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Post by frankshank on Mar 9, 2010 17:11:18 GMT -5
If you had the choice between knowing and experiencing the truth aka enlightenment or experiencing an amazing ego illusion which would you go for? I'm thinking back to the character in the film 'the matrix' who betrayed his friends as he was sick of the truth. He wanted power, women and good food. If you'd prefer enlightenment explain why and if you'd prefer an ego illusion what would be your ultimate ego llusion?
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Post by frankshank on Mar 9, 2010 17:36:40 GMT -5
I'll go first. I'd certainly like to be enlightened (even though I can't take the me with me) at some stage during this lifetime but before that happens I'd like a harem with around 50 females (plus the sex drive required to keep them happy lol), I'd like to be very powerful and boss people around just for the fun of it & I'd like lots of money so that I can buy loadsa sports cars and maybe a football team. To be honest these things don't really appeal to me (maybe the harem lol) at the moment but in my illusion they would and life would be one big rollercoaster.
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Post by cabinintheforest on Mar 9, 2010 18:46:55 GMT -5
Go with the truth.
John 8:32 ''And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.''
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Post by zendancer on Mar 9, 2010 20:45:05 GMT -5
Everyone has experienced the difference between what is called "dreaming" and "wakefulness." Given a choice between (1) perpetual dreaming, and (2) perpetual wakefulness, people will always choose wakefulness. Why?
People who have experienced the difference between ego illusion and non-duality, if given the choice, will always choose non-duality. Same reason.
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Post by karen on Mar 9, 2010 20:56:59 GMT -5
At some point illusion's always end. That's why I'd go with enlightenment.
Now if this were more than just a hypothetical, and there were such technology, I'd have to revisit the choice to see if I'd choose the same way.
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Post by question on Mar 9, 2010 21:30:19 GMT -5
Everyone has experienced the difference between what is called "dreaming" and "wakefulness." Given a choice between (1) perpetual dreaming, and (2) perpetual wakefulness, people will always choose wakefulness. Why? I'd choose the dream state, as long as I'm in control of and awake within the dream. Actually I wouldn't even mind being in deep sleep all day long, no worries, no nothing. As for the initial poll. I have no idea what this enlightenment thing is, and therefore I don't know which state I would prefer. |
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Post by loverofall on Mar 9, 2010 22:04:34 GMT -5
Easy choice, enlightenment.
Any one here is probably already in the richest 10% of the world. The world is pretty poor. We live better than kings did 200 years ago and have instant access to all the knowledge in the world basically. I've had the pleasure of working with business owners who built little kingdoms. They were all nuts in some way.
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Post by karen on Mar 9, 2010 23:14:20 GMT -5
Actually I wouldn't even mind being in deep sleep all day long, no worries, no nothing. I remember as a kid seeing an episode of "The White Shadow" where one of the kids (a guest spot never to return post episode) was a standard Hollywood-stereotype autistic. The coach told the others that "He lived in his own world". Being a kid myself and using kid logic, I thought to myself: "That's what I want! Maybe it would be like Disneyland with no lines all the time!" Obviously, I was a bit off the mark with autistics  . But I get your drift; I've been there. I suppose I'm just too skeptical to think it now could ever be so good permanently no matter the technology. The poles of duality don't seem to allow it. On and off though oblivion has sounded awfully good to me. No nothing at all - period. No pounding headaches either. |
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Post by frankshank on Mar 10, 2010 3:44:51 GMT -5
Some interesting responses. Just to mix it up a little I'm going to come up with a list of 'enlightenment' negatives:
1) YOU will never be enlightened as there is no you. It's the death of the illusory self and everything you've become attached to in this lifetime.
2) Your relationships with 'others' will change as there is only one. You'll never experience the illusory 'in love' again, for instance.
3) Enlightenment is not one long blissful spiritual experience, it's the truth, plain and simple.
4) You'll never experience the illusion of control again.
5) How many people who are happy with their ego illusion seek enlightenment? Not many is my guess!
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Post by karen on Mar 10, 2010 11:08:22 GMT -5
Frank: 1-4 sounds great with me! On 5 I agree. In fact, it's been the stick this way the whole time - not much carrot.
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Post by frankshank on Mar 10, 2010 11:34:59 GMT -5
Frank: 1-4 sounds great with me! On 5 I agree. In fact, it's been the stick this way the whole time - not much carrot. Hi Karen. I think 1-4 could be viewed as positives or negatives. I'm just not sure which camp I'm in which is why I'm a perpetual fence sitter lol. |
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Post by eputkonen on Mar 10, 2010 12:20:17 GMT -5
Enlightenment.
Since I was very young...I have always wanted the truth, regardless of the consequences.
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Post by amit on Mar 24, 2010 5:53:42 GMT -5
frank:
Like you I'm on the fence.
If One is off the fence either way in terms of what is true/false, enlightened/unenlightened, a problem arises in the nonduality story at least in the unconditional version.
In the unconditional version there are no distinctions or discrimination whatsoever in One. In that version the dualities of true/false, enlightened/unenlightened arise only in the illusion of difference and are illusory. So whatever mask one takes off there will always be another underneath, including the mask of masklessness.
What a relief.
-amit-
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Post by astenny on Mar 24, 2010 11:45:30 GMT -5
Oddly enough my partner and I were having a discussion on what pill we might choose if we had been in the Matrix. I always start off by saying I can only guess, as I really cannot know what choice I will make until I am in that situation. I can say I would or wouldn't do something until the cows come home, but actually being in that situation can be rather different. Anyway, I would probably have chosen truth/enlightenment. As someone said, illusions eventually end and I would rather live with the truth. My life has been about the search for the truth anyway, and that would be more in keeping with my past decisions. Now, would I regret the decision once I made it (like that gentleman from the movie)? I would rather hope not.
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Post by zendancer on Mar 24, 2010 11:52:41 GMT -5
Some interesting responses. Just to mix it up a little I'm going to come up with a list of 'enlightenment' negatives: 1) YOU will never be enlightened as there is no you. It's the death of the illusory self and everything you've become attached to in this lifetime. 2) Your relationships with 'others' will change as there is only one. You'll never experience the illusory 'in love' again, for instance. 3) Enlightenment is not one long blissful spiritual experience, it's the truth, plain and simple. 4) You'll never experience the illusion of control again. 5) How many people who are happy with their ego illusion seek enlightenment? Not many is my guess! 1. True. The personal self never becomes enlightened because the illusion of a personal self evaporates. You can still play and have fun without the illusion of a personal self (probably moreso), but you won't be attached to things in the same way. 2. True and false. You will experience love again, and you may experience "falling in love," but not in exactly the same way. 3. True. 4. True. 5. True. |
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