MaxBlank

@Psychonaut It is a fact with any "drug", there is a end to any benefit, possibly a plateau, or maybe it is just time to put it away. I think heeding to the suggestions such as you described is definitely the best decision. What I have seen a lot of is, destruction caused by people taking things as far as the possibly can (which is too far).

@zasa joey When I see things like you wrote, I get a little wound up. I have a lot of experience dealing with those states myself; but when it comes to assisting others, I just don't feel like I have enough to give... Anyway, a quote from the Buddha: “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.” This is what I have found by way of my own experience, and to put a positive slat on it: you can empower yourself to change your present condition. Simply allow yourself to grow, change, take a new step, and so on. You can (if you will). Have a "wonder-full" day!

In relationships, you are to some extent dependent on the other person: you depend on him/ her to be fair, good, faithful, loyal, respectful....the idea here is to create healthy boundaries as you go, and grow into a strong relationship. A good strong one will allow each to follow their own path while being supportive of the other.

Sure, just cut off all life; what is that for anyway?!

@appleaurorae Sounds good: you have done all this work on your health and appearance. It seems that the belly fat is your best friend now, because it has you focused. How important is your appearance? How much is it affecting how you look? Is it negatively affecting your health? My only suggestion is to live right; be healthy.

@usernameOne thing to consider: wherever you go, you are always with you. If you desire to do ANYTHING, do it with your full intent. I am encouraging you to live each and every day to the fullest. This doesn't mean go crazy, and "lose yourself" that way, either. It is a matter of being, rather than doing, to consider. It seems that you are interested in being a person among persons which happens through daily "shallow" life. Yes, I have grown among people- I have learned...that is another subject. I suggest that this will happen, without having to do a deep dive [in the shallow pool].

@Murtaza That sounds good to me. By way of military service, I have seen a lot of violent death. Such demises should be abhorred, in my opinion. @FindingPeace @Henri Yes, I believe this is the way to go.

@Lorcan I see; thanks for asking though. I enjoyed the question.

@Lorcan Would you know "the truth" if I told it to you? Would you benefit from any form of self examination? What is the exam for? Reading? Would you like to know that you read well? Writing? Basic math? The exam should not be anything but a tool to assist you in your knowledge of yourself.

@Arik I agree; and I would like to add some perspective. As a typical adult that desires enlightenment in the midst of daily life; at some point this fact will have to be dealt with directly. A person that is a parent, worker, and so on, will not easily be able to break from the day to day routine. Doing so is very unsettling, initially. Not only is there the inital adjustment for medititation, the results from that meditation can create a "stormy" state of being for a while. It is difficult to handle. Also, my personal experience with this is that I found my wife initially supportive of the practice, but resistant to any results. She has no desire [or understanding] to change her course. My son, on the other hand, is more open to change; and I have found that I am better to impart my values [which are essentially Buddhist values] onto him simply because he is more open to learn. This is anecdotally supportive of what you are saying, ayway.

Name: Steve Age: 48 Gender: Male Location: Clarksville, Tennessee Occupation: Office Administration Marital Status: Married Kids: 1 Hobbies / Joys: enlightenment, meditation, personal development, reading, learning, nature, healthy eating, religious studies, scientific studies, on and on... I got into personal development in the early 90's as a matter of literal life or death. I was a 25 year old alcoholic with depression, combat and military stress, looking to spending my nights under a bridge, or jumping off of it. Personal challenges I've overcome: Alcoholism Depression A fear based suicidal outlook and lifestyle. My initial relief came from AA. After several attempts, I was able to stay sober long enough to get a recovery program going. From 1993 -1996, my whole life completely changed. I still live life with the basic blocks of what I learned through the 12 steps: introspection and moral inventory, and meditation. I will always be grateful for all the great help and friendships that came from AA. I continue to encourage anyone with alcohol problems to seek out AA. I was able to save my military career (actually, it took someone else to save it for me), and I ended up giving our country my very best for over 20 years. This was a huge goal in my life; and a big part of my making amends. What I'm working on now: Working on enlightenment: more love, kindness, peace, and happiness; a more true and meaningful Buddhist in actual practice ( I don't tell people I am "a Buddhist"). This must include my being a better father, husband, coworker, etc. Working on improving my health & diet ( I was VERY rough on myself). Helping the younger, less experienced; subtly, and gently, whenever I can. Fully experiencing my amazing days for the rest of my amazing life. One side note: I was surfing YouTube and happened to see one of Leo's vids; and I have watched a bunch of them now. I think they are great! That is why I am in the forum. I plan to save these videos for my son, and buy the course for him when he is ready in a couple of years. @Leo Gura Outstanding work, Leo!

If you have the extra how ever much it costs, then why not have a look? You don't have to believe any of it; but it is a package that purports to help people learn about themselves. Is it harmful? Yes; for the weak minded that might take some impersonal negative limitation and blow it way out of proportion.

Some people think so, and you can look to people like Dalai Lama; who might very well have been. Personally, I view birth as the initial moment of a long journey, a person born is not yet "enlightened". This is something that must happen in spite of suffering; the cultural attachments, and emotionalism we all learn from the moment we begin to explore this life. I do believe people are born "innocent", which is something different, in my opinion.

