LfcCharlie4

^^^^ There is often a period where it becomes like impossible to function, and a period where this new understanding has to be somewhat integrated so you can function haha.

Honestly, I think that may of been because he was talking to someone stuck in the Solipsism mindset, hence he modulated the teachings. Or maybe it's a semantic issue, the whole foundation of his teaching is that Consciousness is all that exists, and that no separate self has ever existed etc. He always says how experience is always one, is never split up into a multiplicity and diversity of things, and that all there truly is, is 'Consciousness' and that mind is simply a thought and a concept in the waking state. Albeit a useful one. I do agree though, he sometimes longs out his speech and over intellectualizes, which can make it hard to follow whether he is talking from an asbolute POV, or whether he is talking more relatively, for a proponent of the Direct Path, his use of language could be more direct.

@Hello from Russia yeah of course, all good teachers will tell you this. Buddhas parable of the raft is the perfect example. At the end of the day, you are your own Guru, teachers are just there to help your realise the truth of your own being, not as someone to cling onto forever.

Agree with this. I still think teachers like him would be much more effective working with students 1-1, it's just he's so popular nowadays it's impossible I guess.

@Leo Gura I'm not sure he does. We can agree to disagree though This from 9 minutes clears this up. 'Each of us now is essentially the light of pure being.' 'In some cases this being is still veilled by thoughts and feelings, and in others it is much more clear.' 'Just the nature of my being is clear to me.'

@Leo Gura Personally I don't class Ralston as fully awake either, he doesn't seem to have awakened to unconditional love, or stabilized in the Absolute. It's a rare that a student will outgrow a teacher, so naturally they'll only reach Ralson's level of understanding, a bit like Fred's 1-1 students will likely awaken to No-Self, but not go beyond, as that's where he's at. My point was mainly if guys like Rupert Spira, Francis Lucille & Adya focused on 1-1 they'd be much more effective, I've been on some of these guys webinars and it's like your listening to other people's awakening struggles (which has it's value at somepoints) and not your own, it just isn't as direct as it could be. This is not shitting on these guys as I regard them very highly, and it's kind of the 'industry standard' to do it this way. @Hello from Russia He's of course awakened, I just wouldn't class him as finished, if you resonate with him, get what you can from him, but it's likely to fully finish you'll need to move on from him

@Leo Gura Agreed. Non-Duality books become pointless to read once you awaken, it's like reading beginner exercise books after 30 years of working out and being jacked. But, as you say they have their use in the early stages of this journey. @docs20 Yes of course other books will have uses, depending on your own problems and what is relevant to your situation. Money issues? go read finance books & business books. Health issues? Go read health & fitness books. Want to learn how to become a good parent? Go read a parenting book. You get the idea, books are useful for solving your problems and relative issues, but once you solve that problem, you can move on from that particular book. Fiction is different completely as it is storytelling and entertainment, and is mainly read for fun and pleasure, of course if you enjoy fiction, keep on reading it.

I'm still yet to find anyone fully Self-Realized from the Psychedelic path, by this I mean Francis Lucille, Rupert Spira, Ramana Maharshi realization. I'm not saying this won't happen in the future, and am open to it, but I mean from here it seems like Psyches give you insights and experiences, but eventually need to be let go, I think you said your experience was like this. Still think working with a teacher 1-1 & transmissions are the most direct path to awakening, and am yet to see any evidence suggesting otherwise. For example Rupert awakened by....spending a lot of time and working with Francis& Francis awakened by.....spending a lot of time and working with Jean Klein. The pattern is pretty obvious among the true advaita teachers, aside from Spontaneous awakenings, but banking on that, is like banking on winning the lottery as your source of income. The reason 99% of Guru's students are not awake is because to suit the masses, the mainstream guys have to talk to big crowds and do group meditations and inquiry sessions, and people get to ask like a few questions on retreats, it's just very sub-optimal. It's like trying to learn an instrument or sport in a group setting, it is nowhere near as effective as working with a coach/ teacher 1-1 where you can go over your own personal struggles, blockages and issues, and actually overcome these, instead of waiting 5 months until the next retreat where you can get a 10 minute answer one time. I am not saying group teachings, and talking to crowds don't have their perks and effectiveness& I'm sure they help a lot of people, it's just working 1-1 would lead to far better teacher/ student results, at least from what I've seen. When you Self-Realize and if you decide to carry on teaching, you would help a LOT more people by directly teaching them 1-1 than with your Non-Duality videos, again not saying they don't have effectiveness and are of course worthwhile, I just don't think they are the best primary focus if you want to help people awaken.

