>>45764
The guy Guatama Buddha taught only a small collection of teachings called the Dharma. Dharma is a means to end the cycle of suffering, nothing else.
Anatman is often misunderstood. It's besides being, nonbeing, or any combination of the two; there is a more subtle reality beyond these concepts, a more subtle reality behind the Hermetic teaching of dissolution. But, anatman is just one of multiple realizations that results from achieving permanent liberation from the conditions causal to suffering. Forget anatman if you must, the real value of Dharma is had without philosophizing.
Look at your ultimate goal of achieving oneness with divine influence. Realize the conditionality of that statement. In eternity, how does the self manifest different states? What does involution and evolution imply? The distinctive mark of all phenomena is impermanence. Impermanence exists in the highest realm. There too is the misery of death.
But this is not pessimistic, it's truth! If you look at suffering and death objectively, if you see them only as phenomena, there is no meaning in having to pay for such things.
Ultimately, this is what Dharma teaches:
Once someone has ascertained that suffering is universal, they should learn the cause of suffering.
Once someone has learned the cause of suffering, they should learn how to free themselves from that cause.
Once someone understands how to free themselves, they should practice. Only practice gives real wisdom from direct experience. Practicing the correct teaching gives benefits in the moment.
It’s so simple and serves as a good bearing. Desire is desire, freedom from suffering is another thing. The practice is real, called vipassana: a simple mindfulness meditation. The mechanics of vipassana are clear, I can give a rough explanation of it if you wish. https://www.dhamma.org/
I’m glad you rep stars though. They are alive and with so much love, so are oaks, and so many things in nature. So much love. :)