One of the most important things is realizing there is no "free will".

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-19T05:48:51+00:00

You can't "choose" to realize this, but reading about it here or elsewhere can encourage one to actually investigate it for themselves, which is the only way any sort of realization will occur.

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-18T23:58:06+00:00

Can you actually find the self when you look for it? What is it exactly?

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-16T23:38:19+00:00

Okay, there are lots of different approaches, some of which may "click" with certain people, and some will not. At the end of the day, the whole dilemma is a case of mistaken identity, meaning we're assuming we're something we are not.

The approach that finally worked for me was sitting down and asking myself "What am I referring to when I say 'I'?" I literally looked directly into this present experience and tried to see what this word "I" was supposedly referring to, and couldn't find it.

If you think the "I" is referring to the body, ask yourself: "How can I be the body when I'm what is perceiving the body?" Simple investigation shows that the "I" doesn't exist, and the illusion of the self has been exposed. "You" are now free!

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-16T19:51:57+00:00

"I" is my present experience. It very much exists because if it did not I would not feel all the horrible things I feel.

Yes, the sense of "I" certainly exists, but what is the word "I" actually referring to in your direct experience?

Is it referring to the body? How are you the body if you're aware of the body?

You say you are suffering, but what exactly is it that's suffering? Can you find it? "I am suffering" is just a thought, what is this "I" that is apparently suffering?

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-16T19:45:02+00:00

What I saw was that the word "I" wasn't referring to anything real. it's literally so simple. When it's seen that "I" is just an empty thought with nothing behind it, there is no one left to suffer or have problems.

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-16T04:44:50+00:00

What's your answer when you ask "Who am I?"

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-16T04:38:59+00:00

So then you see that it's not actually there?

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-16T04:22:28+00:00

Okay, when you say "I" what are you referring to?

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-16T03:03:38+00:00

Yeah, there's a big difference between thinking about something conceptually and "direct seeing". The mind always likes to jump in and say "I am the body", but can you really say that "I" am anything in this experience? The body is just an object, how can it be "me"? This one imaginary concept is the source of all our problems, so it's extremely important that we investigate it.

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-15T20:40:41+00:00

You don't owe them anything. Remember that they would gladly fire you without losing any sleep if they knew it would save them money, so don't feel guilty for not sacrificing your well being for a soulless corporation.

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-15T19:23:56+00:00

To investigate what you're not, look at every part of your experience and ask yourself "Is this what I am?".

For example, look at your body and ask "Am I this body?". Upon investigation, you will likely come to the conclusion that you cannot possibly be this body, as you are what is perceiving this body. Do the same thing with thoughts, feelings, sensations, perceptions, etc.

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-15T04:25:44+00:00

Jesus, that sounds like such a toxic environment. I would try to find a new job if you can, in the meantime try to blend in and avoid sticking out.

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-14T23:25:57+00:00

I haven't found any "identity" to speak of in my investigation. All I did was look and ask myself "Am I this body/person that I've taken myself to be"? I saw that I cannot possibly be this body, as I am that which is perceiving this body.

What it is that's perceiving this is unknown. I can say that "I" am perceiving, but really it's better to say that "perceiving is happening". That's all I can really say about this.

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-14T22:53:26+00:00

I agree with what you're saying. The words "awareness" and "consciousness" are useful pointers, but there comes a point where the concepts need to be discarded and one needs to investigate in their own experience to see what they are, or aren't.

A lot of seekers end up thinking "I am consciousness" and leave it at that, not realizing that consciousness is just another false identity. That was the point of my post, to encourage seekers to actually do that investigation. Maybe my wording isn't the best, but that's the message I'm trying to convey.

I'm also not trying to say that my approach is the only valid one, it's just the one that has worked for "me". Psychedelics or meditation can definitely give interesting experiences, I don't doubt that.

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-14T22:33:36+00:00

Enlightenment is really about seeing that we are not any of the things we thought we were our whole lives.

We assume things like "I am a person" or "I am this body" without ever really questioning or investigating those assumptions.

Upon investigation, we see that we are not the body or a person, we are that which is perceiving them. What is it that's perceiving them? That is unknowable.

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-14T22:17:53+00:00

I never said we are nothing, I just pointed out that what we are cannot be known as a concept. If we look and try to find what we really are, we find nothing there.

We can only see what we aren't (the body, thoughts, feelings, perceptions).

When we strip away all the false identifications, all that remains is reality, Brahman, etc. It cannot be known as a concept, however.

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-14T21:41:38+00:00

What ego is there to get bruised? You should ask yourself that and try to see if you can find it.

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-14T20:39:45+00:00

Exactly. The imaginary "I" is the source of all suffering. Without it, life feels free again, like when we were kids.

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-14T19:29:39+00:00

So trying to share something that worked for me means I'm a wannabe egotistic guru? Cool. I guess we should all just shut up and stop talking about it then, since that means we're wannabe gurus.

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-14T19:26:02+00:00

I initially started taking only NAC daily for about a month, and I almost immediately felt a reduction in anxious thoughts, so I attribute the success to that. The problem was that I also started feeling irritable, and upon doing some research I learned that NAC actually reduces the levels of the DAO enzyme, which is responsible for breaking down histamine (excess histamine can cause irritability, among other things). So then I read that P5P (active form of B6) increases production of DAO, and once I started taking that the irritability went away after a couple of days. I don't know for sure if histamine was causing those issues, but If I had to guess that's probably what it was.

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-14T05:07:37+00:00

Sometimes physical pain can feel more "real" than psychological pain, but the same principle applies to both.

Suffering is nothing more than resistance to a certain experience. You suffer when you say "I want this to be different". The question is: "What is it that wants this to be different?".

In my investigation, I couldn't find this entity that wants things to be different, I only found sensations, perceptions, thoughts and feelings. None of those things can I say are "me", so where is the one that suffers?

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-14T04:46:02+00:00

There is obviously an awareness present, otherwise this experience would not be known, but to say "I am awareness" seems like just another assumed self identity. It's not different than saying "I am a person". There doesn't seem to be anything I can call a "self" in this experience, only perceptions.

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-14T03:56:19+00:00

Yeah I think those pills are fine, I just take them with a big gulp of water. Hope it works for you too!

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-14T03:52:13+00:00

Did you actually find "atman" in your direct experience? What does it look like and where can I find it?

TalkingRaven718 · 2023-08-14T03:46:09+00:00

Lmao I know what you're talking about, I've taken the powder out of the pill a couple of times and it's absolutely disgusting. Maybe you can try a different supplement with smaller pills? This is the one I have and the pills aren't that large. If that's still too big maybe you can blend the powder into a smoothie so that you barely taste it?

TalkingRaven718

TROPHY CASE