ajasatya

@ShaharA because it's addictive. everyone that i know that start to drink coffee regularly report headaches when they skip it.

@Kazman you can organize small wins in a way that leads to a huge long-term win.

@Manjushri you need some deeper and more integral way of practice. you think you are practicing meditation but you're just diving into more mental struggles (i am god etc). work on your body strength and flexibility (asanas). work on your breathing capacity and efficiency (pranayamas). work on your way of speaking and acting more gently and gracefully (yamas and niyamas). make it a long term commitment (5+ years). here, see how you can integrate the first 4 steps of yoga in your life.

deep down, everyone is super crazy. but the vast majority of people are scared of themselves.

if there are no experiments to confirm the theory, it's just dogma/pseudo-science.

i was talking to @Aakash about it a few days ago. personally, i like to mix the buddhist noble eight-fold path and the 8 limbs of yoga (pay close attention to the yamas and the niyamas).

for sure. but you have to deeply inquire every single item of the list. it has to be very clear to you whether it's a healthy principle to follow or a toxic principle to follow. and it has to be even clearer why it's healthy or toxic. be very careful here because attached minds might deceive themselves into thinking that healthy is toxic or vice-versa.

no, that's what i said. there are many ethical codes. buddhism has its own and so does christianism and yoga. an example of self-punishment is staying on your knees for several hours, enduring pain for no reason.

how come what i mean? which part didn't you understand?

@Pat Pagano i'm happy that you're not scared of your wounds. some people don't even want to remember them. why don't you write them down on a piece of paper and organize yourself? deal with one of them at a time. in a few years, you'll be able to live a crystal clear life.

this is one of the hardest questions that i've ever seen on this forum. i'll think about it and i may or may not find a comprehensible generic answer to you. feel free to pm me if you're not comfortable with sharing more details about your feelings here. nevermind! that's just being possessive!

that's turquoise, but without the immersion in "anger", "sadness" or any other toxic emotions*. people on turquoise are aware enough to notice patterns that would trigger shallow "animal instincts", as you put it, before they take over. it is a fully integrated circle, but without existential ignorance nor undisciplined mental behaviors. *sadness is not necessarialy toxic. sadness can be the consequence of emotional pain and the fuel for deep changes. attachment to sadness is the real villain.

@AlphaAbundance experiment short periods of fasting if you're obese; experiment certain degrees of celibacy if you're attached to sexual pleasures; experiment some degree of isolation if you're addicted to social validation; eat more if you're bulimic; gradually expose yourself to sexual experiences if you're suffering from repression; experiment making eye contact and listening to people if you suffer from social anxiety; extremes are egoic forms of attachment. on the other hand, the middle way requires wisdom and sellfishlessness. if you want to use ancient sources, stay with the ethical codes (they will make your life a lot easier) and the existential matters. everything else is garbage. you don't need to fast, punish yourself or make animal sacrifices. for the record: mental masturbation = frying the brain without actually living better.

the body-mind experience ends but True Nature is eternal.

be a teacher, a great composer, a motivational speaker, a source of inspiration in many forms. if you don't open your mind to your full potential, you'll feel life as a terrifying thing.

you are speaking from a dogmatic perspective. how can you write poetry about the smell of flowers if you've never smelled one? if you have issues on your life, please, for the sake of Love, do not use "spirituality" as a way to escape them. face them and grow up because existence is amazing... and it includes what you're experiencing. without your life and experience, the universe would be less complete

then sit down and, for 40 minutes, let go of your goals and of what you think of yourself. if you do it everyday, you might have glimpses of True Nature. fasting is useless here. 12 to 24h food fasting can be useful when you have some gut issues like infections or irritations. fasting for "spiritual purposes" is just another way of playing within the egoic pattern of pride and achievements. because the deepest insights are not separated from practical everyday life. bulimic and obese people should learn more about self-love and health. those are significant insights, not just mental masturbation.

"doing" can't be avoided. the sun arises, the birds sing, the heart beats and the universe says "I"!

poorly integrated mystical experiences can lead to huge ego trips. why be the best at everything when cooperation is so much more efficient and beautiful? and i have no better words fot that "teal" level. huuuuuge, huuuuuuuuge ego trip!

a bulimic person would have more "spiritual insights" by learning to eat properly a little more; an obese person would have more "spiritual insights" by learning to fast for small periods; have you ever heard of the middle path? what does enlightenment mean to you?

if you're seeking enlightenment, why are you fasting?

@AlphaAbundance what does spiritual growth mean?

compose build a beautiful portfolio (musically and visually) talk about it. make a podcast or an youtube channel or both teach!

you can think of an orange; you can say the word "orange"; you can buy an orange and eat it. i don't know why you think you have no free will. you may think "oh, but what if all of that was already written?". suppose it wasn't written: what practical benefits would you have? suppose it was written: what practical harms would be caused to you? you're just indulging in mental masturbation. let go of both existence and absence of free will. those are just useless mental disturbs.

i'd eat even better food! (high quality food is expensive in brazil)