RE: Thought Experiment: Who Are You Really?
If you mediate on the phrase "I Am" long enough and try to sense what it is you are referring to (without accepting any of the ideas you come up with) what you are referring to will actually disappear, or at least disappear from your consciousness.
When I did this I felt like I disappeared and no longer existed, even though I was aware of "not existing". It is a really interesting experience.
The end result is realizing that I exist in the background of everything that I sense, experience, perceive and express. It can almost be described as a dark emptiness similar to when you close your eyes but lacking less content than that. It's a blissful experience.
I experienced it by following the lessons in this book:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_That
Wow awesome, really great share! That's a great way to describe it
Thank you @scottcbusiness It's an interesting realization but doesn't offer any advantages in life. It won't make a person a saint nor would it ensure their success. But I think our experiences and life events are largely shaped by our desires and the intensity of our desires. Being aware of that can definitely help a person succeed in life. It can also caution a person towards choosing their desires more wisely.
You're right about your life and your desires being more synonymous than people realize. One massive misconception about spirituality, realization, Nirvana, karma, consciousness, etc. is that it SHOULD improve you somehow or benefit you in some way. That is just your ego looking for another leg up and completely side steps the point
I think the misconception happens because of the popularity of the mainstream teachers. The ones I respect plainly say (and said) that there is no difference between them and us, and that self-realization doesn't offer an advantage in life. But their popularity makes it seem like it's their self-realization that got them popular. So people who want to be like them seek self-realization and continue seeking without end since it doesn't get them the results they want.
Agreed, @chrisrice. Ego can very quickly derail a spiritual practise... be it 'oh look at me and how long I can sit quuetly on a cushion' to 'that person in my yoga class does not look as flexible as me. I must get more flexible to be a better yogi'.
Very very true, there is a cost to all things