In reading Self Improvement or Spiritual books, I will write, then later type, the points I learned on a single page. I take that page with me to my meditations. What came of this (so far) is that all I need to know or do in my life is written on just a few pages that I can access any time. I keep these pages in a certain place, easily accessible. This has really simplified the whole thing, and as allowed me to focus much more on what I am intent on doing.

Not quite there yet. The possible choices exist just like the possible directions that a branch grows exist. A branch will grow, and a person will choose. Any choice is not based on free will, it is just a choice out of the possible choices, that's all (of course one choice is to not choose anything, but life will still go on, as that is actually a choice).

This is something I accept as fact. People can, and do, overcome addictions and mental problems without medical intervention. One must understand a problem to address it. This understanding can come from learning from those that have gone before, or from your own discovery. I believe these problems are not entirely solved in a vacuum. Everyone gets a little help from time to time. Anyway, this is something I have seen and personally experienced. It can be done.

There is no free will. We don't choose when we come out of the womb, that is decided for us; thus begins the life in this "matrix". All choices and decisions are based on the circumstances at hand. That is all there is. This is true from deciding what you eat for your next meal, to what you decide for your career. This continues until the moment of death, which we also have not control over. Have a nice day!

@asgard94 Yes, you have the benefit of my experience there!

"What Would You Do If Someone Spit In Your Face? Practice Compassion Or Beat The *ck Out Of Them?" These are seemingly the two extremes, but you can do both [let's call it tough love], or you can ignore it. I don't claim to be all that enlightened, but I think it is compassionate to avoid my first impulse which is violence. Take it from an old soldier, a little spit won't kill you. My path is to be me (secular Buddhist for the most part), in all things, at all times. Spit is nothing.

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@Saitama I love it. By the way, my mother was young when she gave birth to me. She could not handle parenthood, or marriage, and split when I was 3. I can count on one hand the number of times we have met prior to her passing. We are certainly not alone in this regard. It is a fact with many. Please do not allow an unfortunate entry into this existence determine your value. There is so much more to life.

@Chimp Yes, you should adjust, in my opinion. You were already moving without notice until you became aware of it. Simply make the adjustment, and continue. A little more: if you have a cold, your nose may run, I believe it is ok to have a handkerchief nearby [it is what I learned anyway]. All the itches, twitches, pangs, and so on, will happen and those should be accepted as the fleeting things they are. The summary of what I am saying is your proper posture is the main physical thing you should adhere to, that is where stillness should exist., in the proper posture. Personally, I spent much of my life in the military. As you might imagine, I am somewhat permanently banged up from that. A long story short: should I not meditate because of injury? I think meditation is of the utmost importance. Through it I have a greater understanding of much of my life, and it helps me understand what I should improve throughout my life, including many things physical. I am not sure what is going on with the back, Chimp, but perhaps you have a signal to try some exercise, conditioning, physical therapy, and so on. Remember meditation is practice (a progression).

@Jared Drugs have been with Man since the beginning of Civilization. While my experience with things has been interesting [to put it mildly], I have found drugs incompatible with my enduring path. I have listened to folks like Terrence McKenna, and considered their positions; I just find myself doing something different. I don't feel as if I need the assistance of any drugs. All legalities and morality aside, the choice to do drugs for any reason is a personal decision. If you are looking for advice from a variety of people with experience, my suggestion is to consider what you ultimately want for yourself. Can you ONLY get there with the help of drugs? What other help might be beneficial? Considering these questions could help. If you do decide to go with a drug, please take the utmost care in doing so. I am not through yet, Jared. There are all kinds of people that make up this world. Some will take substances and have a wonderful time, some will burn the house down trying, and some will very much not like what comes of it, and some will not return from even a single trip. Think about it.

@Sarper So you decided she is bad based on this video you saw. Once you saw this video, you had information that you didn't have before. That is what happened. I think a good question to ask is how invested in the emotion you want to be? Is it possible to look at what happened and just see it without getting wrapped up in the emotion? By the way, good people do make mistakes, engage in risky behavior, and so on. More important than that, is knowing that people will do what they want, and they will just move in and out of your life. Realizing this an important part of realizing the nature of your own individuality. This brings me to a question for you: Did you watch Leo's video on making yourself attractive to women? I highly recommend you (re)view it. That is exactly how the woman that is right for you will come into your life.

I would like to suggest the below material for information on the subject: http://www.amazon.com/The-Dragons-Eden-Speculations-Intelligence/dp/0345346297 It is the Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan. His discussions about the brain will point out the survival instinct comes from the most primal part of a brain. Now, about Samurai and Bushido: If Samurai were enlightened about anything, it was certainly the knowledge that they had mastery over this instinct. My short answer is the instinct is a primal physical state. This is often overridden in many circumstances as a result of having a more complex brain. It is simply a decision process from our intellectual faculties. Samurai chose death over what they viewed as dishonorable. On the other hand, there was value in life. Their values were demonstrated through their warrior lifestyles. They fought for survival (manifest through their warrior code).