Dogsbestfriend

Don't know why people get so caught up in what people choose to believe, especially when there is so little concrete proof for any of it. Someone has a deep connection to a particular realization, they come here and feel like they need to convince people of it or show others how 'much deeper' they have yet to go. What if within 'Absolute truth' there are various simultaneous truths? Like qubits within a quantum computer system, existing in superposition in multiple states at the same time?

Hey I think this video might interest you, it's a play on the double slit experiment from quantum physics.

Hey Markus, I've always been a seeker as well, but I enjoy the search itself. So me whatever I tend to find, it can be shiny or not, it's the searching that keeps me searching. I think possibly if I ever got a irrefutable core 'truth', I might be quite deflated. See what you think of the following curiosity : I enjoyed it as it introduced me to various concepts I was not previously aware of.

@Haumea Is this according to the whole David Hawkins scale thing? Find it difficult to believe in the validity of assigning numerical values to levels of consciousness. Interested in hearing your take on this and why you put your trust in it.

What did you think I meant by that statement? Did you look hard enough?

And yet somethings are obvious.

I believe it's an argument when the information is not being conveyed with compassion and openness - also the need to determine a 'winner' or who's superior is saturates the message - sometimes a sort of passive way of arguing. And with being open also means that you can consider yourself to be wrong sometimes. Can't recall a single time I've seen anyone admit they thought they were 'wrong' here, then again that's hard when you are dealing with so many abstract or intangible things. I know I come here because I still believe I have so much to learn. I second that epic signature: 'INSTEAD OF COMMUNICATING WITH PEOPLE AS IF THEY POSSESSED INTELLIGENCE, TRY USING ABSTRACT SPIRITUAL TERMS THAT CONVEY NO USABLE INFORMATION.'

Looool

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a...

Posts like a broken record. So much posturing in this forum.

Well I had an enlightening experience that lasted a couple of weeks. Somethings like having a much much quieter mind persisted. Everything being almost overwhelmingly beautiful didn't, though that's likely for the best as I don't think I would have been able to function in my job in that state. If your wondering I have a new job now as the experience made me reevaluate everything in my life. The seeing beauty aspect was linked to an amazing clarity in my vision. Needed less sleep during the period and felt an immense connection with the energy of the earth. It wasn't all good though. I was greedy during this period and tried some psychedelics and this triggered something - feeling of different presences and sometimes negative energies. I don't know what was real or something made up in that period, lots of weird things happened. I regret wanting more when I had so much already. After this period I crashed, I think I broke something. But I'm slowly recovering, the circumstances of the whole thing make me feel it was something that was maybe supposed to happen. A lesson i was meant to learn. Now I'm simply putting the work in, without expecting anything - if I'm honest I am still hoping to reach that awareness I experienced but I try to appreciate more what I have and not chase some state. And no more short cuts for me.

I don't disagree with substances being able to trigger enlightening experiences. However I don't believe you can use them in this manner to sprint to the 'finish line', there are diminishing returns in regards to what is integrated. Nobody finds it strange that various videos are very similar in how they express such a 'deeper' experience THIS time, without much else of substance to differentiate them. I think they is a high potential for anyone seeking to fall into a trap of trying to rush to a goal, 'breaking through' - seeing improvement for all the invested time, validation of beliefs.

Adyashanti has a book I quite liked 'The End of Your World' which covers this exact topics.

There sure seems to be a fine line between the two sometimes. Sometimes people are the path to enlightenment and the get caught up and absorbed by recreating certain states of being that were just side-effects to the journey.

To me that video is somewhat concerning, if only because of how it can be misinterpreted at various points. On a forum where Leo is seemingly idolized by some, in some cases quite young people... yea bit troubling

'Physical existence is not a fact. It is an IDEA.' I see so many statements like these and I don't see the purpose of them. Like when people go 'reality' isn't 'real'. Maybe if more effort was taken to explain the layers of such statements it wouldn't be so confusing, at least to me. Within the typical experience physical existence sure feels like a 'fact'. The words that describe it being 'real' or a 'fact' were created to describe exactly what they are, then someone comes along that gets a glimpse of 'reality' from another angle and starts to rewrite the meaning of the words originating within that very 'reality' themselves? Like when deadpool breaks the 4th wall, anybody hearing him inside his reality would have no idea wtf he was talking about.

