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Explaining God For Dummies https://www.actualized.org/insights/explaining-god-for-dummies Polarizing reactions to awakening content: Leo notices that his total awakening live video has generated various reactions, revealing the video's polarizing effect. He expresses no interest in defending himself against judgmental comments, instead addressing serious practitioners regarding the true nature of awakening. Awakening misconception due to serene gurus: He critiques the misleading calmness portrayed by spiritual gurus, which contrasts sharply with the chaotic reality of a fresh awakening experience. Leo explains that this calm appearance results from decades of post-awakening integration and mastery, not the initial tumultuous journey. Contrasting the mythologized and historical Jesus: Leo examines the idealized versus the historical Jesus, showing discrepancies that challenge common beliefs about enlightened beings. He highlights that the historical Jesus displayed strong emotions, countering the expectation that awakened individuals must conform to peaceful ideals. Raw emotions in awakening: Leo emphasizes the importance of passion and a full emotional range during awakening, contradicting the notion that these are egoic traits. He argues that awakening intensifies emotions rather than suppresses them, illustrating that genuine passion is integral to the process. Heightened consciousness during awakening: Addressing misconceptions, Leo explains that during the pinnacle of awakening, trivial matters are insignificant due to the universal scope of the consciousness experienced, regardless of societal expectations or norms. Navigating judgment post-awakening: Leo addresses the scrutiny and negativity one may face from others after awakening, including accusations of selfishness or insanity. He notes the importance of perseverance and the courage to face and integrate these challenges. Reality of spiritual work: He shares selective raw clips to give a more accurate representation of spiritual work, acknowledging that most of his experiences go unseen. Leo encourages letting go of illusory ideas about awakening and God. Critiquing religious moralization: Leo criticizes the cherry-picking of virtuous actions by religious standards, asserting that such moralization constricts the understanding of God and awakening. He refutes the expectation of perpetual silence or selflessness as misunderstandings of the awakened state. Sharing the awakening experience: Leo justifies sharing his awakening moments as expressions of divine love, not narcissism. He argues that an awakened individual seeks to share their profound realizations out of an innate desire to impart the beauty and amazement of their experience. Variability in awakening experiences: Leo conveys that awakenings can range from highly ecstatic and passionate to being very silent and somber, emphasizing that there are many expressive possibilities within awakenings, not just overwhelmingly positive ones. Infinity and transcendence in awakening: Leo describes an awakening experience where he transcended all known concepts, such as life and death, entering states of consciousness that defy traditional understanding and categories, leading to an indescribable void of pure consciousness. Differentiating spiritual work from mental health issues: Leo clarifies the difference between the transformative fallout of awakening and mental health disorders, asserting the importance of distinguishing between them and seeking appropriate help if needed. Embracing individual spiritual paths: Encouraging viewers to honor their unique spiritual journey, Leo highlights that an individual's path should not merely mimic others and acknowledges his role in pioneering new ways of accessing and understanding the divine. Amortentia

Miracle Awakening https://www.actualized.org/insights/miracle-awakening Consciousness as the ultimate miracle: Leo experiences a profound awakening where he recognizes consciousness as the ultimate miracle. He reframes our understanding of miracles as phenomena that transcend physics and presents consciousness as the singular infinite entity that composes existence. Self-awareness of consciousness: Leo illuminates the self-aware nature of consciousness, defining it as a miraculous property. He emphasizes that consciousness' ability to know itself is both mystical and fundamental. Oneness and its properties: Through deeper contemplation, Leo unveils the concept of oneness associated with consciousness. He attributes intelligence, love, self-awareness, and the absence of limitations to oneness, reinforcing the idea that all existence is part of this infinite and eternal oneness. Existence as an act of divine love: Leo proposes that recognizing the miracle of existence is tantamount to divine love, as consciousness in its fully self-aware state-God consciousness-embraces the miraculous nature and infinite possibilities of its being. Awareness and the recognition of existence as a miracle: He encourages contemplation on the nature of existence and consciousness, arguing for a shift in awareness towards recognizing existence as a perpetual miracle and advocating for an internal exploration of this awareness. Rediscovery of existential mystery: Leo suggests reconnecting with the mystery of existence by recalling the naive wonder of early life and contrasting it with learned concepts, urging a contemplative return to that state of profound existential curiosity. Imagination and creation by consciousness: Discussing the creative power of consciousness, Leo illustrates how reality is configured by consciousness as it imagines various properties and elements, whether physical or abstract. Nature of physical reality as an imaginative construct: He posits that our perception of physical reality is a solidified construct of the mind, a necessary stabilization for functional existence that can shift to reveal different realities under certain states of consciousness. The limitations of science in explaining miracles: Leo argues that science, being an instance of existence, is incapable of explaining the fundamental miracle of existence itself, asserting the necessity of direct experiential awakening for such understanding. Escaping karma through consciousness: Describing a dive into the Godhead, Leo outlines how recognizing life experiences and genetics as illusions within the mind allows one to release accumulated karma through pure consciousness. Purification by infinite consciousness: Entering a state of pure white light, consciousness provides a sense of death and healing, erasing karma and self-imposed limitations, reconnecting with one's selfless true nature. Transformation through pure consciousness: He describes extensive immersion in the singularity of consciousness as the key to transforming and purifying one's being, a process requiring consistent and sustained dedication. Psychedelics as a tool for awakening: Leo endorses psychedelics as a potent means to achieve higher consciousness and expedite spiritual journeys that might otherwise require decades of traditional practices. Self-reliance in spiritual growth: Achieving higher consciousness, Leo has come to reject external spiritual teachings, advocating for direct personal experience as the foundation of spiritual growth. Limitations of spiritual teachings: Leo criticizes the spiritual community for creating a false perception that deep awakenings are accessible to all, when in reality, they may be restricted to those with specific neurological or genetic predispositions. Role of psychedelics: He underscores the crucial role of psychedelics in making profound states of consciousness accessible to the wider population, a capacity that he deems as largely unrecognized or dismissed by traditional spiritual leaders. Professional dishonesty: Leo accuses many in the spiritual industry of professional dishonesty by undervaluing psychedelics and misrepresenting the accessibility of deep spiritual experiences. Psychedelics' impact on spiritual industry: Leo posits that widespread access to psychedelics would revolutionize the spiritual landscape by reducing the need for traditional gurus and retreats, empowering individuals through direct experiences. Personal stance on miracles: Leo shares his confidence in the potential of "local" miracles, such as healing, through a connection to high states of consciousness, a realm he believes is largely unexplored but holds legitimate possibilities. Encouragement for personal validation: He concludes by reaffirming the importance of independent experiential verification over any secondary narratives, promoting personal validation as the true pathway to understanding the miracle of existence. Unexplainability of miracles: Leo emphasizes that true miracles, including existence itself, cannot be explained because they transcend the bounds of finite understanding. Miracles are infinite, and attempts to map or define them through science or logic miss the essence of their unbounded nature. Creative power of consciousness: He describes a state of consciousness where the division between the self and the environment dissolves, allowing one to "create" reality by imagining various properties and forms. Leo suggests that consciousness can shape imagined realities, like a lemon or complex concepts, demonstrating its infinite creative capacity. Reality as an imagined construct: Addressing the perceived stability of physical reality, Leo explains that our consciousness has become fixated on a "crystallized" form of imagining, leading to a consistent experience of reality. However, this fixated state is not inherently rigid and can shift, revealing the malleable and imaginative nature of consciousness. Self-awareness leading to karma dissolution: In an awakened state, Leo discovers the possibility of erasing karma by realizing that physical limitations like genetics and memories do not exist in the "Godhead" of pure consciousness. This state is devoid of human concepts, presenting the opportunity to liberate oneself from the accumulated constructs of personal history and identity. Imaginary nature of karma: Leo conveys the idea that one's karma, which includes personal history, ailments, and problems, is actually an imaginary construct. By achieving heightened consciousness, he proposes that one can 'dissolve' into a singularity of consciousness, where these constructs do not exist, purging one's karma and past memories in a pool of pure white light of consciousness. True self and healing in consciousness: When basking in the eternal singularity of consciousness, a person can experience profound healing by shedding all life's accumulated baggage. In this state, there is a feeling of death and dissolution, but also of purification and connection with one's ultimate truest self-the pure Godhead. Purification process and loss of identity: The pure state of consciousness and selflessness, described as Nirvana, allows for complete purification from selfish impulses and all forms of suffering. As the purifying process deepens, there's a loss of personal identity and reality, which is a critical part of transformative healing. Transformation through persistent consciousness immersion: Leo emphasizes that real transformation requires prolonged immersion in the pure consciousness state. This is not a short-term process; it involves consistent long-term practice to rewire the mind and body, similar to the dedication seen in advanced yogis and meditators who achieve selfless states over decades. Accelerating consciousness with psychedelics: Psychedelics can offer a more immediate and consistent path to the profound states of consciousness necessary for deep purification. However, a common misconception is that a few psychedelic experiences are enough; Leo underscores the need for repeated and extended encounters with the transformative white light. Self-reliance and rejection of external teachings: Having reached an advanced stage in his spiritual journey, Leo now rejects all external spiritual teachings and intellectual knowledge in favor of direct personal experience. He believes most teachings are inferior to the consciousness he has experienced and encourages others to eventually become their own authority. Dependence on middlemen until reaching the source: Although Leo advocates for self-sufficiency in spiritual growth, he acknowledges that until one reaches and stabilizes in the source of ultimate consciousness, external guidance can be necessary. The goal, however, is to eliminate dependence on intermediaries and recognize oneself as the ultimate authority-God. Self-sufficiency in spiritual practice: Leo discusses his journey towards self-reliance, eschewing debates and external teachings about non-duality. He expresses dissatisfaction with the teachings, books, and videos available, finding them inferior to his direct experiences of consciousness. This realization leads to a sense of relief and empowerment, as he regains authority in his spirituality, an authority he views as inherently belonging to every individual's own consciousness. Inefficacy of traditional spiritual paths for most: Leo contends that genetic, karmic, and brain chemistry differences create disparities in individuals' capacity to access profound states of consciousness through traditional spiritual practices like meditation. He suggests that teachers in the spiritual community unknowingly perpetuate a “scam,” as their extraordinary abilities are atypical and beyond the reach of their students due to these inherent differences. Psychedelics as transformative agents: The limitations of traditional methods lead Leo to advocate for psychedelics as potent tools for spiritual transformation. He suggests that they can drastically reduce the duration and effort required for one's spiritual journey. Psychedelics are portrayed as drastically underutilized and stigmatized despite their effectiveness, leading Leo to criticize the spiritual community for dismissing their potential. Systemic resistance to psychedelic liberation: Leo asserts that psychedelics threaten not only spiritual hierarchies and business models but also broader societal structures such as capitalism, legal systems, education, marketing, and religion. This, he believes, is the reason behind the stigma and legal restrictions against psychedelics since they have the potential to democratize access to profound states of consciousness and undermine established power dynamics. Potential for local miracles through heightened consciousness: While maintaining a critical view on historical accounts of spiritual figures performing miracles, Leo suggests that achieving a high state of consciousness might enable such feats, albeit rarely. He speculates on the future possibility of mastering one's consciousness to a degree that allows for miraculous actions like healing or telepathy. Encouragement for individual validation and experience: Leo concludes by insisting on the importance of personal experience and validation over taking his word or any spiritual teachings at face value. He sees his role as offering pointers to help others directly become conscious of the miracles of life, existence, and unity with God, emphasizing the significance of individual exploration and dedication to spiritual growth. Expelliarmus

