lmfao

@Arman good advice. I feel like I needed to read this thread, since I've been in a constant state of anxiety and worrying for weeks on end due to external circumstances and my reaction to them. I feel mentally drained in every way lol.

I usually drink 1-2 glasses of milk a day, and I dont know whether it is worth it to give up dairy.

@TheSomeBody Besides being raped lol, you could probably change your sexuality by watching transexual or gender bender porn as a "gateway". I don't think someone who is exclusively heterosexual can become exclusively homosexual, but they could probably become bisexual.

@TheSomeBody Someone's sexuality could probably change if they were to be repeatedly raped by the sex they weren't attracted to.

@egoless

@egoless yes?

@Source_Mystic It appears to me as well that many people on this site do accept what Leo says uncritically, but that doesn't mean that you have to accept everything he says nor does it mean that there is no benefit in this forum. A big issue for you seems to be that you think that Leo and many people here are encouraging a practice which is dangerous to your health. I can't say that I know whether you are right or not. Hyperventilation does indeed decrease oxygen supply to your brain as a whole, but I don't really know the specifics of this and whether it can cause damage. Here's a paragraph I found online explaining this: "What, then, happens if hyperventilation — deliberate over-breathing — is continued? The ‘wash-out’ of carbon dioxide progresses, from the lungs, and hence from the blood, and from the body tissues including, importantly, the brain. Carbon dioxide is a crucial variable in acid–base homeostasis; its reduction shifts the body fluids towards greater alkalinity (increased pH) and this has further knock-on effects. For one thing, it tends to cause constriction of some blood vessels, particularly those in the brain, reducing its blood supply and therefore its oxygen supply. So, in what might seem the midst of plenty when an excess of air is being shifted in and out of the lungs, the brain can actually be short of oxygen. It is for this reason that persistent, vigorous over-breathing soon makes us feel faint and dizzy. Another result of the alkalinization of the blood may be tetany: an uncontrollable twitching (caused by neuromuscular over-excitability consequent upon an increase in the binding of calcium ions to proteins in the plasma)." From the surface to me, it would appear that holotropic breathing is a gamble. Although I've read people saying that they've never seen someone get any sort of brain damage from the practice e.g. https://www.quora.com/Is-holotropic-breathwork-harmful/answer/Joseph-Moore-36 . There seems to be a massive split in opinion online as to whether voluntary hyperventilation is harmful to your brain.

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@tsuki I don't really have the patience to watch this lol. Could you mention one or two ideas on how understanding alchemy might help spiritual growth?

@Peter Zemskov To meditate through sleepiness requires becoming a fucking god.

What I'm about to say is not directly related to this topic, but I feel it's worth saying. Not to be arrogant or stuck up, but I hate politics and discussions on social issues because 99% of the people involved pay very little attention to the metaphysics and chains of reasoning that lead to different perspectives. People get very emotionally hung up on it as well, its extremely toxic, and I find political discussion to be very unenjoyable. And even if you discuss politics, nothing will change. You have but a tiny,tiny influence on any real social change in the world. There is value to be had in thinking about politics and social issues, but its littered with toxicity (which I myself have contributed towards) to the point that I don't give a shit about any of it any more. I'd find it amazing if there existed high consciousness people who found real fulfillment from activism.

@Peter Zemskov Meditate with your eyes open. Try and keep your back straight.

@Prabhaker That guys' videos are hilarious as fuck. There are lessons to be learnt from his parodies as well

@Andre Quinonez I personally feel I need 9, but that exact number may be a consequence of unhealthy lifestyle habits. I almost never get 9 though, I'm constantly sleep deprived tbh.

Is persistent mindfulness in the face of pain and suffering the quickest way to reach enlightenment? One or two weeks ago I was feeling depressed in an almost suicidal state of mind, but when I forced myself to be mindful, I found my mind racing with thoughts like "why me? Why am I in so much pain?" whilst I was crying. I feel like doing this gave me an experiential glimpse of what ego is and how it feels. After meditation, my neurotic hellish state of mind turned into a somber but gentle state of mind with less suffering. Is the quickest way to enlightenment just meditate and be mindful through intense suffering?

