Help me to enlightenment

Hi guys i have a few questions about meditating and reaching enlightenment, higher concious state, astral projection etc. I've been reading up on it and i've became very interested in this and i want to know

1)How do i begin meditating, what is there to know about it ? and maybe some tips..

2) On what daily/weekly basis should i meditate?


3) Where, how, when and howmuch each day/week?


3) Any good books about it ?


Greetings from a belgian 18yr old boy! =)

Welcome to ATS

Read through all the posts on Meditation here at ATS by going to the Search option at the top of the page and just type in Meditation - that would be a great start!

There are a lot of great threads and a lot of information to be found in those threads.


Good Luck!

*P*E*A*C*E*

Originally posted by silo13
Welcome to ATS

Read through all the posts on Meditation here at ATS by going to the Search option at the top of the page and just type in Meditation - that would be a great start!

There are a lot of great threads and a lot of information to be found in those threads.


Good Luck!

*P*E*A*C*E*

Thanks mate

reply to post by Belgiannewbie


Enlightenment is just another word based mind made concept standing in the way of liberation, and a heavy one at that.

Meditation is a useful tool but not one crafted to transport you to any destination. It is simply a means to free one's self of the incessant mental noise.

May I respectfully suggest some reading: Adyashanti

Welcome! you can search through past posts by using the search bar in the upper right of your screen. See what's out there... Hang out and snoop around. You'll be up and running in no time!

Welcome again...

We already know that words are just symbols for common ideas we have. "Enlightenment" is especially metaphorical. Just like "God." You can't reach it, but you can always strive for the way up.

In short I guess I'm saying there is no final enlightenment until, as they say, "the atom merges with the universe," but you should never have to abandon your pursuit of it. Just like an electron unfailingly and uncompromisingly exerts it charge, you have to unfailingly reveal darkness. There are things equivalent to levels of initiation with certain fields of knowledge, like certain Buddhist or Hindu attainments or the different ranks of some "secret societies," etc. Check out as many philosophies, mystery schools, and things that aren't already within you, as you can. I always liked Zen koans, have you ever read any of those?

Also destroying your own ego (another task that you can never 100% accomplish) goes hand-in-hand with this because your ego tends to shunt things which it can't accept or entertain. Just because something sounds outlandish doesn't mean it's true, but at the same time it would suck if it really were true and your ego just effectively blocked you from realizing it for selfish reasons. Destroying your ego also has obvious effects on your capability of being compassionate and caring for others, things like that, it starts to come naturally.

As far as meditation goes, for the longest time I never really liked it because I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to be doing with my head. Then at some point the idea of "you are where/what you are thinking" kind of dawned on me and I took up a very natural interest in it. I have heard others say not to worry about meditation right off the bat, and I took that advice, but there's certainly no harm, it can be very relaxing and educational for anyone, and of course you can do what you like. Energy raising is a subject that ties in and is very important, imo, and if you're interested in AP maybe you have heard of Robert Bruce's work on raising awareness and developing the more subtle energies in your body.

My half penny anyway.

One of the unexpected side effects of meditation I found was that I became much more sensitive to subconscious ideas.

Maybe it was the quieting of the mind that Schrodingers Dog points out.

Life itself also became more dreamlike to me while I practiced meditation.


Speaking of which... it could really help to pick that up again.

Thanks for the thread.

Originally posted by Belgiannewbie
Hi guys i have a few questions about meditating and reaching enlightenment, higher concious state, astral projection etc. I've been reading up on it and i've became very interested in this and i want to know

1)How do i begin meditating, what is there to know about it ? and maybe some tips..

2) On what daily/weekly basis should i meditate?


3) Where, how, when and howmuch each day/week?


3) Any good books about it ?


Greetings from a belgian 18yr old boy! =)

I'll get back with you on this.

This is your first clue,

You are on your own.

lesson number two,

Consider all life as a spiritual journey, all the guru's and holy men can can only take you so far, true awakening will be personal, you own it.

Not one person can compare their spiritual experiences with another.

Ever feel alone although you are on a planet full of people?

reply to post by Belgiannewbie


Hi. Just the fact that you are interested in enlightnement is a very good sign that you are on your way. As said, however, avoid getting too hung up on the concept itself--or the "process."

In my experience meditation will allow you to drop down a little into your subconscious. Once there, you will be more aware of your intent and motives, and it will be possible to begin purifying them. Also, it is important to realize that you are not your thoughts, and that there is something, call it an awareness, that sits back behind your thoughts. This is what you want to ultimately connect with.

Remember as well that enlightenment always equates to an increase in comapssion and understanding, as well as a deeper sense of responsibility. If you are not feeling more of those, you may be moving in the wrong direction. Finally, know that no guru can give you what you already have.

best of luck



[edit on 16-12-2008 by Silenceisall]

I've been wanting to meditate as well. I've been turned on to Reiki, and feel I need to pursue it, so meditating goes along with that. In order to channel the energy, you need to tune yourself in.

I imagine anything you could read by Ghandi would be helpful. You could look into a class at a holistic/health type of place, too. Take a look on Meetup.com and search under Belgium for Meditation meetups. The meetup board is really fantastic!

Good luck!

The advice given is great am I the only one who laughed out loud when I read the topic title? but yes. Eckart Tolle's "The Power of Now." did wonders for me at least. By the way it was a good laugh. I laughed because it is such a personal journey, you will find out most of your answers on your own, but there are some very good guides out there no doubt. Having an understanding of Buddhism basics would be a good early step as well. You don't have to be a Buddhist but all of that will help you.

edit: and since nobody directly answered the when/where/how much questions I'll just say for starting meditation really just do 10 minutes twice a day. If you feel like doing more then do it. But really even 10 minutes a day is a fine start. I haven't meditated in a while actually but I try to live in meditation in a way, my job I consider all of it a meditation, I am always aware of my breath, things like this. Everyone has their own way.

[edit on 16-12-2008 by Novise]

Enlightenment:

Do not follow others because they are stumbling in the darkness of the path trying to lead you down a road they know not. If you want to truly be ENlightened, all you have to do is keep realizing the same thing over and over again until you reach compleate enlightment. That is:

You are building illusions every second of the day. You build illusions when you percieve what others percieve about you. You build illusions when you percieve others in all stages of interaction with the world. You know not what others are thinking or doing. You live in a world where you are the only jailer of yourself. If you'd only realize you are the one who creates the illusions you'd be awake.

You are the one that paints the illusions, and the paint is thick and dark, everything is your painted illusion, remove all paint of illusion from everything and you'll see the truth.

The World around you is an illusion of your own creation. Keep pulling down the walls until you are free. You build the walls up faster then you can pull them down. You must first stop putting walls up to become free. You can not stop putting up walls of illusion until you realize you're the one putting up walls of illusion.

You are you own jailer. You now hold the key.

Things I thought about today,

Being totally aware of ones surroundings, and actions, and interactions.

The quest never ends, the end of the journey leaves you knowing less then the beginning,

Focus, everything has a definition but nothing is definite, keep it simple,

One may experience ecstatic highs, and dramatic lows,

You will be given the lessons you need to learn, yet everything is a lesson,

Keep a sense of humor, and humility,

Every place is a sacred place.

My process has been like this so far. Each landmark taking a very long time, and having huge profound effects on everything within my experience.

1) Normal, I am fine, but I feel 'incomplete'. I am materialistic, and spiteful. Spiritual texts from gurus such as Deepak Chopra, and Jesus, I don't understand but I know they are special and I feel attracted towards them.

2) There is something more to reality, I will find it. I am determined, but unconfident in who I am.

3) Everything is not what it seems! This reality is not real. I live in an illusion! I am eager to master this illusion, understand it, and lust for power.

4) This illusion is just a shadow of something bigger and more real. This world is fake, we are all just visitors looking in forgetting who we are! I am confident in who I am, I feel I know so much more than most, I feel like I am a higher sort of rank than most, yet I feel an odd sense of guilt. Spiritual texts make some more sense now, a lot more, but I still disagree with some large parts of what they say. People around me seem so afraid and drone-like. I wish to help them maybe one day. I don't waste my time or attention on the petty things of this physical world.

5) This illusion is beautiful. It is not any fake, because the only thing that is real is experience. The experience of being. All that matters is love. People around me look beautiful now...their individual presences and levels of "fear" are just beautiful expressions of themselves and their experience. We are all connected. I understand all the spiritual texts from a level where I have said the same thing to myself and realized, these gurus did not learn anything, they remembered what is inherent, and that is true. My ego is more broken. My goal is to have freedom, experience fun, and help other people see the value of taking their own spiritual journey, and how amazing the potential of what we are as a collective is. I am forever humbled, and embrace my enemy as my brother. The physical reality is beautiful, I love it, it a divine expression.

6) Working on it






Each new step I could not foresee at all from the previous step..."Enlightenment" is a journey, and it has to be individual to everyone. Everyone has different paths. I only used traditional eastern lotus-position like meditation for a short while, even though I "meditate" very frequently. I think it's a constant process that everyone is participating in whether they are aware of it or not. Who knows what my next step is

[edit on 16-12-2008 by Reddupo]

The first step to enlightenment is to stop wanting enlightenment because the wanting itself implies a separation from that which you seek.

Well I don't think of myself as enlightened but I think I can tell when I move towards that or away from that. I imagine that's what many are basing their advice on. I'm not enlightened but I know what has moved me in that direction.

I actually think of myself as simply awakened and on the path. I think as a human this is all that can really be expected of anyone.

Honestly I don't think everyone here thinks they are on the same page as tibetan monks who meditate 6 hours a day? lol no. but we have to offer what we can.

Everyone had and has their own path, there is not any bad advice on the thread that I see.

But it has to be reconciled with dignity where our perceptions seem to contradict or start to seem egotistical.

You are already enlightened, you just don't realize it yet. Get the book, "I Am That" by Nisargadatta and take a year to read it. In the meanwhile, don't believe anything you think.

Originally posted by Skyfloating
The first step to enlightenment is to stop wanting enlightenment because the wanting itself implies a separation from that which you seek.

This is very good advice and it should be added to it:

When you think you're "enlightened" it's easily understandable that your not.



Enlightenment is a path not a place.

Once you know what enlightenment really is, you probably won't want it.

Read the trilogy by Jed McKenna:
"Spiritual Enlightenment -- The Damndest Thing"
"Spiritually Incorrect Enlightenment" and
"Spiritual Warfare"

Those are all the books you'll ever need. After I had read those, I burned all my other spiritual books in our fire pit. According to McKenna, true enlightenment is very different from the hooey, cotton-candy kind of enlightenment most spiritual schools propagate. It is only achieved through an actual "death" of the ego and supposedly extremely painful. The end result is, according to McKenna, like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute and watching the earth coming closer and closer. At the exact moment of impact, the earth beneath you vanishes and you keep falling -- only that there is no reference point anymore, only the void.

After reading those books -- which are, by the way, fantastic to read and often laugh-out-loud funny -- I didn't want to be enlightened anymore. If you still want it, though, be prepared to give up every single one of your earthly attachments, to family, friends, your entire past and your most cherished memories and beliefs.

In any case, I highly recommend reading his books... I've never seen anything more eye-opening in 20 years of spiritual studies.