onacloudynight

Get into very deep concentration states, aka the jhanas. If you want to carry that level of silence into daily life, start by doing graded exercises. See if you can cultivate those states first by sitting, then standing, walking etc...

This was me earlier this year. Once I finally got laid I realized it was never going to be enough. It is not like you have sex once and feel complete. You will desire it again and again and again. It is never ending. Like a dog chasing its tail. Keep meditating and get comfortable with being alone. Trust me, with time it gets easier. Eventually you will reach a point where you don't need anything or anyone to be happy.

You're right. That is what I am missing .

What are the names of the events or festivals I could go to? I have been to retreats and have talked to some people there. It was nice talking to like-minded people, but I felt no need to befriend any of them and have relationships. I guess I really don't have a desire to connect with people. I see no point if I could be happy by myself. Why develop these relationships?

Where exactly can I find this tribe? Is there a club for people that are more awake? lol I was just thinking about joining a monastery. I have no desire to fit in with society.

Probably. I think I just need to slow down. People are starting to see me as crazy.

Just look at yourself in the mirror and shout, "I AM A WINNER!" for 5 minutes everyday for 90 days. Reprogram your subconscious mind.

It tends to intensify/alter the meditation. I have achieved deeper states while high, but I don't think it is worth it long term. You don't want to rely on a drug to reach certain states.

@Nahm Well if that's the case, I must enjoy doing nothing lol

@Girzo Good to know Does everything pass?

I feel like the fruits of my meditation practice are finally starting to show themselves. I was dancing to music and my body was just moving on its own. It felt like something took over me and my dancing took on a whole new level. My friend said it looked choreographed lol. Anyway after the dancing I was in complete bliss. I just sat down in a trance in complete ecstasy and felt like I was absorbed into something. It is hard to describe. It felt perfect and everything was really white. I don't know if this a taste of enlightenment or some samadhi experience or what, but it was really pleasant and I had a bit of an afterglow afterwards. I was also not on any psychedelics.

Is this ego backlash? I have been meditating for 2 hours a day and yesterday I had a craving to smoke cigarettes. Keep in mind I have never been a smoker and I ended up smoking the whole pack. I also drank 3 bottles of beer, which I hardly ever drink alcohol. I woke up today and was like, "What the fuck?"

1. What do you eat on a daily basis? 2. Have you entered any of the jhanas?

Was wondering if anyone on this forum has stumbled upon them. I have been meditating for 2 years and am aiming for the first jhana.

I must not be a natural

Samatha

Yeah I used to have really bad concentration as well. I got a lot better at concentrating once I starting a daily concentration practice. I would suggest focusing on the breath or any object for at least a 1 minute. Once you can do that completely, without your mind wandering, extend it to 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes etc.

"Whatever method you use to generate access concentration, the sign that you've gotten to access concentration is that you are fully present with the object of meditation. So if you are doing metta [loving-kindness meditation], you're just fully there with the feelings of metta; you're not getting distracted. If you're doing the body sweeping practice, you're fully there with the sensations in the body as you sweep your attention through the body. You're not thinking extraneous thoughts, you're not planning, you're not worrying, you're not angry, you're not wanting something. You are just fully there with whatever the object is." "If your practice is anapana-sati, there are additional signs to indicate you have arrived at access concentration. You may discover that the breath becomes very subtle; instead of a normal breath, you notice you are breathing very shallow. It may even seem that you've stopped breathing altogether. These are signs that you've arrived at access concentration. If the breath gets very shallow, and particularly if it feels like you've stopped breathing, the natural thing to do is to take a nice, deep breath and get it going again. Wrong! This will tend to weaken your concentration. By taking that nice deep breath, you drop down the level of concentration. Just stay with that shallow breathing. It's okay. You don't need a lot of oxygen, because you are very quiet." -Leigh Brasington

I really love meditating and I especially love seeing how much more awareness I can gain in my everyday life. Starting today, I have decided to do a 15 day challenge where I will spend 15 days meditating at least 3 hours a day. When I am done each day, I will post and share how it went, things I've learned, and any challenges that I faced. Looking forward to it!!!

Day 8: Fail It's hard for me to meditate. I feel like I am in an altered state of consciousness. I am feeling things more deeply and have felt really depressed the whole day. I feel like I am in a trance. I feel really empty and numb, like a helpless little child. I am going to cut back on the meditating today. At least I can say I did my best.

Day 7 What I accomplished: 2x40 minutes of Mindfulness Meditation 1x15 minutes of Do nothing Meditation 2x10 minutes of Concentration Meditation. I think that's all for today. I seem to have run into a wave of depression, which is really debilitating. I really don't care about anything at the moment. All I really care about is meditating. I think I realized deeply today that nothing can ever completely fulfill you. You will always want more. I can hangout with a friend or listen to a really good song and in the moment it is great, but after it is over I get a feeling of emptiness that washes over me. Everything is impermanent. Nothing ever lasts, which is why I see it now pointless to chase after things. Hopefully tomorrow goes smoother. Edit: It's been an hour later and I feel fucking amazing now! My emotions make absolutely no sense. Oh well such is the life.

Day 6 What I accomplished: 3x40 minutes of Mindfulness Meditation 1x40 minutes of Do nothing Meditation 2x10 minutes of Concentration Meditation. My mindfulness levels are through the roof! After the third sit, I felt like I was in the zone. I am so much more aware of my body now. It moves so smoothly and elegantly, which is oddly satisfying. My body also feels really really good. This is almost reminding me of how I used to feel when I tripped acid. It just amazes me how much awareness I have gained. I can't even imagine how much more awareness is possible. My guess is an infinite amount. I guess we will just have to wait and find out though. Looking forward to tomorrow!

I have no problem with opening up. Basically I am a 19 year old guy who recently quit his job because I couldn't stand working in a crappy environment. I am basically a semi-loner who has no real desire for friendship, but seems to still have a desire for sex. I took the life purpose course and what I got out of it was that I want to help other people become more conscious, but in order to do that I have to become more conscious myself. So I spend the majority of my time meditating as it seems like the most productive thing I can be doing and plus I love it. I honestly just feel a pull to leave society and become a monk, but I guess a little part of me still wants sex.

Day 5 What I accomplished: 2x40 minutes of Mindfulness Meditation 1x20 minutes of Mindfulness Meditation 1x40 minutes of Do nothing Meditation 2x10 minutes of Concentration Meditation. Today was pretty bipolar. The first half of the day felt depressing and irritating. Towards the evening though I felt a sense of deep calm and serenity. My do nothing meditations feel extremely deep. It feels like "I" disappear for a while and all that is left is a peaceful void. I gained an insight into my mind today while I was at the mall. I realized how much I live in a fantasy world. For example when I see someone at the mall my mind immediately makes assumptions about that person. It assumes what they are thinking about me and who they are as a person without even talking with them. Instead of just being present and being aware of the person as just the person in the present moment. My mind goes into storytelling mode and I tend to buy into the assumptions it tells me, but they are nothing but a complete fiction! I just find it laughable that we are literally living in a conceptual fantasy land for the majority of our day and how unconscious we are to actual reality.

I honestly don't know what I want. I think I see pickup as something that would give me some excitement in my life.