Thanks for your replies - they have all been very helpful!
I think the main reason why my "SE honeymoon" has lasted so long is that the experience inspired a number of significant changes in my life, including changing my job to something that I am passionate about and feel I have the possibility to do some good in, rather than my previous carrier which was most of all about status (decreased fear of loss of social status). Furthermore, I have dropped some (unhealthy) friendships and instead use more time on the few ones that really matters (decreased fear of losing of social status), incorporated a healthier lifestyle (removal of illusions), left all my Buddhist communities (removal of illusions), gotten out of an unhealthy relationship (decreased fear of being alone) and a bunch of other stuff. On the top of this I used around 8 months on getting rid of the pains that my medical condition caused, which I should have done much earlier, before it got so bad.
fivebells .:
No, I don't believe in post-mortem rebirth. I mean coping with the suffering bound to arise in this life.
Sure, take profit from your practice so far. But there are still going to be disappointments, pains, even fury maybe. Life is not always going to be as comfortable as it is for you at the moment. The motivation to further practice is in that realization.
Using Meditation to Deal with Pain, Illness & DeathI think we are on the same page then ;-) Yes, I am aware of occasional dissatisfactions and sticky illusions, but at the moment these do not take up much room in my life, which I attribute to the many changes. However, I have a strong feeling that they eventually will, and by then, I will definitely be motivated to go for the 2nd path. Maybe I should have been clearer; my question was more about doing it right now or if it would make sense to wait a bit more; in fact, I cannot imagine waiting more than maximum two years before again being willing to invest the 2-4 hours of daily practice, as well as doing retreats.
katy steger:
So, I'd go with option #1: I think if you're going along and can't see the other fetters presenting your life, that's great
As mentioned above, I can see the feathers, and I definitely expect them to become more evident or problematic, as the many changes in my life become "everyday life".
katy steger:
A natural hazard after that first release is to change and teach and construct some kind of "give back" and it can put in motion a lot of stuff that one doesn't really see the full picture on yet. If your practice is still adhering to basic ethical discipline I'd say let the motivation find you. In my case, my ignorance is so pervasive and persistent, I have nooooo problem finding motivation to continue.
Well, I cannot see myself ever becoming a spiritual teacher - I do not have this urge and there are many teachers much better than me - my talents and potential for doing something "good" are in a much different areas - so, no worries ;-)
Rod C:
If SE meant improving things 'this' much, imagine how much better it is further on? (realising its not all linear of course) but to me after the 'post SE party' is over, I can see plenty that is unsatisfactory and giving me suffering - this is where my motivation is coming from. So find yours and act accordingly. Katy and Dreamwalker gave me some great advice on what to do at this point to progress beyond - this maybe helpful for you too if you are wanting to go further.
Stream Entry - what to do after?
Thanks for the motivation speech and the link; I look forward to reading it ;-)
Best Regards
Andy