hundreth

It's not a bad terminology to describe the group and it's purpose. The underlying belief that we're entering some kind of 'new age' where all of our intellectual underpinnings are just shams and conspiracies. Personally I don't resonate with the new age movement. They've hit on some truths, but only through luck. It's not hard when you don't examine any idea critically. At the same time, they throw away any knowledge or wisdom that is considered conventional simply because it's... well... conventional. Conventional wisdom is boring, and the new age movement is fixated on exciting theories revolving around aliens, egyptians, solar flares, quantum entanglement, etc. The egyptians built the pyramids through their own ingenuity and we have tons of documented evidence? Boring! They must have used ancient magic and alien technologies, man couldn't possibly have figured it out themselves! So they've really thrown the baby out with the bathwater. They do a great service by questioning conventional wisdom, but if you're going to do that you also need to think critically about 'new age' theories and this is where they fall short of hitting the mark.

Why so many laws bro?

@Joseph Maynor you already made the choice to be here. This in and of itself makes it not pointless. You chose to experience Joseph Maynor. You chose to experience my life too. You chose to experience everyone's life. When we talk about life being pointless, it's a language issue. What we really mean to say is closer to there being no specific point. You are free to find your own meaning.

We are all entertainers, I believe that's the great truth. The one quality that seems to be shared by all of the great masters is a sense of humor

What makes you say that?

They are both spiritual masters. They are both enlightened. Once you are aware, you're free to express being whichever way you prefer and there's no reason they should express being similarly just because they are enlightened. Sadhguru has his way, and Alan Watts has his way. Alan Watts enjoyed drinking, so that's what he did. He wasn't trying to self preserve for the sake of self preservation, because there's no 'self' to preserve. There's no sad end to Alan Watt's life. He brought eastern zen philosophies to the Western world, he got to the heart of the matter. There's no where to go. He presented his message with tons of humor and practical insight. And when he felt like it, he detached. There's no "master direction."

Check this out:

@egoless check this out. http://sweepingzen.com/karma-free-will-and-determinism/

Are you in control of whether you do evil or not? Are you in control of whether you awaken or not?

Nothing, but who's calling it evil?

That's not really what he said though. He said evil is selfishness, which comes from your ego's desire to self preserve which we all have. The more conscious you are of your propensity to do evil in the interest of your self preservation, the less evil you will do. The boundaries of evil become irrelevant when the boundaries of your 'self' do.

Good question.

This is immensely insightful, not just in the scope of raising children. It pretty much summarizes the entire detachment issue, and the question of whether we're supposed to retreat into a cave and meditate for the rest of our lives. We are in a "play of consciousness" - play on.

Is it really going to help you if everyone here gives you their perspective? You are going to get yet more differing opinions. There are no definitive answers, and even if there were you wouldn't know which one. In my point of view, you should stop starting threads for awhile and over analyzing everything. It doesn't matter how much knowledge you acquire now, because you may not have the wisdom to integrate it. Get out there and rack up some life experiences. Go find your own interpretations.

Not all of illusion is ego, but all of ego is illusion. My understanding is your authentic self is there underneath your ego as awareness, and when you lift the mask you are able to access it. Some consider that authentic self absolute or "true" reality, some call it nothing, some call it no-thing, some say it's a projection. Personally, I feel we're always limited to a projection and there are infinite layers to peel back. Would like to hear other perspectives though!

I suppose you did the right thing, trying to hone in on it and unmask it. For whatever reason, the insight didn't come and you were spinning your wheels. Trying to actively expel the energy seems like a counter productive strategy here. Acceptance is much more natural. At this point, you can treat it as an oncoming wave that eventually passes, which it will. You don't have to tackle it now, let it pass. Maybe there were other insights waiting for you.

I suspect you're right, what you experience with psychedelics is an illusion. That seems to be the greatest insight they provide, that your consciousness is like a radio that can be set to a different frequency for perceiving reality - and they are all equally real. The truth is, you're already wearing pink glasses. The psychedelics allow you to change the color.

I think of sin as attaching to the activity as source of happiness rather than a celebration of being. By all means, get your fuck on, but don't be foolish enough to believe this will bring you lasting satisfaction. On the other hand, if you are full on life, you can express your gratitude via sex. At the root is desire, which when acted upon brings only more desire. This is a negative spiral long term.

This last part about communism is especially poignant. This is where societies are headed across the U.S. & Europe. Spiral Dynamics stage Green to the extreme. Radical egalitarianism removes all individualism, freedom, and responsibility. I pray we snap out of it soon.

I love your Mastery piece! I actually built a poetry app for iOS that I think you would love. There's a social network there where you can share your work and get feedback / comments. It's obviously rhyme focused, but there are many using all styles. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rhymers-block-rap-poetry-writer-rhyme-engine/id796584182?mt=8 @Leo Gura let me know if I'm breaking any rules here...

Hey! I've been through similar issues and here's what I learned. First, focus on the little things about yourself. Wake up on time, clean your room, make your bed, go to the gym, eat well. If you continue to implement these personal improvements step by step, your mental well being will sky rocket and your confidence will go up. Second, join group activities you are required to participate in weekly. People will come to know how awesome you are over time. Good luck!

Art imitates life and vice versa. It's like any other engaging piece of art, it captures the essence of being. Specifically, most shows or movies have very simplistic / black & white storylines, characters, and plots. There are good guys, there are bad guys. On GoT and Breaking Bad, the lines blur. The show is one of the few that highlight the gray areas of life. When we see the dark aspects of these great heroes, we are able to accept them in ourselves.

Since this thread got bumped, good opportunity to say THANK YOU LEO. This forum is a tremendous resource and an integral part of my journey and many others. So thank you for putting it together and framing the discussions with your fantastic videos. There's plenty of bickering, mental masturbation, and fuckery that I myself take part in. Depending on my mood, I can be a dick - but I very much appreciate the forum. Keep up the good work.

There's your answer.

There's nothing else to do. There's nothing. Else, To do.