The Vanity of Enlightenment

This type of individualistic spiritual journeying into awareness, enlightenment, experience, knowledge, or whatever you decide to name it, should be shared with others in a way that is guiding, and not instructional (vanity). The way most of us are scripted to live our daily lives, to earn our daily bread, can sometimes cut off the inner spiritual beam of light that connects us to our higher self and that which lays beyond (enlightenment) the superficial reality we believe we exist within through our five senses.

This thread offers the generosity of others' experiences and resulting perceptions either through meditation or non-meditative awareness events, which I find a wonderful and generous gesture from all the posters here and I hope others may gleen similar experiences and a desire to share their own perceptions with others.

I also gain inspiration and reinforcement with my movement into awareness through those that have gone before me and the words they leave me to muse over, or connect to.

"He who expects wont see - he who waits, will see. And when the trees starts to dance, let them dance!"

I may post others' quotes or words of awareness to aid me (because I tend to be succinct in my writing) in expressing my perceptions on this topic, which if one can take their words and create from that a mental picture of their perceptions, then that picture may be expanded into a thousand words. Odd, how these words from those that have travelled this path are always succinct as well, but rich in depth.

Originally posted by InTheLight
Odd, how these words from those that have travelled this path are always succinct as well, but rich in depth.

If you guys could only use music on Youtube to express depth, what song would it be? I'll start.

reply to post by BlueMule


I believe you are off topic with that, although music can aid in the meditative process.

Originally posted by InTheLight
reply to post by BlueMule

 

I believe you are off topic with that, although music can aid in the meditative process.

True, but we've all been off-topic for a while now. There's little talk of vanity going on. So we might as well use whatever ways we want to express our ideas of enlightenment.

Besides, it's not as if LesMis is really in the posture of a student. He is in retreat mode and just has us talking to hear ourselves talk until the thread dies.

So why limit ourselves to words? Lets sing!

For example, this song is much more mystical than many people realize.



Into the BLUE again...

Into the silent water...

reply to post by BlueMule

Besides, it's not as if LesMis is really in the posture of a student. He is in retreat mode and just has us talking to hear ourselves talk until the thread dies.

You'd be right if I actually had something to retreat from.

Nonetheless, the only way I would've been proved wrong is if no proponents of enlightenment replied to this thread. Yet here they are, succumbing to their vanity until the very end.

When you say nations arise out of nothing and return to nothing, you are not using "nothing" in the full sense of the word. A mixture of people and ideas are the building blocks for nations. People and ideas are something. Pure nothingness in the full sense of the word is something we can't experience. We have no example for something that is nothing because nothing doesn't exist.

And I caution you with concluding that everything is an illusion. It is a conclusion that just doesn't seem to hold any weight (get it?). If I accept that your conclusion is true, I have also just accepted that your conclusion is an illusion.

When you say everything is an illusion, I believe that also extends to ideas because it would be impossible for illusionary people to think of non-illusionary ideas.

reply to post by LesMisanthrope

Nonetheless, the only way I would've been proved wrong is if no proponents of enlightenment replied to this thread. Yet here they are, succumbing to their vanity until the very end.

Are you saying "All" the proponents on Enlightenment on this thread are succumbing to vanity? Stereotypes?

I've seen quite a few proponents on this thread be fairly balanced and not vain

Originally posted by LesMisanthrope
Yet here they are, succumbing to their vanity until the very end.

See what I mean, InTheLight? LesMis interprets our generous gestures as mere vanity. He is in disingenuous baiting mode. It's no use taking the posture of a teacher toward him. So lets sing!

There can be no off topic in this thread because everything is interconnected! Everything we do on this thread is leading us closer or farther away from Enlightenment!

I do believe nothingness relates somehow to Enlightenment. And I do believe everything relates somehow to Enlightenment. So how could a talk of nothing and everything be off the topic of Enlightenment?

reply to post by Wang Tang


Have you been to the void of nothingness?

I have not... and I don't intend to... because nothing doesn't exist.

I think it would make more sense to call it a Void of Emptiness.

But I guess it doesn't matter much with our everyday language, most people won't think twice about the difference between nothingness and emptiness.

With that said no, I have not tried to reach this void you speak of. Maybe one day when I am content with who I am and what I've done, I will take the time to reach this void you speak of. But for now I won't have my peace of mind unless I finish what I set out to do, and become who I am striving to become.

reply to post by dominicus

Les is just trying to get under people's skins by picking particular words. It's "high brow" trolling but without any wit, just passive aggressive antagonism.

The whole thread is an attempt to feel clever but it still gives a good vehicle for discussion and the observers can tell the real nature of the various posters regardless of loaded words being tossed around... so I still give it a .

reply to post by Wang Tang


I've been there. It's also called the cloud of unknowing. Have you heard of it?

reply to post by Wang Tang

You appear to actually be very close to "getting" what some of us are attempting to express... especially in the last sentence in your post.

This post is relevant to this concept in that once you "get" what it is we are trying to communicate you'll 1) laugh and 2) never be able to unsee it.

I'm not saying "everything" is an illusion. I'm saying "every *thing*" is an illusion.

No need to caution on anything. Remember you're the one trying to convince people who have "been to New York" of "what it's like in New York" without having "been to New York" yourself.

Will contemplate other approaches.

reply to post by dominicus

I would have to agree dominicus. I'm hoping some joined in for the joy of philosophy, and not as a knee jerk reaction to my thread.

You for instance, didn't react in spite, and offered your friendly opinion on the matter. That's why I hold you and your ideas in high regard and will continue to do so.

reply to post by ErgoTheConclusion

Les is just trying to get under people's skins by picking particular words. It's "high brow" trolling but without any wit, just passive aggressive antagonism.

The whole thread is an attempt to feel clever but it still gives a good vehicle for discussion and the observers can tell the real nature of the various posters regardless of loaded words being tossed around... so I still give it a .

There's not too much of this I can deny. I wonder what that says about those who reacted too quickly, and instead attacked me and not the idea? I still say vanity.

reply to post by BlueMule

LesMis interprets our generous gestures as mere vanity.

Anyone can be generous when they're giving out nothing.

Originally posted by BlueMule

Originally posted by LesMisanthrope
Yet here they are, succumbing to their vanity until the very end.

See what I mean, InTheLight? LesMis interprets our generous gestures as mere vanity. He is in disingenuous baiting mode. It's no use taking the posture of a teacher toward him. So lets sing!

edit on 14-2-2013 by BlueMule because: (no reason given)

Yes, you may be right. LesMis should go into retreat, maybe he will find a way to shed that which is on his shoulder and learn to chant, or, yes, sing.

reply to post by InTheLight

Here, I'll Add this one to the mix:

Originally posted by LesMisanthrope
There's not too much of this I can deny. I wonder what that says about those who reacted too quickly, and instead attacked me and not the idea? I still say vanity.

Or just generally good natured people who enjoy discussing whatever they have to offer on a topic with others interested in the topic... and don't typically look for traps from people who enjoy laying them. You can puff yourself up over it, but over-exaggeration on people's intentions doesn't make your interpretation of them true.

All "positive self image" related concepts fall on spectrum from "I'm not totally awful" to "GOOD LORD LOOK AT ME!"

It's pretty clear which ends of the spectrum the variety of people participating in here fall toward.