Forestluv

@RIP It sounds like you are happy, content and satisfied living in the moment. That’s great. Enjoy it. It’s a wonderful place to be.

There you go. You have a desire to learn something that might not make you feel good. ?? You don’t need me to explain anything to you. You now have everything you need to explore. You have your own desire for something that might not make you feel good. What is that desire? Where does it come from? What is it’s nature? How is it similar and different than a desire to feel good? Is it a form of curiosity? Meditation would be a great practice to observe these dynamics. Or this may not be of interest to you and you may desire to watch YT all day to feel good. Thats cool too.

Do you have a desire to know this? What if the answer didn’t make you feel good? Would you still want to know?

A desire for feeling good is certainly a fundamental desire at the personal/human level, yet there is much more available. Pursue your genuine desires. If your genuine desire is to feel good and watching YT all day makes you feel good, then go for it.

There is no difference in your experience because your goal for each activity is to feel pleasure.

I’m sure there are earlier ones, yet Alan Watts comes to mind.

Yes, that is the whole point of the power struggle right now. If you lose your Rook in a chess game, you don’t roll over and give up. You keep playing to win.

Locked for low substance.

@Jed Vassallo There is a saying in U.S. sports of "playing not to lose". This actually increases the chance of losing. It is better to play to win than play not to lose.

Some Republicans will lose their seat if they vote in favor of Trump. Corey Gardner and Susan Collins are nearly guaranteed to lose their seat if they vote in favor of Trump on this issue.

Impeachment and conviction/removal are two separate processes in two different legislative bodies. Impeachment occurs in the House of Representatives (which will likely occur) and conviction/removal occurs in the Senate (which will unlikely occur). The highest likelihood at this point is that Trump will get Impeached, yet not convicted. Many people are making the same point as you. I am also concerned that Impeachment will become normalized and trivialized - as so much has been during Trump's reign. He could become more empowered. Yet I think the greater risk is not Impeaching. If Trump is not Impeached, it will empower him even more. As well, it will set a very dangerous precedent in the future.

My Spanish isn't quite good enough to comprehend easily. I will give a closer listen later. As an aside about learning languages. . . I've found it super helpful to listen to native speakers on content that I am interested in and can understand 70%-90%. The nice thing about nonduality / consciousness speakers is they speak relatively slowly with pauses. This speaker articulates very well. He is speaking at an upper intermediate B2 level.

This point is beautiful and profound. Yet it misses another point (which is no more or less beautiful and profound). I appreciate your insights. They are a gentle nudge that is helpful to me. Thank you.

@Scholar You make make a really good point. Within this context, simplicity, subtleness, small steps and development over time are key features. At a personal level, I may often neglect this wand in favor of other wands. That is where wisdom comes in. Perhaps the appearance of your words is a gentle nudging for me. A gentle nudging that I may be off-balance and should give some attention to the wand of simplicity, subtleness, small steps and development. As profound as this is, it is one point. The point is a "somewhere", it is no longer nowhere/everywhere. Again, I reiterate this in the strongest terms: that somewhere is very profound. . . . yet, as a somewhere it does not capture all somewheres. As I go on. . . I am not saying that I disagree with you, that you are wrong, or that I am offering a "higher conscious" view. I've made the point you make many times in many different contexts. Yet there is more (not "higher" or "better"). This is not about opposing views. This frame includes: 1) a path with a destination points of arrival, 2) a timeline, 3) a "you" that has taken a path over time. This is a very useful frame and approach. Yet, it is not other useful frames and approaches. Again, this is not to contradict you as right/wrong, better/worse. Truth is full of contradictions. In this case, there is a path and there is also no path. I have taken a path and I have not taken a path. As well, there is a "me" that has taken this path and there is no "me" that has taken a path. It is also true that these constructs of paths, timelines and "me" don't exist. They are merely appearances happening Now and have no more significance than bird chirps. Just as the frame you offered has immense value, this other frame offered here also has immense value. When one fully realizes this frame, all attachment/identification dissolves and Nowhere/Nothing/Everywhere/Everything is revealed. This is very easy to observe at a personal level by asking "How comfortable am I holding the opposite of everything I said as true? How comfortable am I letting go of everything I wrote as if they were bird chirps? How comfortable am I discarding everything I wrote as if it is was totally wrong?". This is a good barometer for the awakening of the pathless Nowhere/Nothing/Everywhere/Everything awakening. Here, there is no "path", no "destination" and no "arrival". This is one of the key awakenings. It has immense transcendent and liberation value. * every thing written above is both true and false.

