Mi'sen

I talk to these very advanced guys, and most of them don't seem free of suffering. That's... a problem.

other traditions promise various things. But Buddhism, if it doesn't free you from suffering, is not Buddhism, imo.

I don't consider myself a Buddhist, mainly to avoid all of this speculation (which to me is a distraction). But my technique is a mix of Vipassana and self-inquiry. I just care about what is arising now, not if the end of suffering is possible, etc.

well, I'm doing this stuff for reasons, and one of them is definitely the end of suffering. If the Buddha had a way to do that, and he claimed he did, I'd like to know/figure out what it was. I don't consider figuring out how/why things work a distraction.

hrrrrm. there's a reason why traditions tended to favour monasticism, hermits, and various forms of renunciation.

If that what somebody wants, that's cool. But there is a tradeoff. How can you really know that you are awakened if it hasn't been tested in the grind of day to day life and human relationships. There could be many buried knots that remain undiscovered as a monastic.

afaict: non-monastic paths aren’t optimal for ‘buried knots’ that go unnoticed in a monastic lifestyle, as such - normal life can leave plenty unnoticed - but can address a number of major shadow sides of monasticism, eg: mistaking outer/inner renunciation, religious idealism.