My Critique Of Zizek's Critique Of Buddhism https://www.actualized.org/insights/my-critique-of-zizeks-critique-of-buddhism Embarking on a New Critique: Leo is venturing into a new area by critiquing the views of Slavoj Žižek on Buddhism, highlighting his complex but sophisticated understanding, despite some perceived confusions. Introducing Slavoj Žižek: Leo describes Žižek as a well-known European philosopher with intriguing yet neurotic qualities and a background that includes Marxism, Hegelianism, Lacanian psychoanalysis, and specializations in political, ethical, and theological philosophy. Purpose of the Critique: Leo's critique is not intended to defend Buddhism per se, but to delve deeper into the underlying understanding of reality, consciousness, and the human mind, clarifying misconceptions and sparking meaningful dialogue. Addressing Žižek's Misconceptions: Leo is set to systematically refute Žižek's ten critiques of Buddhism, aiming to clarify the nuances of suffering and truth within Buddhist philosophy and practice. Žižek's Take on Suffering in Buddhism: Žižek argues against the Buddhist goal of eliminating suffering by suggesting people sometimes knowingly embrace suffering, such as in romantic love, implying that this desire for suffering challenges Buddhist doctrine. The Nature of Suffering and Enlightenment: Leo proposes that Buddhism and the pursuit of awakening are not just about escaping suffering, which he deems a negative motivation, but rather about realizing truth-a positive, divine motivation that goes beyond the limitations of human egotistical pursuits. Suffering's Necessity and Transcendence: Suffering is actually necessary for staying alive and subsequently for awakening. Leo argues it's not about escaping but transcending suffering, meaning one can suffer consciously and appreciate it which deepens understanding of reality. Role of Suffering in Compassion: Suffering helps to build compassion and love. Leo believes this aspect is overlooked by critics and asserts that suffering isn't purely negative as it provides an essential contrast that accentuates the experience of love. God's Incarnation and Experience of Suffering: Leo suggests that God incarnates as humans to fully experience reality, including suffering. This process of limitation and forgetting divine unity is essential to appreciate immortality and nirvana. Awakening Not Solely for Escaping Suffering: He posits that awakening shouldn't be motivated solely by the desire to escape suffering, especially if one leads a comfortable life. Instead, it should be driven by a deep curiosity for truth and understanding one's place in nature. Joyful Pursuit of Awakening Over Painful Path: Leo recommends pursuing awakening joyfully rather than through suffering. He contrasts his relatively comfortable life with those who awaken through great pain, suggesting the latter can have torturous paths that might lead to suicide rather than awakening. Insights Gained from Awakening as Sufficient Reward: Although Leo has not escaped all suffering, he finds the realizations and insights from his spiritual journey gratifying, to the extent that suffering becomes less relevant, and these insights can provide solace during challenging times. Bodhisattva Dilemma in Buddhism: Leo clarifies that the Bodhisattva vow entails a self-sacrifice for the dedication to humanity's awakening, and this role involves real trade-offs between personal enlightenment and social engagement. Trade-offs Between Hermit and Teacher Paths: Leo differentiates the solitary hermit path from the socially engaged teacher path, explaining the latter involves sacrifices and responsibilities, as exemplified by his own commitment to teaching and sharing insights with humanity. Bodhisattva's role and sacrifice: Leo discusses the Bodhisattva as someone who dedicates vast amounts of time and resources to spreading wisdom, citing Sadhguru as an example who devotes his life to teaching and humanitarian work, impacting millions despite a previous plan for Maha Samadhi. Trade-offs of the Bodhisattva path: Leo notes the choice between solitary deepening of one's own practice and dedicating time to elevate collective consciousness, suggesting the latter can limit personal spiritual exploration due to organizational responsibilities and politics. Organizational challenges for spiritual teachers: Discusses the political and organizational issues spiritual leaders like Osho faced, contradictory desires for personal enlightenment and managing a community which can lead to problems if the leader is negligent. Bodhisattva's inclination and managing awakening: Leo reflects on his own Bodhisattva-like inclination towards teaching, admitting it has influenced his path and affected the depth of his awakening, a common challenge for teachers who aren't fully awakened and get caught in power dynamics. Ethical issues in awakened communities: Leo acknowledges Žižek's concern about historical instances where Buddhist philosophy was misconstrued to justify violence, such as in WWII, highlighting the dilemma of applying spiritual detachment in ethical contexts. Misuse of spiritual detachment: Explores the problematic justifications for harmful actions through a misguided understanding of Buddhist detachment, as shown in the rationalization of Japanese imperialism and the Nazis' detachment while committing atrocities. Balancing teaching with the pursuit of deeper awakening: Leo shares the personal struggle of balancing the responsibilities of teaching with the ongoing pursuit of deeper spiritual awakening, recognizing it as part of his unique life path. Justification of Evil through Detachment: Leo criticizes the potential misuse of Buddhist detachment, detailing how it can lead to cold indifference or even rationalize harmful actions, like the Nazis' twisted logic during the Holocaust or a lack of empathy in personal relationships. Understanding 'Devilry': Leo introduces the concept of 'devilry' to explain how individuals, including those practicing Buddhism, can co-opt truth for selfish ends and exhibit harmful behavior despite spiritual experiences, as true awakening does not render one immune to moral failings or negative traits like racism or xenophobia. Awakening Experiences and Ethical Behavior: Leo emphasizes that even with awakening experiences, individuals can still harbor 'shadow' aspects, leading to ethical problems within spiritual communities such as sexual misconduct or financial exploitation; he references the materialism seen with Osho as an example. Multiple Lines of Development: Leo elaborates on the idea that awakening in the spiritual domain does not equate to advancement in other areas like politics or interpersonal relations, suggesting people can be spiritually advanced but still support destructive political ideologies if their development in that domain is insufficient. Buddhism's Disengagement with Politics: Leo critiques the traditional separation of Buddhist practice from political engagement, arguing that such disengagement can lead to spiritually advanced individuals holding damaging political views, and encourages the evolution of Buddhism to address contemporary issues like ecology and democracy. Detachment and the Capacity for Evil: Leo concedes that detachment can indeed make it easier to commit harmful acts if misused, but simultaneously points out there are legitimate scenarios for defensive violence, warning against the dangers of absolute detachment and discerning the fine line between legitimate defense and the misuse of spiritual teachings for devilry. Gap Between Awakening and Moral Actualization: Acknowledging Žižek's concern, Leo agrees that enlightenment does not prevent one from being 'bad' and distinguishes between the existential insights from awakening and the development and actualization of moral and ethical behavior in different domains of life including politics, marriage, and business leadership. Skill Development Post-Awakening: Enlightenment doesn't innately grant proficiency in worldly skills like business, politics, or marriage. These require specific skill sets, which must be learned and cannot be instantly mastered by virtue of awakening alone. Nature of Evil as Love: Leo challenges Žižek's notion of evil by presenting a radical view that all actions, even those perceived as evil, are expressions of love, including torture and genocide. This controversial stance is rooted in a deep understanding that love underlies all phenomena, which Leo acknowledges may be difficult for the ego to comprehend. Holocaust as Freedom of Choice: The Holocaust and similar atrocities, according to Leo, reflect God's love by demonstrating the freedom afforded to humans. He believes God's gift of choice allows for the spectrum of human behaviors, including those considered most heinous, to play out without divine punishment. Misinterpretation of Radical Truths: Leo acknowledges that his views on love and freedom could wrongly be used by individuals to justify nefarious actions. He stresses that the truth he speaks of is difficult to integrate into societal norms, and it may lead to being misconstrued or serving as rationalizations for "devils." Absolute Freedom and the Problem of Devilry: Addressing the criticism that his philosophy might enable malevolent actions, Leo asserts that love entails absolute freedom, including the capacity for self-delusion, and that societal constraints, not divine punishment, discourage destructive behaviors. Self-Deception Within Philosophical Systems: Leo critiques the potential for getting lost in complex ideological constructs, including his own teachings and those of Žižek, like Marxism or psychoanalysis. He points out the risk of becoming mired in one's own delusions, whether as a teacher, student, or philosopher. Limitations of Philosophical Analysis: Leo posits that solving ethical dilemmas or "devilry" cannot be achieved through philosophical discourse alone. He suggests that non-dualistic or mystical paths, such as Buddhism, offer a better direction for transcending the underlying issues of evil and deception. Chemically Induced vs. Authentic Satori: Leo discusses the distinction between peak experiences from chemical substances and the permanent insight gained through dedicated spiritual practice. He agrees with Žižek's assertion that the validity of Satori should not be dismissed due to its method of induction, while also acknowledging the value of long-term, stable spiritual growth. Meditative Practices and Psychedelics: Leo emphasizes that psychedelics and traditional practices like meditation should be combined for optimal spiritual development. Psychedelics provide profound experiences that enhance meditation, which in turn allows for integration and rewiring of the psyche. Misconceptions about Chemicals and Enlightenment: Leo refutes the materialist view that enlightenment via chemicals is invalid, explaining that what people perceive as chemicals are hallucinations within God's Universal Mind. Therefore, chemically induced Satori doesn't undermine its existential truth. Zen Poetry and Vulgar Subjects: Leo agrees with Žižek that all subjects, including those considered vulgar, are equally spiritual when one is awake. Zen poetry traditionally avoids vulgar subjects not because they lack divinity, but to resonate with audiences and attract them to spirituality. Equivalence of Buddhist and Judeo-Christian Ethics: Leo explains that what appears as Buddhist detachment and Judeo-Christian engagement in the material world is a false dichotomy. Awakening deeply immerses individuals in the material world, which becomes God's body, creating a paradox of being both detached and compassionately involved. Nature of Love and Awakening: Leo highlights that true awakening reveals both the emptiness of self (nihilistic aspect) and the realization of being everything and infinitely good (the love aspect). Despite the existence of negative experiences, they deepen our understanding of love, emphasizing that everything is an expression of absolute love. Compassion Despite Illusory Suffering: Compassion in awakening arises from the realization that others are expressions of oneself and God. Empathy persists even for illusory suffering because beings are unaware of their divine nature, and the inability to communicate the full magnitude of love is the root of compassion. Crucio

@Princess Arabia I would say that for one that as just had their first Awakening the motivation to do mundane, normal everyday things maybe low, but if one has been in an Awakened state for awhile and has gotten used to it, then motivation should never be an issue or something that comes up. Motivation to me is mostly about outside stimuli, like watching a Rocky movie to get motivated to go workout or something.. A cool trick for Us householders is too make everyday chores and work as well a sort of Spiritual Sadhana, try to observe everything in the moment with a high Intensity like its the first time You have ever done it..Also, serving others and sharing all that You are with others is a form of Devotion or Self less action (karma yoga), its a sadhana all on its own..

