Enlightenment Pill

>>37123542
>All you need is a nice mixture of contradictory philosophies
also, Zen is a school of Buddhism, you redundancy-spewing mental midget

>Do you want happiness? Do you want to experience peace and satisfaction? A good life?

no.

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You are the universe. There, that's the whole endpoint of enlightenment in 4 words.

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>>37123542
cont.

All you can do is:
>live a simple life
>have only a few attachments
>try to avoid complicated situations
>try to have only a few desires
>meditate to calm your mind / emotions
>be happy without any cause, you you will always be happy

Here's the bushido part:
>don't just sit somewhere, without doing anything
>do stuff, but without the fear of losing
>if you encounter any challenge, try to win, but cast aside fear
>live your life like it is your last day on Earth
>you can have a career, but worry not - remember: everything has a beginning and an end

How to treat others:
>you can simply ignore others, but...
>the most logical thing is to be positive with other people, even if they are negative with you
>be honest to avoid unnecessary fights
>but be strong (yet flexible) to avoid tyrants (people who wants to control you)

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>>37123555
You are half right: Zen is kinda mixture of Buddhism and Taoism. It's not the perfect definition, tho.

Also yeah, these systems can contradict each other.
That's why I said "nice mixture".

>>37123597
>no.

My bad.
I didn't really mean "oh I'm sooo happy, yaaaaay" kind of happyness - it's more like peace and contentment.

>>37123629
I have to disagree.
I love Alan Watts (for example his lecture on Taoism), but this "you are the universe" thing can be misleading.
It can make you selfish - in a (self-)destructive way - and delusional.

I think you HAVE TO accept your reality as it is.
No illusions of grandeur, no woo-woo; just living a simple and humble life.

>>37123542
kyse you are a self xD

>>37123542
no, you need a good dosage of tetrafarmakos.

>don't be afraid of gods
>don't worry about death
>what is good is easy to get
>what is terrible is easy to endure

with these ingredients you should be able to reach ataraxia.

>>37123709
That is the whole point of enlightenment, and what Watts underlined heavily. It's understanding the selfish and grandeur points and realizing what they are, then breaking past that and seeing how they too fit into the universe. That's what most religions and really civilization as a whole is, seeing you and humanity as the big grand thing in the universe. Waking up is seeing past your ego, and instead of having it blow up to megalomania and everything else growing small, having everything else rise up to the personal standard you hold yourself at.

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>>37123542
About winning / losing in life:
>everyone loses (dies) in the end
>life is full of accidents, luck and disasters; a poor farmer can live a long and healthy life and a billionaire can die in a random disease
>there's no gurantee that you will have money, health, good looks and luck
>you can lose the stuff above anytime (yes, even good looks)
>there's no 100% defense against natural or "social" disasters (being robbed, killed by man or by basically anything, hitting your head, etc)

There is no such thing as winning or losing.
It's just life. It's up to you how to experience it.

"But what about evil people who laugh at me and mocks me because I'm weaker / poorer / less lucky, etc?"
Just give a shit about them.
Even if you are in real, REAL trouble (someone attacks you), you simply defend yourself, do your best to survive it, and that's it.

Most of the time you can avoid trouble, by being humble. It's pride that makes you feel the pain when someone mocks you.
You can't change how people look at you or think about you, but you can give a shit about it.

>>37123821
This guy gets it.

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>>37123902
I see.

>Waking up is seeing past your ego, and instead of having it blow up to megalomania and everything else growing small, having everything else rise up to the personal standard you hold yourself at.

This. Absolutely.
I tried a lot of belief systems, and after 10 years of experimenting, I went back to Buddhism and Taoism.
Everything else only strenghtened my ego and filled my life with illusions, disappointments and suffering.

Living a simple and humble life is the best choice.
All the distractions, all the social struggle will eventually destroy your health and sanity.
And even if you are lucky (being rich, for example) you still can have a simple life.

My favourite technique is, when I encounter some trouble: I ask myself "What's the worst thing that can happen?"
Even if I end up being homeless, ill or hated, there's still a tomorrow. That's still life... well, until I die. But as I said, everyone who lives will die eventually.

