Lost is not so bad :)

[~Lioness~]

I am finally figuring out the answers to the questions I've been asking the universe for 12 years. Has anyone else been on the path of finding your self? Finding peace. Finding contentment and spirituality and wholeness and understanding. These qualities are the answers to the questions I had the past 12 years.

I just want to say Thank You to the Universe!.
<3

Well, yes. Finding my Self has been a quest over longer than 12 years (probably 18 when I think back) - and I reckon I'm almost there. Even 6 years as a member of SF has seen much happen. It hasn't been what I expected... quite...! Hence the need for openness, honesty, much contemplation and certain practices without which nothing would have happened. So I arrive at a point where it becomes maintenance - mostly. I can't prove even to myself that I've "reached" My Self or how near I am - and obviously the flow will carry me on new excursions but at least the foundation feels ok.

Peace and contentment are nice-to-haves, sure and they have their place. But I don't want to sit still and spiritually vegetate so I'm up for challenge and dealing with admin problems not of my making. We have to be ready to deal with change around us. Equilibrium (or as I prefer to think of it as "steady state") and equanimity are important.

The enlightening was that "spiritual" isn't a compartment of one's life. It isn't something we do. It's what we are. It IS our life. We are spirit in one phase of existence. We live to our highest principles as near as we can. We recognise that no one else has exactly those principles so it's live and let live. No sense going round proselytising our beliefs as if they're worth more than someone else's. We can talk about it but have to leave others to find/follow their own paths. And we have to contend with those who have yet to open their eyes - they far outnumber us.

"The universe" never helped me much, just told me to do my own work! It acts differently for all of us. There were two gurus in my life, notorious for never trying to teach me anything. So they were more like non-gurus but switches. Here are some tools and signposts, they said....now you're on your own. Your path is always your own.

And so it's been....!
:)

Perhaps the real journey is losing one's self? Now that I consider the question I'll relate it to my solo backpacking years. Stripping away the facade, falsity and pretense. Just "being" in a wilderness environment, far from the trappings and responsibilities of civilization, society, modernity. It's bliss, serene, contentment.

"It is not daily increase but daily decrease – hack away the unessential! The closer to the source, the less wastage there is." ~ Bruce Lee

"Awakening is not changing who you are, but discarding who you are not." ~ Deepak Chopra

"Realisation is not acquisition of anything new nor is it a new faculty. It is only removal of all camouflage." ~ Ramana Maharshi

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

"Awakening is not changing who you are, but discarding who you are not." ~ Deepak Chopra

That's a bit of a useless tautology isn't it? Wouldn't you say that discarding what you are not is changing what you are?

I'm highly suspicious of this Mr Chopra. He does love his words. Sprays them all over the place.

As I'm quite something of a loner living alone I could no doubt enjoy serenity and bliss....except for the fact that survival costs. It costs anyone at least something. I have no trouble with social responsibility, have used it to ensure my ongoing survival through bleak times. I like the work I do and the connection it brings. Bliss is fine in small doses but I'm unwilling to duck out of the trappings that make humanity what it is. To me, bliss is involvement.
But yes, it's coming to a point where I'll have to share my life more closely in the near future. My responsibilities, duties, will have to embrace this. Maybe I should say 'interact' more closely.
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Originally Posted by Lorelyen

That's a bit of a useless tautology isn't it? Wouldn't you say that discarding what you are not is changing what you are?

I'm highly suspicious of this Mr Chopra. He does love his words. Sprays them all over the place.

It has the same meaning as Ramana Maharshi's quote. Perhaps another way to put it is let go of the dream. Wake up.

[A human Being]

Originally Posted by Lorelyen

That's a bit of a useless tautology isn't it? Wouldn't you say that discarding what you are not is changing what you are?

You can't change what you are, what you truly are in your essence is eternal and unchanging. Your image of yourself can certainly change, as can your self-beliefs, expression, and behaviour, but what you fundamentally are remains the same throughout. I think Chopra was alluding to the seeing-through of the various delusions we have about ourselves, which obscure our true nature.

