It’s the simplicity. I watched this earlier and went about my day, and the words you said stayed with me and danced around my mind. After so many years on the path, I’m amazed at what can be unpacked by letting it just “be as it is”. I had to return to leave my appreciation for the teaching, Sir
"I have experience many terrible things during my lifetime.., some of them actually happened!" That's a quote I read on a calender in a doctor's office once upon a time. 😄
Thanks for this! One thing / exercise that has somewhat helped me is seeing/ noticing thoughts, feelings, sensations etc. (which are usually considered internal & identical to our being) to be the objects that they are in a sense ... just more "immersive" and "sticky" compared to the "external" objects like trees, cars, sounds (which has an external and internal element), sights (ditto) etc. It becomes somewhat easier then to get the usual body-mind illusions "loosened" a bit. The identification of the "I" with "internal" objects decreases somewhat when they appear to be same/ of similar quality as "external" objects. The internal objects stopped being a bother, somewhat ... just like the tree or the car is not a bother. Helped me. But may not help / be of use to everyone.
🐟 10. EGO (THE SENSE OF SELF): The Latin first-person singular pronoun, “EGO” (“I”, in English) has been incorporated into the English language, yet with a rather unorthodox import, particularly in spiritual circles, where it is used as a noun, although it is a poor translation of the Sanskrit “ahaṃkāra”, which is more accurately a verb. Most persons misuse the word for 'an exaggerated sense of self-importance', 'arrogance', 'conceit' or 'haughtiness', etc. Compare the concepts of egoity in this chapter with the Freudian concept of “The I” (“Das Ich”, in German). “Ahaṃ” simply means “I/Ego”, and “ahaṃkāra” means “Creating the I/self”, or “Activating the sense of self”, or “Constructing one's identity”. As an aside, some Sanskrit scholars have noticed that the word “ahaṃ” is formed of a+ha+ṃ, a triad of Śiva (a), Śakti (ha) and bindu (ṃ). The whole Sanskrit alphabet is enclosed by those two syllables, just as the Greek tongue begins and ends with “alpha” and “omega”, respectively. “I am the Alpha and the Omega!”, said God in the book of “Revelations”. Incidentally, the palindrome of “ahaṃ” is “mahā”, meaning “GREAT”. The most accurate definition of “Ego/I” is: “the self, which is a conscious PERSON”. A human person is the Stainless Consciousness of Source, acting through a particular body-mind complex, which in turn, is an ever-morphing biological organism. Therefore, whenever the word “ego” is heard in practically any spiritual/religious context, it is not to be taken literally (“I”) but in the sense of “ahaṃkāra” (a mistaken sense of self-identity, or sometimes as a synonym for superciliousness). Inept Sanskrit-to-English translators are probably guilty for this misunderstanding. False egoity (“ahaṃkāra”) is an errant conception of oneself. In other words, it is the idea that “I am an independent agent, with the volition to freely think, feel and behave as I choose”, instead of simply an unqualified “I AM” (“ahaṃ”, in Sanskrit) or at the very least, “I am all-encompassing existence” (“ahaṃ brahmāsmi”, in Sanskrit). Simply put, it is identification with anything not of the actual self/Self. So, when the true self (which is Brahman, the TOTALITY of existence) misidentifies itself with a particular body-mind organism, it is “pseudo-ego” (ahaṃkāra) but when the self/Self identifies with Conscious Awareness (Brahman), acting through the body-mind organism, it is the “authentic ego” (“ātman/Paramātmāṇ”, in Sanskrit). Obviously, this misidentification with one's mind and body, or name and form (“nāma-rūpa”, in Sanskrit) is not a flaw of the Flawless Absolute, but merely a play of the divine comedy (“līlā”, in Sanskrit). Humans usually believe that they are the body-mind organism. Those who have awakened (or at least spiritually aware) consider themselves to NOT be their body-mind. One who is truly enlightened knows for certain that he is both a human being on the relative level, but quintessentially the very ground of being in the Absolute sense. That which can perceive any impermanent phenomenon is the real self/ego/I. When properly analysed, the phrase “I am Spirit” or “I am All” (“ahaṃ brahmāsmi”, in Sanskrit) means “I, the ego (the relative persona) am Nothing/Everything/Brahman/Tao/Spirit (the Absolute Ground of Being)”. Chapter 06 explores further the nature of the Supreme Self. Finally, it could be argued, with some degree of merit, that since the English language already has a word for oneself (“I”), that we ought to keep using the English dictionary definition of “ego” (as the false sense of oneself). However, because the great majority of advanced religionists and spiritual practitioners outside Bhārata (India) who speak of these concepts, base their language on Sanskrit and/or Pali, it is far more accurate to separate “ego” (ahaṃ) from “false egoity” (ahaṃkāra). The LITERAL translation should predominate, to avoid ambiguity. “The first and foremost of all thoughts, the primeval thought in the mind of every man, is the thought ‘I’. It is only after the birth of this thought that any other thoughts can arise at all. It is only after the first personal pronoun, ‘I’, has arisen in the mind that the second personal pronoun, ‘you’, can make its appearance. If you could mentally follow the ‘I’ thread until it led you back to its source you would discover that, just as it is the first thought to appear, so it is the last to disappear. This is a matter which can be experienced.” Venkataraman Iyer, (AKA Śri Ramana Maharshi), South Indian Sage. “Each of us has the indisputable impression that the sum total of his own experience and memory forms a unit, quite distinct from that of any other person. He refers to it as 'I'. What is this 'I'? If you analyse it closely, you will, I think, find that it is just a little bit more than a collection of single data (experiences and memories), namely the canvas upon which they are collected. And you will, on close introspection, find that what you really mean by 'I' is that ground-stuff upon which they are collected.” From the epilogue to "What is Life?", Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger, Austrian Physicist.
Considering the inability of one who is not awake to spot/identify one who is awake...and that there are many who can talk a good game but are not awake and yet amassed huge followings...this one is very unreliable at best and so it was left out. It would be better if the blind was not led by the blind.
Thank you Eric , for your sharing.A beautiful and balanced message of can do and no doing. Ceasing,inquiry and harmony. Yes I know theoretically illusion of body mind and yet feel like one. Be honest is your message.Thank you.🙏
To become a BUDDHA, one has to perfect these 10 paramitas and it take immeasurable length of world evolution. It is very tough indeed. The BUDDHA are the only single being who are capable to accomplish such task. No god and BRAHMA are able to accomplish such impossible task. Thus we understand such greatness of a being whose determination, energy are so great that the 10 paramita are perfected and only then finally a BUDDHA come to existence. Such being are rare and it only arise a BUDDHA out of million upon trillion of world cycle. This tells us to become a BUDDHA perfection in 10 paramitas has to be accomplish. Not simple indeed.We are lucky to be born in this time to hear the echo of GOTAMA BUDDHA teaching and enlightment. It is truely a great blessing to be born in this time where the BUDDHA teaching still exist. One must never lose this opportunity to get hold of the teaching and quickly strive for Enlightment.
For meditator who cannot be mindful pain will arise but for mindful meditator and who can enter samadhi there will have no pain. BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI
Well said. It isnt easy imo to explain what to do/not do but you explained it really well. Only from experience do I understand and can say that you are most definetly right. These are good ideas to have in mind (lol) when trying to be enlightened. Especiallyyyy the ceasing
Look, question, and investigate. Are you all of the body? Are you less you when you get a hair cut or nail clipping? Etc. Clearly and profoundly see (without a doubt) that you are not that.
If the pain is unbearable you can change your position but must be with mindfulness and note every movement very slowly. You will note to move you see many details instructions. Just to move if you do it very slowly and with mindfulness. You must also understand that walking meditation involve movement there are monk who become enlighted. Just one conditions move as slowly as possible and very mindful BUDDHAM
🐟 17. THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN SPIRITUAL AWAKENING, LIBERATION, & ENLIGHTENMENT: AWAKENING: Any person who has experienced a state of cosmic awareness can rightly be called a “buddha” (a Sanskrit/Pali term for “an awakened being”). During such TEMPORAL experiences (that is, they begin at some point in time and then end at a subsequent point in time, even if at the time of death), there is usually a dissolution of the subject-object dichotomy, or at least a radical shift in one’s perception of life. In the most profound awakening experience, the perceiver, the perceived, and the perceiving, mystically unify. Awakening means to see clearly that one’s persona is but a character in a dream of The Absolute, and that one is essentially that Flawless Awareness. Therefore, it is not to be taken literally - that the person wakes from the “Cosmic Dream” in the same way that a human wakes from a night dream. It simply implies that the person realizes that he/she is one of the multitude of dream CHARACTERS, and that individual free-will was purely an illusion. When one experiences a night dream, one usually identifies with only one particular character (for example, “last night, I dreamed that I played chess with the prince”). However, all the characters in one's dream originate in the very same mind. Similarly, the living creatures in this universe are naught but characters in the “Mind of God”, to put it in theistic terms. During such awakenings, one experiences the non-conceptual state, which is somewhat akin to the state of equanimous mind or "steady-mind" (“samādhi”, in Sanskrit). However, samādhi is usually a far longer-term state of being, normally coming after lengthy periods of practice. This is a relatively common phenomenon. In fact, there are most probably MILLIONS of persons currently on earth who have experienced some kind of awakening, where they directly perceive themselves to be more than a mere body-mind complex. The experience can be either totally spontaneous, or it can follow many decades of intense spiritual practice (“sādhanā”, in Sanskrit). However, there is no direct causal link between religious practices and awakening experiences, despite what most religionists (“sādhaka”, in Sanskrit) believe. It is common for newly-awakened persons to CONFUSE and conflate relative and absolute truth. That is to say, when neophyte buddhas speak of relative concepts, they invariably use absolute terms. For instance, they may make such statements as: “You don't exist”; “Nothing ever happened”; “There is no right or wrong”; “Everything and/or everyone is equal”; “I am not my body”; “We are One”; and “I am you, and you are me”. Hopefully, such persons will come to see that there is no need to speak about everything from the Absolute perspective. Verily, it is unbeneficial to the persons with whom they are conversing (unless, of course, those third persons are thoroughly deluded materialists, who are unable to see beyond the physical realm). Awakening to one’s true nature does NOT automatically promote one to being a saint, since one’s unique characteristics, flaws and obsessions may perdure. There is an abundance of evidence that awakening experiences can be induced simply by the administration of certain hallucinogenic drugs, so to claim that one is exceptionally remarkable just for being a buddha, is rather conceited. Unfortunately (for spiritual-seekers), there is a multitude of awakened or partially-awakened persons who mistakenly believe that they are somehow enlightened masters, and proceed to embark on a teaching career. The fact is, many (if not most) of these BOGUS “gurus” are afflicted with a narcissistic, demonic mentality bereft of morality, and ought to be exposed and denounced for the fraudsters that they are. As very succinctly explained in forthcoming chapters of this Holy Scripture, it is the sacred duty of members of the Priesthood ALONE to disseminate religious/spiritual knowledge throughout society. Simply attaining a “spiritual state”, even with the benefit of a vast body of knowledge, does not automatically confer authority on a person to become a spiritual master (“guru”, in Sanskrit). There is an enormous gulf between the two, in fact. Most persons would undoubtedly disapprove of a man for stealing the property of another, yet think nothing of a working-class chap or a mere woman performing the function of a priest (“brāhmaṇa”, in Sanskrit). The fact is, when any person (other than a priest/guru) assumes the role of a spiritual teacher, he or she is quite LITERALLY stealing the job of a priest. By understanding the entirety of this “Final Instruction Sheet for Humanity” it shall assist one in the discernment necessary to distinguish one from the other. As a general rule, at least ninety-five per cent of those giving spiritual precepts to society as a whole, are unqualified to do so. LIBERATION: “Liberation” means “freedom”. Thus, a liberated soul is a person who has become emancipated from the five kinds of suffering (blame, shame, pride, regrets/expectations, and anxiety), all of which are based on the belief in personal AGENCY. Read Chapter 15 to understand the nature of suffering, and Chapter 11 to understand that humans are not independent agents with freedom of will. Awakening experiences are not a prerequisite to being liberated from suffering. LIKEWISE, not all liberated persons are automatically enlightened (at least not to the degree necessary in order to be labelled as such), but there is a strong correlation between the two states of being. It's possible to be liberated, whilst not possessing a deep understanding of life. A liberated person is scarce, because very few understand the true nature of suffering, and of those who do understand the distinction between psycho-physical pain and ACTUAL (psychological) suffering, it is difficult to surrender to one's circumstances, free of obsessive thinking and judging. Liberated souls are usually those who have diligently practiced one of the four systems of yoga described in Chapter 16. Cont...
