as Lao Tzu and Buddha suggested,...that anything not in the Moment, is not real. Why cling to things that are not real for one's identity?

 

"the ego is a monkey catapulting through the jungle; totally fascinated by the realm of the senses....if anyone threaten it, it actually fears for its life. Let this monkey go. Let the senses go.....the only way to understand [the Tao] is to directly experience it." Lao Tzu

 

Let the 6 Senses go. It is impossible to have a direct experience through the 6 senses,...all experience born of the 6 senses can only be experienced through the conditions of the 6 senses.

 

Buddhism says: "As soon as one sense-organ returns to the source, All the six are liberated." Avalokitesvara

 

So,...one does not have to worry about all six,...just let go of one. This was once a question of science,...but then, scoence became sense-based.

 

As I mentioned many times,...René Descartes, concerning the senses, articulated, “All that I have tried to understand to the present time has been affected by my senses; now I know these senses are deceivers, and it is prudent to be distrustful after one has been deceived once.”

 

.

They only tell you what is true, but they never tell you how to achieve it. You cannot truly let go of illusions as long as you operate on the level of 5 senses. At least that has been my experience. No surges of understanding ever come and no blissful enlightenment engulfs you as soon as you have realized that you don't know anything about anything.

I have no idea about anything. I doubt everything. Yet I am everything but groundless. I have sought spirituality my whole life, yet I'm no different or more special than any other man.

 

Days after days after days I have sought understanding. I guess I'm just one of those people who give up after not seeing any result. It's hard to be fanatic about something that doesn't appear to work.

 

Suffering is useless. It brings no pleasure. Delayed gratification is useless it doesn't bring any relief. Only instant manifestation of desires can ever help you let go, as one will be able to experience the uselessness of possessions only after having them. Only experience matters. Only experience changes.

 

Empty words, proverbs, quotes, citations. beliefs, hopes. They don't matter one bit.

Edited May 11, 2013 by Tatsumaru

[manitou]

I agree with your points about subjectivity, and if that was the point they were trying to make, then so be it, but as I read it they weren't , they were instead warping the subjectivity that you are talking about to mean that you don't need eyeballs to ,drive a car, for instance

 

 

If you've ever read Shirley Maclaine's Out On A Limb, she'll describe with hilarity how she was passenger in a car that drove down a mountain road with a man who had his eyes closed, who was able to sense when to turn. It just may be possible. If we're going for the big enchilada, I think an open mind is essential

Edited May 11, 2013 by manitou

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

The secret of being ultra smart.

[Gettodachopper69]

Anyone saw that movie "Limitless" ? Gosh I swear people have been talking about nootropics and stuff all over the forums and I have tried basically all the nootropics except for the super secret stuff like J147 and AMPA-kines and what not. I've tried all the racetams, methylene blue, cerebrolysine, huperzine, galantamine etc. etc.

 

Some of these things work a little but they are absolutely nowhere near the omnipotence that the main hero from the movie got out of that fictitious pill NZT-48.

 

Ok I know "It's just a movie". However all of us here should know by now that nothing is impossible, so saying "Look, it's just a movie" won't cut it here.

 

And I've exercised my brain a lot as well. Started playing the piano from age 6 profesionally, was the first in my class to read/write (way before I even started school). I have great insights every now and then but I just don't feel that I'm living up to my potential. In fact I'm rather mediocre for what I have. And I know I have much more. It's one of those things that you just know with your third eye. But I just don't know how to unlock it. Exercise is not the key, at least not of the classic type (e.g. learning to write with left hand, doing mind games, reading dostoevsky, painting etc.). Sure it helps, but is still nothing special. I want the premium package, the absolute vision to change the world in real time.

 

I will do anything to have it, I will even jump off of a cliff if that will solve it. I need to know tell me, what are the secret techniques to unlocking the mind, no matter how dangerous. Thanks.

