Pure Experiences

A brief introduction to the series of talks on the nature of reality. Even though it is highly nebulous and subjective concept, we can extract some essential characteristics of what exists. We find that existence has many facets. It is complex, but has simplicity at its core, it is chaotic, but in an orderly way. For the purpose of this discussion, I will use the following model/metaphor of a diamond with many facets. The facets or characteristics of reality are - 1. Illusory 2.Iconic 3. Mental 4. Impermanence 5. Entropy reduction 6. Relative 7. Multilevel 8. Multidimensional 9. Cyclic 10. Infinitely potent 11. Based on ignorance 12. Identical to the Self 13. Unknowable.

The way to happiness and freedom is doing that which you absolutely love to do. This is the path of the heart, which apparantly takes us there. We find that we do not really achieve anything in the end, what we get are lessons.

When seen from a higher perspective, food is that which is keeping us chained to an earthly existence. Many spiritual practices result in a detachment from food, naturally. Practices result in many side effects such as changes in diatary preferences, food sensitivities, aversion to certain foods, intolerance, suffering due to attachment to food etc. What is the correct food? What effects should a practice cause? What changes are needed regarding food and eating habits? Why this seemingly worldly matter is so important? All these questions are answered here.

A slightly unconventional and introductory view on what death is and what it is not. It seems that the death is largely misunderstood as an event of decay and destruction. Here we find that death is a tiny but important part of the continuous flow of experiences we call life. The opposite of death is birth, life has no opposites.

We define liberation as a condition of the mind where it has unlimited choices. Then we explore how that can be achieved. We quickly find that it means a choice to not act, and the only thing to do is non-action. The path to non-action is through action. That may sound puzzling but this is the essence of the path of action. Finally, some practices are discussed.

Discussion on the goals of a spiritual path. What do we get when we follow a path? Where does it lead us? What happens in the end?

In this concluding part of the series, we summarize what we learnt in the last 9 parts. We discuss the matter of a path, why is it needed, how to choose it, the risks of extreme practices, evaluation criteria of progress, and how much assistance one would need for a specific path. Spirituality is a huge field, but one thing is certain - once you have choosen this lifestyle, you will never want to go back to the old ways.

After analyzing the four kinds, we merge the experiences of the world, body and the mind. We see that there is only one kind of experience - the non-physical kind. The physical kind are a subset of the non-physical and both of them are subsets of metaphysical kind, which is unknowable in essence.

This meeting is an open discussion on various topics from samsara to the unknowable.

We discuss some basic things like what is there to know, who is ready to know or what are the prerequisites. Then a new but old way of knowing is introduced. Finally we destroy the world by simple direct observation.

Its a very frequently asked question that what one should do in life, how to best conduct it, what should one aim for and why. In other words people are looking for a purpose or meaning, an end goal of their lives. In this meeting we will try to find all these answers.

Depending on the kinds of experiences we can classify the knowledge. This makes understanding of these billions of experiences easy. What kind of knowledge is most important? What should I know? What is its use? What is it, knowing which, everthing is known? Such questions are answered in this episode, however we do not go in details, just hints, to keep it light.

Knowledge is a structure in the memory. It resides in the mind, which is the collector of knowledge. We see how the structure is formed and the role of experience in it. We also see the major affliction of this process, which are beliefs - structures that form without the foundation of any experience. Some sources of knowledge are also discussed.

We add a bit more to the topic of Truth and see how reliable or meaningful that concept is. We find that there are some pitfalls a beginner needs to be aware of. A better option is to simply know and use your experience without worrying too much about what constitutes absolute truth, as there is no such thing.

Often we hear this phrase - go with the flow, live in the flow etc. In this meeting we will discuss the meaning of "The Flow". What is it? What is flowing? How to be in it? What happens when you are in it? And what happens when you go against it?

Once you are aware and awakon, there will be questions naturally, and you may want to find out the truth. Here I am going to pull out the ground below your feet by claiming that there is no such thing as absolute truth.

Spiritual lifestyle begins with a rise of awareness, which is the knowledge that I am conscious, and even that I am consciousness, not the names, memories, a body or tags. As soon as there is an awareness, we begin to question. This is the beginning of awakening. In this episode we also discuss the issues related to meaning of these big words. They don't usually mean what you think they mean.

Sleep is an interesting state of the mind. In this meeting, this state is explored in brief. We find that sleep is a treasure box of knowledge and insights, when we study it properly. Later we find that it seems to be the closest state to pure happiness, peace, bliss, samadhi, consciousness without contents, and death itself. Some ways to gain direct knowledge of sleep, especially deep sleep, are also discussed.

In this meeting we continue on with the Abilities and Afflictions of the mind, we focus on Ethics and Aesthetics and their illusory nature. We also discuss guidelines for the seekers in order to free ourselves from their afflictions.  

Pleasure, pain and emotions are processes in the mind that are founded on a mechanism of reward and punishment and are geared towards survival of the mind and the body. We study them in this talk and reflect on the related afflictions.