AndylizedAAY

Why do miracles exist? This is a good question to contemplate on.

@justfortoday How come you outright contradict what Leo says about solipsism and the Infinity of the Gods? You say that they don't exist while Leo says that they do. I don't see any compatibility, and I would always need my own consciousness of the truth anyways.

I habitually procrastinate on work and am tired in the morning but this needs to further be explained.

Is loving your neighbor as yourself paradoxically selfish and selfless and is non-dualistic? Would it deepen my love to love someone because that person is me or would that be narcissistic? Why does Leo teach about Absolute Solipsism much later if the discovery of the true self through the neti neti method is true regardless of the viewer? That would mean that everyone has the same nature and that there is no other.

I think that love does matter, I have more to say later.

@Razard86 I meant does it matter what Jesus meant?

@Razard86 Why do we usually hear about men who are enlightened like Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi, etc? Is there any difference between Awakening and enlightenment?

@LSD-Rumi I would say that it probably does matter to know what Jesus meant just like for Leo but if Jesus only meant to love just as much as yourself without acknowledging the Self, it wouldn't change the truth. @Yimpa Are you saying that I don't know what the Self is? Would it be self deception to think that I know? If I doubt myself, it means I don't know but if I don't doubt myself, I could be self-deceived. This is where it also gets tricky.

How do I know what Jesus meant by loving your neighbor as yourself? Does it even matter?

@Yimpa I was not talking about appearance, appearance shows separation and duality. I was trying to varify what Leo said.

I deleted the signature on my phone.

Hello everyone, I can't see if I sent anyone private messages. This is not a big deal but, Leo does not always respond so I will be posting here. I don't really know why having images would be against the guidelines as a signiture but I can't get rid of it. There is a work-around with showing videos but why doesn't Leo accept videos on the forum? Here is the unlisted video that you need the link to see: Also, I uncheckmarked the "remember me" option while I was changing my password but my computer automatically did so. Even when I typed the password correctly, it takes me here with my password saved even though I never wanted it to be saved: I know that I typed the password correctly, I literally just changed it and the "remember me" option is not checked marked and yet it still saved my password. What can I do?

I think I solved the problem with the password too since I turned off auto sign in without your help. I would like you to answer my question about my signiture or you can just ignore my messages ("you" in general).

Never mind, the signiture problem has been resolved but not the password one. I have a question about the signiture though. What is that supposed to be without my handwriting and why do the rules contradict itself? It gives a certain amount of pixels that I can use but also does not allow images. How come I can upload those kinds to my signiture then?

What do you think about my insight of Absolute Solipsism? What would happen if I focus on it while taking a phychadelic?

