Truth Addict

@Nahm It sounded like you were talking about the parents, not the original poster. I was probably mistaken. My bad. The part about memory and direct experience: I was asking: Can we trust our memories of direct experiences? Because memories are fantasies. In the present moment, there's no difference between belief and a memory of direct experience.

200% true ?? ❤️

To answer this question, we have to firstly answer the question: "what is what?". What is a question? A question is something that is looking for an identity, a desire to connect things together and put them into what we call "an answer". Of course the one who asks is the one who picks identities for parts of reality. So, let's reframe the question: What is ignorance in terms of identity? Ignorance is the loss of identity (disidentification) or the mistake in picking the right identity (misidentification). The right identity is the thing itself, a sight is just a sight, a sound is just a sound, a thought is just a thought, etc...

@Liger and @Rigel Interesting to see your names look alike, sorry for this stupid observation @Nahm Isn't bliss and feeling good what everyone wants after all? Why deny them their right to feel good? They've found happiness through belief, tell me, what is direct experience but a belief? Why do you take memory for granted? Questioning is not for everyone, some people are skeptical, and others are believers.

@Nivsch https://sdtest.ru/en/ I'm not sure if it's reliable, but why not give it a try?

There's this kind of past and future, which is imaginary. And there's the other kind, which is actual. I was talking about the actual one, the one that is experienced, including thought experiences. That kind is identical to the present moment. There cannot be present moment without past and future. And although I'm speaking with such confidence, I don't really know if I'm right. It just seems right.

@Shin It's not a conspiracy, it's how it has to be. Your body has memories, and those memories project themselves into the future with/without interruption of the ego-mind. A lot of things are the same way; DNA, cells, chemical receptors, plants, animals, nature as a whole, I don't know about the cosmos but I assume the same thing as well. That's how God runs the show, and that's the purpose of the devil. Past and future exist, they're not separate from the present moment. Also don't forget that you can be thinking about the present moment. "conceptual self"....... "if you were constantly present"....... (self vs. Self) duality. You're looking at the part, while forgetting the whole.

@moon777light This is a very deep question, probably one of the deepest there is. It's not a mistake, it is this way by design. Existence cannot exist without illusion. The past is information processed into lessons, the future is data processed into expectations. All of that is happening for a reason and through infinite intelligence, to sustain the present and keep it going forever. ☯️

@Shaun I understand your fears and concerns, but that's not the case. Conscious people are not irresponsible, they care without suffering. Everything is perfect, and yet it can always get better. There's no end to perfection. ❤️

Because it's healthier for everyone, including yourself. If your health does not matter to you, then, yeah, why even bother?

@Codrina Fasting is meant to fix discipline issues if you have some. I don't know, you know. From what you wrote about your lifestyle, it appears that it requires a lot of sugar, so why beating yourself up for that? Sugar isn't bad, sugar is energy. You clearly don't have weight issues, nor energy issues, I don't see where you are going wrong. Your body knows what it needs, trust it.

@Codrina Maybe join the Muslim fasting during Ramadan. It's a challenge, with yourself, against yourself, and for yourself.

@Jkris I'm not self realised either. I was speaking from ego's perspective on reality, a surrendered ego though. There is definitely a lot more for me to learn. ❤️

@Jkris Love is an absolute quality of reality. Reality has no agenda, and therefore it's absolutely selfless for you, that's love and only you can see it. Only you can be aware of Love, not humans, not insects, not anything else.

Meh.

@DrewNows I'm not familiar with Faceless and his contributions. Those honestly were my observations. I'll take a look at Faceless's profile. ?

@Serotoninluv Yeah, that's also interesting. I get glimpses of similar experiences through concentration practices. I become disidentified with pretty much everything for a brief period of time, everything appears strange, the sounds, the sights, the sensations, and being stops being taken for granted, how is existence possible? I have to go deeper with the practices. Any suggestions? ❤️ @Lister I don't know what that is. To me it's all about removing the illusion that is fake knowledge. Stay safe my friend, do whatever feels right ❤️

The duality between awareness and objects is an acquired knowledge. It assumes perception: a perceived and a perceiver. So, it must go away. Perhaps there was never a difference between the two. @Serotoninluv That's interesting, I've never been in one. Thanks for sharing ❤️

@Lister How about this approach: imagine that you are born again with zero information about the world. You don't know anything whatsoever. You don't know if you even exist. You know nothing. What are you then?

Everything is Absolute.

@ExodiaGearCEO Books are boring when you don't need them. Perhaps you're happy with your life and you have no problems with it. I hardly read books anymore, I don't find joy or value in most of them. However, I don't feel guilty about it.

Yes, I don't drink water until the sunset. No, I don't spit off saliva. I swallow it as usual. Lol, who even does that? The time is right before the "azan" of dawn, which is about one and a half hours before the sunrise.

@Harikrishnan This is my first day, I slept at night and woke up before dawn, me and my family had "sohoor" which is the last meal before starting fasting. I slept right after dawn, and woke up at 08:something A.M. I have to go to work, as usual, so I'm not really changing anything about my routine, because I don't usually sleep a long period of time at once, my sleep is intermittent. Although I might limit my internet usage and use that time for resting, contemplation, mindfulness practice, meditation, self-inquiry, etc... I've never done serious practices in Ramadan before, so that might be interesting, it's a great opportunity that I don't want to miss. I don't think any breathing techniques are good in this regard, especially shamanic breathing, because it'll cause dehydration. However, watching the breath is still one of the most powerful techniques. In my culture (about 70% Muslims), there are some traditional food in Ramadan: dates is perhaps the most you are familiar with, but there's also a type of pastry which is called "maarook", it's similar to bread but it is sweet and most often it's covered by a sugary liquid. There are also famous drinks in Ramadan: "sous" which translates into licorice and "tamr hindi" which translates into Indian dates, I don't know if India has anything to do with it though. So after I get back home from work, I still have another job to get done, it's more physically exhausting than my first job, I'm probably not going to be as efficient as I usually be because of lack of energy, so the duration might change or I might go after the "iftar" which is the first meal right after sunset. I think it's easier to fast when everyone around you is fasting as well, still, there are very valuable things to learn from fasting alone. We usually recite prayers right before the first meal, acknowledging that we are thankful to Allah, and appreciating the blessings of food and water. Make sure you are clear about your intentions with fasting, that'll help you a lot. Some people aim for emotional mastery (me), others aim to feel for the poor, others aim for detoxifying the body, others aim for mystical experiences, others aim for discipline, etc... But all of that is done for a larger goal which is seeking the satisfaction of Allah, or in other words, seeking to hinder the devil inside of us (ego), or in other words, we must fast selflessly and not seek the attention or approval of others. Anyway, now that I have become more aware than I ever was, I don't think the kinds of food or drinks or prayers are really important, they are beautiful traditions though. My advice is to stick to the challenge and not give up, you might feel like dying and that water is the best thing in the world, and that's true, but don't give up, if you don't have any diseases, then you can do it. I hope that gave you some insight, thanks for contributing, and good luck! ❤️

@Nivsch So you've had a new insight which is: the mind is getting smarter, you see, you always learn new things about yourself. Keep that insight in mind, and notice how your meditation will work after that. Anyway, if you feel stuck and not getting enough results from meditation, then I think it's time to try other techniques, or to make longer sessions of meditation.