Key Elements

Who said? There's an age old saying: those who pray together, stay together. Well, nowadays it's: those who meditate together, stay together. I'm not saying it's perfect. You could be detached and stay together in peace. Of course it's possible.

If you're going to become a parent, become a great one. This goes for moms too.

Hey folks, Just wanted to share something I find very funny/humorous. I ran into this clip, and it got me laughing. Looks like some random stranger talking on the subway. If you want to share jokes please feel free, but please make it decent. Otherwise, Leo and others might not like it. VID-20161119-WA0000.mp4

Me too. But, I don't think I'm you. I used to be INTJ until I took the test again recently. Oh well, we live in a non-duel awareness, but seriously.

I would agree with what you said here. It's hard to map it out exactly to the dot for everyone. That's because we're all unique taking different paths up the same mountain - which ever path you feel most comfortable. I would also add, actions (subtle karmas) could trigger tangible enlightenments / awakenings / ah-ha moments / clues. Maybe an auspicious flower bloomed when you did something self-less or planning to do that.

Somehow, I see this question being repeated in one way or the other by different ppl here. Since we are living in a non-duel reality, the opposite is also true (paradoxes). For example, there's no up or down in space. We don't just have sad emotions; there's also happiness and vice versa. This is to balance things out. Having said that, yes, you could say that life is meaningless, but the paradox is also true - it's meaningful. This allows us to balance things out. If something doesn't work out, then we try something else. I would say, it gets out of balance if we dwell on it and not take it as a lesson and move on. I'm glad that you realized that you are art inclined. That's a big step - keep going with that. How will you make that marketable? Maybe make something and try selling it? (That's what I tried. Btw, I'm also an artist.) Try different things.

Of course you have talents. Everyone does. Why is it considered arrogant to say it? I think the label of 'arrogant' is arrogant. You could take baby steps to bring out your talents. For instance, if you are a writer, write 1-2 sentences to a paragraph a day. It adds up very quickly. Enjoy the journey. There isn't really a goal. Goal is actually a milestone. It's only a vision. Everything is a fiction except the journey.

@Leo Gura I know a lot of us are trying to bridge the gap between where we are in life to where we want to be. Gaining financial freedom isn't that hard, but it won't fulfill you - money doesn't buy happiness. Incorporating spirituality along with your startup, actualized.org, has no ending to it in what you are trying to bring out in real life. Questions: when will you feel is your next milestone? What will you have to bring out in real life to consider it your milestone?

The thing is, are animals able to recognize their ego? Ego on a basic level is fiction. There is no "you." The opposite is also true: everything is "you." Paradoxes. This changes things. Our emotions are also fiction. For example, if we are "sad," we could think of "happy" (exciting) things and dissolve ego. We are also animals. What about the other animals? You decide: What about plants? I heard that certain plants respond to classical music - interesting.

Hey my fellow artists, I would like to share a 3D painting that I did, if you don't mind. I have my website covered up with stickers - not ready to share that yet. Just wanted to present an opportunity / idea. I'm having it donated to the school that I work for and probably it'll end up being displayed in the school library. I'm a bilingual teacher (and painter). Best of Journey...

@BeginnerActualizer This is in response to your original post. The question is: do animals have ego? The ego makes any animal feel fear and all other emotions. You decide:

I'm going to try my best to explain it - not so easy to explain. I don't believe it matters what "habit" or "compulsive" behaviour it is - be it sex or not. Most of us will go through some kind of compulsion at some point. I think we just need to be aware of it and do something else more important to us. We don't really need it. We are already whole.

@John Flores Paradoxes hold true. I find them to be the most balanced, grounded, and peaceful way of thinking. We don't live in a black and white world; we live in a gray one.

Sometimes I think we never existed. We're just put here to learn lessons, improve, and move onto whatever comes next. Sometimes you could tell what comes next because you had some "experience" of it. (Btw, if you want to reduce the chances of suffering during old age & dying, doing a balanced exercise daily & eating healthly help in the long run.)

I used to help someone suffering from severe schizophrenia. She and I used to go to this spiritual center and listen to a speaker. I just thought of something. Why not find others who are going through the same/similar situation, who are kind and open-minded, and talk to them about it and move on from there? People going through the same things are more likely to guide you better.

I think a simple lifestyle is preferred as opposed to a "lavish (money)" lifestyle is because it's not easy to maintain a lavish lifestyle. Who's going to maintain and keep the mansion clean? Who's going to maintain the toys, you know, fancy cars, boats, etc.? You probably want to find time to teach (share) the enlightenment experiences that you had and help understand that life means peace, peace of mind, and peaceful lifestyle. But, you're probably going to have to strategize on that because a lot of stigma is still attached to teaching enlightenment - you know, all the name calling - "woo-woo," "weird," "crazy." This lifestyle is simple maybe too simple for me. It reminds me of a Zen story... The Moon Cannot Be Stolen Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing in it to steal. Ryokan returned and caught him. “You may have come a long way to visit me,” he told the prowler, “and you shoud not return emptyhanded. Please take my clothes as a gift.” The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away. Ryokan sat naked, watching the moon. “Poor fellow,” he mused, “I wish I could give him this beautiful moon.” I wonder if there's a hospital nearby in case of an emergency. What about security? Like a security guard or security cameras? Living in a community has its benefits. There's safety in numbers. These things have to be taken into consideration as well as living a simple lifestyle. Kiyosaki, the guy who wrote, Rich Dad Poor Dad, saved his sister from cancer. It's because he is wealthy and famous. His sister was living a monastic lifestyle, and didn't have money to go to a proper hospital. Donations were not enough. So she called her brother for help. Too bad this is also the truth. Looks like a stage green lifestyle. It has its limitations.

Great summary. Actually, this is one of my favourite videos that Leo made. Have you ever went travelling and told someone where you were going? And then, later, they were in shock / or surprised in a funny way because they didn't understand why you were going there? Culture shock. Leo briefly mentioned it in this clip.

At some points in my life, I had the same questions as you. You don't have to go full fledge into college if you don't want to. You may want to take a course or two according to your vision / interests. Maybe at the same time, start to work part-time while doing a channel / startup. You may want to explore different areas to see which ones work out for you and go with that.

@GTITurbolover I just want to point something out here. Our paths are very different and unique. If a person does recognize an enlightenment experience, later, after self-inquiry and self-improvement, the person will teach it in a different way than another person. Suppose the person is a painter, the painter will express it in a different way than let's say a doctor. Just want to share a quote...