Many live like a parasite upon the world, leaving damage in their wake. You are leaving healing in your wake, and that is worthy of applause and praise. Thank you so much!
If I may add an additional idea, I'd say Self Isolate. This allows you to not get distracted by everyone else, and their needs. Selfish, no, not if you've not previously forced yourself to quietly work with you. Try 6 months, you might learn to trust yourself. Find out who you are. (It's only a start.)
What I have been doing all my life which is filling time with distractions I have even have brought into my idea of what I thought "self realization" was. Your guidance and your exquisite descriptions of the "process" has given me a quite sudden clarity and a feeling of what I guess I would call empathic assurance. Even what I considered taboo has been exposed to light. Today I told my wife I have always been afraid of intimacy. And at that moment not only I but she felt a shift. That one vulnerable utterance is invaluable in what it has revealed. Words cannot adequately describe what they never will be able to. Thank you
I missed this clip, I had been travelling to visit friends and family. Which took me to house’s I once lived in, old teenage haunts, places where my ancestors have walked. My response was very different this trip, emotionally void, distant and removed from the usual emotional crap that memory digs up from the past. So, (who am I ), played a big part in the last 9 days of reflections.
A small breakthrough for me a while back was to feel the intense sensation of my cold feet getting in a hot bath, closing my eyes, and looking for the sensation in my experience. While exploring I "saw" a thought form and knew the thought was happening in the exact same "field" as the sensation in my foot. That was the first time I realized something physical was only happening in my mind. When you said, "Where is the sound?" I could sense the same mind field but this time my eyes open and all of what I could see and hear was mind stuff. The inner guide says "Where is the sound?" will be practice now. Thank you!!
This may sound like a small thing but it is usually overlooked until deep stages of realization. Keep at those types of investigations and reality will start looking very different
I’ve been focusing in the senses because this stage started with body dissolving meditation and, while paying attention to my bodily senses while walking, there was no moving through the environment, just the scene morphing around me. So I focus on sensations while asking “Where is the evidence for distance.” This has expanded naturally. I am more aware of thoughts, and I’m often hyper aware of driving, chewing, drinking etc. Not ‘me’ doing any of it. One night two weeks ago or so I was in bed and momentarily there was only the senses, in undefined space. More powerful in a way than my kensho, but haven’t been back there since.
I think I've been bogged down. But, I've been dealing with some health issues (I'm 72) and think I've been so distracted by that. I am at the chapter on inquiry in the book and have been using only the question of "Who am I." Went through a spell where meditation was hard as my mind would not settle. so I breathe and find the calmness starting....then crazy mind kicks in again and I go back to the breath. Some days it is just not easy. I enjoy your videos and watch each day. I know I have found the ox....
I re-listened to this video, and it's so on the mark. People want the quick fix, the magic stanza, the instant realization infusion, a new book, a new guru, a new paradigm, a new spiritual philosophy. Like people deprived of their smartphones for five minutes, their minds start to thrash in desperation, all to avoid the work. Like you said--it's 95% practice, 5% information. SO TRUE. But people seem to view this in reverse--95% information, 5% practice. That's because practice is way harder, or requires more discipline, than passively receiving information that they hope will have magical properties. And the ego is content to engage in intellectual pursuits that are "other" for a long, long time because it knows that "information" can be a carrot on a stick way out in front of that horse. This protects the ego because it just keeps moving to the "next thing" along the path (information) instead of being seen in stillness as the construct it is. I also think that people (nearly all of us here) sometimes (or usually) lose the point of all of this. Most of us "want" something, which instantly establishes a polarity between the seeker/wanter/subject and the thing desired/the object. That reinforces dualism. Yes, we pretty much ALL want a relief of our suffering, and we want to be liberated from the "hard parts" of being human. But really, isn't it true that what this is all ACTUALLY about is THE TRUTH? That is, some of us "seeker types" want a relief from suffering, which can happen, but the whole point of let's say the Upanishads, for example, is a realization of the absolute insofar as that's possible. I.e., an uncovering of what is REAL, of our TRUE nature. How do we guard against the polarization of the subject-wanting-the-object, which reinforces the conception of dualism, while at the same time having the beneficial goal of self-realization? Because we all have goals here, right?
Awesome. Super helpful for the “desert” part of the process where patterns have mostly fallen away, but the contraction of self is still hanging out…it’s a tricky one, waiting-but-also-not-waiting🤪🤷🏼♂️
Wonderful reminder. I sometimes find myself bouncing from 'who am I' to 'where am I' back and forth in a sit, and it can really feel like distraction or the mind retaliating in some way. I've found whenever I can focus directly on one question things get much quieter and subtler fixations/movements of mind reveal themselves from that quietness. Like drilling toward an event horizon at the earths core or something.
