THE QUICKEST WAY TO ENLIGHTENMENT ~ Shinzen Young

During a So. Cal. retreat, Shinzen gave a dharma talk on May 21, 2013, explaining how strong determination sitting - using the strategies he presents - can be a very quick way to enlightenment.
FOR MORE INFO ABOUT SHINZEN & HIS TEACHINGS: www.shinzen.org (Retreats, Speaking Engagements, Writings, HOME PRACTICE PROGRAM = live monthly phone teachings & LIFE PRACTICE PROGRAM = live 45 min of Shinzen guiding someone for help in their lives)
FOR the CORE FREE INTRO to UNIFIED MINDFULNESS:
unifiedmindfulness.idevaffili...
Recorded and edited by Stephanie Nash: www.strategicmindfulness.net , www.mindfulnessarts.org/blog

[@alanarcher]

To this day, I still wonder why I still read the comments instead of sticking to the video.

[@squamish4244]

I don't know, Alan, you tell me. The psychotic guy, remember? I tried to tell you, your experience was rare. But you weren't listening. Meanwhile there is an ocean of confusion, fear and pain around you that results in comment sections like this, radiating off the rest of us who have not been so fortunate.

[@understandingyourself]

Dopamineeeeee

[@mr.nobody5880]

Whoa! I first heard about SDS from Leo G. But this is such valuable additional instruction!! ♥️🙏🏼

[@PeterParker-fw2wb]

Leo is 🐐

[@user-ro9md9wp3j]

@@PeterParker-fw2wb Leo Gura? He’s a bit of a poser, I don’t think he’s as “enlightened” as he claims.

[@rosalieargenta364]

Thank you Shinzen, you’re always there when I fall off the track. Rosalie

[@lucjankujawski5112]

Explained very clear and to the point, he is the best meditation teacher for me. Thank you Shinzen ❤️

[@SwannReid1010]

Love everything!

[@wendy-leemorrissirrom8636]

Yes thanks I naturally Blissed. I went to A Vippassana 10 day retreat I went for the silence also I was comfortable so completely surrendered. Yes. BLISS🇳🇿🌈💖🙏

[@ObakuZenCenter]

If you encounter bliss, go deeper. It's not somewhere to stay for very long.

[@islamtanvir9230]

Sir your videos are excellent

[@skyjuke2006]

@Nate725 I understand what you say. It is expressed with a little harshness but the point is that there are some people who loves doing things and others who feels better watching things. However there is an archetype called Shiva who is known for being a great meditator (Mahayogi) and a great dancer (Nataraj). Excuse my English, it's not my language!

[@fsmisreal]

I need to have this guy show me meditation.

[@sunflowerbadger]

I tried this after watching only the first half of the video. It reminded me of trying to eat a sugary doughnut without licking your lips until the end. I am so squeamish about my legs falling asleep, so it was really odd to spend time feeling it happen without responding. I actually quite enjoyed it. I look forward to trying it again with the spash/ripple added.

[@peterellul9546]

There is no need to sit to practice "NON-ATTACHMENT" Zen is a technique to separate SELF from MIND. Do not be disturbed by MIND ! Mind will start to behave and offer you much... You can't see the donkey whilst riding it.. DO NOT be disturbed by MIND... just watch.. stop SELF following MIND... Best wishes Folks !

[@ObakuZenCenter]

No genuine Zen teacher would agree with you. But then, like so many others who come out with utter bollocks like this, you've never actually trained in Zen, with a teacher and you just make stuff up and pretend it's Zen lol. Maybe you've even read a couple of shitty books with Zen in the title. How's that working for you? Are you a recognized, Transmitted Zen teacher now? So funny. ;)

[@wowalhamdhulillah2494]

Excellent probably

[@Heartbeat1948]

These talks are directed to those who do this mindfulness practice. To us it never boring. This is one of many extraordinary clear talks that help us who do practice so very very much! Thank you Shinzen!

[@brettmiller5443]

+Yvonne Garcia Thank you, Yvonne, for saying this.

[@enlightenmentandphilosophy]

Yvonne Garcia hi Yvonne. If it is truly never boring to you I am impressed. Boredom definitely occurs here.

[@luistirado6305]

So this fast path towards enlightenment only works if doing vipassana and not the do-do nothing meditation?

[@brettmiller5443]

The discussion around 11:10 or so reminds me of working with Right Concentration. Once one achieves a good decent state of Samadhi, the blissful (or rest states in Shinzen's parlance) can be used to study the spread of body sensations and how they propagate. The first two Jhanas give a lot of practice zooming in and out of clearly recognizable feel states and how they transition in and out of consciousness. Then the wisdom born out of this experience is easier to apply to "unpleasant" states in order to love them into appreciation or at least a survivable form. ...and the same thing works with fear and the rest.

[@ObakuZenCenter]

Nope, but nice try :)

[@finemasterviolins]

The description by Shinzen of sitting practice and increasing pain then release is what i experience (Half Lotus)...working up to full lotus ;-)...... A 5 minute cycle-The increasing pain till about 4 minutes then release of pain for about 1 minute...then start again :-0....i have only just started my sitting practice again after about 20 years absence. Strangely along with the pain is also a feeling joy and silence. Thanks for this video

[@ObakuZenCenter]

That's because your brain naturally releases endorphins as a response to pain. There is absolutely no benefit from sitting in pain.

[@Chunda8]

Thanks for your teaching Shinzen. I have noticed that the more I sit, just from doing it, it does get a little easier. The traditional 'single period' of 25 minutes before the bell is not that hard anymore. So to 'push' myself requires a longer period, hopefully I'll soon attempt some of these longer timeframes you are talking about, adding time gradually.

[@nsjs17]

You still practicing? 😉

[@anti0incultura]

Yeah, u enlightened yet?

[@bobbyzeno8889]

?

[@MrPimP382]

Thanks to you master! i own you so much

[@jesuisravi]

Crash Course: 1) Sit Down 2) Shut Up.

