faith

Hello friends! I love thinking about the future. I am betting the future will be like nothing we can imagine, but also, I am betting the future will be like the ideals we picture when we look at our society. At the moment, our society is lacking a radical sort of way of looking at the world, a radical open-mindedness. In fact, open-mindedness right now is not practical. If you are open-minded about murder, you will be condemned for all eternity, but in the future people will see it in a tremendously different way. Slowly, but surely, we are moving to a higher consciousness. Just think about all the changes occurred in the last 200 years thanks to the Industrial Revolution. We have nicer dwellings, longer lives, and through some courage, there has been better human rights. Unfortunately, we are born in this time where things are still in this slow process of moving up, so we just have to accept our lives, and be aware that, at least, the future of humanity looks promising. A future society will encompass individuality. Right now, many of us are individual thinkers who see flaws in society, but the future society will have more of these individual thinkers coming together to form that society. It will consist of compassion, non-judgment, gratitude, creativity, etc... and a million other things that we embrace but see lacking in our own societies. And of course open-mindedness. When we see people in our society, even though they may seem like they're righteous and good willed (and they are), there is this lack of embracing ALL of life. And all the things that life brings. We can say that murder is wrong. But in the future society where people are raised in good homes, and technologies are available to enhance the human brain to be freed of the emotional stress many of us have to deal with, no one will murder anyone, and yet, people will have a good enough open mind to even embrace concepts of murder and rape and war, but they will never need to initiate it because there is no reptilian brain, or fear, to entice them into it, you see! Ahhh, the future will be so awesome. I am hoping this change will occur in the next 400 years, and I hope to see some of it in my lifetime. Things will only get better, you'll see!!!!

Greetings my fellow seekers! God bless you all for wanting truth!! I send you love!!! I am on the weird part of youtube again, and I come across things like binaural beats, space frequencies, light body activation frequencies, third eye activation frequencies, sound of Earth's magnetic field, astral frequencies, out of body travel frequencies, even DNA healing frequencies!!! All sound amazing, and all promise healing on some level or another, and it supposed to help meditation, too! My question is, has anyone had experiences with these things that they can share, and may be debunk some of the myths, and just generally touch on this topic. It sounds like pseudoscience, but again, coming from a place of non-judgment, sometimes listening to it creates a feeling of magic for me, and that to me is more precious than facts and science. So please, let me know!! Good day!

@Leo Gura Leo, your video on "How to stop caring what people think of you" was posted about 2.5 years ago, and you said in the video that it was only in the last 3 years, and specifically in the last year that you have found yourself overpowering this disability in your life. I know you have mentioned it was a problem for most of your life. I am wondering, and I am sure other people would be just as curious to know what do you think about this now that another 2.5 years has passed. What do you feel now? What do you think about it? Some updates would be very appreciative. Thank you in advance

Oh hi Mark (great name) I would like to let you know that I, too, had problems with some people who just didn't seem to click with me for whatever reason. But I see now that if you 100 percent believe in yourself, accept yourself, and love yourself, you will always treat someone else with respect even if there is nothing in common, even if you're a mushroom and they're a sports car (bad example, but you know what I mean). So if I am having a conversation with someone and I am feeling that awkwardness coming from them, I know that it's out of my hands and that they probably have their own issues they are dealing with. But believe me, a person who is 100 percent happy will always give you first class treatment, no matter who you are. I am actually kind of into this thing where I talk to everyone now (just small talk) and sometimes I get the kind of people that seem off or don't want to socialize or seem a little cold, but I give them the first class treatment as if I am talking to my best friend, and boy, do I feel like I am on cloud seven. Best of luck my man!

