CosmicTrekker

Just my two cent here - nothing more. Asking these questions is really just the latest progress of a process that has been maturing in you for a very long time and it will continue to mature into an understanding that will lead you to see what you're seeking (or see the end of seeking, to put it another way). Although we're all heading to the same destination, every bodies path and the means are different. What is right for one person, may be completly wrong for another person - as illustrated by huge number of different teachings and methods. My advise would be to go with your intuition, with what reallly resonates with you; because it's you and only you, that it all has to make sense to. Try out various teachings as suggested by others above and see what touches you. Don't worry about making mistakes by choosing the wrong path or teacher - the master within will always bring you back on the straight path. Sometimes the only way to learn is through making mistakes. Above all else - be humble; be sincere and truthful and be a light-unto-yourself.

Speculating on the title - I 'think' the deepest level of reality is the abcence of everything; absolute nothingness; nada; nil. Between what one thinks one is and the /dev/null of nothing: all gradients of reality are equally true and require an illusury witness of some sort. Infinity and now; I feel is the door way and only a razor edge away from the illusion most of us are occupied in - tantalising near, yet so far far away.

The path is for those that are willing to lose everything for the truth. It's a painful path especially for the 'winners' who have everything. To enter into the truth, you'll have to leave all the falsehoods at the door, including yourself.

Sorry, I don't have hints. But here's a quote from the book 'I am That' by Nisargaddatta that touches upon this subject. Questioner: When an ordinary man dies, what happens to him? NM: According to his belief it happens, As life before death is imagination, so is life after death. The dream continues. Questioner: Does he carry his senses of seeing, hearing etc? NM: Senses are mere modes of perception. As the grosser modes disappear, finer states of consciousness emerge. ... Questioner: I began with the question about the man who died. You said that his experiences will shape themselves according to his expectations and beliefs. NM: Before you were born you expected to live according to a plan, which you yourself had laid down. Your own will was the backbone of your destiny. .... I hope this is of some use for you. Highly recommend reading this book.

That's an interesting proposition. Death is the reverse of the process of birth - so as the human organism grows from birth, it acquires the idea of the self and forms a world view from it. Death is the stripping away of the false notion of the self, but I don't think it's instantaneous, I think the disembodied self persists for a period of time.

Thanks for this OP - was looking for films like these.

Been looking for a nice summary like this - thank you!

The terror I felt may have been subjective. I think subconsciously I held the belief that death meant the total annihilation of the self - a final release from the mortal coils of this life, including consciousness/awareness - this was my expectation for when I would be confronted by death. So, It was a complete surprise to me then to come to know that I have always existed and will always exist. This knowing was of such unquestionable clarity that no inkling of doubt existed. There was a part of me/my ego that just did not want to accept this, so much so that it felt like the ultimate emergency button had been pressed and my mind was running around like a headless chicken desperate to get the fuck out of whatever it felt it was trapped in. Another aspect that frightened me was the realization that there is only 'me' - this fright was filled with a sense of complete and utter loneliness. I've felt loneliness before in life, but this was completely off the scale - it was tinged with desperation. In terms of my sense of self - that did not change, the I-ness I have always felt was the same I-ness - but instead of being an I with very well defined boundaries, I was the I, the only I, with no boundaries, no limits, in an dark expansive space. Lastly, every feeling that I felt and everything I was aware of felt authentic and unquestionably the truth in the truest sense. I know that sooner or later I will confront this again, but will knowing what I know now, make the experience easier to accept? I don't know - I hope so.

I hear that mushrooms are also capable of dissolving the ego completely at a high enough dosage - though I've no direct experience of this. If I was to go down the psychedelic route to enlightenment, I'd start with MDMA > LSD > Mushrooms > DMT > 5MEO. From what Leo said of his experience, it seems that large doses of 5MEO are better than moderate or small dosages. With smaller dosages you're more likely to be stuck in that mystic realm where the ego is still holding on and fighting and which could then lead to a bad trip.

Can you describe the experience for those of us who don't know? How similar are the states that are induced in the tank in comparison to say meditation?

I by sheer random chance experienced this on two occasions about 20 years ago. On both occasions during in the morning just before waking up. The terror I felt then still lingers in the back of my brain. But, it was liberating at the same time. The terror I felt was out of the realization that there is no end - I have always been and forever will be - I just couldn't reconcile that. Prior to Leo's videos, I didn't know what it was - I just put it down to very bad nightmares. When I saw Leo God video though, everything made sense - I felt liberated. Now, I'm thinking, shall I induce that state again.

