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Advaita, Zen Budhism..Awakening


3stan

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If anyone is interested in these, let me know. Could go for coffee and maybe eventually start a 'group' here in chiang mai. Not a meditation group, but an informal discussion group. Later , )

Sounds like a very good idea to me :-) there are so many more stresses in our falang countries, and it's so easy to bring them with us.

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If anyone is interested in these, let me know. Could go for coffee and maybe eventually start a 'group' here in chiang mai. Not a meditation group, but an informal discussion group. Later , )

Sounds like a very good idea to me :-) there are so many more stresses in our falang countries, and it's so easy to bring them with us.

True, we westerners have been conditioned to over-analyse everything and that often takes us away from enjoying the beauty of the present moment and the simplicity of life. We create imaginary mind problems that are fictitious and we are rarely content (we being the majority of westerners), unless our (high) expextations are somehow briefly met for a moment. the emphasis that western culture puts on the self and the ego (achieving status, recognition, material wealth..) goes hand in hand with the depression bouts that so many of us suffer from when these 'ideals' are not reached...what if the self was just an illusion, a story that we run in our mind? Is there really such a thing as 'a self'? Before the age of 2 or 3 years old, humans do not have self cognition, yet we still live and function and seem a lot more happy ans open to life? where is this 'self' located? I think those are some interesting points/questions to ponder over tea or coffee..

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If anyone is interested in these, let me know. Could go for coffee and maybe eventually start a 'group' here in chiang mai. Not a meditation group, but an informal discussion group. Later , )

Sounds like a very good idea to me :-) there are so many more stresses in our falang countries, and it's so easy to bring them with us.

True, we westerners have been conditioned to over-analyse everything and that often takes us away from enjoying the beauty of the present moment and the simplicity of life. We create imaginary mind problems that are fictitious and we are rarely content (we being the majority of westerners), unless our (high) expextations are somehow briefly met for a moment. the emphasis that western culture puts on the self and the ego (achieving status, recognition, material wealth..) goes hand in hand with the depression bouts that so many of us suffer from when these 'ideals' are not reached...what if the self was just an illusion, a story that we run in our mind? Is there really such a thing as 'a self'? Before the age of 2 or 3 years old, humans do not have self cognition, yet we still live and function and seem a lot more happy ans open to life? where is this 'self' located? I think those are some interesting points/questions to ponder over tea or coffee..

That is an interesting thought :-) this sort of group would interest me, but I'm a long way out of the city, so it's not really practical. I rarely even see other farangs, and hardly ever to speak to, and TV probably doesn't give a very representative spread of expat views :-)

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If anyone is interested in these, let me know. Could go for coffee and maybe eventually start a 'group' here in chiang mai. Not a meditation group, but an informal discussion group. Later , )

Sounds like a very good idea to me :-) there are so many more stresses in our falang countries, and it's so easy to bring them with us.

True, we westerners have been conditioned to over-analyse everything and that often takes us away from enjoying the beauty of the present moment and the simplicity of life. We create imaginary mind problems that are fictitious and we are rarely content (we being the majority of westerners), unless our (high) expextations are somehow briefly met for a moment. the emphasis that western culture puts on the self and the ego (achieving status, recognition, material wealth..) goes hand in hand with the depression bouts that so many of us suffer from when these 'ideals' are not reached...what if the self was just an illusion, a story that we run in our mind? Is there really such a thing as 'a self'? Before the age of 2 or 3 years old, humans do not have self cognition, yet we still live and function and seem a lot more happy ans open to life? where is this 'self' located? I think those are some interesting points/questions to ponder over tea or coffee..

Cool, lets do it then! Im just fine on my own for the most part but do enjoy 'good' company at times. Im new in chiang mai so im interested in meeting 'like minded' people. So lets meet tomorrow as agreed and take it from there. Later , )

That is an interesting thought :-) this sort of group would interest me, but I'm a long way out of the city, so it's not really practical. I rarely even see other farangs, and hardly ever to speak to, and TV probably doesn't give a very representative spread of expat views :-)

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Cool, lets do it then! Im just fine on my own for the most part but do enjoy 'good' company at times. Im new in chiang mai so im interested in meeting 'like minded' people. So lets meet tomorrow as agreed and take it from there. Later , )

oh wait, Changraider, we havnt agreed on anything have we hehe? Different person. Mm, maybe you can find a way to come in the city, this time or next time. Cheers

Edited by 3stan
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  • 2 weeks later...

