I'm pretty sure I have made some significant progress since beginning daily practice a few months ago. I'm not yet able to be fully surrendered to reality 24/7, which my goal though.

Along the way, there have been a few hallmarks and significant changes. I don't experience "I" as self anymore, things just happen in my fields of perception. There have been "glitches in the system" like reality thinning/becoming clearer, everything going dark, "seeing" dependent origination, things like that. (I was initially a bit freaked out until I realized that spiritual experiences seem to be like that)

I made this post because I realize I'm still affected by challenges and "problems" to a degree. I generally ask "who is this that is suffering?" and then I feel a lot lighter. While the situation hasn't changed, the awareness has? The solution sometimes comes in that instant.

However, I haven't experienced some of the things that I've read about, like "the ego only exists in time" and similar notions. I know them to be true conceptually, but I'm more concerned with direct experience at this point. Several teachers such as Angelo Dilulo and Eckhart Tolle seem to be pointing to a level in which manifestation of things just "happens" and the entirety of your lived experience is different - while at the same time, you're still human.

It seems a little contradictory sometimes. Do you ever get to a point where there are no problems? There is a constant undercurrent of happiness that is always present now. Tolle also does say that life is meant to provide you with challenges so you deepen your consciousness...does that mean that Jesus/Buddha had no problems?

(Although that's a little too conceptual. While I generally feel Tolle is on the money, he also doesn't talk about things like self-inquiry which I've found super helpful)

This was a little more rambly that I would have liked but I think the gist is there.