I too, am obsessed with accomplishing this, or unlocking my ultra-intelligence. However, I really suffer from the Dwindling Motivation Syndrome. I will start out on some activity that promises life changing qualities with vigorous motivation but then weeks or a few months later I will get ADHD and move along to something else. It is undoubtedly caused from some imbalance within my core, which is why that aspect is probably very important in this endeavor I also think the following are major factors to accomplishing this feat:

 

1. Some form of consistent daily meditation/energy practice. I think it's obvious and well documented in scientific/spiritual literature why this is a huge factor or completely necessary. And as previously stated by others, clarity of mind is a huge factor. Getting the "monkey mind" under control seems imperative to being able to be ultra-intelligent in a given moment. Also, the ability to concentrate heavily on just one thing at a time and become fully immersed in it.

 

2. Learning/Designing an Image Memory System. (If you do not already have a very powerful memory). I am currently attempting to get through the Pmemory course, but this course has proven very controversial in forums. There are also other sources to learn the techniques.

 

This is a great website for people interested in memory competitions, so they will have a lot to offer on the topic:

http://mnemotechnics.org/faq/what-are-the-best-memory-books-to-read-2779.html

 

Memory book list:

http://blog.mnemotechnics.org/my-memory-books-reading-list-34.html

 

Or else Ron White's Memory in a Month, I have only briefly looked into this one.

 

Although I just learned of "Image Streaming" the past day on this forum, I would guess that the benefits gained from practicing with images in both this technique and an image based memory system stem from the same source. I would also guess that there is something highly spiritual/metaphysical about this process. It does not seem like a coincidence that "visualization" (mental images) is a major part in the practice of QiGong/Tai Chi or other energy/meditation work. It is probably a major factor in the effectiveness of these practices. Although, I am only intuitively saying this and could be wrong.

 

3. A mastered reading ability. A quick ability to read, process, understand and remember what you read. There are a multitude of techniques to use for this and it seems as though they have a lot of potential, but I think the bottom line is a that to accomplish this ability, it is necessary to have a disciplined and consistent practice regimen.

 

4. Some form of creativity/problem solving/critical thinking system (not necessarily all the same system, could have a separate system for each). This could come from your intuition but it seems like it would be worthwhile to also look into various designed systems on the subject. Again, I believe the "image/visualization" factor plays a huge role here. Practicing regularly with some sort of "brain teaser" problems or practicing creative/analytical thinking about certain personal/professional or worldly problems could also help. It seems that some people just simply rely on their meditation practice for all of this and actually do not do very much thinking at all. I think it comes down to experimenting and figuring out what works for you.

 

5. Time management and Practicing/Studying several different disciplines. Music, painting, programming, engineering, mathematics, drawing, martial arts, etc. It has been well documented why doing a multitude of these disciplines can help increase intelligence cross functionally.

 

6. A very good reason/purpose/goal for wanting this and a belief in yourself and a belief that this is possible. It would also help to find other people who have accomplished this feat and learn from them.

 

7. Seminal Fluid Retention/Sexual Energy Transmutation seems key as well.

 

8. Diet/Exercise.

 

The stuff that Yondaime posted seems very promising as well.

 

Obviously this is more of a formal approach to this topic and is by no means all encompassing but it appears these will be huge factors in attaining ultra-intelligence from a formal approach. It appears though, that accomplishing this feat is so much more about the journey than it is about having this intelligence. It seems like having this ability would not be an end all. As with anything, the gratification of "material" attainments dwindles after short periods of time. Doing this because you think you will be happier on the other end will probably prove to be a disappointment I think it is so much more about the "story" and the journey of the "process" of attaining ultra-intelligence than actually having this. People think that winning the super-bowl will make them happier or winning the lottery will completely change their life but it proves itself over and over again that the happiness they feel wears off very quickly. They say that if you are not happy before you win the lottery, you will not be happy after you win and vice versa. It appears that life in all aspects is so much more about observing/participating in the journey and the process of change than anything else. Having everything today will not fix the problems that stem from your core. So the bottom line is you should approach this for the right reasons with an end goal in mind. Do you want to fix some worldly problem? Do you want to build a successful business? Simply knowing what journey you want to participate in will help.

