Wow. I finally get it! The Enlightenment.

Originally posted by darkbake

Basically right on. What gets in people's way is when they think that the way to happiness is through power for themselves at the expense of others - they persist on this path, even when it consistently ruins their lives.

The only reason I have walked the path to darkness is to get a better understanding of it. I almost didn't make it back.

edit on 13-6-2012 by darkbake because: (no reason given)

And wasn't that near-miss such a thrill? I feel the same way about my own "descent".

There is no entity so conservative as the One Infinite. It can afford conservatism, as it has eternity to play with and no schedule to keep. Don't worry, folks! This roller coaster indeed has rails!

I posted this yesterday on another thead called 'A world without time' and think it fits in here quite nicely, so i am copying it here:

'Knowledge' is mind stuff but 'knowing' is not.
A baby 'knows' more than most adults do. A baby knows his surrounding and explores it's surrounding and is very aware and responsive. Adults know 'knowledge', they know what is in their heads, they are lost in mind and they are reactive.
Babies sense the enviroment. Adults 'make' sense of the world. They build a world in the mind.
Adults have been taught to build a picture in the heads (mind) about what they 'think' the 'external' world is like and they build a picture of what they 'think' themselves to be in their head. Adults have separated themselves from what is real by building idols/images in the mind.
Babies see and know what is present and they are one with the enviroment.

"Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."--Matt. 18:3

reply to post by Itisnowagain


this is complete hypocrit gibbirish

babies dont know anything of their suroundings at all that is why they need adults for a long time, baby cannot survive at all instinctively

but babies know themselves much more then adults bc they are positive wills, while adults are what became positive gains so they are separated from their wills and their positive geniun free will to b a true self one

so the fact u use serve the opposite to what u r using it for

reply to post by absolutely


"Gibberish (sometimes spelled Jibberish) is a generic term in English for talking that sounds like speech, but carries no actual meaning. This meaning has also been extended to meaningless text or gobbledygook. The common theme in gibberish statements is a lack of literal sense, which can be described as a presence of nonsense." Wiki.

Maybe you should change your name to 'absolutely gibberish'.

reply to post by Itisnowagain


you cant but confirm the hypocrit gibberish u r in any sentence, miserable pitiful pretense of being all

i proved what a baby is to all objective existence fact which everyone know while u keep insist to invent truths and justify it in personal negative tones to others and about them

copying or pasting sentences dont add to what u say anything on the contrary it brings ur mean to nothing said

Originally posted by Blarneystoner
Well I'm glad someone else finally gets it.

I third that ;+]

Originally posted by Blarneystoner
Hahaha....

Something tells me that a truly enlightened person will not be on ATS discussing it...

...just so much mental masturbation.

I don't think there's anything at all a truly enlightened person would be able to do other than try to point the way or inspire. So there's nothing that out there about those types of people being around on ATS at any point in time, and they might have been around all along. It doesn't matter how awakened or skillful a person is, they can't wake others up unless they're ready to wake up themselves.

Originally posted by Gorman91
reply to post by arpgme

 

Yes. And some people have fun making others suffer. Some even consider that a form of love.

Compassionate is a part of love, so by definition, love can not be making another suffer.

Even if that wos the case, the problem is the person's definition of words, in which case, I'll just say, I'm using the most understood definition (via dictionary).

When you "play" with someone, both parties are willing participants. This is what I mean by it is all about fun and playing by yourself and with others.

Originally posted by Gorman91
reply to post by arpgme

 

Your assumptions that play and fun are universally defined are, frankly, false.

Not everyone plays fair.

Just for fun, I looked up the word "fun" in many differently languages and the definition from the other language was "fun, amusement". In most languages, these two words are connected.

reply to post by arpgme


on the contrary love is a reason of suffer becoming object as existing fact since u r meaning ur limits in a positive sense like a free source

it is important to admit that positive true existence is essentially due to its unlimited character and to its absolute lack of negative point, so positive cant b true unless it provides clearly free superiority so never limited and it means clearly to protect its fact constancy as it is so reject what could touch it to serve itself i guess positively from

reply to post by arpgme


Right on! I couldn't agree more. As 311 says "It's simple, yet profound." It's something everyone can and should strive to see. It takes a little effort at first, but once you see "IT," your feels so much more complete and fulfilling. Until you see it, it's hard to explain to someone that hasn't. It's an energy that every living thing can tap into at any time. It's love. It's peace. It's beauty. It's all positive energy rolled into one universal connection. This time last year I would have said that all sounds like a load of crap, but it's so incredible true. You just have to look for it. It's right in front of your eyes!