Hello everyone, I think I can't concentrate on any of these questions. What do I do if the questions seem unanswerable? I've been stagnating on assignments and have seen no progress. This is a long list and the file would probably be too big to share here. There is also this book called Define Your Why and even those questions I'm stuck on. I don't want to confuse you with that other list so I will just post this for now. HI acknowledge that all of this needs to be contemplated for myself. Here is what I need to work on (more organized on Google Docs): Questions and Exercises to Work On What are your top fears and insecurities? How did it shape your early survival challenges? How did it shape your values? What strategies did you invent to get love? In what ways are you overcompensating? What are some outdated survival patterns, armor and defense mechanisms you still act out today? How did they serve you in the past? How are they limiting you today? What would it look like if you let them go? What are you afraid would happen if you let them go? What area in life am I able to produce an amazing creative result in? Your vision needs to cover the field itself. Why is integrity important? What integrity do you lack or have? How many problems are there in the world because of unholistic thinking (contemplate)? How many personal problems or the problems of people you know do you or the people you know have because of unholistic thinking? Thinking holistically requires appreciating the value of holism and vice versa. Ask higher quality questions developing intuition Don't accept reductionistic answers Study many perspectives deconstruct the materialist and mechanical paradigm Study systems thinking Start to consider externalities and collateral damage Read holistic thinkers Step outside of your survival concerns Study yourself-biases Get rid of judging and criticizing Everyone is right partially 1. How are x and y interconnected? 2. What is the big picture here? 3. What is the larger context of this? 4. What is the ultimate point of all this? (What you are currently doing) 5. Why am I doing this at all? 6. How is this a part of something larger? 1. How does this part serve the larger whole? 2. How is this part of a duality? Do you have the whole story / all points of the same story? 3. How will this invert? How will this duality boomerang? 7. What is the highest good for the whole? 8. How should the parts be rebalanced for the good of the whole? 9. Which parts are out of balance, leeching selfishly from the whole? 10. How is this fragmented? 11. How am I drawing the boundary of the system? 1. How can I redraw the boundary to expand the boundary? 12. How am I involved in the situation? - the rainforest ex. 13. How would god see this situation? 1. Unbiased, Selfless, unattached, fearless, benevolent, all loving, all understanding, non-judgmental, self accepting and seeking exquisite balance for the good of wall 14. How can I better serve the greatest whole? There are 2 versions of holism: There is holism with a lowercase h and Holism with a capital H (includes reductionism). Holism is a function of consciousness (cannot think your way to the highest Holism) The one who is most holistic wins the game of life Pay attention to dualities functioning in life and make your own list of them. What is duality part 2 “Everything arises in this way: opposites from their opposites.” -plato (scientific + existential) Concepts and ideas are categories which is duality which is groundless duality is not just pairs of 2 you don't just find opposites for categories you could also find 3, 4 … there's infinite dualities we can have in nonduality. Categories lead to more categories, all categories break and lead into something else. Science deludes itself by going through the filters of their categories; those categorial filters are what distorts it. Human created categories All science is direct experience. It's all first person. You cannot do proper science unless you understand the relativity of science. yoga=science of consciousness How you frame your problems determines the solutions you get, how you frame your question determines what kind of answers you get. It's not necessarily about the problem or the answer itself. The solution is found in the problem and the answer is the question. Examples of 3 straight vs gay vs bisexual/ sexual spectrum Red vs green vs ultraviolet/ Color spectrum Scientific dualities Solid vs liquid vs gas vs plasma Conductor vs insulator vs semiconductor vs superconductor Land vs water- land shapes the way water flows, the flow shapes the land and the shape of the water is determined by the land. Ecosphere/geosphere vs biosphere vs atmosphere vs hydrosphere Planets vs asteroids vs planetoids Life vs non-life Inanimate vs animate Plant vs animal Animal vs human Hardware vs software vs operating system Digital vs analogue Matter vs energy e=mc2 Matter vs antimatter Electricity vs magnetism Space vs time Quantum vs relative Theory vs practice ‘important video Theory vs reality cannot separate the two theory is reality System vs environment Organism vs environment I vs environment Inorganic vs organic Eukaryotic vs prokaryotic Sentient vs non sentient can a rock become sentient can a computer become sentient is sentient absolute Nature vs nurture Genetics vs environment epigenetics your genetics change from your environment First person vs third person Science vs philosophy science evolved from philosophy Science vs metaphysics Science vs math Science vs art Science vs pseudoscience (most pseudoscience is inaccurate) Science vs religion Science vs spirituality Science vs yoga Science vs consciousness Consciousness vs meditation Science vs culture Hard science vs soft science Natural vs unnatural Natural vs artificial Evolution vs design Evolution vs creation Inside vs outside Internal vs external human beings are shaped like donut exactly like a paradox Micro vs macro Western vs eastern medicine Rational vs irrational Rational vs intuitive Skepticism vs faith Fact vs interpretation Empirical data vs interpretation facts don't care about your feelings being wrong. All logic is dictated by your feelings. You cannot separate a fact by your interpretation from the fact but you can believe you can if your emotions want too. You don't have a single fact only interpretations