ParanoidAndroid

When I said "How is everything you can think of just an idea?" I didn't mean it literally. Obviously if you think of something it's in your head. I just meant it loosely. It would be better phrased without the "think of" and just as "how is everything just an idea?" I agree that pixels are just a label that people create to describe a certain set of phenomena. Everything is just flowing phenomena which we label in order to navigate the world. However that doesn't mean that the pixels don't exist. They still exist.

How is everything you can think of just an idea? Is what you are seeing and touching just an idea? If so, then what is reality? What you are saying does have existence in actual reality. First you thought of it, then you wrote it down, you posted it online and now I read it. It exists as pixels on my screen, therefore it does leave a trace in reality and so it can be said to exist.

You can't shut down your emotions completely. By trying all you are doing is suppressing them. They will eventually come back to bite you. The best approach is change your opinion of emotions. What's wrong with them? Let yourself feel them and let them pass through you and then move on.

Ok but clearly you have some desire to change your life, since you're on this forum, right? Why do you have resistance to reading? How many of Leo's videos have you watched? I think it would be healthy to go outside once a day, or at least a couple of times a week if you can't manage that. Take long walks. Go for a day trip out in nature somewhere and just immerse yourself in that. Spending time in nature can be really cleansing and get rid of all the negative bullshit in your head. Seriously, the meditation is really important. I mean, really, really important. You can only change yourself if you are mindful of what you are doing. Something else that will help is reducing time spent in front of screens. You said previously that you binged on a show you didn't even like. Well cut that out. How much time a day do you spend on your computer/smartphone/t.v? If you spend too much time on your smartphone it could be helpful to give it up for a month. It's a huge distraction and It's really not as hard as you think to give it up. Getting rid off distractions is important in order to understand why you're so apathetic. Investigate the root cause of these problems. I suspect that it's to do with self-esteem/self-confidence/self love. Think about the fact that you only have limited time on Earth, you only have one life. Dedicate yourself to changing your life. Have faith in yourself! You can do it!

Smartphone addiction is a serious problem in the world, much more serious than is often admitted. Compulsively checking your smartphone reduces awareness and prevents you from being in the moment as well as many other problems such as stopping you from getting to sleep, reducing social interaction, and reducing attention-span, concentration and focus. The Marathon Monks would not approve . A video where you talk in depth about these problems and try to convince people to give up their smartphone at least for a short while (say a month) would be very helpful to everyone on this journey.

So I think there are two components to this. First component is practical: You need to make a physical change in your life. It would probably be a good idea to implement some good daily habits. I think meditation could help you a lot. It doesn't need to be for long period of time. Start off just doing 5 minutes every day. Have you watched any of Leo's videos on meditation? Also, do you have any hobbies? Things that you enjoy doing such as playing an instrument, sport, art, writing etc? Creating something or doing something productive would be really helpful. The second component in mental or phycological (this could also include the meditation I suppose): As other people have mentioned, practice gratitude. Think about how amazing life is. Sometimes it's also good to let your feelings out. Feel your emotions fully. Self-acceptance is also really important. Don't get self acceptance confused with not bothering to change your life. You need to accept and love yourself before you can change and infact accepting and loving yourself will motivate you to change your life. Feel compassion for yourself and know that you are not alone. How are you getting on, since it's been a month or so since you posted?

This is a great idea for a video!

This questions relates to what Leo has said about nothingness in his video "The Enlightened Self - A Description Of Your Existential Nature" and "All of Religion Explained in One Video" also I think. He talks about how nothingness is where reality comes from, how it is the fundamental reality and how that is what you are. Then he says that this nothingness is aware (and self-aware, if I remember rightly). I can't find any description of Nothingness or Emptiness being aware in Buddhism. His discription seems like a much more fanciful one. The Buddhist discription seems very plain in comparison to this all encompassing awareness in which reality exists. So is nothingness aware? How can it be if it is nothingness? Leo, if you could also respond to this that would be great! I commented about it on the video and you replied but I still don't understand this.

Thanks, I found your reply very helpful! I can now see how awareness might be the fundamental form of existence that doesn't need anything. I suppose the problem is that it's not possible for science to explain this. It's something that can only be experienced. What if this experience or aware nothingness is an illusion created by the mind in a meditative experience? What if it's just the most basic part of the brain being experienced without all the thought and sense perception parts? I don't know, I just have a lot of doubts. Sometimes I intuitively feel it to be true and I totally get it and don't even doubt it and other times I'm totally unconvinced and skeptical.

what's wrong with just doing it for pleasure?

I understand that it's not supposed to be something in the brain and that it transcends physicality and rationality. I've watched Leo's videos on it closely. However, I'm not even sure that consciousness isn't produced by the brain. I'm open to the possibility, it would be much more interesting after all but I need to do more research (research includes meditation and so on as well as reading scientific books etc). So if nothingness has no qualities at all how can it be aware? This is where I'm stuck. Surely awareness is a quality of SOME kind. I mean, if it wasn't a quality we wouldn't be talking about it. Or is the word nothingness misleading in this case. Surely it's not actually nothing as it does exist.

I wouldn't say that's a problem with his videos but a problem with you or whoever feeds their ego with them. Anyway, as you say it still improved your life so it's all good Although the way it's framed as "personal development" and "self improvement" does makes it more susceptible to ego stroking. Remember he does also attack your ego in the videos too. Sometimes quite violently.

Maybe you should try and define what a genius actually is first? Does it even exist? They're really just normal people like everyone else, they're not super heroes.

I'm an artist and musician. I paint and draw, do printmaking, play guitar and cello. I don't see art as just being entertainment though. I think art should do more than just entertain. T.V, porn, drinking etc are entertaining but they aren't art are they? And equally art isn't always entertaining. Art can easily be disturbing and even ugly. So I think the point of art is to have some kind of emotional or intellectual or philosophical effect on you while at the same time being entertaining to at least some extent. It varies from art form to art form though and it doesn't necessarily have to have much effect on you or provoke you in order to be considered art. However, it is my opinion that it is better art if it does do so. In terms of what you said about stunting growth I would say that it's possible to sort of loose yourself in art and use it as a distraction from improving your live. Sometimes people use creativity as a way of escaping their problems by just diving into whatever creative endeavour they are involved in and therefore not really dealing with the issues they have. However, you could say the same of a lot of other things too such as business (even more so than art), relationships, work, etc. I think it's more of a problem with human nature than with art.

How are you doing now? Are you still experiencing what you originally posted?

Are you talking about Astral Projection?

Hahahahahah, you made me laugh actually Yeah I was just looking at the "enlightenment jokes" thread

Actually I think humour is very useful in spiritual development. A deep sense of humour about life itself is very grounding. People who take life too seriously are missing the point and tend to be more wrapped up in themselves and disconected from reality. Just think about reality itself, it's ridiculous. It's totally absurd and absolutely histerical. There's no reason for extistance whatoever. It's like a huge joke, or like Skapespere said, like a play. "All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players" Here's a link to the whole quote - https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/you-it-act-ii-scene-vii-all-worlds-stage In India they have group laughing meditation! -