ENLIGHTENMENT: Of those who have experienced a state of “oneness” and are free from mental suffering, there are EXTREMELY rare souls who are spiritually-enlightened (at least to such an extent to be worthy of the term). If the term were to be taken literally, a person may be permeated or imbued in light to varying degrees, just as the ocean is more illumined by direct sunlight than it is by the reflected light of the moon. So, when a layman thinks of an enlightened soul, he or she typically imagines a person who knows what life is “all about”, or has “seen the light of God” (metaphorically-speaking). Simply having an awakening experience is quite far-removed from being an enlightened sage. Every person who has ever lived can be RANKED according to their level of enlightenment. Even if one understands that there is more to existence than gross matter and localized consciousness, one could claim to be more enlightened than a gross materialist. Therefore, somewhere in the world resides a person who is the most ignorant fool on earth, and at a different location one may find the most enlightened sage extant. Like practically everything in life, enlightenment is relative. Even “complete” enlightenment is not an absolute state. Even the most educated person alive has the capacity to increase his knowledge. If one were to approach a rocket scientist, one would expect him to fully understand his field of expertise. He would understand advanced physics and chemistry, and know precisely how to design and launch spacecraft into outer-space. Similarly, an enlightened sage is one who understands LIFE. He knows how this phenomenal world came to be, how the law of action and reaction actually works, how to become liberated from temporal sufferings, and should be able to logically answer any question posed to him by a spiritual seeker (what to speak of highly-intelligent members of the scientific and philosophical communities). An enlightened person has eschewed all belief systems and relies solely on objective, VERIFIABLE concepts, knowing that even the most accurate concepts are relative, and that the ultimate reality is Absolute. Read Chapter 03 of “F.I.S.H” to appreciate this conceptual framework. A fully-enlightened person is almost invariably a member of the Holy Priesthood (a prophet, to be more precise), and NECESSARILY possesses a genius or near-genius level of intelligence. “Necessarily”, because, as previously stated, he is required to competently respond to even the most difficult questions and conundrums posed to him by others (otherwise, he can hardly claim to be a fully-enlightened individual). Imagine approaching a so-called “enlightened sage” and after asking him the most profound questions imaginable, he responds “Umm...I don't know!” On the other hand, even the village idiot can receive awakening experiences. However, to be liberated from suffering, one normally requires at least an average level of intelligence, because understanding the nature of suffering (as opposed to mere pain) is a rather intellectual concept. Needless to say, an enlightened person adheres to a strict code of morals and ethics, such as the avoidance of illicit sexual activity, gambling, intoxicants, and animal products. To be fair, there are many examples of persons who seem to be very awakened and/or enlightened, yet engage in base pursuits such as those mentioned above, due to their genetic make-up and their conditioning. However, this category is devoted to highly-evolved beings who LITERALLY radiate holiness - those who even the vilest of souls can recognize to be elevated far above ordinary, animalistic humanity. Sometimes, those vile souls far more easily recognize enlightened saints than do persons who are supposedly spiritually-advanced, as when the demoniacs, called “Legion”, instantly identified the Divine Avatar, Lord Jesus Christ, as the Son of the Most High God, whilst the Jewish high-priest at the time considered The Perfect Person Himself to be naught but a ominous rabble-rouser and a blasphemous sinner. It seems logical to assume that any person who purports to be a fully-enlightened soul must be morally-upright. Therefore, those who profess to be enlightened individuals, yet who actively support objectively-evil ideologies or practices, such as socialism, communism, democracy, feminism, homosexuality, and carnism, are of no practical benefit to society (quite the opposite, in fact - they are a DETRIMENT to society). The devilish character, known as “Satan” in the Judeo-Christian tradition, seems to have been quite enlightened about spiritual reality, yet I'm not sure if anyone would call him an “enlightened being”. To be rather forthright, a fully-enlightened sage will accept all the teachings of this Holy Scripture, “A Final Instruction Sheet for Humanity”, as being a very accurate description of life as it is (or as it should be). Out of a billion persons, there may be one or two enlightened masters. These self-realized world-teachers are almost TOTALLY shunned by society, for, as Lord Jesus Christ once proclaimed: “I am the enemy of the world because I am telling the world that it is evil” (paraphrased). It is extremely easy to spot a truly-enlightened spiritual master: The first question one should ask a prospective guru is "What is the ideal form of government?". If he acknowledges monarchy to be the only legitimate form of governance, then ask "Does free-will exist for any living creature?". If he responds in the negative, then the chances are that he is a authentic guru, assuming, of course, that he is a strict vegan, and is despised by most all of humanity. If he has more than a couple of dedicated disciples, he is most probably teaching something less than Truth. “You have to let it happen, just like you have to let yourself go to sleep - you can’t try to go to sleep. You have to let yourself digest your food - you can’t try to digest it. And so, in the same way, you have to let yourself wake-up (become liberated).” ************* “A flow of water suddenly does a whirlpool and then it goes on. The whirlpool is a definite form but no water stays put in it. The whirlpool is something the stream is doing, and in exactly the same way, the universe is doing each one of us.” Professor Alan W. Watts, British-American Philosopher. “Awakening cannot take place, so long as the idea persists, that one is a seeker. Doing sadhana (spiritual practices) means, assuming the existence of a phantom. The entity that you think you are, is false. You ARE the Reality!” ************* “When Realization dawns, then what happens? You are no longer 'you'. You remain established in the inner silence and freedom, without any concern for your welfare, content with whatever comes along - and life goes on in perfect effortlessness.” ************* “Only when it is time, in the cosmic scheme of evolution, for a particular psychosomatic apparatus to get enlightened, can enlightenment happen. And if that time has come, nothing in this world can prevent it from happening. Nor can anything in this world, make enlightenment happen, if it is not time.” ************* “The disciple goes to the guru seeking enlightenment, as something which he can enjoy as an individual, while the enlightened guru knows their relationship to be a completely impersonal evolutionary process, in which no individuals figure at all.” ************* “Enlightenment is total emptiness of mind. There is nothing you can do to get it. Any effort you make, can only be an obstruction to it.” ************* “If you but cease from useless conceptualizing, you will be what you are and what you have always been.” ************* “Self-inquiry is the direct path to Self-realization or enlightenment. The only way to make the mind cease its outward activities, is to turn it inward. By steady and continuous investigation into the nature of the mind, the mind itself gets transformed into That to which it owes its own existence.” ************* “When both the rational and intuitive planes of mind are allowed full operation, they get superimposed on each other, resulting in a fasting of the mind or NO-MIND state. This is the most alert state, in which the mind can find itself, because of the total freedom in which it can operate - a beautiful, natural blending of discipline and spontaneity.” Ramesh Balsekar, Indian Spiritual Teacher.
@@ethanjohnson3642 To read the remaining chapters of “A Final Instruction Sheet for Humanity”, which are the most authoritative, accurate and complete spiritual precepts so far in human history, Email: prophet4god@icloud.com with the acronym “FISH” in the subject field. 🐟 “The gateway to KNOWLEDGE is ignorance”. 🤓 CONTENTS: 00. PROLOGUE 01. PREFACE 02. A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF “LIFE” 03. CONCEPTS Vs THE TRUTH 04. SCIENCE Vs RELIGION 05. THE PHENOMENAL UNIVERSE 06. CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS 07. GOD (OR NOT) 08. KARMA (ACTION & REACTION) 09. REINCARNATION (OR NOT) 10. EGO (THE SENSE OF SELF): 11. FREE-WILL Vs DETERMINISM 12. LAW, MORALITY, & ETHICS 13. SIN (MISSING THE MARK) 14. DIVINE & DEMONIC NATURES 15. SUFFERING & HAPPINESS 16. YOGA/RELIGION 17. AWAKENING, LIBERATION, & ENLIGHTENMENT 18. THE THREE MODES 19. THE FOUR SOCIAL CLASSES 20. THE PRIESTHOOD 21. THE MONARCHY 22. ILLEGITIMATE GOVERNANCES 23. THE BUSINESS OWNERS 24. THE WORKING-CLASS 25. THE ROLE OF FEMALES 26. FEMINISM 27. MARRIAGE & THE FAMILY 28. SEX & TRANSVESTISM 29. SOCIAL ETIQUETTE 30. FOOD AND DIET
You recommend total acceptance of what is, not resisting, etc. I have tried to do this over the years and I’ve just ended up doing lots of things that I don’t want to do because other people want me to do them. In fact, I’ve lost a lot of self-esteem because of it. I’m not sure about the meek inheriting the earth - I think people like Trump stand a better chance of doing that!
Acceptance of what is and not resisting life is not about just doing what other people want you to do. If someone walks up and asks me to give them a hundred dollars, I am going to say "no".
@@NondualityChannel Then what do you mean by "acceptance of what is and not resisting life" ? I ask because living by this mantra is actually making my life worse- not better. It feels very unnatural to "accept" everything when my body-mind doesn't want to accept certain things that are happening..
@@SK6954 "when my body-mind doesn't want to accept certain things that are happening" - like what? How is "acceptance of what is and not resisting life" making life worse?
@@NondualityChannel Well to generalize what I mean... Each body-mind has a particular set of likes and aversions. This is part of the genetic/biological uniqueness of each organism/body.. So to say "accept what is happening now and don't resist" is like telling a person with nut allergy to eat the peanuts being served to him & to not to resist it. . So "not resisting things" feel like I am living a life of pretense & forcing myself to "like" certain situations & people that I have a natural aversion to. For example, is a rabbit going to "accept" that a tiger is about to attack it? Or is the rabbit going to protect its body by "resisting" the situation and run away from the tiger?
@@SK6954 More like telling someone with a nut allergy...accept and don't resist the nut allergy...accept that you can't have the peanut butter cups or whatever that everyone is raving about how good they are. Do not resent the nut allergy. Maybe you feel that this is pretense & forcing yourself to "like" the nut allergy, but as the nut allergy is what-is and reality...what does resenting it and disliking it do for you other than create suffering? You have to come to terms and accept it in order to cease suffering.
Do not say YES, Do not say NO Just be there to AWARE, then let it pass and STAY CALM. Change will arise, be calm. and calm will finally ends. CEESATION OF CONCIOUSNESS is the STOPPING of your six sense. Ceesation is ENLIGHTMENT. BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI
In vipassana after you experience calm and after calm subside and when pain arise, you will feel aversion, the way of vipasanna is to aware of the pain, at the same time remember everythings is anicha and as you watch the pain and experiece the pain but you must also remember to apply your meditative experience on aware and detach and stay calm. If you can do this, the pain will vanish. It vanish because wisdom or panna is develop in your mind. Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu, BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI
Hi Erik, thank you for sharing ! I have a question ...I have a little boy of five years old. I love him for the way he looks, for how he is, for how he acts, for his funny, clever humor, even being only five, for his smile....etc. If the body, mind, feelings are all illusions, and the true self is unknown for someone who is not enlightened, than " what " is left for me to love and " what " do i teach him to love, if not my body, mind or the way i am is real to him ? 🙏
You don't teach him anything. Don't try to impose some belief system onto him. Just allow to be who he is. Without judgment. He will feel whatever you're feeling about yourself. As the OP says - practise self love. This will be far better in raising an emotionally healthy child, than any mental manipulations you're trying to do.