Even in the worst situation, you can be at peace, without any worry.
And that is true happiness.

>>37123777
>kyse you are a self xD

What?

Believing that you don't have any meaning or that there is no meaning to the universe is unnatural and will make you unhappy. You should believe that you matter and that you and everything has a purpose or you will be prone to depression and with no easy way to get out. If you believe that life is pointless, then when you will have no reasons to not do crime, to not do drugs, to not become a selfish brainlet. You will have no reason to pull yourself our of depression if you have the mindset of a drug addict.
Animals don't believe that they are meaningless, it is a human trait. Its contradicts how most of nature feels about itself. Without an identity humans become crazy. All enlightenment is is mental gymnastics to get to a point where you don't believe you are purposeless while avoiding being 'brainwashed by religion'. The fast track to enlightenment is to pick any religion (expect Islam or judaism) and sticking to it.

>>37124304
>Believing that you don't have any meaning or that there is no meaning to the universe is unnatural and will make you unhappy.
stop projecting

>>37124333
I added unhappy to get a (You)

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>>37124304
First of all: I completely understand your arguments and I see why you see this topic in that way.

However, I disagree.

>Believing that you don't have any meaning or that there is no meaning to the universe is unnatural and will make you unhappy.

This is a typical Westener point of view (no offense).
Emptiness is not a chaos, an abyss or a "lack-of-good-things" nothingness.

Emptiness is like the feeling when you go home after a hard day, open a can of beer and sit down in a comfortable chair.
It's a void, indeed, but a void of suffering, struggle or complications.

>You should believe that you matter and that you and everything has a purpose or you will be prone to depression and with no easy way to get out.

On the contrary.
Fear, attachments, struggle and stress is what makes you depressed.

Enlightenment gives you freedom, a clean slate and a peaceful mind.
It's not the lack of possibilities - it is the freedom to do anything, without self-limiting beliefs.

>If you believe that life is pointless, then when you will have no reasons to not do crime, to not do drugs, to not become a selfish brainlet.

It's not jast about realizing that life is meaningless, Anon. This is more about having a peaceful mind, no stress and no illusions.
Life is life. You'll only become a lunatic and a killer if you can't accept death and won't understand the nature of suffering.

So again, it's literally the contrary of anything you said: an enlightened person will become compassionate, peaceful, empathic and patient.

>You will have no reason to pull yourself our of depression if you have the mindset of a drug addict.

Again: no stress, no depression.
You're like a drug addict only if you have attachments, illusions and harmful desires.

>Animals don't believe that they are meaningless, it is a human trait.

Animals don't have illusions, harmful thoughts and emotions. In a positive way, we should be more like animals.
Just being, acting naturally, etc.

>>37124449
> Act more like animals

It would be legit to rape that qt who looked at me just a bit too long then.... Hmm considering most women are sub this could work if no white knight shows up to ruin it

>>37124304
>>37124449
cont.

> Its contradicts how most of nature feels about itself.

Nature is simplicity. It just "is".
Human society causes its own problems - with all the overcomplications, stress, illusions (like "legacy", "winning in life", being "worhty", the fear of death, etc).

>Without an identity humans become crazy.

Look, I'm not saying that you need to (or even: able to) lose your identitly. I'm not sure if that's even possible or necessary.

Human nature is a thing. But Westeners look at it as an extremely dangerous and savage thing.
Buddhists and Taoists believe in the opposite: all that savagery and cruelty is a product of human society - unnatural stuff.

You do cruel things to avoid suffering. But if you'd accept your own limitations, you wouldn't act like that. Even in "bad" conditions.

>All enlightenment is is mental gymnastics

Believe it or not, I kinda agree with you on this one.
But it's more about freeing your mind from the ready-made mental gymnastics of human society.

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>>37124514
>rape

The buddhist logic of suffering is like this:
>suffering is unavoidable
>try to train yourself to let go attachments
>then you will not suffer (as much)
>everyone suffers (not just you)
>everyone tries to avoid suffering, just like you

When you understand this, you'll become empathic.
You won't cause suffering to anyone else. No raping, no killing, not even cursing or being unfair.

