Isle of View

Endew, first of all: what are you doing there? The job is out of alignment with you! Otherwise you would celebrate your actions. So the first step for you should be to find out what really makes you feel good. Your low self-esteem is emiting from you, all the restraints to be harmful that are going on in your mind have a low vibretional signature. Find things that give you peace. Meditate. Ride a bike. And, for natures sake, find another job! ~Chris

@Keithemson Seems to me you are in the process of waking up to who you really are. You could keep your current job but at the same time investigate your true source of joy in life. If it is helping people reaching their potential, great. Look for ways how you could implement it into your life. From my perspective it is a good sign when someone says: I don't care about the money that much, I want to do something meaningful and fulfilling. If you find your purpose you can look how to combine it with making money. Maybe even wealth. Whatever resonates with you the most. Good luck! ~Chris

I don't watch TV for 9 yrs. The best way to stop: give away (or sell) your TV set. When it's not there, you won't turn it on. That's my experience. Radical. But working ~Chris

@Actualizer I like the Higher Self / Lower Self model, but realise that this is one and the same presence. The true Self is just "overshadowed" by ... well ... all kinds of self inflicted, not yet resolved, "shadows". Keep on shining. Self-doubt is just another shadow. (-:

Judgement per se is not that bad if you know that you judge (evaluate) a specific circumstance that itself is in the process of change. So your judgement was referring to a condition of existence in a specific time frame. But that was not what I was refering to. Let's say you want to help little Amy with ther school work. She would have some (maybe even many) issues in school. In order to help her, you would ask:" What do you like about school?"" What else do you like about school?" After that: "What subjects in school are you good at?"" What else subjects..." and on and on. You acknowledge her abilities. She becomes "bigger". Before she was the girl with lots of school issues but suddenly she recognises that she isn't that bad at all. Now you can ask her: "What issues do you have there?"" When did it start? ""What have you done just before that?" Find the exact issue and move her from there. That's just an example. Another example would be: Oh, the world is so fu**ed. Nobody really gets the damn point. Nobody listens. Yadda, yadda. That's a pretty negative outlook. You can just say: "Look around here and find something or someone you could like". Or: "Tell me of someone or something you could like." (Note: could, it's a possibility, you could like.) When your attention is drawn too much to the negative (which is an attitude you have some control over), you will attract ever more negativity. My parents don't understand me. Ask: "What about you do your parents embrace?" "What else..." Make him find one thing, than another and so on. And: "What about your parents could you like or embrace?" What I was generally pointing to is, you can much faster come to results if you look for the positives and magnify them. Wherever your attention goes, that thing becomes bigger, more solid. ~Chris

@Nomad Sometimes people on the spiritual quest forget to embrace what is already positive about them and their environment. My take is such: go for the positive and handle the negative only if it really pulls your attention. When I meditate I work to enhance my natural "power" of presence. See, I already have it, I want to strenghten it, that's why I work on this. Of course I could sit down and "meditate" what is in the way of my ability to be fully present, but that's a stop. Of course it is important to work on weak points, but try to work holistically. You as a composite being with body, mind, visions, dreams and your connections, as a spiritual presence: what is going well? Where could this be improved? And handle your connections, the people you work with and family exactly the same way. If you only look for things that are not working to get them going you will produce a lot of strife. Kind regards, Chris

@Philip Thank you for clarification, Philip. Agree. The better the air, the better the lungs. I see what you mean. As I said before, I prefere the wording: not being present with certain people. I'm not present with my kindergarten buddies anymore. And I don't remember I quit the friendship. We just grew apart. Naturally. In some rare cases it is adviseable. But in most cases people just wonder, because they don't understand.

