Matt23

I love this. Such a different concept (probably to most in the West). I love hearing about new, strange, and unknown concepts. Thanks for sharing this.

Perhaps there's an underlying fear or negative theme that's generating the fear of "living a normal life...not growing, etc." If you haven't dug into why you fear these things, it might be a place to start and maybe discover some underlying themes, beliefs, or assumptions. Perhaps. Also, I was recently at one of Peter Ralston's (author of the Book of Not Knowing) Cheng Hsin retreats and we covered the topic (among many others) of ideals and fears, and how ideals (I'm not sure if it's always or only sometimes) have a fear attached to them. So the ideal/fear mechanism keeps a person constantly running; "I'm scared of being alone (fear) so I want to be friends with everyone on the planet (ideal). I don't know if this is relevant to the Life Purpose course, but it might help you in other ways. Good luck and stick with it! Even if you don't find you Life Purpose. I think, to get the most out of the course, it helps to have the goal of actually finding your life purpose. Do it right. You know when you're doing things to the best of your abilities and when you're slacking. Even if it takes you a lot longer then initially planned, have the patience and foresight to stick with it. Become a master at the life purpose course. Own it. Make it yours. If you take on this mindset, even if at the end of it you don't find your life purpose, I think you'll be way more satisfied with the work you put into it and have little or no regrets. And you'll probably have grown from all the work, effort, and insights you may have gained throughout the process.

I have a technical question for the LP course, but I would have to sort of give content from the course to ask the question. would that be against what Leo said of posting LP content on the forum? I would like some guidance but also don't want to "spill" it out Advice? Thanks

I have a technical question about the course to do with the prioritizing. I feel like I might be giving information about the course though, is it ok to ask it?

Thanks guys. abrakamowse: Have you used mindful labeling to detach from stories, etc.? If so, was it a gradual process? Did you get to a point where you completely detached from the story (no longer ruled by it)? I've done lots of mindful labeling and these thoughts and emotions (stories) still come up, though I'm able to deal with them way better.

Heyo. So I've been having a pretty up and down life, especially since graduating back in 2010. Tons of anger and self-hate, which may be resulting from how I was treated/ or perceived I was treated growing up. I definitely felt and feel emotionally ignored, like my pain doesn't matter. So growing up, and now, I might have suppressed the emotional pain, thinking I didn't deserve to express it or tell others about it. Why?....One idea I have is that it has something to do with how my family dynamic was. I felt like I was emotionally ignored and, therefore, never expressed these emotions or feelings when others hurt me. Dunno. But I have in the past few years done a little hitting myself (pretty infrequently) as a source to mask the pain. More recently I have really started punching myself in the head. I feel like I don't deserve happiness or love and feel like I'm a bad person. My view is that I was always seen as the "golden child", the one who couldn't do any bad, and my brother was the opposite. I guess I felt like I didn't matter because I never felt like anyone was concerned for me because they were always concerned about him. I've tried expressing my hurt various times in my life (when family has hurt me) but I was usually/always put down or it wasn't taken "seriously". I felt like my emotions were "put down". (this feels like I'm making more sense writing this down ) Does anyone have any similar stories or techniques that have helped them with similar issues? I'd love to hear about them to help me go through what I've been feeling. Perhaps I'm narcissistic? I dunno. My sister told me I was being that way once.

Campbell River, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada.

Are we allowed to talk about and teach others about the concepts you talk about? Or is that copyrighted? I'm also aware that by my not understanding these concepts well enough I may be doing more harm then good in the way I would teach them or discuss them with people. Do you have any insights or wisdom in sharing, teaching, and talking about this information with others? Thanks for any info Matt

Oh.....haha. Thanks. Here's the video:

Hey. I recently watched a video by Ken Wilber on ethics. It was short, but it really showed me that I have a very limited knowledge of what ethics are, and about the benefits it can give for health, development, success, etc... The thing that stuck with me the most about what Ken said was that ethics increase the chance for enlightenment to occur, but they won't do it. He also said that they are great for making the "dream", or dual/ordinary, life positive and not a nightmare. I think that many people would benefit from this, and I see it as foundational to a happy, successful, and positive life. I would be interested to learn more about different ethical traditions around the world, including scientific research about what ethics are and how they can be used to better one's life. As well as negative outcomes that arise from non-ethical behaviors and intentions. I hope to see this video soon! Thanks Matt

I'm working on the Life Purpose course and have just finished watching the video about Finding my Bliss. This then got me watching videos from Joseph Campbell. In one video on Youtube, called "Becoming an adult", he talked about the different rites of passage and initiations in different cultures around the world (specifically simple cultures and societies). He talked about how these initiations were designed to kill the infantile ego (characterized by submissiveness and dependence on the society). Therefore bringing into consciousness the mature ego (characterized by authority, responsibility, and courage over one's own life). He goes on to express how many people in our culture live to be 30 or 40 still dependent and submissive in the infantile ego. An example he used for an initiation was of a tribe in Papua New Guinea. The initiation started by covering the boys eyes so they couldn't see. Then a man would come in waving a bullroarer around in the air. This would make a sound which would made the boy think it was a deity, while the man would say he was intent on eating the boy. Then the boy would think he was dead. This would then create the effect of breaking through death. Therefore, killing the infantile ego and making way for the mature ego. I'm wondering if you have any personal experiences with rites of passage, any knowledge or wisdom about how one could create these for themselves in a culture without them. Also, do you think we can create them ourselves, or does the knowledge of knowing what is happening make these initiations not work? I believe that our culture is deficient in initiations and that it is having a negative effect on many people's development. Causing men and women to grow older physically, but stay immature mentally. I believe that by creating a video on rites of passage and initiations would help many people, and that it's important for a healthy society. Thank, in advance, for you consideration. Here's the video

I've been meditating for a couple years now, and I've experienced some amazing benefits from it. One thing I have been having a little trouble with is back pain. I've heard that belly breathing is the type of breathing best suited for calming the mind. Though, when I do this it deactivates my abdominal muscles, therefore making my lower back (and upper sometimes) start to ache. I was instructed by a Pilates teacher that instead of using belly breathing and relaxing the abs, it would be better for my back to flex my abs and breath from just below the scapula in the back. It feels like the big, flat muscles in your upper back are extending out and in. I've tried this a few times. I notice that, though my back doesn't ache, I'm putting a lot of effort into my abs. Resulting in my mind becoming more tense. Therefore kind of defeating the purpose of meditation for me. Basically, is it better to: A) flex one's abs and then try to overcome the tension in the mind. B) Belly breath, but still have some pain in the back. C) Belly breath, but somehow still relieve the back at the same time? Let me know if you've had similar experiences, and if you've managed to overcome it and how. Cheer!

Thanks for the insights.

I've been meditating for a couple years now, and I've experienced some amazing benefits from it. One thing I have been having a little trouble with is back pain. I've heard that belly breathing is the type of breathing best suited for calming the mind. Though, when I do this it deactivates my abdominal muscles, therefore making my lower back (and upper sometimes) start to ache. I was instructed by a Pilates teacher that instead of using belly breathing and relaxing the abs, it would be better for my back to flex my abs and breath from just below the scapula in the back. It feels like the big, flat muscles in your upper back are extending out and in. I've tried this a few times. I notice that, though my back doesn't ache, I'm putting a lot of effort into my abs. Resulting in my mind becoming more tense. Therefore kind of defeating the purpose of meditation for me. Basically, is it better to: A) flex one's abs and then try to overcome the tension in the mind. B) Belly breath, but still have some pain in the back. C) Belly breath, but somehow still relieve the back at the same time?

@Callum Milner Thanks. I'll have a gander.

Is there any book that you'd recommend to read first when first starting the Life Purpose Course? Also, what's your view on pacing during the life purpose journey?

What is your view on restarting the Life Purpose Course, or any self-development process, even multiple times?