Reason vs feelings Dependent vs independent Contingent vs necessary Philosophical duality a priori vs a posteriori this one is confusing a priori ;independent and prior to experience and a posteriori; dependent upon experience you cannot separate the two Analytical truth vs synthetic Relevant vs irrelevant Quantitative vs qualitative Quantity vs quality Natural vs supernatural Witch vs shaman/unknown Mind vs body has been resolved for at least 5000 years by humans merging with nonduality Mind vs brain Subject vs object Physical vs mental Psychophysical or Mental (without a brain) Physical vs non physical Material vs immaterial Same vs different Variable vs constant Input vs output Form vs function Syntax vs semantics Control vs controlled Determinism vs free will -divine will gods will Analysis vs synthesis Analytic vs holistic ‘Technology vs magic’ -Arthur c. Clarke everything is magic reality is magic Cause vs effect every effect has a cause of something else Consistent vs inconsistent/contradiction Discovery vs invention heterogeneous vs homogeneous Linear vs nonlinear Problem vs solution Possible vs impossible Chicken vs egg the chicken is the egg you can't have chicken without egg or egg without chicken Credential vs credentials Newby vs expert Map vs territory the map was always the territory all there is is or ever was is Territory which includes all maps Brain vs thought Objects vs thoughts Notice how these dualities function in your day to day life. Write down a list of these dualities that you are noticing and realize the width and depth of this rabbit whole. Work through all these dualities and discover them collapse don't believe the list does the work and discover the limitations of the dualistic mind you project on the whole world like you were given a math problem. How did you know which sources to trust and which sources not to trust back then? Write out your priorities and goals What would I regret when I'm 40 or 50? Ask what the frame of reference is in response including your own beliefs. Translate what people say relative to ______. Ask why you get triggered by things. Assume that something is true then try to look how it can be false. Although you have answered them in your notebook, you should keep your notes in one place. Here are the questions: Try to answer these questions: Metaphysical: About reality 1. How come existence exists at all? 2. What is existence? 3. How is existence related to non-existance? 4. Why is reality structured as it is? 5. Are there other possible ways reality can be ordered other than our own? 6. Why are the laws of physics the way they are? 7. Which comes first: consciousness or matter? Does consciousness come out of matter or does matter occur within consciousness? 8. What is matter, energy, space, time? 9. What is outside the universe? Is it infinite or finite? Why? 10. What existed before the big bang? 11. How does the material interact with the immaterial? 12. What governs what’s possible and impossible in the universe? What sets limits on the universe? 13. What governs emergent properties (eg atoms, molecules)? 14. How can emergent properties arise out of nowhere? 15. What makes a thing a thing? What is an object (a single thing, multiple things)? 16. Does reality have a bottom most scale? Eg lower than atoms, and lower than than. Does reality have a top most scale eg higher than planets, universes etc. Are there limits or do the levels go infinitely up and down 17. Does the evolution of the universe have a purpose? If so, where does it lead to? 18. Does external reality exist at all? 19. What is God? What would the concept of God entail? 20. What are thoughts? 21. How did life start? Aka Where did it all come from? Epistemic: The study of knowledge 1. How do we know what we know? 2. How can I know anything for certain? 3. What makes justifications valid? 4. Why do billions of people believe in God? 5. Why do people disagree about good and bad, right and wrong, moral and immoral? 6. How come intelligent people delude themselves? Eg scientists who are creationists. How can I be sure that I’m not deluded? 7. How do I know that I’m not indoctrinated aka brainwashed into believing things without thinking about them myself. 8. What is science? Is it the best way of arriving at knowledge? 9. What are the limits of science? Are there things that science can’t understand/explain? 10. What is mathematics? What makes it valid? 11. What are the limits of mathematics? Is it displayed by reality or projected by the human mind? 12. What is rationality? How does it work and why is it valid? Limitless? Displayed by reality or projected by the human mind` 13. Which is more valid, the senses, rationality, or intuition? 14. What are the biases/blind spots of humanity as a whole? 15. How do animals understand reality? 16. Are there creatures with higher intelligence than humans? If so, how can we be certain of our knowledge? 17. Why is human knowledge taken as the ultimate truth? 18. What is the truth? Is is objective or subjective 19. Where does understanding come from? How can we rely upon it? 20. What is the ultimate truth? 21. What is the best way to acquire knowledge? 22. Is reality understandable? Can humans understand it all or not because we are limited Self: You as an individual 1. How can I be sure that I exist at all? 2. If I exist, what am I? Biological? How do I know? 3. How did I, aka the identity of me, come into being? 4. What justifies identifying with the body or the mind? If the body is yours and the mind is too, who owns these things 5. If I am the body and the mind, what is everything else. Where do ‘I’ stop and the rest of the world begin? 6. What is in control of my thoughts? 7. What is my role in reality? My purpose? 8. How should I live my life to maximize happiness? Consciousness: The mind and all mental fabrications 1. What is consciousness? 2. How is perception possible? 3. What unifies our senses into a seamless experience? 4. What if there are higher levels of consciousness? What would that mean for our understanding of the world? 5. What about the different levels of consciousness eg on psychedelics, meditation. What do they mean? Are they better/worse/more or less real than ordinary consciousness? 6. Are consciousnesses separate or is consciousness one thing? 