Rasheed

Yeah I want to know self-defense but sparring problem is, head damage. I seriously don't want to get head-kicked in the head, I am not an athlete, I am into knowledge work like Peter Drucker would say and getting head-kicked during training couple times per week would negatively impact my performance in my life purpose and career... So, what should I do? By the way thanks everyone for answers. Also, I wanted to ask: Is shadow boxing good for learning how to fight?

Probably, I got something wrong here. There people who told me that some clubs are open from 12 to 1 a.m. I don't know...That's why I asked, probably that's incorrect then...

I just want to know how to punch, kick, move for self-defense purposes. That's why I asked but at the same time I still want to know how to attack, I don't want it to be just defense-focused. (My understanding of combat sports is quite limited that's why my question and answer as well is quite silly) Thanks everyone for answers, it was really helpful.

Can Ken Wilber be considered as contemporary underappreciated genius? Truth be told Ken Wilber basically accomplished lifetimes of work and his work stands out from every single other psychologist, philosopher and I consider him to be one of the greatest western intellectuals of all time. He is probably the greatest western psychologist of all time, period. I haven't read all major western psychologists books yet but which ones I read, they do not come even close, including Freud and Jung. I am asking this question because compared to J. Peterson, S. Harris, Ken Wilber is not popular like them though Ken Wilber is 10x more developed and conscious than them...No disrespect to any of these intellectuals. psychologists and philosophers but still, they don't even come close to Wilber, probably I am biased but I am trying to remain as objective as I can and I still think that. Maybe I am wrong, Idk. What do you think?

Can meditation actually answer life’s deepest questions? Questions such as:Why am I here? What is meaning of life? What’s the point of life? When Osho got asked this type of questions, he basically answered that all philosophy and questioms are for fools and all questions are from ego and to stop thinking, drop the mind…. Truth be told I cannot take that for an answer. Stopping thought is great but I still want answer to deep questions and is really stopping all conceptualization actual answer? ????

Thank you. That was a truly beautiful and inspiring answer. I am really grateful and appreciative of your help and feedback.

Can meditation lead to getting ultimate answers? And if yes, how? Most spiritual teachers such as Osho, Krishnamurti say to drop all questions and just meditate and be silent but thing is I still want answers to ultimate questions…I feel like that kind of answer is avoidance…

I get what you are saying but Listening Krishnamurti and most spiritual teachers, most people will drop the question before it is answered

Actually most eastern spiritual teachers and gurus including Osho give that answer about deep life, philosophical questions. And I just can't buy it. That is why I asked the question. But I don't want question to disappear, I want question to get answered. I get it, when I stop thinking, I have no questions but still I do not consider that to be an answer. At the same time about fear or desire, Daniel Ingram says that he got enlightened (Buddhist type of sense, enlightened) and he still experiences lust and desire. Basically that model of emotional perfection does not last...Truth be told, I don't know..

I read Sam Harris's book 'Waking Up' and one thing hit me as of right now: Non-dual motherfuckers aka teachers are not saying anything special. Osho, Eckhart Tolle, Zen Masters, Shinzen Young, etc...ain't saying anything special when they are saying that there is no self. Seriously, Ken Wilber and Ramana Maharshi ain't saying anything special when they are asking to inquire Who am I? Seriously, what's special about Ramana Maharshi? One does not need to sit in a cave for rest of once's life to realize that there is no self, all sensations are impermanent and dissatisfactory. Seriously, when I am writing this, I am conscious of the fact that there is no self and all sensations are impermanent. And then question arises: - SO FUCKING WHAT, THAT'S IT???????????????????????? These motherfuckers ain't saying anything special. That was my impression after reading all these spiritual books and meditating hour after hour and impression after stopping all thought and dualistic conceptualization. I hope I am wrong and closed-minded.

Yeah, I of course agree that there is so much more to become conscious of and awaken to, but I am talking about non-dual teachers and no-self insight. Ramana lived in a cave for all his life...All of this makes me think, what is potential of meditation? Sam Harris himself has done thousands of hours of meditation because he was basically living on retreats, meditating 10+ hours a day 3-6 months in a row. Obviously, he is not Ramana level, living in a cave mystic but at the same time, I don't consider him to be shallow like Oprah Winfrey, Mindvalley spirituality and hippy bear, feel-good spirituality because of the amount of meditation he has done. Of course it is relative but still... I don't wanna put 10,000 hours into meditation and then realize be like: "That's it? This is it? No-self, and what?" Sam Harris writes exactly about that in his book. I agree that my no-self realization is ain't deep enough, I am going to go deeper but still, I can't believe that's it for spirituality and transpersonal psychology. Seriously, there has to be more and I am glad actualized.org is pointing to that because I think this is only resource which does that. At the same time, I realized that there is no self but all the same desires, suffering, pain is still there. My relationship to it is different but all those desires of lower levels of Maslow's hierarchy still stays the same. Also, what makes me worried about that is many spiritual gurus are famous for their misconduct which basically tells me they also had those desires even though they realized insight of no-self...Sam Harris writes about that as well. Also, I am 100% confident that what you call God-realization is not the same as what non-dual teachers call no-self. That is why I must do 5-MeO to validate that for myself.

