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Hey guys, As I am progressing in my self-inquiry I stumble upon more and more questions I am not able to answer. Maybe some of you can help. In general I really struggle with the topic of reality. Leo says that reality is everything within our perception. But what if we take an optical illusion or the case when our brain fills in the blanks we are not able to fill out. Is this false perception of what really is reality? Where do thoughts come from? Who makes them? How do they come into our perception? What the heck are they on a physical level? What is empty space? We are only one third or less made of matter. What is the rest? Why are we "confined" to the perception of humans? And why is this reality if it is not all that is (infrared/...)? Feel free to share your thoughts.

@Nameless Interesting. Usually when I come to the point where I ask myself "who am I?" I try to feel into myself as there is no answer coming up but to this point I was not able to perceive any difference at all. Subsequently my mind kicks back in and I get lost for a moment. After that I start all over again.

@Arik Thank you for your answer it sounds quite challenging (to me) but I will give it a go!

@Huz88 Thanks alot for your answer! Could you elaborate on what you mean by "...using the aid of thought and rationality to create a genuine sense of wonder. After you get that conscious traction of not knowing"?

Hey all So for the last week I have been meditating 20 minutes twice a day. In the morning I did "mindfullness" and in the evening "letting thoughts go". On monday I bumped that up to 30 minutes and I started self-inquiry. I asked myself the following questions: "Who is aware?" "Who is perceiving?" "Who am I?" just like Leo suggested. What I found as I started this inquiry was that I really could not get a sense of what the answer was. I asked myself these questions over and over but there was no answer at all. My mind was shut or quiet. Sometimes the voice would come up with a timid "I" or with my name but I really could not pinpoint it and when I asked "who is aware of I?"-complete silence. Suddenly after about 10-15 minutes as I was already frustrated there was this awesome sensation. I just felt it coming on. It was like a shower of bliss and awesomeness. Unfortunately it only lasted about 20 seconds hence it was one of the most awesome sensations I have ever felt. Nonetheless I really struggled with getting my mind to come up with answers at all. In addition to that I did a "strong determination sit" of 1 hour this morning. I tried to do self-inquiry whilst at it but there were no real answers to my questions, yet again. What was really interesting was that after about 45 minutes as I sat through pure pain and discomfort I just let go. Up to that I point I was just frustrated, in pain, bored out of my mind,... but then it almost became pleasurable. I just existed and there was no more resistance. Really interesting experience. I would really appreciate some feedback from you guys. Especially regarding my self inquiry. How would you rate my progress? Any feedback, tips or suggestions are much appreciated! Thanks!

@Leo Gura Ok, I just wanted to take a minute and give an update. Again, every input is much appreciated! So I started to ask your recommended question alot and what came up was that I believe I am kind of this CEO in my head. I delegate the "lower tasks" like breathing to my body but I can stil use my body and kind of control it (walk right or point a finger but not how I digest food,... ). In addition I am not the mind but I can choose to use it. What is interesting here is that I cannot really control it because sometimes it just runs wild... In the same manner I am definetely not my thoughts as I cannot control them to any extent. In addition to that I am not "the voice" as I can perceive it. It is kind of an echo of my thoughts. Finally I feel like I am perceiving this world through "my" body and I am judging and labeling it. So who dies? I feel like "I am going to die". Who is "I" ? The whole of it. The body is going to die. The voice will stop. And so on. But all of that is not me. I am the CEO, the perceiver. This is what came up during self-inquiry. What was really helpful were two things: the free will vs determinism video and taking some extended contemplative walks tp ask this question in addition to self-inquiry. Now what also came up due to my logical contemplation where a couple questions: If what I call "I" is an illusion and I am "reality" why can "I" only perceive what this body perceives (is that reality?). And why can you only perceive what your body perceives? Which of the two is the "real" reality? Are there multiple realities? I know that the question makes no real sense as there is no "I" but it really breaks my fucking mind. What the hell is reality? And where do these thoughts come from? Who makes them? Is it this body (the trillions of cells)? What is this "nothingness"? Lastly, what really fascinated me was that the human body on a atomic level is much more empty space than matter. So if we touch something it is really the repulsion of different atoms against each other (from our hand against the atoms of the wall/...). Furthermore it is kind of freaky that everything (waves,...) moves through us. But what about thoughts? Are they energy? Is that how they arise ?! Just an idea... I have much more mindbreaking questions but I do not want to hold you off to long. What would be some suitable questions at this point to get through this "CEO perception" ? Thanks so much!

Thanks alot! This was really insightful.

Thank you.

Thank you. It did.

Ok, interesting. Could you explain why that is ?

Ahh, that makes sense. I got that wrong. Thanks alot for the clarification!

Hey guys, I have been watching Leo's content for a long time now. I started as a standard guy looking for some quick fix solutions and improvements for my dating life and business. The last month I really got into his enlightenment content. I have been meditating for about a year. Just spinning my wheels. 10 to 20 minutes each night before going to sleep. Although I made some progress this was not getting me anywhere. The last weeks I really emphasized my meditation as I have a break from school. I finally understood how crucial it really is for my life. Currently I am doing two sessions a day 20 minutes each with my eyes open. One in the morning one at night. In the morning I am doing mindfullness meditation, in the evening Leo's "phase 2" meditation (actively letting thoughts go). I am really beginning to see practical results in my life and although I sometimes do not like to meditate I always do it and the results are kind of addicting. I know I am just at the very beginning of my journey but I would love to have some input on what I could do to improve my practises and shorten my path to my ultimate goal. Any feedback is appriciated! Thanks!

Thanks alot. I just made this mistake yesterday. I was so eager to be free from outcome that I ended up accomplishing the opposite. It's all a learning experience for me.

Oh, I actually had a similar experience a couple month ago. I had my eyes closed and I just disappeared. It was a kind of awesome experience. Unfortunately I haven't been able to replicate it. I will try to implement your pointer "freedom from outcome and achievement while meditating". Thanks alot!

No I haven't until nowt as I considered these techniques a little advanced. My thought right now is to slowy transission into this kind of work with my second session. Thanks for the input!