@Jahmaine I have a friend that went to some deep places with hypnosis/past life regression. It was an 7 hour event with a highly trained person (very expensive as well). The whole thing was audio recorded. My friend was already at a fairly high conscious level and imo, had a few major breakthroughs/awakenings. Her subjective experience was it was deeply profound and left her groundless. She spent about four months integrating. I'd say it was on the same level as a psychedelic trip. . . It's something I'm interested in trying, yet the level I'm interested in is expensive and I'm not sure how deep I would be able to let go. I'd probably need to develop trust and resonance with the practitioner first.

I wouldn't ask "can I pull your hair?" during the act of sex. To me, that's lame and would ruin the energetics. I would find out prior to the sex. And I wouldn't find out by literally asking her "the next time we have sex, is it ok if I pull your hair?". That's a dud too. . . . Every dynamic within a couple is different. If there is chemistry during a date, it's more about being in the moment. There is a general framework I have, yet there is a lot of improvisation and going with the flow. Like a jazz musicians performing live. There is a basic framework of the songs, yet there is also a lot of improvisation. Suggestion, innuendo, playfulness with the flow is best. Yet it's not something that can be rehearsed or that I can make happen. As well, if I am interacting with her as if she is an object for my self-centered sexual desires - it's a flop. The best chemistry for me is when it's not a "me" and "her" dynamic. There is an "us" energy between us. Two things that kills that energy is neediness or fear of rejection - whether that comes from me or her. Yet this isn't traditional "game" in which the guy tries to manipulate a situation toward his desired outcome. I totally suck at that type of game.

Correct. I agree with you on this. This is common knowledge.

Conceptual awareness is not necessarily embodiment.

@Nak Khid Is unconditional love good?

What is the underlying motivation is to improve concentration. Do you want to improve concentration to help you achieve things in life? Or do you want to improve concentration to reach deeper levels of realizations and awakenings?

@thetrut11 You are correct about relative love. From a relative perspective, everything you say is true and I don't think anyone on the forum would disagree with you regarding relative love. You are missing something about unconditional Love. Yet you don't seem more interested in protecting your relative view as absolute, than to expand. Here is the key question for you. . . Which people should we tell it is relative? If we tell non-cannibals that cannibalism is beautiful, they will be disgusted. If we tell cannibals that cannibalism is beautiful it will resonate with them. Watch how the cannibal talks about human arms and legs in the first video. Watch interview with Jeffrey Dahmer. He was very open open about his cannibalistic nature. From their perspective, human limbs are beautiful. Observe how the man talks about human limbs in the first video, he has a deep appreciation and he is in bliss. This is undeniable. You can observe it for yourself. Obviously, the disgusting nature of cannibalism is not universal - if it was universally disgusting, there wouldn't be any cannibals! The nature of cannibalism is relative. Personally, I have the genetics and social conditioning to perceive cannibalism as being disgusting. The idea of eating another human is repulsive to me. As well, I would help protect someone from a cannibal. However, there is transcendence that is aware my orientation is relative and that a cannibal has a different relative orientation. Importantly, no one is saying the opposite to your view is universally true. Your view is that cannibalism is disgusting. No one is saying that you are wrong and that cannibalism is not disgusting - rather that it is beautiful. The point is that cannibalism is beautiful to a cannibal. This is a half-step to realizing absolute. Yet it is an important half-step. Without this half-step, a person will conflate relative and absolute - just as you are doing here.

There is a lot to explore about the content of your ideas. I'd like to mention an observations about its structure. The mind is conditioned to think in opposites - such that there are two opposites and one must be true and the other must be false. In terms of this structure, the content of the question is irrelevant. We could be discussing whether there is an objective external reality, whether free will exists or whether a turkey sandwich is yummy. The underlying structure is that there are two opposites and one must be true and the other false. This is a contracted mindset. Once this mindset is transcended a new expansive world of exploration opens up. Keep in mind that realizing the opposite side is true does not mean that the original side is false.

