"Is this…enlightenment?" I asked.

"We use the word 'Awakening'," said the Zen Master, kindly.

"Now what?" I asked, "Every book I've read about meditation is about getting to this point. There's nothing about how to safely navigate the terirtory afterward―or what to do afterward―or even what happens afterward."

"The first thing you need to know is that you experienced was real," the Zen Master spoke from personal experience and that of his many previous students, "Don't make it too complicated. Just be in the moment. When you're cooking, then just cook. When you're eating, then just eat."

It is impossible to communicate the subjective experience of Stream Entry to someone who has not personally experienced it. However, it is possible to communicate an outside mechanistic model of what happens in your brain. First I will explain how a human brain functions normally. Then I will [...]

The original text contained 2 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

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First published:
January 7th, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/8pWn8oCMsBKb95Wje/stream-entry

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

“Stream Entry” by lsusr

LessWrong (30+ Karma)