TDW1995

In order to remove personalization, I guess I need to be clear what I think is the "I." This enlightenment exercise tells me it can't be a point-perceiver.

That makes sense that a lot of sensations would happen at the same time (sound, feelings, etc.). But, a thought can't perceive a feeling sensation. So, what I'm getting at is if "I" is a thought, then that thought can't perceive anything because it's a thought.

@Red-White-Light I'm color blind too haha. But I guess what I literally see is true for me. Just like a snake who may just see black and white is true for him. Not sure if there's a "right" way to see reality.

@Inliytened1 Yeah, I watched that a couple of months ago, but may need a refresher. That video does seem fitting for this topic.

@Leo Gura So, the computer that I'm looking at right now exists for itself, but it sure feels like it relies on a perceiver, otherwise it wouldn't exist (for example, if I left my office). I guess this requires overcoming naive realism, which is something else I'm trying to grasp. @Nahm Sure is Damn

@TrynaBeTurquoise Quite the mindfuck indeed. Finally, after 24 years of subconsciously believing I'm a point-perceiver, my mind is questioning the obvious. @Nahm My mind is trying to grasp this, yet maybe this is something the mind can't grasp.

I am currently at a job that I've had ever since graduating college (1.5 years ago). I do health and wellness coaching for weight management and behavior change, which I find rewarding. However, I have a one hour commute to and from work each day, typically see only three clients/day on average, and I feel that having a long commute and working full time prevents me from having a life outside of work. I'm introverted and feel like I need to spend more time outside the walls of the workplace and my apartment. Recently I applied for a job as a wellness coach in the same town I live in and they want to set up an interview with me, but I feel so attached to the clients and colleagues I work with now. In the end, I do believe that it would be worth it to work closer to home, but at the same time the thought of leaving my current job all of the sudden makes me feel sad. Change is hard for me, but I believe it's very necessary. Does anyone else ever feel this way when going to another job? I'm a very traditional and attached individual, which severely limits my ability to try and do new things. I just need some "kick ass" motivation to accept change when/if it happens.

@kellyon I don't think I'd have any regrets afterwards. It's just getting through the initial change that seems hard and foreign.

@Average Investor Very much appreciate it. I need to reframe my mind that change can be an incredibly positive thing. Although I may think that I like this nice bubble of comfort, I'm just kidding myself and procrastinating from what could be.

@Average Investor I did consider that as well. My friends and I are planning on living together in the same town we are in right now. Plus, I do like the town I am in. Focusing on getting a job closer to the area is the biggest concern right now. Just need to push myself and accept change.

@Vladz0r I completely agree with you. More time alone honing in on professional skills, spiritual development, etc. is important. You saying that I spend 10 hours behind the wheel each week is quite eye-opening to me since I never put that into perspective. @TheSomeBody Definitely don't want to rush into something I don't find rewarding. I try to drive mindfully since it's probably the best use of my commute time. @ZenBlue This is something I'll consider in the future for sure. I graduated from college a year and a half ago, so I'm not sure if I'd be ready for something like that just yet. But, I absolutely will think about this in the future.

@see_on_see I appreciate what you said. I'm really starting to realize the toxicity of being in a bubble of comfort your whole life. It's really preventing me from experiencing new things. And you're right, nothing will last forever, so there's no danger in change.

Is there a component of bravery that is required to realize the truth of no self? For example, I may identify as a people-pleaser in interactions or may act artificially for self-approval in front of others. On top of deep contemplation, meditation, and perhaps yoga practices, should we resist "acting" a certain way in front of other people if that's what we're used to? Or, would just deep questioning be sufficient over time?

I have always believed there are many benefits to being introverted on the self-actualization journey. This helps me isolate myself for meditation and enlightenment work. However, when it comes to relationships, I feel like being extremely introverted, as I am, is a major killer. I am so used to waking up, leaving my apartment to go to work, then coming back home to my apartment to sleep, day after day. I'm so used to this routine that "going out" seems so foreign and difficult for me to consider. I've been to bars before, but it really isn't my scene (don't like alcohol and loud places), but I also know that this is the best place to work on approaching the opposite sex. I know that I need to get out and approach people, but it's so damn hard! Anyone else in this same situation? Any tips on how to gradually push myself to be a little more extroverted and open to going out?

@Michael569 I'm trying to replace coffee with green tea and perhaps raw cocoa if I can find it in the grocery stores. It's good to know this about coffee, but also devastating to people who enjoy it. It's worth the sacrifice.