This is just one view based on my experience. . . When I was an undergrad student, I went through a similar process as you. I was highly motivated to learn, yet realized my motivation was fueled by getting good grades, being a top student, image, status and also deeper insecurities and fear. For a while, I was pre-med and had an image of myself being a medical doctor, helping others and being admired by others. At a deeper level, I wanted my friends to be proud of me and for others to see me as worthy (that I was "good enough"). I was also waiting tables at the time and feared that if I didn't succeed in my classes, I would go back to waiting tables the rest of my life. After about three years of this, I realized there was something deeper that was not being satisfied. All the stuff I mentioned above felt like a more surface level. Yet there wasn't any "zest" in my life and studies. I wanted to feel in awe of what I was learning. I wanted to be super curious. I wanted to feel excited to learn and feel good when I figured something out. I wanted to explore. I wanted to create. Rather than asking "Will this be on the exam?", I wanted to be engaged in my learning and have high grades be a secondary output of my learning. I wanted to visit my professors and brainstorm ideas. Just recognizing this can create an energetic shift. With awareness, the deeper desire can get stronger and the surface level desires can become less influential. One of the times I realized this shift. . . I was studying all day with a study buddy. I was trying to memorize all the steps of photosynthesis and just going through the motions. Then there was this realization of how freaking amazing photosynthesis is. The whole process of transferring energy from sunlight to sugars was amazing. The mechanism was sooo elegant. It was so intelligent. I became interested in tweaks of photosynthesis in various plants and bacteria. How it relates to cellular respiration in animals. Then, a deeper realization was revealed. It's not about the photosynthesis, it is the energy of my curiosity and desire to explore, wonder and learn. That is the zest, that is the juice for me. I've spent 30 years in academic studies and ime, nothing beats genuine curiosity, exploration and creativity. A few things I've learned. 1. Extrinsic motivators like high grades, recognition and awards is fuel. I don't repress it, I allow it - yet I don't let it run the show. Similar to putting fuel in a car. The fuel is helpful for forward motion, yet it's about driving through amazing places and the juice of the journey. 2. There are times I just didn't want to be a student or learn. There were times the juice was gone and I was burned out. Yet it always returned. Sometimes I needed a break or add something new - yet the juice always returned and I'd be like "Ooohhh yea. Welcome back my friend". 3. There are parts of the learning journey that I don't care for. I'm not going to love 100% of my work 100% of the time. Last month, I was in my happy zone creating new classes about epigenetics. This weeks, I have stacks of exams to grade and it's like chewing on tin foil. 4. All the recognition, awards, achievements etc. are a surface level. Pats on the back will not get to the deeper levels of joy and satisfaction. For me, I would much rather be sitting in my office alone learning and creating what I want than giving a canned talk at a science conference. 5. It's gets better and better the more fluent you become. Imagine learning a new language. In the beginning it's a lot of tedious work. You have to memorize tons of knew words and it's awkward trying to speak the language. Yet once you reach intermediate stages, all sorts of new opportunities arise. You can have discussions in a foreign language. You can see the nuances of different accents and dialects. You can dream in the foreign language. You can travel to new countries and live with the locals. Similar in all fields. As a beginner, learning the science language was a lot of tedious work. Yet once I reached an intermediate level, things got much more interesting. I was developing my own scientific research. At advanced levels, it's even more amazing. Today, I create new scientific theories and integrate previous scientific finding with sociology, psychology, metaphysics, mysticism etc. 6. For me, knowledge and facts is just a tool. I have no interest in knowledge hoarding. I'm much more interested in using knowledge as a tool for exploration. 7. When you go deep enough into any field, all fields open up. For me, I went so deep into the scientific paradigm that the walls collapsed. There is transcendence. Ime, this took 25 years of scientific study to break through. Yet I can now see how it doesn't need to take that long. Part of the long process for me was being immersed and conditioned within the scientific paradigm. My advisers were more like Richard Dawkins than Deepak Chopra. Choose your starting career and advisers consciously and with intention. Choose adivisers that "have what you want".

@Leo Gura If you have the time, a video on time would be amazing.

@Nivsch The mind likes to think in opposites and to hold one as true and the opposite as false. For example, if free-will is true then no free-will is false. Most people are attached/identified to free-will, so it can be helpful to see opposite of no-free will is also true. Then one can see inter-connections between the two and it starts to crumble away. All sorts of "sorta free-willish" arises. Then, what the heck does "free-will" even mean? Terms like "free-will", "choice", "chooser", "me" lose their grounding. Then the original question starts off as very important to the person. Whether or not there is free-will is serious business to the person. Yet once it's explored enough, it becomes a silly question.