Don't worry be happy?

[old3bob]

3 hours ago, Bindi said:

What if there is no Absolute that an embodied human can ever partake in? I suspect the “Absolute” Is a philosophers dream, embodied reality is a far more complex issue. In embodied reality it’s likely impossible to simply not worry and be happy, anyway it would be fundamentally immoral to take this attitude in some situations. 

 

I'd say that all Beings have a spark of the same absolute "within", (the "cave of the heart") so we could say that the absolute or Self is embodied but veiled in most of us;  such a realizatin is pointed to in the Upanishads and many other teachings; thus identity as only being a complex human Being or other form can be seen for what it is and appreciated but not bound by.

 

[Bindi]

15 minutes ago, old3bob said:

 

I'd say that all Beings have a spark of the same absolute "within", (the "cave of the heart") so we could say that the absolute or Self is embodied but veiled in most of us;  such a realizatin is pointed to in the Upanishads and many other teachings; thus identity as only being a complex human Being or other form can be seen for what it is and appreciated but not bound by.

 

Your philosophy is one amongst a number of philosophies, there is no consensual agreement about your belief. The most I could agree with is that some humans, especially spiritual seekers, often feel that something is missing, which your belief system calls the absolute or the Self.

 

What’s actually missing, how can it be known, and how can it be reinstated, without referring to any external philosophies? 

[old3bob]

6 hours ago, Bindi said:

Your philosophy is one amongst a number of philosophies, there is no consensual agreement about your belief. The most I could agree with is that some humans, especially spiritual seekers, often feel that something is missing, which your belief system calls the absolute or the Self.

 

What’s actually missing, how can it be known, and how can it be reinstated, without referring to any external philosophies? 

 

umm, that is not just my added on philosophy or just my particular belief.  The Upanishads which I brought up briefly are directly related to the Vedas which have been handed down for thousands of years with many consensual agreements among a great number of Self-realized and experienced Masters, Rishis, Yogi's, etc.   None of which can or would force their realization upon another, nor can such be proven by normal means like with the intellect.   "It" can be known within when uncovered,  the several yoga's help, and in a great many other ways besides those related to Hinduism.  Personally  I'd say Revealing Grace  (a major aspect of Lord Siva) is also key.

 

Lord Siva  depicted as Lord Nataraja: 

"Anugraha, grace and emancipation, is indicated by the combination of the lower left hand, which points toward his upraised foot, showing the way to moksha in surrendering to the lord. The uplifted left leg is revealing grace, which releases the mature soul from bondage. Hindus touching the feet of their elders in respect is an echo of God’s feet being considered holy."

Edited 3 hours ago by old3bob

[Mark Foote]

6 hours ago, Bindi said:

 

What’s actually missing, how can it be known, and how can it be reinstated, without referring to any external philosophies? 
 

 

Is this an external philosophy, or just a statement of fact?

You are not your body, but you are the consciousness in the body, because of which you have the awareness of “I am”. It is without words, just pure beingness. Meditation means you have to hold consciousness by itself. The consciousness should give attention to itself.

(Gaitonde, Mohan [2017]. Self – Love: The Original Dream [Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj’s Direct Pointers to Reality]. Mumbai)

 

For most people, that's what's actually missing, how it can be known, and how it can be reinstated IMHO.

 

From something I'm writing:

 

A person gathers and firms “one-pointededness” (of consciousness held by itself) by extending zest and ease such that “there is not one particle of the body that is not pervaded” by the feelings of zest and ease. As I wrote previously:

 

The weight of the body sensed at a particular point in the body can shift the body’s center of gravity, and a shift in the body’s center of gravity can result in what Moshe Feldenkrais termed “reflex movement”. Feldenkrais described how “reflex movement” can be engaged in standing up from a chair:
 

…When the center of gravity has really moved forward over the feet a reflex movement will originate in the old nervous system and straighten the legs; this automatic movement will not be felt as an effort at all.
 

