Jacobsrw

Failure is something I typically deal very well with at a high capacity. However, ordinarily, today in a statistics psychology class I felt a strong urge of self defeat after coming to incorrect answers for simple questions. I have never been one to be very skilled at arithmetic. Though, the sensation I felt throughout the class was very demoralising. More so than bigger life changes or adverse situations. It would seem this plummeted feeling of failure has just dragged along with me since my history of maths as a child. Its not so much the maths that bothers me, as funnily enough I enjoy statistics. It’s more my instinctual reactive response to the situations involving it. Some inherent fear seems to be pervading my psyche that seems beyond my awareness at this stage. Humbly, I feel I have developed enormously after starting, reflection, meditation, writing, cold showers and contemplation over the years. Yet there still remains some fundamental deep issues to attend to. A faculty of the unconscious that requires deeper exploring. Self enquiry is something I have been attempting to do now and then yet seem to lack any progress in it so far. Any feedback or insight in similar experiences would be greatly appreciated!

@Nahm Haha this is gold. The great paradox one could call it. I appreciate your input.

@SoonHei It seems you are trying to answer your own contemplation with contemplation rather than observation.

@zeroISinfinity haha it’s all in good sharing and discussion regardless of first enteree ? @Nahm interesting narrative. I find it deeply thought provoking. However, I think you may have taken some of my statements too literately rather than figuratively. I cannot figure whether this method of message is for patronising purposes toward the ego or whether they are for deep contemplation. A formal response may have been more conducive. Thank you for your response though, it is much appreciated ?

@Nahm this I would agree with. However, I am not enlightened at this moment and may never be haha. However, I have made huge leaps in consciousness and conceptually understand all these concepts you speak of. It’s just the understanding of the psyche has not yet penetrated the physicality of my very being. This incessant human condition which we all seem to be conditioned by seems to be inherently programmed within us. So psychedelics do seem viable at this point for small discrepancies of this sort. Even though they are not necessary and I have a quite healthy and self aware lifestyle. The could be conducive to the subconscious mind. What are people’s experiences of self enquiry? I believe in it though I have yet to have much traction.

@seeking_brilliance yes to some degree. There is an increase in body temperature and tension. @WelcometoReality I would say these dichotomies are human constructions that have no real substance to them at all. However, since we have created them and become the creator that has deceived itself, it has is now a serious problem. Ie. morality, fear, love/hate, prejudice etc. Basically the human condition. So now there needs to be a purifying process it would seem. For my example I would say it is quite possibly a self deception to which I require deconstructing. It just seems to be in an area the conscious mind does not want to go. I agree and have felt the same. I feel more introspection and reflection is required in this matter. Hence why I wanted to do psychedelic makeup to penetrate the subconscious.

@Neorez I don’t believe it would have a dangerous affect unless you were sharmanic breathing, which I was only doing controlled in an exhalations. @SunnyNewDay they have to become a full body experience to gain benefit I found. A full embodiment. Yes I am interested in trying saunas to be honest.

Hey everyone, So I thought it may be of some benefit to share my recent 3 month experience of taking cold showers everyday. This I did in winter and had fully cold throughout the entire duration of the shower. I have currently stopped them for a few weeks and plan on recommencing them very soon. Here are some of the things that came from my recent experience of cold showers: Heightened Sense of Body Awareness and Surrounding Awareness- As the senses become hyper engaged taking a cold shower, I noticed it further influenced this throughout my daily experiences. I was able to be more in touch with the physical sensations and activity of the body. Increased Awareness and Sense of Being- cold showers revealed to me how much mindless activity occurs within. It ripped me out of the circularity of my minds incessancy and positioned me into a more conscious and observant state. I was able to more easily detach from thoughts and concepts. Elevation of Intuition- A great deal of intuitive intelligence seemed to pervade my experiences when taking cold showers. I would experience things beyond my thoughts and bind with indescribable senses. Powerful insights came with ease and without the need for thinking. I had a more fluid approach to my days yet this fluidity had within it great stability. Developed Stoicism and Tolerance- I became more equipped with the ability to become impartial to external adversities that occur in my experiences. I noticed I was able to simultaneously seperate from my situations occurring around me yet have them more self conducted. I felt less controlled by situations yet more control while immersed within them. Solidified Habits- Cold showers also seemed to create stable activity. It influenced the permutation of more positive daily habits. I found myself more capable of doing other powerful habits throughout the day as it Laura the prior foundation. Kept me in check and assisted my focus. These are just some of the benefits a had from having cold showers. They are truly powerful if you fully engage with them experientially. Do breathing exercises and just feel into the full intensity of the sensations while having them. I had a morning routine of meditating and journaling after cold showers so this also enhanced results. I highly recommend this habit and implore people to apply it to see what growth can be had.

