Hi again sawfoot,
Okay, from what I currently understand of your reply, is that:
A: You do seem to think that people here are practicing and not making up stories or feeding out lines of BS, and that these claims are not fraudulent.
B: You don't believe or know Enlightenment because everyone seems to have a different version.
C: Pure Awareness as a state of consciousness is a NO.
D: Jhanas are Jhanas
E: You view the behavior of reponses and then see if that matches your view of Enlightenment, maybe your version?
F: You have an inkling this is real, but not real, real, kinda myth-like.
Well, of course ! You have beliefs about things you have not experienced, if you had experinced such things, or such things at a deeper level, you would KNOW what Kenneth was talking about in the first place.
So, use this logic, Mr Sawfoot, please:
Say by meditating and contemplation you had reached a small sliver of Peace and Contentment, which you seem to have done, yes?
Then by your powers of deduction you should be able to infer that , because before meditating and using wisdom, there was not that slice of Peace and Contentment, and that through practice, that sliver of peace can be expanded and expanded, and that one day the sliver of Peace will have been expanded into the whole being.
THAT is where your confidence can come from, reviewing what has been accomplished and constant cultivation of Wisdom as to the Core nature of reality.
So too, it is true, that by not practicing Wisdom, Peace and Contentment, one reacts naturally to the world, much as any animal may react by not wanting things the way they are and by wanting and clinging to the nice things, hoping they will stay that way forever, and thus be unaware of strenghtening the process of Attatchment and Aversion. Even a worm squirms away from pain when the ants attack, and moves towards the warmth of the sun, or is attracted to the moisture of the earth. Wisdom , cultivated brings choices on how and even if to react.
But, know too, that causes have effects,
http://fraughtwithperil.com/ryuei/2012/04/01/the-buddhas-teaching-on-right-speech/Now on that occasion a young tender infant was lying prone on Prince Abhaya’s lap. Then the Blessed One said to Prince Abhaya: “What do you think, prince? If, while you or your nurse were not attending to him, this child were to put a stick or pebble in his mouth, what would you do to him?”
“Venerable sir, I would take it out. If I could not take it out at once, I would take his head in my left hand, and crooking a finger of my right hand, I would take it out even if it meant drawing blood. Why is that? Because I have compassion for the child.”So to sum up, you should be able to answer your original questions of the thread on your own. One can master their own mind, find peace and contenment, AND still master the core teachings of Dentistry, Carprentry, and raise a Family, why not?But for now I still have the inkling that you think a peaceful feeling is generated from outside of the mind and body. i.e. (The world) The World can Trigger a peaceful feeling, but so can you, so why depend on the world for anything?Probably not going to write anymore, as any realizations do not usually happen overnight, and I definitley have my own mind to work on.GOING ON DHARMAOVERGROUND IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PRACTICE WOOT WOOT !!!Sci Fi