Jordan

Do you believe that other people do not exist? That is not true either.

Everyone is only ever conscious of the present moment but they typically do believe that the past is real. Believing the past is real helps you understand what is happening now. What could happen that would allow someone to know with their direct experience that the past is real or not real? It seems there is no way to know it because they only are conscious of now. What would change in your life if the past was real vs the past never existing? If it is the same either way then maybe there is not much to be gained by believing one over the other. Develop your understanding without letting concepts like "the past is real" or "the past never existed" get in your way. If you do not know then realize you do not know and experience reality in different ways until you understand it coming from many perspectives.

I agree the external world is indirectly related to happiness but so is consciousness. Happiness has to do with how you interpret what is happening in your experience and how it relates to you. If you interpret it overall as good, you become happy.

Frog leg and chilis with chili hot sauce mixed with the tomato sauce with garlic dipping sauce. I want some.

When you simplify your ideas they can become black and white thinking. Reality is in shakes of grey so there will be many contradictions the more you explain your simplified worldview. A worldview should be like a map that you use to navigate life. If you want to improve the map, you really should consider looking at what you are mapping more than what is on the map. Increase your consciousness of what life is directly. Not your model of it. Consider different worldviews, try living life through different lenses and see what leads to a good life. See what maps work in certain situations and will not work in others. Contemplate and test your theories in reality.

That is actually a great desire you have to be loving because it is the right thing to do and not for egoic reasons. Consider contemplating what “the right thing to do” is directly in your experience.

Although I should add that making a good moral choice depends on your environment. The right choice is often to be a bit more more selfish than you normally would if you are around selfish people and a harsh environment. If you are in a good environment with people that already act morally it makes being moral 100x easier.

I think following moral rules is good when you are at a low level of consciousness to improve your life but I am not sure that it help you increase your consciousness that effectively for most people. If you meditate, contemplate, and get life experience surround yourself with higher consciousness people, it becomes the obvious choice to act in ways that other people will view as moral. it isn't that you should follow moral rules strictly to avoid going to hell after death, it is just that you act in a moral way based on what you see will give you a life with as much bliss and satisfaction as possible.

If you go meta and take an observers point of view, does a human life seem better when it is selfish or generous? A selfish life creates a life of hell.

I recommend you do everything you can to find a job where you work with people that make you feel appreciated. Even if you work more hours than you do now, if you are appreciated and you are doing something you think matters, it will not drain your energy in the same way it does now. I never considered myself to have any mental health problems but there was a time where I was working as a laborer and I would get this emotion in my heart where I really felt like it was torture going to work every day without being fairly compensated or appreciated for the effort I put in. I tried starting my own business that did ok at first but I got lazy and felt the same about doing the parts of the business I found boring. After that I found a job where I am paid more now and they do make a point to take care of their employees here. That emotion has not come back in the 3 years I have been working here. Keep searching, you can find a way to make your life worth living.

Wow that interview really makes me want to realize I don't know anything without being directly conscious of it and contemplate for a few hours after work. Thanks for this.

I have had some insights into time. I have tried to explain it to friends of mine and they say they understand but I am a bit skeptical because they couldn't really repeat back to me what I meant. I see time as more of a description of reality than something that actually exists. Change and movement happens and you use the story of time to conceive how quickly things are moving and changing. Yesterday is a story that helps you explain what is happening now but there is no time to observe. Nothing happened in the past. The experience now is constantly changing but it doesn't mean there is a separate thing called the past that exists as well where things happened. It all happened in the present. There is just the experience of now that changes but it doesn't change through time. Things like time can be imagined to help you make sense of what is going on now.

1. Mantra meditation 2. Dropping concepts that are overlaying reality as you stare at your hand 3. Contemplate the nature of happiness and satisfaction 4. Mindful driving, be aware of what flickers of possible future scenarios' show up in your mind's eye as you are driving. 5. Pay attention to people's body language and facial expressions and how they are feeling as you talk with them.

Ohh she says your mother hatched from an egg. I didn't hear it the first bunch of times I listened to it. I had to come back to it after an hour and listen again. I don't really like the slow hypnotic way she speaks. It is kind of sexy but annoying to wait 2 minutes to hear 3 sentences. As for Leo being a trap, at least for me it is a bit laughable. I consumed a ton of free valuable content. I received a much higher value than he has received from me.

I am pretty sure he is saying you need to experience and know yourself the be that which accepts cherishes and loves all reality as it is.

I just sat down for 1.5 hours dropping my attachment to thoughts and becoming my sensations. I realized that god is what makes up the current experience. The only thing that stays constant is not any of the content but the fact that the experience exists exactly as it is. Why is it made of god? The current experience is infinity condensing down to a limited form. I believe it is so that it can know what it is like to be this particular finite experience. Infinity is god because it is unlimited and all powerful. How can you know that infinity is condensing down? The finite experience is only existing as it is because it is not existing as every other possible way. Being is Existence. A limitless god is understanding what it like to have limits. What can you do with this realization? Continue being this finite experience and enjoy discovering how it unfolds. God's purpose for you is to be as you are and understand yourself as deeply as your limits allow. You are free to create your own purpose. That is also part of god's purpose for you.

