Xpansion

Everything that any teacher can tell you is already within yourself. The only thing a good teacher really does is help you to help yourself.

The purpose of meditation is not to stop thought. While you are human and have a mind you will always think. To notice that you are thinking is to be mindful of your thought process. This is a good thing. So when you notice yourself thinking don't think of it as a failure but as a success. You weren't being mindful then you are, then you're not, then you are etc etc. We don't try to become blank but we become aware of what is happening in the moment. Many people get into a really bad habit of bashing themselves because they cannot maintain awareness on the breath. They notice their crazy out of control mind and they think there is something wrong with their practice because they have some misguided idea that they should be able to stop it. This is normal. You are beginning to be still and watch your mind and so you are going to become aware of just how wild it is. You will begin to notice gaps between the thought and you can rest in this stillness but you will still think. Eventually you will discover that there is nothing behind the thought ie there is no soul, entity, person, thing having the thoughts. There is just more thoughts of thoughts. The thoughts are just arising and passing within awareness itself. This is what Buddha called Anatta (not-self) and it takes time and practice to gain direct insight. Also pay no attention to thoughts at all. Just note them " thinking thinking" and gently bring your attention back to the breath. You will get bored, restless, annoyed etc and start to think it's all pointless. Just see this as more thought and note it. Note thoughts, feelings, sensations, emotions. We are so used to achieving but Meditation is a continuous letting go. Even a letting go of the need to achieve. Remember to be kind and gentle to yourself. This is really important. I've put a link to a really good website with lots of talks, readings, meditations. You can do a free meditation course with them also which includes weekly email contact with a teacher. One just started yesterday. If you contact them you might still be able to sign up for the current one otherwise you could do the next one Audiodharma

Do it. I did it 6 months ago and I seriously do not miss it one bit. You can keep messenger but get rid of the page if you wish to stay in touch with people. Facebook creates the illusion of connection. It's completely false and is not a replacement for actual relationships with people. It's also a massive distraction and time suck. Research has shown that the more time people spend on Facebook and social media in general the more narcissistic they are. I ended up hating it so much and unfollowing so many people because their posts were so irritating that it was the best decision.

It's more the overall style that is targeting the niche, not the individual videos. It kind of ignores the fact that many other people not in that niche may be watching.

Yes but it only speaks to a certain audience. It presumes something that is not true for everybody watching. Many of the videos seem targeted at very young people. People with less life experience, wisdom and knowledge. This is a great thing for those people but it kind of ignores that the entire audience is not necessarily like that.

Yes I've noticed this too. I think that Leo is targeting a certain niche audience which is perhaps a clever and strategic business decision. Many of the so called "projections" I don't relate to at all and others I can. I just basically take from the videos what resonates with me and ignore what doesn't.

Another perfect candidate for Leos course. Sign up and start getting help to figure out your purpose. Another thing I will say is that I noticed in your post you have written "it's now or never". This is black and white thinking and you will only set yourself up for disappointment by thinking that way. The story you are telling yourself about how you haven't got this and haven't done that is all just a self limiting narrative in your head. Not having those things is not what makes you unhappy. What makes you unhappy is wanting what you don't have and not wanting what you do have ie craving and aversion. It sets you up to think that happiness is some point in the future when you achieve, accomplish and attain that which you don't have and so the present becomes unbearable because there is a gap between where you think you should be and where you are. Of course you still take actions to creating better conditions in your life but you must do it with detachment. Don't do it because you think that you will reach a place of lasting happiness or satisfaction. It never happens because the goal posts constantly shift. Life always ebbs and flows. Everything changes constantly. Things never work out the way we think and even when things go our way sooner or later we will hit another plateau, a drought, a rock bottom or even a major disaster etc. I think that as long as you are actively taking steps towards finding out what it is that will give your life some meaning then that is all you can do. Get out of your head and follow your heart. Sit and be still and watch your thoughts, your mind states, emotions and the actions that follow. Be mindful, accept and be kind to yourself and be satisfied with and grateful for simple small pleasures.

Well then those are your "higher consciousness values"

Ok so philosophy is your one thing then and personal development/life coaching a way of exploring that?

Renunciation can mean renouncing the attachment to them

Ok but part of your course is teaching people that they must choose one thing and master it. If you are not a master of anything are you at least working towards that same goal?

Thanks for answering. I appreciate it. I guess when I see the list of "how to" videos for so many different subjects I feel skeptical because you appear to set yourself up as though you know the answer to everything. Nobody can be that "together". Maybe my perspective of you is incorrect Leo. Maybe you don't think of yourself as together at all. Im not sure. Also maybe as I said above your specialisation is personal development which you master and all the other subjects are sub topics within it? PS - despite my skepticism I am enjoying the course and getting a lot out of it so thanks.

Yep I have a pretty balanced and healthy skepticism in life and question anyone who sets themselves up as some kind of guru with all the answers. My point was that the videos contain very broad subject matter so it contradicts the view being taught that you must pick one thing and master it or specialise. I guess he specialises in life coaching. He masters that area and within that area are many sub topics which can all be viewed through the same lense.

I didn't use the quote thing I just put quotation marks

No I was quoting the OP

Um how do you know he even believes in "god"? If you read what he/she asked you will see that they did actually ask about meditation -

Being aware of that is a good first step and i second what extremeZ7 said ^

Meditation is not a fix. Its not meant to stop you from feeling anything but is meant to help you learn to be more accepting of all that you feel. You can't ever not feel difficult emotions. They are part of life. Pain is part of life but you can learn to see the ways in which you react to pain causes more suffering. Its like the second arrow. You get shot with one arrow and then you make it worse by tensing up and recoiling (the second arrow) instead of allowing yourself to experience it and softening to it. Pain is inevitable but suffering is optional.

