Knowing

I thought I knew it all, but the more confident I became that I knew it all the more apparent it became that what I knew was useless and the less happy I was. Do I cage myself in by

The confidence of knowing comes from the comparison of you & others, the ego creates a false sense of self to feel better than others.
You only cage yourself in, if you believe knowing too much is your identity compared to others who don't know "enough".
If who you think you are is creating distance between you and others, you are not who you think you are.
Cleverness is only a word to compare you to those who are "not clever" when in all reality, everyone is equal.
Knowing yourself requires no thought, plus the awareness of your thoughts.
I have a question. Who is the awareness behind your thoughts ?
That's who you are, beyond thought & form.

Hi Dreamer

Yeah, I know what you mean.
I read and read and read, and it all clicks as I'm reading it. Then I find myself feeling washed out afterwards, because it hasn't really clicked at all?
It's compounded my confusion and left me feeling useless!
I tend to need to sit with something for a few weeks to digest it before moving on to something else. Sometimes a few months.

When my studies are complete I fully intend to have access to all knowledge there is - shaman - "a being who knows". That's my goal, but it needs taking slowly as some of the information is heavy going.

Sharing in your feelings on that one!

AM

[devolution]

I've had a problem for the last few years with my memory (I'm 'only' 25) - I can't seem to remember new information effectively...
This is particularly difficult on my beloved, I can't remember much of the things we've talked about, and it frustrates her sometimes...

I love to read, but I find a lot of the information doesn't seem to 'stick' anymore...

Any suggestions???
I've tried some Ginko Biloba, but it didn't seem to have that much effect...

[peteyzen]

The mind can get lazy with a lack of use, like a muscle. So start in a small way, as with returning to exercise after a long lay off. it is about increasing awareness. So next time someone gives you a bit of information firstly:PAY ATTENTION, then deliberately run it around in your head every few minutes until it sticks, if this doesn`t work write it down and carry it with you so that you can refer to it until it sticks in memory.
Bit by bit, fight back against the part of your mind that is allowing you to not pay attention and refusing to retain information. One of the key attributes to great spiritual growth is awareness.
This reaction of the mind sometimes happens when people embark or are on the spiritual journey, it is almost as if the mind is saying, `Im stopping this, I`m going to numb you down`. You will get by it but it requires you to push against it and show the mind who is boss.

Hope that helps

And the mind CAN simply pull the rug out from under you and leave you hanging - - especially if you are pressing in on it too much. It can flat withdraw - - leaving you in an incredibly precarious position. Once that happens - - you've "made it mad." Takes a lot of work to get back from that one.

8-infinite-8 - - cleverness can also simply come from you becoming aware that you are beginning to understand, interact with, and work with Life Itself. It takes tremendous insight to figure out a few things that most others do not even want to approach. Being "clever" at it all simply can mean you are beginning to understand Self - - namely - - mind - - namely - - the old patterns / habits / beliefs that have controlled you for so long.

If anyone begins to seriously compare themselves to other as some kind of true factor in attaining some kind of status - - then that person could be in for some serious trouble. To do that same thing to just get an idea as to "where someone is" on the Path - - that is another matter altogether. There is an old saying - - "One can tell where you are on the Path by where everyone else is." But - - that saying has to be taken VERY lightly. It can be fraught with traps.

The farther you walk the Path - - the fewer people you will find walking alongside you. Eventually you will take on LIFE as your true companion - - and not people - - but also realizing that you will be always of service to all facets of LIFE - - people - - or otherwise. The spiritual greats did not concern themselves that they were somewhat "beyond" the masses.

And - - lastly - - thoughts are thoughts. Use them for your benefit. There is a time and place to move beyond them / silence them for a moment or two - - or three or four. The "tool" of thought was part of the package deal of these worlds for a reason - - and - - that reason was NOT - - to obliterate thought.