Ima Freeman

Every day I enter a infinite void. There is nothing, not even time. Then out of this nonexistence, perceptions arise. At first very subtle, then of heightened intensity. I am terrorized by the thought of the end of my life, death, but isn't it true that the sense of self, that being, seizes to exist every day. How is this any different than dying? This is the end of being. But then it arises again, but who can guarantee this?

Ok I can can comprehend that monism intellectually. Consciousness is the substance of everything. The threat deals with the unconsciousness of deep sleep though. To the questions: Who is the I that is aware of sensations, thoughts, and feelings? Consciousness itself What happens when sensations, thoughts, and feelings recede? New ones arise, or better they flow into each other like waves. Does absolute awareness suddenly stop in the absence of apparent objects? In my humble opinion yes, because it is anchored in sensations. No sensations, no consciousness, no being

So, you say awareness ultimately does not need an object, sensation, etc.? I have a sense of being, because I'm aware of sensations, thoughts, feelings. Without them nothing would exist. No awareness = no being

@ZenAlex Look into and study the hell out of detoxification.

Thanks so far.

Ok interesting, I didn't expect that. But yeah, these videos do have a big impact in how one changes his or her live.

Aware of what?

It is not in my experience that I choose.

Absolutely nothing. But in the waking state there is consciousness. There seems to be a state of conscious deep sleep called Jagrat Sushupti. Apparently one can practice to enter it.

@Schizophonia Do you know that? I have periods of alcohol cravings where I am maybe drinking on one day, but have to fight against it the rest of the week. Addiction is a coercion of the mind. Either you give in or not.

That's dependence

I have the intuition, that there is no distinction between what is called monkey mind and writing here, talking to others, contemplation and the phenomenon of language in general. The only factor that seems to seperate the above terms is the level of consciousness. THE mind is generating sentences, some hardly noticeable others very intense. So called monkey mind is very unconscious, whereas the ideas written here penetrate deeper into consciousness. First monkey mind or THE mind generates words than these words penetrate into awareness and finally they are typed here as a post, black on white. And that counts for every sentence on this forum.

Typical thoughts of an 26 year old Turn your passion into a regular practice. Take little steps and be creative.

Sometimes I'm confronted with the situations in which I have an urge to go extreme with spiritual practice. Mostly, when I'm about to do some distractions/recreations. What I mean with that is no more comfort seeking, no more gratification of the senses, no more distraction. Investment solely into consciousness. It's like a call from my conscience: "Do not waste your energy on recreations" "Focus on the essential" "Go for the highest" "The clock is ticking" I did not yet set up a definite life goal, so I do surf the internet for hours to enjoy art, or to help family members, or to go to music festivals with friends, or to drink alcohol and socialize. Stuff that's not contributing to pure consciousness/clarity/presence/.... I know that I have neurotic tendencies and that I'm willing to put myself through work in a way that is more hard than smart. Should I just overcome all past recreational habits? Should I do sadhana for most of the time?

I don't necessarily defend these conditions, but how I would define enjoyment is as an perceiving of well-being. I totally agree that the dark aspects are powerful teachers. That I have already witnessed several times.

Amen

@tuku747 How about: anxiety hurry pain fatigue fomo : : : Enjoyment needs certain conditions

@Moksha Thank you, your answer is very helpful. I heard of certain zen monks who did meditation exercises for 20 hours a day. Really putting themselves into it. Of course I cannot compare myself to a master with decades of experience. Do you know of good signs of going overboard?

@mr_engineer Having a democracy that has systemic corruption problems does not mean having no democracy. I'm not familiar with Indian politics, but you gotta start somewhere.

You know we aren't all Americans here

A move that will further devide the world

If you release parasites, they come out dead - for me at least. I tried both. Synthetic antiparasitics and herbal ones. In my experience herbal antiparasitics taken for a longer period are more effective and sustainable.

@Giulio Bevilacqua I'm doing a parasite cleanse atm. What I found is, that 5-20 drops of essential oils (organic, steam distilled) of antiparasitic platns put in a mason jar with water and than shaken to mix it, is effective in killing parasites in the small intestine. For the large intestine you would put the essential oils with melted coconut oil in silicon ice trays to make suppositories. Don't heat the oil to much, only until it just starts to melt. Fill it up half with coconut oil, let it harden in the freezer, put in the essential oils, than coconut oil again and into the freezer again. It's better to use only half of the stick as the suppository. I released visible worms with both methods, not to speak of the microscopic parasites that must have been killed. While doing such an parasite cleanse you should take binders as well as support your liver. A month or two of daily use should be enough. Be careful und start with an low dose if you want to try this method. Taking probiotics after it is smart too.

I practice meditation consistently for some time now, sometimes doing phases of krya yoga. Recently I read the Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Meditation is only the seventh limb of his system. Before that there is a lot of preliminary work to do, like moral conduct or concentration. I heard Sadhguru talk about mediation in the west as sleeping in an upright posture. And looking at my practice, that’s what I do most of the time. I sit there and try to watch my thoughts, but most of the time my presence is cut of and random racing thoughts dominate my mindscape. On other occasions I heard too, that one should prepare themselves for meditation and that there are many preliminary steps beforehand. But many spiritual mentors in the west, Leo included, suggest everyone to meditate daily. Is there a misunderstanding in how to achieve the state of meditation in the west? Should one practice meditation, even if it is apparent that there are serious blocks present?

I always do some leg and back stretching before meditation, so I can comfortably hold my posture. What practices do you mean? What I originally meant was preparation in an larger context. Like, when you enter a gym for the first time, you wouldn't bench press your own body weight in the first attempt. Theres a lot of training that goes before that.