I can't believe I actually learned something in school, but this was the topic of my class the other day, and I would like to share it with you, if you didn't already know, but judging by the responses I get, you guys are pretty smart so you probably do I would advise you to answer the poll first and then see where you scored on the ladder. I think it'll be a nice reflective exercise. Thank you for participating It's similar to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which is also very useful and I encourage you to check it out as well. So the Erikson's chart goes like this: 0-1 years old Trust vs Mistrust During the first or second year of life, the major emphasis is on the mother and father’s nurturing ability and care for a child, especially in terms of visual contact and touch. The child will develop optimism, trust, confidence, and security if properly cared for and handled. If a child does not experience trust, he or she may develop insecurity, worthlessness, and general mistrust to the world. 1-3 years old Autonomy vs Shame At this point, the child has an opportunity to build self-esteem and autonomy as he or she learns new skills and right from wrong. The well-cared for child is sure of himself, carrying himself or herself with pride rather than shame. During this time of the “terrible twos”, defiance, temper tantrums, and stubbornness can also appear. Children tend to be vulnerable during this stage, sometimes feeling shame and and low self-esteem during an inability to learn certain skills. 3-6 years old Initiative vs Guilt During this period we experience a desire to copy the adults around us and take initiative in creating play situations. We make up stories with Barbie’s and Ken’s, toy phones and miniature cars, playing out roles in a trial universe, experimenting with the blueprint for what we believe it means to be an adult. We also begin to use that wonderful word for exploring the world—”WHY?” 6-12 years old Industry vs Inferiority During this stage we are capable of learning, creating and accomplishing numerous new skills and knowledge, thus developing a sense of industry. This is also a very social stage of development and if we experience unresolved feelings of inadequacy and inferiority among our peers, we can have serious problems in terms of competence and self-esteem. As the world expands a bit, our most significant relationship is with the school and neighborhood. Parents are no longer the complete authorities they once were, although they are still important. 12-19 years old Identity vs Confusion Up until this fifth stage, development depends on what is done to a person. At this point, development now depends primarily upon what a person does. An adolescent must struggle to discover and find his or her own identity, while negotiating and struggling with social interactions and “fitting in”, and developing a sense of morality and right from wrong. Some attempt to delay entrance to adulthood and withdraw from responsibilities. Those unsuccessful with this stage tend to experience role confusion and upheaval. Adolescents begin to develop a strong affiliation and devotion to ideals, causes, and friends. 19-25 years old Intimacy vs Isolation At the young adult stage, people tend to seek companionship and love. Some also begin to “settle down” and start families, although seems to have been pushed back farther in recent years. Young adults seek deep intimacy and satisfying relationships, but if unsuccessful, isolation may occur. Significant relationships at this stage are with marital partners and friends. 25-64 years old Generativity vs Self-absorption Career and work are the most important things at this stage, along with family. Middle adulthood is also the time when people can take on greater responsibilities and control. For this stage, working to establish stability and Erikson’s idea of generativity – attempting to produce something that makes a difference to society. Inactivity and meaninglessness are common fears during this stage. Major life shifts can occur during this stage. For example, children leave the household, careers can change, and so on. Some may struggle with finding purpose. Significant relationships are those within the family, workplace, local church and other communities. 64-Death Integrity vs Despair Erikson believed that much of life is preparing for the middle adulthood stage and the last stage involves much reflection. As older adults, some can look back with a feeling of integrity — that is, contentment and fulfillment, having led a meaningful life and valuable contribution to society. Others may have a sense of despair during this stage, reflecting upon their experiences and failures. They may fear death as they struggle to find a purpose to their lives, wondering “What was the point of life? Was it worth it?”

Was watching Leo's Maslow Hierarchy video, and have a question about comfort and luxury. He basically said something along the lines of how people tend to cling to comfort and luxury because their potential is not being actualized, which creates a zombie, mediocre society. Does somebody have a personal experience with comfort and luxury and how you were able to transcend it? I think I have struggled with it for as long as I can remember, and I seem to always grasp at the TV and food until I tire myself out. Trouble is I don't feel bad about it anymore. I have no idea how to climb out of this hole. Any wisdom would be much appreciated! Thank you everyone

Could you please tell me what kind of meditation I could do? Thank you

I like the idea that we don't label it as work, and instead build a perspective that everything can be enjoyable. However, it is so TOUGH to get out of our traditional mindset, isn't it? Everyday I wake up and say to myself "Today will be the day I will get all my things sorted out" and 99 percent of the time I watch TV until I tire myself out. I am dead already, I know that. I am mediocre, too. I say "I must do this" and "I should do this" but in reality I need to be saying "I could do this" When we label everything with musts and shoulds, we have already lost. Our brain will create this illusory resistance. It's all about tricking the brain by making the work seem enjoyable and free, and this is where the power of coulds come in. However, to get to that point, is really, really difficult, isn't it? I wish you all the best my friends!

