How long will self-realisation take?

Question

If you gather all your will power and tie yourself down to a bodhi tree :) and meditate on your breath, how long till you get self realised .

(The question is hypothetical ,so i'm obviously only looking for estimates)

Answer 1

Some Buddhist sources say the minimum it takes is a week/6days .
I heard thats the amount of time it'll take Maitreya to attain enlightenment.
Instantly?? I don't think so. We're too enveloped in our desires & fantasies for that to happen.
You don't really have to tie yourself down to a tree...once you reach dhyana/ jhana stages you'd actually be enjoying your meditation & wouldn't be worrying about the itch on your nose.

Answer 2

~~~nikita ,,,, It really doesn't matter what Methodology one applies. Self-realisation only comes when one is Will-ing to transcend the Ego and nurture those things called Knowledge, Wisdom and Compassion. One can meditate on their breath for an eternity without any ego transcendance whatsoever. Rites and Ceremony are only Symbolic Acts which serve as a Platform. Enlightenment comes from Within,,, not from Physical Acts of Meditation,,, and the "time" it takes is strictly according the Individual Soul.

Answer 3

What you get by the process of meditation is an instantaneous rise in consciousness that may not have any bearing with your operating level of consciousness.

Depending on your technique and prowess (yes, it depends on the individual, so no formula is applicable), it may take a few seconds or hours to reach a level of consciousness that corresponds to self-realization. But then, when you finish your meditation, you are back down to earth, and the whole experience does not make you self-realized if you were not when you started the exercise.

Self-realization indicates an operating level of consciousness in an individual, even before meditation. It is a process that is achievable in one life time if one is disciplined. Considering that not many people are self-realized, we can safely conclude that a lot goes on before one becomes self-realized.

Answer 4

You want to use the most efficient way which is not your breath which could take 20 lifetimes. If you use the most efficient meditation and put a lot a time into it, you could do it in a few decades.

But do you know what you will get with self-realization or enlightenment. See the webpage below.

http://www.phifoundation.org/enlightenment.html

Answer 5

You mean to discover that YOU ARE. I do that on a regular inshallah, but also with the thought process that I AM not. For even though I AM, I AM not. Nor can ever BE without the grace of Allah. Buddha also sat underneath a tree till he figured out the answer. He learned that he is not the pranic body, not the pranic thought, that he was not this, nor was he that. He came to the conclusion that "I AM". PEACE!

Answer 6

As long as it takes to realise and practise the Truth of The Father.
http://www.alleternity.co.nz - to learn more.

Answer 7

It took five hours, relative to our world, not reality. That is one example.
It doesn't have to be hypothetical.

Answer 8

immediate enlightenment after initiation

http://www.godsdirectcontact.com/all.html

Answer 9

like a spark.

Answer 10

instantly.........or never