Great! Good advice for awakening. My experience is that awakening is an early event in a larger/eternal evolutionary or transformational process. Eventually any “doing” is a distraction from simple “being.” Transformation (sacred union?) awaits the sacrifice (Death and Rebirth) of the attentional and intentional self. As far as I can tell, Death and Rebirth is the core existential/evolutionary process. Thank you very much for your clarity and honesty and truth.
Thanks Angelo, this really helps and was where I have been hedging the last couple days after our initial correspondence where a distinct question seemed impossible. I think as you spoke in this talk I see my ‘analysis paralysis’. Time to get back to digging a single well.
How do know if I’m Awake. I know how it feels before I feel it I know how it smells before I smell it I know how it tastes before I taste it I see the light inside it and around it And in that instant, when it disappears, what remains… Is. Thanks Angelo.
thank you so much. i asked this question on another thread re picking the “right” question. i have seen over and over how the attempt to find the perfect question is basically an avoidance technique if you will. and i wind up just spinning my wheels 🤦♀️
I enjoy playing video games. Pre-awakening, I got really hooked into No Man's Sky. The game has changed a lot in the intervening years, but when it dropped, it was *so* scaled down, it put so many assumptions into question that it quieted my mind. I just kept thinking to myself "what is a video game essentially?" "why am I doing this?", etc. while going about the process of playing the game (which was basically mining minerals and getting lost in such vastness of space it boggled the mind). For weeks. And then, boom. (I may add that I was very active on Twitch and a bunch of people who were playing that game had similar experiences--it was a crazy time) So, yes. For anyone who wants to awaken, I recommend buying No Man's Sky, turning off the Internet so the game doesn't update, playing it for weeks, and seeing what happens. Also just go watch Sean Murray describe the game around 2015-16. He's clearly in the midst of a huge shift in consciousness. The game evoked so much controversy, but for the people who were ready, holy cow was it a life changer.
@@nat998 Good news. You can play No Man's Sky in VR. Your experience will be yours. The experience I had of awakening felt like what Murakami describes in 1Q84. You just walk into a different reality which was always there. And then you realize you aren't in control. Of anything. So yes, you feel fully like an avatar. It seems that much of what is going on in the truly creative side of science these days is a type of exploring of koan expression (the time paradoxes and all of that). Just remember this. You're seeking God, not another avatar. But the avatar has to come to a full reckoning with this. It's all a fun little way to spend some time. Until the ethics kick in. Then you end up grappling with Nazi Germany, etc as Angelo laid out in a video he put out yesterday. But even that you get through. Keep calm and game on.
@@nat998 ARGs intrigue me more than VR. They capture the shear coincidental nature of experience. If you ever want to design one, let me know; I'd totally be game for something like that.
@@SimplyAlwaysAwake If you ever want to write a Guide to Awakening for Gamers, I'm your girl Friday. I can do the Western Phil side, too, but the gamer side is ever so much fun!!
Who is so serious? Was the question that came to me recently. I sat with it a while and this deep and overwhelming laughter came over me. This question was so hilarious to me. The idea of me as a serious self had me rolling for 30 minutes. The illusion of suffering was so clear for this brief time. However, I can only grasp a small portion of that truth now. It feels like a distant dream. Should I just sit with that same question? That's my question?
I haven’t had the first shift of awakening yet. Nevertheless, I have been able to sense the energy field of my body as expansive and boundary-less. It seems you’re saying that feeling or questioning into the senses is more for the “part 2” phase of awakening. But I believe I’ve heard Eckhart Tolle mention that putting attention into sensing the energy field of the body is a portal as well. And thus I’m wondering if some of your suggestions/techniques for feeling into the senses as a way to shift into a deeper experience of non-duality could also lead someone to have the first shift of awakening.(Or maybe you are suggesting an investigation of the senses as a way to initiate the first awakening and I’m just misunderstanding…)
No that's fine. Follow your intuition. However at some point there has to be a shift in identity or this will all become sort of stagnant. Everyone finds their own way in, there's no exact right way. It's really a path of intuition :)
Thank you for this video. This is exactly what I needed right now. I have been having issues with learning about new ways to do inquiry, or jumping between different practices, and it definitely feels like an impediment to progress. What would you recommend for when I am practicing inquiry and emotions come up? Sometimes I wonder whether I should start feeling into the body sensations or whether I should remain in the questioning of inquiry? This has been an issue for me for a while now. Thank you for your wonderful teachings!
Working toward awakening there is no need to put attention into the body, just recognize that the label "emotion" or even "sensation" is itself a thought. So the mere noticing of anything experiential is itself one thought, then merge with that thought and see what comes. Wash rinse, repeat.
When the good Doctor references 'What is Mu?' (or is it 'what is moo?') as a possible meditation question, does anyone have any idea what he's referring to?
