Enlightenment
 

I’m semi reluctant to post this one as much piss taking is on the cards!

Anyone had any “quasi spiritual” experiences, be it assisted on drugs or otherwise? If so, what was it like, and what perceptual conclusions do you draw from it?

In March 2007, I had a profound experience, if only for a fortnight or so. I don’t understand it, I can’t recreate it, it didn't fix anything in the longterm, it’s not rational and sounds idiotic, yet it still cuts deep with me years later. Some kind of shift occurred, the depression was gone, I…understood. It remains the most stunning thing that has ever happened to me.

Now I consider myself a rational, atheist, even cynically analytical kinda guy, so looking back I’m inclined to think it was a trick of the brain, a reset mechanism of some sort designed to rescue the host from psychological stress. In other words I went a bit mental and it just so happened to help not hurt. But others have had these experiences and written of them better than I ever could, and there is always that suggestion that maybe, just maybe it was a glimpse of something we're all capable of perceiving at times.

Tolle talks about it, Tyler even talks about it toward the end of the Blueprint I notice. Anyway, I've told all of 2 people (plus you lot) about this, 1 of whom was a shrink who gave me the customary blank look!

PS

Yes, it was reet good.

On a handful of occasions in the past ive had what i and others term as a Moment of Absolute Clarity.

Its a feeling of knowing absolutly everything about everything and feeling intouch with every life form in the world, some people call it a glimpse of God,
it only happens for an instant and apart from knowing its just happened you lose all memory of it.

I recall having them at the most random times, never when drunk or using any form of drugs

Can i explain it.. no

Just googles it here are others examples
http://www.inwardquest.com/questions...solute-clarity

Had a bunch from drugs and some from reading stuff and thinking about it a bit more. Really used to buy into that whole 'enlightenment' bollocks up until a few months ago. For me any kind of enlightenment/satori whatever you wanna call it is just a state or a high and like any state its impermanent and like any high it comes with the inevitable lows. With them your always searching for the next big secret to reveal itself to you or you find yourself searching for the next guru to kiss arse when really everything you ever need to know is in you!

Your here right now living life and thats all you need to do. Who cares if you fuck 2000 women, have kids, become a millionnaire, get super rich and own a speedboat. In 1000 years no one will remember you, and if they do your long dead so what difference does it make.

I dont think theres anything wrong with this kind of thing dude, just dont dwell on it too much and definitley dont consider it 'enlightening'. You were in a bad place and managed to get yourself out of it somehow, massive props to you dude, pat yourself on the back and carry on with your life.

Just consider yourself a guy and leave it at that.

Theres much much much cooler people that talk about it much better too man.

Never had a nano-second of enlightenment.

I sometimes on the other hand (this is gonna sound weird and whenever I try to explain it to someone they dont get it so I just leave it) feel for a very short time that I am disconnected from myself, as if I am looking through my eyes from the view point of someone unfamiliar with who I am. Actually it has not happened for ages but it always used to scare me.

I've had glimpses of it. I'm a keen follower of Tolle's teaching myself. I feel I'm slowly evolving into a new person and I know certainly my closest family members are raising eyebrows about how I am changing.

I had a near death experience from a track motorcycle accident many years back. Long tunnel, bright light, voices, the works.

It really fucked up my atheist world view for a few years. It was incredibly vivid and real. I can still picture and hear it all perfectly to this day, had I not been had a defib before I got to the end of that tunnel I genuinely think I would have died..

I personally think that phenomenon is just a side effect of the brain shutting down due to loss of blood flow etc. It really messed me up for a while though.

Philosophy/drugs have definitely inspired me to use my brain more, and as such I have found changes in the way I think, for the better and occasionally worse. Philosophy guides you to think logically, and question every single axiom of thought we move around on, and drugs similarly aid this by juxtaposing different states of consciousness besides one another.

I have periods when I see clearly, as in I just 'get' life, but all these 'knowing everything' sensations strike me as hallucinations, unless they can be properly translated to something more coherent, like 'self' knowledge etc.

..well, I'm going to struggle with language here to explain it in a relatable way, but it's more like you somehow perceive your own internal tendencies in real time, pulling your strings in a predictable manner, and in perceiving this, they dissolve. You then identify externally out into the world, rather than to your own thoughts. It's not knowledge, it's more like context, you feel your place in nature and relax into that so all concerns cease to exist. The nearest word that captures a flavour of it, is: faith. Simple things become ecstatic, like the falling rain or walking with the ground under your feet. Vapid things like brands and media, lose all of their value because you see the thing, not the ideas overlaid onto the thing. All very weird in retrospect and difficult to explain, but very moving and whether it was in my head or not and whilst life moves on and I'm no longer on a mission to understand it, it will always be with me.

PS

I've heard the old magic mushrooms can provide a very intense and lasting experience. I dug this out on Wikipedia - obviously not a cast iron source but still some interesting warts-and-all info.

I obviously wouldn't recommend this for people with pre existing conditions relating to to depression or other mental health issues as it could likely make them worse.