Key Elements

Yup. So, let's break it down. These questions were hard for me too, but ppl in general kept referring to them when I told them that I didn't know what to do. So, the what do I love to do question... hmmm...I thought. I decided that I'm just going to go with one topic that I'm passionate about. I didn't care at first if it's marketable or not. So, I went with art. Ok. It's broad. But, let's narrow it a bit more. How do I narrow this? I went out there and took actions on it. I knew how to make cute baskets with chocolates in them. So, I made and sold them. I think I already had a link for you on that in this thread. It didn't work cause it didn't pay much. So, I did foreign language + art and became a bilingual teacher. In other words, first you start with a broad topic and then you narrow it down by taking actions on your passion. Try to market your passion in some way. If you follow the link above, there is a link to a good book that got me started.

He explains the beginning steps well. We will look forward to coming home and start doing, discovering, and creating our path. Now, we are in the internet / information age. It used to be much harder to discover your calling with just TV, radio, newspapers, and ads. The papers were your cheapest way to get through to the public. Now it's free to start and not so costly as you go along.

@shapeshifter I'm glad that Leo's earlier videos helped you out. Yes, you don't have to tell them anything, no matter how much they question and try to dig. A person that asks too many personal questions and misunderstands who you are will only stay a stranger. The average person only assumes that a person is straight. The average person is very assuming and drops ppl in categories and expect that it's the truth. Anything outside to them is considered "weird." So, you know, we got to learn to ask them questions, like, "Hey, I saw someone who is 'gay.' What do you think of them?" Or, say it in such a way, and see how they react. If they react bad, you'll know to avoid them. Authentic friends are few in this world.

You are still single. I could tell. What is a marriage? Definition: a 7 days elaborate ceremony with at least 200+ family & friends. Lots of dances and drums and walking around a fire with your bride tied to you following you round and round for you too. Then, you and your bride say, "swaha," as you put special oil into the fire, guided by a sage (pandit), and it burns more. It will be followed by a marriage certificate with witnesses. That's it. Finished. Now, it's up to you and your bride to make it last throughout life. That is the real love. It's the work, detachment, and the devotion that will make it work, not the certificate and ceremony.

"Love is always spiritual." -Tracy Mcmillan

If someone else's path doesn't make sense to you, that's ok because we are meant to go on our own path. If we decide to go deeper, sometimes along the journey, that's when the profound stuff happens to us when we least expect it. Don't forget to go for your foundation. Otherwise, your Maslow could turn upside down, and you didn't realize it, and so much time and effort was spent going on a tangent.

@AmalieRuby It would be great if the ladies also learn how to say, "pass" and reject the wrong relationships. Finding a good one is a tough one. I heard that really good ones would rather be single throughout life than to be in the wrong relationship. Because if they end up with the wrong one, they would have to be stuck dealing with them for a long time and perhaps remain single forever after the breakup. The good ones don't actually want to breakup. They respect the other as a human being. They know they are not perfect and is capable of change. So, they don't quit easily. But, if a breakup does occur, they may end up being single for a long time or for good. They have better things to do in life than to chase or think about relationships. They would rather move on.

@AmalieRuby This lady has some wonderful insights of different types of relationships. You may want to check her out. But, the thing I find missing in the first video is, some guys could also lie to themselves and are dishonest to their dates. The author didn't cover that here.

@zoey101 You're welcome. Please continue to stay strong. I just want to say that if a person chooses to become a parent, he/she chooses to say to himself or herself automatically, "I'm going to be a well-rounded / high standard type of person!" You know? I think more awareness has to be brought into this, esp in society. Being a parent is no joke at all. You got to think about all kinds of things, like which neighborhood has the best schools and beyond that. (And, the cost of that. I'm not just talking about it financially. I mean, beyond that.) Choosing meth and being violent are just so irresponsible. The family has a whole journey together. I really really hope that he learned his lesson and move on.

@zoey101 You're an awesome person. I wish that someone like you don't have to go through this in life at all. I wish that someone like him would know better, esp be a better father and husband, esp the role of a father. I can't believe he's behaving like that!

This quote may be true. I dunno. But, "hate" is a rather strong word. The more common thing I see happening is ppl labelling and categorizing each other which may cause "hate" eventually. Without properly knowing the other person, you label him or her as "_______" (fill in the blank with a negative adjective). When the person is being spoken to, the person is being talked down upon in subtle ways, or there are communication gaps.

@shapeshifter what did you like about Leo's earlier clips? What qualities are you looking for in a friend? What exactly are the others saying to you that are not accepting? Why do you have to be open to others right away?

2 hrs? That's a good amount of time. The type of healthy exercise I was thinking of is just walking at an incline for 1 hr -- going up & down stairs, and hills, and in between, lifting a few weights, doing treadmill, or whatever you prefer, on a daily basis for the rest of one's life. Of course stretch before doing this to prevent cramps. This could also be talked about in the LP in some way.

Definitely! Me too. I think whatever life purpose a person has, eating healthy and exercise can be incorporated.

I always go back to this saying: Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. Many of us get caught up in the end results of what we're working toward or the way things will be when we finally achieve something. ... Achieving your version of "enlightenment" is not an endpoint in and of itself. If I research and learn something from someone famous or not because it was wise, I try to take baby action steps on it. This creates your own unique path. It will get clearer as you go along if you're really into it. Try not to cling or get obsessed with anything. Live in the present moment. Also, enlightenment isn't a requirement. To me, if it happens, it happens with "meaningfulness." But then, life continues. All in all, sure you could trust something because you could take actions on it, and it's a wise piece of advice, but sooner or later, you'll move on because the information gets old.

Weddings are only the icing on the cake because it won't be a reflection of what a marriage is about, but of course, there's always a paradox to everything. You get to learn by meeting a lot of ppl, whether it's "challenging" or not. It's like a huge family reunion of family and friends. You get to see how they're doing. You get to reflect and learn from that.

Great question. The term "role model" resonates with me more than "idol." But then, "guide" resonates with me the most. From my experience, I could be inspired by what was taught by these guides for a while, but sooner or later, I would have to practice and embody what was taught and go on my own path. We discover our own path because each of us is unique. I knew something was missing from my life. I was wondering why some ppl do better than others in life in terms of wealth, so I researched and discovered Robert Kiyosaki. He opened the doors for me of what is wealth and passive income. I was looking into different entrepreneurs like Trump (He is/was Kiyosaki's friend. So, I saw them a lot together.), Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Warren Buffett, Guy Kawasaki, etc. I wasn't just looking at these big guys but also other celebrity entrepreneurs and not so well known entrepreneurs. Spirituality opened up for me when I ran into Leo's clips, esp when he mentioned Ox's tail and I looked into Shinzen Young's clips and The Ten Ox Herding Pics. I've been looking into Buddhism my whole life, but the Ten Ox Herding Pics really struck me. I'm currently in the process of embodying whatever I learned and will express it through my life purpose.

@Elisabeth One other thing that just came into my mind: we can't take anything with us when we finally go. Nothing. If we have possessions, we have to give it up to someone we love, right? Speaking of giving, it's not easy for a human being to be generous. Think about it. How much materials can we give even if some of us may have a lot? Not much, right? I mean, it won't last. Even if an entrepreneur like Trump invested in an apartment complex and inherit it to his child, it won't last forever, although it's better than nothing, but if the entrepreneur isn't careful, he can spoil the child. The child may think he may never have to work in his life. In a practical sense, what does last that you can give generously? A skill. Mastery. Think about it. Do you need to get a PhD for it? Not necessarily. Even Mother Teresa was teaching geography to many poor children, and she spoke very little. She showed through her actions. What do you love to do? How can you turn that into a marketable skill?

@Elisabeth Listen, dear, please take a deep breath. You said a mouthful. I get it. I understand. Make sure you understand that you're hardworking, and that's a blessing! Some ppl, for whatever reason, cannot do this--maybe because of some bad habits or overthinking too much or laziness or whatever. In other words, they have a harder time getting out of it. The way to get out of whatever it is (for anyone), is to realize that we human beings can only live moment by moment. That's it. Whatever the mind projects in the past, or plans for the future, is only a "projection" of the mind. Sure, it's great to plan ahead, but dwelling on it is different. If you ever became aware of what you're doing, you can apply this moment by moment living. It's just like watching a movie. It's only one screen at a time. Notice that when you're doing the dishes or some housework, it can't be done by dwelling on the past or future. It only occurs NOW. Did you notice? It occurs now and it adds up. That's the only way it works. You got to empty your thoughts. Just let them pass by like the wind and be more and more aware of the NOW. I had an empty notebook that I planned to journal in. Instead, what happened was, I started writing in a foreign language. I kept going--didn't care what my thoughts where telling me. I just let them go. One day, the founder of a school hired me as a bilingual teacher. I have a website, a blog, and written a book. I still have a long way to go. But, my path is no different than letting go of thoughts and doing the dishes in the NOW. It adds up to something wonderful. That's the only way it works.

@Nahm I still like to learn new stuff and put the puzzle pieces together as I go along.

I never heard of this part in any Buddhist stories/history.

Hit Songs Mashup

Inducing the experience of the no-self with 5meo like that sounds fishy to me because... for example, before it happened to Buddha, he went around asking all the gurus what was life about? Why was there suffering in this world? Etc. Etc. Buddha saw many suffering homeless ppl when he left his palace. He had all these unanswered questions but none of those gurus answered his questions with satisfaction. So, he went ahead and meditated hoping to find the answers. Then, the no-self happened to him. That's more or less how it happened to Buddha. That was his mindset before it happened to him. That's why I think it's odd of how Leo is approaching seeing and being the no-self. I'm not against what Leo is doing. It's his choice. I just think the approach is odd.

@Nahm Let's just hope all will go well for Leo. He has a brilliant mind. He's very articulate. I'm using Buddha's life story only because it's easy to understand. If you look at his overall life, he was already doing very major things in his life before the awakening happened to him. He was a Hindu prince of the Rajput caste and gave that all up just to be a humanitarian for others, including untouchables. In those days, what he did was very serious because your caste and religion meant everything, including your survival. It's not like India today where religion and the caste system are so much more secular. In those days, society was stage blue/red; now it's orange. What Buddha did, his actions and his genuine mindset, probably triggered his awakening. And he went onto revolutionize the world, and out came Buddhism. The quote is right: "Leo has always been our cosmic canary in the coal-mine." It's just that for our time, for this day and age, inducing your awakenings of the no-self like this, and it being appropriate toward the ultimate goal, sounds fishy to me, but of course it's Leo's choice.