True Enlightenment

a reply to: Nothin

hahaha it never ignored in duality whether self or other... of just self supporting or ego and out for oneself? Or no self to be found? Thats the earth touching gesture. The earth and everything in the entire universe of contact not "oneself" is currently supporting the you or ego.

Kill the ego self... The one that only takes from the earth, and others... The one that; deludedly thinks he or she or it... is self supporting, then who supports who? No life energy in the entire system of matter and energy is an island in the whole vastness of all there is nor limits placed down to a single point of grasping, is self supporting.

Everything is in contact with everything at all times... never separate; energy cannot be created or destroyed only harnessed, matter is neither created nor destroyed; it just changes form... and energy like water fills and surrounds it and yet none of it is ever separate in all there was, is, or ever will be.

That's reality... everything else? Reality too.

a reply to: BigBrotherDarkness

Yeah: it's always there.
Ego argues, and suggests many reasons why it needs to be maintained.
It's like having a dear friend, who lies a lot. But you still love them, and figure that sometimes they're speaking truth.

Feel like the other side has been seen. A few times. And it's a very severe step, and would lead to either living homeless, or in a cave or mountain hut.
Can't do that right now. Some dear loved-ones still need me to care for them. So that's just the way it is. So will care for them until it is no longer needed.

Would like to hear stories of old hermits, if you have any to share.

Thank-you.

a reply to: Nothin

Caring for others is the path; so there's no stepping on any shadow but your own. Of course feeling like there's someone or something holding you back from life or one you want to live can leave one feeling restless... and not at peace; just being honest with yourself and others leads to all of the eight fold path being walked.

I've been doing the hermit thing for a couple of years now; I didn't see another person for nine months... choosing solitude brings eveything ever unfaced to the surface laying it bare, nothing or anyone around to have as a distraction aiding in covering things up... of course once it's all cleared out, no questions left about life, and no doubt can arise or be placed? Just done at that point... but life still goes on, and caring for others when the "self" has ceased just sort of happens as a side effect; and it's a good thing for however long one's consciousness persists...

Alone but not alone... is basically what the divine marriage is; it's not brick and mortar as there's no one to reach out and hold onto but; always embraced in the fullness of being. Technically, in dogmatic terms the; yab-yum.

As far as hermit literature goes...
One of my favorite Buddhist hermits is Han Shan; www.hermitary.com...

There's a couple U.S. one's that immediately come to mind; en.wikipedia.org... and en.wikipedia.org...

a reply to: BigBrotherDarkness

Thanks for your reply, and encouragement, and for the hermit stories!
Any outside desires, are passed though a "what's best for all" filter. But far from perfect.

Love spending a week alone in a wilderness camp. Am overdue to do that again soon.
But 9 months! Wow! Maybe in 10 or 20 years.

Enlightenment to me is a misnomer. A new age term.

We are already everything. Nothing to seek. Nothing to conquer.
All we do is experience. And that we do in the moment.

a reply to: Nothin

No worries; I hope their stories inspire and hold you in a state of wonder and imagination... when life gets too difficult or too easy that's typically the dwelling place to either escape from torment or keep some sort of ease as a coping mechanism to life.

I didn't plan for the nine months of solitude to occur; it just sort of happened that way... a culmination of causes from various sources, produced nine months and some odd days as an effect. I am glad it did though... same way a snail retracts into it's shell, sometimes a recoil is a matter of life and death.

Toxic people can mean death when carrying a lot of pain baggage and conceptual load around like that of a hungry ghost; so of course one can be the medicine, ignore them as they inherit their own karma from past cause and effect, or dream right along with them... and when are all three of those not occuring in some way shape or form of contact with another?

When the ineffable state is one's dweling... all else is an emanation and not even real, but how much of what people dwell in as reality is actually that to begin with?

a reply to: TerraHuman

Yes and memory the echo and shadow that looms all of it yet to come... life goes on.