Nathalie

@Ivansmarks until you've found out and internalized that there is no reason to be scary at night (meditation etc).. Wouldn't it be better to hear soft music while you sleep..? It's surely healthier than TV because of a great amount of mess that is diffused there .. It may also help your mind to calm down

@Arik I know it doesn't really has its place here but I just would like to thank you for your posts.. they use to be so kind, respectful and inspiring

@All_Around_Me @carlo I also like the approach Adyashanti suggests: he often says something like: rather to try to become enlightened one should try to get rid of conditionning which makes you stay in a dreaming state, acting as you always did without knowing why.. Your post points to it, "all around me" right?

@carlo you can use music during your meditation to stay concentrated, check this for example

yes, now I think, we come to the same point What I just didn't get is : the assessment "there is no I" But on a mind level of course there is one, it's even really complicated to start a communication without this concept, right? It's the actual consciousness that has no "I" so to speak: everything is, changes, takes form, or not, in a blink of an eye with absolutly none importance for anything, except experiencing.. And this conceptual "I" just can let it happen, as open and resistanceless as possible.. Can it be put like this? Hope I don't bother you..

@Ayla Just to make sure I didn't misinterprete what you suggested by As long as you haven't begun spiritual work you should assume that the experiencer of thoughts is "you" as a person, as an certain intelligence or as a body, right? I think we all have left this assumption behind us and feel that it isn't real. So the experiencer whom you speak about is the consciousness that isn't personal at all, right? If the focus must be done on the experiencer of thoughts, who or what can focus on it? The experiencer can't focus on him self, right? Like an eye can't focus on itself or a flower on itself.. and so on.. So how can the experiencer be focused on? Through your egoic mind? Well.. how can this work, it would always be a limited point of view, what the ego is able to "see", that means it would say something like : no need to go there, there's nothing interesting and draw to a tangible thing.. It just seems to be another mind game.. So can it be that the experiencer just can be kind of "focused on" and releaved to himself through the world of appearances, and a part of his experiences are feeled, seen, tasted or what ever through the different bodies, animals, plants, planets etc? and every thing or person is just a means to it. So I could sum up that we are all a little part of this - that is much more a wholeness than an emptiness - and help the consciousness to reveal him/herself through us. In whitch the concept "we" is a fantasy, right?

That's possibly it, thank you for answering

It seems really dificult to word it, right? Maybe I just don't like this two words because soon you get the feeling you have to purchase the one and avoid the other.. And this lifestyle isn't really enjoyable.. is it?

@Ayla I'm observing my thoughts for a long time now, and I only have the possiblity to prevent one when it's on the way to come up, so to speak. And I can't imagine that someone can know what he/she will think 2 Minutes later.. What I experience is nothing really new, I think.. Some have their origin in the body e.g. : hunger and it leads perhaps in the last restaurant you went with a friend, or a kind of burning in the stomach that seems to cause a bad conscience and give the impression you have something important to do, right now, instead to meditate... Some seem to come from "outside" e.g. the noice of children may let you remember a situation of your childhood and you suddenly feel the urge to call your sister.. And so on.. They have in commun that if you're not aware of it, it leads you farer and farer from where you are, without remarking it. They also lead you to react, following a certain pattern you've adopted from.. whom or what ever.. All this is totally clear for me, but how can I deduce from this, that there is no entity here? I actually feel the cold, the warmth, the taste of the food during the time "my" body experience it. I can empatize as much as possible with somebody else but -at least until now- I can't fell that he's dusty for example, or how the food tastes in his mouth. So it really seems that there is a kind of energy or vibration center that I can qualify as an "I", isn't it? Did you transcend this state? If so how?

