Showing posts with label Nafis Rahman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nafis Rahman. Show all posts
Soh

Welcome to Awakening to Reality

Hello! Welcome to the Awakening to Reality site.

For anyone new to the blog, I highly recommend reading the Must Read articles on the right panel, such as:

You are welcomed to join our discussion group on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/groups/AwakeningToReality/ (Update: Facebook group is now closed, however you can join to access the old discussions. It is a treasure trove of information.)

If you are interested in realizing and actualizing these insights, do read the following (free) e-books:

1) The Awakening to Reality Practice Guide by Nafis Rahman

  • Update: Portuguese translation now available here

2) The Awakening to Reality Guide – Web Abridged Version by Pablo Pintabona and Nafis Rahman

Special thanks to these individuals for their efforts in making these compilations. I trust they will greatly benefit spiritual aspirants.

3) The Awakening to Reality Guide – Original Version compiled by Soh

  • Feedback: "I also want to say, actually the main ATR document >1200 pages helped me the most with insight... ...I did [read] it twice 😂 it was so helpful and these Mahamudra books supported ATR insights. Just thought to share." – Yin Ling

    "To be honest, the document is ok [in length], because it’s by insight level. Each insight is like 100 plus pages except anatta [was] exceptionally long [if] I remember lol. If someone read and contemplate at the same time it’s good because the same point will repeat again and again like in the nikayas [traditional Buddhist scriptures in the Pali canon] and insight should arise by the end of it imo.", 
    "A 1000 plus pages ebook written by a serious practitioner Soh Wei Yu that took me a month to read each time and I am so grateful for it. It’s a huge undertaking and I have benefitted from it more that I can ever imagine. Please read patiently." – Yin Ling
ATR Guide

Listening to PDFs on Various Devices

This guide walks you through downloading and listening to PDF files on different devices using text-to-speech (TTS) features.

iPhone

  1. Download the PDF Files:
    • Open Safari on your iPhone.
    • Visit the provided Box.com link containing the ZIP file with PDFs.
    • Tap the ZIP file to download it, then tap again to extract it in the Files app.
  2. Add PDFs to Books:
    • Open the Files app and locate the folder with the extracted PDFs.
    • Select the PDFs, tap Share, and choose Copy to Books to add them to your Books library.
  3. Listen with Spoken Content:
    • Go to Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content.
    • Enable Speak Screen and Speech Controller.
    • Open a PDF in the Books app and tap the speech controller icon, then the Play button to begin reading aloud.

Android

  1. Download the PDF Files:
    • Open Chrome and visit the Box.com link.
    • Tap the ZIP file to download it, then extract its contents using a file manager.
  2. Open PDFs in a PDF Reader:
    • Use your file manager to locate a PDF and open it with your preferred PDF reader app.
  3. Use Text-to-Speech:
    • Option A: Download a TTS app (e.g., Voice Aloud Reader) from the Google Play Store, then open the app, grant permissions, and choose a PDF to listen to.
    • Option B: Use Android’s built-in TTS by going to Settings > Accessibility > Text-to-Speech Output to configure and enable TTS for PDF reading.

Windows

Primary Option: Microsoft Edge Read Aloud

  1. Open Your PDF File:
    • Open the PDF using Microsoft Edge.
  2. Activate Read Aloud:
    • Click the book-with-speaker icon in the toolbar to start Read Aloud.
  3. Control Playback:
    • Use the playback controls to pause, resume, or stop reading.
    • Adjust the reading speed and voice under Voice options.

Secondary Option: Adobe Acrobat Reader Read Out Loud

  1. Open Your PDF File:
    • Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
  2. Activate Read Out Loud:
    • Go to View > Read Out Loud and choose either Read This Page Only or Read to End of Document.
  3. Control Playback:
    • Use Acrobat’s playback controls to pause, resume, or stop the reading.
    • Adjust reading speed and voice in Acrobat’s Preferences under the Reading category.

