Deep

I recently removed a toxic friend. He was very selfish and he used me. I think he was talking to the welfare office in his state and he wanted to avoid collecting welfare but I don't know. Here is the story: One day I was cooking lunch and suddenly he texted me. He told me to tell them I'm his landlord and that he pays me rent. Then 1 minute later some lady called me. I told her yes he does pay the rent. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and thought maybe he has a good reason to lie. I lied to protect him. He's lucky I didn't tell her the truth. Then I texted him and told him, "Get your shit together so we don't have to lie. I don't want to get arrested." He said, "Don't worry about that. If they call just ignore them." I said, "Okay." Then I was feeling shitty throughout the day because I don't like lying. The next day I called him but he didn't pick up. I left a message. A few minutes later we had texting conversation like this: Friend: What's up? Me: Nothing much. I just want to hear the story behind what happened yesterday. Friend: You need something to do...I told you not to worry about. It's a whole new day dude. Me: Well, if you're going to ask for my help I should know why I'm helping you. You shouldn't keep secrets like that. Otherwise we can't be friends. It's not a good thing to do. I can't trust you. I'll give you a few days to tell me the truth. I won't judge you as long as it's a valid reason. Otherwise I can't be friends with you. It just shows me your character is bad. Friend: I don't need you to give me anything to be honest. I don't have time for this, so see ya, best of luck. Lmao. See ya. Me: Ok that's fine with me. I don't mind helping friends if there is a valid reason. I'm guessing he didn't have one for this. He has acted selfishly before so this wasn't his only offense. If he was trying to avoid welfare (which I don't know), he could've done that without lying.

By developing a healthy ego. Ego can be unhealthy as you described, such as being neurotic. Ego can also be healthy such as knowing what you want and going after it.

I stopped following Leo in 2016. I think some members here are wiser than Leo. I'm not going to name who. I think some things Leo says are absurd.

@Omario Living consciously.

I was joking. I think it's cool she is trying to figure it out on her own.

Why are you giving away all the answers?

@Galyna Yeah. Another cool thing to contemplate is: Why does consciousness stop using the body at a certain age? There is something infinitely intelligent at play here. @Naviy Thanks for sharing. I haven't had any deep sleep that resembles anesthesia. Maybe I have but I can't recall it, because nothing was there. lol Never.

A few years ago, I got my wisdom teeth removed. The surgeon gave me an anesthetic. While I was unconscious, there was no body, no mind, no world, no time, no space, just absolute nothingness. I wasn't aware of anything but I didn't die. All of our experience right now is a fantasy. The same thing can be experienced if one succeeds in meditation. From that experience, I concluded that the body, mind, and consciousness work together in an INFINITELY complex manner. It's so complex that we can't understand it through our mind. I'm not going to try to figure it out because that would lead to mental masturbation. People who say we are the body are partially correct. People who say we're not the body are also partially correct. For people who tried 5-meo did you experience something similar to this? Everyone is welcome to comment.

Superior and inferior are egoic concepts. No one is superior to you because of their popularity. Maybe there are people in your life who love you, but you are oblivious to that? Maybe you can be more open to receiving love? @aurum I don't think he needs to change himself unless he's got lots of toxic traits.

@Key Elements Exactly! I was unhealthy when I attracted the friend. My discernment wasn't very strong but now it's getting stronger. I've noticed some of my family members are toxic as well. They've tried to manipulate me. I'll write about that some other time. @Shin I agree.

You shouldn't believe everything any dude with a beard says.

I don't understand what you're asking. Are you saying others are more "likeable" than you?

@Santiago Thanks

The honest answer is there is lots of suffering in life. One has to go through the tunnel to see the light. The ancients said, when one is fully liberated they remember all of their past lives and no longer need to be born. I haven't experienced anything like that, otherwise I wouldn't be here. I don't know if it's true. How can anyone on this forum answer this question honestly if they haven't experienced that?

@Monkey-man I think Samsara refers to being trapped in the maya. God is never born and will never die. Only the body is born and dies. Buddhist monks and yogis are happy outside of the maya. I want to break free from the maya.

@Shanmugam If someone remembered their past lives, it would be best to keep it a secret. It's a very radical thing. A lot of things about consciousness are very radical.

@MMontesL I loved my parents but I'm not close to my extended family. It is what it is.

@AlldayLoop Yes, absolutely!

You're right, the mind can delude itself. No, true realization isn't not knowing. When someone says they are God, they are speaking about the witness to the body and mind. The only way to become aware of the witness is to hold the mind still. That requires a lot of discipline and 99.99999% of people are incapable of doing that. Non-dual teachings say you are always the Absolute regardless if you're aware of it or not. That's why there is no difference between illusion and nothing. The only thing we can know is what we are experiencing in the present.

I don't remember what drug it was. During deep sleep, my mind is still present but it's activity is very low. During the surgery, my mind was completely destroyed. In deep sleep, there is also no time and no space. It feels like I fall asleep and morning arrives a minute later. In the surgery I must have been out for an hour but it didn't feel like that. I can control my body during deep sleep. During the surgery I couldn't feel my body at all. Although there are times when I can't feel the body during sleep either. Yes, it is infinitely complex because the body, mind, and consciousness are strongly intertwined but consciousness is also separate from that. I can't remember anything before I was 4. I can't remember coming out of my mother's womb. Our mind forms only after our body has appeared and grown to a certain age. Then the mind and conscious work together to produce our finite experience.

@Sopot I went to college but I don't recommend it to anyone. It's a huge waste of time and money.

@Shanmugam What is the difference between Self-realization and kundalini awakening?

According to Patanjali, we all have psychic powers that we haven't tapped into yet. Those powers are a distraction on the road to enlightenment. If I had powers, I would keep them a secret. If I was enlightened, I would keep it a secret. I like to blend in with everyone else.

It's not easy to weed out the bs. What's helped me is trying a technique on myself and keeping it if it works.

100% correct