Did i reach nirvana?

Discussion of meditation in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions.
Jericho
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2014 3:40 pm

Did i reach nirvana?

Post by Jericho »

Last year i had basically a "psychedelic like experience" in which all my life unlocked to the age of 5.This wasn't a flash, it was slowly.I was practically reborn.The conection to the source was very strong as i experienced infinite bliss and from that point my crown chakra opened.DId i reach enlightment or not?
p.s. i have been doing vipassana meditation.
TaTa
Posts: 421
Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 1:15 am

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by TaTa »

No. You wouldn't be asking. =)
User avatar
DNS
Site Admin
Posts: 5268
Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2009 4:23 pm
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, Estados Unidos de América
Contact:

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by DNS »

TaTa wrote:No. You wouldn't be asking. =)
Ah, you beat me to the answer. That is my favorite way to answer that too. One might need a teacher to discuss and confirm some initial insights, techniques, etc but for full-enlightenment; if you have to ask, that means it is not. Every once in a while I'll get an email asking for me to confirm if someone is enlightened or for contact info of a famous monk for them to confirm enlightenment. I'll answer something like, "no need, you're not enlightened." And then typically an angry email might come back and then I explain that I'm not being rude, it is just that you wouldn't be asking.
User avatar
LastLegend
Posts: 5408
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2011 3:46 pm
Location: Northern Virginia

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by LastLegend »

Jericho wrote:Last year i had basically a "psychedelic like experience" in which all my life unlocked to the age of 5.This wasn't a flash, it was slowly.I was practically reborn.The conection to the source was very strong as i experienced infinite bliss and from that point my crown chakra opened.DId i reach enlightment or not?
p.s. i have been doing vipassana meditation.

Yes, you did. Now you are back to being non-enlightened again.
It’s eye blinking.
theanarchist
Posts: 820
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2013 7:26 pm

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by theanarchist »

David N. Snyder wrote: And then typically an angry email might come back

Which then is the proof that the person is not enlightened :tongue:
User avatar
reddust
Posts: 761
Joined: Thu Nov 14, 2013 7:29 am
Location: Oregon

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by reddust »

When I started Vipassana meditation I had a great teacher who told me to watch what happens. Just watch, that's all you need to do in the SN Goenka vipassana retreat he sent me too. My teacher stressed equanimity, I had no clue at the time what equanimity meant. I'd never heard the word before. I'm from the deep woods of Oregon, a West Coast Redneck. I knew nothing about Buddhism or meditation except I had read a book about Buddhism that talked about letting go of suffering. I knew I was the cause of my own suffering at that time. I had tried everything I could think of but couldn't let go of my old habits. As soon as I read the 4 Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path I knew I had found an answer to my problem regarding deeply ingrained habits. I found myself a teacher right away, figuring I hadn't been able to shake my habits on my own and I needed some help.

My first retreats I encountered many strange, beautiful, painful mind states and let go of a lot of old habits just from watching the body and mind with a steady minds eye. Some of the mind states I saw I would of surely felt I had found nirvana and became a Buddha. I was lucky enough to have a good teacher who grounded me enough so I could see I hadn't found anything except what I've always been...just me, just stuff that has been going on in my head since I was born.

I would suggest you investigate the Four Sublime states, especially equanimity. http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/4sublime_states.pdf

Being uneducated and having a teacher I trusted, I never figured in this life time I would experience enlightenment. Although I remain open and ready just in case. I find a good sense of humor really helps especially when I start thinking I'm a super cool bodhisattva :tongue: I am working on being a redneck bodhisattva :twothumbsup:
Mind and mental events are concepts, mere postulations within the three realms of samsara Longchenpa .... A link to my Garden, Art and Foodie blog Scratch Living
User avatar
Kaccāni
Posts: 1083
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2014 1:03 pm
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by Kaccāni »

@reddust: Thanks for pointing out this document. It came in the right moment.
:anjali:
Shush! I'm doing nose-picking practice!
greentara
Posts: 933
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2012 4:03 am

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by greentara »

Reddust, Thanks for the offering "The world suffers. But most men have their eyes and
ears closed. They do not see the unbroken stream of
tears flowing through life; they do not hear the cry of
distress continually pervading the world. their own little
grief or joy bars their sight, deafens their ears. Bound by
selfishness, their hearts turn stiff and narrow. Being stiff
and narrow, how should they be able to strive for any
higher goal, to realize that only release from selfish craving
will effect their own freedom from suffering?"
TRC
Posts: 196
Joined: Sat Aug 10, 2013 3:23 am

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by TRC »

You are a "super cool bodhisattva" reddust ... thank you for the link.

Never lose your sense of humour :P
User avatar
reddust
Posts: 761
Joined: Thu Nov 14, 2013 7:29 am
Location: Oregon

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by reddust »

TRC wrote:You are a "super cool bodhisattva" reddust ... thank you for the link.

