r0ckyreed

What are the best, most recommended meditation retreats? I have been getting back into meditation. My main meditation technique is self-inquiry. Any time my mind wanders, I bring it back to the breath and to the question "What am I? What is Consciousness?" I am considering doing a full day at-home meditation retreat in my dark closet, doing the self-inquiry meditation technique before I consider going to a Vipassana Retreat. Is going to Vipassana Retreats even worth it or is it a group-think distraction? Are At-Home Retreats better than formal retreats?

@Leo Gura I’m gonna start reading the life coaching books you have on your booklist. What are some of the traps to avoid and how do you recommend I get started? I’m a licensed therapist, but I mainly want to get involved in coaching to have more freedom since being a therapist, I cannot practice out of the state I’m licensed in. I think I already have sufficient training and now I just need to create a website and market myself to get clients.

@Leo Gura @Davino What do you think of The Mind Illuminated meditation by John Yates? I’m going to try that out this week. I got the book and am going to do the work.

Thanks. I will make that a goal to meditate 10 days no concepts when I accrue enough PTO at work. Until then, I will aim to do 30 minutes to 1 hour a day and then do an intense weekend retreat and will do psychedelics whenever I can get them again. Thanks for all your help and support!

Thanks. I just now did a 30 minute practice and felt a wave of joy and gratitude move up my spine. The practice I did involved 4 techniques/stages: 1. Grounding (Mindfulness) 2. Self-Inquiry 3. Vision/Goals Reflection 4. Gratitude (or Satisfaction Meditation) It sounds like you recommend strict mindfulness practice. I will give that a try for the next 10 days. Thanks.

It’s Deepak Chopra. Russell is the participant. Trump could’ve been the participant and it still would’ve been a good meditation. Chopra is the facilitator.

Wanted to share a cool guided self-inquiry meditation that I really like. Enjoy!

Thanks. I will give it a go. I will vary breath-awareness with self-inquiry. It’s hard for me to devote to a 10 days straight of meditation due to my career. The best opportunity to do psychedelics and deep meditation is on the weekends. The reason for me combing self-inquiry with breath-awareness is to get the benefits of contemplation and stillness. I find if I focus too much on breath-awareness, my curiosity is stunted. If I focus too much on self-inquiry/contemplation, then my stillness is stunted.

Do you do breath-awareness meditation like described in Mind Illuminated or do you do self-inquiry/contemplation?

Is it reasonable to do multiple meditation techniques during a day sit or just stick with one technique for the day? I find that using a combination a breath-awareness, self-inquiry, looking at my hands, and existential contemplation seem to work well for me. @Leo Gura You don’t think self-inquiry would be more fruitful than mindfulness meditation? Is your go-to meditation technique still looking at your hands to stay in actuality or do you do the see, hear, feel meditation or The Mind Illuminated?

@Leo Gura Do you ever do contemplation retreats? My biggest issue with meditation is that when I quiet the mind via focusing on the breath, I find myself dissociating and falling asleep. It’s like if my mind is inactive, I either fall asleep or dissociate. What I have done to help this is keep my eyes open and look at my hands and contemplate my hands and consciousness. For some reason, I find that me looking at my hands and contemplating the mystery of the present moment raises my consciousness even more than quieting my mind via focusing on breath. It is easier for me to be more present and have higher consciousness via contemplation/self-inquiry. My main meditation technique these days is looking at my hands and the room, returning the mind to the breath and the questions “Who am I, what is consciousness, what is the present moment?” And I just sit with that question and connect with deep not-knowing and the mystery of the now. I find this method better than traditional anapanasati/vipassana. Thanks.

Which meditation retreats do you recommend? Are there any websites you recommend?

Thanks mate. That guy must’ve been dissociating instead of meditating. No way you can claim your mindful but yet so clueless. I am thinking that retreats might create some kind of excuse or attachment to them. Why can’t I just do it at home? Why am I dependent on the structure of a retreat? At some point, I think these retreats become money grabs because the ancients didn’t have the luxury that we have today. They meditated in caves in which case I wonder why I get a fancy retreat when my closet is closest to a cave? When you do vipassana, do you just focus on breath? What is your technique that you do?

Low quality. If you did awaken, congrats. Now you realize you are a figment within my imagination.

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I’ve been thinking about the purpose of relationships and the insight hit me and it seems so obvious now. The purpose of romance and relationships is to entrench you deeper into the illusion. I’ve been contemplating why it is hard for me to build friendships and romantic relationships with others. I figured out that most people do not want to talk about deep things such as philosophy, politics, and spirituality. They just want to dive deeper into their illusions and not question reality. I hardly ever meet friends or let alone romantic interests that actually care about truth. Caring about truth is so rare. I’m starting to realize that the purpose of a relationship is not about truth. It’s about enhancing the dream/illusion. All this pickup, attracting women, and getting horny is a complete waste of time. But hey, do you. If you don’t care about truth, then relationships and sex are for you. But if you are someone like me who can’t stop contemplating reality, then consider that relationships are part of the matrix. There’s no issue with enjoying the matrix. You can’t escape the matrix, but the pursuit itself of sex/relationships will not bring you an understanding of reality. Relationships are about survival, not truth. I’m not saying don’t have fun, to not pursue relationships. I’m just stating that you’re fooling yourself if you make that your sole pursuit in life. If you do those things, just realize that you’re not prioritizing truth at that moment. You’re distracting yourself with human desires. Nothing wrong with that. Just be honest with yourself. I have deconstructed the fantasy of a hot witch truth-seeking girlfriend.