The concious is the universe. You are what you eat. You are the cause and the effect. It is you who unconciously create yourself. The BUDDHA sees everything clearly. The BUDDHA do not guess. He is an Enlighten being.The BUDDHA challenge anyone and everyone to come and experience his teaching yourself and you will know. He do not teach things that is unknown. That is why he tell you just simply don't believes. So he challenge everybody to come and experience what he teach and you will know. I challenge the Buddha so i come to experience his teaching and the Buddha won. And i become enlighted. That was the beauti of this challenge. Now i know. Guy come challenge the Buddha teaching. May all being be awaken soonest. BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI
I believe to the saying that “there is no enlightenment” or “no enlightened person” as enlightenment also is a story inside this life. How can someone get out of himself or how the One can get out of itself if it is the only thing that exists? Every feeling (feeling of enlightenment) seems to me also a duality. Non duality seems to me something that cannot be felt or attained.
@@NondualityChannel But your prior advice was to remain with "What Is"... doesn't "what is" also include direct feelings & experience through the 5 senses?
@@SK6954 Yes, remain with "what is"...that is the pointer. Attending to the feeling/experiencing of the moment is also a pointer too. But I never said that either was "enlightenment" or was "nonduality".
Dear Eric, after enlightenment, would you say that the goals you had became more realistic and less egoic/delusional? Also, would you say that you got better at acheiving your personal goals after enlightenment, due to the added clarity?
I was never one to do much goal setting and after enlightenment my goals are even less substantial or important. Goals are about as important as saying my goal is to get to the next level of this game I am playing.
I experienced ego death 3 weeks ago triggered by sever anxiety and now all my depression and anxiety is gone. I'm off all my meds without "trying to quit". I finally realized I was identifying with my thoughts and at a chronic non stop level. Is it normal to have physical symptoms? 1 day I had muscle aches as if I had a fever yet I didn't feel "ill" and my mind was still rather clear and positive. I have canker sores now and I've never had any in my life (i dont think i stepped on any rusty screws either). Also I was a "foodie" and out of no where I don't feel comfortable eating flesh. Now I'm vegatarian but since my parents always buy meat I still feel I have to eat it and take on the animal's suffering since the food is already available. I feel guilty letting it waste. Another thing. Even though I realize my suffering was just a product of conditioning I still can't get over my fear of darkness and most insects (especially spiders). I also still smoke marijuana to relieve physical pain but I'd like to achieve full sobriety. Also, now with my new state of mind, I no longer "feel" or "think" different when smoking cannabis compared to when I am sober, I only feel the physical effect.) Are all these sensations normal on the path to enlightenment?
@@NondualityChannel Re thinking my question. Once achieving "realization of true self" or "awakening" or whatever it may be called. Is it normal to have a lot of moments where I catch my self falling back into the "ego state"? Will my awareness stamina increase over time to the point where I won't fall back into ego mind/identity?
@@toyobeats1580 Once true awakening and realization happens, the illusion of "me" (i.e. ego/identity) shatters and is never believed again. There is no need to increase stamina to keep from falling back. The "me" is simply not believed anymore.
Does this have to be painful/confusinf/chaotic and difficult???? I wish i was just enlightened all of a sudden, i feel very confused and all trying to work on that
Sir 😊 as you said the second guiding principle, to distinguish between what is and what isn't. I am unable to understand it, I mean, what is this "What is/real/that exist" and what is this "what isn't/unreal/that doesn't exist". Some examples of this principle (2nd guiding principle).🤪 Sir would you please help with it.🤗
To established enlightment you will need to understand these teachings? They are the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four constituents of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the Noble Eight-fold Path In vipassana practice all these 37 enlightment factors is withing it. So if one practice vipasanna correctly, attainment can be established. This is instruction from the BUDDHA. If you sincerely seek enlightment in mind purification, Vipasanna is the way. But you will need an ariya vipasanna teacher to guides you when you need help. May all sincere heart seeking enlightment have opportunity to meet the right teacher to guide one to ENLIGHTMENT. BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMIl
Sir 😁 this time a bit silly question, isn't being "still, silent and aware" enough 😅 I mean if I don't do self inquiry, or distinguish between real and unreal or that which exist and that which doesn't exist, and just be still and silent and aware, isn't it enough? 😁😅😂
Being still, silent, and fully aware...not even thinking...this is primary. This is not a doing (but a ceasing to do), but if you feel you must do something - then look at the "me" you feel/think yourself to be. Observe and question it. Or otherwise diminish the "me".
Hi Eric. How does it follow that being more aware of physical sensations and less aware of mental phenomena can lead to a more conducive environment for enlightenment? If that is the case, babies would be more ripe for enlightenment than anyone, but how does it follow that more physical awareness or not-doing is better than thinking a lot?
It is not about less being aware of mental phenomena, but that thought ceases when fully experiencing the moment. Thinking is a distraction from what is here and now. Enlightenment is sometimes said to be seeing what is as it truly is. So does it not make sense that not being distracted by thought and more fully with what is...is more conducive to seeing what is as it truly is...instead of not really looking at what is but thought and imagination? As for babies...there is little to no mental illusion to see through yet...so a quiet mind doesn't really help babies to see through the illusion and never be fooled by the illusion again.
Karma is memory. It was karma that remember to take you to new rebirth.To heaven if good deeds and to hell,hungry ghost realsm, animal if bad deeds. The BUDDHA say KARMA are your HEIR. Below are the working of karma: Karma saka:I am my own karma Karma dayada:I am heir to to my karma Karma yoni:I am born in this life from my karma Katma bandhu :I am the kinsman of my karma. Karma patisarana:I am protected by my karma. Yam kammam karissami... What ever karma i shall do Tasa dayado bhavissami ti...I shall become their heir.
One question: I understand I am not the body, I am that I am. I am universal consciousness. However, my form/body is my vehicle...so to speak. So my question is, Do you think diet and exercise is important for my well being? Or is physical health of minor importance? The subject of physical health never seems to come up in the "spiritual" comunity.
Diet and exercise are important only for the body's health. You are not the body, nor is the body your vehicle. Self is all there is...no other, no second...without circumference or center. Exercise and diet if you want...but YOU are no better for it and no worse for the lack of it.
@@NondualityChannel I get that. Self is all there is. But what I'd like to share, with anyone who's interested, is that I have come to realize something equally as powerful as liberating ones true self from the lenses of the conditioned, egoic mind. And that is,...wait for it...,liberating the body from carbohydrates. 😵 Really. So far this knowledge is about as popular as Enlightenment. Not many have realized it but it is, ever so slowly, becoming known to more and more people. Check out Ken Berry or Sten Ekberg. 💖🙏💖 / 💪💖
@@pumpkini586 😆 I hear you. And if ut ain't broke, don't fix it. But if you become dangerously overweight or get diabetes or ANY illness really, check out those folks whe teach keto, ketovore and/or carnivoe. I only eat beef, eggs, heavy cream, salt and water. For 6 months now, and I'm not bored yet. I Love a good steak! 😍 ✌️😎
@@EnlightenedCarnivore Nice. I tried keto but it gave me terrible insomnia. Magnesium didn’t help. I feel healthy at the moment so carbs seem ok for me, at least for now, who knows what the future holds :)
Two things. First, if you say yes to everything, does it mean if someone is hurting you just let it be? Second, what if i want to say no to something, can i say yes to saying no? What's the point here?
Saying yes is not the same as letting it be. But accepting, receiving, and listening are essential if you are to defend yourself like a great Aikido master. Never go force against force. "Yes", accept, receive, listen...and redirect.
A genuine question...why do you wear a mala. I wear Tulsi beads. I haven't reached awareness of non-duality although theoretically l know l am not the body, mind or intellect. I thought once l reach this awareness my tulsi beads will no longer be necessary. They are part of the duality, seeing Divinity as separate and my existence as just a part of that Divinity. I would be interested to know if you consider the mala and sadhana still relevant? I understand Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi chanted regularly.
I had done a video answering the beads question - czcams.com/video/OLuAbv_pRqo/video.html I still meditate, do kirtan, chant, and do various experiments as well. It is not necessary...I don't expect anything from it...there is nothing to be gained, but it is still enjoyed.
You say "Cease manipulation. Don't try to alter or change anything". You see the paradox in this, right? If I'm trying to manipulate and then I try to cease doing that, isn't that trying to change something?
brother, please share the signs of awakening, by which one can be sure that yes it has happened , and even if it has happened is it wise to keep silent for some years, like a newborn baby who take some years to utter his first few words
One comment though. You didn't mentioned the way of action (ex Karma Yoga). For those hooked on action, how do you see it? With risks? dangers? or an acceptable way? and if so could you delve on it?
Karma Yoga which primarily is the practice of acting without expectation or attachment to the fruits of action does diminish the "me". It helps create a more conducive environment for the grace of awakening.
The ENLIGHTMENT OF THE BUDDHA IS NIBANNA. The BUDDHA explain if in any meditation there are no knowledge of 8 noble path and 4 noble truth there will be no ceesation of six sense thus no enkightment that leads to nibanna. 4 noble truth they are understanding of sufferring, the cause of suffering, the way to end sufferring, tge end if suffering. DUKKHA-the truth of sufferring. SAMUDAYA-the truth of the original of sufferring. NIRODHA-the truth to the ceesation(end) of sufferring. MAGGA-the truth of the path to the ceesation (end) of sufferring. With these only then it is possible to gain ENLIGHTMEN. .
