Consilience

He passed away so online retreat is all we’ve got. Everything I learned about accessing all 8 main jhana’s came from his recorded lectures on Dharma Seed. Typing in “Rob Burbea Jhana retreat” and you’ll find the list of recordings. There’s probably a depth to jhana work impossible to emulate without going on a retreat, building the day by day momentum, and working with a teacher, but these recordings are the only resources Ive found that are clear and powerful. Everything Ive learned about jhanas has been in a home setting and Ive been able to access all 8. There are many layers, subtleties, and forms of each jhana… getting a first glimpse is the critical step though, the rest tends to naturally unfold with increasingly less effort… we learn how to surrender into them. Id treat the recordings like a meditation course, each is about as long as a Leo video, some a little shorter. Good luck dude ??

Have you read Christopher Bache‘s “LSD and the Mind of the Universe”? Dude was doing 500-700ug. Fucking insane.

One’s karma is whatever is actually happening in the present moment. Karma is real only insofar as this present moment is real.

Shinzen Young’s See Hear Feel technique is really unique when it comes to how he presents concentration. Long story short, concentration =\= attention stability, however attention stability can be a feature of concentration. The beauty of noting meditation is one can get into a state of shamatha without stabilizing attention on a single object. Instead, momentary concentration doesn't disrupt the natural rhythms and flow of attention, or activity of mind but still facilitates the benefits of mindfulness. We learn to ride the wave of this field of flux rather manipulating it. Id also highly highly highly recommend Rob Burbea’s jhana retreat. There are certainly benefits to attention stability such as deep jhana work.

This is huge. ??

Amazing list.

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That’s a very difficult question. “World of form” = perception + awareness of perception + time + space + awareness of time & space. All of this is subject to impermanence as you mentioned. Absolute truth is not impermanent though, otherwise it would not be absolute and so therefore cannot be any of these forms. Yet by virtue of the actuality of form, forms are “true.” Actuality = what is true. All of this is the epitome of paradox and the quicker your mind can rest into this paradox comfortably, the better. There is a quality to existence though that is utterly unchanging, absolute. It is the true nature of self and reality and is inextricably unified with all forms. And so when one is grounded in the absolute, one is necessarily grounded in form but at a ‘meta’ level. Being at this meta level is not the same as seeking different flavors of form though, it is allowing the play to be exactly as it is. Equanimity. When you become conscious of this absolute, happiness and unhappiness collapse into Happiness. “Happiness” is beyond time, space, mind, self, other, and reality. Beyond all duality. Impossible to think about or describe, really. Best input I could give is to keep meditating and self inquiring until this ‘makes sense.’

Truth is eternal. The world of form is impermanent. Happiness based in truth is not impermanent.

Enlightenment is the only solution to true happiness. True happiness can only be achieved from a foundation of truth. All other forms of happiness are distortions of the ego mind. True happiness is not found in the many manifestations of form, nor is it found by abiding in the formless (yet abiding in formlessness is actually much more pleasurable than form, once the taste is acquired). True happiness is found in the simultaneous expansion and contraction of form and formlessness, birth and death, arising and passing, in breath and out breath. True happiness is neither perception, nor non perception, neither being nor non-being, neither everything nor nothing. True happiness is that great equilibrium that unifies all, that is one. Don’t mistake this for neutrality though. It is only by stepping into this emptiness can one be truly happy. So overall what is the point of this work? To become conscious of what you really are. Overall, what is the point of becoming conscious of what you really are? Lasting happiness. Overall, what is the point of lasting happiness? All beings naturally, and spontaneously move towards this type of satisfaction, yet from a place of ignorance hence why they are never satisfied. Even if you pretended happiness wasn’t what you were seeking, your actions say otherwise. We’re all always moving in an attempt to cope with our existential circumstance ie moving to find happiness in this world. We’re all already doing it, effortlessly, but failing spectacularly. We could never not chase happiness either. Even depression, self destructive behaviors, and suicide are forms of seeking happiness, it’s just much more obvious how these strategies are failing than if one is say, running a successful business and ‘happy’ with their work. Both examples are still suffering due to a fundamental ignorance. Samsara is not where ultimate happiness resides. Only you are.

?? ? Yes, my god. Combining 4 of these books is gold. Very interesting resource as well!

I think this is a really balanced way to approach her content.

Because it's seen that hard work and effort are too, part of the effortless flow of life. As the ol zen saying goes, "Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water."