Mac

  1. Using Preview or Apple Books:
    • Preview: Open your PDF in Preview. From the menu, choose Edit > Speech > Start Speaking (or use the Speak Selection shortcut set in System Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content).
    • Apple Books: Double-click the PDF to open it in Books (or drag and drop it into the Books app), then use VoiceOver (press Command + F5) or the Speak Selection feature via System Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content.
  2. Using Adobe Acrobat Reader:
    • Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader for Mac.
    • From the menu bar, select View > Read Out Loud > Activate Read Out Loud.
    • Then choose Read This Page Only or Read to End of Document.
    • Adjust voice and speed in Acrobat’s Preferences > Reading.
  3. Using macOS Built-In TTS:
    • Open System Settings (or System Preferences) and go to Accessibility > Spoken Content (or Dictation & Speech on older versions).
    • Enable Speak Selection (or “Speak selected text when the key is pressed”) and customize the keyboard shortcut (default is Option+Esc).
    • Select text in any app and press the shortcut to have it read aloud.

Tip: Ensure your PDFs are text-based (i.e., not just images). If you’re working with scanned PDFs, you may need Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software first. Learn more here.

With these updated steps, you can easily listen to PDFs on your iPhone, Android device, Windows PC, or Mac. Whether you choose Microsoft Edge or Adobe Acrobat Reader on Windows—and a variety of native tools on macOS—you’ll have multiple options to suit your needs.

Soh


 

Hi AtR Group Members,

 
We are thrilled to announce the final release of version 1.2 of the AtR Practice Guide! This update brings significant enhancements and additions that we believe will be of benefit.
 
Key changes in Version 1.2 include:
  1. New Chapters:
• [Potential Sleep Disruptions]
• [Dealing with Potential Energy Imbalances Post-Anatta]
 
2. Expanded Resources:
 
• A sample booklist and numerous guided meditations/videos on I AM have been added to the related articles section of Stage 1 along with a new introduction.
 
3. Updated Content:
 
• Articles for Stage 5 and Stage 6 have been updated, along with the sample booklist at the end of the guide.
 
4. Subtle Enhancements:
 
• Various subtle changes have been made in each section to improve clarity and depth.
 
5. New Cover:
 
• A fresh, new cover design for the guide.
 
6. Shift in Focus:
 
• Stage 4 now emphasizes contemplating the two anatta stanzas.
 
Feedback:
 
“The shortened AtR guide is very good. It should lead one to anatta (the experiential realization of no-self) if they really go and read. Concise and direct.” - Yin Ling
 
In addition to guiding practitioners towards the realization of anatta, the AtR Practice Guide also explores the realizations of I AM, non-dual awareness, emptiness, dependent origination, and total exertion.
You can download the final version of the AtR Practice Guide (Version 1.2) in PDF format or listen to the audio version on SoundCloud. Follow the links below:
 
 
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Nafis Rahman for compiling this comprehensive guide, as well as to the AtR admin team and group members for their invaluable contributions.
 
I would also like to make an announcement on a new rule:
 
Each group member can post promotions or advertisements no more than once every month, but only for different teachers/organizations or events. For the same teacher, event, or organization, promotions are limited to once every two months. Different members also cannot post about the same organization or teacher more frequently than every two months, and all promotions are subject to admin discretion and review for suitability.
 
See the updated Welcome Message for more details: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AwakeningToReality/posts/26119233171024766/
 
Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our collective journey.
 
