r/streamentry • u/jabinslc • 2d ago

Practice commons mistakes examples?

I was inspired to ask this question based on a post from yesterday about sexuality. there seemed to be a debate about whether desire falls off completely vs seeing through the empty nature of desire.

what are other common thinking errors people make on the path? like reifying awareness, the addiction to enlightenment, alienation from regular life perceived as good, the inability to reduce suffering anywhere but on the cushion, the pitfall of viewing things as non-existent vs lacking self nature, etc.

in my own practice, whenever I perceive something as having true ultimate nature, I calmly look at it as empty of self. whether its anger or bliss. good or bad. gently return to the emptiness of even nirvana itself.

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u/M0sD3f13 1d ago edited 1d ago

My extrapolation, The still and concentrated mind can perceive DO. As soon as it goes out and becomes enmeshed in the sensual world again you are back in delusion and conceptualisation territory. It is important to understand the concept but one must then drop it and experience it directly to gain true transcendent insight. When not in deep concentration and just experiencing the "thud" just ovserve as that which knows and simply bare witness to whatever arises and passes away.

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u/jabinslc 1d ago

I don't think it's all just about "simply bare witness to whatever arises" that's another western pitfall.

one must practice understanding that what arises is empty.

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u/M0sD3f13 1d ago

Ajahn Chah was certainly not western. I get you though. It's difficult to discuss these things. Practice and direct experience is where the rubber meets the road.

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u/jabinslc 1d ago edited 1d ago

agreed and I have found that when I talk to strangers online. it takes a minute for our vocabulary to sync and then we actually tend to agree.

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u/M0sD3f13 1d ago

Indeed, very true.