r0ckyreed

Supreme Court 101

This is why polyamory exists. Look into it. Monogamy isn’t for everyone.

Amen. I would say on number 2 that you do have innate knowledge since you are the Universe. But the Universe is always a mystery to itself.

If an alien held a gun held to your head and said to you, "Tell me what you know with 100% absolute certainty about reality, consciousness, and awakening, or I will blow your head off!" What would you say? Me: "I can only know that Consciousness exists, but I do not know exactly what Consciousness actually is. I just know that experience of some sort is happening. I assume that this experience is true, but I do not know whether this gun you are holding is actually real or if it is not just a dream or some toy gun you have to scare me. I do not know if solipsism is true or if Infinity of Gods is true because all I know is within the limits of my finite human experience. The only thing I know with 100% certainty that exists is the Universe/God/Experience. The idea of a first cause is a belief because the human mind will invent distinctions between what is a cause and what isn't. There is nothing in the Universe that can tell me the first cause of you pulling the trigger of this gun you have to my head. Scientists will say it is neurons in the brain, but then if we study it further maybe something else could be found. But then we could trace it back to it being caused by an experience that you had (assuming you aren't a philosophical zombie) that led you to want to come down here and ask me this very stupid question in the first place. But then that "cause" would have another "cause" and another until we realize that we are literally in the Mind of God right now and it is infinite and eternal, which means that it is entirely uncaused. To even say that "causes" exist is to presuppose a duality and posit something outside of the caused and the causer. There is no such thing as a first cause. Alien: But then what is God but not a first cause? Me: God is simply All That Exists. God is not the source of existence. God is the very substance of Existence itself. Existence has no source because that would assume there is something outside of existence. But there isn't anything outside of existence because even non-existence would have to be an idea inside of existence. Alien: Then what are you so afraid of what will happen if I pull this trigger? Me: I am afraid of losing all of my attachments to everything I have experienced in the flesh. The Universe is experiencing itself through this human body. It has attached itself to survival and is afraid of non-existence. Alien: Even though you stated that non-existence is an idea in existence, you still fear death? Me: Yes, because it exists. If non-existence didn't exist, then I wouldn't have to worry about it right? But I will die, which all that means really is that I will lose this story and dream I have experienced in this body, but I will continue another story through your body right now. So, in essence, I am you, experiencing you right now in another life. But because time is not linear in the realm of eternity, I am experiencing all lives simultaneously together. I can feel secure knowing that death is an illusion, but I will still have the fear because I am attached. All fear is is attachment to the ego. But without ego, there can be no life at all. We have to have a reference point to have any notion of experience at all. That is the great paradox. Without a body, what would the Universe be experiencing? Can you see how perfect and intelligent this design of the Universe is? We couldn't be just a floating consciousness experiencing reality because then how could you have an experience of anything at all? How could you experience pain if there is nothing, nobody, and no-body? You see, God, the Universe is in a show playing with itself for all eternity. I am laughing now because this is what is happening now. Go ahead and pull the trigger. I am ready to experience your life and why you decided to shoot me. Maybe I will find out. Alien: See you. What are your thoughts?? What could you say that you truly know with absolute certainty?? The point of this thought experiment is to get you to really hone in on what is true knowledge vs. belief. If you claim you have had an awakening into reality, let’s put it to the test. Are you willing to put your life on the line for that “insight”? Or is it really just a belief? Edit: That alien would’ve blown my head off much earlier than it did.

If you truly know nothing, then what is awakening? If you truly know nothing, then how can you say anything is true or false? Clearly there is something you do know.

Just reading a book is self-discipline. Read the 5 am club by Robin sharma.