This video helped me conceptualize meditation in a different way. it is a bit long. After watching it I had more motivation to meditate more often and longer. I haven't watched it in a while so I hope it is as relevant as I think it is. Consistency is important and understanding/observing how your motivations work will help you keep consistent with a practice if it truly is important to you. I find it really helps to do several preparatory techniques before the actual meditation. I recently shared what I do when I meditate. I will link to it. I am not enlightened or anything but I have been meditating for around 9 years off and on. I usually meditate 2x per day around 30-60 minutes each time sometimes more on the weekend. More often than not I get into a calm blissful focused state. I never looked into how the different states are mapped by people with jhanas. I would rather just go take a look myself. I have been more getting into trying to meditate throughout my day by continuously accepting the moment exactly as it is or being aware of awareness. I also often contemplate the nature of satisfaction and happiness paying attention to how accepting everything as it is affects my emotions. I recently bought an audio book Leo recommended recently here: https://rupertspira.com/store/the-light-of-pure-knowing-thirty-meditations-on-the-essence-of-non-duality You can listen to the first chapter for free. I plan to listen to it in the mornings while following along being as present as possible and try to maintain it as much as I can throughout the day. Not sure if anything here helps you but I wish you the best.

Warning: This is an advanced practice. Meditation can cause psychosis. If you have mental health issues, work with a therapist and start with becoming experienced with mindfulness meditation before trying this. Hello, I had a breakthrough in my meditation practice and wanted to share the technique I have been having success with. I started giving meditation a serious try with Leo’s first meditation videos around 9 years ago. I took a liking to the mindfulness with labeling method. I have been experimenting with different types of meditation over the last couple years. I have watched many videos on YouTube about meditation. I have merged what works best for me in a way where I can consistently go into a deep high conscious state. This is what I do: 1. Get into a seated position with the spine straight up and down. Relax your shoulders, stomach and jaw muscles. Make sure you are not leaning to one side. Take a few deep breaths and check in with how you feel emotionally. The most important thing is that you are in a stable upright position that will be comfortable for at least an hour. 2. Imagine you are sitting at the top of a mountain, ocean all around you. No one around to disturb you. No obstacles in view. The ocean stretches out to the horizon. It is sunny with clear skies. A perfect place to meditate. You can internally describe this place to help you visualize it easier. This should take 2-5 minutes to really start to feel like you are there. 3. Count 1 for your inhale then 2 for your exhale and so on up to 10 then start again at 1. Count from 1 to 10 at least 2 times without being distracted. 4 times would be better. This could take less than a minute or 30 minutes+ if you keep having to restart. You want to get to a point where it does not take much effort to continue focusing without distracting thoughts disrupting your focus. There can still be thoughts but you should continue until your attention is not pulled away by them. 4. Breath in slowly focusing on your third eye chakra for 5 heartbeats, then move on to your throat, heart, solar plexus and root chakra for 5 heartbeats each. Next exhale starting at your tail bone and moving up your spine stopping at each spot at the spine that is in line with a chakra. 5 heartbeats each until you reach the top of your spine. Continue repeating the process around 10 times. If you can’t do 5 heart beats, then start with 4 or 3. It should be a bit of a struggle and like you are out of air. It is similar to this video at around 1:53:00 5. After you are done you should be starving for air so take several quick deep breaths until you catch your breath. Start repeating a mantra in your head. I use “Baba Nam Kevalam” Some people do claim it makes a big difference what mantra you use so maybe you can look into that yourself but the mantra I use seems fine for me. Repeat the mantra in a breathing pattern you like. I say “Baba Nam” clearly and slowly as I inhale then “Kevalam” as I exhale clearly and slowly. I sometimes stop at the end of the exhale and chant the mantra internally before continuing with an inhale. It helps to be able to focus when you stop breathing because less sensations are going on to distract you. Continue this until you reach a state where you are very focused and relaxed. Your body should feel like it is very comfortable and possibly a bit strange like it is vibrating all over. Usually it takes around 10-30 minutes. If you don’t reach this state but still feel ready to move on then go ahead and move onto step 6 6. Start doing mindfulness meditation with labeling. Note that you are aware of something, label it as see, hear or feel, then savor the sensation. Continue like this until it becomes second nature. Leo has a very good video on this you should watch if you are not familiar with the technique. 7. Continue with the mindfulness meditation with labeling technique and add a step of removing concepts between labeling and savoring. If you focus on your heart beating, note it, label feel, then remove the concept that there is such thing as a heart that pumps blood, in a body seated in meditation, in a room, in a house etc. Remove the idea of there being a body producing this sensation etc. then savor the sensation with all those conceptual stories forgotten. See Leo’s video for a guided exercise on how to do this 8. After doing this for a while, drop the see hear feel label and just continually drop or forget about concepts that come up for you as you savor whatever your attention is on. you can continue here as long as you want or optionally continue to step 9 9. Contemplate the nature of what you are experiencing right now. How did the experience get here, why is it like this and not some other way. Contemplate what you are made of, where you are, what you consider to be you. Ask the question then search your experience for the answer. No thoughts are required after the question is asked. As you can see, there are many steps. If you want to follow these steps you may need to practice one at a time in order and combine them as you go. If you have any questions or comments, let me know. Here is a list of videos that influenced me the most when creating this technique: Concentration vs Meditation - How To Develop Concentration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSxtR4psOoQ&t=304s Mindfulness Meditation - A Complete Guide With Techniques & Examples https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPUWdhHDKS4&t=2565s Guided Exercise For Realizing You Are God https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdWxdhEB19s&t=1512s Contemplation - The Most Important Tool For Sages https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa-NAtBEMkA In Depth Meditation, Mantra, and Enlightenment | Dr. K Full vod – go to around 1:53:00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqTINUKh7Zo&t=1s Meditation Technique. The most important practice. Step 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Msi5oaVbPU&t=621s

