Markus

It seems to me from listening to his podcast that he does try to have a conscious dialogue with people rather than get into a debate. But then it turns into a debate as the other guest projects onto him and he starts defending himself from misinterpretation. I guess he doesn't quite fathom the egotistical nature of ideologues and how that makes it impossible to have a genuine conversation. All of the actual debates he's done are quite old (at least the ones on Youtube).

And what if "My time is now" is referring to the illusory nature of time and the presence of the eternal now.

@Afonso You need to uncover what's actually behind it. Feel into it and contemplate it.

Should and shouldn't only make sense in the context of wanting something. How would we know whether you should smoke weed any more than we would know whether you should keep playing tennis?

So you're convinced you can solve everything else but you're going to kill yourself because of not getting pussy? Ask yourself honestly: are you devastated because of the actual pain and discomfort or is it the social and sexual embarrassment? Understandably, I presume your love and interest in life is buried under the emotional stress you constantly experience and it seems like there's no way out at all. But you will be killing yourself for shallow and stupid reasons, ultimately, and it will be painful to your family. It's others that will have to suffer because of your decision. I don't say this to moralize, but I say this so you can perhaps get in touch with your empathy. Sex and social status? Fuck that. Try becoming a monk or something, and work at that for a few years. You might find that as your consciousness increases, you will, despite still having the physical problem and the pain associated with it, look back at your current situation as silly. Maybe. And maybe you'll find stuff to appreciate. Don't rush the decision to end your life. After all, whether you suffer less or more is ultimately irrelevant, since death is coming soon enough and after that it won't matter.

I guess being a lawyer is out of the game

"Yeah, wouldn't it be fun to jerk off, take a shower and then watch Leo's vlog?" That I think is the sort of attitude such desires stem from. Leo has a lot of content, for real. It would take you years to implement. You would never run out of things to work on. If you're serious about the things he teaches, stop begging for more content and get to work.

Have you read Being Human? That's the one he wrote shortly after his awakening (I think). I thought that would be the one going most into detail about his transformation. I haven't read it.

Good one.

Life purpose is basically whatever you prefer to do. We have unique personalities, unique preferences. It's not "purpose" in the sense that it ultimately means anything.

Do which you like. Try both. If drowsiness is an issue then eyes open.

Second this. Now it's actually a 35 dollar book thing so buy it sooner rather than later - you'll get the updates for free.

99% of them are scams, yes. Total hogwash. Expect for this one bracelet. When it normally takes 1,000 hours of self-inquiry to have an enlightenment experience, while wearing this special bracelet you can do it in just 200. 800 hours of time saved! You see, it's very thin and looks very similar to the human skin so when you wear it and look at your wrist during contemplation, your mind will get confused as to whether it's a part of your body or not. That will open up your mind and make it 500% more likely to get into a state of not-knowing, which allows enlightenment to occur. If you contact me within 24 hours, you only have to send me 149 bucks on paypal (Enlightement's totally worth it!) and also give me your address so I know where to ship it;) Lol jk

Life basically describes the existence of a biological organism, from its subjective perspective. So, by definition, every organism has their own life. Meaning is a creation of mind - it doesn't exist outside of it. Life has no meaning because it'd have to be objective, yet any meaning is created by the mind, which only exists in the subjective dimension.

It's transitioning between REM sleep and wakefulness. Vibrations, sounds, visions etc are common. It's harmless, but generally happens when you're sleeping pretty light, either in an uncomfortable environment (like a couch) or when you're oversleeping (10 hours, 12 hours). So maybe your sleep quality isn't the best. Maybe.

This is neurotic, obsessive, and self-centered. This isn't a life purpose, hell no, and it isn't even a relationship. It's a needy, selfish, foolishly idealistic attachment to your idea of a person. For fuck sake man! To be specific, there are some very obvious problems here. One, you're trying to force your will on a person. That never works. Two, you yourself have unaddressed psychological issues. If you aren't mentally healthy yourself, how do you expect to take care of someone else, especially when they're mentally ill? However good your intentions, you will do damage. Also, how devastating would it be for you if she did die, whether from suicide or something else? If you see what you'd be doing as a "life purpose", your whole purpose and world would collapse. Let it go. You can't help her. Build up yourself first. Fix your emotional issues. Then if you still have the urge you could pursue a career as a social worker or whatever else.

@DimmedBulb I envy you! Good job.

Up it gradually. Don't jump from 2 to 6. You most likely won't be able to anyway. Joint pain is BAD. Muscle pain and pain from pressure are to be expected. So, up it gradually and listen to your body. If you get sharp pain or get numbness that doesn't subside quickly after finishing the sit, there might be a problem.

Barking? Ahaha, lol I guess Leo was on to something after all. Next you'll tell me you're seeing praying mantis people

Blanton's perspective is limited. Just hold it in your mind as a perspective, rather than a representation of how things actually work. Be open to the possibility of everything he says being right or wrong.

Though I should add directing attention away from your head is a good background practice for daily life. It'll definitely help with mindfulness and enlightenment.

I can give some pointers, things I think I should do in my own life. The key thing here I think is avoiding the mental masturbation trap. It's easy to get comfortable with that and use it as an excuse to procrastinate on taking action. I wouldn't re-watch all the vids, maybe some more fundamental ones. And then yes, think of ways to apply the principles. After that, it's strategizing time. I guess it's good to contemplate, having all that theory, what do you really want out of life? Distill it down to what it is at its core, and set a strategic intent in accordance to that. Then you can set the goals required for that and reverse-engineer all the steps you need to get to those.

Self-Inquiry has nothing to do with thinking. Yes, there are the questions, but they're just there to direct your attention. The point is becoming conscious of what's true. Yes, it's easy to lose track. It's a highly focused activity. When you do lose track, just bring your attention back. It's not obsolete at all, that's just a conclusion you've drawn in your mind, based on ungrounded assumptions. Self-inquiry is the most direct method and Leo has frequently commented in support of it, as well as Neti-Neti even recently. Pushing your awareness out of your head is just that - pushing your awareness out of your head. That gives less CPU for thinking, so you're more focused. Yes, it gives you a high of a sort. That has nothing to do with enlightenment though. It's a feel-good trap. The guided meditation is not inquiry, it's basically the same as "be still", "do nothing", "choiceless awareness" etc. Many names.

Barack Obama. Yes, I cheated, but just listen to him speak.

Yep. I'll tell you one way, which is just one way. 1. Throughout the day, do "reality checks" - try to do something that's only possible in a dream, like breathing with your nose pinched or pushing your finger through your other palm. 2. Wake up 2 hours earlier than usual, or if you're usually sleep-deprived, waking up at the normal time works too. Stay up for 30 minutes. Go back to sleep. 3. You might remember to do a reality check in a dream and become lucid. Also, keep a dream journal. When you wake up after a dream, put down the details, either in a notebook or using an audio recorder. Read those before bed, say, as well as during your 30 minute period up. Keeping a dream journal's very important as it'll improve your dream recall A LOT, so you'll actually find yourself in a dream. I've been meditating for 20 minutes a day now for a week but I'm still not enlightened. Might give up on this shit