The self is the imagined statue in a block of marble - enlightenment is the realization that there are no statues, just the block.

Though I accept at least at the intellectual level that there is no 'I' and that the mind constructs the 'I', but I'm having difficulty understanding what is/are the thing(s) that brings the mind into existence - even though it's an illusion of sorts? I have heard it said by practitioners of enlightenment that pure awareness is ALL that exists, which implies that the awareness is that thing which gives rise to the mind. If the mind and thus the self is created by consciousness/awareness, then why does it create that mind and for what end?

Leo, your video's are great and go to great lengths in explaining the theory, but have you any thoughts on doing a 'Live' practical meditation session, where folks can join-in online? A sort of expansion of the guided meditation video you posted recently. I think folks will find the mixing of theory and practice useful.

As long as you are aware of the asleep-ness The key is to be aware, to be detached - otherwise it's just the ego daydreaming and self thus self-strengthening.

But, by believing in the laws are you not strengthening the 'self'? Will this not be counter-productive to enlightenment by perpetuating the lie of the I? I think these sorts of laws are an appeal to the ego, 'Believe in me and you'll get all these benefits ...' I guess they may be useful as a first step, if one reflects on the why and how of their exact nature.

Everything? Including the interaction of the different organs that go to make up your body, the molecules that make up the organs, the trillion of processes that collectively make up this biological entity called you? Can we ever be fully aware of everything and is that the enlightened state?

Good Video! I must admit, I too wasn't certain of what happens to consciousness during sleep. Rupert's explanations make a lot of sense, especially the view that the traditional model, which holds physical matter to be the most real, and consciousness the most unreal with the mind straddling the two is actually back to front. In his model, consciousness is the most real state (as experienced during deep sleep), and the physical world being a mental construct within the fabric of the mind. The reason why we don't remember stuff from the deep sleep state is that the mind is completely absent from that experience, and thus not capable of retaining memories from state.

I guess it ultimately depends on what aspects of religion or its dogma you're attached to. If you take religion as it is commonly understood, you'll see that there are so many inconsistencies in the narration/stories, that if you're serious about discovering the truth, then you'll automatically question those aspects and you should find your attachment to it to weaken and diminish over time. For me finding out about the truth (though I've not experienced it directly), was a huge relief - The truth felt complete and satisfying in itself and letting go of the dogmatic aspects of religion was very easy. Depending on how entwined the religion is in your social circles, expect some criticism or questioning of your view - especially from those in your social circle that are inclined towards a dogmatic interpretation of whatever scriptures they believe in.

Let Truth, Love and Beauty be your guide. These things are the pointers towards and ultimately part of that which you seek.

I'm a noob to the whole enlightenment phenomena, and though I have come across the concept previously, it wasn't something that I could get a handle on, until Leo started explaining this in his videos. Recently, I had a strange experience that seemed to have elements of enlightenment and I'd like to understand if this experience is related to enlightenment in anyway. It was the middle of the day whilst I was doing some DIY stuff at home. I turned my head to look at my pet lovebird sitting on it's perch on the other side of the room, and for a brief split second, I experienced, what I can only describe as a feeling of oneness with the lovebird - I was it and it was me. I could sense what it was experiencing, just as I experience myself day to day. There was no separation between 'me' and it. The experience was extremely brief and dissipated almost instantly, and I was left staring at the bird and the bird staring at me. I wasn't doing anything in particular that I can attribute this experience to. Has anyone had similar experience or know what it was and most importantly, is there anything that I could have done to sustain the experience for a longer period of time? Thanks in advance.

I understand (maybe incorrectly) that the true reality is something that is one undivided whole and awareness is something that permeates through that wholeness. This implies that all phenomena we label as dumb inanimate matter, is also conscious at some level; if this is the case, then is there a hierarchy of consciousness? If so, what factor(s) determine the level of awareness?

Thanks for pointing this out, it was there right in front of my face!

This is so useful, makes perfect sense, thank you. It feels like an obstacle has been moved out of the way.

I'm even more confused :). Nothing is all there is and it's the same as everything, then is there no such 'thing' as awareness? If so, then what is this thing that gives me the sense of self/awareness?