In all the years I've been a member of the Dho, no one has claimed enlightenment.

The odds of you achieving this are slim to none.

I guess it could happen, but the risk:reward ratio is very skewed to the risk side. The risk is that you spend your life watching your breath and don't get anywhere. Speaking realistically. Speaking honestly.

Realizing this, I think I'm going to go back to chasing money, sex, status and admiration for a while. Happiness was much more readily available when I had that approach to life.

Life itself made me this way. Life forces me to be egoistic at every moment. Life created a mind which continually wants stuff. I don't know why it did this but I'm surrendering to the fact. Call it a spiritual act if you like. Sahaja Yoga....?

http://www.osho.com/read/featured-books/yoga/sahaj-yoga

As much as some might say so, insight practice and chasing worldly things often work pretty well together, as there are many lessons about what the consequences, both good and bad, of chasing worldly things are that can help motivate insight practice, as well as concentration practice.

Further, it is so funny now people view this place, as one of the standard criticisms of the DhO is the large number of people who claim various things and how this must mean something is wrong with it, so which is it? ;)

I myself have chased all sorts of worldly things along with my insight practice, and found that they actually can benefit each other.

Enjoy,

Daniel

I don't know. People here have all manner of different experiences, some very deep. But actual final enlightenment seems not to happen. I'm just weighing up risk vs. reward.

I take your point about how being selfish can be quite beneficial to spiritual growth. I think somewhere along the way I got the idea that being selfless was good, but it's only really good if it happens naturally.

I'll be back!

CCC

This must be meant to be funny because I've spent lots and lots of time meditating every day for quite a number of years and as I calculate it all that meditation (twice daily for a total of about 60 minutes/day) amounts to less than 5% of my life.

Speaking honestly

CCC,

I do not understand you. You are so full of doubt, you seem to believe that enlightenment within the context of Theravada as discussed in MCTB is impossible. Yet you come to the Dho again and again.

Spend some time on the cushion. Metta is a good place to start, and then you can take the feeling of metta and use it as a concentration object, where you can attain a soft jhana in an easy and pleasant way. Concentration won't get you enlightened, but it will temporarily suppress mind-noise, of which doubt is a big part. At the very least, this will bring some peace and sanity to your day-to-day life. At the most, it is a solid foundation for insight practice.

The Seventh Army of Mara

Unplug your computer, put away your books, and meditate.

According to the Buddha, there are four types of persons in the world - Those who reach nirvana with volitional exertion in this very life, those who reach nirvana with volitional exertion with the breakup of the body, those who reach nirvana without volitional exertion in this very life, and those who reach nirvana without volitional exertion with the breakup of the body.

You might as well reach nirvana in this very life.

CCC,

It is definitely possible to come here, and it is definitely worth it. The satisfaction and knowledge is immediate and reproducible by anyone who does the practice.

Yours,

James

That is interesting.
I try to pursue worldly happiness while making sure that I don't harm others. Paying attention to my intentions and only engaging in skilfull actions.

Enjoy!!