My Point Exactly

"It was wonderful - unless you wanted to learn anything."

-- Jill Bolte Taylor, describing the state of "enlightenment" she discovered after having a stroke, on Terry Gross' Fresh Air

Ahem: every description of "enlightenment" I hear of/discover describes things that I, an atheist/non-meditator, etc., can already do: I can make myself warm in the cold, clear the "chatter" from my mind, know "spiritual" awe - all that - without the B.S. of religion, or spirituality, or whatever else the rest of you demand I need to muck it all up with. Maybe I'm just smarter than you guys, but I don't think so: I think I'm just more resistant to the bullshit beliefs that led you astray, and allowed others to control you, to tell you what's what; making you fanatics.

Following others is never a good idea - but especially don't follow the Buddhist "teachings" that tell you, up-front, they're leading you into a lifetime of suffering:

Surely, they're out to make good on that promise.