🐟 06. CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS: Consciousness means “that which knows” or “the state of being aware”, from the Latin prefix “con” (with), the stem “scire” (to know) and the suffix “osus” (characterized by). There is BOTH a localized knowing and a Universal Awareness, as explicated in the following paragraphs. Higher species of animal life have sufficient cognitive ability to know themselves and their environment, at least to a measurable degree. HOWEVER, in recent years, the term has been used in esoteric spiritual circles (usually capitalised) to refer to a far more Universal Consciousness (“puruṣa”, in Sanskrit), due to the fact that the English language doesn’t include a single word denoting the universal Ground of Being (for instance “Brahman”, “Tao”, in other tongues). The word “Awareness” (capitalized) is arguably a more apposite term for this concept. The typical person believes that the apparatus which knows the external world is his mind (via the five senses), but more perceptive individuals understand that the mind itself is cognizable by the intellect. Wise souls recognize that the sense of self (the pseudo-ego) is the perceiver of their intellects, whereas awakened persons have realized that the true self/Self is the witness of ALL these temporal phenomena. The true self is synonymous with Consciousness, or with Infinite Awareness, or the Undifferentiated Unified Field (“Brahman”, in Sanskrit). The Tao (The Reality [lit. The Way]) which can be expressed in language is not the REAL Tao. All concepts are, by nature, relative, and at most, can merely point to the Absolute. That explains why some branches of theology use the apophatic method of discerning The Infinite (“neti neti”, [not this, not that], in Sanskrit). Also known in Latin as “via negativa” or “via negationis” theology, this philosophical approach to discovering the essential nature of Reality, gradually negates each description about Ultimate Reality, but not Reality Itself. The brain is merely a conduit or TRANSDUCER of Universal Consciousness, explaining why the more intelligent the animal, the more it can understand its own existence (or at least be aware of more of its environment - just see how amazingly-complex dolphin behaviour can be, compared with other aquatic species), and the reason why it is asserted that a truly enlightened human must possess a far higher level of intelligence than the average person. See Chapter 17 to understand the distinction between enlightenment and mere awakening. The brain is COMPARATIVELY equivalent to computer hardware, Universal Awareness is akin to the operating system, whilst individuated consciousness is analogous to the software programme, using deoxyribonucleic acid as the memory chip. A person who is comatosed has lost any semblance of personal consciousness, yet is being kept alive by the presence of Universal Consciousness (here, the word “coma” is not to be taken by its etymological definition of “deep sleep”, but the medical condition of a persistent vegetative state). An apt analogy for Universal Consciousness is the manner in which electricity powers a variety of appliances and gadgets, according to the use and COMPLEXITY of the said device. Electricity powers a washing machine in a very simple manner, to drive a large spindle for laundering clothes. However, the very same electrical power may be used to operate a computer to manifest an astonishing range of outputs, such as playing audiovisual tracks, communication tasks and performing extremely advanced mathematical computations, depending on the computer's software and hardware. The more advanced/complex the device, the more complex its manifestation of the same electricity. So, then, one could complain: “That's not fair - why can only a genius be enlightened?” (as defined in Chapter 17). The answer is: first of all, as stated above, every species of animal has its own level of intelligence on a wide-ranging scale. Therefore, a pig or a dog could (if possible) ask: “That's unfair - why can only a human being be enlightened?” Secondly, it is INDEED a fact that life is unfair, because there is no “tit for tat” law of action and reaction, even if many supposedly-great religious preceptors have stated so. They said so because they were preaching to wicked miscreants who refused to quit their evil ways, and needed to be chastized in a forceful manner. It is not possible to speak gentle words to a rabid dog to prevent it from biting you. There is evidence of Consciousness being a universal field, in SAVANT SYNDROME, a condition in which someone with significant mental disabilities demonstrate certain abilities far in excess of the norm, such as superhuman rapid mathematical calculation, mind-reading, blind-seeing, or astounding musical aptitude. Such behaviour suggests that there is a universal field (possibly in holographic form) from which one can access information. Even simple artistic inspiration could be attributed to this phenomenon. The great British singer-songwriter, Sir James Paul McCartney, one day woke with the complete tune of the song, “Yesterday”, in his mind, after hearing it in a dream. American composer, Paul Simon, had a similar experience when the chorus of his sublime masterpiece, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, simply popped into his head. Three states of awareness are experienced by humans and possibly all other species of mammals: the waking state (“jāgrata”, in Sanskrit), dreaming (“svapna”, in Sanskrit), and deep-sleep (“suṣupti”, in Sanskrit). Beyond these three temporal states is the fourth 'state' (“turīya” or “caturīya”, in Sanskrit). That is the unconditioned, eternal 'state', which underlies the other three. So, in actual fact, the fourth state is not a state, but the Unconditioned Ground of Being (or to put it simply, YOU, the real self/Self). Perhaps the main purpose of dreams is so that we can understand that the waking-state is practically indistinguishable to the dream-state, and thereby come to see the ILLUSION of this ephemeral world. Both our waking-state experiences and our dream-state experiences occur solely within the mental faculties (refer to Chapter 04 for an elucidation of this phenomenon). If somebody in one of your dreams were to ask your dream-state character if the dream was real, you (playing the part of that character) would most likely say, “yes, of course this is real!” Similarly, if someone were to ask your waking-state character if this world is real, you would almost undoubtedly respond in kind. The Ultimate Reality (“Brahman”, in Sanskrit) alone is real - “real” in the sense that it is the never-mutable substratum of ALL existence. The wisest of the philosophers of ancient India distinguished the “real” from the “unreal” (“sat/asat”, in Sanskrit) by whether or not the “thing“ was eternal or ephemeral (Cf. Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1:3:28, Bhagavad-gītā 2:16, et altri). Gross material objects (such as one's own body) and subtle material objects (such as thoughts) are always changing, and therefore not “real”. Reality is clearly seen by those self-realized persons who have experienced spiritual awakenings, yet only intellectually understood by those who have merely studied spiritual topics (that is, those who have practiced one of the four systems of religion described in Chapter 16). “Consciousness must first be there, before anything else can BE. All inquiry of the seeker of truth, must therefore, relate to this consciousness, this sense of conscious presence, which as such, has no personal reference to any individual.” ************* “Insofar as you keep watching the mind and discover yourself as its witness, nothing else can project itself on the screen of consciousness. This is so, because two things cannot occupy the attention, at the same moment. Therefore, delve within and find out where thoughts arise. Seek the source of all thought and acquire the Self-knowledge, which is the awakening of Truth.” ************* “If you remain as you are now, you are in the wakeful state. This is abolished in the dream state. The dream state disappears, when you are in deep sleep. The three states come and go, but you are always there. Your real state, that of Consciousness itself, continues to exist always and forever and it is the only Reality.” Ramesh Balsekar, Indian Spiritual Teacher. “As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clearheaded science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about the atoms this much: There is no matter as such! All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particles of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Spirit. This Spirit is the matrix of all matter.” ************* “I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing, postulates consciousness.” Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck, German Theoretical Physicist.
Hey greetings Erick, hope everything is going well. I was wondering if anything else happened to you after your experience in 2005? Did it was a one-time experience?
Enlightenment is not an experience, but a profound dispelling of ignorance and arising of understanding. Enlightenment is sudden and complete (as it is said in Zen and Chan Buddhism). When you ask, has anything happened since 2005...I am not sure how to answer...life goes on.
"I am not the body and mind." I am the body, but not mind(which us ego that is composed of self-image, insecurities, need for psychological comforts etc). Body is physical, how can that be denied? The identification with the body doesn't exist when the mind goes away. Saying "I am not the body" isn't true, because I am the body when the mind goes away.
@@NondualityChannel Thank you. I watched it. I am body, including the fingers and arms until they are severed, including the liver and heart until they are transplanted. I am body, including all the parts to which my nervous system is connected to. Nonetheless, I am not attached to the body. I am not identified with the body. That doesn't mean I am not the body. Identification is the domain of mind. You can remove the first part of the linked video, because it is not useful in the slightest sense. I haven't yet watched the second part.
Truth is simply what is. Lies are fundamentally what is not., Illusions are what is not (the water seen in a mirage does not exist). In the absence of ignorance, there is only love. Ignorance is also a what is not...a not knowing.
@@NondualityChannel how is it true that te "me" which has experinced awakening, cant BE or EMNBODY it? How does one actually live from that place of oneness,which i think is what people call love?
@@elenol1310 The "me" never experiences awakening. Awakening shatters the illusion of "me". Love/Truth/Silence/the Self...whatever term used...is what is left after the illusion of "me" shatters. There is no "me" to embody anything. No such separation exists.
@@elenol1310 Think of it like a container of water with sand and dirt in it...and we are mixing it. What can you do to make the water go clear? Whatever you do only agitates the water and continues to keep the sand and dirt mixed in the water. However, if you stop and do nothing...the sand and dirt naturally settle to the bottom and the water becomes clear. This is the natural state...and it comes about when nothing is done.
But how do you know? That could be an assumption or maybe your observation. Maybe enlightenment is a dis-identification with forms. Maybe the actors keep playing their roles.
Monk must remember why they become monk. The answer is to become ENLIGHTED. Monk must not think ENLIGHTMENT is hard. This kinds of thinking is very ignorance. Start practice Vipasanna and STOP THE THINKING. NIBANNA is the STOPPING of all thoughts and CEESATION of mind will be ACCOMPLISHED. CEESATION of mundane conciousness is NIBANNA. Here is a SIMILE:so as the fire stop its flame(represant the mind) when no more wood(represant sense door) are added. And then it shall totally exthinguish(represant mind also decay) Simile 2: Suppose one blow out a candle light, where is the candle light go? Suppose i have a another candle and i lighted it. Can you say this new lighted candle light is the same candle light of the previous one that i blown off. Definitely it is not. So the same goes when one attain to nibanna, the samsara mind is discarded. This phenomenor cannot be realised until one come to attainment oneself. The BUDDHA say AHEPASIKO and you will know. BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI
In other words, you don’t exist. The entity that is asking the question is ultimately unreal. Therefore, any past life that you may have had was also just another form of illusion, false self. What you actually are, is the core being of all apparent others, therefore is other. Like waves come up in the ocean.. The waves appear to be separate from the ocean, we even call them waves in order to differentiate them from the ocean itself. The waves have never truly left the ocean, therefore cannot be other than ocean. Like waves, we exist as individuals while not actually existing apart from our true nature. It’s a paradox like everything else. Remember that these questions all come from ego, which means that there is some underlying fear, some need for control. Best thing to do is to stay quiet. Quiet your mind, unplug from the endless thought stream. This will eventually strengthen identification with the watcher (self), and weaken identification with the false self/ego. Eric is spot on, right seeing is not something that can be attained by the ego through any practice. It is a Grace, but can be called upon.. The fact that you’re seeking and asking questions in its self is a Grace. Just relax into it, it will happen on its own time. Why/when the self chooses to awaken in form is unknowable to the human mind. Just stay out of thought, do self inquiry, and treat everyone with love and respect, whether you feel they deserve it or not.
So enlightenment is coming to the ultimate realisation that life is exiatentiallt and ultimatelt not that deep and u just gotta chill tf out and just do whatever u want? 🤣🤣
"I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened." Mark Twain
Yes in retrospect all troubles seem easy, when you're actually in the middle of a storm, try turning your zen mode on, most of us will fail.
In Zen mode, troubles dissolve. Problems are of the mind and its sense of time.
It’s the simplicity. I watched this earlier and went about my day, and the words you said stayed with me and danced around my mind. After so many years on the path, I’m amazed at what can be unpacked by letting it just “be as it is”. I had to return to leave my appreciation for the teaching, Sir
"I have experience many terrible things during my lifetime.., some of them actually happened!" That's a quote I read on a calender in a doctor's office once upon a time. 😄
I am a woman who's seen many a trouble, all of which happened - and more. 😅
Funny I was falling asleep while listening but your laugh kept waking me up! ❤
Thanks for this!
One thing / exercise that has somewhat helped me is seeing/ noticing thoughts, feelings, sensations etc. (which are usually considered internal & identical to our being) to be the objects that they are in a sense ... just more "immersive" and "sticky" compared to the "external" objects like trees, cars, sounds (which has an external and internal element), sights (ditto) etc. It becomes somewhat easier then to get the usual body-mind illusions "loosened" a bit.
The identification of the "I" with "internal" objects decreases somewhat when they appear to be same/ of similar quality as "external" objects.
The internal objects stopped being a bother, somewhat ... just like the tree or the car is not a bother.
Helped me. But may not help / be of use to everyone.
🐟 10. EGO (THE SENSE OF SELF):
The Latin first-person singular pronoun, “EGO” (“I”, in English) has been incorporated into the English language, yet with a rather unorthodox import, particularly in spiritual circles, where it is used as a noun, although it is a poor translation of the Sanskrit “ahaṃkāra”, which is more accurately a verb. Most persons misuse the word for 'an exaggerated sense of self-importance', 'arrogance', 'conceit' or 'haughtiness', etc.
Compare the concepts of egoity in this chapter with the Freudian concept of “The I” (“Das Ich”, in German).
“Ahaṃ” simply means “I/Ego”, and “ahaṃkāra” means “Creating the I/self”, or “Activating the sense of self”, or “Constructing one's identity”.
As an aside, some Sanskrit scholars have noticed that the word “ahaṃ” is formed of a+ha+ṃ, a triad of Śiva (a), Śakti (ha) and bindu (ṃ). The whole Sanskrit alphabet is enclosed by those two syllables, just as the Greek tongue begins and ends with “alpha” and “omega”, respectively. “I am the Alpha and the Omega!”, said God in the book of “Revelations”. Incidentally, the palindrome of “ahaṃ” is “mahā”, meaning “GREAT”.
The most accurate definition of “Ego/I” is: “the self, which is a conscious PERSON”. A human person is the Stainless Consciousness of Source, acting through a particular body-mind complex, which in turn, is an ever-morphing biological organism.
Therefore, whenever the word “ego” is heard in practically any spiritual/religious context, it is not to be taken literally (“I”) but in the sense of “ahaṃkāra” (a mistaken sense of self-identity, or sometimes as a synonym for superciliousness). Inept Sanskrit-to-English translators are probably guilty for this misunderstanding.