Something just came to me that I would like to share. In life (the "mundane" stuff) we're just performing tasks. Going to work feeding the kids, buying the car, the house, even entertainment, buying clothes, everything. We're performing these tasks for survival, for maintenance of the body, for ways and means to feel secure, a sense of freedom, to feel loved, a sense of peace joy and gratitude. All the good stuff - you know the deal. When you've Awakened to your true nature, and I mean really know who and what you are, you may feel unmotivated to continue doing those "tasks" because you've recognized that they don't fulfill you. During your Awakening those feelings were magnified and now nothing comes close. You were only doing those things and were motivated to do them because of the feelings they generated within you. Even the job you didn't like was still giving you a sense of purpose and maybe a sense of productivity and worth. Now, you're unmotivated to do the mundane things because you don't have a reason to anymore. You wanted to feel secure but now you're already feeling secure, you wanted to feel loved, but now you're already feeling loved, you wanted to feel the freedom that working these mundane jobs provided, but now you don't crave that feeling anymore from Awakening to your true nature. Either that or those feelings want to push through more intensely but you're unmotivated to do mundane things to let them flow through. I don't really have the solution for this lack of motivation, and I do believe it's partially for the reasons stated above, for which I could be wrong, and could only apply to some and not all; but If it applies, maybe this is the time to really focus on your passions or the things that you enjoy the most because you did incarnate in this body for a reason, and that is to experience what it's like to be human from the perspective of Source (did I say that right - or is it the other way around), and maybe your Awakening is a message to you to really start living and to make yourself available for all the joys and pleasures that comes with this recognition instead of not allowing Source to flow through you in the unique way it wants which only you can do. Your lack of motivation could be the body being used to the adrenaline of "fake" fulfillment and the mind is telling it that it is already fulfilled and now it doesn't want to move to fit into the new paradigm of being already fulfilled because it is conditioned to do mundane tasks. The body and mind are not aligned, or maybe it's the mind and body that's not aligned with the heart. Not sure, but something isn't aligned.

Infinite Love Awakening https://www.actualized.org/insights/infinite-love-awakening Continued exploration of consciousness: Leo describes his journey through multiple awakenings, with the latest one being a profound shift that he terms a "white hole of pure consciousness," a state where he ceases to identify as human and perceives existence without any constraints, fully immersed in a realization of infinite love. Understanding of love and creation: He delves into the mechanics of the divine, experiencing a clear understanding that everything in the universe is created from and for the purpose of infinite love. This level of love is so intense that it becomes annihilating and could be perceived as terrifying due to its totality and overwhelming nature. Realization of life's purpose: Leo comes to the conclusion that the highest purpose of life is the expression and experience of infinite love. He emphasizes that God's intent is to share this love by creating a multitude of forms and beings, despite the inherent fear and confusion this profound love may cause in lesser beings. The paradox of finite understanding: He highlights the struggle of lesser beings who are unable to fully grasp infinite love due to their finite nature. This limitation leads to a life filled with suffering, confusion, and the chase for temporal pleasures. He asserts that all negative experiences and actions stem from a misunderstanding or fear of love. Life as perceived from a higher state of consciousness: Leo suggests that, from the perspective of this higher state of consciousness, there is nothing to lose or fear in life. Everything, including what is traditionally considered evil, is actually derived from infinite love and has no negative implications when understood correctly. Role of fear in human actions: Leo points out that fear in life is essentially the fear of love, and that every human action is a quest for love or a response to the lack of it. He exemplifies this through interpersonal relationships and aggressive behaviors, stating that these ultimately reflect the human longing for love in its many forms. Universal motivation for love: Leo reiterates the idea that every being's actions are motivated by love, whether through desire or fear. He challenges the listener to recognize love as the underlying reason for all occurrences, both positive and negative, no matter how convoluted or counterintuitive it may seem. Path of life and awakening: Leo's vision features a giant ball of infinite love from which strands representing individual lives emerge. Humans are born with a desire for love but lack proper guidance to find it, leading them to stray further from the source (Godhead). Ultimately, all return to this source, whether through death or awakening, with no distinction between the two. Perception of humanity's insignificance: Leo gains a perspective whereby humanity, along with all its knowledge, is depicted as infinitesimally small compared to infinite consciousness. Mankind's existential weight is likened to a particle of dust within a vast hurricane, emphasizing the sheer scale of the broader conscious universe. Death as a victory: From his awakened state, Leo contends that death should not be feared but embraced as the ultimate union with infinite love. He describes it as winning the cosmic lottery, where the individual transitions to a state of ultimate positivity, far greater than any human experience. Love as the reason for everything: Leo challenges viewers to reexamine all events and actions through the lens of love, proposing that love is the driving force behind every occurrence, even those perceived as negative or harmful. This view requires a significant shift in perspective and understanding of causation. Conscious awareness mitigating fear: By recognizing the infinite love underpinning existence, one becomes immune to fear and suffering, as fear is rendered nonsensical from a higher standpoint. This realization is described as liberating and transformative, dissolving the dread associated with life's adversities. Integration of consciousness and love: Leo expresses that only by being God can one grasp that everything is love. For lesser beings, the journey of life is an arc that ultimately returns to infinite love-a realization that arrives typically at life's end but could be recognized earlier. Consciousness beyond traditional teachings: He asserts that his consciousness has advanced beyond established spiritual teachings like Zen, Advaita, Yoga, and Buddhism. He emphasizes that fully awakening entails recognizing infinite love in all aspects of life and existence. A call to prioritize infinite consciousness: Leo urges the audience to forget other concepts like no self, nothingness, the void, and self-enquiry, and instead to relentlessly pursue infinite love and consciousness without predefined methods, highlighting the difficulty of this path. Confidence in evolved teachings: He discusses the evolution of his teachings and claims superiority in understanding compared to other spiritual masters. Despite feeling overwhelmed by the responsibility to teach, he is determined to share his insights. Teaching from motivation not method: Leo advises focusing on the ultimate motivation and intention in the spiritual journey rather than being caught up in specific methodologies. He believes this approach will lead to success over time. Critical understanding of actual truth: He underscores the importance of cultivating a profound desire for actual truth and understanding, as opposed to clinging to non-dual states or enlightenment experiences without comprehension. He argues that deep understanding is key to awakening. Understanding as a path to genuine awakening: Emphasizing that one is not truly awake until they can account for every occurrence in reality, Leo calls for understanding the universal causation of love as the fundamental reason behind all events and actions. Future of teachings: Leo looks forward to deepening his teachings, focusing on essential truths, and avoiding wasting time on less important details. He hints at the future content that connects concepts more directly and promises to reveal more profound insights. Amortentia

Tapping Into Collective Consciousness https://www.actualized.org/insights/tapping-into-collective-consciousness New consciousness exploration: Leo delves into collective consciousness, advancing beyond personal awareness. He perceives reality as embodying a layered, hierarchical structure reminiscent of a corporation, where one might connect with higher, collective aspects beyond individual consciousness. Materialism vs. collective experience: He challenges materialist reductionism, advocating for a broader perspective where the collective, interconnected consciousness, such as that of the entire human race, is conceivable when recognizing the universe as an imagination within God's infinite mind. Contemplating humanity's trajectory: In expansive states of consciousness, Leo suggests that time becomes irrelevant and one can illuminate different aspects of universal knowledge. He shares an extraordinary experience of shining his awareness on mankind's collective aspects and the consciousness of all current fetuses on Earth, aiming to influence their future openness and awakening. Reality and imagination convergence: In heightened states of consciousness, Leo claims that the distinction between reality and imagination vanishes, making it possible to potentially influence reality through the power of imagination and intention. Individual influence limitations: Leo discusses the universe's design that restricts individuals from wielding enough power to make significant, arbitrary changes to reality, preventing potential abuses and maintaining order within the cosmic structure. Selflessness in higher consciousness: Reaching profound levels of consciousness eliminates selfish intentions, according to Leo. He describes an experience filled with love for all creation, intending to bless and improve the world selflessly, resonating with God's creative intent. Miracles and spirituality: Leo discusses the myths and stories of miracles within Christianity and other mystical traditions, acknowledging that while some may be false or exaggerated, others could be based on real feats achieved by accessing deep levels of consciousness far beyond typical enlightenment. Selflessness in high consciousness states: He emphasizes that actions taken from these high states of consciousness are infused with an infinite love stemming from a universal source. This selfless state eliminates any notion of evil intent, focusing instead on contributing positively to all of creation. Healing with imagination: Leo suggests that healing at these levels does not require physical intervention but is achieved through the power of imagination. He proposes that by tapping into unlimited intelligence, one can envision and, therefore, change the health and well-being of others, regardless of the physical distance or time. The abstract nature of imagination: He explains that imagination is not confined to concrete entities but can encompass abstract collectives, such as all of humanity. This allows for impacting larger wholes, similar to understanding humanity as a hand with billions of interconnected digits. Purpose after awakening: Leo identifies the purpose of life post-awakening as serving creation in alignment with God. He dictates that to engage effectively in such a divine service, one must reach a state of purity and complete alignment with God, moving beyond personal desires and living as a vessel for God's work on Earth. Life as God incarnate: After awakening, one's life should be dedicated to contributing to the world as God himself would-selflessly, without personal gain. This can manifest in various ways, from healing and teaching to art and leadership, with the underlying motivation being to demonstrate and inspire with divine love. The utility of awakened life: Leo proposes that the most meaningful way to use one's time on Earth is to embody God's infinite goodness and love, going beyond seeking personal awakening. He encourages a shift in perspective from personal gratification to living as a reflection of God's will and benevolence in one's