The hardest thing you've ever done.. it's not easy but it's basically identifying good spots and getting over shyness which can be quite hard for some, including me. The rejection part can be softened quite a bit if your approach is right. It can indeed be sleazy though depending on how it's done. I've been embarrassed for some people, it can get ugly when someone can't pick up on negative body language or take a cue. Probably the most effect advice I ever got was stop trying to pickup at all, just be interested in their story, in them - without expecting anything in return, even if you strike out you gain a friend - more friends, bigger circle increased chances. You'd think this was common sense. Anyways that was all a long time ago for me.

Yea agree though I think you could say something for being inherently positive having some influence on how far you are likely to get with your insights. Being negative doesn't generally promote results of any kind.

Believe Jack Kornfield said you can see everyone as the Buddha or enlightened, as a way to advance yourself. I tend to believe many people at their core are 'enlightened', they are just burdened by the weight of baggage we've collected through traumas or learned perceptions in our lives, some of the things we carry are not even bad like certain societal rules - some of these you can discard entirely, some of them you can put down in the correct surroundings only to pick them back up when the need calls. So I see it more as various layers, and under them all is this pure and fluid being that is directly one with all.. I've had glimpses and when close to completely unburdened it does feel like you have more time, the simple explanation I've come to is that you aren't weighed down. Feels like every day is much longer and you feel incredibly light. However when in this mode I felt like the concept of 'time' itself was... irrelevant and didn't care much about it.

90% of the time when I'm reading advice from people on this site it sounds like regurgitated babbling. The other 10% makes it worth it, mostly as a reference point to find new sources of information, but I really wonder if people reread what they write on this site sometimes and go 'wtf was I trying to say there'. I don't see the obsession with having to refer to the process as 'killing' your ego, or ego-death. Why attached a negative connotation to it at all? Prefer to think of it as an evolution or transformation. Or 'dissolving' it if you argue you can't evolve into nothing/everything. Maybe it wouldn't struggle so much if we took a gentler approach, even better not think about it at all - seems like too many people set this as some goal to attain when that probably holds you back more than anything.

I know this isn't a popular opinion but even in gaming you can implement a sort of awareness exercising. Any activity really, it's not easy at first but you get better at it and it will help your performance. You can still do the things you love, just be in the moment and notice the thoughts that occur. Gaming, especially with other people online can be very challenging exercise since feelings of not be able to handle losing or toxic players can affect your awareness - but challenges are the best way to improving! Wanted to add I'm a big Overwatch fan But yes I play much less as I'm drawn more to other activities and being outside now.

@faithI came to a similar block at a point, look at why you are using meditation - is it to run away from your problems or to understand them. This can keep coming back the more effective mediation becomes for you because every time it's this new level of 'oh hey there is this button i can use to let all this go' - but it's not really letting go if you are just pushing stuff down. It's ok to sense sadness/fear etc, don't neglect what comes from an honest place, you will also process it much faster. Eventually your motivation will come from a simple desire to experience the world. Not because you want this or that - your gonna be reading that book for the knowledge or dance to that song because you like it, not because for example you want to brag you read x book or your dancing because someone is forcing you (couldn't think of anything else there :p). Your real motivation will surface for you when you remove the false drives.

-Sorry had to remove this post.

We are all one yes. There is a third aspect though so not sure about the yin and yang: the 'flow'. This is your 'self' and everything (or everything taps into it - maybe call it 'the source'). There is the body, the mind, and the 'flow'. The flow is what directs you down the 'right' path, your body and mind are it's tools. Yes there is yin and yang in terms of energy, but not relating to them the way you speak of them. We all have our own ways of perceiving these things (religions color this experience with it's culture), that's okay, long as it leads you to the answers you need.

The deeper you go, you will start to come in contact with layers you've built on top of your 'self', these can be scary. You need to be okay with feeling these to some extent, to be able to grab them, analyze them and let them go. There is no rush however, you do things at your own pace.