I don't mind at all Nahm, I really appreciate your compassion, my friend I like your message, but I am not so sure it applies to me. This is because I exercise and eat healthy, and I cherish my body as best as I can. However, you're right that I abuse it as well when I have my binging fringes with food and TV. I think my problem is more so that I am apathetic and lack a life purpose. All my life I tended to hide from hard work for the sake of comfort, and now that things are more clear for me, through meditation, I am starting to debunk some of my behavior. And so, I think the real culprit is my lack of life purpose and apathy. Thank you for your message

Thank you Prabhaker, I have noticed that meditation amplifies and clarifies all the things I had been doing automatically. My biggest concern right now is apathy, but I am starting to think it's because I don't have a life purpose. I had a full day off yesterday to work on my school work and my hobbies, yet I had such a strong resistance that pulled me towards TV instead, so I wasted a whole day. This cycle has been repeating all my life. I have never had to work hard, and always clung to comfort.

Hi everyone! ^.^ This article was quite interesting: http://www.consciouslifestylemag.com/ten-stages-of-meditation-complete-guide/ Please, take the poll that I have attached (I hope that it works because I have never posted a poll before). Also, don't take it to heart. Remember, there is no right way, only guidance. And so, I hope that this will only benefit you by expanding your understanding. I, myself, don't believe this kind of thing is written in stone. But it's always fun to ponder, isn't it? This will be a great way to see where people are, and where some may struggle. I hope you will participate. Thank you very much

I hope I can help Relationships are very messy. I went through a lot with my girlfriend - fear, arguements, almost breaking up, sexual issues, etc... - you name it. Two and a half years ago I met her and I was a scared, deeply insecure person - unable to deal with loneliness, hate, lust, fear, etc... This was about the time I started to seek some kind of truth, and began meditating, too. Here is what I can tell you about relationships: there are very few bonds you can make with people in this world. You can, of course, find compassion for strangers and enemies, but there is something so divine, pure, forgiving, and empathetic about getting those really close bonds - namely, your bonds with mom, dad, and a bond with a lover. Other such bonds may include teacher-student, friend-friend, or even friend-enemy. You can meditate in the cave, but eventually you have to descend and face the world, and you know it's not a perfect place, but the beauty is seen through relationships with people. People who say "I am above all that, and I don't need that" are unfortunately very misguided. They've compartmentalized relationships as something they don't value. But spiritual life is about encompassing it all, and so, they will eventually face it whether they like it or not. Believe it or not, but some very respected gurus out there are emotionally immature because they lived a life of solitude completely devoted to their practice, nothing wrong with that, of course, but you can see where it has its loopholes. So here is my suggestion. Don't be afraid to jump into a relationship and get tangled up with feelings, because only hardships show us how much we have learned. I was very lucky to have found her, she is the kindest person I know and I learn a lot from her. To say something like "I don't need her because I am detached and spiritual" is an insult to her, and to our beautiful, short time together. I hope you will be as lucky as I am to find something so beautiful in this world, I wish you love and compassion, my dear!

