Lento

Money facilitates and enhances survival. The rest is more or less like a video game. Can I still be having fun while losing in a video game? Yeah, sure. It's a matter of perspective. If I'm playing to win and I lose, then I obviously won't be having fun. If I'm playing just for the sake of having fun, then I will probably be having trouble finding the fun. So, when am I going to be happy? There's a conditional happiness; which is dependent on certain criteria, like winning all the time, for example. And there's unconditional happiness; which is dependent on none. It gets a little bit more complicated, though. Because in real life, the things that people do (like posting pictures on IG or FB) are vital for their survival, not just games for fun. So, it's not that they are simply happy posting their pictures, they want people to think that they're happy, they're basically passively (unconsciously, if you will) fooling others into thinking that they're happy, and by that, they become more loved and popular, which feeds back again into their survival agenda. Their egos are not stupid playing the games of society, in fact, they're highly intelligent. They simply aren't playing at the same level as the kind people you'd encounter on here. Here, the ego plays on a different level; spirituality, mysticism, wisdom, intelligence, books, enlightenment, success, experience, authenticity, helping others, etc..... I'd guess the majority of people here (like you and me for example) aren't huge fans of the social media, and probably had problematic relationships with their social circles to the point where they (we) isolated themselves and became introverts, and focused on other things, things that they didn't suck at. More introvertedness = more intellect. And so, here we are, chasing the same thing that the "low-consciousness" people are chasing, only thinking that we're superior and more developed than they are. We think that they're shallow by posting their pictures and playing the games of jealousy, envy, lying, and so on... While from their perspective, we're complicated and stuck in our minds. From the meta perspective, everyone is a magician fooling other magicians. The trick is that the trick only works on the magicians of the same speciality, and it does not work on the other magicians because they can't even see it! It doesn't register. However, me, you, and everyone else in the world will still submit to money, because money speaks louder than anything else. We'll still remain in the hierarchy whether we like it or not. I'd guess the main reason why Trump is the president of the USA is because of his money. Money = leverage, and leverage = media, and media = votes. Let alone the votes he gets by using the influence of his 'friends'. It's a rat race, and it's exciting to play the game, on any level. In brief, the more money you have, the more access to the outer reality you will get. However, your access to the inner reality is not related to money at all, unless you choose to make it so.

Then how are sex and masturbation different? And why did you leave out mentioning sex at first? It's common sense that the majority of people ejaculate during sex!

Well, that fear is exactly the reason why you haven't discovered the truth yet. Once you start seeing through this fear, you will discover the truth and you will begin to understand yourself. This fear is the ultimate setback on your path. You ever heard of the gateless gate? This is a pretty accurate description for your current situation. You need to let go of the most important thing to you, the desire of discovering the truth. Once you truly let it go, you will have it. You're onto something here, and now you have the keys. The choice is yours, the rest is in your hands.

Spiral Dynamics tier two is not synonymous with, neither a component of enlightenment. Not even Turquoise is synonymous with, nor a component of enlightenment. Enlightenment is a very distinct thing. It can occur at all stages. It has nothing to do with your intellectual capabilities. At enlightenment, there's no Spiral, and no stages. There isn't even enlightenment at enlightenment. Enlightenment is the realisation of the truth, regardless of whatever stories you have about reality. It's the awakening to the fictional nature of reality. It's the awareness of the futility of all maps that try to capture reality, including this map itself. Enlightenment is an additional layer of awareness, which, virtually, most people do not possess. Enlightenment is the freedom from all the limitations of logic, or what we may call 'the mind'. It's the acknowledgement of the ego, instead of either being immersed in it, or denying it. Enlightenment is the death of fear, that is the death of the ego. Enlightenment is aware of itself, and it does not exist for the enlightened. Enlightenment only exists for the seeker. Whenever you think you have it, you lose it. The only reason why it exists is because of love. You become aware and you want to share that awareness with others. For you, enlightenment is a lie. For others, it's a lie at first, a goal, God, or the truth in the middle, and again, a lie in the end. It's weird at first, familiar in the middle, and weird again in the end. It's just reality as you know it upside-down ? Enlightenment is the endless love for oneself and others. You can't be enlightened and not see everyone else as yourself. You can't be enlightened and have a self. It's the ultimate paradox! It's a living story!

Simply, genius!

Would you say the same thing about sex?

The key to life is awareness, and the key to awareness is the breath. Simple and elegant! I can't believe it took me this long to figure this out. Why is the breath very important? Well, there is a variety of ways to answer this question. But basically, because the breath is the simplest and most intimate connection between the living forms and the formless, it only takes place after being itself. So, the more time you spend on being, the more you'll get to understand reality. Now, when you fully understand the basics, you will have to go a level higher, the breath. You can jump levels to infinity, but your construction won't be strong enough to hold it for long unless you have the grounds firm. So, you start with the breath, and then to the water and food, and then to the other things. My main focus now will shift to the breath. This shift is supposed to remind me at all times to not be fooled by the appearance, and to look for the truth of everything I encounter. For example, this language that I'm using right now is a tricky appearance. My goal is to become aware of the fact that it's just meaningless symbols in every moment from now on, and at the same time not be crippled by this understanding, and therefore still be able to use language effortlessly. This is a very tall order, but it's totally worth it! What motivates me is the control that this very simple principle will give me over reality. Just imagine how powerful it is to be in full control of every single move you make. This kind of privileges cannot be accessed by devils, neither by being neurotic. It can only be accessed by God. .. Such a beautiful song!

I don't have any insights for today, and my life isn't perfect at all, but I feel an immense gratitude for everything. I am really happy for my life being the way it is. And even though I'm separate from the one I love and many of my friends, I'm still feeling complete. It's strange, because once you are fully authentic, you won't need others at all, but still, you'll become a magnet somehow, and you will attract the best people to fit into your life. It's like when you discover yourself, that you are the missing piece of the puzzle, so you become a perfect fit because you know where to spend your energy. You become the perfect key for the lock, and life opens up for you. Or, maybe I'm just high for some reason and speaking nonsense ? It does not matter. I feel complete now, and that's basically all I want. .. This song gives me the most spiritual vibes! The melodies give me hints of some past lives and peacefulness. It may be melancholic, but it makes it feel good to explore this facet of the emotional spectrum. Melancholy feels great at times! ???

@Preety_India Boundaries! Be clear about what you want and never allow others to step on your rights, no matter what. Be completely honest and comfortable with saying your truth even if that may cause the relationship to fail. It's not a good relationship if one partner is winning and the other is losing. By being honest and having strong boundaries, you're guaranteed to look detached from your partner, which is the key to attraction. It's the neediness that makes the attraction fall off.

With psychedelics, your senses collapse together with your thoughts, they become one. The senses are what we call 'direct experience' or 'consciousness', and the thoughts; well, you know the thoughts. What happens on psychedelics is that you lose the distinction between the two, and therefore you stop being able to distinguish between the subjective and the objective. Now, is there an objective reality? Well, is there a subjective reality? Can you define any of them? Where does the subjective/objective reality start or end? What do these words mean anyway? You see? You now have a distinction in your mind between the two, and that's how you create 'your' reality from your imagination. Notice that the same distinction disappears on psychedelics. Are the objective and subjective realities actually one or two? Well, it's relative to how you look at it. They can be one, two, three, or infinity. In the ordinary egoic state, they're two. In the psychedelic state, they're one, or infinity. In the enlightened state, they're all of them together, and each one of them individually, and none of them at all, and a mix of the above, and none and all of the above. It might seem confusing, but it's not at all confusing, except for the mind.

Why not?! There's a lot of wisdom in atheism as well. What's the thing that would not be tolerated exactly? The orientation? The closed-mindedness? The impact? The person themselves? Or a mix of the above? I mean, sure, the person who is behaving as such won't be learning much, but what about everyone else? I personally find it very insightful to read opposing perspectives. I actually prefer that to reading convenient information. And as long as there's proper moderation, ideology vs. non-ideology wouldn't be an issue, would it? Because certainly, as ideology has its cons, but so does non-ideology. Everything has its pros and cons. Let's not reject ideology entirely just for having certain cons. Of course, in the extreme cases where things start to become toxic for others, there should be moderation, I'm not arguing against this at all. I won't argue about whether someone is seeking their personal development or not but I would like to hear a definition of 'sharing wisdom' here. I still wouldn't agree on the intention. They may be truthful and trying to help people, and they may be simply sick, evil, and cruel. This is always in the realm of assumption, I can't know with complete certainty unless they declare it. I would say; let the members decide whether they find that kind of image-posting appropriate or not. If you (moderators) received many reports and requests complaining about the images being disturbing, you could create polls and let us vote for or against that 'approach' to non-duality. I think if the poster could provide an elaborate response explaining their perspective, that would be ideal, and we could be more open to them. Like I said, they may posses wisdom that I have no idea of yet! This is a sure thing, and I'm very thankful for that. I can't express how much gratitude I feel for this forum and for you guys. I understand the importance of all the regulation you do, and I hope I didn't sound like I'm criticising you or your efforts. You're all doing a great job here, and that's why me and many others are able to express our thoughts freely even though we don't completely agree with each other. That's one thing that makes this place unique. I just think that it wouldn't become better if we cut a certain type of people.

