--- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > <snip> The concept of the ego/I "going away" or being > somehow "replaced" by Self/I implies that it's > a subtractive process. For me, realization has > always been more of an additive process. Nothing > of life before realization ever went away; only > new realizations were added. > > So while I appreciate your description, Peter, > I would phrase it more in terms of which "I" > seems to be "predominant." The ego/I is still > present, which is a good thing -- it would be > somewhat difficult to deal with things like taxes > and traffic jams and the occasional mugger if it > had completely "gone away." But it's not the > *predominant* "I." That is Self, which is always > present and, as you say, has *always* been present, > although not always appreciated. > > Anybody else identify with this?
Yes, I agree. I once heard that the ego identifies with the Infinite after enlightenment, so instead of disappearing, it actually expands to Infinity. That makes more sense to me because it then takes into account the states of Brahman, Krishna, and beyond, but of course means nothing to a person in ignorance. In ignorance the bigger the ego, the more trouble a person is causing. The reality of ignorance and enlightenment cannot be compared; one is a life of primarily duality, the other is a life of primarily singularity. I ask because > some on this forum have characterized those of us > who have had such experiences and talk about them > openly here as somehow presenting ourselves as > authorities on or representatives of enlighten- > ment. I don't think of myself that way. I don't > even use the word 'enlightenment' any more; it's > a bad word, colored by too many meanings in too > many contexts. Enlightenment is a normal stage of life that everyone goes through at one time or another. Because the journey to it is unique for each of us, each of us describes it differently, in infinitely different ways, actually (*lol*). Because the innate desire for enlightenment is so great, there are an endless variety of myths surrounding it from the perspective of the ignorant. But that doesn't make it a bad word or a meaningless word. Similarly, if a class of first graders were asked to describe the reality of being 70 years old, for example, they'd probably be far enough off with the details to render their descriptions meaningless, but that doesn't negate the reality of being 70 years old for those who are. So whether we call it enlightenment, realization, or liberation, it is simply a word that represents a concrete stage of human evolution. And the difference between a life lived in ignorance vs one lived in enlightenment is great enough that having a word to clearly represent the difference is imo appropriate. I don't know what the fuck I am, > and don't worry about it overmuch. But it is > fun sometimes to hear other people's views on > similar experiences. > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> 1.2 million kids a year are victims of human trafficking. Stop slavery. http://us.click.yahoo.com/WpTY2A/izNLAA/yQLSAA/JjtolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
