Samuel Garcia

If I only have my senses and thoughts to access reality, why would I want to help other people? Because the reason I would have empathy for other people would be because I believe that there is a person in there your experiences emotions and struggle (via there sensory field). But I only have my senses and thoughts -- nobody elses. So surely my experience is the only thing which would really matter. This though however builds up a little bit of arrogance and so why would I consider other people's perceptive (as suggested in the how to deal with anger part 2 video) when other people are mostly thoughts most of the time?

What do you mean by this? Doesn't the visual sensation cause/influence thought? Where does focus fit into this matter? For example, they say blind people are more attuned to their hearing (maybe because they have more focus on the hearing and none on their seeing). When intensity of physical pain increase, doesn't more focus go onto that pain (feeling) and less onto hearing and seeing. But you said that no phenomena is superior to another. Isn't attention/focus the thing which connects sights, sounds and feelings?

@Aamir King I did Economics last year -- you should be able to ace this with ease. Keep doing practicing different essay questions for Global Economy is my advice. Politics seems interesting -- enjoy the knowledge you learn from it. Is it so bad that it is chimp-like? I also dont' know much about history but my friends said there was a lot to learn. Better get started then. Also this seems so obvious but go ask your teachers for help if needed. I saw so many students too afraid to ask teachers questions (including me).

@Aamir King What subjects do you do? Do you do A-levels? I don't really think you need to do more than 40 hours work a week to get top grades regardless of what subject you do. Why compare yourself to other people? Do you know their productivity, their study techniques? Are they fulfilled at doing what they do? Instead, what can you do to guarantee the grades you want and the life you want?

Just did the Neti Neti Inquiry and I felt like I kept getting stuck because I believe I am the voice (thoughts) and the perceiver too -- so I perceive what I do. I didn't really think I thought I was the body. In fact I'm a little surprised some people think they are as it seemed obvious to me that I am the one perceiving the sensations (Spiritual Enlightenment part 3 helped come to this conclusion). Now I don't know where to go from here. I feel like some thoughts I have no control of and I don't know what the next thought will be but yet feel like I have control over these thoughts -- after all how can I do self-inquiry if I didn't have some control over thoughts? I also didn't fully get why fundamentally ''I'' have to be constant. Why can't ''I'' fundamentally change from moment to moment? We only have the present moment so why does it matter what I was in the past? Another thing I'm confused with is that ''I'' am nothing yet it seemed convincing that I am the sensations that happen in the present moment like in the short Guided Mediation video. So how can I be both nothing and the sensations?

I try sitting right now and not thinking yet no enlightenment happens. Why? It may sound silly but I don't feel like when I stop thinking for a few seconds and just be present, aren't beliefs dropped -- or are the beliefs about reality actually still operating? Is thinking in fact still happening during these few seconds of ''presence''? I suppose one may have to inquire these beliefs -- not just drop them.

How could I exist before ''I'' was born? Without the sensory experience there is no life. Without this body existing how could ''I'' even do self-inquiry for enlightenment to happen? What is meant by consciousness? I thought consciousness was experience but it is there even before phenomenal experience? If the self is indoctrinated, can we raise children to be enlightened? Were we all already enlightened then we become unenlightened?

Its great to hear you are getting involved into personal development so young. If your just staring out, make a list of your the things you want to change in your life. Then highlight what is your biggest are in your life which needs work. What other reasons do you want to reduce gaming and do no-fap? Anything significant which needs addressing? Get journalling on these things -- I would recommend getting a journal/exercise book and writing in it everyday. You could journal on the following things: Who do I want to be in 5 years time? What did I do well with my day today? What could have I improved on? Goals for next 6 months. Fears What can I do to grow today? https://www.actualized.org/blueprint/journaling I would advise trying to get a good daily routine first-- sort out your get plenty of sleep every night, exercise regularly, book end your days, eat well, be productive. Check out Brian Johnson : https://www.optimize.me/master-classes/ You have to subscribe $10 a month but it is super cheap for the value you receive and it is a great foundation for improving your life. Also check out Leo's playlist for 'Foundations of Self-Actualization' -- Interesting how Spiritual Enlightenment videos aren't included. Start on getting the basics handled. All the best

@Leo Gura Please share this cure of ADD soon!

I really struggle to focus whilst reading. I often have large paragraphs that I read than have no knowledge about that paragraph because I was daydreaming. I do mindfulness mediation 50 mins every day but this problem is still not going away. I have visited the doctor but it will take a few months for any action to occur -- they said to get counselling first but I don't really have any major problems at this stage of my life -- just that I can't focus on reading especially since I'm at university now. I find it difficult to read and sit still despite being about to sit still in meditation pretty easily. Help! Have you had similar experiences? How have you got through this? Any advice appreciated.

@Elisabeth It applies more to school stuff. I can read self-help with simple English a lot better than academic work (English is my first language)@Mr Here and Now So unfortunately Audible isn't an option here as they don't have the books I gotta read.

@Yellow Yes.

There may have been a similar topic before hand but I couldn't find it. My question is how does one see optical illusions like this one for what they are? Because once I have the thought 'this looks similar to a duck', I see it in a distorted way -- as the image is to me. Then I try to look at it with no thought but still see 'a duck'. Then someone mentions it is a hare, then I see the hare. Then I try to look at it objectively, yet I either see a duck one second or see a hare and keep switching between the two. So in everyday life, will I always recognize people and objects in a particular way despite trying to have no judgement? -- because the judgement remains and distorts the reality.