 

If you do happen to find a short-cut though, please enlighten us.

Edited May 12, 2013 by Gettodachopper69

[Vmarco]

.

 

Empty words, proverbs, quotes, citations. beliefs, hopes. They don't matter one bit.

 

It is said that the Six Patriarch, Hui Neng, heard one sentence written by Hung Jen, and he instantly was said to have realized Enlightenment.

 

If words were not helpful, why did Lao Tzu, Sakyamuni, Tilopa, etc.,...speak?

 

Sure,...beliefs don't matter,...that is, unless one is pointing to the irrelevance of belief. Hope is certainly a barrier even to fundamental seriousness. Most words are indeed empty of pointing to anything of spiritual significance. However, some words, proverbs, and quotes can stimulate bodhicitta,...for example, the proverb,..."treat everything you perceive as a dream."

 

Yes,...your monkey mind is quite cynical,...it may say,....look here, I've been treating everything I perceive as a dream for 10 years,...and I'm still the same monkey mind. Yet,...when you realize what "treat everything you perceive as a dream" points to,...the monkey mind is no longer the same monkey mind.

 

The fact is this,...the monkey mind cannot ever understand reality,....thus, if one is attempting to view reality through the monkey mind, one can then be assured to never uncover understanding.

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

I too, am obsessed with accomplishing this, or unlocking my ultra-intelligence. However, I really suffer from the Dwindling Motivation Syndrome. I will start out on some activity that promises life changing qualities with vigorous motivation but then weeks or a few months later I will get ADHD and move along to something else. It is undoubtedly caused from some imbalance within my core, which is why that aspect is probably very important in this endeavor I also think the following are major factors to accomplishing this feat:

 

1. Some form of consistent daily meditation/energy practice. I think it's obvious and well documented in scientific/spiritual literature why this is a huge factor or completely necessary. And as previously stated by others, clarity of mind is a huge factor. Getting the "monkey mind" under control seems imperative to being able to be ultra-intelligent in a given moment. Also, the ability to concentrate heavily on just one thing at a time and become fully immersed in it.

 

2. Learning/Designing an Image Memory System. (If you do not already have a very powerful memory). I am currently attempting to get through the Pmemory course, but this course has proven very controversial in forums. There are also other sources to learn the techniques.

 

This is a great website for people interested in memory competitions, so they will have a lot to offer on the topic:

http://mnemotechnics.org/faq/what-are-the-best-memory-books-to-read-2779.html

 

Memory book list:

http://blog.mnemotechnics.org/my-memory-books-reading-list-34.html

 

Or else Ron White's Memory in a Month, I have only briefly looked into this one.

 

Although I just learned of "Image Streaming" the past day on this forum, I would guess that the benefits gained from practicing with images in both this technique and an image based memory system stem from the same source. I would also guess that there is something highly spiritual/metaphysical about this process. It does not seem like a coincidence that "visualization" (mental images) is a major part in the practice of QiGong/Tai Chi or other energy/meditation work. It is probably a major factor in the effectiveness of these practices. Although, I am only intuitively saying this and could be wrong.

 

3. A mastered reading ability. A quick ability to read, process, understand and remember what you read. There are a multitude of techniques to use for this and it seems as though they have a lot of potential, but I think the bottom line is a that to accomplish this ability, it is necessary to have a disciplined and consistent practice regimen.

 

4. Some form of creativity/problem solving/critical thinking system (not necessarily all the same system, could have a separate system for each). This could come from your intuition but it seems like it would be worthwhile to also look into various designed systems on the subject. Again, I believe the "image/visualization" factor plays a huge role here. Practicing regularly with some sort of "brain teaser" problems or practicing creative/analytical thinking about certain personal/professional or worldly problems could also help. It seems that some people just simply rely on their meditation practice for all of this and actually do not do very much thinking at all. I think it comes down to experimenting and figuring out what works for you.

