Heart of Space

I'd need way more context to make any sort of statement about what he said here. I think people tend to deify Ramana too much. He was just a man. And many of the things he said leads me to believe the guy was very talented to begin with and didn't really understand how to teach normal people very well. He was also very lucky too, if you read how he became enlightened it was very random as it is with many people who become enlightened.

Feels like a bag of sand.

Be careful, do your research, and start small. Lot's of people are full of shit when it comes to psychedelics, especially many people who use them. Understand that they are chemicals, that CAN absolutely be dangerous to you psychologically. They are not a quick fix for any problem you have. They are not magic, but they can provide some pretty profound experiences. They can also fry your brain if you do too much. People will tell you that they are 100% safe because there's no obvious documented damage caused by them. But take it from me, they can do your brain long term serious harm. So be really careful and be wary of anyone who talks about psychedelics in an airy fairy sort of religious new age sort of way. Don't mean to be too negative, but I feel it's necessary to counter all the overwhelming positivity towards these drugs. They are not good or bad, they're just substances that interact with your brain chemistry. The result can vary. With that said I hope you get what you want out of it.

I kinda somewhat agree with you about Sam, but you do know he has solid experience with psychedelics right?

Zen devil? Sounds like he had a psychotic break with reality and is self conscious about it.

Nope. No, you're not. Contact me anytime you think these thoughts. If you need I'll give you my personal cell number. If you genuinely feel like ending your life I urge you to talk to me, or anyone else who genuinely cares about your wellbeing.

And the universe continues to express itself naturally. I'm happy every time I see someone say this.

Great video, awesome monk. I wish I was his friend.

An addendum: Be without layers of distraction for a considerable period of time. Meaning days, weeks, months, years. You don't meditate in pure silence? Music can be a great distraction. Ultimatley do what feels right for you. But I would invite you must come face to face with the rawest and purest part of yourself. Best of luck, Annetta. You have my love.

Have you done a vipassana retreat yet? That's one way, but it might be too intensive for you at the moment. It used to be very, very painful for me as well because I used to really have a deep hatred for myself that I didn't even realize due to certain events in my life. I say that, because I relate on some level. There are levels of being alone with yourself. The most alone you could be would be something like being in a dark room, fasting, no stimulation or contact with other humans whatsoever. That can be excruciating for the uninitiated. My point is, you don't have to take away ALL the "layers of distraction" obscuring you from your most raw true self immediately. Try one thing at a time, then mix multiple things, then do it for longer. It doesn't have to be an internet fast although I think that's a good beginner one to start out with. And if it gets too painful just stop. Perhaps start with one day? And if that is successful increase the amount of time? Also, make sure you don't replace internet stimulation with another form of distraction, that is the obvious pitfall.

I've never done meditation in this way and I'm not sure what the added benefit is, but I'm fully open to idea and plan to participate. I added my username. Also, I will be meditating a lot tomorrow, so if anyone can't make the specific time listed I will also be able to meditate at other times as well so you can still participate and not be completely alone. And if no one wants to do a particular type of meditation I will be doing basic mindfulness meditation with strong determination. Also, I will also extend my sit over the 30 minutes to an hour or two (whatever feels right at the time) if anyone would like to participate with me in a little longer of a sit. Do what feels right for you.

He's just rolling his thumb up on the side you can't see to support the weight of the flower. It's a simple playful joke. Whoever manages his channel probably shouldn't have put that up on youtube because it can be construed incorrectly.

Osho was a weird cat. I liked the video, but man does that dude come across as a charismatic insane person like Charles Manson. My mind is not sure what to make of him to be honest.

Trigger culture is a result and perfect example of the age old problem of projecting your own issues onto the external world. No one wants to take ownership for their own psychological shit. I don't blame them though, it can be extremely painful at first.

