ajasatya

keep it up. come back and get in touch with that fear over and over. whenever you feel like you have to think, let go of that thought and get back to your fear. feel it until it doesn't bother you anymore. it may take 1 month, 1 year or 10 years.

@Aakash i agree with you but i like to keep things simple. there's certainly no end. every instant is an instant of practice. every instant is a door to the Spirit. before enlightenment: sharpen the mind after enlightenment: sharpen the mind you can't change what you are fundamentally, but you can perfect the embodiment of Truth.

then let him be. focus on your own practice. if your practice is solid enough and you actually start to live in a more present state of mind, he'll notice and maybe he'll deliberately invite himself to meditate with you.

can't you see the value of this? this is gold. consolidate your own meditation practice and invite him sometimes. don't try to fill his head with your stories. let his own experiences speak for themselves. focus on meditation only and let go of concepts. this will also help you. the most honest way to seek enlightenment is by facing your own suffering.

yes, because it's a matter of practice. you cannot change what you fundamentally are, which is Truth. you are, were and always will be Truth ITSELF. but the mind twists things up if it becomes complacent, unfocused and undisciplined. that's why we call it "training" in zen. monks go to monasteries to train their ability to be present. dogen zenji once said "enlightenment and practice are one". so, wrapping it up. you have to keep up with the practice and that's your responsibility.

it depends on the kind of conversation you're having. personally, i don't like superficial conversations. i'm not the alpha male type of guy and i am very introverted. if i can't connect with people on a deeper level, the conversations just end very quickly. when i was single, i would talk about how i used alcohol as an attempt to run away from my social anxiety and how i couldn't handle my relationship with my parents. i made LOTS of good friends. shared intimacy with a few of them. and then, after another period of 5 months of celibacy, i was able to find my wife. this strategy won't work if you're just trying to get lucky. it requires a serious commitment to honesty.

detachment from social status detachment from looks detachment from material abundance detachment from neediness detachment from gross experiences related to high excitements detachment from goals and success detachment from family detachment from spiritual beliefs detachment from logic and conceptualizations detachment from past and future

no, that's too superficial. emotional vulnerabilities are related to the way you deal with deeper wounds, like the feeling of rejection, daily anxiety, bad episodes with parents, having hard times with loneliness etc.

your sentence is true and my sentence is false.

start by making a better use of the time you spend on bad habits.

the purpose of doing things is simply doing things. learning to let go of rewards is an extremely humbling experience. in zen we say "when we eat rice, we eat rice. when we drink tea, we drink tea". you either learn to enjoy the simple act of doing or your emotional state will be a rollercoaster.

find a teacher who has transformed himself/herself through the practice of hatha yoga. my hatha yoga teacher was obese, materialist, possessive/needy and used to smoke before she went to india.

@Jordan94 ashtanga vinyasa yoga would strengthen everything you need for the lotus posture.

@solr you gotta let go of all your attachments if you want real progress. everything else is just a sabotaging lazy excuse.

plot twist: @okulele was the husband of his story and now he's single because his ex-wife went to heaven.

@Shin lots of projections. if it worked for you, great. but most people (me included) need a different routine for this kind of work. disciplining the mind is a hard task by itself and it's even harder when immersed in our culture full of distractions. why make things harder for yourself? go to a quiet place where it's easier to be mindfull of your daily activities. all activities are simple. clean this, do dishes, water plants etc, always taking humble babysteps. and about the "enlightened masters", lots of them did go to isolated places to get started. dogen zenji and ramana maharshi are great examples. "avoiding life"? living in such isolated places will make tons of shit come up to the surface very quickly. it's far from avoiding life. it's more like going straight to what matters as fast as possible.

@Psyche_92 it depends on the monastery. it's easier with ashrams, where you can just sign up as a volunteer and they may provide you with shelter and food.

@okulele go to a physician. your posture might be screwing you up and you don't even notice. use the mind and everything else at your disposal.

@noselfnofun do it. heal everything you need to heal and learn to find peace and contentment in the present moment. then live the rest of your life feeling every second at its peak. that's what i did and that's what i would do if i were you. if you have the chance, then embrace it completely. very few people have this opportunity. the "perfect moment" to go will never come. there will always be something to let go.

'what do you struggle with?' and 'how do you deal with that?'

@ivankiss if you want to teach Love, just be lovely. if you want to teach Peace, just be peaceful. why are you angry? what are you teaching me?

@kieranperez i see what you mean. the guy feels zero compassion. there's still a lot to learn from him. his idea of developing mental toughness to overcome fucked up obstacles is certainly worth mastering. he's being an inspiration to me to workout everyday. i am fine with the fact that he's miles away from humility... that's his problem.

@actualhomie start very slow. meditate 5 minutes everyday. that's a good place to start. forget about celibacy for now. you're still to attached to the train of thoughts.

@kieranperez have you read can't hurt me, from david goggins?

@ingurix your life purpose is something that you're able to accept taking responsibility for. it's something that you deliberately choose to build without the need of a mission or meaning given to your life by some kind of god figure. your life purpose is something that you feel truly free to work on.