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I feel strongly drawn to contemplate the question Who Am I? and have been doing so for a while now. However there is some confusion as to what the question is really asking. I have doubts that i'm contemplating 'correctly' and worry that i'm just wasting hours of time heading in the wrong direction. So what does the question Who Am I? actually mean, and what is the correct approach when contemplating this question? Part of the confusion surrounding the question comes from the fact that the question is interpreted quite differently (or atleast appears to be) from teacher to teacher. For example, some may say that Who Am I? is basically the same as What Am I?. But other teachers, like Ralston, will make a clear distinction between the two. Ralston says that Who Am I? is the same as asking Who is perceiving? or 'clearly identifying the one that needs to get enlightened'. It seems like this is quite different from how other people interpret the question. He also says that it's not technically an enlightenment, whilst Shinzen Young says that his enlightenment came from contemplating on Who Am I?. So is there a difference in the approach with these two teachers? If you look at Ramaji's approach to Who Am I? it seems completely different again, and focuses on the Heart and all that. Then of course you have Ramana Mahashi who also seems to take a different approach. So what is the question really asking and how should I go forward with this?

@Aaron p Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated

Oh great, looking forward to it

Maybe you need to reconsider your beliefs about enlightenment.

@Tony 845 No, enlightenment does not necessarily mean an end to depression. I would imagine it greatly depends on the depth of the awakening, but I know Jan Essman suffered from quite severe depression for many years even though he was deeply enlightened.

I do agree with you that he does have some value to offer, but he's so bitter and depressing about everything (particularly in that video!).

@Matt23 I haven't been on a solo retreat myself, but I feel that writing out some sort of daily schedule would be of use. Maybe you'll have to decide for yourself as i'm sure some people like to just go with the flow. But having a schedule of when you're sitting and when your breaks are might be good. Maybe have some time slots which are left open for you to decide in the moment.

Personally i've found that what you're describing occurs mostly during the first trip with a substance. Once I know what to expect, and have less anxiety, there seems to be more control and less intrusive or negative thinking. I pretty sure a good set and setting play a significant role in this as well.

@billiesimon Not every girl falls into the dysfunctional stage orange category. Don't make the mistake of generalising large portions of society just from what Tyler says on an RSD video. The amount of girls he comes into contact with is minuscule in reality. And of course, if you hang out in the social circles that Tyler is in you'll probably find a lot more dysfunctional orange rather than green or yellow. So his perspective is heavily biased. Even from a wider perspective what you're saying isn't true. There are many many functional orange and green girls. Just don't expect to find them in a nightclub in LA. And of course human romantic connection isn't dying lol.

@Ampresus A few points that come to mind: Make sure that you follow a path that is authentic for you, and you only. Really try to think for yourself, don't choose something for the sake of pleasing others, whether that be family, friends or even people on this forum. Understand that what you choose to do now is not set in stone for the rest of your life. I have gone in a completely different direction to what my degree was specialised in. And many others have done the same. You are in a position in history and live in a decent country where you basically have the freedom to do whatever you want, if you put your mind to it. Rather than thinking about what particular study program interests you the most, maybe think about what kind of field or industry sounds most exciting for you. There are many amazing new industries that are emerging and will continue to grow in the coming years like climate science/green energy, artificial intelligence, robotics, self-driving vehicles, psychedelics, biotechnology, virtual and augmented reality. All of which will be great opportunities to make a positive impact on the world. Or maybe just think about what kind of study programs will give you the broadest opportunities when you finish. It's likely that you will change your mind and have new ideas in the coming years. Personally I would say not to restrict yourself too much unless you're super committed to a subject. I would also say that you absolutely need to choose something that is genuinely appealing to you and that you would actually enjoy studying it. Don't just go to university/college (whatever it is for you) for the sake of it. You don't have to be deeply passionate about the subject/subjects (you shouldn't expect to be either) but its important that you want to learn. I say this because otherwise you will have a lot difficulty when you're faced with the boring and grindy work, which is usually an inevitable part of higher education. I should also mention that what you learn here is obviously not going to line up with what you can choose from. This stuff if way beyond most higher education courses.

@kieranperez Sounds awesome! Seems like you got more out of 1 session with @Emerald than I did in 5 hours with a few different coaches a few months ago.

@Garuda Doesn't sound like it tbh. The term actualized is quite commonly used in personal development.

Interesting. Well i didn't feel my kundalini shifting but I did feel quite settled and relaxed. Not sure if that was just from the fact I was sitting still with my eyes closed though. I have had a number of transmissions in the past but none seemed to have any significant lasting effect.

@Mu_ Thank for sharing. I have spoken to people who have received shakti from video transmissions. I'm sure it can have some effect for some people.