I asked Claude AI about how to get into investing and build wealth. Here is the conversation: Me: I am wanting to get into investing. Let me picture this scenario. Let's say I have $50,000 in my savings account. I make $3,100 a month. I plan to allocate $500 a month into investing. What strategy would you recommend? Please be specific. Claude: Here is a potential investment strategy I would recommend for your scenario: Build an Emergency Fund Before investing, ensure you have at least 3-6 months' worth of living expenses set aside in a high-yield savings account or money market fund. This emergency fund will protect you from having to sell investments during a downturn if you lose your job or have unexpected expenses. Open a Tax-Advantaged Retirement Account Open a tax-advantaged retirement account like a 401(k) through your employer or an IRA. Contribute enough to get any employer match if available. The tax savings and compound growth over decades can make a big difference. Open a Taxable Investment Account After maxing out tax-advantaged accounts, open a regular taxable brokerage account to invest additional funds. This will likely make up the bulk of your investable assets initially. Asset Allocation For the $50,000 lump sum and $500 monthly investments, I'd recommend a diversified portfolio of: 60% in low-cost total stock market index funds (e.g. VTI) 30% in a total bond market index fund (e.g. BND) 10% in a total international stock index fund (e.g. VXUS) Automate Investments Set up automatic transfers of $500/month from your bank into the brokerage account to purchase shares on a set schedule. This automates the process and takes emotion out of timing the market. Rebalance Periodically Once or twice a year, check your overall asset allocation and rebalance by selling some assets that are overweight and deploying new funds into underweight areas. This will control risk. Boost Savings Rate As your income grows, try to increase your monthly investment amount. Saving 15%+ of your income can build wealth rapidly over time. The key is developing consistent investing habits through a diversified, tax-efficient strategy that has you buying more shares without trying to time the market. Let me know if you need any clarification or have additional questions! Me: Would you recommend me keeping $15,000 in my savings account and then putting the rest of the $35,000 in a low cost index fund such as VTSAX, and then allocate $500/month into VTSAX? Claude: Yes, that could be a very reasonable approach given your situation. Here's how I would break it down: Emergency Fund: Keep $15,000 in a high-yield savings account as an emergency fund covering 4-5 months' expenses. Invest Lump Sum: Invest the remaining $35,000 lump sum into a low-cost total stock market index fund like VTSAX (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index). Monthly Investments: Invest the $500 per month directly into VTSAX as well. Here are some potential benefits of this approach: You maintain a solid emergency fund cushion while still investing a significant lump sum upfront. By investing the $35,000 and $500/month into a total stock index fund like VTSAX, you get excellent diversification across the entire U.S. stock market in a simple, low-cost way. VTSAX contains thousands of stocks but has an expense ratio of only 0.04%, keeping more returns in your pocket. This allows you to dollar cost average the $500 monthly investments, which can reduce risk somewhat compared to investing the entire $50,000 at once. It's an easy, straightforward approach that avoids overthinking or trying to slice the pie too finely between multiple funds initially. You can always branch out into bonds, international stocks, etc later if desired. But for starting out, putting that $35,000 lump sum and recurring $500 into VTSAX can be an excellent wealth-building strategy over many years. Let me know if you need any clarification or have additional thoughts! Me: If I did this strategy, how much could I make in 40 years given the previous history of the stock market returns and the history of VTSAX? Claude: Okay, let's run some projections based on investing in VTSAX (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund) using the details you provided: Initial Investment: $35,000 lump sum Monthly Investment: $500 ($6,000 per year) Investment Period: 40 years Assumed Annual Return: 8% (Based on historical averages for total stock market) Using a compound interest calculator, here are the potential results after 40 years: Total Contributions (Initial + Monthly): $35,000 + ($6,000 x 40 years) = $275,000 Balance After 40 Years With 8% Annual Return: $2,655,202 So if you invest that $35,000 lump sum upfront, add $500 per month, and earn a 8% annualized return over 40 years, your ending balance could potentially be around $2.65 million. However, it's important to note that returns vary year-to-year and 8% is just a long-term average estimate based on historical U.S. stock market performance. Some years will be higher, some lower. But this illustrates the powerful compounding that can occur when investing consistently over decades. The monthly additions, while modest, add up substantially thanks to time and compounding. Of course, there are no guarantees when it comes to investing. But based on the fundamentals of regular investing in a diversified total stock fund like VTSAX, you could potentially accumulate well over $2 million in 40 years from that $35,000 start. Let me know if you need any other projections or have additional questions! _____________________________________ What are your all's thoughts on investing, especially in low cost index funds through Vanguard? I am new to investing, but I really want to start investing my money wisely. Thanks!

I wanted to point out a trap that I noticed in others and in myself in regards to teachers and gurus. I have noticed the trap that people tend to pedestalize and give their authority away to spiritual gurus/teachers. But in reality, this will prevent you from reaching the highest levels of consciousness because you need to learn to listen and trust in your own intuition. You can never learn to trust your own instincts and think for yourself if you are always asking others questions before you contemplate them for yourself, especially to people such as Leo, Grandmaster Wolf, Jed McKenna, Peter Ralston, Rupert Spira, Noam Chomsky, or whomever. What you are forgetting is that everyone is filled with a false teaching. Within EVERY Actualized.org video, there is a false teaching. Within EVERY book you read, there is a false teaching. Within EVERYTHING you heard from Sadhguru, Jesus Christ, or your Buddha, there is a false teaching. It doesn't matter how awake you get, you are still human and in this finite form, and as such, are still subject to the attacks of self-bias and self-deception. Just because you have had a mystical insight into reality does not mean you have gotten rid of all your false teachings. One of the best practices I think is to burn all teachings, all teachers, and learn to trust in yourself again. You have all the answers within you. You have innate knowledge about the Universe/Consciousness, but you just are not aware of it because you keep chasing the answers outside of yourself through these so-called gurus. They may not be conscious of it, but their teachings can easily become a distraction and deception because the more compelling the teaching, the bigger the problem for you. The reason why I say this is because compelling teacher or teaching has your attention turned away from your innate knowledge of God. However, on the flip side of things, we could say that everyone and everything in your experience is your teacher and teaching. Beginner's Mind is still an important concept. We have to allow ourselves to not know and learn from other sources as well. The difference here is that there is no pedestalized teacher or teaching. As soon as you give authority and attachment to a teacher/teaching, that is when you have messed up. Everything is your teacher/teaching, but you become a slave to the Matrix when you become attached to anything outside of your direct experience. I hope you can see the difference in pedestalization/attachment to teachers/teachings vs. becoming your own greatest teacher through trusting in your own Self, your innate knowledge, and direct experience. This does not mean that we shouldn't read books anymore or listen to podcasts. It just means that we still question everything we experience and continue to take responsible for our job to contemplate everything directly for ourselves. This behavior of pedestalization and not taking intellectual responsibility is one of the main reasons for the existence of all the corruption, group-think, cults, and war that we see in the world and in our spiritual communities. Hope this is helpful.