False egoity (“ahaṃkāra”) is an errant conception of oneself. In other words, it is the idea that “I am an independent agent, with the volition to freely think, feel and behave as I choose”, instead of simply an unqualified “I AM” (“ahaṃ”, in Sanskrit) or at the very least, “I am all-encompassing existence” (“ahaṃ brahmāsmi”, in Sanskrit). Simply put, it is identification with anything not of the actual self/Self.
So, when the true self (which is Brahman, the TOTALITY of existence) misidentifies itself with a particular body-mind organism, it is “pseudo-ego” (ahaṃkāra) but when the self/Self identifies with Conscious Awareness (Brahman), acting through the body-mind organism, it is the “authentic ego” (“ātman/Paramātmāṇ”, in Sanskrit). Obviously, this misidentification with one's mind and body, or name and form (“nāma-rūpa”, in Sanskrit) is not a flaw of the Flawless Absolute, but merely a play of the divine comedy (“līlā”, in Sanskrit).
Humans usually believe that they are the body-mind organism. Those who have awakened (or at least spiritually aware) consider themselves to NOT be their body-mind. One who is truly enlightened knows for certain that he is both a human being on the relative level, but quintessentially the very ground of being in the Absolute sense. That which can perceive any impermanent phenomenon is the real self/ego/I.
When properly analysed, the phrase “I am Spirit” or “I am All” (“ahaṃ brahmāsmi”, in Sanskrit) means “I, the ego (the relative persona) am Nothing/Everything/Brahman/Tao/Spirit (the Absolute Ground of Being)”. Chapter 06 explores further the nature of the Supreme Self.
Finally, it could be argued, with some degree of merit, that since the English language already has a word for oneself (“I”), that we ought to keep using the English dictionary definition of “ego” (as the false sense of oneself). However, because the great majority of advanced religionists and spiritual practitioners outside Bhārata (India) who speak of these concepts, base their language on Sanskrit and/or Pali, it is far more accurate to separate “ego” (ahaṃ) from “false egoity” (ahaṃkāra). The LITERAL translation should predominate, to avoid ambiguity.
“The first and foremost of all thoughts, the primeval thought in the mind of every man, is the thought ‘I’. It is only after the birth of this thought that any other thoughts can arise at all. It is only after the first personal pronoun, ‘I’, has arisen in the mind that the second personal pronoun, ‘you’, can make its appearance. If you could mentally follow the ‘I’ thread until it led you back to its source you would discover that, just as it is the first thought to appear, so it is the last to disappear. This is a matter which can be experienced.”
Venkataraman Iyer,
(AKA Śri Ramana Maharshi),
South Indian Sage.
“Each of us has the indisputable impression that the sum total of his own experience and memory forms a unit, quite distinct from that of any other person. He refers to it as 'I'. What is this 'I'?
If you analyse it closely, you will, I think, find that it is just a little bit more than a collection of single data (experiences and memories), namely the canvas upon which they are collected. And you will, on close introspection, find that what you really mean by 'I' is that ground-stuff upon which they are collected.”
From the epilogue to "What is Life?",
Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger,
Austrian Physicist.
I read your comment on a recent Supreme yogi video, "don't pay the mind any mind" got me to look you up. Thank you for posting!
Gem of wisdom.. i can clearly see the experience of bliss.. this channel needs million subscribers for the profound wisdom..
Excellent recipe for Awakening, Eric. I believe it will work. You left out, 'remain in the presence of saints, sages, awakening ones and Buddhas.'
Considering the inability of one who is not awake to spot/identify one who is awake...and that there are many who can talk a good game but are not awake and yet amassed huge followings...this one is very unreliable at best and so it was left out. It would be better if the blind was not led by the blind.
Your explanations are very good. Thank you for sharing!
The video I’ve been waiting for out of you. Thank you.
You’re welcome 😊
Your wisdom and guidance is truly appreciated !
Beautiful. Thank you. Much love.
"Ignorance should be dispelled"is the acme.Thank you Eric Putkonen
Ignorance of?☝️
@@TheWorldTeacher Ignorance of the non self when all that there is is the one light alone.
@@saraswathiab5995
what is this “LIGHT” of which you speak? 🤔
Excellent. Inspiring as always. Please continue, you are the real thing.
Love you, ah, keep sharing, what a joy all together in this ride back home
Such a wonderful clear transmission. A real classic. Thank you ✨
Me ha encantado y lo he compartido. Muchísimas Gracias!!!❤🙏😊
Thank you.
Thank you Eric , for your sharing.A beautiful and balanced message of can do and no doing. Ceasing,inquiry and harmony. Yes I know theoretically illusion of body mind and yet feel like one. Be honest is your message.Thank you.🙏
Very good explanation
Thank you much❗️
To become a BUDDHA, one has to perfect these 10 paramitas and it take immeasurable length of world evolution.
It is very tough indeed. The BUDDHA are the only single being who are capable to accomplish such task. No god and BRAHMA are able to accomplish such impossible task. Thus we understand such greatness of a being whose determination, energy are so great that the 10 paramita are perfected and only then finally a BUDDHA come to existence. Such being are rare and it only arise a BUDDHA out of million upon trillion of world cycle. This tells us to become a BUDDHA perfection in 10 paramitas has to be accomplish. Not simple indeed.We are lucky to be born in this time to hear the echo of GOTAMA BUDDHA teaching and enlightment. It is truely a great blessing to be born in this time where the BUDDHA teaching still exist.
One must never lose this opportunity to get hold of the teaching and quickly strive for Enlightment.
The alternative to enlightenment is thinking about yourself all day every day and never getting sick of it.
If it works, good for you. I suppose many seek enlightenment because they are sick of something. If you're happy and healthy don't stop i guess.
@@Hi_how_r_u_You missed the point completely 😂
This was magnificent. Thank you so much. Love to you. 💕
Thanks for the very clear and comprehensive guide. Pls keep helping. thank you.
For meditator who cannot be mindful pain will arise but for mindful meditator and who can enter samadhi there will have no pain.
BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI
Well said. It isnt easy imo to explain what to do/not do but you explained it really well. Only from experience do I understand and can say that you are most definetly right. These are good ideas to have in mind (lol) when trying to be enlightened. Especiallyyyy the ceasing
Really great explanation and guidance, thanks. I just can't see how I'd disidentify with the body, seems like an ipossible task.
Look, question, and investigate. Are you all of the body? Are you less you when you get a hair cut or nail clipping? Etc. Clearly and profoundly see (without a doubt) that you are not that.
Thank you
Thank you for the donation in support of this channel.
Thanks for your videos ❤
Lotus Flower
Are YOU spiritually awake?
thank you
If the pain is unbearable you can change your position but must be with mindfulness and note every movement very slowly. You will note to move you see many details instructions. Just to move if you do it very slowly and with mindfulness. You must also understand that walking meditation involve movement there are monk who become enlighted. Just one conditions move as slowly as possible and very mindful
BUDDHAM
🐟 17. THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN SPIRITUAL AWAKENING, LIBERATION, & ENLIGHTENMENT:
AWAKENING:
Any person who has experienced a state of cosmic awareness can rightly be called a “buddha” (a Sanskrit/Pali term for “an awakened being”). During such TEMPORAL experiences (that is, they begin at some point in time and then end at a subsequent point in time, even if at the time of death), there is usually a dissolution of the subject-object dichotomy, or at least a radical shift in one’s perception of life. In the most profound awakening experience, the perceiver, the perceived, and the perceiving, mystically unify.
Awakening means to see clearly that one’s persona is but a character in a dream of The Absolute, and that one is essentially that Flawless Awareness. Therefore, it is not to be taken literally - that the person wakes from the “Cosmic Dream” in the same way that a human wakes from a night dream. It simply implies that the person realizes that he/she is one of the multitude of dream CHARACTERS, and that individual free-will was purely an illusion. When one experiences a night dream, one usually identifies with only one particular character (for example, “last night, I dreamed that I played chess with the prince”). However, all the characters in one's dream originate in the very same mind. Similarly, the living creatures in this universe are naught but characters in the “Mind of God”, to put it in theistic terms.
During such awakenings, one experiences the non-conceptual state, which is somewhat akin to the state of equanimous mind or "steady-mind" (“samādhi”, in Sanskrit). However, samādhi is usually a far longer-term state of being, normally coming after lengthy periods of practice.
This is a relatively common phenomenon. In fact, there are most probably MILLIONS of persons currently on earth who have experienced some kind of awakening, where they directly perceive themselves to be more than a mere body-mind complex. The experience can be either totally spontaneous, or it can follow many decades of intense spiritual practice (“sādhanā”, in Sanskrit). However, there is no direct causal link between religious practices and awakening experiences, despite what most religionists (“sādhaka”, in Sanskrit) believe.
It is common for newly-awakened persons to CONFUSE and conflate relative and absolute truth. That is to say, when neophyte buddhas speak of relative concepts, they invariably use absolute terms.
For instance, they may make such statements as: “You don't exist”; “Nothing ever happened”; “There is no right or wrong”; “Everything and/or everyone is equal”; “I am not my body”; “We are One”; and “I am you, and you are me”. Hopefully, such persons will come to see that there is no need to speak about everything from the Absolute perspective. Verily, it is unbeneficial to the persons with whom they are conversing (unless, of course, those third persons are thoroughly deluded materialists, who are unable to see beyond the physical realm).
Awakening to one’s true nature does NOT automatically promote one to being a saint, since one’s unique characteristics, flaws and obsessions may perdure. There is an abundance of evidence that awakening experiences can be induced simply by the administration of certain hallucinogenic drugs, so to claim that one is exceptionally remarkable just for being a buddha, is rather conceited.
Unfortunately (for spiritual-seekers), there is a multitude of awakened or partially-awakened persons who mistakenly believe that they are somehow enlightened masters, and proceed to embark on a teaching career. The fact is, many (if not most) of these BOGUS “gurus” are afflicted with a narcissistic, demonic mentality bereft of morality, and ought to be exposed and denounced for the fraudsters that they are.
As very succinctly explained in forthcoming chapters of this Holy Scripture, it is the sacred duty of members of the Priesthood ALONE to disseminate religious/spiritual knowledge throughout society. Simply attaining a “spiritual state”, even with the benefit of a vast body of knowledge, does not automatically confer authority on a person to become a spiritual master (“guru”, in Sanskrit). There is an enormous gulf between the two, in fact.
Most persons would undoubtedly disapprove of a man for stealing the property of another, yet think nothing of a working-class chap or a mere woman performing the function of a priest (“brāhmaṇa”, in Sanskrit). The fact is, when any person (other than a priest/guru) assumes the role of a spiritual teacher, he or she is quite LITERALLY stealing the job of a priest.
By understanding the entirety of this “Final Instruction Sheet for Humanity” it shall assist one in the discernment necessary to distinguish one from the other. As a general rule, at least ninety-five per cent of those giving spiritual precepts to society as a whole, are unqualified to do so.
LIBERATION:
“Liberation” means “freedom”. Thus, a liberated soul is a person who has become emancipated from the five kinds of suffering (blame, shame, pride, regrets/expectations, and anxiety), all of which are based on the belief in personal AGENCY. Read Chapter 15 to understand the nature of suffering, and Chapter 11 to understand that humans are not independent agents with freedom of will.
Awakening experiences are not a prerequisite to being liberated from suffering.
LIKEWISE, not all liberated persons are automatically enlightened (at least not to the degree necessary in order to be labelled as such), but there is a strong correlation between the two states of being. It's possible to be liberated, whilst not possessing a deep understanding of life.
A liberated person is scarce, because very few understand the true nature of suffering, and of those who do understand the distinction between psycho-physical pain and ACTUAL (psychological) suffering, it is difficult to surrender to one's circumstances, free of obsessive thinking and judging. Liberated souls are usually those who have diligently practiced one of the four systems of yoga described in Chapter 16.
Cont...
ENLIGHTENMENT:
Of those who have experienced a state of “oneness” and are free from mental suffering, there are EXTREMELY rare souls who are spiritually-enlightened (at least to such an extent to be worthy of the term). If the term were to be taken literally, a person may be permeated or imbued in light to varying degrees, just as the ocean is more illumined by direct sunlight than it is by the reflected light of the moon.
