WhatAmI

In the self-help world, visualisation works to reprogram your mind. People that visualise what they want get it. Like the law of attraction. Similarly, if you say what you want to believe (through affirmations), then eventually you become that. If I just visualise myself as being everywhere and being not a human, will I eventually experience it? If I wake up and go "I am the universe, I am everywhere" and picture myself being everywhere, is that going to get me to enlightenment? or is that just a trap and i need to continue meditating my way through it?

@WelcometoReality in literally two lines you just destroyed my entire argument lol. I guess I am not my brain. But awareness still feels within me. How can I feel awareness everywhere, when that feeling of omnipresence will be felt in the body? if that feeling of omnipresence/universal connectedness (found in enlightenment) is experienced in the body, and that can be observed, how do we know that that is what is real?

@FirstglimpseOMG omfg!!!! How did you seriously experience that? That's so amazing that you didn't just read it somewhere, but that you EXPERIENCED it. In this body, it feels like I am that cell with the brain/computer and I am literally so attached to it that I can't see myself as part of a universal being. I don't FEEL infinite, or universal. Every time I meditate, I feel my senses, and I can't feel anything beyond that. I know that I am aware of all feelings, but that awareness still feels within me. No matter how much I focus on my breath and focus on being present etc the awareness still feels within this body. How did you make the shift from awareness being in your brain/body, to awareness being everywhere? What type of meditation helped you? did you concentrate on your awareness? how many hours did it take until you could feel yourself as the universe?? what was your enlightenment experience like? I really really want to experience that so badly! being attached to this human body is so limiting. I want to feel apart of everyone and I want to see myself in everyone all the time, not just separate things/objects sharing the same space. Any tips on how I can do it would help so much. I just can't get out of this space of feeling like this being is me, because I can 'feel' myself being aware in this body. I can think in this body. The observer doesn't see/feel/look like anything, it's just aware. But how can you expand that awareness so you don't just feel aware within your body, but also so that it expands outside your body and into your environment?

@Arik I'm so jealous! I've been meditating and haven't had any enlightenment experiences yet. But anyways that sounds so amazing to be in such awe of your surroundings, especially on public transport which usually nobody usually feels any sense of momentous joy. I feel super inspired by your experience and one day hopefully I could somehow get to that point

Loving yourself is the hardest thing to do! I have been trying really hard to learn that lesson, for me I in the past I relied so much on validation from men and needed to feel loved by them. Now I realise that I need to ground myself in something more permanent. Something that will last because men will come and go and at the end of the day, all you have is yourself.

@SaynotoKlaus Aww it's okay, the exact thing happened to me too! I just wanted to progress and believed the whole "there is no mind, there is no self" story right off the bat. Every day I felt divided. At work, I would literally look at people and think "I am not this body, this is not reality, what's real is what can't be named' and the depressing story just got bigger and bigger and i just hated on life. Whenever I was meant to focus on something, say an assignment, I would just think "why am I studying this? I should be doing enlightenment work, focusing my effort on this is just a distraction from meditating" and I would get depressed and it would take me twice as long to get the assignment done. Every thought I had, I judged as "bad" before letting it go. I believed that having a mind that wasn't focused on the present moment was a "bad thing" and I would hate myself for losing focus and would guilt trip myself into starting again. I've wasted so much time judging my thoughts and actions relative to my spiritual progress, and in fact it just got me further and further away. I need to rewire so many thoughts and beliefs, too. I feel like I need to meditate twice as hard now to get rid of those thought processes hahaha. But guilting myself got me no where the first time round, so I'm avoiding guilting myself now. I feel like the people who preach this stuff are mature and content because they have practiced those ideas their entire life. In leo's recent video he mentioned that idea that there are enlightened people that are awful at business, and need newbie personal development advice about business. The people that preach are happy, but I don't think they are as fully developed as they could be. In terms of the people I know that are following buddhism, this one girl has progressed so much with buddhism that now she ONLY hangs out with buddhist friends. she doesn't hang out much with people of other religions or beliefs. In one way its good that she is attracting people that are going to help her advance in her journey, but at the same time, I feel like you develop so much by having friends that 'challenge' all of your beliefs. I have one friend that is super anti-spiritual and like doesn't believe in the soul or anything and is fully invested into science. Contrast that with me, who loves ideas about consciousness and the universe and the soul. Whenever I talk with her about this stuff, at first I want to protect my beliefs but now it's gotten to the point where I can accept that all these beliefs are simply beliefs, and there is no way to know what is really true. All that I know is based on my experience, and the same goes with her, so who is to say what is correct and what isn't? I am still questioning 'what is happiness' for myself and what my unique expression of happiness is. And whether it is possible to be fully in this state. I'm coming to the conclusion that buddhism is just more beliefs, and I will never fully know what is real until I experience it. And the only way I can experience it is from my observation/meditation how are you going with unwiring what you've learnt?

@Sri McDonald Trump Maharaj OMG that's so ironic that you mentioned that because Zen was the next thing on my list to explore. There is a Zen group in my home city as well which meet up every week and do sitting and walking meditation and I'm like 'damn that would be so good!' This will be a great meditation habit to include. do you think it is more useful to practice on your own? that a group or something would make you feel like you NEED the group meditations to be enlightened? And that if you practice alone you are on your own journey and aren't comparing yourself to other people's journeys? I literally had to google the differences between zen and buddhism haha and found this: http://www.diffen.com/difference/Buddhism_vs_Zen So far I'm liking the 'idea' of Zen more but again it's just more studies and ideas. I swear the amount of effort I went into pondering meditation groups and studies could have been better spent just meditating.

@HereNowThisMoment I do this unconsciously. I'm not sure why but somehow I feel like I'm 'missing something' and like maybe I need more knowledge or more wisdom from someone to speed me along the enlightenment journey. It's so easy to access more knowledge about this topic from youtube, that I forget that it's not the content that I am looking at which matters, it's the 'thing' which is OBSERVING the content. I need to refocus my attention on the observer, not more knowledge. thanks for your help xx

How exactly do they teach you to expand your conciousness? I dont necessarily need to be enlightened. I Technically already am, but all of my conditioning and attachments have made me feel separate from everything. I want to feel completely 'one' with everything and Everyone. And detached from this body. I dont want to preserve anything. My question is whether buddhism will help me feel that connection with life, or whether it is just another organisational ladder to climb and distract me from my purpose.

I tried it and it was the first time ever I realised that my perceptions, and everything I thought was real, is not real. I saw the world move and the plants blend into the the wall and the sky blend into the trees. The world was moving and I converged into my surroundings. I didn't feel like a body. Through meditation I have tried to understand that I am not this body but actually experiencing myself becoming part of the background and the air is completely different. I used to think that my feelings and my thoughts existed only in my mind and body. But taking mushrooms made me realise that it is all just one experience. my thoughts and feelings are happening at the same time as all of the sensations that are happening in the present moment. It is all one experience. Everything that exists only exists right now. I experienced myself as consciousness. Every thought that I expressed was chosen by me. Every time I moved, I made that decision to move. But I didn't feel like 'I' I in terms of my body and this human experience, I felt like 'I' was like this higher entity that was experiencing this present moment through everything, and my physical body was just a part of the moment. Every person that I walked past became my reality and I felt like I understood them completely without actually knowing them. My idea of what is real has been a lie my entire life. When you actually see your environment change through your eyes, it makes you question what else in the environment is changing without you realising it. Everything you believe might not actually be the case. I am completely normal now and the effect of it has dissipated but the question that remains for me is: what is reality? I don't think I will ever know or that I will need to know. Maybe that is up to the universe and maybe I physically cannot comprehend what reality really is. How will you ever know for sure what is real? What if you wake up in 10 years time and realise your entire life is a dream? It's a possibility, you never know what is going to happen or what is really happening. Your brain is interpreting reality/your environment right now. How do you know that what your brain is interpreting is ACTUALLY.what is reality? My experience with mushrooms taught me that everything that is happening in this moment is happening right now and is not chosen by this physical body and my ego cannot take credit for it. There is something greater happening right now that my brain cannot comprehend. I felt like the entire universe is right here, now, and that I am the universe. Everything felt right without needing anything changed or understood. I do hours and hours of meditation but I felt like I uncovered more about my true nature through mushrooms. Rationally speaking it would be great to experience oneness without having to take drugs but it actually worked in helping me understand that this is all there is and all there ever will be. I am writing this I guess to ask for advice because I don't really know if meditation is my path to enlightenment anymore. I'm also worried I might become reliant on it but, at the same time I don't care because I have no body or ego to preserve anymore. Any thoughts would be helpful.

You mentioned in a video about you being in a long distance relationship? Or maybe i made that up in my head. If so, what did you do to make it work/what tips would you recommend? but if not, what are your opinions of long distance relationships? Because you live a very healthy, actualised and fulfilling life, is it hard to find a girl that has the same values as you/will meet your standards for a suitable partner? Has spiritual enlightenment made you less caring of a woman's physical appearance (knowing that she is the same stream of consciousness as you), or do feel that it is still think that it is still important to have standards (as surrounding yourself with someone that is effectively asleep is going to hinder your development)? Or do you feel that because of law of attraction you will manifest the girl that is at your level so it is still okay to maintain your standard? What about relationships with friends? Do you feel enlightenment has made you vloser with them? Or do you feel it is harder to connect with them because they are oblivious to their existence? No need to answer if any are too personal! Your content on healthy interdependent relationships/types of neuroses has helped me so much in my personal life! Thanks so much xx

@Mutupo FUCK that really spoke to me on SO many levels! Especially 4.28: "you would rest so much easier if you solve this one thought AND THEN it will be easier to rest as awareness" wow. that is so me... i guess I've been doing stuff for my entire life it's so hard to just rest. thank you so much!!

@Guest Ohhh woops!! I think that was a communicational error on my part: by observing a thought when im meditating, I actually do it at the same time, i probably should have written it as the same step, that was my bad! THAT BEING SAID... I have noticed that during meditation I don't really have a problem -- I can observe and watch a thought come and go. BUT when I am doing a meaningless action after meditation, e.g. walking home from uni, washing the dishes, sitting on the bus/train, I have a tendency to "Look back" at thoughts. For example, when I am walking home, I think about all the shit that happened throughout the day and replay the conversations I had with people in my head. And when I catch myself looking back at the thought, THEN i let it go but it makes me realise how UNCONSCIOUS I am throughout the day and how long it takes for me to realise I am looking back. It's easier to focus on observing during meditation because you sit there with the intention of knowing that you will be observing, whereas you forget to be observing during the rest of the day. any tips on how to make observation last throughout the entire day? So is that process the only thing you do when you meditate? Leo talks about self inquiry in that you look for yourself, realising that "nothing" is noticing there is nothing inside of you and stuff. So you don't do any looking when you meditate? Do you do any mantras?

@Galahad Yes can you explain to me how I'm supposed to let go of what is inside and outside and when/where it is and just surrender to it? If the point is just to let go of it, then what is the point of being aware and observing what is happening when you are just going to let it go? Can you give a pretend example of what you would go through in your head when doing this? So i know what to look out for when I am doing it: Example of what i thought so far: - a thought arises - OBSERVE the thought which happened outside of me. what my consciousness is aware of, and what is being observed is the same thing (hence realising that I am nothing) - both happened at the same time (hence realising that I am 'everything' ????) (still confused about this notion of I am everything) - because it can be observed, just let it go because you have no free will/control over it

@SkyPanther what different types of enlightenment are there? I always thought enlightenment was being completely detached from the ego and fully present with what is truth and what is reality. Do u have a different definition? Are you saying that if the person you are with is spiritual then a relationship is okay?

So this is my situation: There is this guy that I have been seeing at the moment. He sounds like the perfect guy - smart, interesting personality, adventurous, creative, attractive but the only thing wrong about him is that he doesn't really know himself. He has been in a long term committed relationship. Normally, when I first meet a guy, we talk about general stuff like our dreams, what we're passionate about, things that we find interesting. But literally, the first thing that he told me about was his relationship history. For a good 20-30 minutes, he just went on and on about how he hates his ex and all the problems they had in their relationship and why he is so glad that she "isn't holding him back anymore" and I listened and tried to be open minded about it, even though I barely know him or his ex. Then afterwards, he turned the conversation back to me and was just like "so tell me about your past relationships". That honestly took me aback. Usually when I am just starting off with a guy we get to know each other, and I don't like talking about my past unless I can trust him or know that we have a future. I have made some mistakes in the past but those were lessons that I needed to learn to make me a stronger person. I was going through a lot of mental health issues/self esteem issues during my past relationships and that contributed to the way that I reacted to problems in my previous relationships. I don't want to tell a guy THAT I AM STILL in the "getting to know you" phase of all the shit in my past. It makes me sad thinking about it and I dont want him to judge me on what has happened in my past. Anyways, in that conversation, I just said "I'm sorry, I don't know you very well, is it okay if we get to know each other more and I'll tell you when I feel comfortable?" and he got kinda offended. He was like "i am being open with you" and it made me feel bad because there is a reason I dont want to be open about this one specific topic. I am willing to be open about literally everything else about my life, the only think I dont want to talk about is my past boyfriends/people I have had sex with. I never ask anyone for their number of sexual partners or anything about their past. I always felt that if someone wanted to talk about their past relationships, they should do it on their own accord and not be FORCED to talk about it if they don't want to. He said "yeah that's fine we don't need to talk about it" but a few times after this conversation he has made it clear that he doesn't like the fact that I don't talk about it. SO MY QUESTION IS: What should I say to him to make him back off about my past relationships? he wont let it go and I just wish he would respect what I my privacy until I am ready. For guys reading this, why is it even important to you to know a girl's relationship history? During the early part of the dating phase.... THE OTHER QUESTION i have is: if a guy's first piece of "getting to know me" facts is his relationship history, does that mean he is still hung up on his ex and not ready to get into another relationship? He broke up with his ex over 6 months ago, and told me he rebounded a girl after that for a couple of months to get over his ex, and a few months later met me. I really don't have the time/patience to deal with someone that isn't over their ex. I am also worried he'll use me as a rebound as well. Like the fact that the most important thing he wants to know about me is my sexual history kinda makes me think that he would only want me for sex and then move on? if he was serious about dating me then he would be making more effort to get to know me for my hobbies and shit, right?? any thoughts would be appreciated xxxxxx

@Harry @Lynnel @Socrates @Lucifer thanks heaps for your advice guys :') It gave me a lot to think about.. I guess next time he brings it up I'll just be honest about it and act like its no big deal.. and if he is going to leave me or judge me for it then I will have to accept that and realise it probably wasn't meant to be. It's just sad because i can see him being the perfect boyfriend and it would suck to have to end it haha... :l

@Galahad I understand that part when I say "I am nothing" -- I am not my ego/mind/body/emotions BECAUSE they exist outside of me.. But when you say "I am everything" is this because you realise that everything is outside, nothing is inside. All that you can observe as a camera is outside of you as a camera. In the merging process of my camera and the mirror (the mirror being everything outside of my consciousness), I will realise that my camera, and everything outside of my camera is happening at the same time. My consciousness is observing, and what is outside (the mirror) is being observed by my consciousness at the same time. so that's non-duality?? that's the realisation of "i am everything"? So when you/other people say "you see god everywhere" is that basically saying that your consciousness is connected to everything outside of it? and because you no longer identify as "yourself" you see things for what they are?

@Harry I am afraid to share this information because I am scared of being judged/unloved because of it. I accept what has happened but I know that not everyone else will. The kind of guy that I want would usually have high standards/expect their girl to have a non-turbulent past. I dont want to hide it but I feel like it is just excess baggage that does not need attention. I dont see why it matters, or why I should tell him. I want it to be natural and when I know that he won't judge me/leave me because of it. Why put yourself in a vulnerable position and wear your heart on your sleeve when you are just going to get hurt/judged? When I know I wont get hurt, then I will mention everything

@Galahad So your saying the point of self-inquiry is to find whatever you think you are in the outside world?? what about people that are blind/deaf/have lost touch of their senses? The way that we sense things is only just the way that our brain interprets it. Right now I am looking at the computer screen and my brain is associating meanings to symbols/letters and creating my own interpretations of what is presented. I don't really see how you can find yourself/connect with your true self in the outside world. According to Shankara, whenever you are identified with passing thoughts, feelings or sensations, you should say to yourself "Not this, not this" and replace it instead with "I am that which is constant". So like you can look at your environment and realise that the trees are not constant, the people around you are not constant, nothing is constant but I guess the space that the people/trees are in. My consciousness interprets "the trees" and "the people" as external to me but all of these objects/beings are created in my mind. It isn't real. If I was deaf, I would not be experiencing the sound of the trees for me to know that "i am that" which is the space for me and the trees. My point is that I don't see how experiencing our senses, and observing all of creation, is going to help us understand our existence. Our senses/interpretations are done in the way that our human mind is capable of it. How is everything "out there"? How is it that humans are capable of experiencing something that is beyond our natural capability. I understand that all of this meditation/self-inquiry is to bring us to god/the universe, but are humans even capable of experiencing god in this form? God is in every one of us but if we were meant to be god, then why were we put here on earth in human form? Isn't the point of our consciousness taking the vehicle of our human body to show us a human experience? If we were meant to have a god-like experience, why were we born as humans? "requires you to take your position as consciousness" consciousness is the observing self. The self that is experiencing/noticing/observing. So your experience is external to consciousness. I don't see how that creates non-duality when what is outside (even my internal thoughts and sensations) are separate from that which is observing. By the way, thanks for taking the time to explain, I'm still new to practicing this so that's why I don't really get it

To be honest, I am confused about self-inquiry because the thing that is doing the inquiry is the mind. You are not the mind. So who are you? you are the thing that's observing the mind asking itself inquiry questions. You are the thing observing the body as it tries to experience what its true self is. So is it better to just sit and rest in the space that is not 'looking' for where you are? Because what you are is not tangible, you can never actually find it out there in the physical world. What you are is consciousness that allows all this stuff to be experienced by you as a human.