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@kibrekidusan That's kind of a personal call. Everything that needs to come to the surface must be given room to do so. But than again, spending too much time going over old memories in your mind could keep you from the true task at hand. Allow what comes to the surface. acknowledge it, than return to your practice.

@Raphael We commonly relate to awareness or consciousness as being localized at the body location. Usually somewhere behind the eyes. That may be a false perception.

@jes You can see his problem from a more detached place than you can see you own problems. It's a clearer view of what's happing from the outside that's not tainted by personal emotion.

@Muhammad Hi Muhammad. Arik would be the one to talk to about. You could maybe find some of his replies here on that subject If he is not around this moment.

@Sri McDonald Trump Maharaj Glad to hear it! It was well worth getting it checked out by the doc just to be sure.

@Sri McDonald Trump Maharaj I hope you made out O.K. yesterday.

@Arik I just heard there was a shooting there in a cinema. What's up with this world?

@Mary There is nothing to be gained. That's the paradox. When you take the whole trip you realize enlightenment exists only in the mind. Mind searches for enlightenment because it's playing a game of hide and seek on itself. That game can only be won by stepping out of the body/mind that is playing the game. Disassociating yourself from the body/mind is the first big step. Think of your body as a temporary physical temple and not what you are. You are something much greater than the limitations of the body/mind.

@charlie2dogs Yea, me too. What was the message? Can it be shared with others? I balled my eyes out one time when I realized the collective consciousness of the of the planet and all it's inhabitants. It was everything the beauty, the ugliness, the good, the bad, the divine, the light, the darkness, the hate, the love ect.

This is cool ! You can probably relate this to your experience.

Just to add a note: It will be natural to want to duplicate that experience again. If you try, it won't happen and it can become frustrating. May I suggest to let it go completely. If it happens again, it happens of it's own doing. Take that approach. *That state can be transcended also. "If" you reach it again, allow it to dissolve you. Fall into it. You will completely vanish.

@Lorenzo Engel I can relate to that experience. It may be that the mind transcends all thought. Mind comes to a dead stop and only awareness remains. You can actually watch a thought coming out of nothingness and arising into consciousness like a bubble. It is a very blissful state of mind being at rest. Sometimes it is referred to as the state of Samadhi.

@Mal Agreed, maybe timeless would have been a better choice of words. no beginning , no end. Sorry things headed in a negative direction yesterday. My own ego got the best of me when you referred to my view of no-self as "useless". I also felt a little criticized. It's all good . We all have different views. Maybe we are all correct and incorrect at the same time. (so to speak). Who really knows? Sometimes you just have a day where you start questioning everything suddenly. Maybe we are all just a projection of thought? or maybe we are something much bigger as a "self" that we cannot see from this point of view (that would be nice). What is right and what is wrong? The truth is, nobody can really say with 100% assurance.* I'm speaking in plain English (just as a note.) Anyway it's all good here. Have a great day

@Sri McDonald Trump Maharaj I suffer from the symptoms you describe. Mine has to do with the nerve endings. It seems to get worse in the warmer weather too. I thought it was circulation at first but I went to a foot specialist and he said it was nerve endings. (Neuropathy) My knees get purple too. Sometimes my feet are cold as ice and sometimes they feel like their burning. If I don't wear socks like in the summer time the swelling gets much worse. I'm not saying that is what you have but it could be.

Why did you pick me today?@Mal Oh man! Where you trying to take all this?

@Mariem I see, your main topic question you are referring to. Contemplation and deep observation both come from a place of stillness and silence. "Thinking" is within the movement of the mind. If you held that place of stillness and silence it would permeate everything else you do.

@Mariem Thought are just thoughts. Like clouds moving across a blue sky. They come, than they go.

This is the first question you are referring to? I'm not totally sure what that means exactly. "I' wants to be aware of "my" thoughts? Maybe you could expand on that.

@Mariem Throw out everything so that only empty awareness exists. Then there will be no practice. There will not even be a "you" to do any practice. Does that sound too easy? .

You have taken my statement too literally. I'll explain for there to be what is everywhere and nowhere at the same time breaks down the conceptual constructs that the mind creates. As if saying: it is everything and nothing at the same time or it is a" big dance" and a "small dance" at the same time. I am not referring to "time" literally as in the ticking of a clock. Does the dance really have a size?

@Amir The thinking mind puts constructs on everything because it is a product of it's spatial field plus time and therefore a sense of where the self is located within that field. That's fine for physical activities such as driving a car or walking a busy city or not hitting your head on a low hanging object. It orientates itself within that space as perceiving distance, up, down, the size of a given space, the passing of time, ect. When the mind that creates those orientations is silenced through meditation, all those mental constructs can fade away. All that remains is awareness that has no such confines or limitations.

Just an observation: It's funny how the ego mind gets a little freaked out at the thought of no-self. But do you notice that when we experience something really beautiful like a sunset or a landscape or a beautiful painting for example, than it's fine that our sense of self is completely transcended in that moment. We need to remove the "me" from being first observer at all times by allowing pure awareness to the forefront and stepping out of the way. We all experience awareness but so often it's taken for granted and overshadowed by the sense of self that the mind creates. And that is only because awareness is so silent and subtle, patient and resting. It is not "my" awareness or "your" awareness, but simply the field of awareness. We with our little fictional stories of self will come and go, but awareness is timeless and formless. It will continue through all of existence. It is everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

I just checked out some of the mp3 excerpts. Sweet! I may order that soon. Thanks@Toby