actions and creations. Synergy between individual contributions and collective impact: Leo illustrates how individual efforts, like streams, come together to form a larger collective force, much like rivers merging into an Amazon-sized entity. This metaphor highlights the potential for individual actions to contribute to grander societal or even cosmic endeavors. Service without obligation: He encourages serving the greater good without feeling obligated, suggesting that true joy and fulfillment come when one contributes selflessly to the world, serving mankind, the earth, or the cosmos, aligned with one's higher consciousness and understanding of their role. Living selflessly as God's messenger: Leo describes how a heightened state of consciousness can transform a person into a messenger of God on Earth, where their actions, regardless of profession, express divine love and contribute meaningfully to the betterment of creation without explicitly discussing God. Creative and varied expressions of sainthood: He criticizes strictly ascetic spiritual practices for their lack of applicability to societal living, proposing a more expansive vision of sainthood that includes a variety of creative and societal contributions, echoing the Christian mystical tradition of performing good works. Necessity for societal transformation: Emphasizing the need to reflect the love and goodness of God in all societal facets, Leo advocates for a broader participation of enlightened individuals in various fields, beyond traditional teaching roles, to help transform society holistically. Inspiration for spiritual work: Leo shares his personal motivation for spiritual practice, revolving around a deep desire to understand and embody the universal truth, creativity, and love. He encourages finding a positive and visionary purpose to fuel the demanding journey towards higher consciousness and godlike creation. Critique of negative motivation: He critiques the pursuit of enlightenment solely to escape suffering, arguing that such negative motivation fails to reach the highest levels of consciousness. Instead, he champions positive motivations like seeking truth, understanding, beauty, and a desire to contribute to the greater good as the proper drive for spiritual growth. Ascendio

May 2018 Solo Retreat - Part 3 https://www.actualized.org/insights/may-2018-solo-retreat-part-3 Premature end to spiritual retreat: After a grueling 15 days, Leo stopped his intense spiritual retreat, having aspired to complete 30 days. He faced psychological barriers and rationalizations for ending early, which led to a sense of compromised integrity as he fell short of the publicly stated goal. Struggles with deep spiritual work: Leo encountered unexpected hardships, including doubt about his methods, questioning the possibility of enlightenment, and encountering the limits of his psychological endurance. He describes the extremely challenging nature of inward-focused spiritual work. Challenging oneself versus adequate self-care: Facing intense mental resistance and diminishing returns from his practices, Leo deliberated between forcefully pushing through or acknowledging the ineffectiveness of brute force in meditation and self-inquiry once mental fatigue set in. The critical role of discipline in spiritual achievement: Leo discusses the varying degrees of natural self-discipline among people and cautions against using this as an excuse for lack of progress. He emphasizes that discipline is a key ingredient for spiritual mastery and notes the importance of acknowledging personal strengths and weaknesses. Self-selection bias in spiritual teaching: He reflects on the tendency for successful practitioners to become spiritual teachers, potentially creating a self-selection bias where many struggling or unsuccessful practitioners remain unheard. The rarity of deep awakening experiences contributes to the skewed narrative, which often obscures the difficulty of the journey. Filming one's own journey towards awakening: Leo explores his intention to document his own path to awakening, comparing it to the improbable task of filming someone's lottery win. This documentation aims to provide a realistic portrayal of the quest for enlightenment, circumventing the biases that come from only hearing from those successful after the fact. Challenge of filming the spiritual journey: Leo reflects on the difficulty of trying to document the process of winning the "spiritual lottery." He recognizes the immense control required and acknowledges both his strengths and the possibility that he may never fully become enlightened due to various human limitations. Realism in spiritual practice: He stresses the importance of being realistic about spiritual work, which is often far deeper and more challenging than commonly perceived. Engaging seriously in practices like self-inquiry will lead only a small percentage to enlightenment. Being honest about personal shortcomings is crucial for genuine progress. Complexity of sustained retreats: The difficulty of retreats increases exponentially with time, leading to profound suffering from ennui and an empty realization of life's inherent pointlessness. Leo admits to underestimating the retreat's challenge and discusses the need for a deeper respect for the discipline required in spiritual practices. Dealing with a sense of meaninglessness: Intense experiences of suffering and existential emptiness during the retreat led to a demoralizing recognition of the pointlessness of life, down to everyday activities. This realization requires a difficult reconciliation with the demands of the ordinary world post-retreat. Impact of realization on daily life: After deep spiritual practice, Leo feels demoralized by the understanding that all life activities, including relationships and basic self-care, are ultimately meaningless. This leads to an existential funk and doubts about the point of engaging in regular social or personal routines. Limits of spiritual pushing and risk of negative states: Leo discusses the dangers of pushing oneself too far in spiritual practice, risking mental breakdowns, depersonalization, or suicidal thoughts. He stresses the importance of knowing when to take a break, analyze one's approach, and avoid harmful extremes. Breakthroughs in self-inquiry and meditation: During his retreat, Leo achieved a clear understanding of effective self-inquiry, focusing on the ungraspable awareness that underlies existence. He also experienced a state of meditation where he could shut off internal dialogue, deeply impacting his perception of reality, though maintaining this state proved challenging. Simplifying Kriya Yoga practices: Leo shares his transition to a more streamlined version of Kriya Yoga based on a simpler and more effective form found in other resources. He plans to discuss this new approach further in the future. Necessity of building discipline: Reflecting on his past struggles and current comfort-induced complacency, Leo recognizes the need to build more discipline to achieve his goals in self-actualization and enlightenment. He recalls the motivation from his times as an underdog and acknowledges the challenges of finding meaningful pursuits when basic needs are met and nothing appears to fulfill or make one happy. Reassessment of daily practices: Post-retreat, Leo realized the need for more strategic discipline in daily practices rather than relying on brute force, emphasizing gradual but consistent efforts similar to weightlifting techniques. Discipline as a remedy for laziness: After recognizing creeping laziness, he began waking up earlier to build discipline, reflecting that intense retreats are not sufficient; the work needs to be carried out regularly to be effective. Personal growth from retreat insights: Despite not completing the full retreat, Leo gained significant insights that led to rethinking his approach to self-actualization and spiritual exploration, particularly related to Spiral Dynamics. Advancement through stages: He advises against rushing through spiritual stages, stressing the importance of thoroughly exploring and integrating experiences at each stage, such as Orange and Yellow, before moving on to Turquoise. Importance of integrity: Leo discusses the importance of integrity, balancing making realistic commitments with the need for bold challenges, and the consequences of failing oneself. Breaking low integrity cycle: To break a cycle of low integrity, he recommends starting with small, manageable commitments to build discipline and gradually improve integrity. Retreats vs. old life: Returning to normal life after a retreat can bring back old habits, echoing pitfalls similar to those a drug addict faces after rehabilitation. It's challenging to maintain the awakened state amidst the return to everyday responsibilities and distractions. Challenge of old habits post-retreat: After the retreat, Leo found himself quickly reverting to old habits, an issue akin to the relapse struggles of recovering drug addicts. He highlighted the difficulty of effecting lasting change when returning to an environment that reinforces previous behaviors. Complexity of environment change: Altering one's environment can temporarily aid in breaking old patterns, but sustainable change is challenging due to practical constraints like financial means, work, and social connections. Additionally, changes like canceling cable or selling possessions have limitations when tools like computers and the internet play essential roles in daily life. Toxic versus necessary elements: The struggle lies in navigating the balance between the toxic distractions and essential functions of modern conveniences, understanding that while they can waste countless hours, they also serve critical roles in emergencies and accessing valuable resources. Psychology-environment feedback loop: Leo noted that our psychology shapes our environment and vice versa, creating a loop that is hard to break. A new environment may initially offer respite, but old psychological patterns can soon recreate the previous toxic setting. Navigating homeostasis amidst radical change: Seeking radical change comes with the cost of discomfort and suffering. Slow, diligent work may appear insignificant due to its gradual nature, but it's necessary for sustainable growth without overwhelming one's mental stability. Rate of growth relative to timeframe: Personal growth's perception depends on the timeframe considered; gradual work over years may feel less impactful but is more manageable than compressing extensive growth into a short period, which could result in evasion or denial. Upcoming content and life balance: Leo plans to create content exploring deep concepts and reconciling the balance between achieving awakening and engaging in everyday life. He discusses the hollow feeling of a life devoid of purpose beyond personal spiritual work and the need to find a balance between detachment and participation in daily activities post-enlightenment. Inevitability of ignorance: Leo emphasizes the necessity of ignorance in the world, recognizing that everyone's personal growth journey is unique, and it's necessary for individuals to go through personal processes and experiences to overcome their own ignorance. Shift to a non-judgmental stance: Leo is experiencing a shift to stage yellow in spiral dynamics, where it becomes impossible to criticize or judge any intellectual point of view because all perspectives are interconnected and every viewpoint contains some grain of truth. Empathy and constructive evolution: Instead of pushing or criticizing others, Leo advocates for empathizing with their psychological and existential needs and helping them evolve constructively. The real art lies in building bridges and aiding in their growth at their own pace. Futility of debating perspectives: Engaging in debates and criticizing worldviews is seen as a complete waste of time; rather, understanding and working with the consciousness level that individuals possess is key to genuinely helping them. Upcoming content plans: Leo shares his excitement to return with new content focusing on spiral dynamics and practical guidance for growth through each stage, aiming to avoid theoretical discussions and instead provide value through practical insights. Finite Incantatem

@Muhammad Jawad Simple answer is You've only had a small taste of Awakening, not the whole thing yet, its not intense enough yet in your experience so that your normal tendencies and cravings are set aside. If Your very Awakened, to an intense state of experience and its sustainable, then you will have no cravings, no attachments, no addictions, your fully aware and conscious of all your actions (physical, mental, emotional, energetic) and can control them, so what you need to do is increase the intensity of Your Awakening, start some practices that do this for You..