[@AndreasDelleske]

0) Log out.

[@chadaam6370]

​@@AndreasDelleske 0) Log back in after realizing you can freely log in/out anytime you want

[@daniellawton4336]

Better idea: Sit down in a perfectly dark room. Shut up. Find puffs of purple color, play with it with your hands. This "proves" perfect silence. Any thought makes the colors go away. Finally, when you can see puff after puff of brilliant purple floating by, a head will materialize on one of them. Now you have your very own spirit helper, similar to the Buddha's 4 dancing women, or Milarepa's "demons". Get to know her, she'll teach you the rest. My first spirit was able to travel to help other people, so they are very real. Here's the process in cartoon form: preview.redd.it/fiulcpxhov751.jpg?width=2592&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a483c2a96563e65cffeb4ce77e023079b0eb66da

[@jadeglouglou]

I meant too write TREKCHO, not Trench, thank you

[@dewycatt2112]

You are the master of your own destiny

[@markbrad123]

+Anti Law Determined choice ?

[@asstornaut1066]

+optizap nop. just choice

[@emilranfors1446]

how is that working out for ya?

[@drohegda]

It's Selfless service and helping others.

[@matw1x]

Whoa

[@citizenenak]

I wonder, is zooming in and out repeatedly creating space between two things so both are seen. Then something may occur that was otherwise obscured by identifying singularly?

[@Rome372]

it feels here that someone should know how the apple ripens.... But the total surrender (enlightement) is life itself in all her facets, as stillness or meditation but also every experiece, great frustrations, death and life, and than when you self can no longer maintain..... than you are - maybe - willingly to surrender. Yes than everything is simplicity in purest form. But till then, life isn't simpel. You have to struggle before surrender. Namaste greetings from Holland

[@McLKeith]

It is best to just read Shinzen's book "The Science of Enlightenment." Shinzen is like Jon Kabat-Zinn. They get side tracked and talk too much. When I read the book, I skip over all the side bars and focus on the main points.

[@squamish4244]

Shinzen "tangent" Young lol. You could probably cut out half of his talks and get everything you need to know. Still one of the best. No impenetrable traditional jargon, and no "there is no path" b.s.

[@adaml7964]

Dude knows his stuff. Probably the only 'guru' type that isn't full of shit. Would love to sit down with this guy and Daniel Ingram for a retreat.

[@squamish4244]

I wouldn't say others of his 'guru type' as you say, by which I assume you mean Adyashanti, Tolle etc. are full of shit, but that they don't really know how to get others to where they are. They talk a lot and they teach a bunch of useless stuff. What do you actually DO? How long will it take? What practices work best for what personalities? They have no system. Others who are more modest and don't make guru claims are extraordinarily helpful, like Jack Kornfield and our recently passed beloved Ram Dass. But I do like the ones who say "Yes, I'm enlightened, and you can be too, and here's how, and if this isn't working by that time, try this other thing." Then there are people like Neem Karoli Baba, who taught by his presence alone. To do that, you have to be operating on a whole other level. As he was, and still is, according to the testimonials of people who encounter him today, 50 years after he died.

[@marcelonavarro]

👏👏👏

[@michaelbrown7561]

A question for practitioners. I've heard about what Shinzen Young was talking about in terms of the "freak out." It's a stage in the process. But, I did not get the strategy for dealing with it. Just let it be?

[@squamish4244]

It's hard for me, because I've been stuck in the freak-out for 16 years. Just letting it be doesn't seem to have worked.

[@jadeglouglou]

Thank you Shinzen for your generosity to share and describe this process. Is this equal to Trench in dzogchen?

[@kimstephenparish4902]

why would I have a rifle if not to shoot it? I would not be carrying a rifle in the first place. our fears have strong potential of materializing.

[@Mirandorl]

Does anyone know if he has spoken about the dark night at all? Its something I would like to know more about

[@dodecapusrex]

Yes, Young has spoken on this. Although to what degree he provides guidance, I do not know. Google around...

[@squamish4244]

+Mirandorl His video Falling into the Pit of the Void addresses the topic.

[@MariaElena51185]

Wireline, Amoda Maa speaks much to this dark night. She does not talk about formal meditation.

[@dakota1014]

Why didnt you mention 'just note gone" in this video

[@pranaprana9375]

Cus this is not about note gone? lol this about not moving at all.Shit gets you super focused

[@alondraacosta-mora6504]

what if i feel emotional numb cuz something from the past??? do i have to sit myself and observe that as well???

[@ObakuZenCenter]

Sitting with any emotion, or emotional numbness in this case perhaps, isn't so much necessarily observing it, as that can be counterproductive beyond an initial orientation. It's more learning to feel it in the body and then not resisting that. This can give a chance for someone to learn not to cut off parts of themselves, including so called negative emotions and states. Accepting these things isn't as passive as it sounds though, as it can give space for a lot of emotional energy to come up. Sit with your breathing, be aware of emotions as they come up and return to your breathing. If things do get really tough, talk to a good psychologist and maybe a qualified meditation teacher.

[@TigerTzu]

So how is DS a shortcut to enlightenment?

[@victorsantimit3109]

Stream entry is real, because I was there, now I am trying to go back and live in the stream.

[@brianlittrell797]

What happens if you drown in the stream?

[@ObakuZenCenter]

If you were there, you'd know that there is nowhere to try to get back to. Work with a real teacher, a live, human teacher and find out for yourself.

[@brianlittrell797]

@@ObakuZenCenter What is stream entry? Samadhi?

[@moonmissy]

@@ObakuZenCenter it’s the first stage of Buddhism’s enlightenment in Theravada Buddhism meditation. It’s called Kensho in Zen. There is usually a period of integration practice after which could last some years or many years depending on whether the person has a good teacher and the determination. If not, it may not be integrated.

