Enlightenment: The Ego, what is it? How to transcend it.

[greybeard]

For the Intellectual....Rupert Spira

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=c4JcxmS2U8c

[Clear Light]

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=J85Q6T2OGdc

Description : In this discourse, Swami Sarvapriyananda speaks at the University of Michigan on the nature of consciousness and self in Advaita Vedanta (Sept. 2018)

Oh, now this video I'm posting here has a very exceptional Speaker (Presenter) who is clearly very knowledgeable in Advaita Vedanta (AV) ... if you want to not only get some "clarity" as to what "it" is all about, but also be taken through some "mind exercises" to get the point across (so-to-say), then I heartily recommend it !

Furthermore, his use of Analogies / Metaphors / Examples and Humour as well as comparing and contrasting AV with other world-views (including Dzogchen) demonstrates, I'd suggest, his deep and direct "experience" of (so-called) "Non-Duality" eh ?

Please, if you have the time to spare, get comfortable and tune-in ... it's split roughly in half with the second half being a "Q and A" section

PS: If you're a hardened Scientist / Materialist / Atheist or Theist, having watched it all, I can tell you that he's got something to say to "you" too !!!

[Rich]

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=BJ3s2DBUF6o

[greybeard]

Truth.
My definition.
That which is constant, unchanging, permanent, eternal.
In order to realize spiritual Self all that is not truth is seen for what it is and discarded.
This world is full of relative truth.
There is the body--night and day --many things in duality all subject to change.
The mystics of old were aware of both and coined the phrase
What we are is "Form --formless both and neither" which is possibly as close as language can get to it.

So as one progresses there is an increased awareness of Self, which is constant and that which is not.
Persona --mind, thoughts, all change, sometimes quite rapidly.
The body changes.
What are we left with--the constant alive awareness.
With some perception, this is not up for argument--it just undeniably is.
Nothing exterior to self is required to know I am.
I am not the function performed--there is playing an instrument--there are pastprofessions-- all partof everchanging game of form but they are not my essential nature and do not change or affect it in anyway.
Formless--is prior to form--awareness is prior to all and not dependent on any of it.

Chris

[Clear Light]

The Unborn Nature ~ by Chandrakirti

Right from the beginning, in the unborn nature,
There is nothing to be refuted and nothing to be established.

At the level of the unborn, there is no distinction of
Attaining nirvana or not attaining nirvana.

The unborn nature itself is also not there,
Because there is no thing which is unborn.

There is no relative and no absolute.

There are no buddhas and no beings.

There is no view and nothing to meditate on.

There is no conduct and no result.

The mind is the meditation;
The mind free of concepts rests in its own place.

There is nothing that recognizes and nothing that is distracted.

There are no characteristics, and the meditation is very clear

[greybeard]

Entering the Temple Within - John Van Auken

This is a very early John Van Auken talk--slow to begin with but worth the time spent.

This thread is a fairly broad church.
I post that which I find interesting--not necessarily based on "my" current belief which is relatively simple--which is basically you are that which you seek--be still, be quiet is the"tool".
however there is an open mindedness.
All view point welcome
Chris

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Umsx1MxcLLY

[greybeard]

There seems to be at least several ways to pursue enlightenment.
There is the no path path where you are not the doer--no technique required except meditation --self inquiry and neity neity. (not this not this).
The path outlined in the video above is complex but beautiful.
Quite a few techniques are fully explained--breathing, mantra--sound in great detail.

Whatever works is my motto.
I tend to fluctuate between just being still and quiet, to starting the meditation with a prayer--then mantra-then still and quiet.
I am not looking for a result
However.
The mode that you are in is important--devotional--acceptance-loving.

One way or another there has been improvement in my attitude and acceptance of what is, over the years.

I would suggest taking time to view the John Van Auken video above from--start to finish.
An enormous amount of helpful suggestions particularly after the first part.

Chris

[greybeard]

Eckhart Tolle talks about What Happens When We Die

Beautifully done--Eckart talks mainly about the loss of a dog.
Chris

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Vk14R4A_p9w

[greybeard]

John Van Auken - Visions of Our Soul -- Live @ Arklantis - Brilliant !!!

Published on 28 Jan 2018
Earth-Keeper Videos 2018 :
Presenting John Van Auken, Prolific Author, Speaker, Teacher & Director of the Edgar Cayce Foundation. John Van Auken's Presentation is mesmerizing, captivating & fascinating from start to finish.
His very interesting topic - 'Ancient Egyptian Visions of the Soul-Life', provides little known , amazing information from the Cayce readings on Ancient Egyptian Cosmological beliefs.... the interpretations & insights are as brilliant as they are astonishing.
John beautifully merges the ancient Egyptian Spiritual beliefs with the prolific readings of Edgar Cayce , as well as compelling correlations & alignments with Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism , Christianity. & Gnostic Spirituality.
www.Earth-Keeper.com
All Copyrights Reserved to Earth-Keeper 2018

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=zCkeCnFPpHA

[greybeard]

James Tyberonn Live @ Virginia Beach Ancient Mysteries Summit

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=GOg4fVbp2lg

[bogdan9310]

A lot of people get enlightenment wrong. Some say they reached enlightened, yet they have a very narrow way at looking at the world, and nobody can tell them otherwise.
They should be able to grasp every point of view, and look at the world through more perspectives.

[greybeard]

Posted by bogdan9310 (here)
A lot of people get enlightenment wrong. Some say they reached enlightened, yet they have a very narrow way at looking at the world, and nobody can tell them otherwise.
They should be able to grasp every point of view, and look at the world through more perspectives.

Thanks for your post.
Not being enlightened I cant say.
The truly enlightened can say--"I am the totality all of it" no individual left to claim enlightenment.
There should be unconditional love and compassion.

Best wishes
Chris

[Clear Light]

Posted by bogdan9310 (here)
A lot of people get enlightenment wrong. Some say they reached enlightened, yet they have a very narrow way at looking at the world, and nobody can tell them otherwise.
They should be able to grasp every point of view, and look at the world through more perspectives.

Ah, now it may seem Logical for such a Proposition but what IF so-called "Enlightenment" is merely seeing "all things as they truly are", from a single all-inclusive perspective eh ?

If you feel so inclined, perhaps it may be of interest to hear what Adyashanti has to say about it, and whether or not you'd agree with him ...

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=jLQD90Las5c

I've just listened to this again and am quoting the following snippets from it :

Enlightenment is simply Perceiving *not* through the lens of Ego ... it's Happiness, it's Peace, it's the end of your search ... not that you find anything except Sanity ... not that you attain anything except seeing things as they are ... Enlightenment is the un-altered state of consciousness, the significant thing about those moments (satori's or awakenings to your true nature) is how much of the Egoic consciousness falls away, that's because that's what you're gonna live with right ?

[greybeard]

Alan Watts ~ Learning To Have Faith On Myself ( GOD )

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=9DeYnrPTS8c

[greybeard]

Advaita is Vedanta - Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj by Stephen Wolinsky

Stephen Wolinsky is one of my favourite teachers.
Chris

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Jucif14CvjI

[greybeard]

Our true nature is immediately available

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=nrzCqkcDljw

[Clear Light]

Posted by greybeard (here)
The challenge is that Ramana and others met the enquirer where they stood.
The Ultimate seems to me to be that nothing happened.
I cant find the Ramana quote but it is along the lines of "Neither creation nor disolution"
Such a statement is not helpful to most.
So the sages tended to give advice--pointers relevant to the enquirers capability to understand and benefit.

Eckhart Tolle, who tends to be "user friendly" said " There was never anyone there to hurt you" that will be helpful to some but not all.
What should work for all is the statement " Be still, be quiet"
However even that has pit falls ---its a mistake to look for a result--thats what ego does.

Chris

Oh, Chris, along the same lines as what I've quoted above, from Tim's thread (Enlightenment - A direct, succinct account of what occurs), and perhaps of interest, is the following video from the Vedanta Society of Southern California (Published on 12 Aug 2018) :

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=fWX3EN5Z0Ck

"Birthless Deathless by Swami Sarvapriyananda"

Description : "Swami Sarvapriyananda goes into the Birthless Deathless verse in the Mandukya Karika, a treatise on the Mandukya Upanishad, authored by Sri Gaudapada Acharya"

. : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : .

Now my reason for posting this is because his subject for the talk (the first hour, with a Q&A section afterwards) is the so-called "final truth" of non-Dual Vedanta, a most radical statement written some 1400 years ago by Gaudapada Acharya, a radical nondualist, and it goes something like this :

There is no cessation, there is no origination, no birth, no death, there is none who is in bondage, there is nobody who is a spiritual seeker (or spiritual practitioner), there is nobody who is a seeker after liberation, there is nobody who is liberated

But at around the ten minute mark, he gives a warning, a caution : "Many people are led astray by this kind of teaching and the first thing they take away from it is oh, I don't have to meditate, I don't have to pray, I don't have to do any kind of spiritual practice", WRONG UNDERSTANDING, don't jump to such an easy conclusion, give up your spiritual practices at your peril".

And : "Then what's the point of this teaching, what do we gain from this then, what we will gain actually is a deeper understanding, a much more profound understanding of spiritual life, really what is the nature of bondage and freedom, really what is the purpose of spiritual practice, all this will become clear when we investigate this".

So whether or not you (or anybody reading this post) do indeed watch the remainder of his talk, I'd just like to say that I find it totally reassuring that there are "parallels" (or shared principles) between the various Spiritual Traditions ... it's to be expected eh ?

[greybeard]

Thanks for the video, Clear Light, which gives a very clear explanation.
Chris

[greybeard]

The reason I like Stephen Wolinsky is that he shakes you free from concepts and "nesting" in the teaching of any guru.
The ego like to think "Ive found it" and therefore get stuck in a teaching.
Teachings are valuable but at best they point to Truth.

Nasargadatta was fond of saying "No thats not it"

Stephen through the teaching of Nasargadatta takes it that bit further.
Nasargadatta the only guru, as far as I know, to say that you are prior to consciousness.

Ive posted Stephens videos before but another "Repeat" below.
He sure shakes what you think you know.
However "Be still, be quiet" ( meditation) always applies as does neity neity--not this, not this.
Nasargadatta advised "First find out what your not"-- a process of elimination.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=bkIKXgiKvCM

[Clear Light]

Posted by greybeard (here)
Nasargadatta advised "First find out what your not"-- a process of elimination

Ah, Yes

And on this point, I'd just like to refer to the recent video I posted (Birthless Deathless by Swami Sarvapriyananda) where it gives a hint as to HOW to do it :

@44:07 "You are already that, but you miss it, why do you miss it ? Because we are looking in the wrong place, we are taken away by the contents of the mind, by the appearances of consiousness and are not looking back to that which illumines all these apperances"