I like the overall message and I think the speaker is genuine, but I can't help but feel this is kind of a new age religious stuff mixed with buddhism. Stuff about fifth dimensions, tipping points in the world. Lots of assumptions and dogma goes into his world view. Things that I've seen are detrimental to my spirituality. Not to say it couldn't be beneficial for someone else, I don't mean to speak for anyone but myself. Maybe his words just didn't speak to me in particular. Maybe you could provide some help for me to see his words from the proper perspective, @Bodhi123?

My heart broke reading some the posts in this thread. I'm so sorry that you went through those experiences. I deeply and genuinely hope that you all find deep peace and love in your lives. I'm glad you're in this forum because it means you are likely on the right path. I'm not going to respond to specific names because I understand how that could make one uncomfortable being put on the spot. Regardless, I'm hugging you right now through the internet with this post. If I met you I'd give you a warm hug in person too.

This might mean you're about to have a big breakthrough. Keep trying to keep your practice in place as best as you can. If you can't that's fine. Just do your best and try to keep updating the thread.

That is a question best not asked on an internet forum. That's an easy way to get misled. And for the record, this is not a passive aggressive jab at any previous posters. It's just my perspective on this question being asked in this context.

I think it's time for this thread to die. Sorry @Loreena @egoeimai and @Annetta for involving myself in a knee-jerk way without understanding the situation. With that said I'm out! Love you guys, hope your day tomorrow is amazing and drama-free! With that said, I'M OUT!!! Peace.

They do, spirituality makes people uncomfortable because they have deeply held beliefs about reality and questioning that causes stress. Especially when your form of spirituality is something foreign to them. The best thing for you to do to "spread the word" is to let the love for yourself that you gain from your spirituality be expressed in the world. In doing that you are communicating deep spiritual truth without directly talking about it.

Forums like this are a public space, free for anyone to comment. That is their purpose. This problem could have been solved since there is a private message option to message eachother, or mods. I saw the comment in a public space and I felt the urge to comment, so I did. It happened. I'm not sure I really can be faulted.

I don't know, maybe she was targeting you. I'm not necessarily saying she's not. I don't visit or read this forum enough to know. I certainly see that she (loreena) is somewhat immature in her posting (no offense, Loreena). I just felt like the post you made came kind of out of left field, this is just how I perceived it with zero context in terms of your interactions with her in the past. Maybe I'm the one who's off, I don't want to shut you down, or make real feelings and concerns of yours seem completely illegitimate. I mostly just saw it as an overreaction to someone who's immature and attention seeking (again sorry Loreena, it's just my perception). I think your modesty in how you responded to my post is really awesome, thank you for that. I think your addendum about your psychosis is unnecessary. You may have some sort of psychosis, but I don't think it's related. The post seemed more a result of communication problems that result from the [human --> text --> mind] forum interactions. Very normal and I've done it before myself. So, don't be so hard on yourself, Annetta. @egoeimai If only you had waited 1 minute lol

Yea, I have to say your post feels honestly pretty unprovoked. On top of that, if you really are direct then you could have done it through private message. Instead, you took it as an opportunity to "pile on" so to speak since you perceived Leo's post in a certain way. She's certainly a goofball and I can't vouch for her post quality, but I think you're taking things awful personal and lashing out in a really weird way. It is just an internet forum after all.

Your topic sounds like you're having boy trouble, @Loreena. Just read the thread. Oh my, the drama, how entertaining. I think I have some popcorn left in the kitchen. brb

I take spirituality very seriously in a way. It hasn't hindered my progress. It's a big part of my life. I think more importantly we need to love an accept ourselves no matter what our perceived progress is. If you can do that then you can take spirituality as seriously as you want. I'm not so concerned with enlightenment anymore. Ironically, I think talking about it in the way that it is being talked about in this thread is a far bigger pitfall than "taking spirituality seriously." It sounds like someone is making excuses so that they can be lazy about their spiritual development. tsk tsk At least I find this is true for me, others may disagree.