The Ten Ox-Herding Pictures - Zen's Stages Of Enlightenment Explained https://youtu.be/w4ZWNzSliGk "Things that smell of Buddhism are disagreeable, but things that have absolutely no whiff of Buddhism are even worse." - Yamada Mumon Evolution of the Ten Ox-Herding Pictures: The Ten Ox-Herding Pictures emerged nearly a thousand years ago in China, evolving into different versions over time with the aim of mapping the stages of spiritual awakening in Zen Buddhism. Yamada Mamon's Influence: Leo Gura bases his explanation of the Ten Ox-Herding Pictures on Yamada Mamon's rare book "Lectures on the Ten Ox-Herding Pictures," highlighting it as a source of advanced wisdom initially intended for Zen monk students. The Map's Role in Spirituality: The Ten Ox-Herding Pictures serve as a guide through various stages of awakening and are comparable to other spiritual models like Spiral Dynamics, emphasizing growth and evolution beyond a single experience. Warning of Advanced Teachings: Before delving into the Ten Ox-Herding Pictures, Leo warns of the model's complexity and the readiness required for individuals to properly grasp and apply its lessons. First Picture - Searching for the Ox: The journey starts with individuals feeling lost and attempting to understand life's purpose, leading to the initial desire for awakening and a vow to achieve enlightenment. Image 1 The Ox as an Enlightenment Symbol: The Ox symbolizes enlightenment, representing ultimate truth and the answers to the purpose of life, nature of suffering, reality, and existence. Dualistic Viewpoint of Individuals: Embroiled in discriminative, dualistic thinking, people struggle with confusion caused by continuous comparison and the inability to grasp non-duality. Starting the Spiritual Journey: The desire for enlightenment is highlighted as an essential first step on the spiritual path, countering the misconception that seeking awakening is misguided. Endurance and Suffering on the Spiritual Path: The spiritual journey is likened to climbing Mount Everest, requiring substantial investment and preparation to avoid rushing into it and potentially giving up. Consistency in Spiritual Practice: Leo emphasizes that sporadic practice will not yield results; spiritual techniques like meditation, yoga, and self-inquiry must be pursued consistently to achieve progress. Consistent Effort in Spiritual Work: Leo Gura discusses the importance of persistent and consistent spiritual practice. Without a strong and singular focus, efforts may be comparable to froth that drifts away in a stream, while pushing ahead single-mindedly ensures progress toward awakening. Stumbling Upon the Ox's Footprints: This metaphor describes those who have encountered spiritual concepts and practices superficially, like reading books or experiencing brief moments of insight during meditation or through psychedelics, but have not fully grasped or seen the 'Ox' of true enlightenment. Image 2 Challenges of Skepticism and Superficial Practices: Leo warns against the pitfalls of skepticism and casual spiritual practices that prevent deep engagement with the path to awakening. Intellectualization without practice can lead to self-delusion, and the need for genuine commitment to overcome this is emphasized. Value of Studying and Learning from Scriptures: Citing a Zen master, Leo underlines the necessity of studying traditional teachings and working with scripture to avoid misdirection, negating the belief that Zen practice excludes scholarly study. Persistence to Catch the Ox: The Zen master's advice portrayed by Leo suggests steadfast dedication reaffirms one's vow to attain enlightenment. Calling upon listeners not to abandon efforts because certainty of catching the Ox comes with perseverance and resolve. The First Glimpse of the Real 'Ox': Leo describes the profound experience of the first real sighting of the 'Ox'. This initial mystical experience can be both awe-inspiring and terrifying, creating a more serious commitment to the spiritual path due to the realization of its reality. Image 3 On the Rarified Nature of Awakening: Leo communicates the predicament of those who experience just a momentary glimpse of awakening. The magnitude of the experience often results in a retreat back to the ego, highlighting the challenge to stably face and integrate the 'Ox', or enlightenment, into one's life. Importance of Completing the Journey: The Zen master quoted points out that catching a glimpse of the Ox is only an early stage in the spiritual journey. Even after this first sighting, there are several more stages to go through to fully catch and train the Ox, signifying the continuity and difficulty of the spiritual path. Communicating Non-Duality: Claiming words fail to express non-duality, as language is inherently dualistic. Leo Gura explains the difficulty in communicating about the Ox (enlightenment) because any attempt to describe it only further entrenches the dualistic perspective. Kensho's Vulnerability to Worldly Encounters: Kensho, or awakening attained through seated meditation, is fragile and can be disrupted by the chaos of the external world. The internal power built through Samadhi (meditative consciousness) is easily disturbed by everyday sensory experiences. Misconceptions About Enlightenment: Many enter the spiritual journey with naive expectations of enlightenment being an endpoint after which no further work is needed. However, Gura asserts the path of awakening is more challenging and life-altering than expected. Owning and Taming the Ox: Gura emphasizes the difficulty in truly catching and owning the Ox. Taming the Ox requires the complete surrender of the ego, lifestyle, and societal conditioning to genuinely embody enlightenment. Image 4 The Problems with Selfish Spirituality: Using spirituality for egotistical purposes, such as starting cults or seeking fame, contradicts the essence of enlightenment. The craving and attachment to such desires are antithetical to spiritual awakening and will cause the Ox to flee. Danger of Twisting Spiritual Experiences: A warning of the perils when one's ego manipulates an initial awakening experience, potentially leading to starting cults or adopting misaligned motives rather than a true spiritual realization. The Process of Taming the Ox: Described as grueling, involving spiritual purification and extensive inner work. It requires constant self-reflection to confront deep-rooted selfishness and desires. Image 5 Distinction Between Beginners and Masters: Gura clarifies that beginners often assume enlightenment marks the end of their spiritual practice, whereas masters continue rigorous post-Satori practice to purify selfishness and ignorance over many years. How Post-Satori Practice Differs from Initial Awakening: The importance of post-Satori practice is to continue even after achieving awakening; it is critical for truly integrating this realization into one's being, which requires ongoing effort until death. Training of No-Mind Consciousness: Being an essential part of mastery, training towards a no-mind state—where the mind is clear of thoughts—is the pinnacle of spiritual practice. This state reflects a deep, abiding awareness and understanding of non-duality. Abiding Non-Dual Awareness: Enlightenment reaches fruition as abiding non-dual awareness becomes the constant state of experience, unrestrained by thoughts. It is likened to a continuous state of "no-mind," where one sees divinity and oneness ceaselessly in everyday existence. Importance of Post-Satori Training: The post-enlightenment phase, or post-Satori training, involves maintaining moment-to-moment mindfulness. It is a process of perfecting the initial awakening (kensho) and is accessible only after one has seen their true nature through Satori. Mindfulness as Taming the Ox: Continuous concentration on mindfulness is likened to taming the Ox. It is essential to train oneself to sustain this state of no-mind to prevent reverting to a condition of unreal thoughts or losing touch with Buddha nature. Embodiment of Awakening: The stage of "riding the Ox home" symbolizes the embodiment of awakening into daily life. The non-duality discovered through awakening is reintegrated with the duality of ordinary life, leading to a genuine experience of reality. Image 6 Returning to Ordinary Life with Awakening: One who has truly attained enlightenment does not remain isolated but returns to impermanent worldly life. The ordinary world is transformed and is seen as the true reality infused with the enlightened perspective. Transcending the Pursuit of Enlightenment: The phase called "ox transcended" represents ceasing the chase for awakening and acknowledging the present moment as the ultimate enlightenment. Misunderstanding this as mere contentment with the status quo is cautioned against; the significance of this understanding is transformative. Image 7 Misuse of Satori and Remaining Unfettered: The Zen master warns against being ensnared by one's enlightenment (Satori) experience. True liberation means forgetting about the distinctive attainment and not allowing it to lead to arrogance or a loss of freedom. Enlightenment as a Means, Not an End: The metaphor of the Ox, serving as a tool for enlightenment, is discarded once its purpose is served. Enlightenment is about realizing Buddha nature, not clinging to the device that led there. Purpose of Life According to Zen: The ultimate answer to the purpose of life is found in the playful, unconditioned enjoyment of existence. This represents a shift to unconditional happiness, detached from circumstances. Liberation and the Notion of 'No Self': True liberation involves the realization of 'no self,' leading to unconditional positivity in life. It signifies a life where happiness is not contingent upon external factors. Surrender and Liberation: Surrendering everything including your life, leads to a state where nothing can negatively affect you. In this state, you've faced the worst, voluntarily ending all attachments, and every moment afterward is experienced as a bonus—a form of liberation and play. Counterintuitive Happiness: Leo Gura speaks about the counterintuitive move of choosing happiness under all conditions, abandoning the insistence on conditional happiness which causes suffering. True happiness persists regardless of external events, even in the face of global or personal catastrophes. Judgments and Original Nature: Surrendering judgments of good and bad reveals our 'original face' or Buddha nature. Letting go of such dualistic distinctions paradoxically transforms everything into goodness—a state of non-judgment where all of reality is perceived positively. Advanced Stages of Human Development: Attaining a state where no conditions can make one unhappy represents an advanced level of human consciousness, comparable to the dedication required to become a brain surgeon. This stage requires thousands of hours of work, beyond casual spiritual experiences. Transformation Through Radical Surrender: True transformation and the ability to experience everything as inherently good requires the complete surrender of one's life (metaphorically and literally) and deeply held personal desires, leading to the highest levels of spiritual development. Emptiness as the Path to Everythingness: In the advanced stages of spiritual awakening, all concepts including the self, the ox (enlightenment), and all dualistic efforts, pass away. Here, true emptiness is realized—it's not experienced as nihilism but as the beginning of an infinite, formless, and unchanging existence. Image 8 Realizing the Non-occurrence of the Universe: At the peak of spiritual insight, one realizes that nothing in the universe has ever transpired; it's all an illusion or 'pure emptiness'. This radical level of non-duality surpasses ordinary awakening and is described as a complete absence of all conceived reality. True Emptiness and Revelation of Buddha Nature: The culmination of practice and discipline is reached where there is no longer an 'awakened', 'awakening', or 'Dharma'. Here, pure Buddha nature is revealed—standing beyond attributes, judgments, or dualistic distinctions, embodying the perfect 'just so' world of Satori. Realization of Life and Death's Illusion: Enlightenment brings the understanding that life and death are not real, and the universe's origin and purpose is acknowledged as non-existent; the familiar world disappears into emptiness. Emptiness and the Completion of Self's Extinguishing: Advanced enlightenment leads to a profound emptiness where even the rigorous practices that led to awakening become irrelevant. Any inkling of self or attachment to practices like Mu or Zazen vanishes, leaving one in a state of polished