Lento

@Corpus You are not seeing the underlying meaning of what I'm trying to say. You don't need knowledge to want to drink water. It's run by default without the interference of the mind, no matter how many reasons it invents, whether supporting or denying the drinking of water. You don't need a reason to drink water. Whatever reasoning you invent is automatically irrelevant. The whole question is irrelevant. Life is beyond reason and logic, is all I'm saying. (read this @undeather)

I'm not denying that. But how does this prove anything? How do you know you are the same as everyone else? Maybe you're special? Maybe someone, living in some isolated island is special? You don't know!

Yes.

Is this how you perceive it? I perceive it as whatever doesn't kill you, always makes you stronger.

This is yet to be proven. You don't actually know. @Nak Khid Mainly because I feel thirsty from time to time. There are other reasons for me.

@V-8 I thought it would change the whole context. (I wouldn't have corrected it for you if I didn't think so). And since the context is still the same, I started to understand what you're trying to say. (missed it at first). Thank you ?

@V-8 It's "earthly action" mate, not "early". Two letters change a lot. Besides, I believe our friend here understands that inaction can be as valuable as action, if not even more valuable at some specific times. By the way, I love your posts so much!

I love this!

Apparently, the topic of pain isn't much discussed in here, but I think it is very important because pain is inevitable. I'm currently ill, nothing serious, but I feel really bad. I'm trying to remain conscious throughout the pain and I know that resistance creates more suffering, but I don't want to take it anymore. I can handle a lot of things/pressures really well, but pain is a different thing for me. Any tips?

Maybe if you look closer, all contradictions disappear ?

Priorities at the moment: Graduation project. ETA: 20-25 hours. Enneagram model. ETA: 3-5 hours. V-8. ETA: 4-5. - I've been procrastinating the graduation project for a long time. I've already done 30% of the work, but I've delayed the 70% remaining mainly due to weather changes. - The Enneagram model is complex. I may read some book if I like it. But for now, I am more interested in reading the basics. - V-8 seems like a unique source of information. My estimation is that he's a healthy stage Green, doing a lot of reading and researching, growing towards Yellow. I like his unbiased way of presenting information, but I think it lacks the flavour of his personal opinions. By the time I finish the first two tasks, he would probably reach a 100 posts.

I don't think there's any contradictions here. At some point, meditation becomes a second-nature, and a baseline level of awareness. We may call that transcending meditation with meditation. But that probably happens after enlightenment, so it probably wouldn't make much sense before. For you to kill the Buddha, you have to create him at first.

That's all that matters in an argument ?

I've had them together last night. To be more precise, I ate olives first, and then chocolate, and then olives once again, and then I rolled so that they could mix ? Didn't feel wrong, AT ALL! even though I was having a stomach condition before. I now feel better. It might have been the cure for me ??

@Higher @Highest Are you siblings or something?

@V-8 Man, you're a blessing! ♥️

Same limitations of Green, probably even Blue as well.

For a spark of fire, water is the worst enemy. And vice-versa. Truth isn't about either, but rather about both. Something the "either" cannot handle.

@Patrick Lynam A friend, technically speaking, isn't just a human you spend your time with. It's whatever you spend your time on. So, for example, if you spend your time meditating, then you're spending time with yourself, and here you are the friend. If you spend your time reading books, then books are your friend. If you spend your time watching Netflix, then the TV is your friend. And so on. So, you see, you can't ever be alone. You're always interacting with someone or something. Always giving and receiving. That's what it means to be alive. And so, back to your question.. To me, it's a bad idea to dismiss the importance of friends just because you can live independently of other people. That's a luxury that we have right now in the 21st century, and that we later pay for with loneliness and depression. We are social creatures. Socializing is like oxygen to us. Friends, mainly depending on you, can create a lot of healthy values to you. It's magical! Your friends are a reflection of who you are, and you are the reflection of your friends. The good you see in others, is the good that is in yourself.

@Patrick Lynam You need read between the lines. They told you to stop meditating because meditation is usually done in a sitting position, but your legs need exercise, so you shouldn't sit for long periods of time, but rather spend more time on strengthening them. The alternatives are simply like they suggested, try walking meditation, or free running. Sports in general are a spiritual practice for someone like you, i.e. a good meditator. You can meditate while kick-boxing, others can't, they simply aren't gifted.

Not everyone is an intellectual, even intellectuals themselves are not really intellectual. All thoughts, values, truths, beliefs, models, principles, etc.. are grounded in emotions, and some people at some times happen to be less sensitive to or less aware of their emotions, so they fool themselves thinking that they're actually looking for what's important (value), where that's not necessarily the case at all.

@Inliytened1 I might be using a different approach, but it certainly doesn't invalidate other ones. I can't know what would click for anyone, really, but I can only try.

@Inliytened1 That's because you haven't questioned the validity of mystical experiences. A lot of people can have a mystical experience and just go on with their lives like nothing's happened. And even if the experience was deeply profound, it probably wouldn't stick except for some rare cases. In my experience, mystical experiences aren't necessary in order to have a clear understanding of the self, others, and reality. In fact, a lot of times they can be misleading and a distraction. But even that understanding is not necessary to be enlightened because enlightenment already is the case, and Truth is already the truth. The understanding might be necessary for a skeptical mind to have a realisation. But nothing else.

You may become happy, focused, lucid, or detached through this practice, but never enlightened. Going "there" assumes that there is a "here" and a "there" to get to (duality). Enlightenment is realising that there is already here (non-duality). You don't need to do anything to become enlightened except dropping the belief that there is something called enlightenment that you should seek (you're still enlightened even if you don't recognise your enlightenment). While duality can be helpful for practical purposes, you're probably after the Truth. Well, good news! "Here" it is. Being happy, focused, lucid, and detached can help a lot, but they're ultimately unnecessary, so make sure you don't set up limiting beliefs.

@Anna1 Without Flat-Earthers, I probably would have never been introduced to spirituality.