@Carl-Richard Yeah I agree, I just feel you can meditate more than once during the day, so I wouldn’t compare it completely to bodybuilding. Like when standing in line, a break at work, etc etc, I recommend the book “No mind, no problem” by Ramaji aboht this, but yes, I feel it’s a stepping stone to natural rest, effort is required until it isn’t anymore as they say And, different strokes for different folks, but I agree it shouldn’t be neurotic, post awakening the integration happens mostly naturally anyways I feel.

@Nahm Lol it’s so fun isn’t it, who knew going from The odd Guided Meditation 5 years ago would lead to this journey...

@SamueLSD We're young bro it's all good But seriously, here's my routine if you wake up feeling groggy- Buy some Morning DTox pills, I assume they have them in the US, this is the UK version- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Morning-D-TOX-After-Drinking-Digestion/dp/B07F6J1DXV/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=morning+d-tox+maximedix&qid=1591088066&sr=8-1 I take 2-3 before bed and upon waking. As well as a glass of normal water & then lemon water (great for detoxing the liver), then after about 15-30 mins I'll have 16-32 Oz Celery juice depending how bad I feel, followed up by a cold shower and some Wim Hof breathing. You'll feel good as good within an hour of waking While my friends were dying & complaining sunday morning, I was up doing some work, and I used to suffer with such shitty hangovers. @playdoh If you're vegging out watching lots of TV and Movies, just invest in some blue light blocking glasses, if you're eating shitty food, look up how to counteract it, and if you're listening to music....ENJOY IT! Oh, and if you're going overboard with the GF, or having lots of sex in general, just get some Maca (Now Foods is probs the best brand) and then some Zinc, and take them every time after to prevent that shitty groggy feeling you get after. Really helps prevent energy drainage. @Carl-Richard Also, wanted to add I wasn't talking about myself regarding Mindfulness, more for beginners. I do feel we have to at some point make a conscious effort to be 'mindful' or we end up isolating our meditation practice as something separate, when in reality Meditation isn't something we do, it is simply what we are, and post-awakening becomes a 24/7 'practice' but even calling it a practice is too much. I agree it can get neurotic, but I feel taking time consciously throughout the day to become aware of our presence can be very helpful, but like you said don't make it a neurotic attachment, in reality Mindfulness is just a concept that helps people get more in touch with the nature of their own being, and then like all other concepts can be dropped. Of course the terminology could be much better, presence is simply what you are, it is just recognizing and abiding as that, which then becomes an effortless process. But, that Mindfulness practice is like a Bike's training wheels, they need to be let go of eventually, but provide a very helpful function in the learning process. Kind of like learning to ride a bike, at first you think about and practice, then it becomes more and more automatic, until you are automatically riding the bike without thinking, I would say abiding as your true nature is like that, at least in my experience, it isn't now an effort to 'be mindful', it is simply abidance as this, permanently.

@Carl-Richard I hear you man, I feel regular Meditation practice allows mindfulness to naturally occur in people anyways, and organically people become more in touch with presence, and notice it more. As you say, it's always there, but for 99.9% of people, they are completely unaware. @playdoh Bro, you can enjoy life, just because you're now into spirituality doesn't mean you can't enjoy some food & music, and a beer or two.

