Nobody knows me better than I do
And I don’t know me at all
Does anyone outside know what’s going on?
Why are we trapped in the hall?
How can one awaken to what one cannot bear?
Is anyone any more than the covering we wear?
1 Like
This question is especially relevant to those who, by nature and nurture, are more sensitive than others to the vicissitudes of life. Perhaps the truth is truly unbearable for sensitive individuals. The notion that ‘seeing is freeing’ might not apply to everyone. Perhaps those who ‘attain’ true understanding and freedom have a thicker skin, higher tolerance for pain and discomfort? (Or not.)
It depends on what you mean by “sensitive”. The egocentric brain is more sensitive to what denies or threatens its imagined identity than to things that are actually dangerous and threatening.
1 Like
Enlightenment is for the duller, thick skinned, insensitive types?
Only one fully caught in the darkness and ignorance of self concern could make such a statement - by which I mean a very normal person (albeit possibly obsessively driven by self-concern), on this side of awakening so no insult intended,
Why would anyone accept death if not out of sensitivity and concern? If not out of love? Was Jesus a heartless macho man? Is that how he did it?
Of course it cannot be out of concern for my own suffering and pleasure - it is out of love, the refusal to be the source of evil - revulsion towards harm.
Jesus is not a perfect model, because his status makes no sense - but consider a mother (another imperfect model unfortunately) it is only due to the displacement of the center of concern that she would accept death to save her child. And gladly so.
Is life necessarily just a synonym for fear?
Freedom from the known can only arise if there is sensitivity towards more than just myself.
People who are more apt to feel unwell when their boat rocks, regardless of why. To strain the metaphor, when your ocean crossing involves boat rocking, you’re probably less likely to complete it if you’re prone to severe seasickness. Resilience and mental stability seem necessary for deep transformation.
To be fair not everyone will manage to get across - out of a hundred potential passengers maybe less than one will disembark. (rough guesstimate)
Though these do not seem to be the necessary attributes - they might actually be barriers.
Great suffering, great doubt, a smidgeon of honesty, an understanding of the process of harm - these are the ingredients I have heard mention of.
PS. maybe also a brain that has not been forced into a rut from an early age
More like enlightenment may be less likely for hypersensitive-to-discomfort types.
Is life necessarily just a synonym for fear?
For unenlighteneds life seems to churn away against a background of 24/7-ish fear.
1 Like
You need enough lack of resilience to be able to hit bottom and enough resilience to get up again, enough lack of mental stability to question your foundation and enough mental stability to stay sane?
Resilience and mental stability seem necessary for deep transformation.
“How can one awaken to what one cannot bear?”
The conditioned brain is more inclined to wishful thinking than to mindfulness, so it can’t awaken until it is aware of what it is doing.
By awaken you mean live the not-story (direct perception) rather than the story?
Back to the grindstone - because the grindstone is all I have.
This just seems like a story of sadness, a life lived in pain with a stiff upper lip - and the inevitable end to this short, sad existence, all for nothing. No wonder life seems meaningless when it so obviously is - apart from the trauma shared or imposed. Please don’t get up again - surely anything is better than meaningless egoism?
Where is the sanity in living life in fear? Insane people think their insanity is sanity. Trying to stay sane is a waste of time based in fear.
Well I kind of get what you’re saying, and I kind of don’t. “The grindstone is all I have” resonates. Striving for sanity otoh seems sane for a person whose sanity is a tad tenuous. Living the crazy can be great fun, but it’s a fickle and dangerous friend.
Yes…
-
The top priority of the conditioned brain is to survive, i.e. to maintain the story.
-
The brain knows (deep down perhaps) that becoming aware of what it is doing (its delusional thoughts and feelings) threatens the dominion of the story.
Quite the nasty pickle we’re in! Sounds like to awaken we need to be willing to experience pain and fear and plenty of it, with no guarantee of a silver lining.
The story we tell ourselves is complete and utter bollocks (just listen to any person’s story who happens to believe the opposite of what you believe - unless you think you’re somehow different from other humans)
And furthermore you have no choice in the matter : no control over your sanity nor your crazy delusional beliefs