(“Awareness Through Movement”, Moshe Feldenkrais, p 78)

 

“Drenching” the body “so that there is not one particle of the body that is not pervaded” with zest and ease allows the weight of the body and “one-pointedness” to effect “reflex movement” in the activity of the body.
 

In falling asleep, the mind can sometimes react to hypnagogic sleep paralysis with an attempt to reassert control over the muscles of the body, causing a “hypnic jerk”. The extension of a weighted zest and ease can pre-empt the tendency to reassert voluntary control in the induction of concentration, and make possible a conscious experience of “reflex movement” in inhalation and exhalation.

 

(“The Place Where You Stop and Rest”)

 

 

The moment-to-moment continuation of conscious experience of “reflex movement” marks the cessation of choice in inhalation and exhalation, a cessation that, once experienced in the course of holding consciousness by itself, can be touched on in the course of daily living to provide a rhythm of mindfulness.

 

 

[Keith108]

On 2/9/2026 at 7:06 PM, Tommy said:

There is a very good chance that you have spent a great deal of time and effort learning and building this knowledge of the Dharma. So much so that it has become like a brick house. Each lesson or brick laid in place and cemented to stand the fury of the outside winds and rains. But, as everyone knows, it is the empty space which provides us we a living area.

Hi Tommy,

 

I would say whatever "knowledge" I might have, is built with bricks of silence. So, empty space indeed. Some basic intellectual understanding of core teachings of the Buddha has been helpful. But, in the end, our karma is unwound through silent practice, in my case, looking at the question "What am I?"

 

Quote

You have mentioned creeping vines which to me were thoughts which creep in while one is trying to just sit. And it has shown me my own creeping vines. These things are the remains of what is left fighting to be ego. A self saying to itself, I am here, sitting quietly. This I is the watcher and the doer of not doing. This I prevents one from dropping this mind and moving forward to cross the stream. It is like another trap the mind has created. I am here. I am aware. The mind created this I which is keeping me separate.

You have described a very pernicious trick the ego does. The idea of a self, the ego, has only two jobs. 1. To try and be happy in a world where lasting happiness is impossible. 2. To not die. In order to accomplish 2, it will stop at nothing. That's why we have to let go of absolutely everything. Nothing remains, our true nature shines brightly. 

 

Or something like that.  

Quote

So, if one drops the mind then the illusion drops away and the absolute appears? Does one see the truth that this is temporary? That there is no need to cling to pleasure or pain? But, this is life and to drop the mind and feel the heart? There may not be happiness but there should be a lightness? Yes, not a Buddha, nor enlightened, nor even a good student. This I understand from my own experiences. 

I don't know. Practice and see what happens. And, when something unshakeable appears, help others to see that too.

 

Quote

Happiness, yes, but no need to hold it. Sadness, yes, but no need to push it away. Just space for things to arise and go away. I think you know much more than your words show.

We all "know" more than we think. Every human being on this planet has innate Buddha Nature. Yet, most of us, including me, are trapped in mind prison created by thoughts. 

 

Thanks for your kind reply.

 

_/|\_

 

 

Edited 2 hours ago by Keith108

[Lairg]

2 hours ago, Keith108 said:

The idea of a self, the ego, has only two jobs. 1. To try and be happy in a world where lasting happiness is impossible. 2. To not die. In order to accomplish 2, it will stop at nothing.

 

I would fine tune that a bit:

 

- The ego (personal will) has as its highest value, its self-esteem.  It hates to be wrong.

- The ego drives the personality to protect the ego.  This requires disciplined physical, emotional and mental flows

- The disciplined personality is useful to the human spirit when that spirit exerts itself to control the humanness.  Control of a disciplined personality is the most obvious precondition to first stage enlightenment

- At first stage enlightenment the ego changes from defensive to creative.

 

Thus the ego is central to the spirit establishing control of its humanness.