@Nomad @MartineF Merci. You're welcome. (-: The above is not to say that you, or anyone on the path, shouldn't work on their "safe heaven". You don't just go around and "hang-up" with people who do not strive for anything higher. Of course it is important to have connections with people who are moving somewhere. And of course you need your alone-time. But only because it seems that nobody is really supportive, doesn't mean it has nothing to do with your own attitude being projected on the environment. Do your work and anyway have a little faith in the others. From a Buddhist point of view any sencient being is on its way to Buddhahood (even if they drift further away from it). (Now don't visualize me as a Buddhist monk or something. I am not. It's one of many teachings I appreciate.) Sure, that's a way. But ultimately you cut off a large slice of existence out of your sphere of experience and expression. I prefere the inclusive path. People who don't reach for wisdom or who are too tight in their view just don't get the same amount of attention or presence. But I don't write them off entirely. But that's me. I very rarely am in the need to "protect" my position. It's because from their current position it is just a "position". And to be true, I don't feel at liberty to tell them (or project onto them) that they don't know shit. ~Chris

@Edkens Probably the hardest thing to 'get' for us people who walk this path, particularly at the beginning, is the fact that people look at things from within their box. They can't see what you're up to, that's why it seems so hard to really get support. But it is possible. You only need to decide what it is you would like to be supported by others. When you have the "what", imagine ways how it could work, make visualisations how this would look like. If you can't visualize that, you can't have that. Some 20 odd years ago when I read my first book about Buddhism, the author said that being among people who are not "on the path" is the best opportunity for us to really see for ourselves how much progress we've made. How do people react and behave towards us? Are we able to calm situations down, just through our mere presence? Can we give solace without saying a word? I am not on this journey to look at my belly button. I want to be of some supprot for my "sphere of expression" and that may be the hardest but also the most rewarding activity. That's for the enlightenment side of the coin. The other side of course is my self-actualization in the fields I find worthwhile. Here is a simple exercise you can do to help you get the support you need: Ask yourself: How could you support another or others? (ask over and over until you brighten up) How could another or others support you? (ask over and over until you brighten up) How could another or others support others? (ask over and over until you brighten up) How could you support yourself? (ask over and over until you brighten up) This visualizations will really help you if you do it from time to time. But, when you start, do it as long as needed until you feel good. You may get many realizations from this little process. ~Chris

Here is how I handle it. I honor their level of insight. The reason why they're not at the level as you are, or are not going in the direction you do, is, they didn't decide (yet) that there is something wrong with the way they are. And that may be very true for them. Maybe they're better off not "waking up". We just don't know. See, your decision to go up was self-determined. It was your own decision, maybe inspired by something you've read or a video on you tube. But it was your decision nontheless, your longing for more insight, more actualization of your true self (or whatever it may be that you aspire). Honor the fact that you are at a new level now. And honor them for their decisions. It will be much easier for you to let go if you find a way to honor their own views on life. Your insecurities will fade away with time. You will know to what lenghts you can go with the ones you love -- but only if you take them as they are. Every person on earth thinks to some degree that their way is "the way", "the right way" or "the only way". The more we wake up the more we see the correctness of many ways for different people. We unstuck ourselves from being the "my way is THE way" and learn to appreciate that others may be right aswell, without at the same time sacrificing our integrity and what truth we've found for ourself. When you realize that all people are actually different, you won't feel so different anymore. We are, after all, all unique beings. Meet the people as unique beings without the idea at the back of your head that they are part of a "borg". Life becomes easier when you talk and regard them in that way. You follow your path and embrace their path (for them). You will feel more at ease and peace when you embrace them as they are. It may sound a bit cliché, but that is what really works. You will get what you send out. When you send out that they're crabs they will treat you like that. If you think they're holding you back, they will do just that. If you embrace them, they will more likley embrace you. And I don't mean running around and telling everybody how much you embrace them. It's an inside job. Cheers :-) ~Chris

Agree

@Jay Brown Expression and Experience.

@David This book could help you get the answers you are looking for. ~Chris

@Mantas Here is one thing you ommited. You say you have been fired ~40 days ago and all the things you avoid, the downward spiral, so to speak. But you tell little when it was still ok. Can you find the point when it still was OK? When did your life (or this area) still work ok? (before it happened) Find out what happened. (Somebody negating your abilities, your worth; bad message; argument with a friend; misunderstood situations or task at your job;) When you found it: Handle. Look how you can repair it to get it going again. Decide what's to do and do it. Number (3) depends on what you've found. There is always a specific point that makes one "collapse". If you find it, you can do something about it. If it is for example some individual making less of you, when you recognize that, you could feel better immediatly. What ever it is, when you spot it, you will feel better, but that's not the point to stop. Go over to point three and decide what you need to do about it. Edit: sometimes it's enough to laugh about what you've found. Sometimes you need to decide to avoid contact with some sh*theads. Sometimes you need to apologize that you have been an sh*thead. Sometimes you need to learn new things to get better at the task you failed (if this was the case). But always depends on what the situation was. Kind regards, ~Chris