7. Can artificial consciousness be created 8. Can consciousness be split or joined? 9. Could inanimate matter be conscious? 10. Is consciousness only accessible to higher level beings or is it everywhere in the world? 11. What are the laws governing qualia (qualities of the senses)? Where do we come from? What's right and wrong, and who determines it? What is the meaning and purpose of life? What happens to us after we die? 1. What is the most important concept of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ4F_BpJi20 explain? 2. List the 5 things that you are most grateful for that you haven't seen the evidence of yet. Grasping the Illusory Nature of Thought -SYMBOLS ARE NOT REALITY ITSELF AND THEY ARE TOTALLY ARBITRARY; This makes you unconscious since thoughts are arbitrary symbols that acquire meaning over time. -YOU NEED TO GAIN MINDFULNESS OVER YOUR THOUGHTS. A thought is real as a sensation in your mind, not as the actual thing. If you don’t apply mindfulness you will be living in a reality constructed by thoughts and not reality as it really is. How to practice this? Commit to flatten 50 illusions in the next week and write it down. Describe the content and then what it really is. Mindfulness Meditation Mindfulness is experiencing reality literally, exactly as it is. There are three important components: 1) Focus – ability to put awareness of selective sensations for a long period of time (a very rare skill these days) 2) Sensory clarity – how clear are you about the raw data coming in. Clear the lens of your mind 3) Equanimity – experience and emotion/phenomena and not react to it in an emotional way (to be stable and grounded, and not go into a reactive state) The basics: Every 10 second cycle: (Note, label, savor) 1. Locate an object and note that you are looking at it 2. Label (silently) it “see” – to register that you are seeing it 3. Take it in exactly as it is in the present moment for 5-7 seconds. (don’t judge it, just experience it) Concentration vs Meditation -Concentration is selecting an object and focusing on it intensively while meditation is surrendering to the moment. -The best results come when you enter Access Concentration – your best meditation results will come from entering this. To develop concentration: sit down with an alarm, select a clear object or sensation. Sit there and focus on that sensation/object for the next 5 minutes, forcing your mind to never waver. Do not let it waver. You will know when you’ve hit Access Concentration when you go into a flow state – you will feel it; it will become easier to focus and distractions will melt away. Start with 2 minutes and build up to 3, 4, 5, 10 min. Become good at 2 minutes then bump it up. Be very precise and do not waver. Smoothen out the object you are focussing on, create a single sensation from complex sensations (such as breathing). Meditation on Steroids Strong determination sitting (SDS) can supercharge your meditation practice. Simple but very powerful technique. SDS may be the quickest way to enlightenment. Take a timer and sit for 1,2,3 hours with eyes open. Sit in lotus (or other position). Do not move for the full time, no matter what happens. Sit completely motionless. Your concentration and focus will supercharge. Combine this with the Do Nothing technique. This will show you how rotten your mind has become. This will show you how rotten your mind has become. Deep and true happiness is complete presence in the moment, and being one with reality, being completely unconditionally happy with whatever happens. Purification = pain x mindfulness. Suffering = pain x resistance (drop your resistance to 0) Anxiety is running away from pain and suffering. Try to do 4 one-hour sits per day for a week as a retreat. Contemplation Contemplation – openly pondering a question that you are interested in, with focus, and without bias in order to inquire into the nature/essence/truth of that thing. Sit down and relax, select one question you are curious about and ponder it from ground 0, avoiding anything you’ve been told about it, for 5-10 minutes Select a question you generally care about Ask yourself different questions to approach the thing in question from different angles Go deeper into the nature of the thing you’re questioning. What is it? What is its true nature? How did it come into being? What are the components that allow it to exist? What is its purpose? What is its substance? What is its significance/importance? Why do I care about it? Some nuances: Contemplation, meditation, concentration, and self-inquiry are different things that overlap. Contemplation is more of an intellectual activity, but it can become meditative. Self-inquiry is specifically contemplating your nature, who you are. Concentration is a non-intellectual activity. Contemplation can be done on a personal level as well an existential level. There is a spectrum. Contemplation becomes mystical when you penetrate past the level of thought into the level of insight when you get to the being-level of things. Your number-one problem in life is ignorance. From that stem all your other problems. Life is a giant illusory magic show. To penetrate illusion, you have to contemplate. Don’t just rearrange your prejudices. Your assignment: Wear a wristband for a week and contemplate “What is relationship?”. Every time you see the band, remember to contemplate the question. How You Lie -You are running your whole life based on self-agenda – what you want and what promotes your survival. -It’s about preserving your self-concept/self-image. -Truth alone is curative and healing. Level 1: Tell the truth to yourself, acknowledge how you feel and when you lie. Level 2: Communicate the facts of the situation more accurately and honestly. Level 3: Communicate how you feel about the facts (“Honey, I cheated on you with Sally, and loved it, we had multiple orgasms, so much fun, and then we went shopping later, I love her. You’ve become a harsh, naggy bitch, and I’m sick of it”). Your ego will feel like it’s getting destroyed when you are telling the truth. You will quiver with fear and dread. It will feel like pouring acid on your self-image but it is extremely healthy and healing. Don’t let lies fester and eat away at your soul. This is not a moral problem but an integrity problem. A warning: if you do start doing level 2 and 3 truth-telling you will