It's really interesting how our mood affects everything! Our mood affects the way we view things because it essentially affects the way we value them in the first place. As a very simple example, when I'm thirsty, water is the most valuable thing there is. Measure everything on that. When I'm happy, everything seems easy and possible. When I'm sad, everything seems difficult and meaningless. However, when I'm hurt, that whole system collapses, my goals, desires, and motivations change. This is well explained in the Enneagram, it's called moving into the direction of disintegration (or stress). This is where you become the worst version of yourself. It's where the worst of you comes up to the surface. And the opposite of that is called moving into the direction of integration (or growth). So, based on the information above, I think if getting hurt brings out the worst of someone, then being fulfilled and satisfied is what brings out the best of them. And in fact, I think this is true. I personally become the best version of myself when I am fully satisfied (I mean on all levels). That is something to keep in mind while studying the Enneagram and trying to assess which type I am. .. I've recently realised that I have a weird phobia. I fear having an unorganised mind/thoughts. Not like I must have everything figured out and that I can't move without knowing everything. It's just that I have to organise my thoughts in my mind in their "proper" places. So, it's like having many boxes in my mind that are categories for everything, and those boxes are inside three different rooms; A room for the thoughts I assume to be true. A room for the thoughts I assume to be false. A room for the thoughts I haven't decided where to put, a room for not-knowing, or a room for "uncertainty". The thing is; I'm quite comfortable with all the rooms and the boxes. I have no problems with them at all. The problem, though, is that I can't have boxes without a room. So, usually that's how it works; I hear/read/discover something interesting, but it needs processing before it goes to one of the boxes and then to the rooms. Sometimes, the hall does not have enough space for the processing, so I get lost, confused, and stressed. That is how I can best describe my phobia. The journal helps, and so do meditation and music, but as soon as I open the main door again, I have to start sorting my thoughts out again. It's a good thing, I assume, but it also has its downsides; I can't process a lot of information in short amounts of time. I can't allow every new information to get into my mind, they're just not all welcome. Everything has to be processed and nothing can escape my sight. It can lead to a lot of stress for me to have things not quite figured out yet. Which will make me stop and doubt myself, which will make me stuck in a loop of doubt and negative thoughts. The question now is this; where should I go with this box? Should it go to the first, second, or third room? Or should I simply leave it at the hall? Should I become comfortable with not-knowing where to go with some boxes? Should I make a new room for uncategorised boxes? If so, how should I categorise them in case I wanted to find a specific box? God! This is very confusing! Anyway, thank you, dear journal! You're actually helping ??

I think the intention is not something accessible to anyone outside of the person themselves. While I believe the level of development kind of goes hand in hand with the orientation, the intention remains something else entirely. You just can't know my intentions, just as much as I can't know yours. We can assess each other's levels of development, personality types, etc... But let's not forget our own biases. In my experience, every time I assume someone is intending something, it's probably something in my shadow that I need to revisit. It doesn't necessarily have to be in them at all. It may be just me, and may not be. I can't know their intentions until they say it loud and clear. For all I know, there's a lot that I don't know, and they might have some special knowledge or experience that I have no idea of yet. I so much disagree with this. That perspective can be viewed somewhat as a religious belief. So much like "my perspective is the best perspective". Wanting the community to behave in certain ways and not some other way (just unwanted, not actually unhealthy) I think is limiting to the community as a whole and to us as individuals. Besides, regarding what the "religious fundamentals" are spreading around here; I think there's a lot of truth in it. And in fact, spirituality itself can be seen as a branch of religion, although many may view it superior to religion, but it cannot exist solely without religion, just like a tree cannot exist solely without the land. The point is; let's not demonise religion. There's a lot of wisdom in everything. And everyone shall find what they're looking for.

