dwai Posted March 2, 2018 It is easy enough to get access to all sorts of esoteric documents in today's world. We can read thousands of pages of texts about various spiritual concepts and phenomena. However, none of those will help us unless we truly experience what is being talked about. Especially in empirical systems like yoga, daoist alchemy, Advaita Vedanta etc. It is easy to read and imagine certain things happening to you. One may even build up elaborate stories about how this or that practice produces one or another empirical sensations, feelings, etc. However, when the real thing happens, all those stories fly out of the proverbial window. Another problem with reading someone else's description of an experience (or experiences) is that they are often colored with the need to embellish the phenomena experienced, so as to make it stand out in contrast with one's mundane reality. But in most cases, the real thing is indescribable. One cannot express it. It is at the same time the most mystifying as well as the most mundane. Like this "awakening" concept. People read about it and conceptualize it as some sort of mystical, magical state to experience. Yet, when it happens, the reaction is most likely going to be a simple acknowledge about it. The most mystifying thing about this is perhaps the simplicity and obviousness of it. Experiences may or may not precede it. These experiences can be pretty "out there". But the experiences are not awakening. When boat moves through water, it produces waves and ripples. The experiences that everyone tends to describe are like those waves and ripples and not the real thing, they are epiphenomena. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jonesboy Posted March 2, 2018 I often wonder if awakening is just realizing energy or for some 3rd eye stuff. Really not sure what awakening means. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dwai Posted March 2, 2018 1 minute ago, Jonesboy said: I often wonder if awakening is just realizing energy or for some 3rd eye stuff. Really not sure what awakening means. Awakening to me means realizing that one is neither the body nor the mind, but the awareness where it all occurs Others might have other explanations. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jonesboy Posted March 2, 2018 1 minute ago, dwai said: Awakening to me means realizing that one is neither the body nor the mind, but the awareness where it all occurs Others might have other explanations. Then what is enlightenment? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dwai Posted March 2, 2018 Just now, Jonesboy said: Then what is enlightenment? beats me... 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kar3n Posted March 2, 2018 20 minutes ago, dwai said: beats me... Good answer! 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChiForce Posted March 2, 2018 Is the context of this awakening...lay persons think awakening means some sorts of will driven mind consciousness power. Or they thought they are awakened because they read some books....LOL LOL They fell awakened because they fell smarter...LOL LOL........ Within the path, in the Taoist and Buddhist teaching, awakening means realizing the path to the Dharma teaching. To realize the impermanent and Taoist nature of our attachment. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nungali Posted March 2, 2018 4 hours ago, dwai said: It is easy enough to get access to all sorts of esoteric documents in today's world. We can read thousands of pages of texts about various spiritual concepts and phenomena. However, none of those will help us unless we truly experience what is being talked about. Especially in empirical systems like yoga, daoist alchemy, Advaita Vedanta etc. It is easy to read and imagine certain things happening to you. One may even build up elaborate stories about how this or that practice produces one or another empirical sensations, feelings, etc. However, when the real thing happens, all those stories fly out of the proverbial window. Another problem with reading someone else's description of an experience (or experiences) is that they are often colored with the need to embellish the phenomena experienced, so as to make it stand out in contrast with one's mundane reality. But in most cases, the real thing is indescribable. One cannot express it. It is at the same time the most mystifying as well as the most mundane. Like this "awakening" concept. People read about it and conceptualize it as some sort of mystical, magical state to experience. Yet, when it happens, the reaction is most likely going to be a simple acknowledge about it. The most mystifying thing about this is perhaps the simplicity and obviousness of it. Experiences may or may not precede it. These experiences can be pretty "out there". But the experiences are not awakening. When boat moves through water, it produces waves and ripples. The experiences that everyone tends to describe are like those waves and ripples and not the real thing, they are epiphenomena. To know how an orange tastes ... eat the orange 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fa Xin Posted March 2, 2018 for me was more seeing that - this moment was all there was. Crystal clear. Also knowing that all thoughts were just stories, and all things were just arising and falling. The eternal “now” with “stuff” happening. All the rest was just the mind. I got the whole “not the body or mind” thing too, but what I wrote above was how it “came thru” for me. of course, things are still unfolding. Never really reach an end point. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thelerner Posted March 2, 2018 Difference between imagination and reality? Reality is more stubborn. What is enlightenment? To me, losing 10#'s. For others its gaining perspective ground in reality. Your relationship to all things are put in their proper perspective, thus aspects of ego are dropped, certain freedoms gained. What is awakening? Dropping ones programming/karma. Seeing the world without the perceptual filters of culture, emotion and desire. What is is? Yes. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joeblast Posted March 2, 2018 (edited) 5 hours ago, Jonesboy said: Then what is enlightenment? technically speaking it should be the surpassing of the physiospiritual coefficient of friction whereby one is no longer bound to the spacetime hypersurface in the context of string/M theory, GUT(grand unified theory) level energies should see open ended strings close their loops via this mechanism.... dont forget the higher harmonics Edited March 2, 2018 by joeblast 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
neti neti Posted March 3, 2018 They are identical, and inseparable from the one imagining he discerns between the two. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