So, when a layman thinks of an enlightened soul, he or she typically imagines a person who knows what life is “all about”, or has “seen the light of God” (metaphorically-speaking). Simply having an awakening experience is quite far-removed from being an enlightened sage.
Every person who has ever lived can be RANKED according to their level of enlightenment. Even if one understands that there is more to existence than gross matter and localized consciousness, one could claim to be more enlightened than a gross materialist. Therefore, somewhere in the world resides a person who is the most ignorant fool on earth, and at a different location one may find the most enlightened sage extant. Like practically everything in life, enlightenment is relative. Even “complete” enlightenment is not an absolute state. Even the most educated person alive has the capacity to increase his knowledge.
If one were to approach a rocket scientist, one would expect him to fully understand his field of expertise. He would understand advanced physics and chemistry, and know precisely how to design and launch spacecraft into outer-space.
Similarly, an enlightened sage is one who understands LIFE. He knows how this phenomenal world came to be, how the law of action and reaction actually works, how to become liberated from temporal sufferings, and should be able to logically answer any question posed to him by a spiritual seeker (what to speak of highly-intelligent members of the scientific and philosophical communities).
An enlightened person has eschewed all belief systems and relies solely on objective, VERIFIABLE concepts, knowing that even the most accurate concepts are relative, and that the ultimate reality is Absolute. Read Chapter 03 of “F.I.S.H” to appreciate this conceptual framework.
A fully-enlightened person is almost invariably a member of the Holy Priesthood (a prophet, to be more precise), and NECESSARILY possesses a genius or near-genius level of intelligence. “Necessarily”, because, as previously stated, he is required to competently respond to even the most difficult questions and conundrums posed to him by others (otherwise, he can hardly claim to be a fully-enlightened individual). Imagine approaching a so-called “enlightened sage” and after asking him the most profound questions imaginable, he responds “Umm...I don't know!”
On the other hand, even the village idiot can receive awakening experiences. However, to be liberated from suffering, one normally requires at least an average level of intelligence, because understanding the nature of suffering (as opposed to mere pain) is a rather intellectual concept.
Needless to say, an enlightened person adheres to a strict code of morals and ethics, such as the avoidance of illicit sexual activity, gambling, intoxicants, and animal products.
To be fair, there are many examples of persons who seem to be very awakened and/or enlightened, yet engage in base pursuits such as those mentioned above, due to their genetic make-up and their conditioning. However, this category is devoted to highly-evolved beings who LITERALLY radiate holiness - those who even the vilest of souls can recognize to be elevated far above ordinary, animalistic humanity. Sometimes, those vile souls far more easily recognize enlightened saints than do persons who are supposedly spiritually-advanced, as when the demoniacs, called “Legion”, instantly identified the Divine Avatar, Lord Jesus Christ, as the Son of the Most High God, whilst the Jewish high-priest at the time considered The Perfect Person Himself to be naught but a ominous rabble-rouser and a blasphemous sinner.
It seems logical to assume that any person who purports to be a fully-enlightened soul must be morally-upright. Therefore, those who profess to be enlightened individuals, yet who actively support objectively-evil ideologies or practices, such as socialism, communism, democracy, feminism, homosexuality, and carnism, are of no practical benefit to society (quite the opposite, in fact - they are a DETRIMENT to society).
The devilish character, known as “Satan” in the Judeo-Christian tradition, seems to have been quite enlightened about spiritual reality, yet I'm not sure if anyone would call him an “enlightened being”. To be rather forthright, a fully-enlightened sage will accept all the teachings of this Holy Scripture, “A Final Instruction Sheet for Humanity”, as being a very accurate description of life as it is (or as it should be).
Out of a billion persons, there may be one or two enlightened masters. These self-realized world-teachers are almost TOTALLY shunned by society, for, as Lord Jesus Christ once proclaimed: “I am the enemy of the world because I am telling the world that it is evil” (paraphrased).
It is extremely easy to spot a truly-enlightened spiritual master: The first question one should ask a prospective guru is "What is the ideal form of government?". If he acknowledges monarchy to be the only legitimate form of governance, then ask "Does free-will exist for any living creature?". If he responds in the negative, then the chances are that he is a authentic guru, assuming, of course, that he is a strict vegan, and is despised by most all of humanity. If he has more than a couple of dedicated disciples, he is most probably teaching something less than Truth.
“You have to let it happen, just like you have to let yourself go to sleep - you can’t try to go to sleep. You have to let yourself digest your food - you can’t try to digest it.
And so, in the same way, you have to let yourself wake-up (become liberated).”
*************
“A flow of water suddenly does a whirlpool and then it goes on. The whirlpool is a definite form but no water stays put in it.
The whirlpool is something the stream is doing, and in exactly the same way, the universe is doing each one of us.”
Professor Alan W. Watts,
British-American Philosopher.
“Awakening cannot take place, so long as the idea persists, that one is a seeker.
Doing sadhana (spiritual practices) means, assuming the existence of a phantom.
The entity that you think you are, is false.
You ARE the Reality!”
*************
“When Realization dawns, then what happens? You are no longer 'you'. You remain established in the inner silence and freedom, without any concern for your welfare, content with whatever comes along - and life goes on in perfect effortlessness.”
*************
“Only when it is time, in the cosmic scheme of evolution, for a particular psychosomatic apparatus to get enlightened, can enlightenment happen.
And if that time has come, nothing in this world can prevent it from happening.
Nor can anything in this world, make enlightenment happen, if it is not time.”
*************
“The disciple goes to the guru seeking enlightenment, as something which he can enjoy as an individual, while the enlightened guru knows their relationship to be a completely impersonal evolutionary process, in which no individuals figure at all.”
*************
“Enlightenment is total emptiness of mind. There is nothing you can do to get it. Any effort you make, can only be an obstruction to it.”
*************
“If you but cease from useless conceptualizing, you will be what you are and what you have always been.”
*************
“Self-inquiry is the direct path to Self-realization or enlightenment.
The only way to make the mind cease its outward activities, is to turn it inward.
By steady and continuous investigation into the nature of the mind, the mind itself gets transformed into That to which it owes its own existence.”
*************
“When both the rational and intuitive planes of mind are allowed full operation, they get superimposed on each other, resulting in a fasting of the mind or NO-MIND state.
This is the most alert state, in which the mind can find itself, because of the total freedom in which it can operate - a beautiful, natural blending of discipline and spontaneity.”
Ramesh Balsekar,
Indian Spiritual Teacher.
Reverend Eslam Sir, if you have your own channel, I promise to subscribe 🙏🙏🙏
Very woke
@@ravibachalli206
I’m planning a series of videos, so you are welcome to subscribe at any time.
@@ethanjohnson3642
To read the remaining chapters of “A Final Instruction Sheet for Humanity”, which are the most authoritative, accurate and complete spiritual precepts so far in human history, Email:
prophet4god@icloud.com
with the acronym “FISH” in the subject field.
🐟
“The gateway to KNOWLEDGE is ignorance”. 🤓
CONTENTS:
00. PROLOGUE
01. PREFACE
02. A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF “LIFE”
03. CONCEPTS Vs THE TRUTH
04. SCIENCE Vs RELIGION
05. THE PHENOMENAL UNIVERSE
06. CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS
07. GOD (OR NOT)
08. KARMA (ACTION & REACTION)
09. REINCARNATION (OR NOT)
10. EGO (THE SENSE OF SELF):
11. FREE-WILL Vs DETERMINISM
12. LAW, MORALITY, & ETHICS
13. SIN (MISSING THE MARK)
14. DIVINE & DEMONIC NATURES
15. SUFFERING & HAPPINESS
16. YOGA/RELIGION
17. AWAKENING, LIBERATION, & ENLIGHTENMENT
18. THE THREE MODES
19. THE FOUR SOCIAL CLASSES
20. THE PRIESTHOOD
21. THE MONARCHY
22. ILLEGITIMATE GOVERNANCES
23. THE BUSINESS OWNERS
24. THE WORKING-CLASS
25. THE ROLE OF FEMALES
26. FEMINISM
27. MARRIAGE & THE FAMILY
28. SEX & TRANSVESTISM
29. SOCIAL ETIQUETTE
30. FOOD AND DIET
You recommend total acceptance of what is, not resisting, etc. I have tried to do this over the years and I’ve just ended up doing lots of things that I don’t want to do because other people want me to do them. In fact, I’ve lost a lot of self-esteem because of it.
I’m not sure about the meek inheriting the earth - I think people like Trump stand a better chance of doing that!
Acceptance of what is and not resisting life is not about just doing what other people want you to do. If someone walks up and asks me to give them a hundred dollars, I am going to say "no".
@@NondualityChannel Then what do you mean by "acceptance of what is and not resisting life" ? I ask because living by this mantra is actually making my life worse- not better. It feels very unnatural to "accept" everything when my body-mind doesn't want to accept certain things that are happening..
@@SK6954 "when my body-mind doesn't want to accept certain things that are happening" - like what?
How is "acceptance of what is and not resisting life" making life worse?
@@NondualityChannel Well to generalize what I mean... Each body-mind has a particular set of likes and aversions. This is part of the genetic/biological uniqueness of each organism/body.. So to say "accept what is happening now and don't resist" is like telling a person with nut allergy to eat the peanuts being served to him & to not to resist it. .
So "not resisting things" feel like I am living a life of pretense & forcing myself to "like" certain situations & people that I have a natural aversion to. For example, is a rabbit going to "accept" that a tiger is about to attack it? Or is the rabbit going to protect its body by "resisting" the situation and run away from the tiger?
@@SK6954 More like telling someone with a nut allergy...accept and don't resist the nut allergy...accept that you can't have the peanut butter cups or whatever that everyone is raving about how good they are. Do not resent the nut allergy. Maybe you feel that this is pretense & forcing yourself to "like" the nut allergy, but as the nut allergy is what-is and reality...what does resenting it and disliking it do for you other than create suffering? You have to come to terms and accept it in order to cease suffering.
Do not say YES, Do not say NO
Just be there to AWARE, then let it pass and STAY CALM. Change will arise, be calm. and calm will finally ends.
CEESATION OF CONCIOUSNESS is the STOPPING of your six sense.
Ceesation is ENLIGHTMENT.
BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI
I like these videos. Thank you so much for sharing them.
In vipassana after you experience calm and after calm subside and when pain arise, you will feel aversion, the way of vipasanna is to aware of the pain, at the same time remember everythings is anicha and as you watch the pain and experiece the pain but you must also remember to apply your meditative experience on aware and detach and stay calm. If you can do this, the pain will vanish. It vanish because wisdom or panna is develop in your mind.
Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu,
BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI
Thank you Eric.
Hi Erik, thank you for sharing ! I have a question ...I have a little boy of five years old. I love him for the way he looks, for how he is, for how he acts, for his funny, clever humor, even being only five, for his smile....etc. If the body, mind, feelings are all illusions, and the true self is unknown for someone who is not enlightened, than " what " is left for me to love and " what " do i teach him to love, if not my body, mind or the way i am is real to him ? 🙏
Self-love.
You don't teach him anything. Don't try to impose some belief system onto him.
Just allow to be who he is. Without judgment.
He will feel whatever you're feeling about yourself.
As the OP says - practise self love.
This will be far better in raising an emotionally healthy child, than any mental manipulations you're trying to do.
The concious is the universe. You are what you eat. You are the cause and the effect. It is you who unconciously create yourself.
The BUDDHA sees everything clearly. The BUDDHA do not guess. He is an Enlighten being.The BUDDHA challenge anyone and everyone to come and experience his teaching yourself and you will know.
He do not teach things that is unknown. That is why he tell you just simply don't believes. So he challenge everybody to come and experience what he teach and you will know.
I challenge the Buddha so i come to experience his teaching and the Buddha won. And i become enlighted. That was the beauti of this challenge. Now i know.
Guy come challenge the Buddha teaching.
May all being be awaken soonest.
BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI
Beautiful. Thank you.
I believe to the saying that “there is no enlightenment” or “no enlightened person” as enlightenment also is a story inside this life. How can someone get out of himself or how the One can get out of itself if it is the only thing that exists? Every feeling (feeling of enlightenment) seems to me also a duality. Non duality seems to me something that cannot be felt or attained.
Enlightenment is not a feeling. Nonduality is not a feeling. If you are seeking an experience, of course, it can not be found.
@@NondualityChannel But we are feeling beings. If non dualism is not felt then what it is? Disappearance?
@@shlomobachar4123 An intuitive insight that results in the cessation of feeling separation or otherness.
@@NondualityChannel But your prior advice was to remain with "What Is"... doesn't "what is" also include direct feelings & experience through the 5 senses?
@@SK6954 Yes, remain with "what is"...that is the pointer. Attending to the feeling/experiencing of the moment is also a pointer too. But I never said that either was "enlightenment" or was "nonduality".
Response to 23:39
Albert Einstein said the most important question to ask oneself is, "is the world a friendly place?"
Strong pointers....Great post!
Dear Eric, after enlightenment, would you say that the goals you had became more realistic and less egoic/delusional? Also, would you say that you got better at acheiving your personal goals after enlightenment, due to the added clarity?
I was never one to do much goal setting and after enlightenment my goals are even less substantial or important. Goals are about as important as saying my goal is to get to the next level of this game I am playing.
Thank you sir 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I experienced ego death 3 weeks ago triggered by sever anxiety and now all my depression and anxiety is gone. I'm off all my meds without "trying to quit". I finally realized I was identifying with my thoughts and at a chronic non stop level. Is it normal to have physical symptoms? 1 day I had muscle aches as if I had a fever yet I didn't feel "ill" and my mind was still rather clear and positive. I have canker sores now and I've never had any in my life (i dont think i stepped on any rusty screws either). Also I was a "foodie" and out of no where I don't feel comfortable eating flesh. Now I'm vegatarian but since my parents always buy meat I still feel I have to eat it and take on the animal's suffering since the food is already available. I feel guilty letting it waste. Another thing. Even though I realize my suffering was just a product of conditioning I still can't get over my fear of darkness and most insects (especially spiders). I also still smoke marijuana to relieve physical pain but I'd like to achieve full sobriety. Also, now with my new state of mind, I no longer "feel" or "think" different when smoking cannabis compared to when I am sober, I only feel the physical effect.)
Are all these sensations normal on the path to enlightenment?
There is no path to enlightenment.
@@NondualityChannel Reading this made something click. Thanks!
@@NondualityChannel Re thinking my question. Once achieving "realization of true self" or "awakening" or whatever it may be called. Is it normal to have a lot of moments where I catch my self falling back into the "ego state"? Will my awareness stamina increase over time to the point where I won't fall back into ego mind/identity?
@@toyobeats1580 Once true awakening and realization happens, the illusion of "me" (i.e. ego/identity) shatters and is never believed again. There is no need to increase stamina to keep from falling back. The "me" is simply not believed anymore.
@@NondualityChannel thank you again
Love you Erik ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Great! Videos like these are extremely helpful
For me Personally, parts of Enlightenment weren't, Possible really, until I Released. Released, Childhood Traumas.
Does this have to be painful/confusinf/chaotic and difficult????
I wish i was just enlightened all of a sudden, i feel very confused and all trying to work on that
Would u recommemd selflove and acceptance ?… Is enlightment Self Love ?
Yes, Self-love and acceptance are good practices.
@@NondualityChannel Thx 🙏🏼❤️☮️
Sir 😊 as you said the second guiding principle, to distinguish between what is and what isn't. I am unable to understand it, I mean, what is this "What is/real/that exist" and what is this "what isn't/unreal/that doesn't exist". Some examples of this principle (2nd guiding principle).🤪 Sir would you please help with it.🤗
An example...words are not the things themselves. A concept is not reality.
@@NondualityChannel clear sir very clear 😇
Thank you soo soo soo much for spending your precious time and helping me. I am very thankful for this.🤗
Gosh…..! Why can’t I do it? I am embracing, observing, trying to allow and let go…. I know so much conceptually… But I still don’t get it 😅
A "me" is doing all this...investigate this "me".
To established enlightment you will need to understand these teachings? They are the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four constituents of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the Noble Eight-fold Path
In vipassana practice all these 37 enlightment factors is withing it. So if one practice vipasanna correctly, attainment can be established.
This is instruction from the BUDDHA.
If you sincerely seek enlightment in mind purification, Vipasanna is the way.
But you will need an ariya vipasanna teacher to guides you when you need help.
May all sincere heart seeking enlightment have opportunity to meet the right teacher to guide one to ENLIGHTMENT.
BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMIl
thanks eric :)
Sir 😁 this time a bit silly question, isn't being "still, silent and aware" enough 😅 I mean if I don't do self inquiry, or distinguish between real and unreal or that which exist and that which doesn't exist, and just be still and silent and aware, isn't it enough? 😁😅😂
Being still, silent, and fully aware...not even thinking...this is primary. This is not a doing (but a ceasing to do), but if you feel you must do something - then look at the "me" you feel/think yourself to be. Observe and question it. Or otherwise diminish the "me".
Thank you thank you thank you 🙏🏽
Hi Eric. How does it follow that being more aware of physical sensations and less aware of mental phenomena can lead to a more conducive environment for enlightenment? If that is the case, babies would be more ripe for enlightenment than anyone, but how does it follow that more physical awareness or not-doing is better than thinking a lot?
It is not about less being aware of mental phenomena, but that thought ceases when fully experiencing the moment. Thinking is a distraction from what is here and now. Enlightenment is sometimes said to be seeing what is as it truly is. So does it not make sense that not being distracted by thought and more fully with what is...is more conducive to seeing what is as it truly is...instead of not really looking at what is but thought and imagination? As for babies...there is little to no mental illusion to see through yet...so a quiet mind doesn't really help babies to see through the illusion and never be fooled by the illusion again.
Karma is memory. It was karma that remember to take you to new rebirth.To heaven if good deeds and to hell,hungry ghost realsm, animal if bad deeds.
The BUDDHA say KARMA are your HEIR.
Below are the working of karma:
Karma saka:I am my own karma
Karma dayada:I am heir to to my karma
Karma yoni:I am born in this life from my karma
Katma bandhu :I am the kinsman of my karma.
Karma patisarana:I am protected by my karma.
Yam kammam karissami... What ever karma i shall do
Tasa dayado bhavissami ti...I shall become their heir.
One question: I understand I am not the body, I am that I am. I am universal consciousness. However, my form/body is my vehicle...so to speak. So my question is, Do you think diet and exercise is important for my well being? Or is physical health of minor importance? The subject of physical health never seems to come up in the "spiritual" comunity.
Diet and exercise are important only for the body's health. You are not the body, nor is the body your vehicle. Self is all there is...no other, no second...without circumference or center. Exercise and diet if you want...but YOU are no better for it and no worse for the lack of it.
@@NondualityChannel I get that. Self is all there is. But what I'd like to share, with anyone who's interested, is that I have come to realize something equally as powerful as liberating ones true self from the lenses of the conditioned, egoic mind. And that is,...wait for it...,liberating the body from carbohydrates. 😵 Really. So far this knowledge is about as popular as Enlightenment. Not many have realized it but it is, ever so slowly, becoming known to more and more people. Check out Ken Berry or Sten Ekberg. 💖🙏💖 / 💪💖
@@EnlightenedCarnivoreBut I love carbs! A good pizza is pure joy.
@@pumpkini586 😆 I hear you. And if ut ain't broke, don't fix it. But if you become dangerously overweight or get diabetes or ANY illness really, check out those folks whe teach keto, ketovore and/or carnivoe.
I only eat beef, eggs, heavy cream, salt and water. For 6 months now, and I'm not bored yet. I Love a good steak! 😍
✌️😎
@@EnlightenedCarnivore Nice. I tried keto but it gave me terrible insomnia. Magnesium didn’t help. I feel healthy at the moment so carbs seem ok for me, at least for now, who knows what the future holds :)
Two things. First, if you say yes to everything, does it mean if someone is hurting you just let it be? Second, what if i want to say no to something, can i say yes to saying no? What's the point here?
Saying yes is not the same as letting it be. But accepting, receiving, and listening are essential if you are to defend yourself like a great Aikido master. Never go force against force. "Yes", accept, receive, listen...and redirect.
The very being "I" swamiji
Sir 😁
Didn't understand "what is and what isn't". Would you please help with it?🤭
I am not sure what you are referring to.
A genuine question...why do you wear a mala. I wear Tulsi beads. I haven't reached awareness of non-duality although theoretically l know l am not the body, mind or intellect. I thought once l reach this awareness my tulsi beads will no longer be necessary. They are part of the duality, seeing Divinity as separate and my existence as just a part of that Divinity. I would be interested to know if you consider the mala and sadhana still relevant? I understand Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi chanted regularly.
I had done a video answering the beads question - czcams.com/video/OLuAbv_pRqo/video.html
I still meditate, do kirtan, chant, and do various experiments as well. It is not necessary...I don't expect anything from it...there is nothing to be gained, but it is still enjoyed.
You say "Cease manipulation. Don't try to alter or change anything". You see the paradox in this, right? If I'm trying to manipulate and then I try to cease doing that, isn't that trying to change something?
Manipulation is a doing. If it has already been done, then don't worry about it. Just cease further doing. Ceasing to do...is not a doing.
Begging your pardon, but sure it is. Ceasing something is changing something. I have to *do* the change.
@@davivify Everything changes...there is no way to not change. Cease trying to change...cease this doing. Change will happen regardless.
brother, please share the signs of awakening, by which one can be sure that yes it has happened , and even if it has happened is it wise to keep silent for some years, like a newborn baby who take some years to utter his first few words
Here is a video about the signs - czcams.com/video/TPVAk8z0eX4/video.html
Agreed
One comment though.
You didn't mentioned the way of action (ex Karma Yoga).
For those hooked on action, how do you see it? With risks? dangers? or an acceptable way? and if so could you delve on it?
Karma Yoga which primarily is the practice of acting without expectation or attachment to the fruits of action does diminish the "me". It helps create a more conducive environment for the grace of awakening.
@@NondualityChannel Thanks
The ENLIGHTMENT OF THE BUDDHA IS NIBANNA. The BUDDHA explain if in any meditation there are no knowledge of 8 noble path and 4 noble truth there will be no ceesation of six sense thus no enkightment that leads to nibanna.
4 noble truth they are understanding of sufferring, the cause of suffering, the way to end sufferring, tge end if suffering.
DUKKHA-the truth of sufferring.
SAMUDAYA-the truth of the original of sufferring.
NIRODHA-the truth to the ceesation(end) of sufferring.
MAGGA-the truth of the path to the ceesation (end) of sufferring.
With these only then it is possible to gain ENLIGHTMEN. .
I can see through that I'm not my thoughts. But the doubt that my consiousness is byproduct of body is hard to dismiss. :/
🐟 06. CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS:
Consciousness means “that which knows” or “the state of being aware”, from the Latin prefix “con” (with), the stem “scire” (to know) and the suffix “osus” (characterized by). There is BOTH a localized knowing and a Universal Awareness, as explicated in the following paragraphs.
Higher species of animal life have sufficient cognitive ability to know themselves and their environment, at least to a measurable degree.
HOWEVER, in recent years, the term has been used in esoteric spiritual circles (usually capitalised) to refer to a far more Universal Consciousness (“puruṣa”, in Sanskrit), due to the fact that the English language doesn’t include a single word denoting the universal Ground of Being (for instance “Brahman”, “Tao”, in other tongues). The word “Awareness” (capitalized) is arguably a more apposite term for this concept.