Ohh I focus on the sensation of the physical heart beating more than anything else haha. It really feels amazing when you are in certain states. If you remember where you heard that let me know and I might look into it. Right now I am not that concerned about it and I am pretty sure if it is something that has negative consequences for me I will be able to tell at some point. I just find it more enjoyable and interesting than focusing on breath sensations and it seems to give me more clarity of my emotions around my heart. I could use an internal mantra chant to keep track of time instead of counting heart beats and see if I notice any difference. Ohh cool, I do chant the mantra in rhythm with my heart beat which I guess I didn't mention. Usually 2 beats for Baba, 2 beats for Nam as I breath in then kevalam in 3 beats then hold the mmmmmm one beat as I breath out for a total of 8 beats for inhale and exhale like a song.

Hello abrakamowse, was that meditation technique the one where he gets you to focus on the sensation of the inside of your mouth and push yourself out of your head to the sensations and stuff like that? It is pretty cool you can be aware of things you never noticed before. It seems most people that meditate a lot do not get enlightened but maybe it helps increase the chances a bit compared to doing whatever everyone else is doing. Even if it doesn't get me any closer to enlightenment, It helps me be more aware of my thoughts and emotions so I can analyze my behavior and make better decisions. I can also feel my senses and emotions much more clearly which really improves the quality of my day to day life. It is really enjoyable to sit in bliss for a couple hours a day and leaves you feeling better after in a way that dopamine hits don't.

Hey CoolDreamThanks, thanks for the comment. Meditation is for realizing what is true but the ego, an illusion, does it's best to survive so it doesn't just let itself be completely dissolved in the snap of a finger. I am not sure what you mean by clearing the contents of consciousness. Isn't that what is done in this meditation as you remove or forget stories and beliefs and instead savor experience as it is in step 7-8? The preparatory steps before that are just to put you in a state where you can do exactly that without an on-guard ego distracting you. It is not like it takes much effort or time to do the preparatory steps but it seems more effective than just sitting there "clearing the contents of consciousness" without any preparation. Am I misinterpreting what you are saying?

I got off track with my other posts. I do think watching the breath is one of the most boring meditations. I want to make it more complicated and make it seem like I am doing something to achieve a different state. It really seems like the more simple the meditation, the more advanced you need to be for it to work well. I find that "dissolving every selfish thought into the breath" as you put it is very difficult to do if you just sit down and try to do that right away. I find it much easier to do preparatory exercises like visualization, breathing, counting breaths, mantra then slowly remove more and more until all that is left is something like the breath or heart beating etc.

I was a bit irritated I think because I remember a video titled "'How to Meditate' for Beginners | Sadhguru" and he doesn't explain how to meditate at all which might be why "how to meditate" is in brackets in the video title I guess haha. He just says meditation is not something you do it is a state of being. I am sure he didn't pick the title for the video but it is misleading. I didn't rewatch the video recently but I am pretty sure that is the one I was thinking of. Do you follow this practice or something very similar to it? I created a meditation practice merging what I learnt from different YouTube videos and it works very well. I go into a relaxed, high consciousness state after 20-30 min usually. I could give a step by step explanation if anyone is interested.

I don't like how Sadhguru teaches in his videos. He doesn't give any step by step process of a meditation technique. He just tells you that you want to separate yourself from the body mind process and give you a hint that it happens within and not something done physically with your body. I think it would be helpful for people if he broke it into little steps of a possible safe path instead of just explaining some end result and giving little hints on how to get there. I guess it might be helpful to some people too but it seems an aggravating way to learn from someone like that. It might also be because he doesn't want to give specific advice to a million people that are in different situations which I guess makes sense.

I would say it takes time for the mind to process/understand perceptions but experience has no delay. Experience is the antenna broadcasting the TV signal and the TV display is like the mind producing its understanding. Experience seems to be experienced without any delay. You might wonder, is there something that is sourcing the experience that precedes it, causing a short delay? I wouldn't know how it would be possible to know if anything sources experience because if you did become conscious of what is sourcing the experience, that source would be equal to experience. You can only really know what you experience now. Everything else you think you know is just stories you believe. Also now that I think of it, Time doesn't exist in the way that we typically imagine it. There is just now that changes continuously and when we want to describe how it changes, we describe it using time. Time is more a description than something that is flowing by. Experience flows along and it is understood through descriptions and comparisons such as time.