Jed McKenna says in his book, _Spiritual Enlightenment: The Damnedest Thing_, that we can't find our true selves because the true self does not exist. There is only false self and no self. Journeys of self exploration only perfect the ego, one's dream character. Most people aren't awake because they dread the nothingness of no self.
Pure nothingness is a very frightening concept for me. I am not quite sure why, though, but I am willing to gamble that it is because my ego doesn't like the idea. When I think of nothingness, I think of boredom, and I tremendously dislike boredom.
I start to wonder where my soul fits into all of this. Is my soul my ego? Upon death, will my soul just dissolve into the ether? It's not a very encouraging thought, and there is no conformity to the blissful afterlife I've been promised through studying world religions. I would be more optimistic, on the other hand, if I knew that melting away into the One would exceed the blissfulness of having an afterlife as a soul.
If I had the chance to ask Jed some questions, I'd ask him what he thinks about the following:
1. Is there reincarnation?
2. If there is reincarnation, will my false self or ego be reborn into another being, or will Sophia simply disappear?
3. Does being enlightened mean that you don't have to be reborn?
4. Do you think that the dissolution of the ego into pure awareness or consciousness would be more blissful than having an afterlife as a soul?
5. What do you think about near-death experiences, or about astral projection or out-of-body experiences?
6. When the sun turns into a red giant and consumes planet earth, what will happen to consciousness? Granted, this is not expected to happen for billions of years, but when it does, will everyone be reborn on another planet, or in another dimension?
7. What do you think about parallel universes?
Even though these are questions that I wish Jed could answer, anyone else can feel free to give me their answers or opinions. I am sure I'll have more questions, because I always have questions.
Thanks.
18 comments:
I propose that all of those questions need no answer, for the answers are irrelevant to life.
You know what they say,
"a 'Self' and $4.95 will get you a mediocre cup of coffee at Starbucks."
Sophia,
I think our true selves do exist underneath all of the doctrine. Life is about unburying ourselves to reflect the truth in our Soul. Perhaps, the only reason Mr. McKenna wrote that book was that he hasn't found his true self.
Journeys of self exploration don't perfect the ego - - the ego would never take time away from itself to explore the deeper realms of man. The ego is superficial, the Soul profound. The ego tries to drive, but the Soul has control of the wheel.
The only ego Mr. McKenna is speaking of is his ego to sell his books. You have to find the right truth for you, don't let others define it for you. Until we walk in someone else's shoes, we will never know the steps they take to truth.
hello Sophia
you say: "Pure nothingness is a very frightening concept for me" and continue "it is because my ego doesn't like the idea."
Yes that is correct. It is your ego (please don't take this the wrong way) that doesn't like the idea.
To the ego nothing seems like annihilation.
The egoic mind has been dominant for so long that to stop, and allow nothing to be, even for a moment, can feel like death, and it is death, to egoic identification. It is the birth of freedom.
you continue:"When I think of nothingness, I think of boredom, and I tremendously dislike boredom."
This again is the egoic mind. To the mind, nothing, is boring. Nothing to think about there.
Nothing to churn over, philosophize, judge, categorize and so on. How boring is that!
It is only the mind that gets bored...
...not your true self.
The truth is, freed from constant thinking, and egoic identification, you discover what you truly are. You are pure empty awareness, pure consciousness, open to everything. Touching everything. Enjoying everything, accepting and loving everything.You are open to all the wonders of life. This nothing is filled with all of existence, and it is all dancing inside you, there is no feeling of separation.
So to finish off, just try it and see, you wont find it boring.
vinito
I would say, 'nothing' to the ego is plenty for the soul.
'nothing' is actually everything that is not you being egoic, you being everything but egoic, so the ego hates nothingness....but I also say that the ego can come to identify with and like the 'muchness' of the soul, that is you being everything but what 'used to be' egoic when egoic meant selfishness and selfcenteredness. So keep the ego, learn to be not egoic in your appraisals of life (which you mostly already are Sophia), and realize your ego as soulfully egoic.
I personally think you are already enlightened in the true meaning and intent of the concept, but you just haven't consciously settled on that constant understanding. Even so, it is a life long process to make ego serve soul, so no one is totally and finishedly enlightened.
My opinions Sophia.
This talk of ego and true self in my opinion is a red herring. Dreading the nothingness of no self doesn't mean anything real.
Doesn't matter about soul versus ego. You are you. We need to be ordinary about this: feet on the ground. You dislike boredom, avoid nothingness.
"Do what you like" would be a good way to find enlightenment without even seeking. Follow your instinct. Your soul already has the right instincts. No more tinkering is required except to clear out the junk: not hastily but naturally.