Hi everyone, I hope everyone is having a good journey. I would like to share something with you, if you don't mind. In his book After the Extasy, the Laundry, Jack Kornfield has a great story about spiritual life and its levels, all though I am sure he took the story from another source, nevertheless, I think it's very valuable. By the way, that book is one of my all time treasures that is worth more than gold. It's worth a read, more than once. So here is the analogy: Imagine a monk walking down a trail. Upon his journey, he discovers a bush with poisonous berries. The monk knows that other people use this road, and may accidentally feed on the berries along the way. He, of course, realizes this is no good as they will die right away. What does the monk do? Well, it all depends on the monk. He can do 1 of 3 things: If he is a beggining monk, he will immediately cut down the bush so that others do not get hurt. The only issue with this way is that, in the process, he is killing life - that being the life of this bush. If he is an intermediate monk, he will build a fence around the bush. In this way, people will avoid the bush, and the bush is not touched either. Only, in the process, he puts up a barrier. Much better than cutting it down, isn't it? But there is one more approach... If he is an enlightened monk - a monk of true unity with life and compassion for all living things - he uses the berries to create a medicine that will heal the sick. If we look closely at the analogy, it represents our path. In the beginning, we have good intentions but our mind is still filled with ideologies and perfectionism. Sometime later, we start to recognize our patterns and separate what we need on the path, and what we would consider "poisonous". However, even much later, we start to realize that even the "poisonous" things must be included, and that we can use them to bring forth tremendous compassion and forgiveness onto the world, working with life beyound our self, reaching out to the world. I reckon we are all along one of these states, but in the end, I am convinced that compassion and forgiveness are the only things that will give us liberation. So, my friends, today I wish you compassion and forgiveness and an open heart - don't forget it

Hello, I was hoping someone in the forums could give me a good advice, spiritual or therapeutic, on how to handle aspirations. You see I get these aspirations sometimes to do things here and there. For example, I am interested in pursuing certain things right now such as posing nude for an art class, getting a job as a bouncer or a window washer, creating my own Youtube channel, etc... So little things here and there that come to my mind and stick. The reason they come to my mind is because I feel that they will help me grow as a human being. For example, the nude posing will help me get over fear of people, bouncing job will help me get over fear of confrontation, and Youtube may help me with fear of failure. I think I need to do some of these things in order to advance to new discomforting and distressing feelings so I can incorporate them into my spiritual path and grow. The only thing is there are so many of them popping into my head and sticking, and I have other obligations in my life already (I would think more important) such as school, work, exercise, meditation, etc.... There are so many of them that pop into my head. How can I approach them? I sense a bit of an inner conflict, and feel stuck about how to prioritize and approach them so anything you could add will only add to my knowledge base. Thank you very much everyone, and I wish you compassion and love!

Ah ok, I see what you're getting at (or at least I think I do). Thank you Phil, I will try to maintain this thought in my awareness.

I hope I can shed some light on your situation, my friend Personally, as I was in your position 10 years ago when I was your age, you have a great opportunity to start meditation. I didn't know about it back then, and as a result I suffered the same fate as you are suffering right now. I tried very hard to solve my problems, and I have read so many books to try to pinpoint the problem. After many years of soul searching, I found that meditation is really the only answer to the kind of issues you and I are having. Besides meditation, I honestly don't see anything else that will help you, as I've been through it all, so I am speaking from personal experience, and I just hope that sharing it with you will give you some perspective. If you start meditation right now, just think about where you will be when you're my age, or even when you are 18. It's a beautiful thing that teaches you only one thing, in my opinion, and that is how to forgive yourself and others. Of course that's only one of numerous benefits you'll get, but I think that's the most important one. I wish you all the best my friend!

In my own personal example, I have used sex and sexual fantasy as a way to avoid feeling the unquestionable pain of existence. In the same way that I may have used sugary foods or entertainment - anything to distract myself from feeling this pain. But if you want fulfillment, you'll have to come to terms that nothing you can do can make the pain go away, so you might as well accept it. From sex what I really wanted was to connect with someone. However, even after you do, what's next? You're back to being who you are. Nothing can change it, no amount of sexual fantasy or release can change who you are. So my advice if any, when you feel sexual desire, or a desire for connection, just realize that it won't give you what you innately seek. You may feel the desire, you may even enjoy it, but just be mindful about it that's all. This is not say that sex isn't a great thing. It's a BEAUTIFUL thing, and a very enjoyable thing. In fact, with my girlfriend of 2 years now, we have a better sex life now than ever before, and I am betting that's because I am encompassing it now in my spiritual practice. Best of luck to you on your own journey! I wish you lots of love!