I have recently been conversing with atheists on the existence of God. It’s amazing how closed minded atheists are. It’s even more disgusting than fundamentalists. I came up with my own arguments. But I still think that out of all the arguments, the contingency argument is the best. Here’s my version of the contingency argument: 1. Either reality exists necessarily or it is contingent. 2. If reality is contingent, then there must be something beyond it that explains why reality exists. 3. But “something beyond reality” is incoherent, since reality includes everything that exists. 4. Furthermore, if reality were entirely contingent, then the structures of logic, science, and rationality we rely on would themselves be contingent and arbitrary, undermining any confidence we have in rational thought itself. 5. Therefore, reality cannot be contingent and must exist necessarily. 6. This necessary reality is the uncaused, self-existent ground of all being, which is referred to as God. Response to anticipated objections: What is the cause of God? You’re assuming that there is a cause of God. Since God is necessary existence, its nature is infinite. Which means that if you tried to trace the cause of something that is uncaused you will end up in an infinite regress since that is the nature of infinite being. Why call it God and not just reality or the universe? Because what is meant by universe and reality is viewed as unintelligent and materialistic. The reason it is called God is because the properties of God describe necessary existence as infinite intelligence/mind. What if you’re wrong and reality is contingent? Tell me atheist how you are able to even read these words, argue, and enjoy a painting of Picasso? You really think reality is an accident and random? Thats akin to a painter replicating nature through their art by putting a blindfold on and throwing paint against the wall. If reality is contingent, then what is preventing it from being necessary? Whatever that is, would be necessary!!

I am actually convinced no argument will convince an atheist. I made a TikTok about deconstructing atheism and how atheism isn’t simply the mere lack of belief but is a rejection/dismissal of God. I made the case that if God was as clear as day to them by meditation or psychedelics, they would dismiss the experience/evidence and call it a hallucination in the same way that a flat earther will dismiss any evidence for the earth being round. I don’t think anything will convince an atheist and that isn’t my problem. You can’t force openmindedness on someone. I got a whole bunch of comments saying that atheism isn’t a worldview or belief system but is a suspension of belief. But that doesn’t make sense because there are atheist communities formed and many of them share similar beliefs such as materialism, evidentialism, scientism, etc. They argue that atheism is like being a non-stamp collector. But yet, they make such an identity out of that, which entails atheism being more than just absence of belief. The very fact that atheists argue with me presupposes a belief.

I just got accepted for an apartment at a country club. Rent is going to be about $1000 after utilities. I won’t be able to move in until September. I was wondering if you all had any general advice on apartment living for first time. It seems like a nice apartment complex with a pool, golf course, and gym. The apartment building is 2 stories so I want to know if you all recommend being on the top floor or bottom floor. I’m excited for this part in my personal development because I have lived with my supportive parents at our beautiful home in the woods for my whole life. I’m excited to be fully independent and face adulthood. Thanks.

Thanks guys. I worked on my assertiveness and asked them more questions. They have a 12month lease and a 6 month. I asked the difference and they said the 6 month adds $75 to rent. When I actually move in, I plan on taking a video of the place or pictures just to cover myself. They have a no smoking policy, so if I was to do DMT one day, I will have to plug it and not smoke it.

Thanks guys. I’m excited. It will add 5-10 minutes of commute to work. But not a big deal.

Here’s a powerful secret meditation technique I learned: 1. Settle in and imagine an empty desert. In this quiet empty desert, visualize a pyramid made out of crystal. See it as vividly as you can. Any thought that captures you, return back to the pyramid. 2. Notice the pyramid fading away to nothingness, along with the desert. 3. Sit in the empty stillness for as long as possible. Any thought that’s come up, see them fading away like the pyramid. 4. As you sit in the stillness, just notice consciousness itself. Don’t try to do anything. Just notice what consciousness is doing. Ask the question: “What is consciousness? What am I?” Don’t try to answer it with more thought, just notice. The answer is a shift in consciousness. That is my secret meditation technique. Hope you enjoyed it.

I feel like that is where I’m at. I see the market. I’ve been on Hinge, approached at the bars. But I don’t see anyone worth dating and being vulnerable with again.

Thanks. There’s still value. But going forward, I’m not gonna expect women to care about philosophy and awakening like I used to. The reason why I have difficulty with relationships is because I love talking about philosophy, politics, and other controversial topics. And I know the majority of people don’t wanna have those discussions. I don’t want to lower my thinking to low conscious stuff like sports, gossip, sex, etc. Right now, relationships seem like a waste of time to me. It requires so much work to maintain them with no guarantee that it will work. I don’t want kids and most women do. I don’t think women can handle me existentially. I’m trying to get out of my hometown by age 30. How do you do it Leo? How do you stay motivated despite the annoying games of attraction and breakups? Why pursue a woman if you can pursue God? A woman’s love is conditional. @Leo Gura

I already got an LP and good stuff going for me. I understand why relationships exist. The purpose of relationships is to deepen my dream, not to awaken. Relationships are corrupted by the human survival agenda. The whole concept of courting and dating is already full of corruptions and self-deceptions. Dating isn’t about truth. It’s about what makes you feel good. LP is also part of the matrix as well. I’m not saying the matrix is bad. We need to have money to have food to be able to survive for us to be able to contemplate and awaken. But don’t mistake that money and food are figments of the dream. I believe it’s possible to have a conscious relationship and awaken. But just realize that most of everything in life is designed to keep you asleep (ex: money, work, relationships, sex, religion, politics, etc.), aside from psychedelics. Hell, I’m even contradicting myself right now by making this post. The majority of the posts I make is a self-deception, another matrix that I use to remind myself of the matrix I am in.