 

5. Time management and Practicing/Studying several different disciplines. Music, painting, programming, engineering, mathematics, drawing, martial arts, etc. It has been well documented why doing a multitude of these disciplines can help increase intelligence cross functionally.

 

6. A very good reason/purpose/goal for wanting this and a belief in yourself and a belief that this is possible. It would also help to find other people who have accomplished this feat and learn from them.

 

The stuff that Yondaime posted seems very promising as well.

 

Obviously this is more of a formal approach to this topic and is by no means all encompassing but it appears these will be huge factors in attaining ultra-intelligence from a formal approach. It appears though, that accomplishing this feat is so much more about the journey than it is about having this intelligence. It seems like having this ability would not be an end all. As with anything, the gratification of "material" attainments dwindles after short periods of time. Doing this because you think you will be happier on the other end will probably prove to be a disappointment I think it is so much more about the "story" and the journey of the "process" of attaining ultra-intelligence than actually having this. People think that winning the super-bowl will make them happier or winning the lottery will completely change their life but it proves itself over and over again that the happiness they feel wears off very quickly. They say that if you are not happy before you win the lottery, you will not be happy after you win and vice versa. It appears that life in all aspects is so much more about observing/participating in the journey and the process of change than anything else. Having everything today will not fix the problems that stem from your core. So the bottom line is you should approach this for the right reasons with an end goal in mind. Do you want to fix some worldly problem? Do you want to build a successful business? Simply knowing what journey you want to participate in will help.

 

If you do happen to find a short-cut though, please enlighten us.

 

 

The secret of being ultra smart.

 

Simple addition and division should suffice for a good "short cut"; no?

[Tatsumaru]

If I am making progress, why is nothing changing ? New abilities, new experiences ? I seem to make some new realizations but from the same "watchtower" nevertheless.

[ChiDragon]

If I am making progress, why is nothing changing ? New abilities, new experiences ? I seem to make some new realizations but from the same "watchtower" nevertheless.

 

Are you saying that you are not getting any smarter from these....??? That's why this thread was created....???

[Seeker of Wisdom]

If I am making progress, why is nothing changing ? New abilities, new experiences ? I seem to make some new realizations but from the same "watchtower" nevertheless.

When you were a young child you were much shorter, but now you don't feel very tall. What you are in the present always feels normal for you, because it's your point of reference.

 

These 'new realisations' show that you are certainly progressing, and if you consider how you used to be I think you will see how far you've come.

 

Plenty of people have flashy mystical experiences with next to no wisdom, virtue or clarity. Don't worry about abilities or weird phenomena.

 

[yondaime109]

If I am making progress, why is nothing changing ? New abilities, new experiences ? I seem to make some new realizations but from the same "watchtower" nevertheless.

Ha, I know how you feel dude. As Aries, We both live in the here and now. And it's torture for us when we realize we won't get something we want right away. The only thing I can say is we must become persistence. Our desperation, rage, boredom, and insecurity are our main drives.

 

So channel them.

 

Something that helps me is imagining myself accomplishing my goal and feeling the rush of excitement. It's this moment that'd often motivate me to work hard.

 

Too bad i'm a lazy bastard now, and i'm only 17.

Edited May 12, 2013 by yondaime109

[manitou]

If I am making progress, why is nothing changing ? New abilities, new experiences ? I seem to make some new realizations but from the same "watchtower" nevertheless.

 

The thing which exists inside us never gets older. I'm 66 and still 'feel' like about 14. What will happen as you improve in character and knowledge is that your manifestations will change and you will start to see the inner dynamics of people and situations.

[idiot_stimpy]

Plenty of people have flashy mystical experiences with next to no wisdom, virtue or clarity. Don't worry about abilities or weird phenomena.