I use to see it like this: There are thoughts that make us feel relaxed, so we usually define them as positive, or good.. Then there are some that make us cramp ourself so we say it's negative because we feel bad in our body and we kind of accuse the thought, indeed, both are linked and feed each other. So far so good and in this state I absolutly agree with you. But what if we use this cramp or thought that struggle us and look at it quietly and deeply? Doesn't it often show us something that we have hidden for ourself? Isn't it a good opportunity to grow? Since I search (and generally find) how a situation, that my ego defines as bad, may give me a possiblity to understand something new, good and bad seem to melt.. So when a "cramp thought" comes up and I'm aware of it, I welcome it and I win doubly: - the thought weakens - I evolve from it Hope I could explain what I mean? Does it make sense?

@zasa joey you're welcome.. even if I didn't write it to make you feel grateful but rather to try do send you some kind of warmth.. Hope you can feel this between the words

Sorry but this is absolutly bullshit and I don't tell you this because I am a woman.. One could say the same about men.. But back to your initial question: You can meet your authentic self in every single situation when you let yourself dive into it. Your "authentic self" is always there, it's just overlooked because of thoughts and interpretations. And yes, sex is a good opportunity as long as you are really present and attentive to yourself and your partner, don't take it for granted, it's the only secret.

@Canadian Hi Canadian, I think @charlie2dogs is absolutly right if it only happened this one time to you, no need to spend time with those thougths.. But if similar situations, you struggle with, often occur to you, perhaps it would be good to sit down as long as necessary to meditate about it. To go to the core and learn something profound about it, about you : Relaxe first and ask yourself one question after another until you feel absolutly good and everything is answered.. At least it's what I do and it helps me to see the things much clearlier PS: Don't you have the feeling that this kind of classification in positive and negative limits you?

@Vlad Ropotica I don't know what Leo thinks, but if you allow I give you my opinion: I think the most effective is to include meditation in your whole life, of course not sitting there and do nothing all the time, but to take a step aside and observe yourself each time you remember to do so, e.g. what you do, how you react in special situations and why you do so, observe the thoughts that come up, the inner dialog you have with whom ever, concentrate on your breath, does it change from one moment to another? Do you feel your energy field when you're together with friends, if not why not? etc.. It seems much more natural to me than "only" meditate once a day in order to have the things done..

It's so good to have recognized it, so you can go your way further: What are the chains you're speaking about? Can you define them one by one and make a list of them? After this, you can undo one after another and feel how it frees even if a little. What is about us ? We love you ! Really ! Maybe a lot of people around you do too and you don't notice it ? How deep is your love to yourself and to others? To nature? To life? Is it the reason why you feel so bad? Hey, come on! If you chose to play an other role, as soon as tomorrow nobody would remember how you were before. Everyone is focused in oneself and really everybody has done things he's ashamed of, you just have the courage to word it. You run away from conflicts, ok. Maybe soon you will like conflicts, who knows? Would it be better? Who can judge what is better? Can it possibly be that your expectations are to high? Your failures make you human. Do you like perfect persons (or some who try to)? If you try to impress others you will never met them (Mooji).

Hi @JevinR Don't know if you are aware of the fact that you always seem to fight.. At least it's what shines through the statements you made which I read (I hope I'm not to personal).. So, if I'm right.. it's obvious that you get tired.. Everyone would.. What if you just slow down, surrender, love yourself and do things you enjoy..? I mean without any other purpose exept to enjoy the moment? I can remember times of my live when I didn't even know what I would like.. If it's your case too, I would recommend you to try out the lowest idea that comes to your mind.. It's like a training, if you begin to notice the inner voice it will get consistently louder until you feel good and exactly know what's good for you.. Hope it helps somehow and wish you the best..