Originally posted by robhines

Originally posted by Blarneystoner
Hahaha....

Something tells me that a truly enlightened person will not be on ATS discussing it...

...just so much mental masturbation.

I don't think there's anything at all a truly enlightened person would be able to do other than try to point the way or inspire. So there's nothing that out there about those types of people being around on ATS at any point in time, and they might have been around all along. It doesn't matter how awakened or skillful a person is, they can't wake others up unless they're ready to wake up themselves.

One cannot point the way to another when the path is internal.

Someone once said: "first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye"

Here's my take on it.... Having dealt with the passing of many family and friends, I am convinced that the most spritual experience anyone can ever have and the key to enlightenment is the simple act of letting go. Letting go of the physical and stepping fully into the eather where one is no longer bound to the physical.

"And as long as you're subject to birth and death, you'll never attain enlightenment."
~ Bodhidharma
(note the "Bodhi" prefix of the name, indicating an enlightened existance according to Buddhism)

"Do not think you will necessarily be aware of your own enlightenment."
~ Dogen
This is why I say that a truly enlightened person would not be discussing it on ATS...

"Enlightenment must come little by little - otherwise it would overwhelm."
~ Idries Shah

Hindi's believe that it can take many lifetimes to achieve. Enlightenment doesn't strike like a bolt of lightening.... as the OP describes.

reply to post by arpgme


Once upon a time a traveler came across a famous enlightened wise man carrying water to his house.

He asked the wise man what is enlightenment like.

The wise man smiled and put down the buckets of water and said, "Like a burden being lifted from your shoulders. Much like me putting these heavy buckets of water down."

The traveler smiled and thoughtfully asked, "What happens after enlightenment?"

The wise man smiled again, picked up the buckets and continued on home.

Its nothing. Your not different than the rest of us. Except for......
flic.kr...

reply to post by grey580


so??? u r leaning on everyone imagination>> so the answer is the lie

the miserable went back showing how useless the whole thing is when he must buy water and carry it to survive a while

Originally posted by robhines

I don't think there's anything at all a truly enlightened person would be able to do other than try to point the way or inspire. So there's nothing that out there about those types of people being around on ATS at any point in time, and they might have been around all along. It doesn't matter how awakened or skillful a person is, they can't wake others up unless they're ready to wake up themselves.

And enlightened person knows that he can't share what he knows until others are ready to listen to what he has to say.
Otherwise it's like leading a horse to water.

You are very correct.

You get it? What enlightenment? And, if you've been "enlightened", what changes have you made in your life? For me, the "it" is this system we live in vs. the plan God has for each and every life, on this planet. The system wants to keep you from that 'good life' that God has for you, with lies and deception. That's the "it" i get. Too bad nobody else gets "it". They're too busy being RELIGIOUS and serving this world's god. (small g)

the way of exiting this collective universal hallucination is through meditation or psychedelics and I can say from first hand experience there are many beautiful things that is here on this planet along with beautiful beings who exist amongst us, the problem is we cannot perceive them because of our blindness, meditation is the only way to go to find heaven on earth inside of yourself, universal consciousness is inside yourself

reply to post by Blarneystoner

Originally posted by Blarneystoner

Originally posted by robhines

Originally posted by Blarneystoner
Hahaha....

Something tells me that a truly enlightened person will not be on ATS discussing it...

...just so much mental masturbation.

I don't think there's anything at all a truly enlightened person would be able to do other than try to point the way or inspire. So there's nothing that out there about those types of people being around on ATS at any point in time, and they might have been around all along. It doesn't matter how awakened or skillful a person is, they can't wake others up unless they're ready to wake up themselves.

One cannot point the way to another when the path is internal.

Someone once said: "first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye"

Here's my take on it.... Having dealt with the passing of many family and friends, I am convinced that the most spritual experience anyone can ever have and the key to enlightenment is the simple act of letting go. Letting go of the physical and stepping fully into the eather where one is no longer bound to the physical.