 

 

 

 

But when abilities and weird phenomena is what all people want, they fall into a spiritual materialism.

[Vmarco]

If I am making progress, why is nothing changing ? New abilities, new experiences ? I seem to make some new realizations but from the same "watchtower" nevertheless.

 

Nothing changing? I like using the analogy of visualizing a keyhole,...one of those slotted holes that can be peeped through, as in old Colonial and Victorian houses. Now, describe that hole. Some may say that it has the shape of a circle with a rectangle whose width is smaller than the diameter of the circle aligned on the bottom; others could respond that the hole is surrounded by a brass plate that is attached to the door, which is connected to the wall, etc. Perhaps the hole could be looked through, so one could remark about what is seen on the other side. However, none of that actually describes the hole; all of the preceding descriptions are narratives about what is around or can be seen through the hole. Nevertheless, that is how most persons, especially Westerners and scientists, perceive their own wholeness: by what is around it.

 

Thus,...what is the change around the hole, while the Whole is being realized?

 

As I mentioned,...There is meaning, just no meaning to life. To uncover meaning, relate with what will never leave you, and from which you can never leave. The Tao is empty of all form. However,..the Tao is not empty.

[Tatsumaru]

I cannot describe the hole either. For me the keyhole is an empty space with functional meaning in the heads of humans. From an ant's point of view probably, a keyhole is a hole just like any other.
I cannot relate with what will never leave me, as I do not know what it is. Is it my soul ? Everything seems to go away eventually - flesh, thoughts, feelings, passions, meaning.

[manitou]

Nothing changing? I like using the analogy of visualizing a keyhole,...one of those slotted holes that can be peeped through, as in old Colonial and Victorian houses. Now, describe that hole. Some may say that it has the shape of a circle with a rectangle whose width is smaller than the diameter of the circle aligned on the bottom; others could respond that the hole is surrounded by a brass plate that is attached to the door, which is connected to the wall, etc. Perhaps the hole could be looked through, so one could remark about what is seen on the other side. However, none of that actually describes the hole; all of the preceding descriptions are narratives about what is around or can be seen through the hole. Nevertheless, that is how most persons, especially Westerners and scientists, perceive their own wholeness: by what is around it.

 

Thus,...what is the change around the hole, while the Whole is being realized?

 

As I mentioned,...There is meaning, just no meaning to life. To uncover meaning, relate with what will never leave you, and from which you can never leave. The Tao is empty of all form. However,..the Tao is not empty.

 

 

What an absolutely wonderful metaphor. Huzzah, Marco.

[xor]

If I am making progress, why is nothing changing ? New abilities, new experiences ? I seem to make some new realizations but from the same "watchtower" nevertheless.

 

Yep. I came to this same conclusion and decided not to chase after these kind of attainments. If you want to be good at something the most efficient way is not increasing intelligence but devoting yourself to training hard and keeping at it.

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

If I am making progress, why is nothing changing ? New abilities, new experiences ? I seem to make some new realizations but from the same "watchtower" nevertheless.

 

"Change" is an idea that enters through memes of perception.

[Vmarco]

I cannot describe the hole either. For me the keyhole is an empty space with functional meaning in the heads of humans. From an ant's point of view probably, a keyhole is a hole just like any other.

I cannot relate with what will never leave me, as I do not know what it is. Is it my soul ? Everything seems to go away eventually - flesh, thoughts, feelings, passions, meaning.

 

To begin,...it's not necessary to relate with what will never leave, in the sense of what will never leave you,...but be more and cognizant of what will leave, and cease relating to it. Truth isn't found within the false, but from what remains when the false realized. At some point, it will all click. For example, if the phrase, "there is no present in time," was understood clearly, you would recognize the "hole" as a Tathagata.

[Vmarco]

 

"Change" is an idea that enters through memes of perception.

 

Nice!