Originally Posted by A human Being

You can't change what you are, what you truly are in your essence is eternal and unchanging. Your image of yourself can certainly change, as can your self-beliefs, expression, and behaviour, but what you fundamentally are remains the same throughout. I think Chopra was alluding to the seeing-through of the various delusions we have about ourselves, which obscure our true nature.

I reckon you hit the bullseye.
Surprising that Mr Chopra didn't phrase it like that. The analogy of peeling the layers of an onion. It isn't what his message would seem to convey to most but then, perhaps he was trying to sell some different idea, like you need to find out what you think you are but aren't at your Self level before you can discard the delusions. It isn't so easy when you have only a vague reference to what your true nature actually is - if you're just starting out on the change. How does one do it?

Nice to say hello again btw. I'm not often on the site these days.
.

[HITESH SHAH]

Originally Posted by BlueSkiez

I am finally figuring out the answers to the questions I've been asking the universe for 12 years. Has anyone else been on the path of finding your self? Finding peace. Finding contentment and spirituality and wholeness and understanding. These qualities are the answers to the questions I had the past 12 years.

I just want to say Thank You to the Universe!.
<3

Spirituality is for people with long term aim and goals . Short sighted people will not have any way out in this . 12 years is pretty long and happy that you got what u feel much worthwhile and telling others about it . Very much happy for u .

[~Lioness~]

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

Perhaps the real journey is losing one's self? Now that I consider the question I'll relate it to my solo backpacking years. Stripping away the facade, falsity and pretense. Just "being" in a wilderness environment, far from the trappings and responsibilities of civilization, society, modernity. It's bliss, serene, contentment.

"It is not daily increase but daily decrease – hack away the unessential! The closer to the source, the less wastage there is." ~ Bruce Lee

"Awakening is not changing who you are, but discarding who you are not." ~ Deepak Chopra

"Realisation is not acquisition of anything new nor is it a new faculty. It is only removal of all camouflage." ~ Ramana Maharshi

I think losing yourself is a prerequisite to really finding out who you not only want to be but need to be. The cool thing is you can be anyone, anything.

[A human Being]

Originally Posted by Lorelyen

I reckon you hit the bullseye.
Surprising that Mr Chopra didn't phrase it like that. The analogy of peeling the layers of an onion. It isn't what his message would seem to convey to most but then, perhaps he was trying to sell some different idea, like you need to find out what you think you are but aren't at your Self level before you can discard the delusions.

I think that's about right, yeah, you said it well. Most of us do make certain assumptions about ourselves that we aren't even conscious of (because they're so deeply ingrained, and also because they can simply be painful to face), assumptions that were formed as we were developing, and such self-beliefs have a profound effect on our lives, relationships, general well-being, etc. Facing these things within ourselves can be a very painful, challenging business, but they do need to be made conscious and dissolved (or discarded, as Chopra puts it, though I don't know if that's the best word) in order to be truly free and at peace.

Originally Posted by Lorelyen

It isn't so easy when you have only a vague reference to what your true nature actually is - if you're just starting out on the change. How does one do it?

It's a good question, and a tricky one to answer. Many spiritual teachers suggest that one simply meditate on the question 'Who am I?', though how one asks the question is hugely important; it's important to keep in mind, I think, that it isn't a question you can answer on the level of mind - as I see it, it's really designed to take you beyond the level of mind, so that you can access a silent knowing that isn't mental (I think of it as the wisdom of the heart).

Originally Posted by Lorelyen

Nice to say hello again btw. I'm not often on the site these days.

And to you, too, nice to see you around. I'm not on much, either, I think it's served its purpose for me for the most part, for the time being at least (though I do still regularly lurk, gives me a sense of community I suppose - either that or I'm a glorified curtain-twitcher ).