What you're doing is amazing, and I am glad you're so passionate about spirituality, but you don't want to overwhelm yourself. It may be that you want to take it all in as fast as you can and learn as much as you can, and even though that's a great spirit to have, just remember that spirituality is something you carry for life. You don't need to jam pack your day in order to get the most out of it. You could even do 5 minutes of meditation everyday, and that would be plenty. This is because it's a life long process, and you won't miss out on the good stuff you'll learn. You have to come to a realization right now that it's not a goal to attain. It's the only thing that is not a goal. It's just a light we carry forever. It's very counterintuitive like that since all we know is how to accomplish things. Remember that meditation is not something you do when you sit down for an hour, you're doing it right now. Everything you do is a meditation. And you will benefit from socializing with friends if you bring this meditation and mindfulness with you. One last thing I will suggest is to slow yourself down. Eat twice as slow, talk twice as slow, walk twice as slow, etc.... Then you'll see that doing 5 things a day in that manner is so MUCH more satisfying than doing 20 things a day, and thinking that you're advancing. Good luck brother, I wish you a great path!

Well, personally I think spiritual maturity and the regular kind of growing up maturity is the same thing. Both require you to go through all kinds of hardships in order to learn and move on. In the end you have a person who does not care what other people say or think, yet paradoxically is sensitive to the world and carries great compassion and forgiveness for the world. So how come, then, many grown ups do not seem to be compassionate or may only worry about their families, they follow selfishness, and are completely engulfed in what others may think of them? Well, I guess it just means that they still have growing up to do, even if they're 80 years old. They may have just lost their way because of how our society is, and fear took over or some other demon they picked up along the way. So that's what maturity is (at least in my eyes) - a person who opens their heart to everything, is unafraid, and forgiving - and that is all spirituality is, too. Hopefully that helps you

Looks like all his enlightenment training has taken him on a new level that we cannot possibly understand

If you scream into a pillow, it may have a short-term relief. But if you want to create a healthy relationship to anger FOREVER, you should meditate, and not force it. Eventually, it will come to face you, and when it does, then you accept, forgive, and let go - that way you will create a compassionate and wise relationship to this feeling. Our most deep rooted demons may hunt us for years, but every time they come up, we will have to accept, forgive, and let go. We may repeat this for a long time, but the benefits you get after and during this practice are WAY, WAY more gratifying than screaming into a pillow. Good luck brother

Well when I watched it, I pictured my life as an analogy for this video. When I thought of my life and how painful it is to take steps back, and the demons that hold me back, it wasn't very funny at all (except for the one where his pants fall down). But for the most part, every time the person's gun backfired, I thought of my life and the struggles I face that backfire on me. In that way, the video was more of a personal reflection rather than an automatic behaviour response.

Think about a monk living in Tibet in a temple. All day he does what you'd expect a monk in Tibet in a temple would do. Think of yourself now. You and him are not very different. You are a monk too. Only your temple is your house, your work (inner and outer), your community, your family, your country, your mind, everything that you can possibly imagine yourself to be in relationship with. That's your temple. Now just do what you'd expect a monk in your temple would do.

This is very hard to believe, and my mind is screaming "Bullshit" like a mad man right now. All though I should be open to the concept, I have come across so many tricksters and people of disingenuous intentions, I have never seen anything paranormal, never have been convinced by horoscopes and mind readers, UFOs, bigfoots and lochness monsters, hypnotists, psychics of any types, and never EVER seen a really detailed, really examined video or a live demonstration of how these people do these sorts of things. So the problem, at least for me, is that the evidence AGAINST it weigh much more than the evidence FOR it. This is actually a great mindfulness tool because I am trying really hard to stay open-minded right now, so thank you for sharing it

Category: Meditation Reason: This has helped me work through distress, fear, and horrific thoughts. I would set aside 30 to 40 minutes, turn off all your lights in your room (it's better if you're the only one in the house), and if you can be alone at night, do it then. You will soon find that you can only meditate with this music for a little while, and it will take some time before you can be comfortable with music of this genre. Of course, this mostly applies to people like me who have had poor adaptation to fearful situations, thoughts, feelings, etc... All the best on your journey!