One of my favorite blog posts: https://www.actualized.org/insights/the-metamorphosis-of-my-work

Thanks!

Oh thanks! I found it. I realized I had to put a space after the /insights/ Keyword

This really helped me. Thank you OP for the reminder.

I agree. There was a post he made a while ago about contemplation, and I tried to look it up the way he told me and the page doesn’t exist. You have to type the exact title of the blog in correctly, and if you don’t know the entire name of the blog post, then you are screwed. That way of searching doesn’t do keywords, it goes off of the full title. There definitely needs to be a search bar. I have been using @FlyingLotus post with the links to blog posts to help me out.

You are absolutely right. In the beginning we need people. However, there comes a time when it is beneficial to begin to pave our own path. You go to school and study so to speak, but to live authentically, you have to find a way to make the information your own and develop your own insights. Learning from others is great. If we want to reach our full potential, we need to start thinking for ourselves and developing our own thoughts and insights about reality. We can learn from the Buddha, but at some point, we must leave the Buddha because there comes a point where you outgrow all that stuff or you stagnate. It is indeed a paradox. And a unique path for everyone. Everyone is your teacher. You are your own master.

Thanks for the clarification. I do agree that we are influenced and require some level of indoctrination. Not all indoctrination is bad like you said with learning math and language. We couldn't have this convo without some level of indoctrination and influence from others. However, I want to be clear about the language we are using to articulate points because a guru means spiritual teacher, and technically, they are not required to awaken. People have awakened without them. But I think your other points still stand to be valid. Thanks for your insight. I would revise your original statement to: "Only ego "needs" a teacher God needs no teacher God created the ego God created the paradox"

That no paradox. That is a contradiction. Your first statement is false but your second one is half true. God has no needs. God is the guru.

Lol. Your guru is so full of biases and tricked you into thinking they are advanced. The only thing stopping you from making your own salad is kissing your gurus feet to make it for you. If there is nothing stopping me, then I wouldn’t need to give my authority away.

Correct. Nobody can bring you into the light but yourself. People can encourage you and motivate you, but the answer to enlightenment can only be found inside. Only you can walk that path and nobody else can do it for you. Others can preach all about that and you can listen to them all you want. But at some point, it all becomes a distraction from looking within. All a spiritual teacher is doing is pointing to a place inside yourself. The biggest mistake is looking at their finger instead of going to where they are pointing. This over-reliance on others is bullcrap co-dependency.

The ultimate guru is yourself. I have spent years listening to others, but it was after listening to my own intuition was when I reached my highest levels of growth. We are all faced with two choices of being leaders or followers. The only reason we put these spiritual gurus on pedestals is that they were able to do what we have not yet. They were able to seek the answers through their own innate faculties. If the Buddha learned all he learned through Jesus, then we would be praising Jesus and not Buddha. The only reason people put these guys on pedestals is because they were able to independently derive these insights for themselves and develop self-leadership. We all influence each other. But this doesn’t mean that we do not each have innate knowledge of God. We do.

Beat me to it. Was gonna come back to say this includes ChatGPT. You have to always contemplate how you know any information you receive is true even if it is from Harvard or ChatGPT or any source you consider credible.

Not true at all. With everything I have ever learned, my mind will interpret any teaching in my own unique way. The teaching of no-self, for instance, will not have the same meaning for everyone. This is a flaw in your thinking because insights do not belong to anybody. Every insight ever received came from the Self. Other people have an influence, but we do not have the same insight. I attained many of my insights independent of any teacher. It is a contradiction to say the insights aren’t mine because the very definition of an insight is that it comes from me. If it doesn’t come from me, it is education, indoctrination, or belief. By that very logic, we could say that nobody owns an idea because language was invented by a group of people long ago. Even though, I didn’t invent the English language doesn’t mean that any thought I have in English can’t be original.

It is important to study from others. But awakening is different from your med school analogy because what you are learning is how to help others to live. Whereas, spirituality is how to help yourself to awaken to who you are existentially. In that case, nobody can know that better than you. The path isn’t linear. It is good to study the journeys of others to give you ideas of what is possible. But you have to walk your own path; otherwise, you will waste years of your life.

The alien in me would say, you only know you are experiencing not what you have experienced. What you experienced assumes that there is a past experience other than what you are experiencing now. How do you test the limits without contemplation? Contemplation is the best way I have discovered for testing the limits. Contemplation is the process of unraveling falsehood and experiencing what is true through deep focused curious awareness and questioning.

You didn’t ask him at all about solipsism or Infinite Gods?

I have two perspectives. Perspective 1: Ambition = Desire + Discipline Presence = Mindfulness + Satisfaction + playfulness Ambition + Presence = Success Perspective 2: Be + Do = Have