Experiencing the Infinite

[IndigoGeminiWolf]

As far as I understand, non-duality is the infinite.
Would this make you go crazy?
Could one handle infinity if they were just starting out?

Is it wise to pursue the infinite?

Or does it take decades for something to happen?

Is it a worthy endeavor?

What should one seek?

[janielee]

Speculation is rife with issues.

Practice - choose a practice and follow its path. Put down the papers, the speculation, the forums, the text.

Follow the path.

Meditate, reflect.

It's not a myth, and in my own personal opinion, yes it's a very worthwhile path. It's the path of truth over falsehood, peace over confusion, serenity over suffering.

YMMV

JL

[iamthat]

As far as I understand, non-duality is the infinite.


Indeed, non-duality is Oneness. Being One there is no separation, and there is nothing outside Oneness. Because if there was something other than Oneness then there would be two, not One. The infinite is the realisation that the Self has no limits.

Would this make you go crazy?

Oneness is not a mental state. The infinite is not a mental state. Oneness is a state of Being, not a state of mind. Knowing the Self to be everywhere does not mean that the mind is everywhere. The mind remains as it is, so there is no risk of going crazy.

Could one handle infinity if they were just starting out?

Are we really just starting out? Or are we continuing a journey we began long ago?

Is it wise to pursue the infinite?

Is it wise not to pursue the infinite? The infinite is our own nature, the infinite is our home. Where else is there to go?

Or does it take decades for something to happen?


It takes lifetimes for something to happen. But maybe this is the lifetime when it does happen. The moment of realisation is instantaneous, and then nothing is the same as before. And yet, everything is the same.

Is it a worthy endeavor?

Is this not why we are here? What else would you be doing?

What should one seek?

What should we seek? We should seek complete surrender, including the surrender of all seeking.

Where should we seek? We should seek within.

What do we find? The Self. And we realise that there is nothing except the Self, without limits. Identification with the Self as all things is natural and effortless.

Peace.

[wstein]

As far as I understand, non-duality is the infinite.
Would this make you go crazy?
Could one handle infinity if they were just starting out?
Is it wise to pursue the infinite?
Or does it take decades for something to happen?
Is it a worthy endeavor?
What should one seek? Pursuing the infinite is probably not a useful goal in itself. Seeking one's own infinite is more commonly known as finding one's inner divine. This is the main goal of most spiritual practices.

If you are a true novice, it probably will take a decade or more to actually experience the infinite. Even then, its very hard for the mind to deal with. If you should encounter infinity before being spiritually mature (being an old soul counts here) you likely won't even grasp what you have encountered. It will just be one of those weird experiences without explanation.

As to going crazy, its possible though very very unlikely.

As to being 'wise' that depends on what you want out of this lifetime. Having any grasp/experience of infinity makes a life as a finite incarnate being very hard to take seriously. So, if you are actually trying to learn what it means to be an Earth creature I recommend you avoid infinity.

[Jainarayan]

As far as I understand, non-duality is the infinite.
Would this make you go crazy?
Could one handle infinity if they were just starting out?

Is it wise to pursue the infinite?

Or does it take decades for something to happen?

Is it a worthy endeavor?

What should one seek?

That's pretty much the essence of Advaita Vedanta, a Hindu school of philosophy. Advaita is Sanskrit for (literally) "not two". It's a non-dual school of thought in which there is only one reality, Brahman, and we are it. As is the bird out there, the person sitting on death row, the holy person, the deer in the forest, the forest itself, and so on for everything. Sometimes it's hard to get one's head wrapped around it. I think John Lennon had Advaita in mind on that weekend acid trip... "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together". :D Meditating on it is what eventually gets us self-realization, enlightenment and moksha, release from the cycle of rebirth. So yeah, it's a worthy endeavor. :smile:

[IndigoGeminiWolf]

That's pretty much the essence of Advaita Vedanta, a Hindu school of philosophy. Advaita is Sanskrit for (literally) "not two". It's a non-dual school of thought in which there is only one reality, Brahman, and we are it. As is the bird out there, the person sitting on death row, the holy person, the deer in the forest, the forest itself, and so on for everything. Sometimes it's hard to get one's head wrapped around it. I think John Lennon had Advaita in mind on that weekend acid trip... "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together". :D Meditating on it is what eventually gets us self-realization, enlightenment and moksha, release from the cycle of rebirth. So yeah, it's a worthy endeavor. :smile:

I'm reading a book about Bhakti Yoga, and the author states that being devoted to a deity such as Krishna will yield greater rewards than moksha. He states that the Bhakta, or person doing Bhakti, will actually decline the 5 liberations in order to continue to devote himself to the deity. He will turn down liberation (moksha), because that would prevent him from loving the deity.

[iamthat]

I'm reading a book about Bhakti Yoga, and the author states that being devoted to a deity such as Krishna will yield greater rewards than moksha. He states that the Bhakta, or person doing Bhakti, will actually decline the 5 liberations in order to continue to devote himself to the deity. He will turn down liberation (moksha), because that would prevent him from loving the deity.

I have always found this a strange approach. Liberation is not a barrier to loving the Deity. Indeed, the greatest love is to become one with the beloved.

Peace.

[Jainarayan]

I'm reading a book about Bhakti Yoga, and the author states that being devoted to a deity such as Krishna will yield greater rewards than moksha. He states that the Bhakta, or person doing Bhakti, will actually decline the 5 liberations in order to continue to devote himself to the deity. He will turn down liberation (moksha), because that would prevent him from loving the deity.

That is true, with the view depending on the sect and school of philosophy. Jnana yoga, the yoga of knowledge (of the Self/Atman/Brahman) is one way. Bhakti yoga, or bhakti marga, the path of devotion is another way and probably the easiest for most people. Not fastest, but easiest. Meditation to achieve jnana is pretty intense. But anyone can be sincerely devoted to their chosen form of God. There are beliefs that moksha for the bhakti yogi is not unlike the Abrahamic notion of Heaven... to be with God, in his (or her) service, in eternal bliss and knowledge. The Advaitin position is closer to the Buddhist nirvana concept. The idea of indescribable bliss is there also, given that Brahman is referred to as saccidānanda, "being (or truth), consciousness, bliss".

[IndigoGeminiWolf]

I would want to become one with a wolf-like deity. But I've never heard of such existing.
Unfortunately I tried dedicating myself to Krishna, but I just didn't feel it.

I think merging with any real deity would produce an infinite experience.

I want to reach this through meditation possibly. Though I don't commit myself to enough deep meditation. They are always very shallow. I keep itching and having to scratch it.

I really hope there's a wolf god out there. But perhaps in Infinity, anything is possible.

I like what you say about chosen form of God. I think that would work best for me.