[@finemasterviolins]

To add to my previous comment Half lotus and full lotus works because as energy flows down from the head down the body, full lotus creates a energy lock so it is turned back up through your/my body putting pressure on the meridians to open (which causes the pain in sitting). Sometimes it’s hard to bear this pain-no doubt it depends on how clear of karma one is how much pain is experienced. Pure mind and good action is also important . As some other distinguished meditator said-if sitting (half lotus/full lotus) was not required everyone would be enlightened by just meditating walking around. I’m not saying it can’t happen but most who wish to achieve Buddhahood or enlightenment use this method to get results. There is a scientific study on energy doing lotus posture (increasing energy in meridians) and ordinary sitting in a chair (decrease in energy in meridians)

[@ObakuZenCenter]

LOL!

[@finemasterviolins]

@@ObakuZenCenter unfortunately I managed to stuff up my knees...,I’m sure it can work for some people but I want to keep walking so, no more full lotus for me 😭

[@squamish4244]

Yeah my knees, hips and back are so messed up that I need a chair so whatever.

[@joewoodistiller]

The way to attainment is vipasanna. The mental purifications that really calm the mind and remove the kelisa. How i realise nibanna through vipasanna? (Greed,hatred,delusions)are momentarily removed in that moment. Sotapanna attainment how it occur and the sequence you will experience..... It starts with vipasanna sitting meditation then until mind shuts down.Before it shuts down,you are clearly comprehending the inbreath watching the beginning,the middle and the end of the breath. Ceesation of conciousness occur during this moment. The mind suddenly shuts down. Ceesation of conciousness is similar to mind shuts down: When this happen,you will not know.(it is because your mind has now stop fabricating just like a factory stop production all machine are switch off and no one working) That moment of not knowing is the moment you enter magga(path)and phala(fruition)where you are no more existing in this ignorance existence of samsara. After the magga phala attainment is over you will be in strong samadhi adsobtion where your whole body are radiance with strong pleasurable sensations.(jhana adsobtion) At that moment you still do not know you have attain magga phala.(only pleasurable sensation overwhelming the mind) As these strong samadhi adsobtion gradually subside,you will now be able to aware of the calmness of mind and body sitting in erect and firm(in lower samadhi) At this moment you can easily aware of your breath as it rise on inbreath and as it fall on outbreath. It is easily notice without effort. It was during this time you will suddenly remember or recollect the mind ceesation or shuts down clearly. You remember it very clearly before it shuts down, your were clearly comprehending inbreath rising,middle and end of breath and suddenly everything vanished,no more conciousness,mind shuts down. Then you realise whole body immersed with strong pleasurable sensations and when the sensation is over you can realise your mind is peaceful ,happy and mindfulness on inbreath and outbreath is easy and that your sitting meditation posture is straight and erect or is very firm(In samadhi state) In this way you now come to realise that you have finally come to know how suffering ends. Nibanna is being realise by your pure mind. Mind that is non greed,non hatred,non delusions. You are now a stream entry or is now a confirmed Ariya or sotapanna.You are free from 4 woeful realms of existence and you only have 7 more existence one as human and another 6 life as devas. If you are hard working and if you continue practice your vipasanna meditation and come to ceesations of conciousness for the second times,your next attainment is Sakadagami and you only have 3 more existence.And if the third time ceesation you are Anagami and the 4th time you are Arahat and will be fully aware of everything and totally free from ignorance completely and never to be born again. May my explaination be enlightening to vipasanna meditators and what is being explain are the final knowledge you will experience when your time for attainment is ripe. Suki hotu. Buddhang saranam gacchami

[@tomtillman]

This is done at the Goenka retreats, starting on the 4th day. You sit the "strong determination" sit, 3 times each day for 1 hour each. The rest of the time, you can move around. By then, I was already sitting against the back wall on a stack of cushions, so it was no big deal to me. Maybe I should have aimed for a bit more pain :)

[@timsindermann6649]

Oh its better for your Back If you sit in a yogic posture :-)

[@martin36369]

He's talking about zen sesshin, are you left handed?

[@harrykoschorreck8144]

only when one tires of the material world . Many still need life experience and suffering before being able to detach from self, have control over self or know what self really is. Personal experience is best.

[@phainhmooblee4923]

and what is this self? what is it that knows there is a self?

[@Ignozi]

How does one know if they are ready for awakening?

[@harrykoschorreck8144]

mebe84 met Shinzen years ago when checking out buddhism in L.A. I am not at all who i was then and am glad i moved on from buddhism and religion to a practical path.

[@squamish4244]

So far, we seem to 'need' it. Whether we will in the future when we have the mechanics of enlightenment down to a precise science and technology - maybe not.

[@gulheid]

eh..3 minutes, or ehh..6 hours, ehh...great speaker ;-)

[@ione1500]

The zooming doesnt work for tooth aches

[@yesufabdulhakim9326]

lol

[@McLKeith]

Bankei said he wasted his time with his extreme sitting. He said he did it because he didn't have a teacher, and didn't know any better. Hui Neng too would have disagreed. But Hakuin would have loved it.

[@Elemxnt45]

Keith Mc what

[@squamish4244]

Bankei almost died from TB from meditating too intensely. It damaged his health for the rest of his life. Whether he would have gotten a breakthrough without such extreme effort, Idk. Basically, most of the paths we have aren't that good.

[@luistirado6305]

Does strong determination sitting still work as the fastest route to enlightenment if you use the do-nothing meditation?

[@silviagiesbertz4911]

Why they do not use chairs to sit?