Yeah, I agree, but being mindful just means becoming more aware, so just start being more “present” in your day, and when you slip into overthinking, just bring yourself back to what you’re doing, eventually it becomes natural. no need to remind yourself 24/7 like you said lmao

@playdoh The best I can give you is just setting actual work hours to work on your Biz, getting rid of any distractions, so turn your phone off etc, and make a set to do list with exactly what you need to get done that day. In terms of developing overall discipline just check out a book mate

Yeah, I feel “discipline” has its place in life, especially when you’re starting something, for example going to the gym or work or a business, you need to be disciplined enough to do it X amount of time, and consistently. If you rely on working on your business when you’re highly motivated it won’t work, this is where developing discipline will help as a foundation for life. But, discipline can then evolve into habits, like instead of eating that chocolate bar, you naturally eat a banana, and then after developing habits you get to “effortless discipline.” For example, let’s say you decide you want to meditate every morning, and at first it’s a struggle, but after a while you’ll begin to fall in love with it and get excited for your meditation, and then it becomes what I call “effortless discipline” and even more accurately “spontaneous action.” But, to lay a good foundation in life I would say discipline is certainly key, and learning how to focus for long periods, eliminate distractions, stick to things long term etc are great skills we need to cultivate in life. However, if you genuinely hate doing something, like let’s say you love running but hate the gym, I don’t see the value in forcing yourself to go gym, you should follow doing what you love and deviate yourself to running, and follow your heart, this is where “effortless discipline” comes in! But, by developing your discipline, they’ll be days you don’t feel as motivated to run, and your discipline can get you through it. I personally don’t go to the extremes of like Jocko and Goggins lol, but these guys can be great to learn from for very foundational basic discipline development if you are quite a lazy person, but by fusing discipline with things you love you create the ideal situation of effortless discipline where naturally you want to eat healthy, exercise, work on your projects etc, it can take a while though! So, if you’re struggling with this I would say read a few books on the basics and what not, but then also use your spirituality to evolve it into something much more loving than Navy Seal training lol! sorry for the rant!

@Michael569 please can you post your knowledge on other sources of caffeine as most of this has been about coffee. So things like Green Tea, after a 30-90 caffeine detox and everything like that- cheers

Below is a video where a women says how she wants to enjoy life but wants to be “realized.” She is under the assertion you can’t do both, and Francis explains how in fact, realisation allows us to enjoy life even more so, and is very life enhancing and doesn’t have to life denying like many teachers make it out to be. In summary- ENJOY YOUR LIFE!!! its a celebration! have fun! do what you love! there are no rules! Highly recommended watch-

@IAmTheHolySpirit Yes, then I agree, fully feel and process each emotion with your whole body, and by doing this we will actually learn to deal with “negative” emotions much better, I used this technique from my teacher during my recent break up, and it was hell for several days as I was fully feeling instead of suppressing like I used to, but it allowed me to fully process the emotions I was feeling and the break up a lot better

Very well said, true awakening actually allows you to become fully in touch with your feelings and feel them fully. Neo-Advaita for some reason has created the highest “state” in their eyes to be one numbed from feelings, thoughts and what not. As the Zen quote goes- When we are sad, be completely sad, when we are happy, he completely happy.

@IAmTheHolySpirit Im not doubting Mooji has had awakenings, however I feel their are much better teachers out there, this article highlights a lot of scandals surrounding Mooji and his ashram, I highly advise reading it. https://www.google.com/amp/s/bharatabharati.wordpress.com/2019/03/11/inside-the-mooji-cult-be-scofield/amp/

The desire to escape suffering is how many people get involved in this work, or more precisely, the desire for lasting peace and happiness. Everyone always wants happiness! Once we find out that lasting peace and happiness is inherent in ourselves, all that is left is to celebrate life, and then everything we do is simply done as an expression of our understanding, no longer seeking happiness, but expressing it

@Inliytened1 @Meta-Man @The observer Beautiful answers as always guys. Keep being beacons of love on this forum

???????? Perfectly put!

This question always amuses me. It's certainly a valid question from a investigative perspective. The funny thing is, post awakening you'll never ask why God is. You'll just know all that exists is God, and it has always been that way (even right now) It's just that 99.999% of people aren't aware of it, sadly. Check Francis' quote below

@universe Thanks man, yes I do think it effects your sleep if I’m honest. It’s hard to quit, what has helped me is lemon water, cold showers, Wim Hof and celery juice lmao, oh and morning fruit for energy. Will report back in a month, but I feel “normal” again.