Wynn

We fixate on our thoughts, or another way of looking at it is we get hypnotised by them, they put us in a trance state. Whatever the thoughts arise in is always still and at peace, which is why it doesn't really matter if your thoughts are still or not. Of course many people in the spiritual arena will tell you otherwise.

I'm pretty sure it's not 'enlightenment', although maybe it could be called a realization .. but the cessation of thoughts seems to be a valuable hurdle to cross. They come back of course, but not entirely like before. Maybe it could be said .. that the timeless still silence becomes more 'noticed', and the thought streams, less 'clung to'.

No matter what you think .. what you know .. what you think you know ... all of it .. could be nothing more than your mind playing tricks on you. How would you know? Who's in charge of you? Who calls the shots? You? Who are you (really)?

still mind is often described as the cessation of thoughts, but I suspect that description is incomplete/inadequate; as is describing mind as thoughts only.

thoughts are neither good or bad, but becoming attached (and perhaps believing them) can many times be problematic for the one caught in their web

words which come to mind ... curiosity, sincerity, honesty, earnestness, intuition, discernment ,,, looking within

but ... who is curious, who is sincere, who is honest, who is earnest, who intuits, who discerns ???

an unrelenting, thorough examination of all thoughts and sensations may likely be helpful ....

are thoughts true?

seems like most inquiry is just people 'thinking 'bout stuff', ie. constantly changing nonsense

the apple falls when its ripe, only God ripens apples, impatient watchers surely don't

One gem has many facets.

 

What are the qualities of those facets without light flowing through them?

 

Facets/perspectives filter the One Light which I am taught to 'understand'.

 

When I release mind, there is no understanding, there is no self.

 

Clarity and Light remain.

nice ...

not sure about "taught" though, which seems to imply an addition of knowledge

perhaps it is more like of an undoing, a falling away, of ignorance

What is mind?

What is still mind?

Are there seven billion unique minds, or one mind with seven billion different perspectives?

although, perhaps it could be said, that asking mind to describe itself is an absurd proposition.

Pointing to a flag waving in a monastery, the monk says, “What is moving, the flag or the wind?” The answer is neither; the mind is moving.

Sorry, I'm not really up to speed on this ...

Is there some kind of feud between Buddhists and Daoists here?

If so, what's the beef? If you find some words which point you towards the Truth, what difference does it make what school you ascribe to?

Yeah, I don't have a million bucks either, its just a silly saying.

I'm not a wanna-be anything (except longing for Truth). The Tao Te Ching is magnificent prose, as is the Ashtavakra Gita, I Am That, and many other written signposts from the masters.

I won't bother you again. Best of luck figuring it out.

Not to beat a dead horse, cuz you've obviously made up your mind on this, but ...

THERE IS NO FREE WILL!!!

You're looking at things from the perspective of your self (small s). The self is the grand illusion, ruled by the master deceiver - ego.

Breaking free from those chains of deception is what enlightenment is.

I know, I know, I (wynn) am not enlightened, so what the hell do I know (valid point). But I'd bet you a million dollars I'm right. No way to prove it though (for either of us).

OK, first one to enlightenment wins. lol

"Spirituality" on one hand, "the world" on another. It is an intensely curious paradox. In my gut I know this little world of ours is an illusion, and I would be wise to abandon all fears and desires; bu bu but ... that surrendering everything seems almost impossible. It also seems the simplest thing imaginable.

I'm living a curious existence, in one breath I'm residing in the Tao, in the next I'm looking at the Dow.

Primarily a financial blog, but also current events, politics and alternative media.

www.zerohedge.com

By the way - it looks like economies and governments are on the brink of collapse. Buckle up. Or better yet, surrender.

I frequent another spirituality forum, and several months ago some avatar named stepvhen arrived, also from the Ruthless Truth camp, with his "You're not here" mantra.

I researched that site a little bit, turns out they were issued orders by some other chap to invade any spirituality site they could find. Seemed more like a cult to me.

Epiphanies are nice, I suppose, assuming you intuited them correctly. Not much point trying to include others though, as each person must find them on their own.

You are residing in the false realm of self. It is fleeting, and has no substance.

But you are correct, I have not yet Realized my true nature. It is nice to tell each other stories, but the Path, we all must walk alone.

Be well

@ Marblehead

What exactly can your free will change? Can anything you do improve upon the Real?

Form doesn't exist. You don't exist. I know you think you do; good luck realizing you don't.

@ tulku

The All is not changing or evolving. It is the formless, timeless, Reality. Form is illusion. I know its difficult to see that, hence the struggle in seeking Understanding. Thinking will not get you there, thoughts are form too.

Never give up. Intuition and reason will guide you.

There is no free will. No destiny. The All is complete, perfect, unchangeable.

Your ego, on the other hand ... not so much.

Oxymorons don't hinder Awakening. Selfishness does.

Nice video. Except the speaker was talking too fast because of the time restraints.