@Aaron p Interesting elaboration. Question is: is a human unique to physical properties? Or is being human a conception of mind that holds no ground to begin with?

Hey everyone, I thought it could be of practical use to start a thread that contained a collection of deeply existentially profound questions. I think this could serve as a dynamic benefit as each person articulates a very unique way of asking questions. It could help create a nice synergised approach for further exploration. So, what are some questions you see as existentially profound? Here are a few of mine for example: What does it mean to be a human? And what things constitute this? What is the way in which you exercise consciousness uniquely? How can you strive to enhance the totality of your life? What does it mean to be an individual and part of a collective? What are the fundamentals of unity?

@nistake Thats great! They are kind of like a introspective energy field. In this, it depends on how you position your self in doing them for what you will attain from them. I found they were quite basic at beginning but then I started to contemplate and do deep observation in the shower and profound things began to emerge. Much like psychedelics preparation and intention is important there is much growth that can be had it is all how you approach the experience. Try introducing some contemplative, breathing and observation exercises when taking cold showers you may be able to attain more from them.

@Matt8800 Okay, that’s completely fair enough, I understand that. However, if you value progressive discussion and wish for psychedelics to develop better educationally, I recommend reframing the way in which you convey your discussions on this topic. If not and their development is of no value to you in society then I wish you all the best on this journey ?

@Matt8800 You’re hyperbolising your opinion and not empathising with others. I’m purely suggesting that you discuss with people these things. Denouncing this or that whether you vehemently believe it to be true or not is like digging a hole. People will only listen to what you have to say once you have communicated beyond the projection of opinion.

@Matt8800 It’s important to empathise with people of the kind and not seek to denounce, patronise or belittle those who do not resonate with your views on this matter. Begin discussions of friendly nature to build a rapport of understanding. We are in a heavily materialist saturated time. Thus, psychedelics undermine the very fabric of ones materialistic foundations. This I empathise with as most people are conditioned into this paradigm of thinking. You can’t expect one to exercise beyond their state of consciousness. Personally, I have been researching them for the past 3 years and have come to the conclusion that there are too many profound benefits to neglect them. I will be trying them soon. However, this does not licence me to masquerade in their benefits and deprecate others who are not for them. This only perpetuates their intolerance and resistance to them. Besides they are not for everyone. To truly bring educational insight to those without experience healthy discussion must be made. Not dehumanising mentality of individuals against one another. Psychonauts i see do this way too often. It’s like a transmutation of political warfare from the left wing and right wing. Those who use them should lead by example as they claim to becoming more conscious. Important to bring healthy discussion about this topic.

@AlwaysBeNice I will have to have a look for sure. I find it very difficult to announce a proficient master as it is always due to my opinion or that of others. So I think a useful Master depends on your level of receptivity as a human. For me personally I like Rupert Spira, Eckhart Tolle, Sadhguru and Maharishi but this limited to what I know and I’m sure there are more advanced speakers. However, the most profound speaker of complex concepts converted into simple language would be Rupert Spira. But to be honest my experience of consciousness is basically my master it shows to me what must be at the deepest level.

First you must understand the metric in which your are presupposing validates a great master to begin with. Otherwise there will just be subjective relativism flying around.