In Leo's interview with Martin Ball, the description says that Martin Ball attained enlightenment -- but I wouldnt be able to tell that he a. People comment saying ''this person is enlightened'' or ''is this person enlightened?'' -- but how do we know they are enlightened. They can claim to be enlightened be we don't know if they are. Looking at videos of spiritual teachers, they talk calm and say wise words but what characteristics indicate they are enlightened? What do the spiritually enlightened all have in common? Is there a way to tell? If I go slap an enlightened on the head as a stranger, will there be no emotional reaction thus indicating higher consciousness? Also do they stay absolutely present all the time in life?

I just did the guided meditation Leo's Spiritual Enlightenment Part 3 video. When doing the meditation (which actually felt great but difficult at the same time), I felt that just being aware of my senses may also be thinking. For example, feeling the the floor on my feet surely is a thought as I have recognised that there is a sensation there. Am I wrong here?

I don't think I have accessed awareness then. Will lots more meditation help me access awareness or am I actually able to access this now? Because even in those few seconds of 'no-thinking' which occur during mediation, there is still seems to be a divide thus witnessing not awareness. Isn't feeling the floor only acknowledged with thought? So without thought, don't I lose the awareness so that is why the universe doesn't exist? What is awareness beyond thought? What is awareness without thought? Or am I being too logical here questioning this this?

@Svartsaft Have you tried resting your arms on a table in front of where you sit? Might help but your hands will go numb which isn't that bad.

@FeelFree Maybe you could start a course in personal development in a university when your older. There is a degree in Cristiano Ronaldo (A famous soccer player) in The University of British Columbia! Surely there should be a degree on personal development! You could be the guy to start it.

@LifeLife Why is this? I do intend to do some volunteering for charity as the degree I intend to do is in the field of International development.

I'm doing the values assessments on the Life Purpose Course. But I feel some of the values I have chosen should be changed -- there a feeling that something is not quite right. I put down truth as one of my values because I am beginning to see that truth is something that our whole life will be determined by. Seeing reality how it is would influence the choices we decide in our lives. I haven't got into spiritual enlightenment but intend to dive deeper into this. The problem is that I just don't feel authentically aligned with truth. Logically I think truth which should be highly valued but it doesn't feel authentic. And maybe this will change in a few months. A second value I put down is connection. To me this means sharing moments with people where we just be ourselves and express what we feel and really think thereby having a 'spark' between us and also embedding deep friendships. This feels very authentic to me but I feel that past experiences may have dictated this. I haven't had many friends up to this point in my life and perhaps that's why I value connection. I have also had some bad experiences trying to make friends where afterwards I would feel negative emotions. Is it inauthentic to allow past experiences to dictate my values? I also value love highly -- but I haven't had any love or intimacy in my life so this value which I rate highly is coming from a place of neediness despite feeling really authentic. I would love to hear your thoughts and the reasoning for your values. What values have you struggled to decide to go with? How hard did you find this part of the Life Purpose Course if you did it?

@Pelin There is a lot of resistance for me to cross the value reality off the list but it is best to do so as it doesn't resonate with me as much as something like open-mindedness but I'll make the changes. Thanks and I did make it.

@Abhijeeth The Do Nothing technique is the best for beginners. The first few months is really just about installing the habit. Eelco1981 is quite right to say that the results don't come quick. I'm almost 6 months in currently doing 40 minutes a day ans steadily building up. The results are just starting to come in now -- far more centered emotionally and less affected by my environment. I'm just coming out of high school and for me begin able to sit down and focus on academic work is very important. There are students who cannot keep their hands off their phones or just keep getting distracted by the need for stimulation. Mindfulness meditation seems to work the best as far as I'm concerned although I'm no expert meditator. It will help with focus.

Would love some useful help here. I have been doing 40 minutes of mindfulness mediation. The problem I have been encountering is that I wonder/ come up with lots of thought stories. Here I don't know what to do. Are you meant to let the thought story go on and practice mindfulness on it? When I do so, I quickly get caught up in the thought story (for example thinking about conversation with a person etc). Then I realize I am daydreaming and not doing the mindfulness process. Would it be better if I just ignore this thought story and just try to focus on the present moment? I daydream a lot during the day outside mediation and it makes me so unproductive trying to do academic work or reading a book. I have been doing weeks of the Do Nothing technique but stopped it because I just kept getting attached unconsciously to the thoughts which came for long periods during the meditation. Appreciate your help!

@Wormon Blatburm I did the guided meditation in Leo's newest video and found that really powerful. Do you have any recommendations for guided mindfulness meditation?

@Jelly_Shades @Pelin I will hopefully enter university in September (if I get the grades on Thursday, wish me luck!) and perhaps this is a real opportunity to find ones real values by trying lots of things out. For this course. we don't need to get the values right straight away -- just go with what we think feels the most right and they will definitely develop as time goes on and we self-actualize. For me there is still resistance as to put down productivity as I logically know it is a very important one but it just doesn't resonate with me -- but that doesn't mean it is mot valued if it isn't in my top 10.