Wouter

In this book from Andre Doshim Halaw, he teache method that seems very effective to mee. But I don't really get what he says. I am not able to get what he means, for example wit "the base-object". Is there some more details about his method somewhere?

Do their exist monasteries in America or Europe where the teachings are quite direct towards enlightenment? Are there monasteries where one can live and pay instead of "chop wood, carry water" (although that might be charming as well)

I think this would increase my motivation every time I advance a little bit. So do their exist divices to measure concentration ability, equanimity,...?

Did you alreasy test MUSE? What were your experiences?

@AleksM Probably thats a ginormous exageration, I think. But yeah I also don't see why you wouldn't use technology that can help as long as it doen't become a distraction.

@Soulbass What where your experiences?

No, so what? I don't even speek about comparing my numbers with other people, just to track my progress and see what techniques are effective etc. It could also install a positive feedback loop: progress->seeing it:motivation->more progress. It seems obvious that as long as you have an ego, you still depend on food for your ego, doesn't it? What is "this"? How do you know what exactly I am after? @ajasatya I think your answer was arrogant.

@Nahm Thanks!

I like this one.

I would like to share this ppt with you guys about perception differences between Easterners and Westerners. I found it very mind-expanding. EasternvsWesternPerspective.ppt

Hi All, While taking the life-purpose course, I am struggling with a dilemma. I am pretty clear about my values: Truth and all the ones I consider associated: nature, integrity, purity, simplicity. I love thinking, but I consider myself pretty mature in looking for other ways of getting understanding: for example I remember intuiting that I could learn about metaphysics by deeply investigating what actually happens when I see something, or that I don't know what I am, before I learned about spirituality. I am currently semi-on track with spirituality: I do about 40 minutes of formal meditation a day, and I read the books of Leos list to increase my motivation / learn new techniques, traps etc. I also read about psychology, sociology, philosophy because I love it. I took the "Strengths Finder survey" and this where my top 5 strenghts: -ideation - analytical -intellection -strategising -input The current version of my impact statement is: "helping people live a curious life, and get closer to the t/Truth" Currently I think the best way to do this is by starting a blog with content about: - how to think for yourself, find interesting pieces of information, connect dots , remove biases,.. ( as in "How to think like Da Vinci"-Gelb or "Intuition Pumps And Other Tools for Thinking"-Dennett) - live according to what you think (for example not blaming people if you don't believe in free will) -content that opens up the minds about how interesting the world is and makes them epistemologically humble: anthropology, existentialism, quantum mechanics,... - when I have made enough progress myself: spirituality, the whale - sharing interesting resources like "the school of Life" (a youtube channel), actualized.org, workshops and awesome books. - cool stuff like sensory deprivation tanks, neurofeedback training and so forth I would love to research, contemplate and share my ideas about all these topics, and I think I would be pretty good at it. The biggest challenge seems to articulate them in English (a foreign language for me) and a fun-to-read, convincing way. Once my blog has enough followers I see plenty of opportunities to earn a living from it: organising workshops, selling courses, make the book-list paying, make the book list with affiliate links, donations. My dillemma is the following: I currently have a bachelors degree in Physics and initially I had the plan to do a Phd in theoretical physics. I am just so curious to a very deep description of physical reality: String theory, holography, physics of black holes, quantum field theory. Theoretical physics is a very competitive field. So when I am pursuing this I will have way less energy for meditation/ self enquiry etc. During last year I noticed that while I study I don't really enjoy it: not only during the subjects I find less interesting like "Solid state Physics" (interesting for technology but not really "deep") but also during "Relativity". Sometimes while studying I was in awe, but a big part of the time I was also cramming. I think this is because I consider myself a competitor (for good grades, academic opportunities: phd position) in physics. After the phd, I will also be 6 years (2 masters degree and 4 phd) older, so a less maluable enlightenment-seeking mind. I think doing a phd (on a very narrow subject) is also in contrast with my input-reflex to always find other information to get a bigger picture. On the other hand: I probably would have a lot of experience with wath I want to make my blog about and a deep dive in theoretical physics also touches something deep inside me. This brings me to the idea of immediately starting my blog and work a few years as a high-school teacher (part-time) to support myself (20yo, no near child-wishes), work on my blog and enlightenment, until my blog-tribe is big enough to become a professional blogger. Can I have some advice on considerations I forgot from you guys?

Does anyone know a good introduction online on how to practice TM? I only manage to find why-to content.

@How to be wise You are probably using Leo's guided inquiry? What I do to "prove" to myself that it's not constant, I just try to drop the sensation. For example "you can't be the inner because there are gaps between the inner voice"->I try to silence for a short moment, and I notice that indeed it was silent for a while.

Does it sound like a good plan to just invent a mantra myself and start practicing, or are there a lot of subtleties and nuances in order to grow from the technique?

I also have it, but I think there are better book to find. I was kinda disappointed.

I choose growth above comfort

authenticity

@Outer And maybe your ego is "full sage mode" or "the one who sees the ego in all other people" . My point is: why attack a person who genuinely asks a question is this way "Probably it's just your ego"?

When I have a small insight in self-inquiry/contemplation, most of it is lost when I try to recall it in my diary. Is this common/how do you guys go about it?

How did you come in contact with your "enlightened buddy" that you once talked about in a forum post?

So I am getting more and more serious about spirituality and I was doing a 30 min self-enquiry (on the question "who is perceiving", as Leo describes in his video "how to become enlightened"). With alternations between eyes open and eyes closed, and after 20 minutes or so when I opened my eyes I didn't see a collection objects in "a room"(as usual), but rather my visual field was one thing, and the only thing there was . The sense of myself was spread over this visual field (so the part of my room before my eyes). And I thought "is this a small enlightenment-experience" and the I saw my body without identifying with (or identyfiing with it way less than usual) (only perceiving the colour and shape of my legs). It didn't last long at all, maybe 30 seconds and it also wasn't deep, I am typing this now 5 minutes later as if nothing happened. I also noticed a subtle sense of not wanting the experience, and even like wanting it to stop. It didn't really generate conscious traction at all. Right now, 5 minutes later it feels as if that was a dream, and I don't really beleive anymore what I am writing. Does this sound like a valid description of what a mini-mini enlinghtenment experience could be. I just would like to know this because until now it would help me take the experience and the work more serious. Thanks for reading, Wouter

I read them, ponder them, but this doesn't bring conscious traction. Even when I comtemplate individual sentences, I am still not able to identify the dynamics he describes in my experience. How to go about this. Maybe this is normal and insight will come only the 5th time, maybe I should each day work on a paragraph/page and make a commitment to identify what he discribes in my experience.. I don't know. Does it seem a good plan to read them on a mild psychedelic, take a lot of notes, and then try to observe what my notes describe in my experience as intermediate step, and then go back to the book itself? Any suggestions?

Can you elaborate a bit on the exact process of introspective writing? Is it like a diary, or a written self-inquiry/contemplation?

-Guidelines to get growth and insight from some discussions, in stead of wasting this energy to defend belief systems. -overview of the different kind of arguments, the quality-ones and the false ones -usefull practices to improve quality of discussion: for example a verbal agreement to keep rule x, rule y, and z while maintaining attidudes a,b,c during the discussion.

I am studying the book "kriya yoga-secrets revealed" and they tell to "pick a posture". The half lotus seems to me the best one to start, but it is not something i just do, I can't touch te floor with my second leg. How can I transition towards this posture?