GENIUS FORUMS

Dan Rowden wrote:Perfection is enlightenment 24/7, that's all.

If enlightenment isn't perfection, it is just a new understanding? Do people go through multpile different enlightenments?

Enlightenment is attention, sans delusion.

Which is, of course, a tad redundant as far as statements go.

Enlightenment isn't an understanding. It's the fulfillment of an understanding but it isn't an understanding of itself. It isn't really anything in particular. The imperfection can be thought of in terms of lingering bad neural patterns that are occassionally fired up and create passing false thinking. Over time these neural patterns wither away from lack of use and those passing events cease to occur which allows one to rest in perfection. It's a bit like a perfectly still pond in an ancient marsh that has pockets of gas trapped underground. Every now and then a bubble of gas escapes and causes momentary ripples on the surface. The stillness is the essential nature of the pond; it just gets disturbed now and then. Over time, the gas runs out and the pond ceases to be disturbed.

Dan Rowden wrote:Enlightenment isn't an understanding. It's the fulfillment of an understanding but it isn't an understanding of itself.

I would describe my concept of enlightenment as an awareness of Reality, and since people can have more or less awareness of Reality, people are on a gradient of enlightenment. How does you concept of enlightenment differ from mine?

Dan Rowden wrote:Enlightenment isn't an understanding. It's the fulfillment of an understanding but it isn't an understanding of itself. It isn't really anything in particular. The imperfection can be thought of in terms of lingering bad neural patterns that are occassionally fired up and create passing false thinking. Over time these neural patterns wither away from lack of use and those passing events cease to occur which allows one to rest in perfection. It's a bit like a perfectly still pond in an ancient marsh that has pockets of gas trapped underground. Every now and then a bubble of gas escapes and causes momentary ripples on the surface. The stillness is the essential nature of the pond; it just gets disturbed now and then. Over time, the gas runs out and the pond ceases to be disturbed.

Interesting. As mentioned before, my brain has been remarkably quiet and still recently - but I don't think I like it. I find myself wanting some kind of feeling towards things. Maybe not the extent to which it was before... but I feel like an alien right now. :(

What makes enlightenment desirable if it is stillness??

-Rory

Dan Rowden wrote:....Taoism (yeah, I know I should now be calling it Daoism...

Why is that?

Dan Rowden wrote:

kowtaaia wrote:

Dan Rowden wrote:Yeah, but then so does someone like Adyashanti. Doesn't seem to achieve much :)

Whoever that is.

http://www.adyashanti.org/

Some of what he says is true. Some of what he says is false and nonsense. The combination says "No thank you very much. :)

Dan Rowden wrote:

The alternative is to say nothing.

I think the thing is to know what "followers" look for in teachings and do one's best not to give it to them. Obviously you'll never stop it completely because of the way people are but you can minimise the damage.

It makes no difference. Some listen, look at what is being pointed to and see the truth. Some believe and turn truth into an ideal. They tend to follow.

But you don't think "skill in means" works to minimise that effect?

Dan Rowden wrote:But you don't think "skill in means" works to minimise that effect?

Not really, but who knows? The people that don't follow, don't join non-follower clubs. :)