Even more on becoming not-I

Thanks for the comment and advice, hotdzit. I believe everyone has experienced not-I. As someone said, it was our face before we were born. We just can't remember it because it wasn't an experience of our I. And maybe I'm not so lucky to have tasted it, because I don't believe that someone can be truly happy when one knows there is greater happiness to be had; when one knows there's something more which is attainable in this life.

I and not-I form a continuum ranging from complete separateness/self-centeredness (devil) to complete unity (love/goodness), Christ being the best known example of the latter in the West. As I/ego is lessened, selflessness (not-I) grows (and vice versa). This usually happens naturally over a lifetime or more, but some people often experience temporary limited states of not-I such as being in extreme danger (near death), a religious rebirth, revelations, usage of certain kinds of drugs, orgasm, satori, extreme acts of kindness... These experiences usually speed up the process of moving along the continuum towards not-Iness. However, they can also become a hindrance if they give the ego the illusion that it “knows,” which leads to the ego being strengthened. That’s probably why many have said that if you start on the quest for not-I, you should never stop, even though you think you’ve reached the goal – because there is no final goal: the process itself is the goal. Which comes back to your advice - be happy (with the process).