Carl-Richard

You can also look at this from the perspective of neuropharmacology. The mind-body system generally downregulates the effect of exogenous stimuli (things coming from the outside) in order to maintain homeostasis (balance between internal and external). For example, taking a drug that releases excess dopamine (say amphetamine) downregulates the body's own production of dopamine in order to reduce the excess dopamine signalling, leading to what is called "dependence". When you stop taking the drug and the duration is over, you'll have less dopaminergic activity in the areas that were previously experiencing excessive stimulation (come-down, withdrawal). If we assume that dopamine plays a role in happiness, then you haven't actually "received" happiness from the outside by taking the drug. You've only traded short-term increase in dopamine for a long-term decrease, and you've also traded away your own ability to regulate dopamine signalling. You've only made your happiness more dependent on fleeting conditions (which are also progressively fleeting, because over time you need to take more of the same drug for the same effect, approaching infinity). More importantly, your ability to be flexible in your functioning; to be alert and activitated in one moment, and calm and relaxed in another, diminishes. There is a selective numbing effect, because the drug only borrows the body's own mechanisms and resources in order to have an effect. You don't gain anything in the long run; you only externalize your own internal control and decrease dynamic responsivity. The changes are not self-consistent, and there is no potential for growth on its own, only degeneration. To maintain a steady source of happiness, you want to "upregulate the regulatory capacity of the system". Instead of introducing more stimuli from exogenous sources, you increase your endogenous ability to respond to those stimuli. You work with the ebbs and flows of homeostasis by promoting resilience and stability. It's a long-term growth mindset and is the essence of spirituality and holistic health. You start by looking at the base of the system and work bottom-up, being aware of natural cycles, systematically eliminating dysfunctional behaviors and promoting growth (get enough sleep, physical exercise, remove dietary poisons, eliminate mental trauma, train mental alertness etc.). From this point of view, unhappiness simply stems from your own inability to regulate your own system. That is essentially the same as saying that happiness comes from within.

This is very individual. For me it made me unsharp and unable to focus. My first breakthrough experience was actually partially due to me being 1 week in heavy weed withdrawal. "I don't enjoy this" is a thought. Every time you meditate and this thought arises, use it as an anchor for your attention, or as an alarm bell that tells you "oh I'm lost in thought - return to practice". That way you'll turn the thought into something positive. It will start to drive your practice instead of sabotaging it. You can actually rewire your brain to get motivated by a demotivating thought - you just need to have the intention. Infact, any thought cannot be inherently motivating or demotivating. It's just a thought. It's your reaction to the thought. That is one of the ways I got out of weed addiction. Every time my mind went "it's painful that you're not smoking right now", I used that as a sign of progress, which gave me a little boost of feeling good. What happens is that the thought which has an initial low emotional tone is gradually establishing an association with a thought that has a higher emotional tone, simply through repetition. You're teaching your brain to connect a negative thought with something positive. The negative side doesn't disappear, but it leaves you with something positive. The real trick if you want to enjoy meditation would be not to limit yourself to just one thought, but let every thought be a source of motivation.

Are we making a distinction between "higher" and "altered" states?

How do you experience thoughts?

You have to be careful to distinguish general group dynamics from cult dynamics. There is some overlap and potential conflations. I have personal experience with cults and this is not it.

Grace is a religious term which has different interpretations. In non-duality, grace is often defined as when awakening happens without any preparation. When a teacher is said to "have grace", it's often thought of as them being able to awaken the longing for God within a person by simply being in their presence.

Be ready to invest a couple of lifetimes

This is why most people never get there. If you truly want it, you'll do whatever it takes.

Martin Ball has a couple.

Reductionism vs. holism.

Anesthesia impacts wakefulness, not awareness.

Sure, that could also work, particularily when we're dealing with activity within the brain. I was just borrowing terms from perceptual systems where the different "leveledness" is more apparent. After all, the majority of the body's external sensory receptors are situated at a lower elevation compared to the brain. Part-whole/receptor-brain/one-many are also valid descriptions.

@Husseinisdoingfine Damn he was so close!

Purple and blue are also collectivist stages.

We're talking about selling a view of how the world works on the most fundamental level. In that context, Stage Orange people won't listen to anyone who talks about God, questions the existence of matter, criticizes science etc.. It doesn't matter if you're wearing a suit or monk robes. Even so, if the robes are enough to scare you away, then there is no chance you'll be open to the idea that you might be imagining your entire existence. Sadhguru is actually very direct in his speech imo.

I don't use TikTok enough to care about what pops up

There has never been a tighter band in history:

My for you page is just assss (and I never click like on anything ).

TikTok is the Snapchatification of YouTube.