I've been on this kick lately; in effect looking at events through the eyes of that old sappy quote, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade".

Which essentially is the basis of that talk. So, happiness or not, is in your own hands all the time. Everything is dependent on the perception of the observer.

Except, its possible you're just kidding yourself, living a life of delusion because you can't stand the pain. In which case, the pain will be repressed, and manifest itself in some different form later.

The mind is one wild ass piece of machinery. Magnificent, but tricky.

Just read this on some guy's blog.. it seems appropriate to share it here:

 

From Jed McKenna - "The you that you think of as you (and that thinks of you as you, and so on) is not you, its just the character that the underlying truth of you is dreaming into brief existence. Enlightenment isn't in the character, it's in the underlying truth! Now, there's nothing wrong with being a dream character, of course, unless it's your goal to wake up, in which case the dream character must be ruthlessly annihilated. If your desire is to experience transcendental bliss or supreme love or altered states of consciousness or awakened kundalini, or to qualify for heaven, or to liberate all sentient beings, or simply to become the best dang person you can be, then rejoice! you're in the right place: the dream state, this dualistic universe. However, if your interest is to cut the crap and figure out what is true, then you're in the wrong place and you've got a very messy fight ahead and there's no point in pretending otherwise."

 

 

That is an excellent quote.

People sure like to defend their positions here. lol

Like little villages, sand bagging their levees, working in vain to hold back the river.

Hello Wynn,

 

Hmm... you seem to be mistaken about a few things. First truth only exists within an active mind, in no-mind there is no truth, there is nothing but what is. The paradox that exists is that one cannot experience no-mind, without first experiencing mind. One must be able to think to not think, otherwise there is no thought to begin with, nor no-thought, because the very existence of no-thought depends on the existence of thought.

 

I thank you for granting me permission to read whatever I care to, it was very compassionate of you. Also, you might be interested in learning that the only way one can express one's practice to another is by communicating with them, that requires language and hence the need for words. If you can find another way, then please share, perhaps you're alluding to telepathy or some kind of mental communication that transcends the use of words or thought? If so could you please tell us... oh wait it transcends words and thought so I suppose you can't. Oh well. (Yes, that was sarcasm.)

 

Aaron

 

 

 

Aaron

Hi Aaron

Please excuse my tone, and lack of grace, its mostly a semantics thing.

I'm fairly certain I'm not confused, as you say, but I'm not particularly interested in hubris either, and I realize I'm straying into that.

When I used to "think all the time", I made very little progress. I read countless books, and used my mind to "figure things out". Those "figurings" never seemed quite right however.

Then I stopped thinking. Not all the time, obviously, but quite a bit; maybe 50% of the time (impossible to put a number on it). I have found that during the absence of thought, you can not venture out of the present moment, the this-ness. Then, some things become apparent; obvious. And everything that needs doing, still gets done, just without the mental commentary.

I can't speak for anyone else, but to me, this is the only Way.

Take Care

Dan

Hello Wynn,

 

Well said, but I think Bodhidharma actually said what you've said first, so perhaps you should think of some other way to express your point, rather than rely on the words of an old dead master?

 

My point really is that there is nothing original. Even if you think what you're thinking is original, it isn't. So lets just be content to admit that some of these old dead masters actually had something worthwhile to offer us, rather than berate others for lacking originality, since really, originality is a fantasy.

 

Aaron

Hello Aaron

Every moment is fresh and new, never seen before. Creation is on-going. Yet the present is always similar to the past. But not identical.

"

My point really is that there is nothing original."

Truth absolutely is original. Everlasting, un-moving.

The Truth is always there, right in front of you. The exact same Truths that Buddha (and others) saw, you can see. Why did they see them, and you can't?

An active mind is incapable of knowing Truth. Period. Most people refuse to acknowledge that, and they will never truly "progress" spiritually until they do. Read all the Buddha/Lao Tzu/etc books you care to, but as long as you are using your intellect to translate their words, you're just floundering around.

Hi Vajrahridaya

There is a much deeper meaning of the word selfish. It refers to the split between self and Self, when Man lost his way. Enlightenment kills the self, and only Self (Truth) remains, which is the natural, timeless state.

Q: Why is there so much suffering in the world?

M: Selfishness is the cause of suffering. There is no other cause.

from Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj's I AM THAT

---------------------------

Understand the word selfishness, observe it in yourself, and slowly it will fall away.

Why do you guys parrot the old dead masters so much? You'll never Understand their pointers through your intellectual mind. Only no-mind, followed by direct experience, will reveal the Truth. Truth, by the way, that is everywhere, right in front of you, but hidden, because you can't stop thinking long enough to see it.

Recognize that that "spiritual dude or dudette" you think you are is nothing more than another ego apparition.

Identity is self. It is the ego/super ego structure. It is false.

Let go of all beliefs, they are anchors keeping you stuck. Lose the raft too, and you will be free.

extra credit

What is the cause of "taking credit"?