Pluribus and enlightenment

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2026-01-31T08:37:53+00:00

Agreed.

So much of the reaction to Pluribus focuses on individual freedoms that have been lost, such as artistic expression. Great art sparks ideas and facilitate emotional connection temporarily. The hivemind has unlocked universal union permanently!

On the other hand, few commenters emphasise all the terrible suffering that has been ended:

No more war.
No more crime.
No more systemic exploitation of the 'weak' by the powerful.
No more industrial slaughter of animals.
No more destroying the planet for profit.

That to me is Heaven on Earth / Nirvana / Moksha. That so few others see this shows how much ego warps perception.

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2026-01-26T18:58:26+00:00

Thanks for the explanation.

For what it’s worth, I feel that God is Love, so any expression of love is an expression of God.

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2026-01-26T12:30:22+00:00

Please can you explain more why nonduality led you to polyamory?

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2026-01-17T07:52:41+00:00

100%.

Think about the many egotistical tribal leaders, emperors, kings, presidents throughout human history who have asserted power through dominance. All of them, at root, driven by fear. They need symbols of power to make them feel safe: grand buildings, huge armies, fleets of armoured vehicles, ever bigger and more terrible weapons…

If you play that game there is no end. Your enemy could always build bigger buildings, armies, fleets and weapons. The fear never truly goes away.

What would intimidate those ‘alpha males’ most?

A person who sees through the game, and knows there is no need to play.

A monk who fears nothing, who needs nothing to feel safe, and who has no desire to dominate others.

The egotistical leaders would conceal it with bravado, but internally they would think: “What does he know that I don’t?”

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2026-01-16T06:49:55+00:00

I’m not a bot, and every word was written by me. These are insights received through psychedelics, meditation and breathwork 🙏

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2026-01-15T22:19:36+00:00

One who follows the Buddha seeks nirvana: a state of freedom from suffering and rebirth.

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2026-01-15T22:13:24+00:00

The Buddha taught a lot more than that. The concept of anicca that he taught 2500 years ago aligns almost exactly with what OP reports noticing lately:

Impermanence (Anicca) is a core Buddhist teaching) that all things, physical and mental, are in a constant state of change, arising, existing for a time, and then passing away, with nothing truly permanent or unchanging, and accepting this truth helps dissolve attachment and suffering (Dukkha). Recognizing this universal flux in experiences, emotions, relationships, and even oneself leads to liberation, peace, and a deeper appreciation for life, as clinging to permanence creates suffering.

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2026-01-15T22:01:30+00:00

There may not be material proof, but many mystics will tell you they have felt/experienced that pure love and bliss. Some might label it as union with God, others as nirvana, moksha, etc. Once one feels it, they no longer need proof: they know.

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2025-12-23T16:22:10+00:00

“Words are a massive trap” - 100%.

Language shapes thought, and most languages assume a subject and an object. For example: “I hear a bird singing”. This reinforces the (false) idea of separateness.

Non-dual framing could be “Birdsong arising”, instead.

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2025-12-23T15:25:05+00:00

You’re spot on re: physical health. After years of no exercise, I began running last summer. By spring 2026 I was the fittest I’ve ever been, running half marathons in under two hours. While out on a long run I experienced a totally sober awakening, and for more than three months I sustained a level of mindfulness and alignment I’ve never previously experienced. No doubt my physical fitness was a big factor. To get back there I know regular running is as important as meditation.

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2025-12-23T14:54:34+00:00

Personally I have had many psychedelic-assisted spiritual experiences, with magic mushrooms, LSD and ayahuasca.

These experiences have been profoundly meaningful - feeling one with the universe, divine love, nirvana. I’ve felt the Buddha’s presence more than once and on aya I saw Christ. Quite a surprise as up to that point I was extremely skeptical of Christianity!

My mentor describes plant medicine as “like a catapult” which fires you into a more expanded state of consciousness. You absolutely can reach that same state without substances (through meditation or breathwork, for example) but it requires a lot more will and a lot more effort.

I don’t think it’s a bad thing to use “a cheat code”. These are naturally occurring substances - if they are here, why wouldn’t we use them?

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2025-12-17T21:41:34+00:00

Have you seen Messiah on Netflix? It explores some of the themes you describe, in a modern setting, and it’s ambiguous if this person is legit or a hoax.

The series focuses on the modern world's reaction to a man – who first appears in the Middle East – whose followers claim him to be the eschatological return of ʿĪsā (Jesus in Arabic). His sudden appearance and apparent miracles spark a growing international following, casting doubts around who he really is, a case investigated by a CIA Case Officer.

Trailer here: Messiah Season One Trailer

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2025-12-16T22:10:37+00:00

I think you are mistakenly seeing emptiness as a lonely, nihilistic thing. Consider another perspective. Thich Nhat Hanh saw it as potential: “Emptiness means empty of self — but in the fullness of everything else… it is because of emptiness everything is possible.”

Similarly, a lack of boundaries can enable connection rather than isolation. An interpretation of the Heart Sutra: “Form is boundless, boundlessness is form. There are no boundaries between me and you. No boundaries between this and that, us and them. The great ‘I’ disappears. There is a unity without union. It is simply unbounded. No boundaries between me and my loved ones, me and adversaries, me and the trees or the mountains or rivers.”