Never lose your sense of humour :P
Oh my thank you :namaste:
Gwenn Dana wrote:@reddust: Thanks for pointing out this document. It came in the right moment.
:anjali:
Thank you Gwenn, this information and practice saved my life :namaste:
greentara wrote:Reddust, Thanks for the offering "The world suffers. But most men have their eyes and
ears closed. They do not see the unbroken stream of
tears flowing through life; they do not hear the cry of
distress continually pervading the world. their own little
grief or joy bars their sight, deafens their ears. Bound by
selfishness, their hearts turn stiff and narrow. Being stiff
and narrow, how should they be able to strive for any
higher goal, to realize that only release from selfish craving
will effect their own freedom from suffering?"
We all suffer no matter our gender. I think because of habits, I think gender is a habit (haha), we express our suffering differently from one person to the next. Women have given a sea of milk and cried ocean of tears for their babies and family but men grieved for their families too. If you have ever sat in a position of authority it is an awful burden to bear. Since most men hold positions of authority they are suffering greatly. As I said in other posts I think the world would be healed if men and women could be best friends. But I figure you can't fix samsara so I try and be a best friend to all my men friends no matter how buttheaded they get or hit on me to see how my bell rings. :tongue:

You know I was molested as a kid by my stepfather. I've told the story here many times. I never hated him because even as a child I see the great torment in his mind that had made him into a monster. I was terribly afraid of him but I did not hate him. My mother allowed this to happen, she was an enabler of monsters. She confused me more than my stepfather. Who was more narrow minded my Mom or my Stepfather? Once you see this it's hard to carry a grudge.
Mind and mental events are concepts, mere postulations within the three realms of samsara Longchenpa .... A link to my Garden, Art and Foodie blog Scratch Living
User avatar
garudha
Posts: 718
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 4:33 am
Location: UK

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by garudha »

Jericho wrote:Last year i had basically a "psychedelic like experience" in which all my life unlocked to the age of 5.This wasn't a flash, it was slowly.I was practically reborn.The conection to the source was very strong as i experienced infinite bliss and from that point my crown chakra opened.DId i reach enlightment or not?
p.s. i have been doing vipassana meditation.
Hi. Did this happen during meditation?

It's just a bit confusing how you explained it, and the timeline of events.

You say that your crown chakra opened. Why did it close ?
dude
Posts: 789
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 3:38 am

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by dude »

Jericho wrote:Last year i had basically a "psychedelic like experience" in which all my life unlocked to the age of 5.This wasn't a flash, it was slowly.I was practically reborn.The conection to the source was very strong as i experienced infinite bliss and from that point my crown chakra opened.DId i reach enlightment or not?
p.s. i have been doing vipassana meditation.

No, but it's definitely a step forward.
User avatar
seeker242
Posts: 2092
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2012 2:50 pm
Location: South Florida, USA

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by seeker242 »

Do you still experience any kind or any amount of, Anguish, Anxiety, Dissatisfaction, Discomfort, Discontent, Frustration, Misery, Sorrow, Stress, Suffering, Uneasiness, Unhappiness, Unsatisfactoriness? If yes, then no. :smile:
dude wrote:
Jericho wrote:Last year i had basically a "psychedelic like experience" in which all my life unlocked to the age of 5.This wasn't a flash, it was slowly.I was practically reborn.The conection to the source was very strong as i experienced infinite bliss and from that point my crown chakra opened.DId i reach enlightment or not?
p.s. i have been doing vipassana meditation.

No, but it's definitely a step forward.
Agreed! :twothumbsup:
One should not kill any living being, nor cause it to be killed, nor should one incite any other to kill. Do never injure any being, whether strong or weak, in this entire universe!
User avatar
oushi
Posts: 1596
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2012 6:18 am

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by oushi »

Jericho wrote:Last year i had basically a "psychedelic like experience" in which all my life unlocked to the age of 5.This wasn't a flash, it was slowly.I was practically reborn.The conection to the source was very strong as i experienced infinite bliss and from that point my crown chakra opened.DId i reach enlightment or not?
p.s. i have been doing vipassana meditation.
Ofc you did. Now you can simply enjoy it!
Say what you think about me here.
User avatar
Kaccāni
Posts: 1083
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2014 1:03 pm
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by Kaccāni »

:good: :jumping:
Shush! I'm doing nose-picking practice!
Vajraprajnakhadga
Posts: 152
Joined: Wed Mar 19, 2014 10:16 pm

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by Vajraprajnakhadga »

Jericho wrote:Last year i had basically a "psychedelic like experience" in which all my life unlocked to the age of 5.This wasn't a flash, it was slowly.I was practically reborn.The conection to the source was very strong as i experienced infinite bliss and from that point my crown chakra opened.DId i reach enlightment or not?
p.s. i have been doing vipassana meditation.
It sounds like you had a brief glimpse, nothing more. Keep practicing.
User avatar
doubledragon
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2014 8:27 pm
Location: Here and now

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by doubledragon »

May I dare ask, as a newcomer, what do you expect to find if you had really attained Nirvana?
Is Nirvana your goal or do you not prefer to enjoy the landscape as you walk?
Remember the sentence "Nirvana in Samsara"?
Up until now Buddhism has helped me lead a more conscious and meaningful life. If there is something like a Nirvana, it would mean, to me, more of a change in perspective on my present life rather than something that will take place somewhere, somehow in a faraway future.
Like the other members said, if you had really attained Nirvana you would not be asking. What you should be asking yourself is "Did this experience somehow throw a new light on my life or improve it somehow"?
theanarchist
Posts: 820
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2013 7:26 pm

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by theanarchist »

dude wrote:
Jericho wrote:Last year i had basically a "psychedelic like experience" in which all my life unlocked to the age of 5.This wasn't a flash, it was slowly.I was practically reborn.The conection to the source was very strong as i experienced infinite bliss and from that point my crown chakra opened.DId i reach enlightment or not?
p.s. i have been doing vipassana meditation.

No, but it's definitely a step forward.

Or a step backward as it creates another load of concepts and with it obstacles to overcome.
User avatar
Kaccāni
Posts: 1083
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2014 1:03 pm
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by Kaccāni »

How often will you reach it?
Shush! I'm doing nose-picking practice!
User avatar
garudha
Posts: 718
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 4:33 am
Location: UK

Re: Did i reach nirvana?

Post by garudha »

Gwenn Dana wrote:How often will you reach it?
Whenever I devote myself to your infallible word, O great one.
Locked

Return to “Meditation”