Gili Trawangan

Needed this today, thanks

@lukej Very nice post. I have to admit that I sometimes fall into this trap of demonizing the ego, in others and especially in myself. Now here's the problem, if I just accept everything as it is and as divine, will I be able to awaken? Isn't self-inquiry in a way a bypassing of the ego? Isn't there necessarily a struggle in the process? For example, I tend to feel a lot of resistance towards doing yoga, and even towards meditation. Isn't there the danger of just saying "hey the ego is divine and wonderful as it is, so let me love it and go watch TV instead?" I'm not trying to disagree with you, these are genuine questions. From the point of view of someone who has awakened such as yourself, I think you are absolutely right. But for most of us, who have not awakened (and want to), I think there is a balancing act that isn't easy to figure out...

@mandyjw oh I agree, but what I found funny about it at the time is not what I find funny about it now

When I went on my first meditation retreat one of the instructors asked me on the first day, what do you think meditation is for? I said "to quiet the mind". He replied "that's part of it". Then he paused, as I was anticipating the answer, and he finally said "we meditate to understand all of life". And we both shared a laugh, but I think the joke was on me

Just use your intuition on where to look at, no need to strain, keep yourself relaxed. If you focus for long enough while also relaxed you will begin to see a light. Forget about the neck for a while, you need to have more awareness of the chakras before it makes sense. It will come by itself with time.

I can't believe I'm seeing supposedly highly conscious people around here arguing for solipsism. I don't care how many psychedelics you've taken or how enlightened you think you are. If you believe solipsism is true, then either: 1. You don't know what solipsism is; OR 2. You're deluded. Rupert Spira has talked about this before, he has refuted solipsism as nonsense. It may be that there is only one giant mind (aka God), but that does NOT mean solipsism. Solipsism is the belief that your FINITE mind is the ONLY mind existing and everyone else is a bunch of puppets with no mind or experience of their own, only illusions. Kind of like the Truman Show, your ego is the only ego around and everyone else only seems to exist to provide with that illusion. Simply not true.

Are you trying to imply that it's possible to suffer the horrors and torture that Jesus suffered without being even bothered by it? That's insane...

That's a very clear answer once again, I really appreciate it. Reading these caveats has made me realize that I still have a lot of work ahead. There is still ego resistance to the path, and I've only just begun reaching the state of Being in meditation, I have no clue how one can possibly maintain that state throughout daily activities.

I can't talk about the psychedelics part, as I don't have enough experience, but I wanna thank you for the summary - or mapping out It does match with my own mapping out, which took so long to make sense of, so I really resonated with it. It is very well explained. Is it fair to ask you how long you think one has to spend in Being before enlightenment happens? I know that it must vary from person to person, but maybe you have a rough idea of how long it might take...

@Truth Addict Yes, I am detached. I agree with what you say here, trying to change people's minds is something I've given up many years ago. But I've read stuff in this forum before that has helped me clear up something for myself. It can happen. After all, why write anything on here? Because it might have a positive effect. If it doesn't, that's fine too

@Truth Addict Detached from what? @Inliytened1 I mean that solipsism from the point of view of the ego can result in treating others poorly. After all, I am the only one here, right? The very mentioning of solipsism is dangerous, because even if you have realized Truth the ego is still operating in you. An ego with the delusion that he is God is dangerous. And I'm afraid that's what it was beginning to sound like around here and that's what led me to write the post to begin with.

@Truth Addict Of course it matters. Just listen to what you're saying. It matters precisely because of the way we decide to treat others. I for one do not wish to become a psychopath.

Yeah this is what happened to me. It does make sense from that perspective, I would not be so cool with abstinence nowadays had I not had lots of experience and had I not learned for myself that sex is no big deal.

@Leo Gura Honestly, this doesn't work for me. I used to do exactly what you "prescribed" lots of sex would take away the "hunger" for maybe a couple of days, but then it would come back with a vengeance, stronger than ever. Feeding that hunger became a full time job. I guess people are just different, for me the tendency is to become addicted and unbalanced. That's why I'm having better results with longer periods of abstinence, together with yoga and meditation.

@Shadowraix Yes, I believe this is what's happening. I took the original sense of the word, where it is ego-based. As in, there is only this experience, there is only this ego, everything else is illusion. I get from @Leo Gura 's answer that what he means by solipsism is that there is, from an absolute perspective, only one mind. This changes the original meaning of solipsism, though, and I think it's good to make that distinction. In fact, I wouldn't use that word at all, but hey that's just me... maybe it is the most fitting word for someone who has experienced it. It is a mindblowing notion that has made my ego spin for the last few hours. I'll have to "see" it for myself somehow...

Like someone said above, it is unfalsifiable. Which doesn't make it true. Are you using this line of questioning for everything anybody ever says? All you have is your own experience. It just so happens that I have mine as well. And that's how we're exchanging messages with each other on this forum. Are you an unexisting bot? Are you an illusion here just for MY benefit? This, MY EGO'S benefit? Didn't think so... Solipsism is simplistic and silly.

@Shadowraix Honestly I didn't get it, too cryptic for me

What winterknight said is good advice. However, if for some reason you are unable to get psychoanalytic therapy, I think you should start listening to your own intuition. Not your thoughts, but your intuition, what some people refer to as your Higher Self. It is this deep sense of groundedness that isn't connected to neurotic thoughts. Follow that intuition and don't look back, trust that everything will be alright. It will!

@Hellspeed What to do about it?

@Leo Gura I'm not self-realized, so I can admit that from an absolute perspective you may even be right. I don't know. However, it dangerously sounds like zen devilry.

This sentence makes no sense. If actual death means that you don't come back, then it is indeed impossible, it's right there in your definition. In reality there are cases when the body dies and then it miraculously comes back to life. People who go through it report experiences that are mystical in nature.

I wasn't talking about myself, really. I was responding to what you said earlier. We seem to have a misunderstanding here

I don't understand the question.

@Aldo It's not true that no one has ever come back from actual death. NDEs are all put in the same basket, but: in some cases people get near death, yes. In other cases people are clinically dead, sometimes for 2, 3 or more minutes and then are revived or come back. We shouldn't dismiss these people's experiences, I once saw a video on YouTube of a scientist who had a real NDE and it changed her view of reality forever. She also didn't want to come back, despite having small children and a loving family.

What if the need is sex itself? The specific pleasure of sex. I don't see why there would have to be any other underlying "hidden" need...