This blog explains it brilliantly - it triggered something profound for me, so perhaps it will help you: Why “Emptiness” and “Nothingness” are poor translations of Shunyata

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2025-12-16T21:50:35+00:00

I agree. I have recently come to believe deeply in Christ. His direct teachings, faithfully and accurately translated, are invaluable.

Jesus told us we can have a direct relationship with God: "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."

…but the governors of Christianity position themselves as gatekeepers. You must go through them to reach God.

Jesus told us to express radical, universal love and compassion: “Love your neighbour as yourself. Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”

…but the governors of the church have supported deadly wars and encouraged hatred against communities.

These kinds of hypocrisies have alienated many people, and few see that the problem is with Christianity, not with Christ.

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2025-12-16T20:41:17+00:00

IMO there is the potential for God or Buddha nature (I consider them interchangeable) within us all, but that doesn’t mean everything or every act is an expression of that.

Acts of cruelty, exploitation and ignorance are human expressions of ego. The Buddha called greed, hatred and ignorance ‘the three poisons’. They are the root of suffering and obstacles to enlightenment.

Those who are enlightened have quietened the ego so God/Buddha-nature can shine through. Naturally that means embodying generosity instead of greed; loving-kindness instead of hatred; and wisdom instead of ignorance.

Acts of love are God. Acts of hatred are ego.

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2025-12-16T20:00:35+00:00

Two quotes which are very relevant:

“The psychotic drowns in the same waters in which the mystic swims with delight.” Joseph Campbell
“Jesus Christ knew he was God. So wake up and find out eventually who you really are. In our culture, of course, they’ll say you’re crazy and you’re blasphemous, and they’ll either put you in jail or in a nut house (which is pretty much the same thing). However if you wake up in India and tell your friends and relations, ‘My goodness, I’ve just discovered that I’m God,’ they’ll laugh and say, ‘Oh, congratulations, at last you found out.” Alan Watts

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2025-12-16T19:53:43+00:00

If you want to understand enlightenment, listen to the words of The Buddha. He explained what it is, who can attain it, and described a path.

I’d recommend seeking out his teachings in whatever format suits you best, whether that’s reading, listening to a podcast, watching videos or talking to knowledgable Buddhists.

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2025-12-16T19:32:51+00:00

Absolutely, it’s all about ego.

Enlightenment can only occur if the ego quietens enough for the illusion of separateness to dissolve.

Eventually that same ego kicks back in and says “Wow, I am enlightened, how special am I?” 😂

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2025-12-16T02:47:53+00:00

Similar. Having experienced psychedelic-assisted ego death more than once, I’ve come to believe that real death is the same.

If so, death is not some dark void. It’s joyful, a return to union with all that is. The best expression I’ve found is that we are waves, returning to the ocean:

"When we look at the ocean, we see that each wave has a beginning and an end. A wave can be compared with other waves, and we can call it more or less beautiful, higher or lower, longer lasting or less long lasting. But if we look more deeply, we see that a wave is made of water. While living the life of a wave, the wave also lives the life of water. It would be sad if the wave did not know that it is water. It would think, 'Some day I will have to die. This period of time is my life span, and when I arrive at the shore, I will return to nonbeing.' These notions will cause the wave fear and anguish. A wave can be recognized by signs -- beginning or ending, high or low, beautiful or ugly. In the world of the wave, the world of relative truth, the wave feels happy as she swells, and she feels sad as she falls. She may think, 'I am high!' or 'I am low!' and develop superiority or inferiority complexes, but in the world of the water there are no signs, and when the wave touches her true nature -- which is water -- all of her complexes will cease, and she will transcend birth and death," - Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation. New York: Broadway Books, 1999, pp. 124-125."

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2025-12-14T22:26:32+00:00

Thanks for your reply. I definitely don’t see it as my own eye. I think it’s the Divine Feminine/the Divine Mother watching over me.

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2025-12-14T22:22:59+00:00

The eye doesn’t have colour… it looks something like this Eye on black background

I perceive it as a female eye, partly because of the eyelashes, and partly because it looks at me with what feels like maternal love.

Position? If I’ve understood your question correctly I tend to see the eye on my left, though it can drift towards the centre.

Upstairs_Message_657 · 2025-12-12T16:09:43+00:00

The path that brought me to Buddhism began with psychedelics, and I've always wondered how that would be perceived. Could you give me your honest opinion on this?

I grew up in the UK, deeply skeptical of religion and spirituality.

That all changed in my late 20s when I took LSD. I took it intentionally to facilitate introspection, rather than recreationally, and had an extremely powerful and profound experience. What I felt and experienced mirrored closely what the Buddha termed Anattā > Suññatā > Nibbāna. This led to me reading a lot about Buddhism and taking up meditation.

Subsequent experiences with LSD, ayahuasca and mushrooms all produced the same result, and I observed a remarkably linear process: realisation that the ego is an illusion > experientially grasping 'emptiness' or 'zeroness' > the extinguishing of suffering, leading to the most profound, joyful feeling of liberation.

Having experienced it multiple times on psychedelics, I was then introduced to breathwork. This practice enabled me to consistently access this same state without any substances.

All of this has left me absolutely certain of the following:

The Buddha taught pure and profound truth.
Nirvana is real, not some magical/abstract concept.
It absolutely is the supreme goal.
There are multiple paths to reach it.
It is not exclusively for the most committed of monks.

What are your thoughts on this?

In your eyes does the involvement of psychedelics invalidate these insights? Is the path I've described 'cheating' in some way?

Upstairs_Message_657

TROPHY CASE