@Armand I'm happy to hear it I wish you and Sam a good time

of course you can.. Don't stop at the half way: you've recognized where your problem come from, so now you have to resolve it. Search the root (meditation can help) and work on it. Childhood? So go to your mother and speak with her, ask her why! Maybe she has (or had) a lot of problems she couldn't cope with and used you as an outlet? I know, It's not fair but what's important for you: it's not personal, you just were there.. If you're looking for a cheater, you will experience the same: cheater cheat.. they just can help.. It isn't personal either. Everyone can change, "cheater" or "lyer" also but it rarely occurs because of another person (which role I suspect you to be willing to play) but because they personally grow to a higher state.. I know several persons -especially women- who always try to help others, to do this one has to be emotionally very stable first. I tell you this just in case you decided (even unconsciously) to make a man become a better person through you.. Eckhart Tolle has made a good video about this. So again, look for the authentic reason of your problems. Sorry I can't offer you something more radical because I'm convinced that you need more kindness, more love and peace and in my opinion there's nothing radical in it.. But if you find deep peace it won't matter that much anymore if somebody hurts you because you will be able to understand it as it is and you will know that you, your heart, won't break because of emotional pain.. It's just life and you can learn from everything if you are still open. There no reason to run away from fear, go through it, look at it without any story, you're strong enough

@ExitDone If I were in your shoes, I think I would learn martial arts.. Not really to fight, but rather to have more self confidence, to feel the strongness from inside out.. You know what I mean?

It's really incredible!! I've never had this "luck" but I think it could be a reason I wouldn't even approach a person like this.. So of course, if you like her, tell her that you really like her and maybe ask her why she doesn't care for her body, that hygiene is very important (for you).. Try to find out what's the problem.. because there's surely a problem behind it.. If it doesn't seem appropriate to you, in the first time, offer her to take a shower together..

@Joel3102 Hi Joel, no I never have any negative experiences with meditating.. Maybe it comes from the fact that I always meditate in a way that I like. I mean, I think about what kind of meditation I need in this moment and I just do it.. Without any effort, just in flow with my mood or needs.. I don't think you have to be that hart to yourself.. Meditation give you the possiblity to find yourself and understand a lot of things better.. It's not a war.. Be kind to yourself

I don't know what I can recommend you.. For me it doesn't really matter if I am someone or something.. It seems to change constantly.. When I'm ill for example, I really can't ignore my body, so I am at least partly this body.. But often I have the impression that a kind af awareness uses my senses to experience what ever is around me. However for the moment I stoped trying to label it and just do the things I like. I keep all my senses as open as I can, each time I remember it and enjoy, even the pain. Consciousness means to me being aware of what is: the warmth of the sun, the birds singing in the trees, the beauty of each single tree, the eye contact with a stranger, the closeness of my partner.. even "bad" feelings like pain in my chest change and become energy by acknowledging it.. Can you understand it? Why do you meditate? If you need a motivation, maybe you haven't choose the right one?

Don't know.. But I don't thing it works.. I heard a few times about "open" relation ships and it always went wrong. Thinking about it, I can't either imagine that conscious people would cheat somebody because it's pointless isn't it? It always makes problems and hurts both. So it would mean you have to look for an unconscious partner.. Do you want this? For my part, I'm not demanding faithfulness, I simply am faithful. If he betrays me it's his problem not mine; does it make sense? If your purpose is to get rid of fear, what if you just try to stop telling yourself bad stories? You merit a respectful partner who loves you, or enjoy your life alone.. Your ego is not your enemy, it's a good tool if you use it properly

@Vlad Ropotica Hi Vlad, I'm not sure I understand you rightly.. Are you trying to get rid of a belief with another one? If so, why don't you rather try to quit every single one and just look and feel what is in you and around you? Just live and be present? Everything else seems to be a brain product: interpretations which lead you far from reality.. Nothing confusing there, just simple aliveness

partly through meditation and partly through questioning my habits, points of view and observing my reactions in different situations and trying other one.. just for fun.. In my case this kind of pressure in the chest didn't disappear once for all, but rather step by step as if less chains held me and let me breath freelier. It needs time but maybe it's important in order to let all kind of mess definitively behind us..? I'm also convinced that every step in the "right" direction is a bliss which you can feel instantly.. and perhaps the secret of happiness is hidden in every little liberation if you only apreciate them? Even here in this forum.. There is so much love send to you, right? Take it and let it flow through you, let it give you the aliveness you need to enjoy the life in and around you Have a wunderful day