The observer

Hello! Ask your stomach and see if it can answer. Do you expect me to know? I know nothing about you except what you tell me.

I am you. Existence. Universe. God. Consciousness. Imagination. Whatever you wanna call it.

@Jacobsrw ???

They are, except that they're not yours, but rather universal.

I understand that from an introverted perspective they might seem tedious, because I myself am introverted. But in reality, they're as interesting and lively as you allow them to be. And the payout does not work linearly or logically. There are subtle subliminal communications that occur that make the ones who dislike you do you services, and for free. If you are a valuable person, even your competitors will praise you so that they can feed off your value. Besides, your connections increase your chances of getting better jobs and knowing more people that can enrich your life even more. So, it's not all about likeability. It's more about being engaged in the game, and it is certainly a game.

Going low conscious, consciously.

Sigh... You are in fact pointing to your own delusions. I am not interested in that. My statements don't have secret meanings/messages. That's all simply your delusion. You are being oversensitive, and reading too much between the lines that you literally create something out of nothing. That's not my problem. I cannot control how you interpret what I say. A man may say "I love you" to his wife, and she might perceive it as being cheated on. It's clearly not the man's problem. Now, please get offended by the example. Seriously, go on. Assume that I am undermining your masculinity, that I am going to sleep with you at night, and that everything I said up to this point was merely to get into your pants. LMAO.

@James123 I believe you, but tell that to the subconscious when it loses itself.

For the 7th time, I guess. They're pointers; mere words on a screen. They don't assume anything. You are the one projecting meanings/assumptions onto them. That's your personal opinion, and I respectfully disagree. Sure. Thanks.

If I see someone walking into an unknown territory (like the future), I will tell them to be aware and prepared for potential dangers. If I see someone panicking over losing in a video game, I will tell them that they can never lose because they are already complete in the present moment. Notice that the difference in context creates a difference in approach. In our modern societies, we panick over extremely silly stuff. So, it is most useful to point that out.

I don't exist. Everything I say is a pointer and it is impersonal. How's that elitist? And I will state my truth regardless of how you feel about me. That's the way I'm used to it. It's difficult and exhausting for me to articulate my thoughts in an impersonal manner. And English is not my original language, so it doesn't help much. Plus, a gentle touch is not always effective. Sometimes, a slap in the face of the ego can wake it up. No one knows what exactly will make it click. We're all simply giving it our best shots.

I know that. And I am free to do it because I'm aware of it. I understand that anything anyone will ever say, including me, is merely a pointer.

It could be either way or both ways. If it's both, then the experiment is doomed. If it forces the state, then it's doomed too. If it triggers already existing fears and attachment, then it's doomed too, because it would trigger the fear of letting go, and the attachment to detachment, which is hell. Or, that's what I am convinced it would do.

Perhaps because half of them don't like studies

Whatever the answer is, you're imagining it in the present moment. Therefore, all that is not directly perceived in the present moment is imaginary. And real vs. unreal is also imaginary. Conclusion: reality (non-duality) = perception (one part of the duality) + imagination (the other part). Solipsism assumes that only perception exists without imagination. The reality is that other conscious beings exist, but you don't have access to their perception. You only have access to their imagination through your imagination, because you and them are one, because ultimately perception is imaginary so everything is imagination, and imagination is perceived so everything is perception. It's valid to look at the duality from both angles. They're two sides of the same coin. I hope that clarifies something.

"Paradigm" is a pointer too. I told you earlier that you're still identified with the mind and aren't yet able to see beyond pointers, so I won't go into that again. And I still stand by what I have said. Awareness/direct experience is an ideology unless it is recognised as a pointer.

Of course, the field is impersonal. That's the point. Why would it require a person when it can exist sufficiently on its own? The person is secondary to perception. Thoughts are secondary to awareness. Objects are the creation of God.

Because thoughts say there is. Without thoughts, you wouldn't know whether or not you exist. Try to remember a point in time where you were engaged in something like a video game or a football game. Was there a "you" there doing anything? Or was the person completely absent? If the person can go away, even for a second, is it real anymore?

@Someone here "you" don't exist, and neither do "I". Direct experience is not a property that is owned by a person. The person is imaginary. That's the whole point of the direct experience paradigm, is to get you to realise the imaginary nature of individual persons. If all individuals are imaginary (including yourself), and there is direct experience, then that's God; impersonal, and right in front of you. The rest is noise. Get rid of it by questioning the paradigm to death using the questions I suggested above.

@Someone here That's because you're trapped inside of it like a Muslim or a Christian is trapped inside their religions. Now, it's up to you whether you want to break out of it or not.

You set the rules. You create the criteria for what you consider true and what you don't. Here's how to debunk anything: What are the criteria of trueness? And are these criteria true or made-up? In this case, you have bought into the ideology of direct experience as the foolproof criterion of trueness. And of course, as a result, you will inevitably have to land on solipsism because it is the original grounding assumption that you've forgotten to question and have simply taken for granted. As I have said multiple times, the problem with paradigms is that the end result must always be identical to the original assumption. The "direct experience" paradigm assumes originally that there's nothing else besides direct experience, and what is your direct experience but you? So, of course, you will find solipsism foolproof. Do away with the paradigms altogether and be free.

Enlightened = permanently chill? Where do you get these myths from? I've experienced states of complete detachment and fearlessness, and I assume that Datura basically removes you out of those states. So, even if you achieve full equanimity, the drug probably has the potential to destroy it in minutes. Stoics are known to force themselves to experience hardships regularly so that they can appreciate the good things they have and lower their expectations of a comfortable life. If I live in equanimity for one week, I find it difficult to come back down to the ordinary state. I can only imagine that someone who has lived in equanimity for decades that he will freak out many times even more than the ordinary person, regardless of their degree of understanding. No one can save you from God's punishment except God. It's redundant to say that the suffering is due attachment and lack of surrendering. Because surrendering is a grace from God, and without it you are lost and powerless. Self or no-self. Surrendered or attached. It was never up to you. God controls everything.

@Keyhole

@Preety_India Most of the answers you will get on this topic you probably are familiar with. I will suggest a simple, yet powerful method that I have never heard anyone talking about but purely derived from my own life. Notice that you're approaching the problem as though it actually exists. When you think it exists, you create it. Now, how could someone with a low self-esteem cure someone with a low self-esteem? You see the paradox? If you don't believe in yourself in the first place, how can it be possible for you to trust that you are strong enough to work through this? To be able to work towards a better position, you have to move outside of your current one. How do you do that? Look at the people you consider of high self-esteem. Are they actually better than you are? Or do they simply love themselves more than you do? In fact, if you look closely, you can discover that you are better than many of them in many different areas. Yet, somehow, you don't feel as good about yourself. The solution is really simple. Just observe these people. After a while, you will notice that you are developing an ability to see the good things that you have and appreciate them deeply, the same way they do or more. Their high self-esteem will be transferred to you subconsciously. Misc: start a gratitude journal if you haven't yet - don't take any judgement, criticism, unsolicited advice, etc... personally - embrace it when others appreciate you in any way, and thank them in return.

My impression is that you don't have a problem with the memories in themselves. It looks more like a low mood issue. You could have the same thoughts in a higher mood, and they would feel blissful. Try it out. Do a set of Shamanic Breathing. See how you feel right afterwards. You should probably feel an elevation in your state/mood. Right there, start reminiscing about your memories. Notice the letting go and how good it feels. Ideally, you could do the same process while viewing pictures of the places you are talking about, or better yet, by directly going there and visiting your shadows.