TheAvatarState

Thanks, Ace!

@Serotoninluv I see a future that when science drops the materialist paradigm, it could be centered around facilitating experiences of the absolute. This field is still in its infancy

Current science will never be able to, because consciousness is obviously not materialistic. When science evolves to shed it's materialist paradigm, then it might be able to explain it in much the same way Leo is doing now. You have to understand that science as it's practiced today is not true Science...

@Aakash that's a great point! Yeah, AI will move our society to stage Green, because the jobs that robots can't do are ones relating and connecting with people. This in itself is a really beautiful thing. The transition will require a global shift in values; this isn't going to be pretty at first, but it'll happen!

Yes. The proliferation if instant communication and information sharing is ultimately a positive thing, as it will speed up our evolution through the stages. Just look at actualized.org. What was once hard to attain info is now available to anyone accessibly

I don't see it that way. The internet speeds up the evolution of our species, but it itself is not a force that will pull one way or another. The internet is a direct extension of ourselves, and will highlight and exaggerate our existing issues. And because of increased lines of communication, we're understanding more and more about our problems and how to fix them. Our technology will speed up our evolution. That is why it is so beautiful...

That's because you are the Ox. Lol.

Pic or it didn't happen! Also, expect an ego backlash within the next few days. Watch Leo's video on it if you haven't already. I believe in you! ❤️

@ShaharA all the time my dude!! Maybe it's because reality (being) gets too intense sometimes, and I feel the need to disconnect for a few minutes. These are usually deep contemplation sessions, and I basically lose all care for my physical body, and zoom off into space. It'd say it happens at least a couple times a day, and it happens spontaneously (obviously only in a safe spot, not when driving lol). Completely within my control to stop, but I like them! It's nice to hear someone else does these too

@Gabriel Antonio word

How ironic, because the entire premise of the book is that we are always looking at the clock wishing we were somewhere else... I mean, of course that was the book you were reading! How could it be any other way! Your ego was so startled by the contents of the book that you're exhibiting textbook ego backlash behavior that was outlined within the book. It's all laid out right in front of you. Do you see? Ask yourself, "Where is it I'd rather be? Where am I trying to go to when I read? Why am I resisting the present moment?" If there isn't a legitimate place your intuition is trying to pull you towards, then consider that "anywhere but here" is precisely the place your ego wants you to be, which is quite neurotic and a never ending loop of anxiety. You are controlled by psychological time. In order to apply the wisdom in the book, you're going to have to self-inquiry into the inner workings behind this uneasiness. Perhaps you should stop reading for now, until you have processed everything in Tollé's book. You might even have to read it again. But all this is a sign you haven't absorbed all the new info. You're still probably trapped in psychological time, and you won't be able to move on until you become conscious of it.

I don't think you actually believe this. How did you notice that you started judging less? You had to be aware of it, no? What you do believe, is that sometimes the best way to deal with a problem is to gain a new perspective on it, to come at it with a different angle. By gaining new perspectives by connecting with new people, you expanded your identity and gained new insights into yourself. THIS is actually the mechanism behind why you started naturally judging less, and it's the same mechanism I'm talking about. All it is is observation! "Other" is the direct reflection of "self." That's all you've been doing. If you really want to take your awareness to the next level though, try coming back to direct observation of the self. Perhaps you're more ready to take on that direct perspective now. It was just a metaphor. It is YOUR crappy soap opera, and when you bring awareness to it, it will slowly evolve into your dream movie. That's the beauty of it! I actually thought my beginning soap opera was fascinating, then hilarious, and my movie has since turned into a roaring comedy!

@Sagatarius That is the eventual goal, but that is too big for you to grasp. This is not to belittle you at all, every single one of us is this way, we're just not aware or honest enough to admit it. It would be wise to not underestimate your ego's need for a concrete goal. A goal is not to say, "once it's up I'm relapsing twice a day." A goal is a concrete step to reach higher. We all need stepping stones to reach the top of the mountain. Thinking you can fly right now is a self-deception.

That's what your ego wants you to think, in order to avoid doing the challenging work. In order to demonize your original demonization, you actually have to become aware of and call out your demonizing. This might seem negative at first, but awareness is the key to overcoming. Even this path, while not ideal, would eventually self-correct as you continue to call out various demonizations you weren't conscious of before. Eventually you'll form a map of how you demonize, and that raising of consciousness will eventually be able to call out the meta-demonizations, and you'll stop demonizing altogether. However, while this is certainly a risk, it isn't ideal and can actually be avoided by arming yourself with the expectation that you'll meta-demonize. Practice merely being the watcher, with no attachment to your thought patterns. Practice self-love and acceptance throughout the process. Think of it like watching TV... a bad soap opera, if you will. Your mind is going to try to pull you in and get you emotionally involved in the story. Don't. Just watch and learn.

Day 1: Energy: 2 Awareness: 3 Sexual thoughts/urges: 2 Self-esteem: 3 Social confidence: 3 Day 2: Energy: 3 Awareness: 3 Sexual thoughts/urges: 4 Self-esteem: 3 Social confidence: 3

@Wyze The reason you're triggered by them, and the reason they keep coming up for you, is because you don't understand them. Watch Leo's latest 2-part Cult video. That was literally the subject of them, and your questions should be answered. If you've watched them and are still confused, then let me know and I'll try to explain it. But there really should be no need.

@Serotoninluv I came up with the ocean metaphor on the fly and rolled with it lol... and the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. If the ocean is love and consciousness, then the turbulent area where the ocean meets the air is really just love! Because anger, fear, and hate are all really just love misinterpreted from a narrow perspective. Love manipulated by the ego. Love interpreted from the duality of ocean and air. Perhaps I'm reaching here, but I thought it was profound.