have to accept the consequences. There may be serious consequences. BUT in most situations, the mind over-exaggerates the negative outcomes. Often the truth is refreshing for most people. Assignments: - Notice your self-agenda in action - Notice whether you are honoring your self-agenda or truth. - Notice how much you lie, be mindful as you lie. - Notice how you subtly manipulate people, especially those closest to you. Get a loose rubber band that you can wear on your wrist and wear it for a whole week to remind yourself to be on the lookout for lying and serving your self-agenda. Bringing It All Together Worksheet My top 3 values are… My 3 signature strengths are… The high-consciousness virtue I want to build my career around is… The 1 domain I want to commit to mastering is… •Spirituality My greatest personal struggle in life has been… The top 5 questions that fascinate me the most about life are… 1. Who am I? 2. What is life? The top 3 moments that inspired me most in the past were… My Zone of Genius is… The most meaningful impact that I can have in the world is… The Sheet From the Life Purpose Course: Life purpose: Domain of mastery: Zone of genius: Medium: Top 10 Values: Strengths: Top 5 goals: 64 Most Fascinating Questions A Human Can Ask Metaphysical: About reality 1. How come existence exists at all? Because existence has to exist even if it exists as Absolute Nothing. 2. What is existence? Existence is Being. 3. How is existence related to non-existence? Because non-existence is non-existent, non-existence would exist and therefore there is only existence. 4. Why is reality structured as it is? 5. Are there other possible ways reality can be ordered other than our own? 6.Why are the laws of physics the way they are? 7. Which comes first: consciousness or matter? Does consciousness come out of matter or does matter occur within consciousness? 8. What is matter, energy, space, time? 9. What is outside the universe? Is it infinite or finite? Why? What is outside of the universe is the multiverse. The universe is a sub infinity within it since there cannot be anything outside of space except more space and anything outside of space is still within space. 10. What existed before the big bang? Pure potential. 11. How does the material interact with the immaterial? Through forces like the laws of physics. 12. What governs what's possible and impossible in the universe? What sets limits on the universe? Scientific laws. 13. What governs emergent properties (e.g. atoms, molecules)? Pure consciousness since nothingness is the only solution for an infinite regress problem with substance. 14. How can emergent properties arise out of nowhere? 15. What makes a thing a thing? What is an object (a single thing, multiple things)? 16. Does reality have a bottom most scale? E.g. lower than atoms, and lower than. Does reality have a topmost scale e.g. higher than planets, universes etc. Are there limits or do the levels go infinitely up and down? Already answered (re-answer this question to easily find it). 17. Does the evolution of the universe have a purpose? If so, where does it lead to? 18. Does external reality exist at all? 19. What is God? What would the concept of God entail? 20. What are thoughts? The voice of the mind (and maybe of the soul). 21. How did life start? Aka where did it all come from? Epistemic: The study of knowledge 1. How do we know what we know? Through direct experience. 2. How can I know anything for certain? Already answered. 3. What makes justifications valid? 4. Why do billions of people believe in God? Because life is mystical. 5. Why do people disagree about good and bad, right and wrong, moral and immoral? 6. How come intelligent people delude themselves? E.g. scientists who are creationists. How can I be sure that I'm not deluded? 7. How do I know that I’m not indoctrinated aka brainwashed into believing things without thinking about them myself? 8. What is science? Is it the best way of arriving at knowledge? 9. What are the limits of science? Are there things that science can’t understand/explain? 10. What is mathematics? What makes it valid? 11. What are the limits of mathematics? Is it displayed by reality or projected by the human mind? 12. What is rationality? How does it work and why is it valid? Limitless? Displayed by reality or projected by the human mind? 13. Which is more valid, the senses, rationality, or intuition? 14. What are the biases/blind spots of humanity as a whole? 15. How do animals understand reality? 16. Are there creatures with higher intelligence than humans? If so, how can we be certain of our knowledge? 17. Why is human knowledge taken as the ultimate truth? Because it is all humans know. 18. What is the truth? Is it objective or subjective? Truth is a state of Being. There are relative truths and the Absolute Truth which cannot be explained. 19. Where does understanding come from? How can we rely upon it? 20. What is the ultimate truth? 21. What is the best way to acquire knowledge? 22. Is reality understandable? Can humans understand it all or not because we are limited? Self: You as an individual 1. How can I be sure that I exist at all? 2. If I exist, what am I? Biological? How do I know? 3. How did I, aka the identity of me, come into being? 4. What justifies identifying with the body or the mind? If the body is yours and the mind is too, who owns these things? 5. If I am the body and the mind, what is everything else. Where do ‘I’ stop, and the rest of the world begin? 6. What is in control of my thoughts? 7. What is my role in reality? My purpose? 8. How should I live my life to maximize happiness? Consciousness: The mind and all mental fabrications 1. What is consciousness? 2. How is perception possible? 3. What unifies our senses into a seamless experience? The brain. 4. What if there are higher levels of consciousness? What would that mean for our understanding of the world? 5. What about the different levels of consciousness e.g. on psychedelics, meditation. What do they mean? Are they better/worse/more or less real than ordinary consciousness? 6. Are consciousnesses separate or is consciousness one thing? 7. Can artificial consciousness be created? 8. Can consciousness be split or joined? 9. Could inanimate matter be conscious? 10. Is consciousness only accessible to higher level beings or is it everywhere in the world? 