mandyjw

I'm a full time glass beadmaker, I started working with glass when I was 15, now it's hard to believe that was 15 years ago.

If enlightenment is the state in which you remove the illusion that you are separate from reality? Either all of reality is becoming enlightened or it isn't. There is nothing that one can do to get there other than enter the state of no self in this moment. When you have an experience in which you lose yourself in unconscious behavior, remembering that situation as a past event or judging the event as unconscious only means that you are still unconscious in the present. How can you make enlightenment a future goal without missing the entire experience of the thing, which can only happen now in this very moment? For this reason I don't believe that any method or knowledge about enlightenment is something one should or should not do. The state of no thought in the present moment is the only path the enlightenment. It's all there is. Everything else is an illusion of the egoic thinking mind. The concept of enlightenment, the idea of other people being or not being enlightened. Should we focus less on methods, knowledge and the physical forms of substances and more on the present moment? Doing those things can seem like the hard road or like we are doing something but are we doing them because being in the present moment and accepting the form of this very moment is the thing we would rather avoid? This is coming from someone who at this point in life cannot dedicate big chunks of time to meditation or using any substances. Rather than feeling like I'm missing out as I have in the past and still do occasionally, I've come to realize more and more that I can't stop this from happening, it's happening to me and to all of life. It's beautiful and it's perfect and there's nothing I have to "do" about it.

Don't make the numbness into a problem, accept that as your current reality.

I agree that a person has to have thoughts in order to maintain their form and existence, but form and existence itself are ultimately an illusion or part of the dream. It's interesting that you say "not exactly" because everything that can ever be said or written on this subject can never be exact. Most of my thoughts are no longer an issue. I believe that whatever unconsciousness I see or react to in another person exists in myself and I use that event to explore in what way I am still unconscious. So in the moment I feel animosity towards someone, I am my ego and they are a separate entity, and instead of looking back on that reaction and saying "I was unconscious, I am not enlightened", I see it as a prompt to become more myself.

I'm surprised running isn't talked about more here because it can really jump start meditation. I used to be a serious runner in high school but do it just for fun/meditation/time in nature now. I don't measure time or distance but usually run just 4 days a week for 20 minutes, usually on trails. I don't run enough to have to worry about fueling before or recovering after my runs so I just make sure I eat a healthy diet and run on an empty stomach. I used to carb load in high school, such a bad idea. lol

Leo, I just want to gently point out to you that you may have fallen prey to a common cognitive bias. You remind me of my mother when she discovered vitamin D and for months thought every single problem could be solved by someone, somewhere taking more vitamin D. http://hamiltonrich.com.au/man-with-a-hammer-syndrome/

Fascinating question. I really believe that the "cure" for autism may be mindfulness practice, but how you convince someone to try it when they are so tortured by their thoughts I don't know. It would have to be taught so that it was spoken in their own language, if that makes sense. My 5 year old son has mild autism so I expect to learn a lot more about this in the future. In his case he has an incredible ability to focus and great fine motor skills, but will not connect and make eye contact with other people. I don't know if he has less mindfulness than a typically developing child, or if it presents in different ways.

I like Leo's blunt approach but I also love Eckhart Tolle's. I can't imagine having had to do without either along the way. As a mom of young kids, the trips and the hard core meditation work aren't for me at this point in my life. Going through labor and having to figure out how to calmly deal with my autistic 3 year old's daily temper tantrums are way more bad ass than all the hardcore shit you men can come up with.

Another thought, maybe there is something to be said for trying to look past the wording? After all, all words are form, they are not the truth but can only point to the truth.

I just listened to Eckhart Tolle's talk on The Course of Miracles and he said it's not for everyone and if you really can't get past the wording it probably isn't for you. I think I'm going to do it soon, not sure yet. I'm really starting to feel like Leo is going in a completely different direction from the kind of enlightenment that Eckhart's teachings point to, the kind where enlightenment can be had now by simply dis-identifying from the mind rather than the notion that enlightenment is a kind of future paradise you've got to work your way to. If you've been brought up in an organized religion the dogma in that is hard to miss.

Physically you would probably collapse or your legs would give out before you made 26.2 miles. But I guess you'd be ok with it either way. Supposedly the human body can do around 20 miles or something like that pretty easily, the last 6 are what get most people especially if they haven't trained.

I believe that they are on their own spiritual path, and you are on yours. If you can separate the dogma from Christianity, I believe that it is a path to enlightenment. The problem is that to many or most Christians, it is ALL dogma. But there is a deeper truth there and some Christians you meet are at least beginning to see through to it. Your friends might not be ready for it, and you'll have to accept that. Or maybe they are and you can help them do that. As someone who was raised a conservative Christian I don't feel like I lost my religion rather I feel like I figured out the truth of what Jesus was here to teach us. There's a big difference between what Jesus taught and how Christianity is interpreted or has been practiced over the past 2000 years. Be sensitive to them and their beliefs. There is a lot of fear in Christianity as it is commonly taught. Fear of sin, fear of blasphemy, fear of hell ultimately. Most people can get really upset about their retirement savings. This is their life in eternity we are talking about. Unless they are really cool, if you use terms like "jesus magic" they are going to immediately throw you into the devilish blasphemer category and not listen to a thing you say. But be open-minded to the fact that you can learn about Christianity without being overtaken by the dogma. The dogmatic person is the one who is usually worried about being seduced into not being dogmatic, not the other way around. What I'm trying to say is that you might be creating a problem that isn't really there.

