Ego is the assumption that existing makes one relevant somehow.
TL;DR: Enlightenment is the realization that ridding oneself of pretense does not rid oneself of all emotion.
>>17197591
>the realization that
Note that this realization is non-trivial, because there are literally a billion different things on this world alone that can carry hidden pretenses.
>>17197596
...Which is why, among the enlightened, enlightenment is thought to be a continuous process rather than a singular event.
TL;DR: Reading a truth isn't the same as deeply realizing it on a fundamental level.
>>17197596
>>17197605
TL;DR 2.0: You'll spend the rest of your life learning in some way or another.
This is equivalent to saying you'll spend your entire life ignorant about SOMETHING or other. Enlightenment is ultimately a way of breeding humility in the population on a large enough scale that anyone who wants to creating lasting peace in the world will have the wisdom they need to do it. Basically, if you want to create peace, you have to be ready to participate in peacekeeping efforts without becoming another part of the problem. And yes, being a pretentious pseudo-enlightened shithead is a method of being part of the problem.
>>17197605
>enlightenment is thought to be a continuous process rather than a singular event
That's dumb as fuck. If you're not 100% enlightened, then you're not actually enlightened. You could possibly be on the path to becoming enlightened by discovering new truths of the world, but you're likely just a pretentious douche who's "enlightened" by thinking he's better than everyone around him.
>>17197627
>100% enlightened
That's called omniscience. Enlightenment is something else.
I thought enlightenment was just gaining enhanced perception so that your experiences are more true and not mixed in with beliefs, concepts, and shit.
>>17197630
You don't have to know everything to be enlightened, but it is an on/off situation. There's not a dimmer switch for enlightenment. At best you might just be on the path to enlightenment.
>>17197591
Why do I feel so empty and unconscious of myself?
It's like I forgot everything that held meaning for me, I had so many realizations in life but I can't remember even one of them to the truest extent of the experience now, why?
>>17197633
"Enhanced perception" could as easily refer to the ability to hallucinate as it could to actually seeing reality. Enlightenment doesn't require "enhanced" anything, but is simply a recognition of what is.
>>17197637
>There's not a dimmer switch for enlightenment.
There is though. It's a process. Buddhism wasn't made for the sake of reaching for an unattainable self-perfection like you might find in RHP or LHP style religions; it's called the middle way for a reason. Buddhism accepts imperfections are they are, whether they be fleeting imperfection or eternal imperfections. Note that I'm talking about the Buddhist notion of enlightenment, not whatever Western bullshit you think yourself to not be ignorant of.
>>17197646
That's called depression. You can blame it on a dopamine crash after overstimulating your reward centers, or you can accept it as a state of mind and start working to restore a less destructive sort of mental state. Your ability to change your mental state is probably still fully intact. I can't imagine that any sort of "chemical imbalance" would ever damage it irreparably.
You get enlightenment and you get enlightenment. You all get enlightenment, the concept means nothing and is just as whored out as everything else in modern society!
What is the fastest method to become enlightened?
>>17197673
Sit back and let the thoughts flow for awhile. How much you'll need to let the thoughts flow depends on the individual, but you need to be ready to let all your thoughts flow freely or the exercise won't fully complete.
>>17197690
The "pro tip" here is that your mind has a reason for not letting its thoughts flow freely yet. Trying to force your mind to be ready for something will only lead to further damage and mental blocks.
