Sunmaster

Thanks for this riveting story. At least now I know why you don't get it.

The fulfillment I'm talking about is not having conversations with yourself though. That's just the mind entertaining itself. When the thoughts subside and the light beneath them gains strength, that's where the fulfillment comes from. That's the "conversation" to look out for and it's beyond words and thoughts. What? You never had Moo Gratá when in Thailand?

Clearly it all went over your head.

(n+1)²

@Tippaporn Whatchadoin here? Breakfast is waiting in the other thread...

Come on @Tippaporn Don't waste your precious time on the other thread. Come here, have a nice Thai breakfast and get your fingers dancing.

He tried to explain it to you in 5 different ways and you still don't get it. Or don't want to get it. Or pretend not to get it. On the contrary, you like to parade this lack of understanding as if it were a matter of great pride. 😄 Hopefully you'll be blessed with more understanding in the next life. Good luck 😉

....or else! 😅😂😂😂

I honestly don't care one way or another. Do what makes you happy as long as it makes you happy. Fine by me.

And cheers to Tippa, whose fingers must be burning hot from all the furious typing right now.

I second Tippa. You're one of my favourite fellow posters. Cheers

Here I let my friend Bard answer for me. It's a clear and concise answer to how Advaita Vedanta sees reality. The question of whether anything other than Brahman is real in Advaita Vedanta is a subtle one, and the answer depends on perspective and level of understanding. Here are some key points to consider: Brahman as the Only Reality: At the ultimate level of reality, Advaita Vedanta asserts that only Brahman exists. Brahman is pure consciousness, infinite, unborn, and unchanging. It represents the absolute state of oneness, devoid of duality or separation. ("ALLTHEREIS" ... -sunmaster) Maya and the Illusory World: The apparent world of diversity and change, including individual beings and objects, is understood as "maya," an illusion or superimposition on Brahman. Maya itself is not real in the same way Brahman is, but it has a relative reality, meaning it appears real on its own level within the context of the illusion. (underlining, -sun) Levels of Reality: Advaita Vedanta often uses the concept of "levels of reality" to explain the relationship between Brahman and maya. Brahman is the absolute reality, while maya is the empirical or relative reality. Both levels exist, but Brahman is primary and unchanging, while maya is secondary and impermanent. (what I said about physical and mental fulfillment, -sun) The Analogy of a Dream: Think of an ordinary dream. While you're dreaming, the dream world seems real, with objects, people, and experiences. However, upon waking, you know the dream was an illusion. Similarly, Advaita Vedanta compares the empirical world to a dream, with Brahman being the waking state. Realness in Appearance: While Advaita Vedanta argues that the world is ultimately unreal, it doesn't deny its apparent reality for everyday life. (-sun) We interact with the world, experience emotions, and form relationships. These experiences have practical validity and significance within the context of maya. Self-Realization as the Key: The goal of Advaita Vedanta is to achieve self-realization, a state of awareness where one transcends the illusion of maya and realizes their true identity as Brahman. This isn't about negating the world, but seeing it within the context of a higher reality. (What I said about enjoying physical and mental fulfillment, -sun) Interpretation and Debate: Within Advaita Vedanta itself, there are different interpretations of how to understand the relative reality of maya. Some schools emphasize its unreality, while others acknowledge its practical significance. In conclusion, the statement that "anything other than Brahman is not real" in Advaita Vedanta is true at the absolute level of reality. However, the world has a relative reality within the context of maya, and the two levels coexist while being ultimately different. Understanding this concept requires a shift in perspective and can be challenging at first.

Seth too says the ego is a tool, at least I remember reading so. What is the ego if not the tip of an iceberg? The ego focuses the attention on the outer world. In order to do that, the attention on the inner world has to be lessened. In that sense it becomes a hindrance if you want to direct your full focus on the inner world. It's like driving your car forward. You can't expect to go backwards at the same time. One direction excludes the other. You can't have both. If you choose to go forward and refine the ego to be an efficient and beneficial tool, you can start using all 4 gears and go very fast. That's great. If you choose to go in reverse however, you need to stop first. Even the most efficient ego has to stop to allow you to go in reverse. Or else say goodbye to your gearbox. 😁

I honestly don't know what would happen to other reincarnational selves, probable selves, counterpart selves, imaginary selves, transcendental selves and whatnot. Does knowing this bring me one inch closer to knowing who I am? Sure, it's interesting, but does it make me meditate deeper? I doubt it. Maybe that's why you can't find that information in Vedanta. Vedanta is the most practical philosophy or spiritual teaching I ever came across. It cuts through all that intellectual self-pleasuring to ask a simple question over and over again. Who am I?

I think you misunderstand the meaning of those concepts. Who grows? You the body-mind called Tippa. If Tippa were to merge with AllThereIs, becoming one with it, who is there to grow? If there were anything left to grow, it would mean that AllThereIs isn't in fact AllThereIs. Seth talks about individuals, entities and Oversoul. What is there beyond the Oversoul? AllThereIs, right? What is there beyond AllThereIs? Nothing. Where is the growth then? Buried in its final destination?

Yes. This is a typical pre-trans fallacy. In Spiral Dynamics religion (Blue) predates science, while spirituality (Yellow and beyond) transcends (and includes) science. From one at Orange (science), the 2 are indistinguishable. It will happen sooner or later, of that I'm certain. What kind of fulfillment are you looking for? Physical fulfillment? Sex, food, alcohol....? How long does that fulfillment last? There's the expectation of fulfillment and then there is the experience of getting what you crave. Then the pleasure vanishes and the search starts anew. Are you looking for intellectual fulfillment? How do you get that? From reading books, having deep conversations with a friend? How long is that going to last? As long as you have a book and a friend. What if you don't have them? No fulfillment. Are you looking for a fulfillment that is not dependent on anything external? Well then, there is only one source that will never let you down. It's always there, at any time, wherever you are, it's there. If you (I mean in general) are content with the first 2 options, well, go for it...until you'll get tired of being a slave to those needs. Once you realise that the only lasting fulfillment comes from within, you are no longer chained to other needs. You can still make awesome love, eat a delicious steak, drink a great wine, have an awesome conversations. But the pleasure you get from all of those pales compared to the deep fulfillment of knowing who you are.

Faith is for losers. Hard evidence is what is needed!

Some good stuff in there but also a lot of distortions. It's going to take a while to pick through all that. 😁

A lot of tossers have mentioned this several times. We didn't mention it because 1) we aren't tossers and 2) because it's a childish argument that appeals to childish minds.

Not my job to provide you with any proof of anything. You are a conscious being (I think), so you have all the tools to find truth all on your own. Either do that or take responsibility for not wanting to know. As simple as that.

What's with all those questions? I thought you prefer not knowing, because that's what ignorance is.

You seem quite content in your ignorance, so who am I to change that. Enjoy, coz if ignorance is bliss, you must be the living Buddha. 😄

That's reasonable, but I wasn't talking about either subject. I was talking about science and consciousness.

So you like incest. Not something I would advertise on an open forum (or anywhere elsewhere for that matter) , but OK...

I love sweets...now I live in a bakery. 😍 A couple of amazing cake creations, and the 2 little ones I made at a workshop here.