@Bill W I hear you, and I'm not trying to defend my perspective just because I want to defend it (that'd make me a hypocrite). I actually think it's very valid. @Preety_India Thank you so much. I appreciate your sweet comment and insightful response ??? Here are some points I like to consider; I've experienced it first hand that being on the opposite side of victim/closed-minded and trying to help those who are stuck/struggling have a great effect on my growth, especially on my communication skills and emotional development. I think that playing the role of the teacher is vital for certain aspects of our development. If Leo's past that now, then not everyone is. It's not just about avoiding victim mindsets/closed-mindedness. The responses from the members and moderators very often have been very much insightful, and on a variety of levels. The responses don't only help the recipient, they help everyone. I just can't say no to a deep insight! This also can very well enhance our ability to deal with such people in real life and on other platforms as well. This is a skill that we (at least me) are trying to master. I have a hypothesis. In every community there's going to be all kinds of people no matter how hard you try to eliminate them. I think this place is well balanced already. I don't see what's the point in shifting that balance towards something else that may turn toxic at some point. This point may not be really relevant though. Maybe it would be better to have less of those people, but I already rarely encounter any of them and I believe that if our attention is given to them, then it's a natural part of development. I don't know why would we call it a distraction?! I think everyone is wise enough to determine what a distraction is for themselves. I certainly don't need Leo to tell me what posts are hindering or advancing my personal growth because nobody has knowledge over that, not even me. I just believe in the principle of not rejecting any perspective, no matter how naive it might seem. Besides, this is just an online forum. I don't see any real threats or dangers from those who are accused of being 'backwards'. I think as long as they're not actually harming anyone in any way, whether intentionally or not, and as long as they're not offensive, then I don't see the problem. If you don't like them, just ignore them. I personally don't like some members and moderators. I simply ignore what I don't like. Just basic Law of Attraction!

@Apparition of Jack Even people who have no desire to improve are necessary for us (at least for me). I think there's a lot to learn from victims and closed-minded people. Otherwise, we all should want to become victims and closed-minded for the sake of exploration. Which brings us back to square one. @tsuki ??

@assx95 Don't fall for the trap that many other people fall into. God's will is not something that you look for and find. God's will is happening all the time and in all cases. For example, you being confused and posting this question is God's will, and every answer is also God's will. What seems to be the problem here is that you actually want to change yourself, but you can't because there's an inner conflict between your current self and the self you want to become. You're calling your current conditioned self; 'God's will', and the self you're trying to become; 'responsible and meaningful'. These two selves are actually in conflict. But they both are irrelevant to the concept of God's will, because God's will would already be the case in either case. God's will is just Reality. What you seem to be asking simply is this; how can I change without suffering? And the answer is that you can't, unless you accept the suffering as part of the process. You see, change fundamentally equals death. You're trying to kill your old conditioned self, and trying to give birth to your new self. Have you ever heard of a labour free of suffering?!

Too much wakefulness can become toxic too. You want to maximise your survival and at the same time make sure you enjoy it to the fullest. It's a very fine balance that I'm working towards. I'd spent too much time in solitude, and I'd also spent so much time overwhelming myself with this and that. Both had been extremes that hurt me in some way. The former hurt my survival, and the latter hurt my happiness. But then I realised that there's a middle path. And so, here I am.

That's true, until you become tired of being here, and then you'll start wanting to get there once again. It's an endless loop. Inhale and exhale. Your ego is currently dead. You need to revive it consciously, or you can let life do that for you while you're observing. It's time for the resurrection. It's time to rise.

@Leo Gura So, you're finally gonna actually become melting snow, and wash yourself of yourself? ? Anyway, I don't support this decision. For two reasons; I find that people who are looking for help will find what they're looking for, and people who aren't serious will find what they're looking for as well. So, I don't see the point in calling the unwanted opinions/contributions a distraction. As long as there is proper moderation, I think things will remain fine. I think when the collective gives attention to the "low quality" content, then it must be a natural and a necessary part of our development. So, by taking ownership of ruling out everything you view as low quality, that'll make the lower levels become high, and the higher levels become low, as they must, due to the lack of awareness that'll be created. I hope I'm not misunderstanding your decision. But to be more honest, I hope I am. And I hope you'll consider the points I've mentioned. Thank you.

You should never demonise anything, including the very act of demonisation. Everything has a certain vibration, which gives it a certain power, which makes it have a certain purpose. Learn to view things in term of value. Instead of reacting unconsciously to external and internal changes, accept the changes, observe the dynamics, and learn how to make use of them. That's tier two thinking. Nothing is inherently good neither bad, everything should be viewed as a neutral tool for you, and from that place you will gain access to using it however you want, while at the same time being aware of your desire to control. It's tricky and it requires awareness and practice. But how could demonisation be good? Isn't it a form of racism? Isn't racism objectively bad? (a stage Green person might ask). And the answer is; not at all. Racism is not inherently bad. Again, it's all relative in the end. You can have good racism, and in fact, we as humans already have. We are racists against bacteria, for example. And the bacteria aren't even trying to hurt us. They're just being themselves. It's only us who take things personally and act from that place. It's a superpower to be completely unbiased to your person, but at the same time it's still a superpower, which gives you better access to and better control of reality. It just isn't you who will be in control. You simply won't be there. From there on, It'll be God. Only God can have access to that kind of power. .. My system is still messy and I'm still experimenting. I'm glad that I'm becoming more and more aware everyday. Yesterday's mistakes get corrected today, and so on. That's why observation is one of the most fundamental skills you can cultivate. .. Great hit! ??????

