spot on. i think i'd already thunk that, and just wanted to rattle some cages people put themselves in. the advise against greed was right in there already, but with all good medicine, it only works if you take it.
I would like to get to a point where my new found "power" is unhibited by the illusion I used to live in to a level where it just flows naturally. It would be good to not be influenced at all by the conditioning I received by unlearned people. I guess this is killing my ego but it's not dying easy. It's like I have to check myself all the time as it's more natural to exist through my old ways instead of my new ways. If this could stop I would be stoked. I've been removed from society for nearly 8 months which has been awesome. Not institutionalised or anything, I just quit my job and moved back in with my parents after facing up to the truths of why I was where I was in life and needing to think/meditate on what I really want to do with myself. Being free to think without external stimulus to draw me off path has been awesome and the realisations have been frequent. I'm with you in taking bits and pieces from different places. I was at a point where I could "feel" I had this new understanding but couldn't really relate it to anything and then I read up on buddhism, hinduism, existentialism, etc and then it just hits you, the feeling you have now has a reference point. - "This is real, other people have been here aswell".
Getting to the point where you're totally uninhibited by illusion permanently is enlightenment. Anything less and it's still there to some extent or another. It sounds though like there's an underlying idea here that what you're actually trying to get beyond is the 'conditioning I get from unlearned people'. What kind of conditioning, do you mind me asking? It's one path to go beyond illusion (the Path), another to be mentally aloof from say, ignorance or criticism (one does not necessarily give the other). You have to nail down where you think you want to head and what results you hope to get from it. No sense in doing years of practice if all you want is a mental distance between yourself and others. On the whole, continue as you are with basic meditation, but bear in mind that none of it needs to be done to excess. Don't get the idea that you have to go deeper and deeper into concentration, or somehow transcend this reality. Even on enlightenment this reality stays exactly the same as it was before, it's just your concepts about it that change. Traditional meditation is a set of tools to create mental and physical pliability for later work. If it causes you to become realised along the way then it's a chance encounter akin to the liklihood of standing on a hill and being struck by lightning. Meditation gives you a thicker layer of tinfoil to increase that liklihood If you do want to reach enlightenment and go there in a far more direct way you have to approach an understanding of reality, not physical practice. If I'd known this I could've easily saved myself 15 years work, it's that important. Understanding and confidence in that understanding is pretty much all anyone needs. I'm not trying to put you on the spot, and if you'd prefer to answer via PM that's fine, but without going to any book or reference, describe how you understand reality to be structured now, what do you think it is? MelT
you're stopping it all the time with an awareness like that. it just takes a little while to get all those nueropathways derailed off their long set habituations. but be assured (without complacency) it is happening now. rare is it i feel so strongly drawn to a post, and so strongly compelled to give +rep. i totally can sympathise with your situation.
Thanks Digit, my journeys been a pretty lonely one so far. I'm so elated to have found company in my struggles, gives me courage to push on. Each day I'm seeing improvements; I can tell that what I'm doing is working.
[FONT="] I'm not really sure where to begin... My perception changes a little bit after every bit of knowlege I absorb from a philisophical book, but I have this gut feeling that philosophy needs to be experienced and created on my own, based on my experiences. I've started to meditate and follow a good diet-- this should be a solid base to build on... but what if the base breaks?? And then another side of me reasons that trying to figure out life all alone is impossible, there is a reason why we're in such close proximity to each other almost constantly. Humanities tells us that the people of ages past were basically just the same as we are, just in a different culture and context. They had the same 'cosmic questions'. Is it better to go off on your own and discover "understanding" and then once you feel confident in your 'reality' delve into the philosophies of others? Or is it more rewarding/efficient/easier to learn how others reached enlightenment and integrate favorable aspects of their path into your "philosophy collage"? please elaborate to save me 15 years [/FONT]
Quote-Is it better to go off on your own and discover "understanding" and then once you feel confident in your 'reality' delve into the philosophies of others? Or is it more rewarding/efficient/easier to learn how others reached enlightenment and integrate favorable aspects of their path into your "philosophy collage"? - Quote It depends on your understanding and abilities. There is no fixed Path, because everyone has a different mentality and slightly different reactions to each method, which means that how you personally proceed should be based on what you find the most beneficial. However, doing this without ever reading about other forms of meditation might mean that you may never hear about other practises that could be much more beneficial to you than just doing your own thing. As there are so many ways you could go it's best not to just to wing it entirely, but to take any and all guidance and cull from it what's most useful to you, so that at least you can avoid getting lost down the incredibly numerous wrong roads. There are tens of practises that, whilst they might help create a sense of calm or well being or bliss, are not necessarily going to get you any closer to realisation (TM for one). Structure gained from a formal tradition is very useful. Knowing what order to do things in, what elements of practice should be covered, etc saves you years of personal exploration. In this respect though I feel that there are very very few books which lay the route out and its needs in a logical, concise way - which was my reason for writing my own book about it. Meditation isn't just about sitting quietly and having nice feelings, or being 'good'. Both Shamatha ('calming' meditation) and the higher Vipassana (insight meditation) are tools. With experience of them you reach a mental state of openness, a good ground for what's called 'contemplation', where understanding various aspects of the true nature of reality takes you directly and instantly to an experience of it. A higher level beyond that is living within your understanding permanently, meaning that you stay within an awareness of true reality at all times, which is Buddhahood. I should just ay that although we say there is one Buddha, there have been many people who have reached the same state of knowing. This is why understanding where you're heading is so important. First try to understand what enlightenment is, what being enlightened means and what it does. That's the first part of the journey, not controlling your mind. You don't walk out into the snow in the hope of finding grass without ever having seen grass or knowing what it is. Quote: <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by MelT If you do want to reach enlightenment and go there in a far more direct way you have to approach an understanding of reality, not physical practice. If I'd known this I could've easily saved myself 15 years work, it's that important. Understanding and confidence in that understanding is pretty much all anyone needs. MelT </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> Quote - please elaborate to save me 15 years - Quote "If you do want to reach enlightenment and go there in a far more direct way you have to approach an understanding of reality, not just physical practice." This says it all. Do this, save 15 or more years. If you want the Path to be your own journey then find out about the above. It's far easier nowadays to get the right information (and in fact you probably know a lot of it now without realising it, you just don't recognise it in the right way). Look at the principle of Emptiness (sunyata) first. A good start is to type 'Nagarjuna' or 'Sunyata' into google and read everything you can that comes out of that search. Understanding Emptiness in the right way and, more importantly, applying that knowledge, is the real first step on the Path. Ask, explore. Why do you want realisation? What do you think it is? What do those who say they are experience? Do you actually want what they have? Is it suitable for the way you need to live and earn a living? Are you really looking for just a few minutes downtime in shamatha rather than really wanting enlightenment? You have to ask yourself all of these things constantly. MelT
i always had that impression too. it was a source of much conflict in me. firstly that i thought philosophy should be taught in school from a very early age as it is the principle basis for so many avenues of study and learning and thought. but also, how could you teach it without simply being of a singular philosophy (which is what they do anyway) and only imparting it rather than offering all as optional springboards... deal with that IF it comes. focus on your path, not this "if". focussing on it is only likely to make it happen. and if you must focus on it... focus on the solution, not the problem!