Mastral

I have started experiencing this problem where I keep falling asleep when doing bineural beats meditation (Hemi-Sync). The problem is that you are meant to be doing them lying down so that your body can fall asleep with mind staying awake. Do you have any ideas of what might help? I thought about taking a small dose of caffeine.

@Azrael hm... what would that prove? I think what was described as end of experience makes perfect sense.

Good karmic roots

I will tell you what my problem was. For a long time I was just counting breaths and trying to calm the mind. Now I have incorporated more contemplation type of work and expecting the results to be more promising in terms of Enlightment. Which brings me to the conclusion that I just don't think most people meditate to achieve Enlightenment. Someone told them it will do them good so they sit. NB my "daily" meditation is not always daily but you get the gist

@RossE thanks for taking the time to write! I've been meditating for a year now but sometimes it's difficult to see the benefits so I enjoyed reading it.

@Revolutionary Think Why create a world where all sentient beings are driven by suffering, and constantly new and largely unfulfilled wants and needs? (Look at the - 19:30 cheetah chasing and viciously killing its pray... )

Maybe* ... but for what? So many confused beings chasing success and fulfillment that never comes *i.e. not gonna happen. We are on the course for man-made extinction and if not shit happens (asteroids, climate shifts etc.)

That scares me. Just like the thought that I can be a "brain in a jar" or be living in a simulation.

This will not be a how to lose weight type of advise when you're told to have calorific deficit and exercise. To make you realise how grand this is search for "terror management theory" on Wikipedia. As @Zephyr mentioned welcome fellow traveler. Some postulate that fear of death has been shaping civilizations since first humans realised they will die. In terms of practical stuff that helps: enlightenment and realisation that self is illusory Astral Projection and OOBE - people who experienced these understandably report diminished fear of death Buddhism think of it as deep sleep - you do not mind this state at all and you have been in that state for billions of years Hope it help now it's time to ace life! And check out Leo's video about contemplation of death to stay motivated for life

This is not how I see it. The experience ends just like when you fall asleep into a dreamless slumber. A way to see this is that no one has ever woke up and said "it was terrible his state of no-experience I had to endure for last 8 hours". Likewise all these years before I was born were not bad so whatever happens after his life cannot be bad too. One thing that actually scares me are ideas of Nietzsche's eternal recurrence or endless reincarnations. That could get tiring real quick!

As it stands sentient life is suffering. We want a lot all the time, then we get it and it feels nice and it all gets better for a bit but we get bored funny creatures you would say but it makes us active hence this is what evolution favored. If there is some non-physical afterlife it would be pretty cool but if not... well I haven't heard about anyone who's asleep and missing being awake or I don't remember missing being conscious before I was born. In any case, life is short and is for everyone to enjoy as much as we can. Whether it is through hedonism or building something or connecting to being via seeking Truth is a different discussion altogether.

Determinism. Every time I think about no free-will it makes me realise that there is no doer which would have free will and my thoughts and actions are a function of the environment and the past.

As in the title/ I really need to inject some fun into this consciousness/enlightenment work! I.e. could do with something more interesting than meditation and Hemi-Sync I'm currently doing... If you have any good ones either for no-self experience or OBE/AP please share! (please... as strong as the urge may be please refrain from critique like "it's not meant to be entertaining", "there is nothing to seek"... etc. )

See above. But yes... a partner can be somewhat of an obstacle on the path. Just like many other things

Can you share the link to your article about Science and Enlightenment again? Thx!

Two questions: how to find it and if it is so simple why all people don't find it? In this R. Spira's video I felt sad for the woman who's been desperately searching for 40 years and didn't find anything ... so it if it's so simple why would it take so long?

@Meretagh Oatmeal trips can be quite intense! Please do let us know what happens next. I'm interested in the relationship between enlightment/illusion of self and OBEs. Myself I'm practicing with Hemi Sync and M. Raduga's indirect method.

Please explain. This is not the first time it is mentioned and it intrigued me.

What is up with this attitude that enlightened individuals instantly leave fora like this and never speak out? Not quite the endless compassion I keep hearing about... @Dino D Wouldn't it be nice if one could buy a video course from Mooji, R Spira or some other guy and it would bring Bliss, Happiness and Endless Joy? (someone also mentioned immortality). I'm not even sure if Enlightenment exists, what effects it has on ones life and how long/much it takes to get it. What I know is that obsessing about it will have the opposite effect and rather than being in the now, one has a constant never-ending Enlightment To-Do list. Appreciate the Now, don't chase anything but give it a try. In any case, meditation retreat is apparently a good, chemical-free way to get you closer to the experience you desire.

@everythingisnothing have you actually meditated every single day for an hour since? (apart from 1-2 days you mentioned). I'd be seriously impressed. I've signed up for a meditation retreat and even with that some (multiple) days I skip... It's 3pm Sunday here... I better meditate now so at least today is a yes day. I was going to do it anyway but this post made me do in now.

Do you have any tips for mini-practices for the moments/situations when you have some spare time? Like you're waiting in the line or sitting on the bus/train. I thought about some mindfulness/light meditation stuff but looking for some concrete examples. Tried and tested suggestions appreciated!

@Prabhaker @AstralProjection thanks, I was wondering if there is anything particularly suitable for short sessions, possibly in noisy environment and in public. I already currently do zazen-like meditation but it doesn't seem to work very well outside of the meditation setting. Prab, I like the "scanning senses" technique in the OSHO video, did it yesterday on the train and it works pretty well.

@Shin Question for you. I do meditation and then Hemi-Sync. If one manages to fully project (had some weird sensation/lucid dreams already) what does it say about Enlightenment and no-self. Surely, projection is not compatible with it. Curious to hear your thoughts!

Apparently using "awakening without movement" is the easiest and fastest way to LD/AP. Check out the Indirect Method in M. Raduga's book "The Phase" (there is a free version on their website). BTW if you do more research online you will find confirmation that it is nothing to worry about with SP , just to put your mind at ease

Hello, I have been only reading the forum so far and noticed that there are plenty of knowledgeable people on here so maybe someone will be able to give good advice! My self-development has been going well(ish) with a relatively clear path of education, fixing life parts that need to be fixed, introducing good habits, higher-level consciousness activities etc. I even started getting into more spiritual areas like meditation, retreats, learning about enlightenment etc. The problem I find is that I am sitting on the fence. I can't reconcile this self-development world view with a nihilistic and pragmatic/physical approach to life that I've had more or less since forever. Best summary would be any of Benjamin Smythe's videos saying that essentially "Spiritual people die every day; we just move things around trying to get what we want, most of the time we don't. Nothing and no one will be remembered. Chill out and do what you like". I mean, I really cannot disagree with practical statements like these as I have been thinking this for most of my life (haven't been into religion and spirituality apart from Buddhism). Even though I want to believe in things like Improvement, Life Purpose, Sagehood that we can strive to achieve I very easily get all the way back to "this-is-all-bs and not real, screw the hope-selling industry; I need to chill out and enjoy my life and the things I do". The problem is that this would lead me straight to hedonism and low-consciousness activities like watching tv, partying, chasing material things like health/physique, status and money etc. If I do that I am back to where everyone in modern society is (with the consensus on here that we can do better), maybe with some ability to see it for what it really is. So how do you convince yourself that these ambitious self-development goals are what will actually bring you happiness, bliss and fulfillment?