The typical person believes that the apparatus which knows the external world is his mind (via the five senses), but more perceptive individuals understand that the mind itself is cognizable by the intellect. Wise souls recognize that the sense of self (the pseudo-ego) is the perceiver of their intellects, whereas awakened persons have realized that the true self/Self is the witness of ALL these temporal phenomena.
The true self is synonymous with Consciousness, or with Infinite Awareness, or the Undifferentiated Unified Field (“Brahman”, in Sanskrit).
The Tao (The Reality [lit. The Way]) which can be expressed in language is not the REAL Tao. All concepts are, by nature, relative, and at most, can merely point to the Absolute. That explains why some branches of theology use the apophatic method of discerning The Infinite (“neti neti”, [not this, not that], in Sanskrit). Also known in Latin as “via negativa” or “via negationis” theology, this philosophical approach to discovering the essential nature of Reality, gradually negates each description about Ultimate Reality, but not Reality Itself.
The brain is merely a conduit or TRANSDUCER of Universal Consciousness, explaining why the more intelligent the animal, the more it can understand its own existence (or at least be aware of more of its environment - just see how amazingly-complex dolphin behaviour can be, compared with other aquatic species), and the reason why it is asserted that a truly enlightened human must possess a far higher level of intelligence than the average person. See Chapter 17 to understand the distinction between enlightenment and mere awakening.
The brain is COMPARATIVELY equivalent to computer hardware, Universal Awareness is akin to the operating system, whilst individuated consciousness is analogous to the software programme, using deoxyribonucleic acid as the memory chip. A person who is comatosed has lost any semblance of personal consciousness, yet is being kept alive by the presence of Universal Consciousness (here, the word “coma” is not to be taken by its etymological definition of “deep sleep”, but the medical condition of a persistent vegetative state).
An apt analogy for Universal Consciousness is the manner in which electricity powers a variety of appliances and gadgets, according to the use and COMPLEXITY of the said device. Electricity powers a washing machine in a very simple manner, to drive a large spindle for laundering clothes. However, the very same electrical power may be used to operate a computer to manifest an astonishing range of outputs, such as playing audiovisual tracks, communication tasks and performing extremely advanced mathematical computations, depending on the computer's software and hardware. The more advanced/complex the device, the more complex its manifestation of the same electricity.
So, then, one could complain: “That's not fair - why can only a genius be enlightened?” (as defined in Chapter 17).
The answer is: first of all, as stated above, every species of animal has its own level of intelligence on a wide-ranging scale. Therefore, a pig or a dog could (if possible) ask: “That's unfair - why can only a human being be enlightened?”
Secondly, it is INDEED a fact that life is unfair, because there is no “tit for tat” law of action and reaction, even if many supposedly-great religious preceptors have stated so. They said so because they were preaching to wicked miscreants who refused to quit their evil ways, and needed to be chastized in a forceful manner. It is not possible to speak gentle words to a rabid dog to prevent it from biting you.
There is evidence of Consciousness being a universal field, in SAVANT SYNDROME, a condition in which someone with significant mental disabilities demonstrate certain abilities far in excess of the norm, such as superhuman rapid mathematical calculation, mind-reading, blind-seeing, or astounding musical aptitude. Such behaviour suggests that there is a universal field (possibly in holographic form) from which one can access information. Even simple artistic inspiration could be attributed to this phenomenon. The great British singer-songwriter, Sir James Paul McCartney, one day woke with the complete tune of the song, “Yesterday”, in his mind, after hearing it in a dream. American composer, Paul Simon, had a similar experience when the chorus of his sublime masterpiece, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, simply popped into his head.
Three states of awareness are experienced by humans and possibly all other species of mammals: the waking state (“jāgrata”, in Sanskrit), dreaming (“svapna”, in Sanskrit), and deep-sleep (“suṣupti”, in Sanskrit). Beyond these three temporal states is the fourth 'state' (“turīya” or “caturīya”, in Sanskrit). That is the unconditioned, eternal 'state', which underlies the other three. So, in actual fact, the fourth state is not a state, but the Unconditioned Ground of Being (or to put it simply, YOU, the real self/Self).
Perhaps the main purpose of dreams is so that we can understand that the waking-state is practically indistinguishable to the dream-state, and thereby come to see the ILLUSION of this ephemeral world. Both our waking-state experiences and our dream-state experiences occur solely within the mental faculties (refer to Chapter 04 for an elucidation of this phenomenon). If somebody in one of your dreams were to ask your dream-state character if the dream was real, you (playing the part of that character) would most likely say, “yes, of course this is real!” Similarly, if someone were to ask your waking-state character if this world is real, you would almost undoubtedly respond in kind.
The Ultimate Reality (“Brahman”, in Sanskrit) alone is real - “real” in the sense that it is the never-mutable substratum of ALL existence. The wisest of the philosophers of ancient India distinguished the “real” from the “unreal” (“sat/asat”, in Sanskrit) by whether or not the “thing“ was eternal or ephemeral (Cf. Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1:3:28, Bhagavad-gītā 2:16, et altri). Gross material objects (such as one's own body) and subtle material objects (such as thoughts) are always changing, and therefore not “real”.
Reality is clearly seen by those self-realized persons who have experienced spiritual awakenings, yet only intellectually understood by those who have merely studied spiritual topics (that is, those who have practiced one of the four systems of religion described in Chapter 16).
“Consciousness must first be there, before anything else can BE.
All inquiry of the seeker of truth, must therefore, relate to this consciousness, this sense of conscious presence, which as such, has no personal reference to any individual.”
*************
“Insofar as you keep watching the mind and discover yourself as its witness, nothing else can project itself on the screen of consciousness.
This is so, because two things cannot occupy the attention, at the same moment.
Therefore, delve within and find out where thoughts arise.
Seek the source of all thought and acquire the Self-knowledge, which is the awakening of Truth.”
*************
“If you remain as you are now, you are in the wakeful state. This is abolished in the dream state.
The dream state disappears, when you are in deep sleep. The three states come and go, but you are always there.
Your real state, that of Consciousness itself, continues to exist always and forever and it is the only Reality.”
Ramesh Balsekar,
Indian Spiritual Teacher.
“As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clearheaded science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about the atoms this much: There is no matter as such! All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particles of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Spirit. This Spirit is the matrix of all matter.”
*************
“I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing, postulates consciousness.”
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck,
German Theoretical Physicist.
Hey greetings Erick, hope everything is going well. I was wondering if anything else happened to you after your experience in 2005? Did it was a one-time experience?
Enlightenment is not an experience, but a profound dispelling of ignorance and arising of understanding. Enlightenment is sudden and complete (as it is said in Zen and Chan Buddhism). When you ask, has anything happened since 2005...I am not sure how to answer...life goes on.
@@NondualityChannel I see... Thanks for replying
❤️ no free will. already ❤️
I'm from India..can u suggest me someone from India who can help me on this path of awakening
Don't know anyone to suggest.
"I am not the body and mind."
I am the body, but not mind(which us ego that is composed of self-image, insecurities, need for psychological comforts etc). Body is physical, how can that be denied?
The identification with the body doesn't exist when the mind goes away. Saying "I am not the body" isn't true, because I am the body when the mind goes away.
Try the first half of this video -czcams.com/video/-A0cCNr6Wws/video.html
@@NondualityChannel Thank you. I watched it.
I am body, including the fingers and arms until they are severed, including the liver and heart until they are transplanted.
I am body, including all the parts to which my nervous system is connected to.
Nonetheless, I am not attached to the body. I am not identified with the body. That doesn't mean I am not the body.
Identification is the domain of mind. You can remove the first part of the linked video, because it is not useful in the slightest sense. I haven't yet watched the second part.
@@Surya-ji5tz Have you really lost you after a hair cut or nail clipping? Are you diminished and less you from that point on?
@@NondualityChannel There seems to be a bug. My comment isn't showing up, even after I hit the post button.
What is the Truth/love ? Can you make a video on that?
Truth is simply what is. Lies are fundamentally what is not., Illusions are what is not (the water seen in a mirage does not exist).
In the absence of ignorance, there is only love. Ignorance is also a what is not...a not knowing.
@@NondualityChannel how is it true that te "me" which has experinced awakening, cant BE or EMNBODY it? How does one actually live from that place of oneness,which i think is what people call love?
@@elenol1310 The "me" never experiences awakening. Awakening shatters the illusion of "me". Love/Truth/Silence/the Self...whatever term used...is what is left after the illusion of "me" shatters. There is no "me" to embody anything. No such separation exists.
@@NondualityChannel I mean you cant make awakening happen, it just happens? That's why people call it the natural state hah?
@@elenol1310 Think of it like a container of water with sand and dirt in it...and we are mixing it. What can you do to make the water go clear? Whatever you do only agitates the water and continues to keep the sand and dirt mixed in the water. However, if you stop and do nothing...the sand and dirt naturally settle to the bottom and the water becomes clear. This is the natural state...and it comes about when nothing is done.
Enlightened beings are the last to brag about enlightenment.
But there is a difference between bragging and simply stating a fact of what has happened.
But how do you know? That could be an assumption or maybe your observation. Maybe enlightenment is a dis-identification with forms. Maybe the actors keep playing their roles.
@@e-karttolle786 ALL things are mental constructions with the nature of an illusion. ALL suffering is an overlooking of this obvious direct fact.
Monk must remember why they become monk.
The answer is to become ENLIGHTED. Monk must not think ENLIGHTMENT is hard. This kinds of thinking is very ignorance.
Start practice Vipasanna and STOP THE THINKING.
NIBANNA is the STOPPING of all thoughts and CEESATION of mind will be ACCOMPLISHED. CEESATION of mundane conciousness is NIBANNA.
Here is a SIMILE:so as the fire stop its flame(represant the mind) when no more wood(represant sense door) are added. And then it shall totally exthinguish(represant mind also decay)
Simile 2: Suppose one blow out a candle light, where is the candle light go?
Suppose i have a another candle and i lighted it. Can you say this new lighted candle light is the same candle light of the previous one that i blown off.
Definitely it is not. So the same goes when one attain to nibanna, the samsara mind is discarded. This phenomenor cannot be realised until one come to attainment oneself.
The BUDDHA say AHEPASIKO and you will know.
BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI
We’re already enlightened blinded by conditioning from this crazy world
There is a cessation of suffering upon enlightenment.
@@NondualityChannel I wish I could reach it, because I’m tired of suffering
Stop doing. And stop even that.
Who is looking to be enlightened?
A figment of imagination.
Can you remember your past births..
There really is no such thing as 'my" past births...no birth is other than the Self.
@@NondualityChannel the reborn theory is fake? ..
@@user-zi1ks8vc8o The theory of an "other" is fake. So what birth or rebirth is not the Self?
In other words, you don’t exist. The entity that is asking the question is ultimately unreal. Therefore, any past life that you may have had was also just another form of illusion, false self. What you actually are, is the core being of all apparent others, therefore is other. Like waves come up in the ocean.. The waves appear to be separate from the ocean, we even call them waves in order to differentiate them from the ocean itself. The waves have never truly left the ocean, therefore cannot be other than ocean. Like waves, we exist as individuals while not actually existing apart from our true nature. It’s a paradox like everything else. Remember that these questions all come from ego, which means that there is some underlying fear, some need for control. Best thing to do is to stay quiet. Quiet your mind, unplug from the endless thought stream. This will eventually strengthen identification with the watcher (self), and weaken identification with the false self/ego. Eric is spot on, right seeing is not something that can be attained by the ego through any practice. It is a Grace, but can be called upon.. The fact that you’re seeking and asking questions in its self is a Grace. Just relax into it, it will happen on its own time. Why/when the self chooses to awaken in form is unknowable to the human mind. Just stay out of thought, do self inquiry, and treat everyone with love and respect, whether you feel they deserve it or not.
@@whatisthis-y8w 🙏
So enlightenment is coming to the ultimate realisation that life is exiatentiallt and ultimatelt not that deep and u just gotta chill tf out and just do whatever u want? 🤣🤣
Oh goodness, you seriously think that you're enlightened.
Why not?
Thank you.