[@Jay-pw7pg]

Shinzen seems to be on track as far as interpreting the ancient wisdom traditions in a more science-based, beginner’s mind, kind of approach. Some will say he is getting off track from the ancient wisdom traditions. But I actually think we need to, and definitely will, go much further in the scientific direction as new breakthroughs and understanding emerges. I suspect that much of what we have from these ancient traditions, are pioneer psychonauts who simply did not have the scientific capacity or understanding, and were working with the iconography, language, terminology, history, culture, and collective conditioning and thinking of the times. I also think, and this is more controversial, that while they achieved profound states and insights, and developed sophisticated (for the times at least) practices and teachings, it basically amounted to hacking the system with only rudimentary understanding. I’m convinced that science is going to crack the code of what the ancients call Enlightenment/Liberation. I have a feeling that it has to do with the natural evolution of the brain. That early Masters will be seen as having natural disposition to achieving what is called Enlightenment. Both in the makeup of their brain/body mechanism, combined with their training (hacks) - and this explains why relatively so few attain these high permanent states. It would also better explain why most who do serious training do not achieve the highest permanent states. Not because of past karma. Not because you didn’t make donations to monks. But rather because it’s simply a natural evolution of the brain, and “we” are basically messy vehicles (ie. ego + mind + body) for nature’s messy evolution of the brain. And by “nature” I mean impersonal, raw, intelligence - not the kind of deity on a cloud with a plan for you and me kind of thing. More like how a waterfall gets carved out over thousands of years and it’s complex interaction with the environment around it. Still unimaginably powerful, complex, and beautiful. But not the Shiva, Maitreya, Ganesh, Mara, stuff. I suspect that all of the ancient terminology, concepts, theories, iconography, etc will be replaced by unimaginable breakthroughs in science. I suspect that even if we don’t find a way to engineer the Enlightened Brain/Vehicle - whatever chemistry etc it may entail - we will understand what in this complex human being - including subtle/energetic sheaths (which we will also crack) - allows for these deep, permanent states of clarity, stillness, fearlessness, compassion, bliss, Flow, selflessness, service, etc. I suspect we will no longer see these states as mysterious and available only to a few lucky beings. It will be seen as literally the birthright of human beings, and/or whatever future versions of human beings we may help to evolve. And if that day comes, it would only take a percentage of the world population to be in these states, for the planet to be transformed irreversibly and in unimaginably beautiful ways. Bc these states are powerful, magnetic, and re-prioritize everything in one’s life. There is no higher, more desirable, state or attainment on the planet. When you live in/as God/Self, there is no energy leak towards war, possessions, confusion, fear of dying, us vs them, eating meat (although it may continue), even the motivation to “develop” and “advance” and “grow” societies. There is no my country and your country, my skin colour and yours, my beliefs and yours. So if we do crack the code of so-called Enlightenment, and honestly, even if we just find a way for many to achieve states which are close or even mimic Enlightenment, I predict an irreversible shift on the planet. We know that what human beings really want, below all of the surface distractions, is the profound Flow/Alignment/Ease which comes from realizing the true Self - the Natural State. And no distractions, no flying cars, no charismatic fascist dictator planetary King, no alien visit, no drug, can stand in for true Enlightenment. It all pales in comparison, and is seen to be all of the same illusory, suffering nature. So this is my prediction for planet earth. Have a blessed day. And may we all merge with the Natural State - now and forever.

[@squamish4244]

You read my mind. These are thoughts I have entertained for about a decade now, after 17 years on the path. I say that with such specificity because a breakdown on psychedelics 17 years ago forced me onto the path, only to find to my horror how *bad* we still are at all this stuff! It is unbelievable, and exhausting. I do believe in karma, and I have had some really heavy shit to purify in this life (almost everyone does, but almost everyone is also not aware of it, either), but I also know that after all these years, almost half my life, of working with the best healers, the sludge of my mind has purified painfully slowly, with many relapses. Meanwhile, very recently I found ketamine, which has been enabling huge, fully-body releases of mounds of terror, and someone has advised me to try 5 meo DMT, saying it lifted a huge burden of existential dread off their shoulders. It's amazing what finding the right key for the lock of the mind can do. There are some truly enlightened people out there, but most of them don't know how to get the rest of us enlightened, and the rest are just plain rare. If even the Dalai Lama says he still struggles on the cushion and is not entirely sure of his ability to handle the after-death states, when he has access to the best teachings and teachers, and has practiced for 80 years, then we are missing something. We just are. We're missing a lot. I, too, believe we are on the verge of huge breakthroughs in neuroscience, and I am glad that at age 44 I will live to see it unfold. If these breakthroughs don't happen in my lifetime, they're not going to happen at all, and we are doomed. Some fascist armed with superintelligent AI will end up ruling us like a tyrant. If these breakthroughs do, we are going to be okay, and that future will not come to pass. What an exciting (and frightening!) time to be alive!

[@johnrichardson7011]

I FEEL THAT ALL OF WHAT U SAY IS SO TRUE THAT I T MAKES ME WONDER IF THAT COULD BE WHY THEY ( THE JESUITS) ARE TRYING TO REDUCE THE POPULATION GREATLY.

[@johnrichardson7011]

Also that was thee most eye opening reply ive ever and in hopes for a better world i know it will be so

[@johnrichardson7011]

​@@squamish4244 my friend after taking psychedelics remembered a frightening experience of being taken with his whole family and implanted with a small bb like object that his doctor later found (behind his knee and it disinigrated ) and made to drink a milky white substance to make him forget he feels the psychedelics lifted the blockage I belive him because he is one of the few people i know that have actually been to the Akashic records have u experienced anything like that its like a spell has been put on most of society

[@squamish4244]

@@johnrichardson7011 The Akashic Records are in popular culture generally taken to simply mean the storehouse of all our karma, past-life memories and psychic knots. Also known as the Storehouse Consciousness in Zen, karmic patterns and memories in other traditions. Not sure how they are defined to you.

[@rileysump3913]

The Goenka tradition does have this going for it at least

[@mokuho]

We put attention to breath in strong determination sitting?

[@emilranfors1446]

it dosnt mather. The point is things arise and pass. there is no need to attach.