Of course. The mind is God! What else would it be?! That's the key point. You keep demonising the devil until you realise that there is no devil to begin with, and that it's nothing other than God. God and the devil must become one for you, or else you're still alive, living in the realm of duality. Don't mind the mind, my friend ? I know that. And I know that even enlightened masters like Ralston don't agree with me about love. I'm not telling you to believe me. I'm just inviting you to contemplate the most fundamental aspect of reality. If being is not love, then what else is it?

Sure thing. No disagreements here. The point is; why even be concerned about that issue (fear of the future)? One pain would already be enough for you (if you were to be sentenced to that torture scenario), so why make it many? Do you see what you're doing here? You're creating a lot of unnecessary suffering in the present moment just by thinking about your future fears. If things were to be so bad as you imagine they would, then let them be, and just endure. Obviously, you don't have to suffer right now (or ever for that matter). You actively create your suffering by resisting the pain, the thoughts, or whatever there is in the present moment. And just to let you know, a lot of the things I thought were so bad and painful didn't feel as bad as I imagined them to be. Reality is always much more neutral than thoughts make it to seem. Thought is brutal and reality is soft. In fact, I always thought that letting go is painful, but now I know that it's the most joyful thing there is. Letting go is freedom! Break out of this imaginary jail you're living in. You can do it, you can become free.

I am really sorry to hear that. But I also am sorry to disappoint you. If anything, you (the mind) haven't died yet. I don't think the experience itself or its depth make any difference. I personally haven't had profound mystical experiences where weird things happen almost at all, but I have died many times. And death here means the loss of identification. It's a state of complete surrendering (by choice), and sometimes of complete submission (forced surrendering) to reality. When I first died, I didn't even know it. That's why it was pure death, because I wasn't there. And most certainly, death feels like Love, and it is like Truth. Actually, there's no better way to describe death than Love/Truth. They're all identical, but certainly not for the mind. (I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude or offend you or anything like that). The point is that perhaps 'you' have experienced some higher states, but perhaps the problem is that 'you' were there while 'you' shouldn't have been. It's very tricky, because one the one hand you should seek death but if you seek it you won't find it, and on the other hand you should stop seeking it for it to come to you because it's seeking you. It's really really tricky, because it is difficult to predict how your mind will react to any given pointer. If I were you, I would focus more on contemplation instead of meditation. It seems to me like there may be some misunderstandings about some fundamental issues, and that in my experience can only be fixed through contemplation. I'm sure you're very experienced and I'm probably preaching to the choir, but there's nothing I could offer you besides that in order for you to verify my claims. My main claim is that you have experienced love, but you may have a different definition of love, that's why you didn't see it. And actually, people do that all the time, Love is present right here and right now, no matter what. That's what contemplation revealed to 'me' when I wasn't there.

It sure would seem so, to the mind! And when I say the mind, I mean the attachment to knowledge (the stories we love) and the fear of the unfamiliar or the unknown. The mind which always creates explanations for everything, including this unexplainable and mystical miracle, you know, to make it feel like home. They're all just stories in the end, including that indescribable thingy you've experienced. Perhaps, if you stayed there a little bit more, you would have become familiar with it and started creating stories about it. Consider the many stories we, humans, have created so far about this mystical thing we live in. I'm pretty sure it felt quite far from logic at first, but then the mind (story-teller) was born and demystified it. The mind needs to demystify everything because mystery is scary! And because Love is insane! You simply are not going to know. But see, the mind won't accept that, and will keep trying to know, until it surrenders of course. Or, maybe that's just what my story says. Who actually knows?! I don't know! ? Said the drug-dealer ?

Or maybe because Nothing and Everything are identical. The way I see it is that "Nothing" excludes what humans usually think of something as just a something, because we can't have a 'something' alone, because there's no actual separation between any "two things", because everything is interconnected. So, I perceive the word Nothing as a pointer, meaning; stop thinking! You never are going to know it all. You're always going to be missing something. It is what it is.