I eat typically the same food on a regular basis. However, I don't feel like I have much energy throughout the day. My diet is fairly healthy, but I wonder if there are foods that may be low vibrational that I eat often. Here's what a typical day looks like: Breakfast- Greek Yogurt, Banana, somedays I'll have Organic Oats Snack- Peanuts Lunch- Organic Brown Rice, Organic Baby Spinach, Salad Dressing (probably not a healthy version) Dinner- Cottage Cheese, Sweet Potato, Peanut Butter I would like to eat more healthy seafood and/or meat, but I'm lazy when it comes to cooking. I drink around 64 oz. of water and have 2-3 cups of coffee. This is all I drink. Is there anything on this list that may be low vibrational foods (I know that Leo says to avoid dairy)? And, are there any foods/drinks that you have noticed that provide you with energy?

Either way is meditation. When I first started meditating, I focused on an object, such as the breath. When I saw Leo's other techniques on meditation, I started doing those since I found them more enjoyable (like Do Nothing). There are many meditation techniques. Do the one(s) that you enjoy so you're able to maintain a habit.

@pluto will do. @Shiva I average about one serving of fruit and two servings of vegetables each day. I know I need to increase my intake of both fruit and vegetables. Thanks for the ideas! I used to exercise 4-5 days/week doing resistance training. Ever since taking meditation and enlightenment work more serious, I significantly reduced my amount of exercise (maybe once/week). I have noticed I've been doing resistance training for egoic purposes (gain muscle and increase physical attractiveness). I know I need to start exercising again, but meditation and enlightenment work is taking a good amount of time out of my day. Even 30 minutes of some sort of activity every other day I know can benefit me.

Completely agree with @Stakres. You must be completely open-minded and find things out yourself. I have struggled with believing what spiritual teachings say and it is a HUGE trap. Leo has said this over and over again. Peter Ralston spent his whole life questioning everything and he is an incredibly enlightened being. This is so important. You MUST start from ground zero and question your beliefs, assumptions, concepts, etc.

Great advice! I'll have to try raw cocoa for sure. Gonna hit up the produce department hardcore as well. Thanks again

@pluto I had no idea coffee is low vibrational. I even confirmed it by looking at other sources. This will be difficult for me to wean off, but necessary. I love the graphic you attached. Very helpful. Dairy is really a killer. I love fruit so that shouldn't be too hard to introduce more of. Thanks!

I'd love to get to that point too. My New Year's resolution was to do a one hour strong determination sit each day. This has pushed me, especially around minute 40 as I get sore from sitting and experience boredom. I feel like gradually increasing your meditation time is the way to go. If I were to go from one hour sits to four hours all of the sudden, I feel like I'd be losing my mind (even though sitting through this would be quite purifying). Not saying that this is impossible to do, but even shooting for two hours first might suit you better. However, it would be quite interesting to hear how a four hour sit would go after consistently doing just one hour or thirty minutes consistently.

The interviews Leo did with Peter Ralston have been very eye-opening since I'm fairly new to enlightenment work. I highly recommend people check out the video series on Youtube! This particular video has really stuck out to me especially since I'm doing self-inquiry each day: "The Substance of Enlightenment" video has made me wonder if pure consciousness needs to be accessed in the unenlightened state in order to make progress in this work. Because the mind can only deal with form, how is it possible to focus on formlessness/pure consciousness? Or, is formlessness only accessed once we have detached our identity from all form?

Being able to approach the opposite sex seems like a fantasy to me and many other introverted, shy individuals. Although there is no way to escape actually approaching women to get results, I do wonder if there are ways to "prime" the mind prior to actually doing it. Of course, I don't mean that anyone can be comfortable approaching women without actually doing it many, many times. But, what would happen if throughout our days we do emotionally difficult activities- like take ice showers, do long strong determination sits, and other uncomfortable things? I'm not saying this is transferable to making it eventually easy to approach, but do you believe that this can slowly build momentum to continue to do more emotional difficult things, such as approach the opposite sex? Leo's "One Simple Rule to Acing Life" video comes to mind when I consider this as a possibility.

@Chew211 I love the idea and think it would benefit introverts/shy individuals. Even prior to what you mentioned, I need to get out more. I feel like I'm so extreme on the introverted end of the introvert/extrovert continuum that just getting out more would be huge. Then, of course taking action using baby steps.