I was kind of hoping that having a practice thread would get me some advice somewhere along the line but it hasn't so far... I'm a little loss for what exactly I should be doing, or not doing, to see the truth of none self. I believe it, and I understand the theory - perhaps too well - that self is nothing more than a collection of ideas, feelings, thoughts etc... but it seems that having this understanding is not the same as knowing the insight.

If the truth is present in every moment, why does it often take time... years... or whatever... to see it?

It seems that there's a lot of talk about how anyone can see the truth in any moment ... this would be what people like Adyashati and Eckhart Tolle talk about (And the hoards of "enlightened" on ruthless truth forums). On the other hand other people talk about building up awareness or some other "meditative skills" in order to be able to see the truth. Shinzen Young for example talks about that. Also the studies on the changes in neurology in the brain over time would seem to support that practice over time increases some ability to see things differently.

So what is going on here? Should I be meditating to increase my awareness... or should I be doing nothing and just waiting to see?

If your intellectual understanding is that self is an illusion (i.e. it's not really there, but it feels like it is), then consider that:

* Other illusions (optical ones) don't go away just because you intellectually know they're illusions, and
* There have been several studies which showed that experienced meditators are less likely to be misled by optical illusions.

Even though resistance to optical illusions has never been a goal of meditation, it seems meditation just enhances general ability to see what is actually present. The self is a particularly difficult and persistent illusion so it makes sense that it would take some effort and mental readjustment to see through.

Depends what you mean by "doing nothing." If you're not looking for it, you won't see it, otherwise people would randomly be getting enlightened left and right. "Doing nothing" might be one way to see it, but it usually involves lots of focus and equanimity.


'cause the mind is dull and occluded. Too much selfing, feelings, emotions, aversion, clinging, resentment, etc., covering up the lens. When the mind is clear enough it will see the truth in every moment effortlessly. From now until then... there's lots of polishing to do.

It does take time, but not because of any 'requirement' necessarily. Just that there is a lot of stuff, and it can only be chipped away at bit by bit. Though there are milestones, like stream entry + technical model 4th path if you do something like mahasi-style vipassana.


You just got ta keep looking. It seemed like you were doing fine on your practice thread. I'll post something there to address it more directly.