Thread: Enlightenment - Quick Guide

Anyone want to take a shot at compiling, in a nutshell, the path to enlightenment? I've been thinking of this for some time and decided it's the sort of thing that works best with many different minds adding in to get the particular signposts that will resonate with the largest audience.

But here's my attempt:

There is absolutely no reason to agree with any of the judgments one has in their head. Begin by neither agreeing nor disagreeing with all beliefs and thoughts you have, whether they're about yourself or the world. Disidentify with yourself and use your awareness to view your mind and body as part of the world around you. Disidentification is the release of one's "self" from all the labels they cast upon themselves. Being male or female, old or young and gay or straight may help other people in their judgments of someone but it is not something people need to apply to their awareness. One's will and emotions already convey their personal bias and genuine personality to the world in the moment. The identity is for the non-existent hypothetical. By holding on to it, one is losing some of the attention they could retain for themselves. The worst false identity we give ourselves is that we are our minds. Step outside and watch your mind from yourself. It may help pivot your awareness to imagine yourself as the star of life's movie. One is after the novel, expectant sensation like life is new and refreshed.

If you followed that correctly, you should now be centered. You may have been centered before, you may have been centered while reading this. Hopefully you're there now. I sort of went in and out while writing it P:

Anyway, this state is referred to as mindfulness or the zone. One is not involuntarily thoughtless but from this state one sees their thoughts as barriers that serve no purpose except to interrupt experience with reality .Since you've learned to think, how often has it felt like your thoughts are actually voluntary?

I've isolated three essential steps to retaining this state:

Remember: Remind yourself to remember. Be in this state whenever you remember to. Use reminders just like you do with Reality Checks. Don't get down on yourself for forgetting. Never do any more or any less than your best.

Detach: Be attached to no particular outcome. Results are never what you intend. Even when you get what you want, it's impermanent and serves nothing except the moments it provides you with which are best enjoyed by being Mindful. This state of heightened alertness also ensures you are your most capable self rather than floundering in panic or worry.

Be honest: The mind is a world of fabrication and distraction that constantly wants more and more of our attention, thoughts become alive and self-sustaining simply through our addiction to them. When one is centered the only way to retain that state is relate it honestly with great care over one's words and actions.

That's it so go ahead and explain what I'm missing or could phrase differently, or just write your own quick guide!