@Ryan_047 Work and train. I started working at age of eight. I don't mean helping mom in the kitchen. Just yesterday I joked with my mom she still owes me some bucks from that time. :-) We wondered both how the world has changed. Today she could get in real trobles because of sending me to work. (Well, allowing me to do that on my own determinism.) But it didn't do any harm. It felt good having the opportunity at this young age to have some self earned money. You don't need to start full-time. Education is key. But it must suit you purpose line. ~Chris

The first thing you can do is: start taking your life in your own hands. It's your responsibility what you put into your body. Blaming others for your condition will be never of any help for you. If you feel not understood than don't blame them for not being interested. Maybe you just look by the false people for understanding or you use your condition to "teach them a lesson". Does it really serve you? Take a walk and look for ways how you could manage the food. Maybe you need to go alone to the supermarket. Maybe you need to take some responsibility yourself instead of waiting for others to change so you can change your condition. Believe me, they have their own conditions and feel themselves not always understood. Spread a little bit understanding and warmth. ~ Chris

I sometimes wonder how people acquire the deep (or not so deep) wisdom that there is no meaning to life anymore after enlightenment. "All is known". Haha. It is after your first Samadhi experience that you realize that you don't know shit. And life begins to be a "mystery" (a wonderful one). How would any of them, who think that there is nothing to do after enlightenment, even know about enlightenment, if all the previously enlightened beings just decided that that's it and wouldn't have shared their knowledge, their experience? ~ Chris

Go for a walk outside. Quite place. Beach. Forrest. Park. Look around and go out of your head (I mean put your attention out from your mind and on the environment). Do it as long as it takes. There is no way for us to know what you should or could do (or what was triggered by your friend). Only you can know, and the best way to know is to go out of your thoughts. The answer will present to you. You actually know it, but you seem to fight the thing you know and are hung up in indecision (it seems). Try it. Go for a walk. Maybe it even takes some days until you accept your inner truth. Kind regards, Chris

@Kelley White Merci! (- :

Keeping the body well fed (no junk) and in good shape is very complimentary to your mental and spiritual work. There is even this old saying: "In a healthy body lives a healthy spirit." Please specify your question. What means "skill training". Also Well-Being is a wide concept, can mean so many things for many people. Spiritual well-being, material well-being...

Your comment appears to be out of context, my friend. (Wonder how what I wrote corresponds to your suggestion.) But thanks, appreciate. You are right about the technique. I've done it for hundrets of hours. Literally. Very liberating. ~ Chris

No religion is true. Generally a religion is like a language. It tries to convey something using symbols from one person to another(s). Truth is unspoken. Belief is not Truth. I don't imply that religions have no worth or value. If it were so, no religions would exist. For real truth seekers religion was always limiting, though. Because truth seekers enter a realm of mysicism where the agreed upon language does not suffice. ~Chris

Thanks, gotcha.

I'm not enlightened but in my primitive mind I can image that the I... is the famous "I AM" :-) Thanks @abrakamowse , but my question was directly addressed in the context of the foregoing exchange between the two of us. Kind regards, Chris

Hello Sigma, from what you write, I sense a "belief" (hit me if I'm wrong) that all external work has to do with struggle or is in some way or another a pain-in-the-ass. That it will disturb your inner alignment, your non-dual state. Or any emotional state. Why not doing something, or being of service, in a way that suits your inner nature? It is my belief that we are meant to express ourselves (create) and experience and expand to explore the infinity of things. This doesn't mean that all should do the same. We have our unique signature, a unique "feel and taste" to things, if you will. Follow the desires that spring from your heart, not those that are rooted in a kind of lack or scarcity. Of course one needs to deviate from the non-dual state in order to engage in the games of life. But you've already been there. You know how to come back "home" to take a "shower". You've transcended the world, you know you are not of this world, but you don't need to sacrifice your life to make known that there is something beyond this earthly plane. It has been done already. (Thank Goodness.) Let it shine, baby. Inspire. In your own unique way. ~ Chris