Cool, lets do it then! Im just fine on my own for the most part but do enjoy 'good' company at times. Im new in chiang mai so im interested in meeting 'like minded' people. So lets meet tomorrow as agreed and take it from there. Later , )

oh wait, Changraider, we havnt agreed on anything have we hehe? Different person. Mm, maybe you can find a way to come in the city, this time or next time. Cheers

Guys, if this thread is not dead I'd suggest reading :-

How to Attain Enlightenment: The Vision of Nonduality James Swartz

http://www.amazon.com/How-Attain-Enlightenment-Nonduality-Spirituality/dp/1591810949/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323761086&sr=8-1

One of the best books on Advaita Vedanta you can read. Stellar.

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  • 4 weeks later...

If you're interested in these things, there's so much material out there... I feel like it's getting big.

Has nothing to do with westerners by the way, Asians or anyone else live just as much in their minds as we do. That is they confuse their thoughts with themselves, they think they are their thoughts, which is when the trouble starts....

How long does it take to awaken? It takes no time at all as it happens now.

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well ya, im still interested. 1 on 1 better imo. Adyashanti, mooji, krishanmurti are some people who i resonate with. Later , )

I am interested. Studied Krishnamurti, Annie Besant, Alice Bailey etc.

Central. in City, is best for me - afternoon? Pantip Plaza???

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basically, all this is about is unlearning, disconstructing one's self piece by piece and seeing that we are just a product of our conditioning, neither good or bad, it just is. This is called self inquiry or self questioning. What we are is just personality manifesting, nothing to be grasped on and turned into a 'self'. Just life manifesting through a body. Thoughts manifests spontaneously. One isnt the creator of thoughts. They just manifest out of nowhere. By grasping on those thoughts as 'mine', one creates an imaginary self and identity, and creates a story in one's mind of being such or such..but all there is is spontaneous living when the thought of a self is not entertained.

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can silence of the mind, disidentification with the mind story, be reached through discussion? im second guessing the 'benefit' of such interaction. what u reckon?

Yes it can happen that way and in infinite other ways. Your post above is not a bad attempt at the impossible though 3stan.

I reckon that the most perfect enlightenment a human form has ever experienced is just as illusory as any other, and remains a profound distortion of reality.

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True, we westerners have been conditioned to over-analyse everything and that often takes us away from enjoying the beauty of the present moment and the simplicity of life. We create imaginary mind problems that are fictitious and we are rarely content (we being the majority of westerners), unless our (high) expextations are somehow briefly met for a moment. the emphasis that western culture puts on the self and the ego (achieving status, recognition, material wealth..) goes hand in hand with the depression bouts that so many of us suffer from when these 'ideals' are not reached...what if the self was just an illusion, a story that we run in our mind? Is there really such a thing as 'a self'? Before the age of 2 or 3 years old, humans do not have self cognition, yet we still live and function and seem a lot more happy ans open to life? where is this 'self' located? I think those are some interesting points/questions to ponder over tea or coffee..

Nicely put, although I agree with one of the other posters, that this is no longer just a western disease (perhaps because western ideas now permeate most cultures...the modern Chinese come to mind).

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I think Advaita is not compatible with materialist goal-driven philosophy.

One day a person may get amped up by motivational EGO teachings then the next, read Advaita teachings which are pretty much deconstructive.

That's one problem I have with it.

It may also just all be another mind game or massive reframe as they say in NLP and nothing more (Advaita).

Just because it is old does not mean it is not just another mental trick....no-one almost can be like Maharshi....he was supported materially by his followers.If you take it all the way to its logical conclusion, you would end up like him but most wouldn't live his austere life.

They want the peace of (no)mind but still want to be in the material game.

It's like trying to have your cake,eat it and get a refund ?

Edited by freedomnow
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thks for the replies and interest. Yes, all goal need to be given up. Including the one of 'wanting/needing' deeper spiritual experiences. Its all about total surrendering and acceptance. One neednt to be like Maharishi. We are all different and have our unique path. Awakening manifests itself very diffently through different 'mind-body mechanism'. From UG Krishnamurti's (not j.krishnamurti) total irreverence to the all loving/compassionate of adyashanti and the likes. Different people resonate with different manifestation of IT. But yes again, all goals need to be droped. That includes the one of being a 'succesful' person acoording to standards set by society (thanks for pointing out that these days it is more than just western type societies since that mentality has spread nearly everywhere, outside possibly some indigenous population who have not yet developed a strong sense of individuality and a need to accumulate more material wealth and social cognition).

Yes you cant have your cake and eat it. Most people are just interested in doing a little 'self-work'. And this has nothing to do with it. It is about total surrender and acceptance of whatever manifests through oneself. About realizing that one is already what one is looking for. Nothing to be improved. But it often takes time, self questioning and finding silence of the mind through meditation to get there (i call it 'ground work'). But not always. There are no rules or no specific path to follow.

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