Going through this myself. My best advice is don't play games with them but stay in contact, if you can build relationships with them without the games those relationships are real, if not then they we just based on that one common interest and you shouldn't feel bad letting them fall away.

The more I get into consciousness work, learn about enlightenment and spirituality the more I feel like withdrawing from other people. I feel like being around people pulls me into making judgements and engaging in other behaviors that are unconscious. The question is do I need the challenge of it or do I need the time by myself to ground myself first? Will this stage last and should I embrace it or fight it? To be more specific about who I mean by "people" I have a family and they aren't an issue for me. With the work I've been doing my marriage and relationship with my kids has really improved. But my friendships and most outside social interactions are a big issue for me right now.

Focus on getting healthy fats, coconut oil, olive oil, avocado, fish, fish oil, etc and NO unhealthy ones, especially no trans fat, cheap oils. Cut back on sugar, no processed foods, eat more veggies.

Oatmeal in some form or another.

I really think the right thing to do is not engage in talking about other people negatively. So far I seem to always fail at it though. I've been thinking about it a lot lately because one of my friends does nothing but talk about other people. Gossip is really going backwards if you are into self improvement because focusing on others problems is the biggest distraction from your own.

I would specifically recommend Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now and after that A New Earth. Or you could even study Buddhism in general to learn about moving beyond the ego.

Psychopathy is total identification with ego, enlightenment is the death of ego, so both are missing something. It makes sense to me that both might share some characteristics. The vast majority of people feel a sense of connection with others even if it's just with people who are close to them and they also have a strong sense of self. To most people those two things are fundamental to being human. I used to have a STRONG aversion to Eckhart Tolle and couldn't bear to hear him speak. The sense that something was missing upset me to my core. Now I realize that feeling was all my ego and now I love to hear him speak. Before you realize what your ego is, you think anything that threatens it is evil and that sense that something is missing will be highly disturbing.

It sounds like he doesn't know how to have a real relationship and or is too scared to have one. That's usually the reason guys go for girls who aren't at their own maturity level. For your own happiness I think you need to leave him to learn from his own mistakes, the less you have to do with him the better.

I've been really interested in this topic lately. I gave up coffee during my pregnancy and during that time began consciousness work and meditation. Caffeine allows me to get a lot more done but I felt stressed and like my mind activity really sped up after drinking coffee. When productivity was all I cared about that was great but that is not the state of mind I want now. I've even heard people say that too much caffeine gave them anger issues. If feeling at peace is our main goal should we really drink coffee? Just some thoughts, I'm still undecided about it... mainly because yeah, I love coffee.

If you can't make yourself care about her feelings, can you at least make yourself care about your own? He isn't making you feel used, he is using you. A long term friendship like that is way stronger and deeper of a connection than a short romance, after all romantic feelings are usually pretty fleeting in all relationships. It's not just the sex that's the problem here, it's the entire relationship. He isn't treating you or his girlfriend fairly and for that he probably deserves to lose both of those relationships. Then maybe he can have the opportunity to self-actualize and learn how to treat people with respect.

You can't have "casual" sex with someone you live with, or have any sort of connection with. You can have sex but it's never just casual. I think you need to become conscious of how much pain that relationship is causing yourself. You cannot say that you have "no feelings" for your roommate, but at the same time be hurt by his being oblivious or inconsiderate.

I make a living off my art but I am a glass artist, so my art is also a product in a way. I also spend most of my time making what sells, not necessarily what I am inspired to make. Just make sure you are ok with that before going forward. Otherwise just make art and say "screw it" and forget who sees it or what people think. Every now an then I indulge in one of those projects myself. The best advice I was ever given on selling art was "Don't expect to sell something if you don't have it up for sale." Don't expect people to come to you for commissions, ask for your prices, go out of their way and ask if something is available. Create an online shop even if it's just Etsy or make a website and have your art there for sale clearly. Of course this takes a a huge amount of work up front. I think you might find this video really helpful. I really did and I think it pertains a lot more to what your vision is than my own.

Don't think too much, just create! I definitely understand having trouble achieving a flow-state. I'm a full time glass artist and the biggest threat to my creativity is asking myself necessary questions like "will this sell or not?" When you make a living off your art you sell your creative soul like that though. If you are just creating for yourself you should not have to think so much. Creativity comes from a deeper place than thought. Give yourself time to create a project completely free of judgement and when you find yourself thinking just stop. The end result is probably going to be awesome.