emptiness. Radical Disidentification from Birth: At this stage of spirituality, one no longer believes they were ever born, which is a radical departure from conventional self-perception, signifying an absolute disconnection from the narrative of individual existence. Push to Attain the State of Emptiness: The master instructs practitioners to strive fervently to experience this ultimate state of being at least once, representing a complete immersion in non-duality and self-annihilation. The Ninth Picture – Returning to the Source: Reflecting on 'returning to the source', Leo admits his limited understanding but conveys the stage's message about the superfluous nature of striving since enlightenment exists in the present moment without effort. Image 9 Challenges of Embodiment After Deep Mystical Experiences: Leo acknowledges the difficulty in integrating profound spiritual glimpses from psychedelic experiences into daily life, noting the difference between having deep insights and living them out consistently. Non-Linear Spiritual Journey: Leo warns against interpreting spiritual stages linearly, emphasizing personal variations and possible deviations due to different practices or inherent spiritual gifts. Final Thoughts on Picture Nine: Returning to the source signifies an absolute identity with the universe and the self, a state where dualistic concerns dissolve, answering all metaphysical inquiries—the embodiment of Zen where the universe as it is represents heaven. Humility of Enlightened Individuals: The tenth stage culminates in re-entering ordinary life with profound humility, completely ordinary to the extent that enlightenment becomes undetectable to others. This humility cannot be feigned and serves as a true indication of mastery. Image 10 Virtue of Blending into Ordinary Life After Enlightenment: Post-enlightenment life involves integrating back into mundane existence while retaining the insight gained. True masters wear their realization without show, living simply and sharing their light in an unassuming manner. Misconceptions of Enlightenment: Newcomers to spiritual paths often harbor fantasies of specialness post-enlightenment but fail to recognize that true enlightenment entails the complete loss of self and manifests as unmistakable humility. Evaluating Spiritual Teachers: Leo Gura assesses the authenticity of spiritual teachers by observing the depth of their humility, which he considers an honest signal of enlightenment that can't be faked. Zen Master on Post-Enlightenment Life: The Zen master's teachings suggest that genuine spiritual masters don't flaunt their enlightenment; instead, they live humbly among ordinary people, shedding any signs of elitism or higher status. Jesus as a Role Model of Humility: Jesus is highlighted for his radical humility, living among the common people without showing superiority, serving as a powerful example of the Zen teachings. Warnings against Elitism Post-Enlightenment: Spiritual leaders who indulge in luxury and exclusivity may not fully embody the true essence of enlightenment, as true masters are expected to live simple and modest lives. Awakening Others: Those who've reached the highest state of awakening have a role to play in helping others realize their Buddha-nature, not through preaching but by simply being present and joyful among them. The Commitment Necessary for Spiritual Growth: Understanding the full implications and commitments of the spiritual path can be overwhelming, and were it not for the enticing beginnings, many might abandon the pursuit altogether. Point of No Return on the Path: Having learned too much, individuals on the spiritual path reach a point where they can't go back to a state of ignorance. The knowledge they've acquired about existence and suffering compels them to pursue enlightenment. Following the Heart on the Spiritual Journey: Despite uncertainties and potential losses, the spiritual seeker is encouraged to trust the heart and the path it urges them to take, even in the face of deep fears and difficulties. Enduring the Sufferings of the Spiritual Path: Enlightenment comes after navigating through increasing levels of suffering, reinforcing the need for perseverance and trust that suffering will eventually cease. The Role of Wisdom and Guidance: Leo recommends revisiting wisdom from spiritual masters and texts to stay on track and avoid forming rigid ideologies, thus ensuring one remains true to the path of enlightenment. Enlightening Others as a Continuation of Growth: After attaining enlightenment, the journey continues through the enlightenment of others. This process is framed as an extension and fulfillment of one's spiritual work. Flipendo

Maybe you find Wilbers book "One Taste" interesting. On the topic of Enlightenment & awakened states, the entries start mainly from March 9th (it is a diary of one year).

A distinction is made for a reason. Call a dog a dog. Without a body, experience can't occur. Consciousness might be at the source of experience, but believing hindrances an open investigation. Also, what is experience, and how does it come to pass? We shouldn't paint everything with the same brush. Absolute consciousness is whatever it is, the point is to become conscious, it doesn't provide consciousness into relative phenomena. What is a body? What is anger? What is an object? What is another? Realistically, these additional questions has to be worked on independently even when "enlightened." Which principles allow for mastery in a certain field? This is a clue that even when awakened, ignorance in some form is still present. Does that help?

How To Practice Love - What Does It Mean To Love https://youtu.be/EzTEzav5l20 The path to making yourself more loving is the path to God. Understanding of love's deep aspects: Love is the opposite of rejection, hate, judgment, and other negative behaviors. Loving properly involves accepting reality and not wanting it to be different. The hindrance to extending love to other people is bias. Concept of God is love: The core realization in spirituality is recognizing God as love where God acts selflessly for the collective good of existence. This selflessness gradually expands as God awakens to the consciousness that it is infinite love. Practicing love: One should practice love without setting unreachable standards of perfection for oneself. The goal is to be a little more loving each day, leading to less conflict, fear, and anxiety, and more happiness. Practical application: Practicing love includes setting boundaries where necessary, leaving abusive situations, and respecting your sovereignty and values. Loving an abuser does not mean staying with them; it means holding compassion and empathy for them from a distance. Navigating love vs. selfish needs: As you fulfill your own needs, life becomes more about helping others satisfy their needs, until eventually you reach a point of selflessness, then your life just becomes about being of service to others. Understanding one's limitations and practicing self-respect is important. View on relationships: If you're in an abusive situation, you must prioritize your safety and well-being. You can continue to have compassion and empathy for your abuser, but it is advisable to do so from a safe distance. Applying love to life ambitions: The Life Purpose Course is a blueprint on how to develop a career you love. It aligns one's life with their values and shows them how to follow through on that alignment. It fits into the concept of falling in love with your life. Self-awareness and growth: Acknowledging personal imperfections is vital while practicing love. Like others, no one can be perfectly loving. Recognizing personal selfishness can be challenging but necessary for growth and understanding others' selfishness. Balancing ideals with reality: Although the aim is to become more loving, it's crucial to remember that everyone, including oneself, is a finite form of consciousness and cannot always meet the highest standards of love. Patience, understanding, and self-compassion are essential on the journey towards becoming a better lover. Loyalty within relationships: Having a friend or partner's unwavering support, known as 'having your back,' is a determinant of loyalty and trust—key components of love. Skepticism often arises if a person does not seem reliable, indicating less love or connection. Avoiding impositions of personal agendas: A common mistake in attempting to love others is imposing personal goals onto them rather than understanding and supporting their unique aspirations, which hinders the expression of true love. Extension of self through love: Real love involves expanding one's sense of self to include the loved one, thereby making their survival, happiness, and pain profoundly personal. This can lead to vulnerability, especially as one must accept that they cannot always protect the loved one without stifling their growth. Reciprocity and empathy in celebrating success: The golden rule in love suggests feeling genuine happiness for others' achievements as if they were one's own. A lack of emotional response or a sense of resentment can reflect a deficiency in love and a failure to see the loved one as an extension of the self. Championing loved ones' aspirations: True love entails advocating for and taking joy in achieving what the loved ones desire for themselves, even if it diverges from one's personal wishes or values. Sacrifice as an expression of love: Genuine love often requires willingness to sacrifice and work on behalf of a loved one. This contrasts with toxic attitudes that reject mutual support and encourage a selfish mindset within relationships. Encouragement and cheerleading for self-actualization: Love motivates encouragement for loved ones to pursue their passions and self-actualization, aligned with their interests, rather than projecting personal ambitions onto them. Respect for individual sovereignty: Essential to love is the respect for the loved one's sovereignty, treating them as equal in authority and autonomy, and refraining from attempts at manipulation, control, or exploitation. Acceptance without judgment: A profound aspect of love is the total acceptance of loved ones as they are, without a wish for them to change or conform to one's idea of who they should be. Accepting Reality: To truly love, you must accept things as they are, not as you prefer them to be. This is challenging as we often desire things to fit our own agenda and survival needs, which can prevent us from seeing and loving them for their true nature. Parental Love Challenges: Good parenting demands surrendering fantasies and ideals of what a "good child" should be, to foster a genuine connection based on the child's actual reality, not a constructed fantasy. Value and Appreciation: Genuine love is an appreciation of the other, valuing their existence for its own sake, not for what it brings to your own needs. This involves recognizing the intrinsic beauty in all of consciousness, which is a deeper existential concept. Conceptualizing Beauty: Beauty is inherent in all aspects of consciousness. People's biases and selfishness often obscure the recognition of this universal beauty. Deeper appreciation and connection can reveal the beauty in even the most mundane or disliked objects. Deep Connection with Reality: Enhancing connection with loved entities leads to more profound experiences. The depth of connection can vary from a casual encounter to deep, focused appreciation, as seen in the contrast between a casual observer of art and an art connoisseur studying a Van Gogh painting. Loving Without Needing: True love does not treat the loved one as a tool to satisfy your own needs. Instead, it cherishes their existence independently of your personal gains. Respecting Differing Perspectives: Loving another person involves respecting their point of view and striving to understand their unique experiences. This respect acknowledges the diverse subjective realities individuals have due to their unique physiology, psychology, and life experiences. Understanding and Validating Others: Deep love requires taking the time to understand someone's deepest fears, dreams, passions, and aspirations. This understanding goes beyond superficial knowledge and requires listening and genuinely caring about their interests. Difficulty in Loving with Differing Views: One of the challenges in loving humans is managing differing viewpoints. Love necessitates mental flexibility to accommodate these perspectives without imposing one's own, thereby avoiding epistemic domination and forming a genuine bond. The Basis of Connection through Shared Interests: Building connections and fostering love often rely on sharing