ajasatya

@Joseph Maynor it's a strictly practical definition for spiritual growth for sure. but then another question arises. how can i be so sure that i can see all of my egoic traps? wouldn't i be falling for another trap? only time will tell.

@alyra why do you want this question to be answered? why do you pursue an answer?

exposure and discomfort. make eye contact and listen with your heart. melt down in pure presence. my theory layer is very thin. i've organized it in such a way that every single line of argumentation leads to a form of practice.

@5driedgrams that's a powerful practice. it's useful to throw away a lot of garbage and align with what really matters.

sure... that's how we usually grow up. very deep inside we already love everyone unconditionally, but it's not felt until we can't take our lies anymore.

obliteration

no. such person does not even know what love is. an easy way to detect love for someone else is when you want the other person to be happy even if her happiness has nothing to do with you.

@alyra eckhart tolle calls it the "background noise" and explains very well why the solution for it is the practice of mindfulness in his book the power of now. there are certain ambients in which you can train to be present and remove that background noise. the great master thich nhat hanh has several teachings on how to practice mindfulness on the daily basis. i also recommend solitary zazen sessions, groupal zazen sessions (zazenkai) and zen retreats (sesshin). good luck with the practice!

@Geog how often are you truly present? i had depression and social anxiety. my problem was the fact that i was constantly filled with regret, trying to change the past with thoughts or thinking in the next achievement, the next way to satisfy the mental self-image i solved it with a rigorous training process of 24/7 mindfulness. very little theory, almost purely practice: spend your day focused on what you're doing while you breath consciously. you may notice how hard it can be. the harder it is, the more you're identified with mental objects. attachment to mental objects is one of the main causes for human suffering.

@Ilya you're not sick. you just need some training. that "forgetting what i just read" symptom is very common. society has grown too distracted. focusing when reading is the solution. it's the training itself. try being mindful while washing the dishes or cleaning the floor. and while you walk, watch the bodily sensations. it's also training.

@Vibivub do it for 6 months and tell us work on your intuition. try things for yourself. feel them. feeling is a lot more important than conceptualizing. in fact, if you can feel, conceptualization is completely optional. spoiler: if you practice enough, you'll be free from techniques.

i gave this topic a second thought and then i realized how much these devices actually suck for real. by using devices to measure his level of agitation, one will try to pursue calmness and will attach to peaceful moments. there will be frustration when he doesn't "get there". and none of this is the goal of meditation at all! meditation is not a pursuit for calmness. damn, a hot bath does the job much more effectively. the goal of meditation is to free oneself from his addiction to pursuits and expectations. the goal of meditation is to liberate oneself from any state of mind, be it calm or agitated. my wife is not pregnant yet, but when she becomes pregnant and the son is about to be born, do you think the mind will be quiet? hell no! the mind will do its thing. but i'm not identified with a particular state of mind.

@ArasH then go out and drink like 500ml of beer. you'll know what they feel. do it.

@Siggi you want people to hang out with you, but can you even do it to yourself?? can you go on a solitary walk and enjoy yourself? if you cannot enjoy your own presence in solitude, then don't even expect people to do so. don't be hypocrite.

@ArasH why are you looking on the internet about pros and cons of introversion? and why the hell are you using people around you as models of happiness? talk to them. ask them if they're truly happy. this is what i found when i took the courage to do it: they're far far away from happiness. most of them are just acting out from a deep feeling of despair. throw away this comparison game altogether. you're not the only one who's jealous. jealousy is a common pattern among unconscious people, no matter if they're introverted or extroverted, rich or poor, beautiful or ugly.

@How to be wise what exactly is permanent enlightenment in practice?

@Marinus imho, good food and yoga!

@Shiva spiritual teachings have always been misunderstood. jesus said "i tell you the truth, before abraham was even born, i am!" and people thought that he was saying something particular about himself, when in fact he was pointing to the true nature of every being. Truth has been misunderstood for ages and probably always will be.

there! some people choose one path for the entire life and they're able to live a content and fulfilled life until they die. i've seen it happen within each of the three paths. but it wasn't the case for me. i've been implementing all of them. of course it isn't easy! i've gone into crisis countless times. i've experienced huge lacks of self-love trying to serve. i've seen horrible things trying to focus on a mental transcendental image to practice devotion. i've struggled with existential fears during retreats trying to transcend language, as has the OP. but you know what? i can't express how grateful i am. so yeah. it's about implementation. one thing at a time! and i said those things about the path of the servant because of the following saturday is prasad day on the hare krishna community that i'm part of! we offer food to God and then we serve it to the visitors and then we eat it with them!

@severedfred your sincerity is a jewel, but don't put me in a pedestal because it will make things harder for you. the baghavad gita mentions 3 paths for spiritual realization: the path of the servant and selfless actions the path of devotion to a mental symbol of Truth the path of transcendental knowledge according to what i feel from your words, maybe you should try the path of the servant. it's a genuine form of purification. of course it has its own traps, just like all other paths. one should be constantly watching what motivates him. is he motivated by ego or by genuine compassion? how does he feel in the heart? if you can't understand what i say now, it's fine! there's no need to bash yourself. kindness works better haribol!

no man, i'm trying to show you how you're the one creating riddles. there's nothing being hidden from you and there's nothing hiding things from you. are you reading these words in a computer screen? what do you think your computer is fundamentally made of? WHAT is reading these words? there's nothing looking through the eyes that see these words. the Universe itself is looking through those eyes.

your words made me speechless. i'm actually fascinated by the illusory curtains of maya right now. so tell me. what's this thing that's been hiding stuff from you?

@aniss you call them because you want to be known as a good person. you want them to acknowledge you. you suffer because you crave for external approval. even reading these words may hurt like hell, i know. try this: if you truly love your friends, wish happiness for them in silence. you don't have to look concerned. a sincere feeling of compassion doesn't even need to be expressed. it just has to be felt. you'll notice that it's an impossible task if you lack self love. love yourself first. take care of your body and mind first.

awesome report! i read it while listening to the song you linked. thank you for sharing

@Nervewracking i'm studying it with the help of ayahuasca. in the last few sessions it felt like i was able to experience the memories of an indigenous man called "nkaka", which means "son of a great beauty". it felt extremely vivid. i had never heard of that word before and i could feel its meaning very deeply in my heart. i don't even know in what language it was spoken. nkaka would introduce himself hitting on his chest with the right hand while pronouncing "n" and then waving the right hand pointing to the sky while pronouncing "kaka". sometimes nkaka would say that he lives to honor his name. the atmosphere was very green, full of trees. and as he ran in the forest like the wind, it felt like i was the one running in the forest. and oh man, that was some incredible feeling. was i experiencing some memories from the akashic records? was i visiting past lives? was i living fine products of the source of reality that were being made right away? for me, these questions ring a huge bell. it feels like they're pointing to the same thing. can you feel how mystical this very moment is? because if you do, universal memory, past lives and raw creativity make complete sense.