I think people miss the point Sadhguru attempts to convey in regard to psychedelics. They were not what enlightened him and for many yogi’s neither did they use them either. It does not mean they are not of use. He also explains psychedelics are also not a necessity. Which is true, enlightenment is possible without them. This is a common point he conveys. Risks may be low but from what he explains a more natural approach is what he implores. In a western context they are of great use due to the maximal multiplicity of distortions the western culture has created. India was founded on individuals going deep within early before distortions crept in. A lot of us are beyond the point of ‘simply’ introspecting for enlightenment. That is why they show such significance here. Because we are psychologically backward. Not to mention Sadhguru is probably aware advocating psychedelics to a deluded audience may just delude them more. As their intentions in using them would be coming from a place of neurosis. Just because he has not used them or sees no use in them, does not mean he is deluded. It just means they are outside of his necessity. Which really shows his level of transcendence. Not to mentioned he is probably far more enlightened than most who use them. Ps. I have not done them yet but am an advocate for their responsible usage. Something I plan on doing in the near future.

So something profoundly interesting happened within my mediation today. I was half way through my session and throughout it my mind was being pervaded by thoughts. As this was happening it just occurred to me that whatever my mind does NOT right now want will be the first thing it focuses on. So I figured why not encourage the mind to do the opposite to what it would want. Oddly enough, I started chanting “do not be aware” continually. As I did this my body began to become intensely aware and thoughts vanished. The silent ringing in my ears intensified (I enjoyed this), the senses increased and my body began to feel like it was being compressed in a vice. My eyes were closed and my eyelids began to pulsate. It was quite extraordinary to be honest. The cliche reverse psychology approach seemed to have some merit to it. The remainder of mediation was quite intense and thoughts relinquished. As I usually do after meditating, I sat with with my eyes open just staring at the end of my bed. This time it was much deeper than usual. My bed began to morph as I stared at it and things became dimensionally warped. Overall the experience was great and completely unexpected. Just goes to show how backward our minds operate. It also gave me insight to how deep we have been defaulted to operate in a hyper organised manner. Means a lot of work to do. if anyone one has any mediation insights or interesting tips feel free to share. I hope this is of some value!

@seeking_brilliance exactly! The mind is a very mischievous thing haha @Truth Addict yes you could say that! However, I think with law of attraction we don’t credit ourselves enough though. For me the only way I see law of attraction working is that it subconsciously has you operating congruent to your mindset and you begin doing things aligned to what will acquire your desire. So once you attain the desire you become surprised but not realising that actually subconsciously you were moving towards it intently not it moving towards you. Funny way to look at it but makes way more sense to me this way haha

@zeroISinfinity hell, negative or bad (terms I prefer not to use) are just a relative contrast so you can know the significance of heaven, good and bad. if there were no negatives how would you know the full significance of positives? You couldn’t, as you would have nothing to contrast them against. There must be first duality to understand the significance of the side in which you benefit. Not only this but to have positive you need negative for it to even remotely function. Further, duality can then collapse ad be fully appreciated once you realise they are two sides of the same coin.

What he seems to essentially be saying is you are what you are looking for. The remedy to problems, the joy of achievements, where else could you go. You are but the the source for everything you need. The indivisible nature of all things but simultaneously one part of all things. He is referring to ‘essence identity’ as the individual being users as one part of the full field of consciousness. When he says it uses you, he is referring to consciousness manifesting into a physical body and creating a ‘physical’ life to live. This is what Leo means by you created yourself.

@Nahm yes I like that analogy. It’s quite real too. I think when the self and observer begin to really understand what is occurring within them, they too transcend what they were not able to first see.

So lately I’ve been practicing the focus of attention on deep awareness in mediation and in daily life. It’s been a great but challenging journey. This is a profound insight I had the other day was: “I am intelligent just as I am stupid”. This was no mere philosophical semantics. Quite literately this was an existential permeation throughout my very being. A two sided coin so to speak. As I learn I must also unlearn. As when I learn one thing it inevitably pulls me in a direction away from something else important to learn. Hence, why I must later detach from it. ‘Not knowing’ could be paraphrased as the stupid and the intelligent could be paraphrased as the ‘Knowing’. So the basis of this has provided me a physical embodiment of the true importance of being mindful of clinging to concepts, theories, ideologies and beliefs. They must at some point be dropped. The benefit of this insight was it was not intellectual it was a metaphysical unfolding. Quite beautiful indeed.

Indeed ?

Just thought I would share this video as so far Im finding it quite useful for self inquiry. For those practicing or interested in self inquiry highly recommend watching.