The goal of religious practice is to realize non-duality, that means to become one with the source of being, There can be no dualistic explanation for the non-dual mind state, only concepts that comes to mind are God, Nirvana, Tao, Brahman, Holy Spirit, etc.. Spiritual energy, aka Holy Spirit, etc.,is, omnipresent. It can only be realized in a state of non-duality. There is no I present when pure awareness prevails. Pure awareness is free from body self-identification, this is not dualistic awareness, leave your dualistic mind's questions at the door. Yes of course you use reason, thinking, etc., that is what the dualistic mind does. Nothing wrong with that in the context of expressing the creative process of physical being, but it is limited and unable to realize what and who one really is in the context of absolute existence. The body self can't have the spiritual experience but the immortal soul can and does. Iow, in the dualistic state of mind, you self identify with your body, that is why the concept of spirit seems to be not who you are. But in the non-dual state of mind, there is no thoughts arising in your mind so there is no 'I' present, and the mind's awareness is free to unite with the universal spirit, and a new sense of self arises, the spiritual immortal Self. The spiritual devotee must practice this still mind meditation years, decades to fully realize the extent of their evolutionary potential and know what and who they really are.
Your argument seems to be that there is a years-long process one should go through that makes some kind of change in one's mode of thinking from the dualistic standard mode in which conscious experience is that of a subject experiencing an object into something else that merges those two.
You say a new sense of self arises. You say that in this state with a stilled mind, one can unite with a universal spirit and discover his true self. Let's stipulate that there is some process that one can go through that make such changes in conscious experience. Why should one do that?
I've had psychedelic experiences, which also alter the structure of conscious experience. They were interesting, fun, and I felt insightful at the time. Alcohol also changes how one processes and thus experiences information, and it can be pleasant as well, but nothing more. I've had altered mental states produced by prolonged fasting (ketoacidosis), and that was also very pleasant and fun, but so what? I still don't see what the benefit of your pursuit would be, or why I should want to alter my consciousness except that the experience is pleasant as described above, and that doesn't seem like a good way to spend my contemplative time. Maybe you can explain how this other mode of thinking has benefited your life.
Incidentally, I do not self-identify as my body. I don't even self-identify with the parade of conscious phenomena comprising the theater of consciousness, nor with my memories, which are about my life but are not me. These are the objects of the mind, not the self. It is with that observer that I self-identify. It's the constant part of experience - the self, stripped of all mind and matter, known through the mind, which presents a stage of self and other to the conscious observer set in time and space. Why would I want to obliterate that? What use is the mind after that?
So one can realize what and who one really is. It can be realized by ceasing all thought, and transitioning one's self identification from a mortal body to a spiritual immortal body. In terms of the difficulty of the spiritual path, to immortality, VERY, you must give up this mortal life.
This is too vague - who I really am. Why should I think that that way of seeing myself would show me who I really am, especially a method intended to erase the self from self-awareness? What does that mean - who I really am? I still don't see a benefit there.
The spiritual path to immortality? Sorry, but none of that resonates as more than poetry. Yes, I expect to die. At that time, dual thought will cease forever in this mind, and the self will no longer exist to be self-aware. However the matter and energy of my brain and mind were arranged will be lost forever, but not those elements, since they are neither created nor destroyed. The new arrangement will finally no longer experience itself as a subject apprehending an object. That seems to be the state you're looking for now.
Let me explain: I think most of what I read of this nature, whether it be from people calling themselves searchers or spiritual pilgrims is people trying to add magic to their lives with phrases that facilitate that. It gives them satisfaction to believe that there is arcane knowledge and a higher plane of existence accessible to a chosen few, and that they are or might be among them. So, I routinely ask them what they have discovered, and it's always poetry - words with no definite meaning that inspire rather than inform. There's never any there there. What need that others but not I seem to have is being fulfilled? Is life too mundane for some, not magical enough? If I have this all wrong, then perhaps you can show me the value of this kind of thinking to somebody who doesn't see it. More vague, flowery text won't do that. It needs to be concrete and specific. Are you now free from grief or anxiety? Has your reading comprehension increased? What would be lost to you if you reverted to your old dualistic state and lived life as a subject experiencing an object again?
Is this like an ADHD thing to have to have all your replies in one post? I quit reading after the second or third different poster you were responding to all in one post. Too long of a post
You can't read through an entire post or even just the part addressed to you, yet you think I'M the one with an attention deficit? Just to close this out, this is what you would have read had you made the effort:
"Existence outside of space and time is an incoherent concept, as is the supernatural. Whatever exists is part of nature, and it is all in spacetime. It is incoherent to postulate an undetectable realm of reality outside of time and space that is able to affect the rest of reality. Causality cannot be one-way. To be real is to exist in space and time and to be able to interact with other real objects and processes. Anything that can do that is detectable. To be nonexistent is to have none of those qualities."
Your response wasn't required. The statement is correct.