A must listen for anyone interested in AI/AGI:

@AMS I definitely do not completely dismiss the carnivore diet because i'm trying to look at nutrition from an integral holistic perspective. If there wasn't such a big ethical shadow then i'd be open to trying it of course. But i'm more inclined to believe that a varied diet of whole foods, including good quality meats and fish is the optimal diet for the most amount of people (no sugar, wheat or dairy). The issue I have with sv3rige is that he's spreading his ideology and dogma in exactly the same way as the vegans do! Both sides have a collection of beliefs which they think are the truth. Yet everyone knows that both diets work for different people! No one diet is gonna be the ultimate diet for everyone. This is obvious. It's literally like two religions thinking they have the ultimate teaching. I think this is what people fail to realise. Vegans are equally guilty, despite having the ethical upper hand, because they also assume that it is the best diet for everyone. I thought this for a long time. But clearly it isn't true. I hope in the future we are able to artificially grow meat. I can see that happening eventually. Another issue I see quite often with the carnivore community is that they over generalise their ideas of veganism just from a select few examples. You watch sv3rige's montage of unhealthy vegans and then there is the assumption that all vegans are like that! Obviously this isn't true. There are many many vegans who are ridiculously healthy! I should add though that some of the vegans in sv3rige's video do look shockingly unhealthy. They are a poor example for what veganism can provide.

@AMS The difficult thing is I could counter nearly every point you made in your reply. I’m not saying you are wrong. The truth is I really don’t know. I suppose this is why there’s so much conflict going on. Both ‘sides’ (I hate to talk about it that way) have their perspectives on each matter (which they are convinced are correct), but of course all of them are relative and not absolutely true. So there will never be an agreement unfortunately, unless theres some ridiculously comprehensive 10 year study comparing the two diets. But even then, if it somehow proved that the carnivore diet was better for your health, vegans would dismiss it, and of course vice-versa. So really everyone should just be open to what other people find most suitable for them. There is a distinct lack of open-mindedness within these communities and too much ideology. The ego just wants to know it’s opinions and beliefs are right. With regards to the environmental impact I have seen mixed information. So again I really don’t know what the truth is here. I would just naturally assume that agriculture would play a large part in global warming because its such a ridiculously massive industry around the world. I must say I am a little skeptical of that graph just because I have no idea where that information/data came from and the fact that it was posted by a carnivore dieter makes me even more suspicious ahaha. Also, what does that agriculture percentage include? Does it include all of the transportation of animals and their foods, the production of vast quantities of foods around the world, the maintenance of the animals, the processing of the meats, the manufacturing and processing of packaging and all of the transportation associated with that. I doubt it.

@The Don Atleast part of your problem (feeling blocked) could be dietary related brain fog, but maybe not. Cleaning up your diet or eliminating certain foods might be a solution. Aside from that, it is possible to improve your writing ability quite considerably. It just takes lots of deliberate practise. There's no short cut. You should be actively learning and teaching yourself how to write well. I'm sure there are thousands of books on this topic and I imagine there will be thousands of great videos on writing on Youtube (also check out Skillshare). So you want to be combining the theory studying with the deliberate practise. Do that for long enough and you will get better, I guarantee it.

@AMS You seem like a fairly level headed carnivore dieter. I've recently reintroduced meat back into my diet after being vegan for a fairly long time and can see some mild improvements but have absolutely no intention of going carnivore because I love the taste of plants too much . I can understand that there appears to be some good health benefits from the carnivore diet but do you ever consider the ethical implications, and/or the environmental implications of such high meat consumption?

What do you actually mean when you say you want to master enlightenment? If you mean like Ralston level then fair enough it will take a long time. But achieving mastery in the field of spirituality is not necessary for radically changing and improving your life. Just the permanent recognition of no-self alone would be life changing. Sure thats rare, but still certainly possible and definitely within your capabilities. Not sure why you would feel disheartened. In the end you are not like most people. Most people are not even close to doing this kind of work. And you have more resources, knowledge and understanding about this field than the majority of people ever in history!

"Discipline = Freedom" - Jocko Willink

you're worried about eye floaters? Pretty sure everyone has eye floaters every now and then. Hardly a big issue?

Write it out into a blog post?

@llumi The point of Kriya Yoga isn't to experience Kriyas. Most people that practise Kirya Yoga will never experience Kriyas, as far as i understand. The very fact that you are experiencing Kriyas is even more reason to start/try Kriya Yoga!

@llumi Gotta be every other day that someone posts about having spontaneous body movements during meditation. I'm surprised as to how common it is. Then again, its not common relative to the amount of people who actually meditate on a daily basis. So count yourself lucky, i guess? Anyway, there's lots of information on the web about Kriyas, just do some Googling and you'll find all your answers.