20 Comments
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Frode Sigvald Hansen's avatar

Radical

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Heraclitus's avatar

the great cosmic joke

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Thomas A. Vik's avatar

Yes 🎭🙏

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Rebecca Garnett's avatar

Great article!

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Thomas A. Vik's avatar

Cheers, Rebecca! 🎭🙏

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Richard A. Bartlett's avatar

Brilliant.. many climb the 100 ft pole but the next step is rarely taken… leading annihilation of the self structure.. after all enlightenment = extinction .. not a great sales pitch. The problem with most spirituality and religious teachings is that they get seduced and do not follow to the end. They may at least point in the general direction. It was Zen teachings that started my inquiry.

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Thomas A. Vik's avatar

Thanks, Richard. Ah, Zen, the sting of the stick that cuts through makyo on the path to true extinction!🙏

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Hans Christian Lundholm's avatar

🙏♥️

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Mindy Homan-Wise's avatar

I want the blue pill

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Thomas A. Vik's avatar

Most people do... and for most it's the best pill to take – why make a mess of a perfectly good dream? 🎭🙏

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Gregg shotwell's avatar

I am real. The world is real. The ego is a control mechanism, a governor, so to speak. I agree that spirituality is a product for sale in the USA. Thanks for acknowledging that spiritual progress does not mean perfection.

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Thomas A. Vik's avatar

Thanks, Gregg🙏

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Countering Complacency✨'s avatar

I’ll take complete destruction than living half awake half asleep 😋Great read and lots I agree with you on. I think there’s a big misconception that “awakening” is a positive experience. I found it to be not the case as well. But onwards I choose to go.

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Thomas A. Vik's avatar

Good, always kill the Buddha – then onwards and further it is. It always is...🙏🎭

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Tina Cukas's avatar

I keep reading your stuff. Doesn't helped any. There is nothing I can do to see reality and I can't not do anything as not doing is still doing. At least that's what I think. I'm screwed either way. There are no answers, yeah yeah cause I don't exist. In my dream state if that's what you call it, I have a dream brain and my dream brain is not helping me either. Pretty unhelpful. Cheers.

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Thomas A. Vik's avatar

You're discovering the cosmic joke, Tina - the "dream brain" can't think its way out of the dream. Your frustration is perfect! It means the trap is collapsing under its own weight. Reality isn't found through doing or not-doing, but when the doer dissolves. The fact you can't figure it out is your greatest clue. Cheers!🎭

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Jarret Sharp's avatar

Onward, into void.

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AntifragileADHD's avatar

My sincere apologies A Vik. I didn't realise your avatar was a picture of you! When was it taken?

What's your earliest memory? If that's polite to ask

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AntifragileADHD's avatar

Your picture seems AI, is all your writing too? Seems like there's something… missing?

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Thomas A. Vik's avatar

Hm, it's fascinating how the mind seeks to categorize, label, and dismiss what it doesn't understand. When threatened, it attacks the messenger rather than sitting with the message. There's a beautiful irony in questioning my authenticity while simultaneously demonstrating the very ego-driven reactivity my post addressed.

What's "missing" might just be what's beyond concepts altogether. That void is precisely where freedom lies.

Cheers!🎭

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