It's a koan, a puzzle to nullify the mind into silence, to forget the self. Unless, you have a desire to want to ask this question (do you resonate with zen? ) it's more appropriate to sit with whatever practice feels most comfortable for you. If you reach this absorptive state via meditation go for it. Sitting meditation/Shikantaza is good. It's not a prerequisite for awakening though. Self Inquiry is less about the question than the hell bent determination to find your true sense of self. The question is the bullet, your intent behind it is the trigger. What is Mu? Who Am I? Same thing. Go look...
Yes, exactly, look for yourself and don't let someone explain 👁 You don't know what an apple tastes like by explaining it, if you haven't eaten it yourself😉
It's the first koan usually given in Zen practice. If you are really interrested I highly recommend reading three pillars of Zen chapters on "Contemporary enlightenment experiences" and "private encounters with ten westerners" Even if you don't have a background or interest in zen, these eschanges are incredibly transformative and revealing of what this process is like :)
@@SimplyAlwaysAwake Thanks, Doc and the others for taking the time to reply to my question. I guess I might've intuited the 'answer' (as in the responses offered), since my only prior association with 'mu' was the alleged Pacific Ocean equivalent to Atlantis. What I do and have done since I started decades ago is endeavor to listen to the silence which is always there. As for 'awakening', after all the books, lectures, youtubes, satsangs etc, for me it really doesn't matter that whole heck of a lot. Why? Because it's indisputable that the Truth is already, always True, in all times, places, 'things' and non-things. My own, or anyone's degree of 'attainment', or lack of same, is MADE of Truth as is all else (even lies!). Cheers!
I know the point of the question who am I? or where am I? is probably not to get an answer....but is the answer something like the watcher/the witnesser/presence/nobody/nowhere/whatever you might call it and we are trying to actively witness that, or at least let go into it?
Hi there, had the shift a couple of years ago, it stayed for about 3 days then lifted. My perspective will forever be changed from before that. My question is how to regain, deepen and make permanent the experience. Can you help? Try to meditate in the presence twice a day.
I've had some kind of shift in my perception happen about 1 week ago but it has mostly subsided and I'm scared of it entirely going away. If awakeness/realisation is always here and always now, why does it come and go? And how do I deepen it?
Hi Angelo! In what ‘frequency’ does one ask these questions? During practice and then repeatedly/continously? Or once in a while and then ‘sitting with it’ for a while? And/or sometimes during the day? Thanks from Holland 👍🏻
I’m actually reading your book for the 3rd time now; absolutely love it. But processing al info takes time ☺️. The chapters on inquiry are coming up soon. Will look into it with fresh eyes 👍🏻 tnx for the reply. Btw: love all your work! 🤩 Tnx
If you are having to listen to this guy telling you the obvious and not turning the video off and figuring things out for your self …..you will always remain lost Lesson #1 everything you need to know is inside you, listening to this wanna robs you of awakening! It can only come from you developingYOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. This is grained from tapping in to your own higher self Don’t get caught up in this man’s ego telling you to follow him this is a huge hinderence. This cider is to help him not you Following him will set you back
I liked your comments at the beginning, then it took a turn when you said "understanding" ... sigh... this is the problem with new age and "higher self" type stuff, it just gets coopted so quickly by the ego. Also anyone who watches this channel knows I don't suggest people "follow me" whatever that means, but rather I endlessly, in every way I can think of, point them back to their own intuition. But I'm careful to point out that you have to follow your intuition down beyond your conditioned thought patterns and endless mental seeking. I understand that can trigger fear, but most who watch these videos are past that initial fear barrier and have had at least a taste of their true nature. Before that yes this can be a triggering message, but I leave you with this, what I'm pointing to is not me, its's YOU, but it is you beyond what you've learned about who and what you are. If you look there you might be surprised what you find. I wish you peace and fruition in life :)
Apparently my use of the word understanding presents some kind of huge problem for you but your only explanation as to why is “it gets cooped by the ego” Oh Simply Awakened one why can’t you see your response to my harmless word is only seeding fear, it offers nothing else, and your inability to see that makes your name a joke.. (but perhaps it offers a little ego boost to you deluding yourself your little made up thing “cooped by the ego” should be now a recognizable internet trope, lol) When in reality you just used it to disingenuously get out of having to explain why my using the word understanding is grounds for you to try and dismiss what I am saying. Do you want me to go on showing you more gross hypocrisies in your comment and intellectual dishonesty and ego There is a surprising lot :)
You disingenuously claim you don’t know what the word follow means then you use it (ie hypocritical). How is you telling everyone to follow their intuition any different than me telling them not to follow you… the use of “follow” is the same! How does not “higher self” mean the same as intuition ?? It does mean the same you are just splitting hairs and being a control Greek to try and sound importan. I think you are suffering from an inferiority complex that you are in psychosis , Hence your incredibly egoed out name and the making of the videos (Just a hypothesis. ;)
