Vaishnavi

That guy has a certain energy around him which is very.. pulling. He seems.. alive

Ouch! That's a very bitter pill to bite, in my opinion, but nevertheless vital. I only want to know if that is something which is applicable to every attraction and every relationship? I mean is it always that we're only attached to the emotion and not the person?

Mediocrity has to be my biggest fear. Apart from that, my brother ending up mediocre, not being able to live and explore life, not being able to read all the books I do want to read, not being able to find the truth, dysfunctional relationships, death, loss of loved ones and.. snakes!

Reminded me of this thread http://www.thebookoflife.org/how-to-be-a-man/

yup, the reason why he used to steal maakhan (butter) and tease gopiya (the women of vrindavan village)

I think seeing life as a beautiful mystery and getting really curious about it is one of the most effective "motivator" but if you see, isn't life really a mystery? Like how do we know what we know? Really having a genuine interest to learn, and know the gist of it, is the best way you can move forward. Also the feeling of having your mind blown by all that life encompasses is.. ecstatic.

haha, I like him to be honest. but i'll get some grenade, just to be on the safer side

I wish to someday, and yea I know about those "dangerous people", don't worry i'll take you along with me, that would help

Oh c'mon, bungee jumping has to be on the top of my list and i'll make sure that we're jumping off the cliff together the next time I visit Thailand

What do you mean by detachment here? Having no contact whatsoever or just not being attached to it, despite being a part of it? In my case it would be both, i.e. not having any contact whatsoever say with status quo or with television and mindless stuff but then at the same time I want to and will stay in contact but not attached to, say with people and.. life! There is so much beauty out there and I by no means would miss out on it. Living amidst the mountains is one of my big dreams too but at the same time I want to be a part of.. life! The life out there, even culture you know, but in a healthy way, and festivals and dance and music and travel and food and bungee jumping? Yea. So it's about living for me. Maybe all of it is simply illusion but as long as I'm learning and living life, I'm good. It's about finding your own balance I guess.

An interesting article I thought I'd share, here http://www.speakingtree.in/article/expand-knowledge-and-embrace-wisdom

Even with kids its many a times simply attachment, love is rare I guess

@Sharpadox contemplating can help. Ask yourself, what is resistance? Why do you think you have it? What role is it playing? Etc. And observe the kind of answers you brains comes up with but try to dig deep. I was doing it the other day and I realised the core reason why I was having resistance and was procrastinating, and still procrastinates is due to fear. Fear of uncertainty and getting out of my comfort zone. Doin the hard messy work. That was huge for me. I still have resistance but now at least I know why.

Or a mail from a distant friend! That works equally fine

Try contemplating, try deeply questioning your state, it might surprise you.. But question deep. Also trying a digital detox and getting more in touch with your emotions, reality and the state of being can be very relieving.

I recently saw a video you created about 3 years ago where you talked about your vision, where you even mentioned writing books someday and having kids, but now that you're involved with enlightenment work so heavily, is that vision still relevant? I mean having kids and marriage and writing books, things along those lines?

I like to practice concentration or more precisely mindfulness with almost everything I can. While eating, reading, having shower, talking to someone or simply observing people. It can be fun and you'll become aware of things you earlier couldn't see. Mindfulness can help you with concentration. I posted a video earlier which talked about focus. Here,

I don't agree with some of the viewpoints here. In fact This question of "Can men and women just be friends?" sounds odd to me. Just because two individuals have different biological wiring, doesn't mean they can't connect in an authentic "non sexual" manner. Sure it's due to the very same biological wiring that we have those 'awkward' situations and sometimes the other person may develop feelings, but if you look deep, that isn't always the case. Maybe you just need to find the right kind of friend, the person with whom you can really connect. I say that cause I only have a handful of genuine friends and all of them except for one are guys, but in all honesty there isn't anything "sexual" or otherwise. It just is. society and our upbringing plays a huge role in developing our mindsets and perceptions. It's because talking about connecting and sex raises eyebrows that we tend to have these questions

No I haven't and I don't see myself doing any of it for the time being. With me, I ain't able to juggle between too many techniques, and really it gets a little complicated. Try to keep it (the work/techniques) simple but consistent. For now I'm putting my blind faith in meditation and contemplation.

I don't know about other traditions but in the Indian culture they give quite a lot of importance to your name and I know this because my mother is planning to change mine, this is because it's named after a Hindu goddess, the Shakti (power) of Lord Vishnu, and if you look at the story of this goddess, you'll realise that she had to deal with all sorts of demons and funny (or maybe not) how my mother thinks that the name will/does have a similar influence on me and she's all the more suspicious because I've had a few near death experiences in the past. I don't really know how true it is though. In all honesty I wouldn't believe any bit of this a year ago but now I believe myself to be completely ignorant, so yea.. But your name does have an influence, for instance, the majority can't spell or pronounce mine accurately

I feel you. And apathy is worse than depression, makes you feel like shit, I can literally feel my stagnated life and the worse of all, it's "normal" to people, they don't even recognise it and even if they do, they don't want to confront it because it's painful. What I've been trying to do is to get more in touch with life, the real life out there, being aware and living in the moment, don't know if it helps but it gives you a sense of hope, really. Try throwing yourself into a challenging situation if you can, might help. Also making an effort towards finding your life purpose can help, it brings a sense of life to you.

Try watching leo's video on it, and I've personally experienced that you can apply this principle to anything at all and it's quite powerful so don't miss on this one

I don't really consider this as negative motivation, it's only a simple way of developing awareness about what you are putting in your system, really. The awareness regarding the what and how of the food we eat, and why we eat it in the first place, and it isn't the bad feeling that will prevent you but the realisation of the fact that the unhealthy food doesn't even have the taste or the tang in the first place, it simply is a medium of releasing chemical in your head, a stimulation, and when you develop that awareness, you can feel that chemical release in your head, you can see through the whole process and that awareness can bring all the change over time, and yes, it works for me. Then you continue to put the shit in your system and it becomes your sedative, something I personally struggle with.

I can tell you what works for me, something i'm currently practising. Just be aware every time you eat something you think you shouldn't be eating or something that's unhealthy. Wafers or potato chips per say, every time you eat it, just feel it completely, take it slow and feel the wafer completely, all of it, and in all honesty, you'll not enjoy it at all, in fact you'll realise and feel the grease and salt and you'll realise it sucks. Watch leo's video on awareness and trust me, it works, but be patient because it can take some time to develop that mindfulness but it will, it will happen and it's quite solid and long term, you just won't feel like eating any of those anymore