Warm regards,
Soh
Soh

Nafis Rahman recently realised anatta. (See: Nafis Rahman's Breakthrough to Anatta)

 

Soon he is having experiences of total exertion. Progressing well. I recommended him a soto zen book this time, which he finds resonating: Being-Time by Shinshu Roberts



    I can see non-arising in terms of thoughts now due to Mahamudra, it’s impossible to find or grasp a thought just like trying to grab an individual raindrop when it’s raining outside. However, I’m not sure how to see non-arising in terms of phenomena or everyday objects like the chair in my room. Just endlessly deconstructing doesn’t seem to be working. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Similar to this article: https://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/.../emptinesschar...?
    From personal experience (trying to understand what it means):
    I was practicing the time exercises in Seeing that frees and then had an experience around 1 month ago where time no longer existed or atleast I couldn’t see it anymore. It’s like multiple timelines all merged together, past life, past, present, and future and that everything was happening in the same time simultaneously. Not sure if this is an insight or delusion, but this feeling of “multi-dimensional” time has been pretty stable for the last 2 weeks and feels very liberating.
    While practicing the walking meditations, I completely deconstructed any sense of body or road to the point where there was only clashing sensations without any body producing the sensations in the first place. The experience is still underdeveloped; I want to go further but suffer an energy imbalance whenever I go too far. However in the process of deconstructing my body, I had a weird experience where instead of walking on top of the world, it feels like I’m walking as the world itself. Like oneness, but not advaita oneness. It feels like multiple strands of oneness are intertwined together or oneness without a “source”, and I’m beyond time and space or atleast shattered the barriers they used to impose. Also feels like I’m one with the universe while the universe is creating itself, or in a state of universal oneness, where everything is more infinitely dimensional. It happens now whenever I walk, at least for the last two weeks, and walking feels very profound. Also in general as well. Difficult to describe in words, couldn’t find anything similar in the ebook or any Buddhist book.
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    Being-Time by Shinshu Roberts
    AWAKENINGTOREALITY.BLOGSPOT.COM
    Being-Time by Shinshu Roberts
    Being-Time by Shinshu Roberts
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    Soh, when I listen to music, it feels like I’m one with the universe while one with the music, while at the same time, the music is one with the universe and vice-versa. Like some kind of inter-dimensional global universal oneness state beyond space-time and other boundaries. Is this "total exertion" or a delusion?

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    Boundaries is the delusion.
    When the bond that creates artificial boundaries and separation is sufficiently released through penetrating dependent origination and emptiness, total exertion becomes a natural state.

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    Soh Wei Yu
    This description of being-time is very resonating btw! Thought I was hallucinating, but it seems to be an actual insight.
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    I'll read this being-time book first. I was afraid of going deeper into this "oneness" state, so I tried to avoid it, but I'll go even deeper now. If I have any follow-up questions, I'll be sure to ask.
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    Btw, it feels very magical, even anatta feels like nothing in comparison. I don't feel human anymore....i wish everyone in the world could feel total exertion right now.
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  • Primordially Unborn
    AWAKENINGTOREALITY.BLOGSPOT.COM
    Primordially Unborn
    Primordially Unborn
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    Lol, just checked the guide. I was so busy trying to realize A- that I experienced A+ instead...

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    Soh
    , is Stage 6 basically being in a state of universal oneness/total exertion without boundaries where everything is illusionary and non-arising?

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    From AtR guide: "+A Emptiness is Total Exertion and Maha. -A Emptiness is the empty, non-arising and illusory nature of presencing appearance. Phase 6 is about replacing the whole view with Dependent Origination and Emptiness through direct realization, and +A and -A are the experiences from it. However, it is possible to have glimpses of +A and -A and still lack definitive realization. For example, one may have taste of dream-like nature from all appearances arising as one’s radiance, but it is still a glimpse or experience than the realization of emptiness, which overturns the view of seeing phenomena in terms of existing by way of its own essence, arising, abiding and ceasing.
    In phase 6, it is no longer about clarity (clarity is already implicit and forgotten rather than singled out or over-emphasized). It is possible to realize and experience +A without going into -A, or realize and experience -A without going into +A, and it is also possible to experience both and later come to an integration of +A and -A through an experiential realization. Total exertion too has various depths, at a mature phase the total exertion penetrates not only the ten directions but the three times (past, present and future).
    "

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