On Jan 2, 2009, at 10:06 AM, Patrick Gillam wrote:
Thanks. Maybe someday I'll be able to appreciate the subtleties of the terms above, but these days I define transcendence in a more boneheaded way: awareness aware of itself, as opposed to aware of thoughts or sense impressions.
And keep in mind, the aforementioned sthiti state is experientially identical to what you're describing. Of course I'm not able to experience what you're experiencing, so it's impossible to say, since I'm not omniscient. Yet. :-)
But if I was sitting next to you, I'd be able to tell. One of the best determinants for actual transcendence is to test the startle reflex. It's the hardest reflex to eliminate through attentional means. How do you think you would react while transcending if say, a shot gun blast, was fired off right behind you? Would you flinch?