Cool. Thanks Maybe I got no-self realization as a concept...I don't know. basically, when I meditate, I know how to stop thinking, basically all conceptualization stops and then I experience that all sensations are impermanent and there is no self. Is not that what no-self insight about? or I got that wrong as well? 4 hours of meditating per day + mindfulness throughout the day, I still got that wrong somehow... I definitely should do 5-Meo-DMT. But as of right now I am not talking about God-Realization, I am discussing non-dual teachings and no-self teachings, that's why I asked. Sam Harris discussing no-self and non-duality as well, not what you call God-realization...He is also familiar with Ramana Maharishi and his self-inquiry...

This is what Sadhguru writes about sex in his book "Karma" (page 66) 'Now, body memory works on all the levels we have discussed earlier in this chapter. But a very important and large aspect of this memory is physical (as distinct from psychological and energetic). In Sanskrit, this physical memory of the body is called runanubandha. Runanubandha is the physical memory you carry within you. It is a result of blood relationships, as we have seen earlier, but also, more important, a result of sexual relationships. Wherever there is physical intimacy—particularly of a sexual nature— the body registers the memory deeply. And so the arrangement of committed relationships in any society is based on a bedrock of profound intelligence. Logic is simple: since a significant exchange of memory occurs in any physical encounter, if you confuse the body’s memory with too many physical impressions, your system grows confused. Once your memory system becomes complicated, it could take a lot more work to settle your life. It is important to emphasize that there is nothing wrong with runanubandha. It is an essential part of life. Without runanubandha between a couple, for instance, a future generation could not be perpetuated. And without runanubandha between a mother and child, a child could not survive. Only question, however, is how to make it supportive rather than entangling; how to ensure, in short, that a bond does not turn into bondage. For anyone on a spiritual path, simplifying runanubandha becomes particularly important, because the ultimate aim for the seeker is to transcend physicality. If one nurses such an intention, it is wise to keep the body as a simple process, uncluttered by the encumbrance of too much' My question is: Basically to get enlightened one should not have sex? What does it mean that after sexual experience, since body registers memory deeply, and if you got lot of body memory, you can't get enlightened, this means sex is against enlightenment? What if you a man only had sex once but that one time he had sex with women who slept with 20 other men (i.e she has 20 units of stored memory within her body), that means this man who had sex once, now has that memory stored up of 21 other humans? This whole memory shit does not make sense to me. This goes against Osho when he said it is cool to have sex and he actually advises to do it. This goes against Leo's viewpoint of sex. What is runanubandha? All of this boil down to according to Sadhguru, if man has sex with lots of women, he can't get enlightened? WTF? vice versa for women... If you want more, read Sadhguru's book Karma from page 66 to 69, just 3 pages about this sex memory stuff.

Cool, thank you very much for help, I really appreciate it.

Ken Wilber in his book recommended book on Gestalt therapy. I read it. Here's the book: https://www.amazon.com/Gestalt-Therapy-Excitement-Growth-Personality/dp/0939266245. I think 'Gestalt therapy' is great, I especially appreciate Friedrich Perls for developing it in 1950s. The reason I am asking this question: "What is the Main Premise of Gestalt Therapy?" is because Gestalt therapies main technique and main premise reminded me of mindfulness. Basically, Perls focuses upon body-awareness, awareness of the senses and one of his main practices is conscious eating. He loved to say: "Lose your mind and come to your senses". So, what is the main premise, point of Gestalt therapy in your opinion?

Good point. When I read Perls’s book he also advised to feel one’s feelings fully… Thanks for feedback.

Here is my meditation background: Started to meditate at 16, (as I remember, probably 14... truth be told but at 14 I think I meditate only 30 minute a day I probably bumped to 1 hour at 15), I am saying 16 because from 16 I started to do 1 hour meditation per day (I definitely remember that at 16 I did 1 hour, probably at 15 I did anywhere from 30 min to 1 hour per day), at 17: I did 2 hours per day (1 year), at 18 I did 4 hours per day (for 1 year) and at 19 I am doing 2 hours per day, every day right now as well. I followed that regime every day for a year including 4 hours per day. I read many spiritual books including Osho's Vigyan Bhairav Tantra, practiced meditation seriously with great theoretical foundation (basically I know the shit I am doing...) and today, I am reading Om Swami's 'A Million Thoughts' and this guy kind of explained to me right now why I am not super-conscious Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh-type (before that I had doubts why I was not getting this super-conscious results these non dual teachers are selling): That is because there are different levels of meditators, here is the guide: Ordinary Path Mild meditator is one who holds one or two sessions of meditation in a span of 24 hours, generally at dawn and dusk. The length of an average session of meditation for a mild practitioner is between 30 minutes to an hour. Average meditator is one who holds three sessions of meditation in a span of 24 hours. Each session lasts about one hour. If they have been following this regime for a minimum of six months, they can be safely classified as average meditators. Extraordinary Path Keen meditator is the one who meditates an average of four times in span of 24 hours, each session lasting a minimum of one hour. A meditator who meditates unfailingly with this discipline for at least one year can be called a keen meditator and not just someone who does it for a few weeks. Intense meditator is the one who holds an average of six sessions of meditation in a span of 24 hours and does so on a regular basis, minimum period being six months. Average session of such a meditator lasts between 60 and 90 minutes. Anything more than that is considered supremely intense. Basically I have been anywhere from mild (1-2 hours per day) and keen meditator (4 hours per day) all of these time and that is why I did not had any 'enlightenment'. I was wondering why I am not experiencing super conscious shit Rajneesh talks about and now I know, Osho himself used to sit for like hours on an end in his room meditating even when he was running his cult in Oregon and Pune...Intense meditator level shit. Om Swami himself said that meditating 1 hour or doing a 4 hour retreats, did not gave him any 'enlightenment' experiences as well. Right now, I realize from that meditation to go somewhere it must be done in a retreat settings for months. Like 10 hour meditation per day for 5 months. Om Swami himself did 22 hours of meditation, for 6 months straight. Meanwhile all this time I thought 4 hour per day meditation for a year, or 2 hour meditations for years would lead to super-conscious state and lead to becoming someone like Osho...That happens to be a bullshit. (P.S. Fuck yeah, I got all personal development, focus, self-actualization benefits from meditating this much but not enlightenment type of Osho talks about. I can stop thinking but at the same time I cannot sit without a thought for a day like Osho can. I am like: I can stop thinking...then monkey mind will come, stop it and be conscious for respectable duration...) I had a plan for meditating 2 hours everyday for 14 years (10,000 hours) but now I realize that won't lead anywhere because to have that super-conscious type of shit enlightenment you must meditate for pro-longed period of time, intensely for like 10 hours a day for 6 months. I think now I understand why Leo says meditation is bullshit. Why he says this non-dual teachers are bullshitting as well. Even though I never taken any psychedelics yet, if what Leo says about 5-MeO is true, all these non dual motherfuckers are bullshitters. Why to sit 10 hours a day for 6 months when with deconstruction and 5-MEO, you can become way more conscious than all these non dual teachers? All I can say that meditation is great for personal development, but at the same time if you have to meditate 3 hours a day in order to just be average meditator, I mean this is unrealistic. Leo himself advises to meditate 1 hour a day, every day in the past... I won't stop my meditation practice, I am still probably going to do at least 1 hour per day, or 2 because meditation is powerful for personal development, self-actualization, emotional mastery, focus, etc...but reading 'A Million Thoughts' really opened my eyes. I still think meditation is number one personal development practice and amazing for self-actualization but for enlightenment, I think Leo is way more correct than non-dual teachers. If 5-MeO and psychedelics are real deal, I don't think non-dual gurus will advise it because they will put them out of business real quick... And another question I had : What will 2 hours of meditation per day for 14 years lead? Does it lead to same state individual reaches if one meditates for 10 hours a day for 6 months straight without failing? Now that is a question Om Swami does not answer in a book, but I only read half of it maybe he answers it there I don't know. Correct guys if I am wrong. Thanks.

Yeah, it is a small book, you are going to finish it quickly, it is pure gold. Must-read. Put it on your reading list. It is basically smaller version of his amazing 1st book 'the Spectrum of Consciousness'

I read his recommendation in the book 'No Boundary' and there he outlines which therapies are on which level on his 'spectrum of consciousness'. In that book he advises that one of the best therapies for 'centaur/existential' level is Gestalt therapy.

Thanks you, got it.

Does 6 month, hardcore 10+ hour meditation lead to God-realization? If not, and if meditation cannot lead to God-Realization, then what's the point? When I said meditation is great for self-actualization, I meant the same thing as you Leo for human benefits, but of course for serious existential understanding that is ain't enough...I am the proof for that for example.

Om Swami won’t agree with you upon that point…Then why did Buddha left for 6 years, Mahavira 12, Om Swami meditated 15,000 hours…? Also, why did Leo do over 200+ psychedelic trips?

So, 2 hours of meditating even for 15 years won't get me anywhere, retreats and 6 month of 10+ hours of intense meditation is necessary to get what non-duality is talking about. P.S. I think 1 hour a day meditation is amazing for personal development and self-actualization work but not for consciousness work...as I concluded. I meant Osho before he started to run ashram, he spent hours in meditation from like age 12 and up. And then he kept it up his entire life, that is what I meant. I know that he was already woke when he built his cult, of course...