11. What are the laws governing qualia (qualities of the senses)? You might want to rethink these questions: Contemplation of Your Own Death 1. What would I miss the most about life? Socializing and finding my life purpose. 2. What do I want to get out of this life? Enlightenment. 3. What is really worth doing? Finding my life purpose and spirituality. 4. What isn't worth doing? Procrastinating. How am I being small minded? How do I need to reorganize my life? 7 Day Exercise Make a reminder of your death If I was more conscious of my death I would _____. 10 quick responses. Be more decisive of my time Do more housework Check things a less amount of times Be more social Make a reminder of my death Rewrite this later/have this in a notebook or on a sheet of paper Find more spiritual exercises Read more books Do the life purpose course Find a way to pay for it or learn about how for the future How To Harness Your Intuition – Exercises: How has my intuition served me in the past? How does my intuition feel when it’s working? What has my intuition been trying to tell me lately? What is my intuition saying about my career? What is my intuition saying about my relationships? Where is my intuition ultimately trying to guide me? In what ways do I ignore my intuition? Why don’t I follow my intuition more? What changes could I make to reconnect with my intuition more consistently? What would my life look like if I had the courage to follow my deepest intuitions? What are some noble or aspirational yearnings that I am suppressing or stalling on? What Is Insight? Worksheet v1 Copyright 2023, Leo Gura, Actualized.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - What is insight? What generates insight? Why is insight so slippery / ineffable? How is insight different from belief or knowledge? What are the biggest insights I’ve had in my life? How have insights I’ve had shaped my life? How have insights mankind has shaped civilization? What are the greatest insights mankind has had? Can the capacity for insight be developed? If so, how? What would happen if I seriously developed my capacity for insight? How much is the capacity for insight worth to me? How is insight related to understanding? What kinds of insight exist? Where do insights come from? What tools exist to help me generate insights? Is there such a thing as false insight? If so, how is it distinguished from true insight? Can I fool myself with insight? What is the relationship between insight and states of consciousness? What is the relationship between insight & thinking? Can there be insight without thinking? How is insight related to mental construction? What is the relationship between insight & wisdom? What is the relationship between insight and truth? When do I have the most insights? Where am I and what am I doing? Your Meditation: What is the next best thing that I can do? 3 Steps to Break YouTube Addiction 1. Pick something that you are going to do with your time to replace the time that you currently spend watching YouTube. 2. Widen the gap (through meditation) that you're going to have before the addiction before the addiction for YouTube kicks in. 3a. Create the emotion needed by thinking about death or think about the dark you (your dark shadow) living up to its potential and not you. 3b. Bypass the emotion of resistance by using the 5-second rule. How To Let Go of a Coping Mechanism - Teal Swan - Background: -To cope is to make a specific alteration either mentally emotionally or physically, that allows you to manage a situation that is causing you stress. -A coping mechanism is a process, or a technique for enabling you to do that. -Take a look at what got you into spirituality. -Chances are, it was you feeling some form of distress or discomfort. -This means that your entire spiritual practice is ripe for coping mechanisms. -People who are prone to denial will gravitate towards the law of attraction practice communities. -People who are prone to self-harm will be drawn towards asceticism. -Why is it so hard to let go of coping mechanisms? Because they don't cause us pain on the front end and are instant gratification and you are wired to avoid pain. 1. Stop avoiding pain and actually befriend it. -Any kind of pain is a signal to gain valuable feedback. 2. Look at the things that make you feel better. -Make an entire list of these things. -What do you do when you are in a state of distress? -It is your job to argue to yourself how those ways are detrimental to you. -How could each one be a coping mechanism? -What potential downsides could there be to that coping mechanism? -How does each one not work? 3. Take a look at online lists of coping mechanisms and the ones that you engage in. -How are those coping mechanisms beneficial to you and how are they detrimental to you? What does it give to me and what does it take away from me? -Think about someone who does have that coping mechanism. 4. You have to undo the coping mechanism the same way that it began or first occurred which is in your past (obviously). -It's resolved through trauma integration. -When you have a coping mechanism that you are feeling inclined to engage in or are currently engaging in, close your eyes and imagine not engaging in it instead. -Try to find someone in your life that will point out your coping mechanisms. -What would happen if you engaged in the opposite of that coping mechanism? What would be so bad about not doing X? -The Completion Process (the book) is good for this. -If you notice yourself about to engage in something that you "shouldn't" be doing, choose to engage in it consciously. -After doing this a few times, choose to do something else. -Do this several times with several techniques. 5. Practice the art of softening instead of tensing in response to discomfort. -Close your eyes and imagine literally becoming completely soft and allowing that sensation in your body. -Imagine relaxing your muscles. -Send your cells the message to open up -Start breathing into it completely so you feel yourself completely limp against the discomfort. -When going soft, not only can you learn from the discomfort, but you can also choose not to engage your coping mechanism. -What you resist, persist, and your coping mechanism is a way of resisting pain and thus getting more pain in the long run.