[@pranaprana9375]

no lol first of all you focus on not moving at all , breath normal though and you can blink too lmao. If you are stong enough you can focus on everything at the same time really. But if you are a noob just dont move at all and chose some other technique you use pretty well. Try not moving for 1 hour and see how quiet your mind gets lmao but dont move a muscle

[@Westcoastrocksduh]

This man is fully enlightened because he says Aum every other word

[@eoharafisher]

I wonder if death is nature's other way of bringing people to "awakeness."

[@shankkynikhilesh]

Its temporary awakening (AFAIK).

[@AndreasDelleske]

We are nature.

[@souldancersbyjennifer]

It's the final step into full liberation...

[@studios11love47]

People don’t get it, this is just a health tip.

[@dakine4238]

My body starts to shake and move during meditation

[@minhvo9962]

9:00

[@markbrad123]

Have found Shinzen, Adyashanti, and Ajahn Brahm to be an oasis of Dharma teachings. The only quibble is the over-use of the word 'Acceptance' which would replace with 'non-resistive agile neutral impartiality to either let slide(abandon) or respond authentically and flexibly to the situation'.

[@ObakuZenCenter]

Adyashanti is a fraud, who lied about his experience with the White Plum Zen lineage. The others though are solid. And no lol, acceptance is better. Don't use ten words where one will do.

[@squamish4244]

Acceptance it is!

[@markbrad123]

@@ObakuZenCenter So you go to accept it as true if someone calls you a jerk like as you would a gift. Acceptance in one nuance is a term which means to take ownership of something or agree with it. So do you accept you are a jerk or not LOL .It is better to use a clearer term or few words in the interest of clarity. Id rather say I let it pass when someone calls me a jerk. You see how that is clearer.

[@squamish4244]

@@markbrad123 Acceptance is much better than the word salad you used, sorry, I agree with the other person.

[@markbrad123]

@@squamish4244 You just have to accept that your a turnip then.

[@daniellawton4336]

Yay Shinzen!!!!! I'm over in the Castaneda subreddit, worrying that magic is lost from the world. Thank god we have people like Shinzen and Ingram, who understand that it's all about shutting off that horrible voice in your head, and then just looking around. But Shinzen, put your people in a dark room, and let them find "colors". Watching the colors helps "prove" they are silent. And the colors evolve into views of other alien worlds, which you can enter, as your silence gets perfect. Same stuff the Buddha discovered, nothing new. "Practical magic' even become possible. I like to go "fishing" for real, visible fish on my floor. But you need 3 hours for best results. Everyday!

[@johnrichardson7011]

And have you caught one yet ?

[@johnrichardson7011]

And if so what did u do with it ?

[@daniellawton4336]

@@johnrichardson7011 I think I'm being censored. I'm up to my ears in visible spirits, who can move solid objects. I share them with witches. Carlos, my teacher, gave me his 2, which are now in Argentina somewhere. Shinzen's "drummer boy" was a golden opportunity for him, but he snubbed it. As the Buddha taught. Imagine the idiocy of Buddhism. the Buddha meets 4 hookers in blue dresses and turns them down, and that's the holy Fire Kasina Text? He should have gone for it. He might have learned something. Anyway, this comment probably won't survive.

[@johnrichardson7011]

@@daniellawton4336 by the way I am on my Dads account my name is Laura you know I find it kind of odd that so many people are going through the same thing here dose any of what your going through ease up when ur away from all technology

[@daniellawton4336]

@@johnrichardson7011 I'm trying to fix the madness in the world, which has been taken over by greedy false magical systems like Buddhism, which greatly harm witches by making it seem as if you need "endorsement". And who exaggerate their lame magic to lying extremes, when in fact it's no better than shamanic drumming. You ought to realize, any woman beats the buddha hands down in a bath surrounded by flowers and candles. They've just been overwhelmed by male greed and false teachings. Come find me! Witches have lots of fun when they learn to defy the laws of physics. We do magic for real, not pretend like Buddhists.

[@tanko.spirit7754]

wait a second, why does one need to sit with crossed legs?? im a complete newbie and initial research showed me that its not that important how you sit. So I thought I would sit in a bed comfortably, with legs straight out... won't that do?

[@ecologiesofmindfulness564]

that’s what I do. I have a degenerative hip condition that exacerbates a hamstring injury = effing hard to sit cross legged. I can’t imagine my condition will allow me to sit for more than an hour straight legged on a squishy cushion. If you are new to this I recommend sitting in whatever way is most comfortable and develop a smooth groove and take it from there

[@guidedmeditation2396]

There is no quick way to Enlightenment. It is like learning to play the Piano, Saxophone, and learning to ride your bike all in one discipline. If anyone tells you that you can learn all three quick they are not being honest. However quickest is a fair word that Shinzen uses. I think the biggest concern is that people don't really know what enlightenment is.

[@squamish4244]

Theoretically, one could learn the piano, saxophone and learn to ride a bike in short and easy order, provided we understand the brain well enough. There is no reason to think the same won't be true of enlightenment. One might say the whole story of Buddhism has been an evolution towards faster and more efficient methods, using the tools available in a pre-technological age.

[@esistwieesist6835]

Bullshit..these are concepts. It happens in a flash. Know what is appearing right now as THAT. There is no more. No way. Nothing else, nothing more, nothing less. Only what appears in that moment. Including yourself. Now you are enlightened

[@esistwieesist6835]

@@guidedmeditation2396 ..and others the shift happens in the bathroom, when cleaning the window, without ever having dealt with spirituality. Everything is possible. And if not, it doesn't matter

[@kumulsfan8090]

@@guidedmeditation2396 false, sounds like you have an ego, some people become enlightened spontaneously without effort, does that mean everyone should just throw meditation away? No, but more often then not effort can be the very thing stopping you from self realisation

[@guidedmeditation2396]

@@kumulsfan8090 Follow your heart and experience what you want to experience. Doing this or doing that change your experience but both do nothing to change what you were before this life or after this life is over. We all are like a ball tossed in the air. We can choose to see it as a horrifying dangerous experience or a thrilling ride with a great view.

[@edgepixel8467]

OK, so, did he get to the point?

[@midnightsplusnoonsis730LEO]

😂

[@peterpao567]

...with smoke n mirror!

[@fizywig]

Adyashanti describes his great spiritual breakthrough as "waking up from Zen". I suspect he meant he woke up from doing meditation and graduated to being meditation, not the form of meditation advocated here

[@cspace1234nz]

That's a very good way of putting it. This is purely a physical pursuit, a reinforcement of the body consciousness.

[@ObakuZenCenter]

I hope you've discovered since you wrote this that Adyashanti is a fraud, who lied about his experience with the White Plum Zen lineage?

[@moonmissy]

@@ObakuZenCenter You have no evidence of what you’re accusing Adyashanti about. One could criticize the guy for not aligning with the school he studied under, which is natural because he didn’t get dharma transmission. No one presented evidence that he didn’t practice with the teachers that he said he did. None of those teachers have publically refute it.

[@squamish4244]

@@ObakuZenCenter Stop trolling these comment sections about Adya, he didn't lie about anything. He has never claimed to have gotten dharma transmission.

[@ruthlewis673]

The quest for enlightenment has to the greatest delusion an egoic mind can deliver to another egoic mind.

[@SolutionsWithin]

Based on the title of the video, does that mean sitting leads to enlightenment, or are there other steps?

[@gladman9634]

Sitting is enlightenment

[@SolutionsWithin]

@@gladman9634 there’s more to it than that.

[@gladman9634]

@@SolutionsWithin nope, just the seeker wanting more

[@SolutionsWithin]

@@gladman9634 if I want to get realization/enlightenment, is it okay to meditate w/ YT mantra videos, or should it only be silence?

[@gladman9634]

@@SolutionsWithin Enlightenment is not something YOU get, enlightenment is what there is and can be seen when the seeker falls away - but there's nothing wrong with either ''silence'' or YT videos

[@kimstephenparish4902]

It is most truly not necessary to take life to live a life. Killing is not a necessity but only a concept and practice programmed into our mind over the centuries.

[@kimstephenparish4902]

It's not necessary to kill to survive is my point.

[@manumaster1990]

@@kimstephenparish4902 so you are vegan then, if not you are a hypocrite.

[@LiborTinka]

I am curious about enlightenment: Why bother? What's in the box? What is the benefit of that? ... So far I heard that nothing changes at all - so what is the purpose of it? Will I be able to travel back in time, heal people, will it make some positive changes in the brain... is there any motivation for years of meditation and sitting practice other that discovering "nothing" ?

[@LiborTinka]

***** Thanks. I do not understand why enlightened state corresponds to happiness - because being happy is some positive state thus creating karma (?). This does not go with being freed from karmic cycle in the state of enlightenment. The only way I can logically think of being free from karmic cycle is being in some "zero pont" - or nothingness, stillness ... in other words - dead. :( Because every act, every though, every emotion... virtually anything will immediately send me back into that cycle of rebith and suffering.

[@Knort181]

Libor Tinka I imagine the happiness and understanding is the peace of mind you achieve. When you achieve this you can live truly in the moment and need not worry about the past or the future or question everything you simply are truly aware. Your perspective is that of being just before enlightenment. You taste it and you may dabble with it but the clinging to the thoughts is what you speak of. This is a state of awareness, but with some judgment or reasoning attached. The point is you do not need to judge or reason over everything, the point is that you actually are suffering. And you can choose to accept the suffering or fight it but it is there. It is not good or bad it just is. If you must judge or reason than you carry some guilt or shame or something of the past, even if it just a day earlier. This is not necessary and we attach ourselves to the idea that it is (Alan Watts). It is simply a choice to truly let go of it all and find your true Self, true essence of you.

[@LiborTinka]

T1Brit I am asking the question because maybe the key to living is rather doing what one loves than forcing oneself into sitting for years in quet room... and I don't want to spoil my life by doing that - so this is the motivation for asking.

[@TheMikakoivu]

Libor Tinka What's described in this video, though demanding, is totally doable as a layperson - you don't need to go to years long retreats or become a recluse or stop enjoying life.

[@Knort181]

T1Brit This is a great explanation. And in essence, it is simply a choice.

[@warmaxxx]

5-meo dmt weekly

[@pranaprana9375]

Bruh if you do your strong determination sits on dmt you can go very quick very deep do it

[@squamish4244]

Meditation can also produce psychosis, with the sort of intensity Shinzen is describing, in the same kind of people who are more likely to go psychotic on DMT. A lot of Zen practitioners over history have had psychotic breaks due to the horrifying effort, and their stories have been quietly swept under the rug.

[@ione1500]

warmaxxx hook me up PO box 11804glendale

[@fastfrankblack]

Is he finally talking about the dark night stages here?

[@Meditation-easy]

Death is not to be feared so much by one who has lived wisely.

[@jackcarterog001]

That is until death comes knocking

[@squamish4244]

@@jackcarterog001 Shinzen says he doesn't know how he will react when his time is up, but that he will know how to handle whatever may arise. "How strong emotions can be no problem", to quote the title of a video of his.

[@chlebiceksmaslem]

I suppose there can't be "specific and objective criteria for a phenomenon called enlightenment". This is mysticism, not science. As I said the experience is subjective. I suppose one criteria for classic enlightenment would be the shift of identity from an ordinary self, which is confronting the other(everything else) to a kind of wholeness, where one senses "themselves" to be "the ultimate reality". continued

[@ObakuZenCenter]

Close, but not quite.

[@robc8838]

1:04

[@Steve-zl2vz]

At 13:58 he talks about how to deal with the "freak out" and I'm trying to understand what he's saying. "If you ... contract? can track? them, and unblock? them it won't be a problem. Can someone clarify the words he's using and perhaps provide some more explanation of what it means to either contract or track and unblock those sensations? Thanks!

[@dande_lion]

I hear: if you contract them and unlock them, they won't be a problem. And I understand it it the sense of: know, what you are dealing with, see it, name it, extract it and let it go before it merges with other parts of you and gets much bigger than it actually is.

[@Steve-zl2vz]

Black Panther Thank you! 🙏🏼 That makes sense... I appreciate you taking the time to listen and reply.

[@dande_lion]

@@Steve-zl2vz You are very welcome.

[@SherKhan0122]

It’s “if you can track them, and unblock them” for sure. Not “contract” even though it sounds like it. He’s talking about keeping track of your mental (both mental images and mental talk) and emotional reactions as they are happening, meaning distinguishing them as images, sounds, and emotional sensations. (See, hear, feel) is easy way to remember. Unblock means dropping resistance to their arising.

[@Steve-zl2vz]

@@SherKhan0122 Yes, after listening a few times I agree. Thanks for taking the time to reply!

[@phainhmooblee4923]

how is there a quick way to enlightenment, when it is already there within everyone?

[@harrykoschorreck8144]

Being fully Here NOW helps a bunch, and can be done any time...it is as simple as stopping to listen, really listen and be self aware at same time

[@phainhmooblee4923]

to go by what Buddha said, enlightenment is already there. to search for it is becuz of our ignorance.

[@phainhmooblee4923]

we are already fully here and now, doing anything to be fully here n now is pointless. we already listening, and how are we to be aware of the self which does not exist?

[@phainhmooblee4923]

by training your mind you are using mind. everyone here is in the present moment, even if the mind is thinking of past or future. since there is no self to realize, why all this trouble of realizing true self? all this meditation is just a way to see things for what it really is, thats all. we dont even need to do a certain method of meditation to realize anything. all our thoughts are changing, unsatisfying and not-self, that is what thought is really.

[@phainhmooblee4923]

my mind is free from right and wrong, so your opinion is not an issue to me. my whole point is that u cannot eliminate using your mind. all your attempts to eliminate using your mind is phony. the fact is by trying to use your mind to eliminate using mind cannot be done. that is to say use fire to eliminate fire, it cannot be done. we already seeing the present moment and know that this moment is the present moment whether we fully aware of ourselves or not. mediating on senses requires thinking, just like counting your breathing. enlightenment is the middle way, the way beyond extremes. to me u are stuck on an extreme, free yourself.

[@kimphilipsen4035]

ok time for medication

[@emilranfors4540]

So basically every people that are disable and in a wheelchair all the time should be all enlightend?

[@ceeIoc]

They have no choice to move freely. Also they could still have monkey mind

[@emilranfors4540]

@@ceeIoc go fuck yourself.

[@gaurabkayastha8716]

Can't we just lay down?

[@ObakuZenCenter]

You can do whatever you like but it won't wake you up. Nobody forces you to do this.

[@johnthom3342]

Shinzen is obviously not enlightened so how would he know?

[@ozgursenturk11-11]

There is no Shinzen to be enlightened! Actually there is no one to be enlightened because there is no one but "enlightenment"🤗🙏

[@maicolx7776]

Sri Ramana?

[@cspace1234nz]

Yes, the discovery and realisation of the Self is all that's required, though even Ramana himself suggested that very few will follow this route.

[@edgepixel8467]

@@cspace1234nz Huh?

[@moonmissy]

@@cspace1234nz that’s why it is called an esoteric mystical practice. Many prefer to be the rat on the wheel of sufferings and live in denial.

[@chlebiceksmaslem]

What criteria are you looking for? "Enlightenment" is a subjective experience signified by a perception shift, a transformation of one's idea/experience of who they are. Have you understood the meaning of concentration, equinimity and sensory clarity? You need to practice these three and soon you will notice that your experience of self and other has transformed or improved(even slightly). So this transformation is possible. And enlightenment is nothing but transformation. Stop talking nonsense.

[@smmusicplus96]

He says um a lot. Ohhhhhhhmmmnm...

[@ZeuzBluez]

here is where everyone s got wrong on enlightenment in the west. everyone thinks meditation is the method. no on it is own it is not except for very few selfless people,, that is why most famous gurus are mere megalomaniacs (sai baba, gurdjieff, Castaneda, muhammad, osho etcccc)..in a sufi group I was once studying everyone has to do some service before being allowed to meditate, coz service weakens the ego which strengthens consciousness in the process , of course u hav to do service your way otherwise u risk being milked by some cult/guru.

[@hrdyondrej]

+Dj ZeusZ ⵣⴰⵓⴰⵏⵉ so what do you recommend?

[@taf1981]

+Keep Ondra just be as You are my friend.

[@IAMZAGOOSEOO7]

+Dj ZeusZ ⵣⴰⵓⴰⵏⵉ Sai Baba, Gurdjieff, Castanede, Muhammad, Osho megalomaniacs? I don't think so

[@carrion6667]

+Dj ZeusZ ⵣⴰⵓⴰⵏⵉ what type of services?

[@anonymousprivate116]

Another great plan would be to go to Gyobutsuji Zen Monastery in Arkansas and really through yourself into authentic Zen practice and meditation :)

[@mikelindinger]

Es hat noch nie einen Erleuchteten gegeben. Dazu muss es einen Unerleuchteten geben. Den muss man erst mal finden...

[@petertyler8075]

Ha ha......sitting???? All there is.... is enlightenment that is it's nature...then it is seen or not.....it doesn't matter though either way....enlightenment doesn't care. He is saying...for the fish to see the water he needs to swim in a certain pattern....no he just needs to see the water that is all arround. So simple...so accessible. Sitting for hours is self harming and torture...if you want to do it..do it.

[@artforartssake1181]

If you want to sit still for a long period....go for it. But it's totally unnecessary to attain enlightenment. Enlightenment is not an experience . Sitting still to get enlightenment is like trying to shake hands with your reflection in the mirror

[@doggy255]

Why do most spiritual people seem so boring!? Like if I saw this guy at a bar or wedding or someplace with music, I'd imagine him sitting quietly in the corner talking about this stuff instead of dancing. Question to this guy. I really hope he somehow sees it. Would you feel just as comfortable dancing how you do in your room by yourself as you would in public in front of a crowd of people?

[@edymasta]

because you are not wise enough to understand the big picture

[@doggy255]

+edymasta I just always wonder if it's a real understanding or a delusion of the mind we convinced ourselves of

[@edymasta]

Nate725 look up actualized.org on here, he has videos on spirituality that you might relate to

[@asstornaut1066]

+Nate725 I agree with you bro. They forgot to live life and living concepts that even they dont understand.

[@vtecpreludevtec]

The American ones usually ex academics,boring as batshit.Look at Ajaan Brahm,a bit more engaging.

[@survivormanable]

Kunlun Nei Gung with 2 latex pillows and your favorite crystals.

[@snoo333]

I wish there was magic step or steps to waking up. there is not way to do it. it will happen if you want it hard enough and you clear your self from negative thoughts and actions until it happens. anyone telling you that if you sit or run so many hours or miles has no idea what their talking about. do good, be good and wait for your call. it will happen when you least expect it. I had to wait 26 years. good luck

[@TheDark-jh1do]

snoo333 dude

[@whistlingpuddle.4983]

It's weird. It's almost like we're punished for being born directly into a conditioned world.

[@squamish4244]

He's right handed. Who the hell cares?

[@qigong1001]

Now that we established that there is no way to know if a teacher is truly enlightened, lets move on to the subjective phenomena. You, as a subject are an ever changing entity with changing experiences, perspectives and biases which also change. So, what may be illuminating to you today, may as well be a sideshow in the future.

[@ramenking1336]

5 meo dmt..

[@cellerism]

5 meo malt ;)

[@MrGunwitch]

The quickest (and only way) to enlightenment is the noble eightfold path. If there was a quicker way the Buddha would've taught it!

[@squamish4244]

Assuming the Buddha was omniscient. I do not.

[@MrAnilono]

I have great respect for Buddha. However he only used one out of the 112 possible ways to enlightenment outlined by Lord Shiva. 🙏

[@golgipogo]

He may be woke, but one sure would not know it from this 15 min.

[@Octavus5]

Shinzen's "quick" way to enlightenment is through the intense pain of sitting and overcoming the mental paranoia of being stabbed and burned? He calls that "purification"? Well, I guess if that works for him.

[@Octavus5]

@payz hayz Yes, I get it. It's analogous to self-flagellation. But I'm not sure this is a path Buddhists ought to take. You also have to be careful when it comes to sitting pain. You can really mess up your knees. Permanently.

[@ozgursenturk11-11]

It worked for me but I wasn't aim to get enlightenment because I just sit three times a day just to dropp my heartbeat cuz I have mitral valve problem it causes my heart beats so fast anyway then it happened to that I realized that there is no one to be enlightened! It's was all one thing that exists. But from my experience " no one" needs to sit or do anything to get enlightenment! Because you are already what you seek! You are already enlightened right here right now in this moment! Because there is no future! How you gonna be enlightened in the future? 🤗🙏

[@roninmushin2652]

DMT won’t make u enlightened, it just makes u stoned. There’s a reason one of the precepts is not to use intoxicants which cloud the mind

[@comscar]

Bullshit

[@willywilly6970]

It opens more that anything, fast breathing produces dmt and breathing is natural.

[@squamish4244]

I wouldn't be here if I didn't need it. But seriously, who cares?

[@ObakuZenCenter]

You do.

[@squamish4244]

@@ObakuZenCenter Yes, and that's why I'm here. Lol

[@bamboosa]

@Shinzen Young - Shinzen. Bro. You favor your right arm and leave the left a bit dormant. Here is an excellent meditation for you. For one day, and I know you can handle it, pretend that you are left handed. What is being neglected will be activated. Trust me. I'm a "medical intuitive" without the schooling. Stephanie would make Lucille Ball blush. Quite the trickster, that one, using innocence as her cover, what a card. Be well.

[@qigong1001]

"What criteria are you looking for"...I'll let you choose. Go on.. . Tell me a few. You can't. If there is a transformation to an enlightened state as you say, tell me what the person transformed into...stop talking nonsense, indeed.

[@qigong1001]

Yes, I've read nearly everything Alan Watts wrote and about Alan Watts himself. You are not talking to some Johnny Come Lately about this topic. I knew people in his circle and the reports are that he died a horrible alcoholic. More proof of not being able to put this nonsense to practice as well as its destructive effects.

[@raoulsamuelkray7628]

There is absolutely no way to enlightenment. Absolutely implossible. Simply because enlightenment doesen't create someone who is enlightened. Face it.

[@sophiafakevirus-ro8cc]

This guy is an ego just like the rest of us

[@michaelgarrow3239]

Enlightenment sucks…

[@mattwilson2568]

Enlightened being who doesn't advocate veganism, which is to say, doesn't give a fuck about the billions of animals being tortured at this moment?

[@andrewheakes244]

Matt Wilson We all suffer, some worse then others, but it is impermanent, this applies especially to those living in the animal realm. The Buddha ate meat when it was offered to him.

[@mattwilson2568]

Andrew Heakes Then why is he trying to relieve humans from suffering by making these videos? (I don't care what the Buddha did/didn't do)

[@andrewheakes244]

Because people like this, who teach, are the reason our suffering is impermanent. The quicker yourself realizes ultimate reality, the quicker all beings are removed from samsara.

[@mattwilson2568]

Andrew Heakes Sadhguru has said in a video that animals almost never attain enlightenment

[@andrewheakes244]

Yep its pretty hard to do it in the animal realm. Which is why when they eventually end up as a human they can learn the dharma and end samsara.