Could any question, no matter what it was, be harmful if investigated honestly? Questions ONLY get you closer to Truth, as it must be! If that wasn't the case, then would what you're pursuing really be Truth? What you felt was normal+. Your ego understands intuitively that this self-inquiry would lead to the death of itself. You understand this. From the ego's perspective, yeah, that is a very bad thing! But your ego is not truth, as its main purpose is to surround you in a bubble of deceit to maintain the illusion of your separate self. You cracked the bubble enough to get a sense for the first time that you're actually in a bubble, and this knowledge alone will make you feel like you're dying, because you've been led to believe that YOU ARE this bubble. Understand that following this line of inquiry will literally lead to your death. Also understand that this will be the greatest thing you'll ever experience. We're talking about enlightenment here. You cannot stay YOU if you want to transcend YOU. Good luck!

Wow, this was very mature of you! Good for you. It's important to recognize that you're human and that we all make mistakes. The only real mistake is to beat yourself up too much over making them. That is to be in denial of your nature, which can cause uneasiness and anxiety. The first step is to love and accept yourself for who you are, flaws and everything. If you think about it, it is how we act after our flaws that really defines our character. Take a good look at anyone you admire and respect. Do you look up to him/her because they seem perfect? If you're honest with yourself, you'll see that you respect them for how they handled their weaknesses. Their humility, and their ability to move forward and learn. If someone is able to handle a fall with grace, then know that they could only do that after MANY not-so-graceful falls. A perfect human being doesn't exist, and honestly that would make them really boring! Learn to laugh at yourself. You are asking the wrong question. You cannot control your emotions, realize that first. So, you might ask, what can be done? It is actually your identification with this emotion, and your labeling it as "bad," that has caused this suffering. Labeling your emotions as "bad," again, is to be in denial of your true nature. It is to label yourself as "bad" and that obviously has led to a downward spiral. This is simply not true! Hating yourself for things you can't control is quite neurotic and counter-productive. Instead, what if you were to fully feel your emotions without this projection of negativity? Without attachment? What might that look like? Right now, you identify with the emotion and you say, "I am sad. I am depressed." When you do this, you allow yourself to be consumed by it because you believe you are this emotion. This emotion doesn't seem to go away BECAUSE you believe you are it! Do you see how this works? Instead, try to shift your perspective to, "I am that which feels sadness in this moment, but this too shall pass like a wave." Imagine yourself in the ocean during a storm. Your perspective right now is of someone swimming at the surface, and the experience is quite violent and energy draining. You don't know how much longer you can take the huge waves and the torrential rain... The mental shift I'm talking about is to dive under the surface a few feet. You can hear the rain and feel the undulating waves, but it's much more peaceful. And don't worry, in this magical ocean metaphor you're able to breathe under the surface. This doesn't mean all your emotions are subdued, and that you'll never be able to feel the good ones with the same vigor... Quite the opposite. The surface you were swimming at was rage, anger, and anxiety. A struggle. The ocean itself, you'll find, is love and consciousness. Surrender to it. You're doing it already, more than you're currently aware of. Remember what I said about the people you admire... It is how you handle yourself after your mistakes that define you. And please don't do this for your friends, do it for yourself so you can feel good. I understand the instinct to worry about how your friends view you. But it turns out that worrying backfires, because what you and your friends really respect is someone strong, independent, and not needy. Focusing your attention outward to your friends for confirmation actually causes a downward loop, because your friends are looking at how you view yourself. Really think this through. The people you'd like to hang out with lead from the heart, lead from within.

@Alex Whenever you can feel comfortable doing consistently. Morning is probably "best" on paper, but that doesn't mean it is the best for YOU.

@Sagatarius I didn't see a goal for your NoFap journey... Are you shooting for 60 days? 90 days? 180 even? Don't discount the necessity for your ego mind to have a set goal. What's going to happen if you don't, is that your ego will easily be able to convince you to relapse, because it'll go, "But I'll NEVER get this pleasure again? You're an idiot for even starting this!" A goal helps you to keep on track and to help with a vision. And a clear, strong vision is what will keep you on the path.

@ShugendoRa if you were fully conscious of all the ways you judge, you'd stop. You've barely scratched the surface here; your ego is still hiding a lot from you, and that's why it has been able to convince you to not take this as seriously as you should. Every judgment is an act of separation which serves to strengthen your ego. So every time you do, you give power to the very thing you're trying to stop. Can the cycle be broken? Yes, over lots of time and energy. Consciousness is the key.

First off, the country of North Korea will certainly not be around for a millenia. It will probably collapse within 100. As the rest of the world evolves around it, it will become harder and harder to maintain strict control of the people. At some point there will be a violent revolution of some kind. Violent because the stage red/blue government will not give up its power without a fight. So it won't be pretty, but North Korea will eventually catch up on the spiral. It's completely inevitable.

Leo has acknowledged this fact, as it's true that a child not given enough love while growing up will become severely disfunctional. Apes who are taken away from their mother and later reintroduced will be shunned, as they can't function in the group. However, this doesn't really say anything about happiness. I have known a few mentally retarded kids who are extremely happy most of the time. They're happy because they're probably not thinking about social crutches and how others perceive them... They're in the now. What this does tell us is that social interaction and love from others is necessary to develop social skills... Well, duh! Just like you rely on a piano to learn piano. But happiness as a qualitatively different thing... It is not reliant or dependant on any outside factors. Ironically, your belief that it does will lead to unhappiness. Happiness is the degree to which you can love and accept the present moment.

@EvilAngel spiritual teachers speak with nuance, you interpret without. "Resistance to what is" is not a physical fight, but a vicious mental circle. You can accept that you have cold feet but still seek to warm them out of respect for your wellbeing.