Guest guest Posted July 29, 2001 Report Share Posted July 29, 2001 Hi, i have yet a few more questions. I've noticed that I am pretty much the only one to ask questions on this. Okay, Here are my questions. First, I read something on this website about getting to enlightenment, and they said that it was nearly impossible to get to enlightenment. Of course, this deeply saddened me because I want to get to enlightenment. Is it true that it is nearly impossible, that it takes lifetimes to do nomatter how hard you work? My second question is that sometimes, it seems as though my thought process completely shuts down and I am just left with peace. What is this? Blessed be leaf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 29, 2001 Report Share Posted July 29, 2001 Leaf, > Hi, > i have yet a few more questions. I've noticed that I am pretty much the > only one to ask questions on this. Okay, Here are my questions. > First, I read something on this website about getting to enlightenment, and > they said that it was nearly impossible to get to enlightenment. Of course, > this deeply saddened me because I want to get to enlightenment. Is it true > that it is nearly impossible, that it takes lifetimes to do nomatter how hard > you work? As Rob said, some people come to it naturally, either because they're genetically gifted or their parents had the wisdom to allow them to listen more to their bodies than to social expectations. I believe enlightenment comes in degrees and that full enlightenment means that you can live in peace every moment of your everyday life, even if you do technologically complex work. My impression is that Realization correspondents have had at least one moment of such inner peace and can experience it every day along a continuum, from once to every moment of the day. > My second question is that sometimes, it seems as though my thought process > completely shuts down and I am just left with peace. What is this? > It sounds like what some call full absorption or samatha. The important point is that you are, at least according to my theory, momentarily in direct touch with the most primitive energies of your body. That is enlightenment in its simplest form. Full enlightenment would be the ability to keep in touch with that primitive energy even when conducting your practical, everyday affairs. As to whether everyone needs a teacher, I first want to thank all the other contributors for nourishing me with their wise and poetic responses to your question. I agree with them that a teacher is not necessarily needed and that you already have your real teacher within you. On purely logical grounds, if a teacher is necessary to achieve enlightenment, then how did enlightenment ever come about? Who was the first teacher? And who taught the first teacher? That having been said, a good teacher is often useful for encouragement at least, but also because there are many ways in which we can become confused along the path to enlightenment and a wise teacher can help us avoid getting lost. Ultimately, however, you cannot avoid the fact that you yourself must choose to follow one teacher rather than another. No one can decide for you whether or not you're on the right path and whether or not your teacher is a good one. Best wishes, Gary Schouborg Performance Consulting Walnut Creek, CA garyscho Publications and professional services: http://home.att.net/~garyscho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 29, 2001 Report Share Posted July 29, 2001 Hi Leaf, > Is it true that [enlightenment] is nearly impossible, > that it takes lifetimes to do no matter how hard > you work? I think enlightenment (the way most people use the word) is not rare. I think you can experience it if you want. From what you said about silence, it sounds like you've already found a door to get to it. > My second question is that sometimes, it seems > as though my thought process completely > shuts down and I am just left with peace. What > is this? What is it? It's wonderful! When people go to teachers, they learn meditation techniques to achieve this quiet. And you already have found it. Gary you a name for it, "samata", that's used by Buddhists. Hindus often use the same name you did, "peace." In Sanskrit, peace is "shanti." The Upanishads, part of the sacred scriptures of Hinduism, each begin with a prayer that says: "Peace and peace and peace!" If you can spend more and more time with that peace, with that quiet, everything will unfold. Then you can tell us what enlightenment is. When people talk about the teacher within, they mean listening to this quiet. This reminds me of a very beautiful book by Bernadettte Roberts. Her mind became very profoundly quiet and her sense of self died permanently. It's called "Experience of No-Self." Om shanti shanti shanti! Rob - Joe0464 Realization Sunday, July 29, 2001 9:57 AM (no subject) Hi, i have yet a few more questions. I've noticed that I am pretty much the only one to ask questions on this. Okay, Here are my questions. First, I read something on this website about getting to enlightenment, and they said that it was nearly impossible to get to enlightenment. Of course, this deeply saddened me because I want to get to enlightenment. Is it true that it is nearly impossible, that it takes lifetimes to do nomatter how hard you work? My second question is that sometimes, it seems as though my thought process completely shuts down and I am just left with peace. What is this? Blessed be leaf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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