"And as long as you're subject to birth and death, you'll never attain enlightenment."
~ Bodhidharma
(note the "Bodhi" prefix of the name, indicating an enlightened existance according to Buddhism)

"Do not think you will necessarily be aware of your own enlightenment."
~ Dogen
This is why I say that a truly enlightened person would not be discussing it on ATS...

"Enlightenment must come little by little - otherwise it would overwhelm."
~ Idries Shah

Hindi's believe that it can take many lifetimes to achieve. Enlightenment doesn't strike like a bolt of lightening.... as the OP describes.

Right, anyone who pronounces to the world they are enlightened, has only enlightened the sense of ego. I made a post a while ago about this very thing, called "The Enlightened Ego". Bodhidharma, when asked by the Emperor of China, "then who are you?", after Bodhidharma told the Emperor the promise by the monks of his enlightenment was false, replied, "I have been to the very depths of my being, over and over again, and I must say I truly do not know." So, Bodhidharma was basically saying the same thing you just said.

Although, I would say it is not true, as you've stated, that enlightenment cannot happen in a flash. There are examples of this happening in the suttas, of a man hearing the Buddha speak, or even just seeing him, and immediately becoming enlightened. This is also what happened to Ramana Maharshi. One day, at the age of 16, he had a strong fear of death and sat with that feeling for a few days. It turned out to not be a fear of physical death, but the death of his ego (or false sense of self) which was 'dying'. He remained in a permanent state of enlightenment for the rest of his physical life. In fact, in the suttas, the Buddha states that if one would practice with all their being, exactly how it is laid out by the noble eight fold path, for seven straight days, by the eighth day they would surely be enlightened.

There also must be a definitive understanding between this word "enlightenment" and the word "awakening". To awaken is to temporarily penetrate the veil of ignorance. To awaken is to see that who we think we are is not really who we are at all. It is to see that all our stories, even of awakening, are just passing phenomena, thus they cannot constitute a 'self' and therefore should not be clung to. Enlightenment, is the complete and perfect understanding of this awakened truth. It is the absolute letting go of all ignorance, of all false senses of self, even that of being enlightened.

So again, this too backs up what you are saying.

reply to post by LifeIsEnergy


I'm gonna go with U. G. Krishnamurti.
en.wikipedia.org...

Once you are enlightened you will see there really is nothing to see.
I feel that he was onto something.

Originally posted by arpgme
The first philosophy I was following was "unconditional love" and when I thought about what that mean, I understood it as spreading the joy to myself and others, wanting to see others as happy and smiling...

The things that we do in life is motivated by interest (unless of course we feel like we are being 'forced'). Children and Animals are intuitively trying to have fun with their lives, unfortunately, with adults, they get more serious. They laugh less and play less, and yet, these are the qualities of the "child-like" state that many spiritual people talk about. So many people are so "serious" about their spirituality, that they may spend years trying to get to a deep, secret truth, or trying to get to a higher "level", instead of looking "inward" and remember their child-like playful nature...

Life is a game, and all of the people you interact with, friends, family, and so-called 'enemies' are all playing roles in this game. There are also those who are using 'cheat-codes' so to speak, so that they won't have to play fair. We are all doing it for 'fun'. This is why when people finally die and see 'The Light' it is so playful with them, and some people even laugh themselves into the afterlife after realizing how 'serious' they were taking it all.


So the purpose of life is 'fun'. When you are having fun, especially, with others, you are all playing together through your interactions in this game called life. Fun is your child-like nature that you forgotten when you were forced into the 'matrix' so-to-speak.

The courage to be happy and experience simple joy. Hmph. Could it be that simple?

But what about all our sorrows, all our regrets, concerns, grudges, judgements, isecurities, preconceptions, personal biases...oh, yes, I see now - that is pretty funny!

We're responsible. We have a choice, and anything less than joy and happiness is in the final analysis, ignorant, stupid and unreasonable.

But some have lost their inner-child, because things got so bad, and as a result he/she is afraid to come back out into the light to play and experience life as it is.

May this thread somehow serve as an invitation to those folks, because it's never too late.