Raptorsin7

How do we quiet the mind, without using the mind to quiet it? I find after a hard workout or something the mind tends to be quieter and it is easier to meditate, but sometimes the mind is very active and there is no depth to the meditation. I believe connection to the present moment in a way that is ultimately satisfying is the entire goal of spirituality, but how do we go about connecting fully to the present if we do not have experience with it?

Yes, i need to do some more days of multiple hours of meditation. I did 1 day of 6 + hours of meditation and yoga, and i had an ego backlash but overall I felt i made a lot of progress. Did you notice your third eye opening (a sensation between your eyes around your forehead)? I was very close to getting into a state of being while watching an ekkart tole video, but i didn't fully let go and become one with experience. I felt a subtle resistance to fully immersion into the present. My difficulty is just being whatever i am in the present, without thought and without resistance. I have difficulty going deep in the meditation. Do you have other sources of being and happiness in your life other than meditation. I find yoga followed by meditation gets me the closest to a state of no-self/ego, but if you have other ways of accessing the present moment then meditation may not even be necessary.

I want to start a reading habit, but i'm not sure where to begin reading. I have heard of systems thinking but i've never actually read anything in depth on the subject. Is it possible to use system's thinking to improve different aspects of our lives. For example, my diet is not good, and I can conceivably view my diet as a system in and of itself. Does system's thinking apply to different aspects of our lives, like diet. Is this an essential topic to personal development? Are there any other critical books you guys recommend to make practical and pragmatic changes to our lives for the better.

What was it like the first time you got to being during your meditation? I am struggling with just being right now, and it seems you're on the right track.

@Nahm It is subtle. But when the mind is quiet, there is an awareness of all sensations present. You're telling me that I will never find a separate self in addition to any sensation. So when I say, I am present, the truth of the situation is there is only whatever is experienced as presence. Whatever your calling my presence is just presence, drop the my and you got the truth. Meditation does not automatically bring this level of awareness of self. Reading the words as if they are being spoken to me seems to be the magic of this post.

I want to improve my diet. I eat take out for almost every meal, aside from the occasional kale smoothie or grilled fish filet. I feel like my diet could be holding my personal development back, and I need to finally address this problem. I am still skeptical about how important diet is to self actualization, but I need to test this for myself. I am not ready for advanced meditation practice. I remember reading a post a while ago about how some people need to do ordinary self development before beginning advanced meditation, like a self inquiry practice. I used to think i was above that, but I feel like I am one of those people. I am not living the life I want to live, and right now i'm looking to meditation and yoga as practices that will satisfy my life. But i feel like I need to do ordinary self development first. I don't understand spiral dynamics yet, but I feel like this could be an example of me trying to skip stages by ignoring my diet. The purpose of this thread will be to track my diet every day. I am going to record all my meals, and maybe in the future i will include how my mood is changing with my changing diet.

@Leo Gura Ok i understand.

Jeez, really felt inspired today eh @Nahm LOL

I see. That seems like a problematic strategy to try and deal with problems in the 21st century. If someone makes a great argument you just revert to saying that your reason is limited, and my post-rationality understanding of the world proves your analysis is incomplete. And then when they and try and argue it you say either meditate for 10 years or do some DMT. Don't you see the issue with that?

@Byun Sean How has systems thinking changed your life? How do you use it?

@Preety_India That's so cool you're getting into lucid dreaming. I have wanted to do this for a while now, because I want to live out my favorite tv shows and movies. I want super powers and to fight villians etc. I'm going to keep following this to see how far you progress. Do you think it's possible to do a lucid dream like the lord of the rings movies, and fight orcs and stuff while being as conscious and present as I am in this moment?

So over the past few weeks my meditation practice has grown a lot. I was meditating and doing yoga for multiple hours per day, culminating in a day when I did like 6 hours of meditation and 2 hours of yoga. Now I feel a strong sensation in my third eye region that is basically there all day, and I find meditation sessions go much smoother and feel more effortless then before. However, I'm afraid of taking the next step. The reason I'm on a self improvement journey is because I want to be happy and live an amazing life. But I don't know if i want or am ready for awakening. I'm actually kinda scared to meditate because I don't know what i'm going to see and I don't know what effect awakening will have on me. I'm definitely feeling a little bit of an existential dread right now and i'm not sure how to proceed. Have anyone faced something similar on their spiritual journey? How did you deal with it?

@Leo Gura What does it mean to argue from a post-rational perspective?

@CreamCat Tj's the man. Did you know he used to post here

November 25th: First Meal: double double coffee + Banana Pecan Muffin- Take out Second Meal: Double double burger + Fries- White spot Third Meal: Caramel and Hot Fudge Sunday- Mcdonald's Fourth Meal: two pieces of pizza- Take out

@Buba Find out why they aren't listening. Talk to them, figure out what is going on with them. If they are not listening there is either a problem with what's being asked of them, or there is a problem with the person asking, or there is a problem with the kid. Happy children are likely to be behave. My first thing would be to see if my kid was happy, and there was no underlying pathology going on.

@Buba That is a very difficult situation. If you love your niece then i would recommend visiting as often as possible and try and be a positive role model to her. Also, try and show your sister evidence of what will happen if she continues to raise her child like that. I wish i could be of more help, but I don't have much experience with situations like this. I would suggest visiting a reddit forum about child abuse and anti-social behavior in children to get a better perspective on your situation.

@Buba Your sister sounds like she is abusing the child. You need to have a conversation with your sister and air our everything. Your sister is probably raising her daughter a lot like you were raised. Is your sister mentally disturbed from what happened to you two as a child? It is likely your sister, or her husband (idk you did not mention him) are physically and vocally abusing your niece so she's developing her own psychological issues. I would recommend talking to your sister, and maybe find someone else in your family who is responsible to discuss this with.

@Nahm Ok, I will give it a shot

@JustThinkingAloud Ahh very interesting. I kind of want it all with a relationship, all the non-physical intangibles and a deep physical attraction to my girlfriend/partner. But i don't know if i'm setting my standards too high. I value physical looks quite a bit, I think it's important to find your SO very attractive. But i also recognize it's just a belief, and i could probablly get over it, but it's something i want. What do you think? Am i setting myself up for disappointment?

@Nahm No i have not. I lived at home up until a few years ago, so my parents always cooked normal western food. I moved out for university 3 years ago, and i've been living off take out ever since.

@JustThinkingAloud How important is physical attraction to your relationship?

@Nahm It's not really fast food. It's restaurant food, but still a burger and fries type deal. I don't feel ill after. But i know eventually I need to stop or I will get type 2 diabetes.

November 24th: First Meal: Large double double coffee + Banana Pecan Muffin- Take out Second Meal: Double double burger + fries - White spot Third Meal: Kale + Banana + Peanut Butter + Almond Milk Smoothie Fourth Meal: Small Pizza- Take out