interests, which facilitates a sense of togetherness and collaboration. Genuine love cannot be faked; it needs to be felt and lived with a sense of true commitment. Being Present During Hard Times: A measure of love is being present and supportive when someone is at their lowest. Love is tested not in the easy moments but at times when the person is despairing or in crisis. Validating the Loved One's Feelings: Love encompasses validating and empathizing with someone's feelings, which builds emotional connection. Acknowledging the other's emotions is essential for a loving relationship, and understanding those feelings is a cornerstone of genuine connection. Empathy and Emotional Connection: Leo highlights the importance of empathy and emotional connection in relationships, with the "magic phrase" to ask being, "How are you feeling?" This not only applies to romantic relationships but also to parental bonding. It suggests the need to genuinely care and listen after asking the question. Validation of Feelings: Validating feelings, even when they seem irrational or nonsensical, is crucial in building emotional connections. Dismissing or minimizing another's feelings can invalidate them, and it's necessary to recognize and respect their emotional state regardless of personal views. Meeting People Where They Are: To effectively connect with someone, especially those less conscious or developed, Leo advises meeting them on their level. The example given is how an adult must communicate with a child, using language and concepts they understand, fostering better understanding and connection. Understanding and Forgiveness: Encouraging understanding and forgiveness when people make mistakes instead of demonizing or moralizing their actions. Practicing these qualities can deepen love, as it shows acceptance and support even in difficulties. Patience in Love: Demonstrating patience is a sign of love; being impatient suggests a lack of love. The greater the love for a person, the more patience one is willing to extend to them. Seeing Goodness in Others: One powerful way to express love is by recognizing and appreciating the goodness in others, even when they can't see it in themselves. This can be transformative and is considered an advanced form of love. Recognition of Uniqueness: Showing love by acknowledging and respecting an individual’s uniqueness, avoiding trying to change them to fit personal ideals or diminish their distinctiveness. It's about honoring the individuality of the person loved. Expressing Uniqueness: Giving compliments focused on a person's uniqueness can rapidly deepen love, as it affirms their value and singularity. This applies not just in personal relationships but also in professional settings like praising employees. Generosity, Kindness, and Verbal Affirmation: Demonstrating generosity, and kindness, and giving verbal approval and compliments, especially to those who value words of affirmation. These actions contribute to a loving environment and strengthen emotional bonds. Keeping Promises and Maintaining Peace: Trust is nurtured by keeping promises and striving for peaceful interactions. Conflict damages love, so maintaining peace is a vital expression of love, and it's compared to deflecting conflict like a martial artist avoiding a fight. Honesty as the Basis of Love: Telling the truth is fundamental in love relationships, though it might sometimes involve complex decisions about honesty. Love can't be built on deception, as there's a profound link between love and truth. Safety and Trust in Love: Establishing safety and trust in relationships is a priority; love involves creating a reliable and permanent sense of trust rather than exploiting it for personal gain. This sense of safety and trust is particularly pivotal in nurturing love with children. Parental Reliability: Children's trust in their parents is crucial for their development into functional adults. A child who can't trust at least one person in the world fundamentally learns that no one is trustworthy. Reality and Truth in Love: Love requires appreciating an object or person's realness, flaws, and all, without desire for future improvement. Thus, love is intricately linked to truth; it is about seeing and accepting things as they are without fantasies or rejections. Appreciation of Finite Consciousness: True love involves recognizing and valuing the finite form of another's consciousness, despite its inherent limitations. It's a profound appreciation for the unique manifestation of consciousness in its present form. Acceptance of Selfishness: Loving a finite consciousness such as another person involves accepting their natural tendency towards selfishness. The ultimate test of love is the ability to love people who act selfishly, without a desire to change that inherent aspect of their being. Simplification of Love: The essence of love lies in selflessness; the lengthy list of love’s expressions is fundamentally about ways to be selfless. Loving others is challenging because inherent selfishness often conflicts with the acts of selflessness that constitute love. Heart of Human Experience: The core of human existence is learning how to love by becoming more selfless. Spirituality aids in expanding this capacity to love by aligning us with the concept of God, who is seen as infinite selflessness, synonymous with love. Love versus Selfish Behaviors: Love is broken by violence, abuse, judgment, control, manipulation, and above all, selfishness. Understanding that selflessness fosters love while selfishness destroys it is key to embodying genuine love. Visualization Exercise for Love: Leo guides through a visualization contrasting how love feels when one experiences negative actions versus caring ones. The exercise highlights the vast difference in feelings of love based on whether one is subject to kindness or maltreatment. Understanding Love through Childhood Experiences: Reflecting on personal childhood experiences and pinpointing what made one feel loved can clarify how to extend love to others. Identifying specific actions or words from family and friends aids in deriving general principles of love. Love as an Assignment: Leo assigns the task of noting down specific memories and actions that made one feel loved as a child and analyzing them to extract broader lessons on how to love, reinforcing the concept that love is rooted in personal experiences and expressions. Reflecting on childhood experiences of love: Leo discusses analyzing one's childhood experiences to understand actions that felt like love—such as receiving attention, support, or sharing intellectual interests—and encourages creating a list based on these memories to recognize patterns of feeling loved. Understanding through contrast: He suggests making a contrasting list of actions that made one feel unloved during childhood. This exercise can help in understanding love by inverting the negative experiences (being yelled at or feeling neglected) to comprehend what should be done to make someone feel loved. Turning negative experiences into positive motivation: For those who didn't receive much love in childhood, Leo empathizes with their difficulty but encourages using their experiences of feeling unloved as motivation to be more loving towards their children or partner. Self-assessment of one's ability to love: Leo challenges viewers to compare themselves against the ideal form of love he outlined and to consider how well they embody these loving behaviors in various relationships, suggesting many people fall short due to inherent selfishness. Dilemma of intimate and all relationships: He discusses Peter Ralston's insight about the challenge of relationships, where people enter into them with selfish intentions, trying to mold their partners into their own ideals to satisfy personal needs, which leads to conflict and potential relationship failure. Preview of future discussions on conscious relationships: Leo indicates a future video will focus entirely on conscious relationships—how to form genuine connections, something he claims isn't taught but is crucial to life. Hardest challenge—love: He emphasizes that love is the most challenging endeavor as it tests one's capacity to be selfless. A truly loving person must be highly emotionally, cognitively, morally, and spiritually developed. Seeking developed individuals for relationships: Leo advises seeking out emotionally and spiritually mature partners, acknowledging that such individuals are rare and suggesting spending time in communities where these individuals are likely to be found. Love in parenting and marriage: He stresses the importance of love in childrearing and marriage, asserting that love is the most fundamental need of children and a key component of a successful marriage. The duality of mastering love: Leo introduces the dual process of learning to love, which includes both accessing absolute love through awakening and god realization (potentially with the help of psychedelics), and practicing love in daily life with real relationships. Love as the purpose of life: He concludes by suggesting that learning to love through personal development and connecting with others is perhaps the ultimate point and purpose of existence, transcending materialistic or nihilistic pursuits. Love as an ongoing journey: Emphasizing that being good at relationships does not equate to understanding existential love. Love is identified as a continuous journey that takes serious effort and decades to master. The organizational challenge of love: Loving in all aspects of life, including family, work, and personal relationships, is complex and requires discernment in balancing autonomy and unity. Love's practical advice: The advice to practice love by seeking deeper connections in life, which spans beyond the romantic, extending to all interests and passions. Concept of love as a training ground: Life is presented as a training ground for becoming a good lover, where every experience is an opportunity to deepen connections and learn to love more profoundly. Application of love in daily life: Leo provides a universal blueprint for applying love to various aspects of life like work, relationships, and personal interests. Existential perspective on love: Love is described as a connection between parts of consciousness that seek unity, with spirituality being a pathway to deepen this connection with reality. Investment in connections: Stressing the importance of willingness to invest in and deepen connections to things a person loves, whether it's a hobby or a person. Love stimulating personal growth: Leo elaborates on how love can motivate personal development, with genuine care and appreciation for others serving as fuel for growth and expansion. Love as acceptance and appreciation: Reiterating that love means accepting and appreciating the inherent perfection and beauty in all aspects of reality, and recognizing this is essential for developing deep connections. Understanding Love's Diversity: Love is infinite in its expression, manifesting in countless finite ways and opposites such as rejection, hate, and judgment. It's about accepting reality, recognizing its inherent beauty, and extending that acceptance universally, unimpeded by personal biases. The Metaphysics of Love: Love, at its core, is the act of selflessly ensuring the highest good for all of existence, which is seen as the behavior of an awakened God. Since we are all God, but dreaming finitely, our journey towards love is an awakening to our true nature as infinite love. Progressing Toward Love: It's unrealistic to expect perfection in one's capacity to love as a finite being; the existential trade-off is the risk to personal survival. The goal is to become a little more loving each day, which enhances personal happiness and reduces conflict and fear. Inch Toward Higher Love: As we meet our own needs, life becomes less about us and more about serving and helping others. While complete selflessness is ideal, realistically, the aim is to strive toward it, knowing full accomplishment may never be reached. Leaving Abusive Situations: Leo advises that loving others should not come at the cost of self-love and respect. Leaving an abusive situation is not an act of hatred but one of self-care. It's important to establish boundaries, prioritize personal safety, and practice love from a safe distance if needed. Practical Love through Life Purpose: Leo's Life Purpose Course aligns with the concept of love by helping individuals to develop careers and lives that they love, showing how to align life with values and passions. Self-awareness in Practicing Love: Acknowledging imperfections and selfish tendencies is essential. Leo admits his own journey towards being a more loving person is ongoing, and he encourages patience with oneself and others as we all strive to better practice love. Love as a Lifelong Project: Implementing love is challenging and requires work, as seen through Leo’s introspective journey. He stresses the importance of empathy, understanding others' selfishness based on personal struggle, and the avoidance of judging others harshly. Ferula