Its ok and perfectly normal to feel the way you feel so as extremZ7 has said allow yourself to feel it all and try not to suppress anything. Do you have someone to turn to for support? Where is your mum? siblings? friends? relatives? You dont need to suffer alone. Find someone who can listen and empathise with you.

I thought I'd share with people some insights into my meditation journey. It may or may not help others with understanding their own journey. Im in my late 40s now and I begun dabbling in meditation in my early 20s. I was using a lot of recreational drugs at the time and having an amazing time going to lots of parties and meeting people but after the parties finished and I went back to my day to day life I was deeply unhappy. I begun searching for answers. I meditated only very sporadically at the time. I decided to get away from the party scene that I was so caught up in and clean up my act. During this time I was meditating more often but still sporadically and practicing Qi gong. One day at the beach I had an experience of complete absorption. It felt as though I lost my sense of self and I blended into nature all around me. I was high for days after that and I have never been able to forget it. It kind of opened my mind to the fact that there was more to everything than meets the eye. I always thought there was but to have a direct experience of it was mind blowing. It was like a sign post. However, I didn't continue meditating and my old patterns and habits, self limiting belief system, maladaptive defense mechanisms etc all remained in place and I still felt very stuck and unhappy. Happier than when I was taking drugs but unhappy nonetheless. It was only 6 years ago that I made a decision to take meditation more seriously and since then I have meditated every single day twice a day for 45-60 minutes in the morning and then again in the evening. I practice vipassana meditation in the style of Sayadaw Mahasi. I begun attending residential silent retreats only 1 year ago and have been to 2. I also begun attending local Sanghas and reading a lot of Buddhist material. I have found learning Buddhist teachings immensely helpful. What has occurred over this last 6 years is not what I expected. It has been transformational but not in the way I thought it would. I had perhaps naive expectations that I would meditate and somehow all my problems would miraculously go away and I would become unstuck and be happy all the time. What has actually happened though is that meditation has brought into my awareness just how unhappy I actually am. It's like all my shit has been stirred up and now I get to look at it and deal with it. So it kind of had the opposite effect and I felt even more unhappy but this has been a really positive thing which has pushed me to grow. It has been really painful and although at times I have felt like recoiling in horror and discontinuing the practice, instead I have kept on going. Coming face to face with my inner demons has driven me to search for ways to deal with them. One of the more recent ways has been finding this website and beginning Leos course. Another way has been by beginning regular psychotherapy and delving into my painful history. I have been crippled by fear and racked with self doubt my entire life which has led to living in survival mode instead of thriving. My background is one of childhood and young adulthood trauma and so I ended up becoming very paralysed and living in an overly precautious almost neurotic way and never fulfilling my dreams or having any sense of purpose. Instead I have been stuck in self defeating and self sabotaging patterns of behaviour and procrastinated for many many years always deluding myself that one day I will do what I really want to do. Overtime this has led to a level of self loathing because there was a lack of understanding and insight into what was actually happening. I spent a long time like this and the years have flown by. Without meditation which has taught me how to understand the workings of my mind a bit more I would never have been able to understand any of this because I would just have lived my entire life going from one distraction to the next. Distracting myself from pain and perceived/imagined threats to my survival. But instead I have begun to be aware of it and begin to have some insight into the ways I which I react to, avoid, and shy away from discomfort, difficulties and the inevitable pain of life. This in turn has helped me to unravel the messiness of my life. It is a lifelong journey for me. I am far from being fully self actualised but I feel I am on the path now and heading in the right direction. Some days I still feel lost and in pain but Buddhist practice continuously steers me back onto the path. It's a continuous evolution. Moving back and forth from awakening to sleep and back to awakening. So I feel I have matured in my practice from wanting some special, exciting blissful effect or eternal happiness and freedom from problems to one of more self acceptance. Acceptance of the pain inherent in life aswell as the joys. It has been a subtle and slow change and I have questioned myself many times about why I do it. The alternative is to stay asleep, stuck wandering around in the misery of samsara. I would rather spend my entire life really struggling to understand life and striving to become all I can be.

Theres magic in your smile

That is your understanding. I have a different understanding.

Ok so now you're accusing me of being one of these imaginary gang stalkers!! The problem with people who have a paranoid delusion disorder is that they are extremely difficult to treat because nobody can convince them that their mind is creating the whole thing and anybody who doesnt believe them are accused of being part of the plot. Its a no win situation. There is not even any way to arrest one of these so called stalkers and prove it because even the police are accused of being part of it. I won't be posting in this thread again as I do not wish to be accused of such ridiculous things or become involved with potentially dangerous unstable people.

It is actually very useful and very productive to have a slight smile on your face when meditating. You may have noticed that images and statues of the Buddha he always has a smile. This is because he was onto something. Smiling has a direct effect on the brain and causes certain feel good neuro chemicals to be released. This directly effects your mind states/moods. Smiling is also a way to access the jhanas (successive states of deep focus or meditative absorbtion) Accessing the jhanas requires placing ones attention on a pleasant sensation once you have reached access concentration. A smile may produce such sensation in some people but the sensation can be anywhere in the body. When you reach the first jhana you will not be able to help but smile because it is intensely blissful. Have a read of Leigh Brasingtons book to learn more about the jhanas - Right-Concentration-Practical-Guide-Jhanas

It's important at all ages to have connection with people. We are social animals and need each other to survive. Forget about being "cool" and just find the people that you like and can be yourself around.