Talking to ones self

For me, what all of this boils down to can be explained in a question.
To use your example above, who is the one forgetting that the ego is there? Who is completely immersed?

When that question can be honestly answered, I think we may find ourselves back where we started.

Oh, I definitely know what you describe, with a minor difference. I admit, the first few times I acheived "ego-death" (what a misleading name), it felt as though I was truly without ego. As my awareness grew and I had more experiences with it however, whenever I entered into such a state, I would immediately be notified of a little familiar stranger sitting in his esoteric corner on his esoteric throne, bound in temporary chains, screaming at the top of his lungs. Begging to be paid attention to. Of course, the feeling of supreme validity accompanied this, but I'm suspicious of that feeling. Who draws this line of seperation between the little man in the corner bound in chains, and the new, supremely identified, universal conscious me.
And exactly who is feeling these feelings of supreme validation?
I think the ego is a much more slippery beast than we are led to believe, and as it has been aptly said, more difficult to control than the wind.

 

Great points. I'd say that the one who forgets the ego is there is NOBODY. The real you, the Self, etc whatever. But you're very right. The ego turns that nobody into a somebody every single time. It is my belief, that this is irrelevant though! The nobody's still NOT THERE all the time! It can't NOT NOT BE THERE, because it is NO ONE.

I'm not sure I even understand what I just wrote, but I guess that's the way it's supposed to work right?

 

That's how I conclude it as well introspectre

whether or not any single instance of 'egolessness' can be pointed to as being 'true' or not, the fact remains that there is pure awareness, a single jewel of something which is at the same time so small it isn't real and so big it is in fact every single thing.

 

Is that a fact though, Mr. Writer?
Or is that yet more subtle discrimination of causation and being/non-being?

 

Bodhidharma, the first Patriarch of Chán, visited the Emperor Wu, a fervent patron of Buddhism.
The emperor asked Bodhidharma,
"What is the highest meaning of noble truth?"
Bodhidharma answered,
"There is no noble truth."
The emperor then asked Bodhidharma,
"Who is standing before me?"
Bodhidharma answered,
"I don't know."
The emperor then asked Bodhidharma,
"How much karmic merit have I earned by ordaining Buddhist monks, building monasteries, having sutras copied, and commissioning Buddha images?"
Bodhidharma answered,
"None."

 

What's wrong with discrimination? I really don't get it. Nothing the ego does has any effect on the "spirit". That means:
You can say "this is the way it works, it's like this"
You can say "actually that's the way it works, it's like that"
And spirit stays exactly the same!
Egos want to be entertained, talking about mystical experiences is very entertaining! I fail to see what the problem is.

 

I never said there was a problem introspectre, I think you are perceiving one where there is none.
I only suggest that one should question wether or not what they believe is a fact, or if it is yet another manifestation of mind (regardless of profundity).
We all make discriminations, the objective world is a result of mind so we are naturally unable to see through it for what it in essence truly is.
Because we talk to each other, because we connect objective to sense to mind to consciousness to mind, we are ignorant.

 

I believe what Mr. Writer is referring to, is Pratītyasamutpāda, the dependant origination of reality. The jewels reflecting jewels.
But the question is, how does one live this without having the screen of mind interfere, and is this possible/not possible?
I dont know the answer of course, but is this the direction our discussion is going to?

 

I see what you mean now relayer. i may think i have reached a truth 'beyond' my mind and into the realm where spirit and mind meet, but really i am still interfacing with reality through my mind, so it is still just a truth of mind, no matter how deep, abstract, or rife with 'supreme validity' (what a spot-on term!).

'you are what you think' . . . i assumed this ended at some point, that you COULD actually break free of mind and discover something transcendental, but of course it could very well be that no, you can't, anything you 'discover' is just more shenanigans of the mind, and we should just clean our plate.

 

I too used to believe there was an end to mind, before death/liberation/whatever. But I see now that it is not about attaining anything that is outside of mind, but rather knowing (with mind) that our knowing (with mind) is maya, and integrating this into our daily practice.
Should I think of God or enlightenment when Im cooking food for my family?
Or should I cook food for my family and be thankful for the awareness I have of being blessed with that normally taken for granted activity?
Either way, I am thinking, why not use mind to silently go about life rather than use mind to put more emphasis on something which needs no more excuse to be beautiful?

 

Feels like we forgot something, guys....

 

It feels like I never knew anything in the first place!

 

All the time. Even when I'm a group of crowded people.

One time I was at a big party and I just walked around saying "sometimes, sometimes" to myself.

With a big grin on my face.

 

yea i defiantly talk to myself while im tripping. even when im high now i talk to myself. shit even when im sober. i was trying to say on one thread that your talking to your higher self, but people don't like the idea of hiearchial selves. the point was though its like the enternal part of your conciousness, the part of your that is already free, and its trying to pull you and guide you to do the right thing, the little angel on the shoulder.
it tis your inner self you seek.

 

does anyone else talk to themselves and use the pronoun "we"? i do this all the time tripping or sober.

example: earlier today i found myself thinking/talking to myself that "we need to buy a pack of cigarettes"

this bothered me for a while, and i would try and correct my thoughts by saying/thinking "no, I have to buy cigarettes", but now i just accept it

 

yes i use "we" all the time as well. my consciousness is like a trifecta of intellect, emotion, and perception, it feels natural lol