After I've finished meditating for 35 mins (been doing this daily for a couple of months) my awareness will be sharpened for 30 mins or so, but then it just fades away. I'm really annoyed, because after the last time I meditated my mind was going a bit crazy, but that was because my mind was racing with thoughts about the nature of reality. I felt as though everything is paradoxical, and that the reality I perceive in day to day life is completely determined by unquestioned beliefs and assumptions. I came to realise that all concepts are ultimately groundless, and that if there is a "truth" to reality, it's beyond words. From meditation you can consistently reach mystical states, but these states are temporary. Does it take lots and lots of consciousness work before these states become temporary? Are the most enlightened people in the world constantly in a natural state of hyper minfullness, even when they are not meditating? Is it their "default" mode to be mindfull?

This video will tell you everything about how to go about choosing a guru. There is something to be learned from this.

@Shakazulu lol what. I don't think it's to do with consciousness work, it's to do with people's desire to be in a world where you can do more exciting things (like alchemy, ninjutsu, becoming faster than light like goku, and etc).

@Argue My list of things: Working out (weight lifting) Getting vitamins and minerals, but ZINC in particular is quite important. Eating a clean diet Sleeping well Nofap Anything which reduces you overall level of neuroticism and anxiety. This is one of the main goals of consciousness work.

@MM1988 And men are just attracted by looks. Looks matter for both sexes. but men care more.

@Spiral From what you've said it sounds like you hate small talk with people, and so I can't be bothered to put mental effort into these sorts of conversations. I am like this as well, and there's nothing wrong with this in my opinion. I'm not the most emotionally normal or compassionate person either. People could simply see you as cold because of a mismatch between your temperament and theirs. I am like this as well, but I don't feel bad about it at all, it doesn't mean that there is something "broken" about you. I don't think the solution is to seek meaning from relationships, as it doesn't address the root cause of your negative feelings. By all means, try and learn how to make and maintain good relationships, but don't let your relationships be the source of your happiness and satisfaction.

@Leo Gura what's the point of the tribal drumming music?

@Cudin good question, I've thought about joining freemasons when I'm older, just for the kicks. I mean as long as I don't get murdered in some concspiracy level shit I'd be fine with joining them.

I've got my A-Levels (which are exams) in 2 months from now, but I've been lacking motivation to study. I feel like I'm going crazy with boredom since I have to read through large amounts of information in textbooks in order to make my own notes. I find subject syllabus' to be annoying since they always simplify concepts to the point at which the material being taught is just sometimes factually wrong. I like studying maths and science when I'm free to go about learning these subjects in the ways I find most satisfying and fun. Studying for maths isn't as much an issue, as there isn't that much to learn. It's studying physics and chemistry which is the problem. The problem is that for me to go to the university I want to for studying physics, I have to get really high grades, so winging the exams and just getting "good" grades wont be good enough. I have to find the discipline to sift through lots of reading material and then be able to determine what the appropriate exam responses are (the determination of what an exam response is is not too difficult), since the definition you have to give for a scientific term in an exam will differ from the more accurate definition you'd get from Wikipedia. I'm not trying to sound arrogant here, this is simply the truth of the situation. Here are my thoughts on what a solution for my situation might be: I have to focus all of my attention on taking in new concepts as accurately and quickly as possible so that the process of studying is less boring, since I will be exposed to more novelty. Of course, this will require motivation to get this process rolling. I'm anxious about the situation I'm in but at the same time I'm so undisciplined that I get nothing done. It's a horrible feeling, since you are watching yourself fail and ruin your life when you know you can prevent it.

@moon777light cool. I'm sneakily replying to this topic so I can get a signature.