Also hurting others would cause you stress (and dangerous attachments).
Being an asshole is basically not logical or desirable.

>>37124614
What to think of the women who told me they like rough and painful sex?

Personally not my thing but they insisted I hurt them as much as possible. Killed my boner.

>>37124683
Next time you fight back with reciting Buddhist mantras during sex.
"Was it good, honey?
"It was enlightening!"

If you think the end result of nihilism is to do nothing you should go back and read more.

Nihilism isn't supposed to trap oneself into hopelessness but to liberate one from the particular religious dogma of Western Europe prior to enlightenment

>>37123542
>just swallow this kool-aid cocktail of new age-y bullshit
No thanks

>>37124798
Problem is, westeners are afraid of "nihilism". They think peace and being content means the end of the world. It's like they don't even want to be happy or something.
Weird folks.

>>37124614
Enlightenment. Since I've never considered myself enlightened I can't say for sure that you wrong but I can't imagine it can be so easy to have no stress and no attachments.
Even then enlightenment is something to be obtained and is hard to do so and I'm not sure that once your enlightened you will be guaranteed to stay enlightened.

It seems to me that the idea of someone being enlightenment is a 'get out of jail free card' to all of lifes problems. To me humans in their natural state (where they don't try and control their emotions)
live in a way in which they chase happiness and may get hurt doing it. They feel love, get angry sometimes and feel a whole array of emotions that is both good and bad. I don't believe that its a savage
thing but don't think its a product of human society either. Enlightenment seems to want to control human nature, and in a sense fight it. I don't see how someone can feel happy constantly
fighting within themselves.

Nirvana and your version of how to perceive nothingness (the void) is not enough of a motivator to stop oneself from hurting themselves in the long term with degenerate stunts and such.

Believing that you and the universe is of importance is more powerful and inspiring.

>>37124882
>kool-aid coctail

It's pretty hard to achieve emptiness and detachment.
It takes a lot of training and strength.

>new age-y bullshit

You do realize that Buddhism and Taoism thousands of years old, right?

Anyway: what do you recommend? Why do you think that the techniques and philosophies in this thread are not working?
Please share your ideas!

>>37124892
>>37124892
say that on /lit/ and you'll get called an edgy teen
your most likely to lazy to have ever read a book on this stuff
people have been debating this shit for thousands of years
and after picking the easiest concept you think you understand everything
Im sorry but your atheist gods one-liners dont count as arguments

>>37124892
Well considering buddhist monks regularly do crazy shit like bury themselves alive or set themselves on fire I think us hwhite people have legitimate grounds for being skeptical.

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>>37124926
>I can't imagine it can be so easy to have no stress and no attachments.

"Enlightenment" is not a final destination. It's a constant training. It will never end.

I mean some Buddhists say otherwise, but I believe it's an ongoing thing - like weight-lifting, for example.
Being peaceful is like being muscular; you have to train to achieve that state... a lot.

>Enlightenment seems to want to control human nature, and in a sense fight it.

I see.You might be right.

Although I kinda disagree with:
>I don't see how someone can feel happy constantly fighting within themselves.

Trying to be in constant peace, serenity and satisfaction is worth the whole training.

>Believing that you and the universe is of importance is more powerful and inspiring.

I believe this is the ultimate trap of duality: if there is beautiy, there is ugliness. If there's winning, there is losing. You are with me or against me, etc.

You can have positive stuff in your life without accepting illusions. I'm not against happiness. I just say that we believe in a "wrong" kind of happiness, see?
Simple living, harmony and humility can make your life much better, giving you far more joy than believeing in false hope, a mysterious goal in / of life or an illusoric importance.

Sometimes happiness means accepting your world as it is.

>>37125004
>say that on /lit/ and you'll get called an edgy teen

Hmm... ok.

>your most likely to lazy to have ever read a book on this stuff

I've studied Taoism, Buddhism and Zen (and a lot of other belief systems) for years.
That's my hobby.

>people have been debating this shit for thousands of years

I know. :)

>and after picking the easiest concept you think you understand everything

As I said the techniques in this thread are far from being "easy".
Oh and no, I never said I understand everything. Who does?

>Im sorry but your atheist gods one-liners dont count as arguments

i think you misunderstood something.

>>37125014
>buddhist monks regularly do crazy shit like bury themselves alive or set themselves on fire

Yeah, it's a religious thing.
Christian martyrs were the same.

But I don't say you have to become some crazy (or not crazy...) monk to achieve happiness and peace.
People simply need to have a different set of values in life, that's all.

>>37124962
By 'kool-aid' I'm referring to Jonestown, and by 'cocktail' I mean you're just blending a bunch of distinct belief systems together.

Their popularity in the west is what's new. The problem with these philosophies is two-fold: firstly that they come from a radically different society and culture from the modern Western world, and secondly that they seem to hold great meaning but they actually just boil down to "meditate and be compassionate."

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>>37125270
>firstly that they come from a radically different society and culture from the modern Western world

That can't be a problem.
Learning and adapting is a good thing.

>they actually just boil down to "meditate and be compassionate."

I disagree. I tried to give examples in this thread, but it's possible that they weren't good enough.

Here:
>>37123542
>>37123630
>>37123918
>>37124020

It's not really about meditation (which can be a good exercise, you're right), but about understanding the nature of life, death and suffering.
This is a way of life.

Although if you criticized philosophies / religions like Buddhism and Taoism, well... then I have to disagree, again.
They are complicated belief systems and not just about meditating and being compassionate. While they can be parts of them, it's like saying that Christianity is only about praying and being kind.

>>37123542
"Nirvana literally means "blowing out, quenching, becoming extinguished". In early Buddhist texts, it is the state of restraint and self-control that leads to the "blowing out" and the ending of the cycles of sufferings associated with rebirths and redeaths. Many later Buddhist texts describe nirvana as identical with Anatta with complete "Emptiness, Nothingness". In some texts, the state is described with greater detail, such as passing through the gate of Emptiness (sunyata) - realizing that there is no soul or self in any living being, then passing through the gate of signlessness (animitta) - realizing that nirvana cannot be perceived, and finally passing through the gate of wishlessness (apranihita) - realizing that nirvana is the state of not even wishing for nirvana."

"The nirvana state has been described in Buddhist texts partly in a manner similar to other Indian religions, as the state of complete liberation, enlightenment, highest happiness, bliss, fearlessness, freedom, permanence, non-dependent origination, unfathomable, indescribable. It has also been described in part differently, as a state of spiritual release marked by "emptiness" and realization of non-Self."

>>37123542
I realized that death was unavoidable and life was meaningless at 12ish years old.
It kept me up at night. The sheer existential dread made my nights a living unspeakable hell.

Ego death because of an obscene amount of shrooms and being in a very bad place around people I didn't fully trust took me apart and put me back together somewhat wrong.

While in college and having a nervous breakdown and suffering from depression I only slept, perfected my lucid dreaming and only left my room to visit the library and if I was really ballsy walk through the cafetaria to snatch a few pieces of food before going back to my room.
I spent most of my time meditating or in dream.

In my darkest depressed moments I realized that my life is a long dark tunnel with only a few bright spots. That I seek death of the ego, the mind, and sometimes..when I'm not careful true death.
That if my life is without meaning and destined to end at either my own hand or at the hand of time eventually that I must find something to fill my days and nights with that will make my time valuable.

>>37126429
OP here.
I know what you mean.

The things we described in this thread are basically the next steps on your journey. Think about existential dread as a necessary stage that will lead you to freedom.

Don't fear death. You can't avoid it.
All that you experienced will only make you stronger.

>In my darkest depressed moments I realized that my life is a long dark tunnel with only a few bright spots.

And here's where Buddhism comes in: yes, life is full of suffering. You can only try to avoid as much pain as you can.
Don't run from these feelings. Just acknowledge them and continue your journey.