If one is doing the work "correctly" the seeking and "work" will be coming from a place of emptiness, an automatic happening. Consciousness begins to unknot itself through complete spontaneity, awakening to infinite degrees on autopilot, and one step further would be that each moment is recognized as being complete, an opportunity for the infinite to be expressed as well as experienced directly. The idea that there was ever someone working, or that there was ever an exertion of egoic will is too seen to be empty. When all of the hard work and effort is transcended, when all of the hard work and effort is seen as it actually is, this is not the end of all of the hard work and effort. Instead, a radical re-contextualization takes place and everything is as it was. At this point, consciousness will either keep "practicing" and the mind structure will continue to purify, transform, and embody principles aligned with absolute truth, or it won't. All is in perfect equilibrium.

Many hours of meditation and contemplation. Id pick up Peter Ralston’s “The Book of Not Knowing” and Dr. John Yate’s “The Mind Illuminated” as books to dive into. Combing the material with these two books through hardcore spiritual practice before you take psychedelics would provide enormous benefit, as well as make your entry into psychedelics enormously more powerful.

Ive not heard Papaji, Mooji, and certainly not Ramana Maharshi (so Id be surprised if his followers say this) say this at all. Specifically, Ive heard Mooji in many videos give instructions to stay with the question “Who am I?” Over and over and over. Which is the opposite of saying you’re already enlightened. In the Anna Brown thread you mentioned a whole list of teachers who, as far as Ive observed, fall much more into the group of “there’s nothing do to you’re already awake.”

Actualized black pill video! Would love to listen to Leo tearing into them and then relating it to God and Infinite Love at the end?

? Equally, if a mind can‘t comfortably navigate competing, sometimes outright paradoxical positions, this is a huge sign the ego has built a conceptual self structure out of the new position. If a mind can’t understand the relativity, wisdom, and unity of these competing and paradoxical positions, it’s due to a lack of clear seeing and a lack of fluidity with the self structure. A self with more fluidity is easier to see clearly and to notice unconscious blind spots. The seeing through ALL points of view in a simultaneous integration of ALL points of view is the activity of a powerful mind, and the quality of an awakened consciousness.

When you are conscious of that which is not time, not space, not perception, that is no self. That is the self. It is literally not everything yet is the context out of which everything arises out of and passes into, and therefore is inextricably connected to everything, and due to the nature of such a unified inextricability, IS everything. For me, id recommend being able to reliably access deep states of formlessness, and letting it guide you into the absolute, which is qualitatively different than formlessness, yet is infinite nothing. It is more formless than formless states. Confusing these formless states + unconsciously reifying these types of ‘unrelenting non-duality’ talks = conceptual no self. Can happen even without the access to formless states of consciousness, as with what happened in my case. All this to say, THIS *is* it, but god damn is IT subtle and no easy feat to truly grasp. But hey, the only time become enlightened is right now so go for it ?

Took me a few reads but das it mayne ??

@Raptorsin7 @The0Self @OneIntoOne So yeah that’s the thing! She seems to be speaking from experience and the message is extremely on point from a very raw, unfiltered, and authentic point of view. But for me, I can only recognize it after shitloads of relative practices, such as rigorous mindfulness, self inquiry, tripping, etc. Early on during my heavy seeking period, this stuff just never clicked. And I actually for a period observed myself creating a conceptual no-self self because of listening to more direct teachings like these, which was a very tricky beast to see through.

“I don’t like it” because it doesn’t represent “my” path at all, so there’s an immediate recognition of its limitations relative to “my” path. It’s very unhelpful, un-precise, and easily co-opted by the ego towards reifying a ‘no self’ self image and spiritual bypassing. The possibility for self deception via uncompromising non-duality is huge. Hopefully it provides genuine help for some, given the popularity of these types of channels.

Leo’s never claimed the goal is to transcend, but to understand. If you watch more you’ll know this. Furthermore, there is the possibility for transcendence, at least degrees of transcendence. Buddhism 101, classic spiritual model, is about transcending suffering. The only way to fully express one’s humanity is by transcending one’s humanity. Transcendence is not a denial, as you seem to implicitly imply, but is instead a full embracing of the actuality of whatever is true. You are not a human, you are pure consciousness. In order to actualize your humanity or “to be a human” you need to be grounded in what is true. How could you live with honesty, integrity, compassion or wisdom if you’re operating from delusion, self deception, and more directly, lies? This work is about Self Actualization. To actualize who you are, you first must know what you are.

That’s cold. Ice cold. Appreciate you Leo. Those of us who are serious about this work sincerely appreciate you. Keep going man. ?

Realm of Infinite Space - 5th Jhana: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/60883/ May be fun to start here, but it would be more useful to review the other recordings and build your way up. Hope this helps.