How?

What do you mean?

@Caoimhin What about the video of questions where the the questions are divided into metaphysical, epistemological, and self? There were a lot of questions in that video. I answered those questions but in a disorganized way. They are not easy to find. I posted that list of questions and assignments to see if you could also help me divide the questions to make it easier by focusing on a category instead of an individual question or assignment. You didn't have to read everything though.

@Caoimhin That's a great idea but if I get stuck on a question, I easily need to find the next one. I'm currently wearing a wristband to remind me to contemplate the question "what is a relationship"? It has something to do with no-self that I discovered through the neti-neti method. The soul however is the hardest barrier to get past if I want to follow the method. It can reveal what my true nature is as nothing which applies to everyone meaning that we are all One and that Absolute Solipcism is true. A relationship would then be the quality of one's self-acceptance shown onto someone else. If you want me to no longer use the Google Doc, how should an ultimate commonplace book be created? I believe that it's possible to gain the software for it but I don't really know enough categories and don't have the creativity to create an ultimate commonplace book. Do you think that Leo offers too many questions or am I answering them too slowly?

Sometimes I am able to be in a peaceful contemplative state of consciousness or in a state of consciousness in which ideas just flow to me. This state of consciousness also allows me to meditate. However, there is also the state of consciousness that plays videogames, masterbates, or be in monkeymind. I wish that the first state of consciousness was not interrupted by obligations and that it would come to me whenever I have free time. What can I do instead if I cannot control when the insights will come? I can't just write them all down when I need to be paying attention or need to be doing something else at school. How do I get back the insights that I lost? Also, why does @Leo Gura have so many notebooks and pens around his home (he mentioned that in the insights video) when he could just use Google Docs that is separate from Microsoft Word in which his work is automatically saved?

