Joseph Maynor

I like it. To me it conjures up a flowering and maturity of a lot that happened in the 60’s and 70’s. That’s probably the exact reason you don’t like it! You don’t like hippies. That preference is the underlying issue and determinant of our differing tastes on this issue perhaps.

I find that the ego returns around people in general. I am the most enlightened when I am alone. The ego also returns in full force around any kind of temptations — be it food, entertainment, booze, judgments/moralizations, etc. The mind will riff off whatever it is fed. If you keep your feeding tube clean, then the mind has less to riff off. This is why it is important to watch your inputs in enlightenment work — not just for shit information, but for a much wider net than that. The mind will surrender to anything that keeps the illusion of ego alive given the opportunity. If you can stay away from those kinds of things, you can prevent a lot of egoic reactions from happening by controlling your inputs.

No because they aren’t aware of the ego or the distortions of the mind.

Wow! This is so true.

@vizual Conceptual meanings. Words.

The mind has to bite the dust.

I worked my ass off since I joined the forum 4 months ago. Probably more than most would. So, my results are abnormal. I almost treated this like a full-time job. It was worth it. Sometimes you gotta brute force it in life. The most useful thing I think I got from all this work is the organization and use of the theory without clinging to it in an inadvisable way. Used in the right way, the theory can expedite your enlightenment. Of course, you gotta organize and figure out a way to apply the theory -- derive the theory through self-inquiry and contemplation. But also watch all of Leo's videos with highlighter in hand. Take notes! Lots of notes. Organize those notes. Figure out how to apply those notes. Like that. That's how you do constructive work. It's like self-study. I've watched all of Leo's videos multiple times. There's a lot of juicy gold in those videos if you can figure out how to capture it and use it. Ten variables: Daily review/organization of theory/notes + meditation routine + a profound psychedelic experience + self-inquiry work (a little bit daily) + walking meditation + constant mindfulness of thoughts + watch 1 Leo video per day + forum participation + stay clean (stay away from all shit whether it be people, culture, food, negativity, temptations) + practicing “being perception”. I have a binder of theory that I made that I review 1/4 at a time 4 times daily. I also meditate 6 times daily for 10 minutes each. Practice "being perception" too: Watch:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fridge_(band)

I got a lot of results by doing a lot of self-inquiry and contemplation work. I also had one profound trip on Salvia Divinorum. Working with the theory is not to be under-emphasized either -- that's what triggers your awareness epiphanies. I notice that there's a silly taboo against theory in enlightenment, but you do need theory to grow faster. Theory is like a catalyst in Chemistry, as are profound psychedelic experiences. But theory is a double-edged sword too if you don't also learn how to dump the theory in favor of awareness. I've found a nice balance. Theory now serves my awareness rather than distracting from it. You gotta make sure you don't fall into the trap of believing the theory like ideology, but rather use it to calibrate your awareness muscles. It takes a journeyman's touch to negotiate the theory without getting trapped by it. You might need a profound psychedelic experience more than anything -- an experience of ego-death. Once you see that you can't unsee it. That moved my awareness up a few pegs when I had my trip. It got me beyond beliefs to a profound awareness of Being. Now, what's cool is more shifts are happening that are kind of balancing things out now. I feel like my enlightenment is getting both deeper, but also wider too. Wider in the sense that I am less neurotic about "being enlightened" and just let go and let what happens happen. So, I am re-acquainting with much of what I was doing before, but in a more conscious way.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_(Klaus_Schulze_album)

@Brimstone I'm starting to realize that maybe this isn't a problem folks! Right? The ego wants there be two but there is only one. But how the hell do I make sense of ordinary life now? I might need to go move to Leo's cave. Haha? I don't know. However, life seems to travel on seamlessly notwithstanding these issues. These issues of the Mind.

Your "control" is just a sensation in awareness. There is no control. It's an illusory control.

What would a rock be without your awareness of it?

Truth is just what is perceived minus thought augmentation. Basically, you need to realize how the Mind is freaking up your reality.

And to never have been born if you could have decided that? Is this life just an exercise in suffering, albeit mitigated by "spiritual work"? Why would anyone want to experience life here if they weren't forced to? It seems like what we are doing is learning how to minimize suffering in an inherently cursed situation! A life of being tormented by egoic thoughts and emotions. And because there is no point to life, there doesn't seem to be any reason to be here in the first place! And because life is suffering, it seems like life in itself -- at least here on Earth -- is a fount of suffering, and that bringing more souls here is in a way an immoral act. I'm just putting ideas out there to start a discussion, don't take any offense. Let's get some insights instead. It's kind of weird to think about this -- but would blowing up the Earth be the most ethical thing we could do for ourselves? Think about it! The only reason we like life is because we're here. And we don't like it 100%, not even close. Why would we choose to be in a place where we don't like it 100%? We would not! And nothing is carried over. At least religious folks have a story of carry-over -- what happens here is somehow related to what happens in the next place. That gives this place a moral imperative. But as enlightened beings, we could seemingly skip this experience without any consequence. Relevant videos to watch:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhakti_yoga Have you read about ISKCON? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Society_for_Krishna_Consciousness

Notice that your question is nothing more than images and sensed thoughts being picked up in your awareness. And reading answers is nothing more than images and sensed thoughts being picked up in your awareness. That's all that is real. Everything else is thought-story -- pure fantasy.

When you give up trying to control and you give up the idea of free will and you just accept reality for what it is and you give up the idea that you are an ego -- what remains is authenticity. Great video on point:

Sometimes a masculine decision is the best decision though. It depends on the context. I agree that greedy men have screwed up the planet the most probably. But they did it to get the hot women, who wanted those greedy men! So, you see the gender argument implicates both genders at the extreme end of analysis. If women didn't exist men would be standing around picking their noses. And if women rejected the greedy men, we wouldn't have a problem either. Women actually select those men! So, reality transcends gender. Women are just as guilty as men of succumbing to ego.

But would you have chosen to be here knowing that you would face this pointless suffering and obstacle? That's my question. Sounds like coming off a bad trip to me.

@Hero in progress You seem very certain and adamant. Be careful about moralizing. All beliefs are false. You're making a very strong "should" statement. Watch your rule-making. You're gonna spit into the wind and take it right in the eyes with your rules. One exercise you should do it formulate the opposite of your moral rules and then realize that reality could very well be those too. Reality doesn't need to fit into the skinny-jeans of any mental rules. Talk to the mother of one of the kids randomly murdered in Vegas about the goodness of reality. Reality is not good, not bad, not rule-bound, not beholden to human proclivities. Pretending we're Jesus is a sneaky egoic trap. We're the Devil too. Reality seems to bob and weave randomly between all of our rules and hopes.

Think of all the people who never realize your movie idea? Would blowing up the Earth on their behalf justify the .00001% of enlightened beings taking one for the ginormous suffering team? Your perspective is not the only perspective. Ya know?

It's not about hating life. It's about whether we would have chosen to be here. Not hating life is a much lower bar than that.