TheAvatarState

@Amun who is delusional and ignorant?

@Shadowraix consider if it was that easy, then this whole process would be streamlined and everyone would have heard about it. The initial breaking out of the materialist paradigm is extremely difficult and earth-shattering. How do you tell someone they're not open minded if they believe they are? Like serotonin said,if they haven't had a taste of the experience, there's no use explaining it. Like you've discovered, the first piece is actually the biggest obstacle. Really appreciate that.

@Nathan leigh you must consciously fill your day with other things. I've found that getting hooked on high quality books can help. That's at least an hour a day that you can enjoy and not be worried about being pulled down into other bad habits. Walking outside and observing others, when you actually do it, can be really entertaining and eye opening; treat it like a mediation. Make a list of activities you enjoy doing, and when you get extremely bored and want to turn to weed or junk food eating, do a couple of the activities instead. A little bit at a time, you can break yourself out of this rut. I believe in you!

There's no need to look further, guys. The essence of spiritual wisdom is encapsulated in these 3 songs. Enlightenment is the embodiment of all 3.

Entire thread on this topic already. And I agree, it is one of Leo's best! Blew me away

...because you wouldn't be here without it? Perhaps I'm not understanding the question, but it seems really obvious to me.

Using yourself as the standard to evaluate your discussion opens yourself up to self-deception. I would suggest learning about Spiral Dynamics (Leo's video series) and speaking to other people from their own level of development. At the very least, learn to avoid triggering keywords at each stage.

@Will Bigger first, answer the question: How does being unconscious harm others?

@MM1988 you recognize that you don't have free will when you're unconscious. So let me ask you: did you choose to become mindful? You had to go from being unconscious to conscious, could there be any conceivable outside trigger?

Well I'm not Leo, but here are my thoughts on it. Many of the quotes from the Aztec video come from a very academic and advanced paper. Even I had trouble understanding some of it. So don't feel bad. Do you understand the core of what was being said though? That's what is important. If not, you may have to watch it a second and 3rd time and take notes. It would be well worth your time

Oh God, make it stop

Mind = Blown!

@Paul92 Respectfully, I think you should really think about what I said. It came out of nothing but respect for you and your wellbeing. I know you're going through a rough time, and that you "want to believe" in more ways than one, but it's really important to step back, observe, and take it slow. Really think about what you said here. You're implying that without her, you have nothing to live for. Am I wrong here? I could be, and I'm open to that... But be honest about how attached you are to this woman to give meaning to your life.

@Paul92 let's get real here. The chances of you being with this girl more than a year are pretty slim. Maybe she's not the right one! You move on, find another woman. Nothing wrong with that. The problem here isn't your fear of impermanence, the problem is you placing your wellbeing onto one woman; putting all your eggs in one basket. Without the proper perspective, you're setting yourself up to potentially fall really hard. If you were to lose this woman in your current state, you would be wrecked! Tell me what's healthy about that... Here's what you're really looking for, and perhaps it's something you didn't realize, but I see right through it. You're not comfortable in your own skin. You can't bear the thought of being happy alone, so you're placing your meaning and spiritual growth in another person, hoping that will be your salvation. But that's not gonna fly. Even if you get everything you wanted, you still won't be able to bring your full self to the table. That's because other people cannot complete or fulfill you, fundamentally. You grow WITH other people, a spiritual relationship can fulfill your needs, but only if there's no obstructions. Your clinginess and need for this woman is a big obstruction. Unless you get to a point where you are comfortable and stable by yourself, until you truly understand you don't need her to complete you, only then can a healthy relationship flourish. I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, but please consider it, for your own sake.

@Alex bAlex in all serious, Google should actually use your location as the answer to the question! Would be perfect

@Wisebaxter does this mean my lack of a girlfriend is also an illusion? I'll take it

Right?

Are you now?? ??? Who is this "I" and "you" you speak of? ?

@Paul92 I'm glad to hear you're finding love again in your life, and that you had a wonderful experience last night. It's also a great improvement that you don't want this experience to end, quite the 180 from when we last talked. Is this the same girl you were talking about last time? So, actually I'd be concerned if you DID blindly believe in this stuff. You simply don't have the experience to know, and rightfully you don't buy into it. You shouldn't. That being said, it's possible to know through direct experience, to validate what actualized.org teaches. The invitation is open, and it isn't gimmicky. That requires some work on your part, however.

Of course not. I just mean my sense of this present experience with this incarnation. I learned directly that I was never born and that I'm an illusion, long before doing consciousness work or finding Leo's channel. He's helped me fit the pieces back together. I experienced my death, and there's really no difference between what we call physical death and what I went through.

@Bluebird Holy shit, that's insane! But I'm not surprised at all by the severity of it. Mine was just as fucked up, just in a different way. I can't even believe I'm alive today

@Jamie Universe A sense of urgency is not directly related to spiritual awakening. In many ways, it's antithetical. Steve Jobs said that his biggest motivation for doing the things he did was understanding he didn't have much longer to live. But enlightenment=death, so awakening brings with it the eradication of the fear of death, and therefore the eradication of a certain sense of urgency tied to it. That isn't to say that an enlightened person doesn't accomplish anything, no, it just means you're more mellowed out and tread lightly and with great care. When you become a balanced individual, you see that pedal-to-the-metal 100% all the time is actually counter-productive! It could seem from the outside that you're doing less, but in actuality you're doing a LOT more with less. It seems like this Silvia Earle is shouldering a lot of responsibility for something that's actually a global effort. But I don't know enough about it...

This is a tough one. I would be inclined to say yes, it's a set-in-stone need... but considering we're in a forum that takes enlightenment seriously, maybe it isn't so set-in-stone after all. Leo has said that if you can't be happy sitting alone on your couch doing nothing, then you'll never be truly happy. Also, in nondual understanding, you realize you're the only thing in existence. You're essentially all alone here, a phrase that will certainly cause a lot of confusion unless you know what it's pointing to. I feel like it's possible to be happy all alone, but there's still something missing in the equation... something primal. The strength of your relationships is known as one of the key indicators of a happy and successful life. Lately, I've woken up to the power of healing through the heart. We take the form of separate beings for a reason. We're here to share. There's something to that that can't be substituted or omitted (in the end). The 10th Ox herding picture is of the enlightened "buddha" man coming back to the town to spread love through his authentic laugh and smile. If you stopped at the 9th, what would be the point?? So back to your question, I think the spiritual path is one of learning to forego "love and belonging," to step into the belly of the whale all alone, but then to come back and share your wisdom. I think it is a need, and it speaks to who we are and what we're meant to do. But I think Maslow had it backwards in some sense. I don't think you need love and belonging to build your pyramid, although that certainly can help. But you need it to fulfill your purpose and come back. Not saying it's easy or the best way, but it can be done. I hope I didn't muddy the waters too much

What the fuck do you think this is pointing to? you're still overthinking it. Nothing more could possibly be said, just BE

HA! I love it.