Yesterday I got enlightened again, but for the life of me I can’t remember any of it. This is happening often enough this year. Does this happen to anyone else?
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Not since I quit smoking weed. 
10-96
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i thought i was getting ’ enlightenment '…but i came to the conclusion it was my daily coffee 
… ’ high ’ !?!
take care 
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How can one achieve nirvana with such an illness such as SZ, SZA and Bi-polar and depression?
When I think of nirvana I think of peace and tranquility, not madness and mood swings and constant paranoia and anxiety.
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It depends on your term, enlightened, because everyone has their own way of seeing that. Some might say that they were awake in various times in their life over others. Life is short and time is short. I definitely felt that I was going through something this past month, and yet it also seemed natural.
It’s a confusing term indeed. i’ve thought about it a lot. Buddhism says it is the lack of “dukkha”, or suffering…while american definition is probably more “finding truth”…maybe i have found some truth, but I definitely suffer. definitely depends on the term
people always confuse me with terms like enlightenment and “ego”
but i have become a better person as a result of thinking about these crazed terms
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( - In Response To StarryNight , - )
Nice To Meetcha ,
N E Hoo That Is Why (as you say " time is short ") ,
That Is Why I Love That I Discovered Tha Truth Beauty Of Simplicity ,
I Fynde That Most Of Tha T(Y)me I Complain very Littly ,
I Fortunately Whirl Into Moments Sometimes Of A Colourful Period Of A 4 Dimensional Zone ,
and Reality Lays Before Me Within Layers and Layers Of Shapes and Colours ,
and There Is No Trick To It ,
No Breathing Thro Your Nose and Exhaling Throo Your Mouth As You Count To Sevyn Billion ,
Jus Some Voyd Curtain Rises and Simplisticly You Are Sitting Within A Safe Comfortable Beautiful Simplistic Enviroment ,
Call It What You Want ,
But That’s As Far As I Want OR Even Need With “Enlightenment” ,
Altho " Judge not Lest ye Be Judged " ,
So I Try and Keep My Mynde Open To A More Stomach Filling Of Taystee Pie ,
But I Prefer Sunflower Seeds 
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I’ve wondered about enlightenment. I think the thing about psychosis is it opens the door to some extraordinary experiences, but without the learning that experienced Zen meditators go through, and usually as a result of traumas which leave you wounded and struggling. So it’s very possible to catch glimpses, but it’s best not to confuse it with genuine spiritual states which last.
I thing turningthepage is right in some respects, peace and tranquility are a big part of achieving nirvana, and sz is a broken state which one needs to come to terms with. Perhaps it can be healed or brought into harmony, I know some people who hear voices who have made big advances.
But I think everyone can find insight and wisdom in the search, and with mindfulness and metta can bring these qualities to his or her everyday life.
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Thanks for the comments on Buddhism. I am**emphasized textin a Buddhist group here in Chestertown. One thing lacking is inner peace. I won’t define “enlightenment”. Maybe you could call these mind states epiphanies. I seem to have come to some understandings of my mind and how it works with or in spite of the illness. You all know pretty much what I’m talking about, having been there yourselves to greater or lesser degrees.
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i’m dubious of ‘Enlightenment’ - Everyone is in human form.
Discourses around enlightenment & different teachers/traditions disagree about it all, on some fundamental areas as well.
The supermarket of spirituality/religion that is out there i think can be very confusing.
i’m taking a rest from it all - No shortage of people arguing it all out & saying they are right & everyone else is wrong.
"Make no mistake about it – enlightenment is a destructive process. It has nothing to do with becoming better or being happier. Enlightenment is the crumbling away of untruth. It’s seeing through the facade of pretense. It’s the complete eradication of everything we imagined to be true.” –Adyashanti
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This is good to hear.
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Yes,I remember that some of life’s mysteries were revealed that greatly helped to stabilize my confused state of mind when I was younger and searching for the truth.
The thing is, everyone’s inside is a little bit different. The process of learning meditation is a little bit like a baby learning to walk, how do you explain walking when baby is still trying to make sense of moving arms and legs? So how then to explain enlightenment?
I do think it exists, but I think it is hard to find, and harder to hold onto beyond a brief glimpse. I’m also convinced the body/mind/soul are capable of several different more fully realised states which are not truly enlightened. But maybe one in a million who goes looking will find it.
So it’s best to let go, not take the search too seriously, and pay attention to the beautiful journey
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i expect many of the truly enlightened never discuss it - Those that know don’t say - A lot of people seem to spend their time discussing it, who are Not enlightened - what can they say about a state they are Not in & don’t know?
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When I feel enlighted I see that as a symptom. I can have times when I fully understand something, like how the bank system works or what the politicians actually mean when they talk. Or the meaning of life. But I have learned it is a symptom of the illness. At the same time it is a good feeling, a little scary, but overall a good feeling. A little manic I suppose.
i know what you are referring to - But it isn’t enlightenment.
It’s Not illness to have insight & understanding into things.
i think it’s a very in depth, complex & fundamental question as to what these conditions/experiences really are. Not to say that people aren’t ill, of course people are mentally/emotionally unwell in various ways & to various degrees. But things do need to be separated out - it doesn’t mean that everything is illness.
All these areas concern in large part primary identity/identification.
Here’s the enlightening remarks: “The senses can never be satisfied by any sense experience.” Imagine what this does to seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. Also: “All human beings have limbs and five senses and the wish to be happy.” from “Who is My Self?” by Ayya Khema
I got this quote wrong. “All human beings have the same limbs and the same senses and the same wish to be happy.”
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Reminded me of Ecclesiastes 1:8 … “The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.”
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