:) - Interesting post... Let me take a quick shot at sharing my take on it. I mean they are only my own opinions so.... Right or Wrong :)
1. Yes - I believe most of us will at least once
2. If you don't learn the lessons you set before yourself in this life time, the possibility of them repeating are high
3. No-we can be enlightened and still have many lessons to learn
4. I think 100% pure awareness would be too much for us to handle as humans.
5. I believe it happend more often then we think
6. I think the human race will be over and a new prodject will be in play
7. I think they exist - why and exactly how is another question
Hope you didn't mind me doing your question list.... Do you have any possible thoughts on those questions?
Vincent,
Much as my analytical mind would like to argue, something tells me you're right. :)
Mushtaq,
I've never heard that saying before!
Well, I don't much like coffee, so I guess I don't need that self, anyway!
Alexys,
"Life is about unburying ourselves to reflect the truth in our Soul."
I think that's what this is all about - finding and getting down to the truth. Maybe I should make that Truth with a capital T, since there's only one Truth. I haven't figured out, for sure, what that is yet, though!
Vinito,
I'm happy to have you aboard. Thanks for commenting.
My ego seems to be sticking to me like flies on flypaper. I keep trying to shoo it away, but it keeps coming back. I'm envious of everyone who was able to get rid of theirs. It takes a lot of bravery. I'm finding that the deeper I go in this journey, the more frightened I become. I hope I don't turn around and run back to safety.
When you say to "try it and see", do you mean to try out the enlightenment thing? Or to try to get rid of my thoughts for a while?
Hope you have a good weekend. :)
Jim,
Thank you for offering your opinions. As you know, for more than two years now I have valued them! Has it been that long? Yes! Can you believe it?
I am flattered that you think I am enlightened, but then, if I was enlightened I wouldn't let myself be flattered. :)
I've heard that we're all already enlightened. If that's true, it beguiles me as to why it's so difficult to feel enlightened.
Have a good night, Jim!
Vincent,
I'm very good at finding red herrings. It used to be that I was told I had too many irons in the fire!
"No more tinkering is required except to clear out the junk..."
Jed McKenna talks about the onion and its layers in his book. After all the layers are removed, there is nothing left.
Thanks for visiting, today. Always good to have you, here! :) Hope you're enjoying your weekend.
Lucid,
Great to have your opinions on this one. Thank you!
Do you think the personality or ego will be retained during rebirth? I used to think this, but lately, during all of my confusion, I've started to think that our personalities won't be returning. I think that everything recycles, but I'm not quite sure how, yet. I mean, how can things be recycled without having some of their previous essence? But then I think, wait, I already have some of the original essence in me to begin with, only that essence is not me or my own.
I've been using my own little analogy lately, to help me view this more clearly. I've been thinking of an amoeba. They look jelly-like and have all these legs sticking out of the core. I picture humans as these legs. The legs dissolve back into the core during movement, and new legs appear all the time, but its all the same amoeba.
If I've confused anyone, it's OK. I confuse myself, sometimes!
I would rather be God than "me".
Perhaps when the sense of I is gone whatever is left has more capacity to enjoy life. Rather than being bored it may be filled with contentment by every perception even by the awareness of existance.
Something with awareness probably does exist, but it is not an identity. An identity is a mental picture of something. It is not real in the same way that a picture of an apple is not a real apple. Perhaps man is an image of God being transformed into real God as Pinochio was transformed into a real boy.
I like this post Sophia. You ask some great questions.
HI Sophia!
Actually neither the personality or ego is reborn. Our natural state of being is what carries over. I believe our personality or ego is something that is developed by life events, social status, beleif systems, up bringing etc. I believe all of these influence who we are in each of our individual life times.
What I feel carries over is some of our emotions because I personally believe our emotions and feelings become part of our soul's make up.
Your amoeba was great by the way!
Mossy,
I'd rather be God than me, too. Thing is, I understand that I'm already God. I don't mean that I alone am God, because everyone is God.
"Perhaps when the sense of I is gone, whatever is left has more capacity to enjoy life." This is one of the reasons I'd like to be enlightened. They say I'm already enlightened, or, at least a lot of books do. Would be nice to feel that way, too.
By the way, I liked your analogies. An idiom that I learned earlier this year from a good friend, that I heard another friend use recently, is, "The map is not the territory."
Glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks!
Lucid,
Do you think that our emotions are separate from our personality or ego? I've come to learn that a lot of my emotions are remnants from things that have happened to me in this lifetime. Nurture, if you will. My emotions sometimes disturb me, especially during my episodes of depression. I'd like to know that when I die, those emotions are shed like a cicada shell.
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