I don't like the idea of heaven or hell and here's why: Heaven is worshipping God forever which means that God is never satisfied with and that he wants to be worshipped even though he was just entitled to be God. Hell, on the other hand is just eternal suffering which is bad and separation from God just so happens to be that place. It would be more loving for God to create reincarnation or to have souls to cease to exist. Also, sin cannot be the cause for people to go to hell since other people became Christian and accepted Christ who were also sinners before becoming Christian and still are according to the Christian paradigm. Christians tried to help me understand this but the Holy Spirit didn't help me to do so while I was a Christian and after seeking God's wisdom. And I don't mean to speak badly of it, it's just a fact within the Christian paradigm. I see that people keep listening to the church as if they don't already know what they believe. It's just an affirmation that the truth does not require. I know about the crucifixion of Jesus, that God is love, etc. Not only are there other religions that I know less about, but this affirmation when it comes to defending pushes me away that the Bible is even the word of God because it never tells me how I can become directly conscious of what it says. Even if God answers my prayers, I only imagine that the Christian God is doing so if I were to be a Christian. Maybe it's something else that just so happens to agree with the Bible, it's not direct experience. The reason I post this is so that I can one day stand up for what I actually believe or don't believe in and that beliefs don't matter compared to awareness. I also want to feel listened to by someone out there.

@Kksd74628 Here's my stance that may not be a stance because I could be wrong about this: