askdfjnak

If you go to the beach and hold a long ruler up to the horizon and level the water onto the two ends you will see that the water bows a few millimeters above the middle of the ruler like this: That's the closest I've come to experiencing the earth's curvature.

@Siim Land I've tried it for a few weeks, its excellent. I improved the length I could hold my breath underwater by 50%. Previously I could only just barely swim across a 50m olympic swimming pool but after doing the exercises I could do 75m (1.5 laps). It is definitely good for short term improvements in physical performance. Now I wan to see what the long term effects of it might be. I am going to be experimenting with cold water immersion in 2 weeks time to see if I can actually delay the effects of hypothermia. I have access to a large refrigeration unit and I will make an ice bath in it, but it's not turned on at the moment so I have to wait. I have stopped doing the technique for the last 6 weeks so that I can get back to initial conditions and I will time how long I can stay in the water until my thinking becomes incoherent. Then I will do the exercises everyday and take an ice bath at the end of each week to note any improvements. I want to know if the ability to resist cold is improved by the breathing leading to greater autonomic control or if the body naturally adapts to cold temperatures on its own if you keep exposing yourself to it. That's why I am only taking 1 bath a week. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Welcome to the circus:

The current scientific belief system actually accommodates both at the same time:

@Beyond Words I've been busy researching fpv racing drones. I am going to make one soon. I think there is potential to generate an experience of non-localized awareness for a subject who flies with you through a space and then potentially fly around the subject (who wears fpv goggles with you) and have them contemplate their point of awareness. Once you have been flying for a while you're mind will "bind" to the perspective of the drone and then when you are looking at yourself through the drone you will become aware of yourself from another perspective. I don't know how it will work yet but I really feel like there could be something to this. This video is real time ... crazy Check out the end of the video where he lands next to himself and you might get what I mean. Imagine you were sitting there as you witnessed yourself through the drone whilst contemplating your point of awareness/self.

Depends what you mean by old. Sometimes I like to think that immaturity will keep me young. There are definite pluses to public journaling, it just depends on what you hope to achieve by doing do. You can get more motivation to do stuff if you're somebody who likes being liked. That can backfire if you need to be honest with yourself and become conscious of those parts of you that other people may not like. You might avoid doing what needs to be done in the long run, if that makes sense. Get clear on why you want others to read your journal, then it should be pretty obvious what the advantages/disadvantages/traps/benefits will be for you.

I have a habit of stargazing every new moon if the weather is good and the sky is clear. I like to take a sleeping bag out into the bush and listen to music like this while watching the stars before I fall asleep. Here are some tracks I really like. They are ordered in increasing energy:

@Alex K The return on investment is low. I can spend my time doing more productive things. A private journal is more authentic and unfiltered so I will just do that. If I have a specific question/issue I want help with I can just post it in the main forum and everyone can benefit from the discussion there.

I recommend this book for the ladies: https://www.amazon.com/Cave-Snow-Western-Womans-Enlightenment/dp/0747543895

Yes

"No point getting close to anyone because everybody lies and cheats, even lovable people" "No point sharing my opinions, everybody is stupid" "Nobody knows what they are doing, don't listen to them / take their advice"

@Bruzzix You’re right, I don’t, but let me tell you what I do know. You’re only 18 years old man, you’ve got a whole lot more ahead of you than you do behind you. Seriously, the potential for your future is 10 times greater than anything you’ve lived before. I know it doesn’t seem like it because 18 years is all you know. The past has made you who you are, but it’s not what you are. Don’t try to ignore it or suppress it, own it. Integrate it into your self-construct as you look to the future; to the person you are going to become. If you live in the past you’re already dead. I think you understand this already, you’re already ahead of the game. People who live in the past aren’t on forums like this, absorbing information like this, being as honest as this. So settle in man. I'm not saying life is going to be daisies and sunshine but there’s plenty to be optimistic about. Quick question, have you stopped taking your vyvanse?

When you try to get your friend/family memeber into personal development:

Great demonstration of how easily your senses can be fooled into believing something that isn’t true. In this case proprioception; the sense responsible for the spatial awareness and identification of your body parts. Also taste and sight.

According to wiki INFP,INFJ,INTP and INTJ (the four most common types on this forum) are the most common types among musicians. Anyone want to forget about all this actualization stuff and just start a band together? The research was a bit sketchy though (link)

Children: The masters of existential inquiry and rational deconstruction.

We've all been there at some point bro. Trust me, it'll come good. I promise *crosses heart*

Add ~100 hrs from 1 Vipassana Retreat Total: ~650 hrs Ok, so I failed. I’ve known I wasn’t going to make it for a while now and I have been reflecting on some of the mistakes I made when I started working towards my goal. I underestimated the negative effects of SDS. 1. I underestimated the level of emotional labour that would be required to pull this off as a meditation newb. 2. I underestimated the dark side of meditation and the effects it would have on the other areas of my life. 3. I underestimated just how far I would go to avoid meditating sometimes. 4. I underestimated the self-doubt that began hitting me when purification started in ernest. 5. I didn’t realize that most of my motivation for starting this journal and this meditation habit came from a highly egoistic place and as the process brought that to the surface I was forced to drop off the “unclean” motivation that was fuelling me in the beginning. I underestimated the positivise effects of SDS too. 1. I underestimated just how rapidly SDS would start delivering deep experiences and insights. 2. I underestimated the depth of those insights and experiences. 3. I underestimated how quickly I would become attached to those experiences thinking that I had attained something. 4. I underestimated the benefits of developing concentration, sensory clarity an equanimity would have on the other areas of my life. I don’t feel comfortable writing about my meditation habit anymore (as you can probably tell) because it has humbled me so much. I was so identified with my previous insights and experiences (which were absolutely life changing) that I had no issues writing about them and trying to get others to experience the same thing but that has all changed. If I had to summarise the take home lesson I got from the last 6 months it would be “I’m a total beginner and I don’t know shit” I have had a glimpse into the depth of the rabbit hole and I can’t do much but stand here with my foot in my mouth. I don’t want to journal publicly anymore. I’m still dicking around with my video. I will get it done eventually, I think it will make a good close to this journal. It's just low on my list of priorites right now. Happy New Year!

I've had this one on loop for the past few days... A new world hangs outside the window Beautiful and strange It must be falling away I must be Sound and color with me for my mind And it should show you where to go when I need to speak Sound and color With me in my mind Sound and color Try to keep yourself awake Sound and color This life ain't like a book Sound and color I wanna touch a human being Sound and color I loath to go back to sleep Sound and color Ain't life just down the street Sound and color You wish you're looking all the way Sound and color The more the feeling set to notice it Sound and color Life is Sound and color Love is Sound and color Love is Sound and color Sound and color Sound and color

Here's an excerpt I took from the book called The Training of the Zen Buddhist Monk by D.T. Suzuki In these modern times when environment by artificial means changes so rapidly, the very author of these changes finds it extremely difficult to adapt himself to them, and the result is the manifest growth of all kinds of neurotics. Is it not indeed refreshing then to find such examples as follows in the history of Zen? Yen-t'ou Ch'üan-kuo (Ganto Kwatsu), a great Zen master of late T'ang, seeing Su-shan (Sozan) approach, fell soundly asleep. Shan came up to the master and stood by him, who, however, paid him no attention whatever. Shan gave one stroke to his chair. The master turned his head about and said, What do you want? Shan replied, O master, have a good sleep! So saying, he went off. The master laughed heartily: I have for these thirty years fooled with so many horses, and today I find myself kicked down by an ass! While Tou-tzu I-ch'ing was in the monastery presided over by Yüan-t'ung Hsiu, he never came up before the master to make inquiries about Zen, but went on all the time dozing. The chief director appealed to the master, saying: There is a monk in our Zendo who passes his time sleeping and doing nothing. He ought to be dealt with in accordance with the Regulations. Hsiu: Who is that? Director: Brother I-ch'ing. Hsiu: Don't be hasty. Wait till I try him. The master now took up his staff and went into the Hall. Seeing the said monk dozing, he struck the floor with his staff and scolded him, saying: You cannot go on like this while consuming our rice. Ch'ing: What do you want me to do then, O master? Hsiu: Why do you not study Zen? Ch'ing: When a man's stomach is already filled up, to what fine meal are you going to treat me? Hsiu: Unfortunately, there is one who does not fully endorse you. Ch'ing: What is the use of waiting for such endorsement? Hsiu: Whom did you see before coming here? Ch'ing: Fu-shan. Hsiu: I was wondering how you came to be so stubbornly self-assuring. So saying, the master took the hand of the sleepy monk, and smilingly left the Hall. To reach this stage of understanding, however, is no easy task and will require an enormous amount of energy.

More technical issues lol, the universe does not want me to upload this shit. Plot twist, I am the universe. Here's some elevator music to get you settled in as I work on this transmission. Take a seat, there's plenty of space.

Thanks, I appeciate it I have no idea what my total self inquiry hours are. It's basically an automatic process for me now, I do it through most of my day. I am logging my sds hours though and I will post that number up at the end of the month. There was a point where I was getting too focused on the numbers instead of the process, so I decided to stop posting them.

Like, how? I'm beginning to get great results from journalling, it really helps to get to know yourself methodically. I wanted to know if there are any techniques or thought processes you go through to write stuff down in your journal(s).

When you're stressing over enlightenment and you visit a master for advice: