Insightful27

I agree with you! I think meaning is something that is really core to our lives, and as you say, most of the other benefits we get through contemplative practice will change depending on our current life circumstances.

Yes, that is correct.

@UnbornTao Thank you for your kind words! I am really excited about the work that we are doing, I will report back with my results when they come in.

@Davino Thanks for taking the survey! You raise a good point, that is something that I will think about in the future.

@EtherNine Very impressive! Thank you for participating, we are trying to recruit people like you.

Hey guys, I'm looking for participants for a research project I am working on. I am currently the primary investigator of a research project on mindfulness at the University of Missouri. I am trying to understand the role that meditation (or other contemplative practices like Kriya) plays in the meaning of one's life. We are using a short (10-15 minutes) questionnaire to collect data related to contemplative practice, meaning in life, negative/positive emotions, and demographic information. All of the data collected is absolutely anonymous and confidential. It is difficult to find enough serious mindfulness practitioners for a study like this, so I would like to extend my gratitude to those of you who have the time to participate and encourage you to pass it along to anyone you know who engages in spiritual practice! As compensation, there will be a drawing for 10 - $50 Amazon gift cards for everyone who completes the questionnaire. If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to message me. Link: https://missouri.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_885vjf6eNPdlhC6 Thanks

I’ve read White Nights and Notes from Underground. I also bought Brothers Karamazov and I tried to read it but it is just so dense it seems pointless. I do recommend Notes from Underground, it is easy to digest and resonated with me a lot. I listened to Jordan Peterson’s commentary on it and I wasn’t disappointed.

The other day @Carl-Richard said something that stuck with me. This made me think of Leo's Burning Through Karma video, Maslow's hierarchy of needs and also David Deida's concept of Life Purpose. I'm at a stage in my life (graduating college) where I am making a lot of major decisions, and it is important to me to clearly understand how to walk on the spiritual path. The idea that I will eventually get to a place where there is "nothing else to do" strikes me as intuitive. Right now in my life the most compelling thing I want to work on is my dating/sex and social life. It seems like if I spend 3-5 years really working on this, then I will be able to move on to "more spiritual" things. My main concern is that this approach will lead to me deluding myself and chasing addictions in circles. Take a cocaine addict for example, will he be able to break out of his cocaine addiction by doing more and more cocaine? Maybe, but how long will it take before he reaches a breaking point? Modern psychology/neuroscience views addiction like a physical disease, on the biological level it can be essentially impossible to break away. I'm worried that this is what my pursuit of dating or even my career will turn into. Wouldn't it make more sense to take the path of renunciation, and free myself that way? I know that in that video Leo said this is an option, but that it maybe less practical. I really want to hear other people's experiences and perspectives. What has your experience been like with this approach to spirituality?

Yeah I am going to pursue Kriya, it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while. Thank you for your responses!

Also, I really like how you put this. This really resonates with where I am in my life right now. Always appreciate hearing your thoughts.

LOL, I should've said that I don't know if that is true. I haven't spent much time in the eastern yoga world...

@Leo Gura Thanks for the response! I bought a couple of the Kriya books that are on your book list. Is the best way to learn through reading those, or is there a more formal in-person course that I should take (like Goenka)? I have heard that Kriya can be dangerous without guidance, but I haven't confirmed that.

@cetus I started following Leo's content and meditating in 7th grade. I have found that as I have gotten older that there are some boxes lower on Maslow's Pyramid that I haven't checked off yet.

@aurum I've read a couple of his books, I really like him. Would love to go on a retreat with him in the future.

I’ve spent a lot time doing Buddhist meditation practice and I have done multiple intense retreats. On my last retreat, I found myself (20yrs) wondering if there was a spiritual practice more aligned with where I am in my life (energy level, drive, ambition). I find it really tedious to sit in zen mind when I want to be doing something competitive like martial arts or pursuing my life purpose (psychology). I’m not sure if it was Leo or someone else who said that young men with lots of testosterone makes poor monks, but I’m finding that to be true. I wanted to see if anyone in this community has any ideas of spiritual practice that might be more effective for someone in my position, or if anyone has any thoughts on this topic in general. Thanks!