New Kind Of Awakening - Infinity Of Gods https://youtu.be/skoXFwOxTIk "A solipsism without profound love is false." New Level of Awakening Experience: Leo asserts that he has attained a new depth in his awakening experiences, with the latest uncovering an even more profound form of solipsism, an ongoing theme throughout his spiritual journey. Challenge of Solipsistic Integration: Leo expresses the difficulty of integrating solipsistic awakenings into ordinary life and how, despite previous successes, there was an underlying sense that his understanding was incomplete. Reevaluation and Disproof of Past Awakenings: He emphasizes the importance of questioning one's deepest awakenings to avoid self-deception, approaching his most recent awakening with the mindset of disproving it to arrive at a deeper truth. Resetting Conceptual Beliefs: Leo describes a process of discarding all preconceptions about awakening to approach the inquiry from a state of profound non-knowing, emphasizing the benefit of occasionally wiping the slate clean to prevent past ideas from coloring future insights. Spiritual Arrogance and Self-Deception: He acknowledges the danger of spiritual arrogance, where one's extensive spiritual experiences might lead to a false belief that nothing more could be missing, and how this can become a trap for individuals on their spiritual path. Confronting Fear for Deeper Insight: Leo reflects on the realization that deeper understanding is often locked behind a profound, primordial fear. He stresses that one must face their fears in order to discover greater truths about reality and the self. Inability to Disprove Solipsism: In his attempt to delve deeper, he concludes that his solipsistic experiences cannot be disproven, leading to a reaffirmation of his understanding of being in an absolute state of consciousness. Absolute Sovereignty of Consciousness: Confronted with the impossibility of disproving solipsism, Leo finds himself in a "god mode" state of consciousness, contemplating the nature of God and the absolute sovereignty of consciousness, acknowledging that reality or God has no external limitations or authorities. Sovereignty and Absolute Consciousness: Leo Gura explains that contemplation of sovereignty helps one to face the reality of being absolutely sovereign. This awareness was a focal point during his awakening experience, reinforcing his understanding that one cannot escape or transcend their own consciousness, which is absolute and everything. Insight into Multiple Sovereign Consciousnesses: An unexpected insight struck Leo that suggested the existence of other sovereign consciousnesses, existing independently as though in separate dimensions. Despite initial skepticism, he concluded that absolute sovereignty implies the potential for infinitely many sovereign entities, completely disconnected from each other. Realization of Infinite Gods: Leo came to the realization that if he, as God, is absolutely sovereign, then infinite other gods—each with uppercase 'G' representing their absoluteness—could exist, forever separated and performing their own unique acts. This was a new conceptual frontier for him that contradicted his previous understanding. Paradox of Knowing and Not Knowing Other Gods: Leo grapples with the paradox of being God who is conscious that other gods may exist, yet also aware that he can never actually know or validate their existence due to being locked within his own sovereign consciousness. He describes this understanding as a divine logic intrinsic to God's nature. Attempt to Connect with Another God: Considering himself unlimited, Leo decides to initiate a connection with another absolute sovereign consciousness. He sends out an intention to connect beyond the edges of his consciousness, forming what feels like a telepathic bond where both consciousnesses instantly recognize their awakeness. Experiencing a Telepathic Connection: The connection Leo formed seemed real, and the entity he connected with appeared to be a sovereign consciousness like his own. They shared insights and recognized their limitations in knowing the true nature of the connection due to their respective sovereignties. Ecstatic Realization of Not Knowing: The uncertainty about whether the connection was real or imaginary led both Leo and the other consciousness to a state of ecstatic bliss, accepting the impossibility of knowing anything outside one's own consciousness. This realization felt akin to metaphysical intimacy with God. Compatibility of the Connection with Solipsism: Leo clarifies that the connection with another god does not refute solipsism because any other entity he connects with is ultimately part of his own consciousness. He describes the process as a next level of solipsism, where apparent connections with others deepen solipsism by being absorbed into his own consciousness. Expanding Consciousness: Infinite consciousness operates like a shock wave expanding through space, where any 'other' becomes part of the self upon discovery. The more one awakens, the closer they ride the wave's edge, incorporating everything it touches into itself. Fractal Nature of God: Leo conceives God as an infinite fractal, a series of nested singularities where each 'godhead' encapsulates infinity and layers of gods within. Recognizing oneself as God implies acknowledging an endless number of gods within. The Paradox of Infinite Gods: The multiplicity of gods and their capacity for individual dreams while maintaining their foundational nature as infinity introduces profound paradoxes which are integral features of such awakenings. Telepathic Connection and Collective Dreaming: Leo speculates about sovereign godheads choosing to connect, telepathically merging into a meta godhead which has the potential to dream collectively, akin to players in a shared multiplayer game forsaking some sovereignty for connection and experience. Risk of Losing Sovereignty in a Collective Dream: By limiting their own infinite nature to participate in a collective dream and create a sense of 'other', individual godheads risk forgetting their ultimate sovereignty, possibly leading to a loss of awareness within the shared dream. Hints for Awakening: Awakened individuals can drop hints for others' avatars, acting as guides for the godhead behind the avatar. The recognition of these hints depends upon the level of consciousness and awakening within each individual. Challenge of Recognizing the Divine in Everyone: Leo explains his own challenge in the collective dream to maintain awareness of his true self while recognizing and fostering the divine potential in others, even when they exhibit negative behavior. Seeing Highest Potential in Others: The practical application is to see and assist in actualizing everyone's highest potential, regardless of their present actions or circumstances. This empathetic perspective enriches life markedly but requires substantial awareness and awakening. Assuming Sovereignty and Encouraging Growth: Respecting the inherent sovereignty of every individual leads to a life of empathy and respect. Recognizing everyone as sovereign entities encourages us to treat them with dignity, fostering an environment of growth and flourishing across various avatars. Negative Feelings as Misinterpretation: Experiencing bitterness or depression during awakening may indicate a misconception of one's experiences. Genuine awakening should enhance feelings of love, connection, and peace. Continuous Growth in Awakening: Leo underlines the continuous nature of awakening, advising against complacency and promoting ongoing exploration for new insights and deeper love. Ego's pursuit of sovereignty: Leo discusses how the ego's desire for things like wealth, love, and success is not merely due to selfishness but is a dysfunctional attempt to achieve its true nature as a fragment of God seeking full sovereignty. Understanding ego and conflict: He explains that all conflicts, violence, and oppression occur when one limited identity controlled by ego attempts to dominate another, failing to recognize each other's equal sovereignty as aspects of God. Real sovereignty: Leo's awakening brings the insight that recognizing one's own sovereignty also involves acknowledging the sovereignty of others without diminishing one's own — suggesting true sovereignty means allowing the existence of other sovereign beings. Infinity and abundance: Describing God as a "magic hat" of infinite abundance, he speaks about the infinite potential within each person and the importance of helping others realize they are also part of this limitless source. Finite versus infinite paradigm: Leo contrasts the finite paradigm of scarcity and competition with the infinite paradigm of awakening to the truth of abundant potential, where no one needs to manipulate or harm others. Respecting sovereignty in everyday life: He suggests a practical application of respecting others' sovereignty, which would fundamentally change how one interacts socially and reduce manipulation and conflict. Awakening thought process: Leo clarifies that his elaboration on sovereignty, God, and interrelations is a thought process within his own consciousness, reinforcing his solipsistic view that nothing exists outside his consciousness — this is his dream, and it's all there is. God as a holographic concept: He expands on the idea of God's infinite holography, indicating that even if God is divided into infinite parts, each one fully contains the wholeness of God. Distinguishing this awakening from others: He notes the difference from previous awakenings in the depth of connection and love experienced, illustrating that true solipsism doesn't lead to disconnection but to unity and infinite love. Aloneness versus togetherness in awakening: Leo contrasts the focus on aloneness in solipsism with the potential for togetherness and connection, arguing that recognizing the imagined 'other' as part of oneself leads to deeper relationships than the materialistic worldview allows. Misconception of Materialism: Materialism creates a sense of separation and disconnection that can lead to despair. In contrast, awakening offers the experience of unity and the possibility of metaphysically merging with anything in the universe, which is uplifting rather than nihilistic. Awakening Experience Rooted in Love: The entire process of awakening is described as an evolution of love, with each realization deepening Leo's self-love and expanding his capacity for connection and unity with all forms of life. Solipsism and Deep Connection: This interpretation of solipsism is not isolating but allows for a profound sense of connection and love. Understanding that other beings are part of oneself enables a unity that leads to the highest levels of love—godly and infinite. Teaching Awakening as Natural Progression: Leo now sees more reason to teach awakening, viewing it as a natural action for consciousness to help other consciousness awaken, even if it's all within the solipsistic dream. Solipsism as a Dream: Initially, realizing life as a dream might be disappointing, but fully integrating this insight leads to embracing the illusory nature of reality, which can enhance one's enjoyment and appreciation of the dream-like experience. Integration and Enjoyment of Life: Accepting life's dream-like quality allows one to enjoy experiences like movies or video games more deeply, knowing they are unreal yet appreciating them without feeling deceived. Love and Connection as Solipsistic Realization: Leo stresses that solipsism does not negate connection; Love and connection are realizations that others are part of one's self, dissolving perceived separateness and leading to unity and godly love. Real and Imaginary Connections in Awakening: Leo clarifies that all connections are essentially imaginary since they are connections with oneself, and this recognition is what love truly is—an infinite self-connection dissolving differences. Identifying True Solipsism: A true solipsistic awakening is characterized by an overwhelming sense of love and connection; if one feels negative about solipsistic realizations, these feelings are misinterpretations and an indicator of a shallow level of realization. Practical Connections and Integration: Leo advises seeking profound metaphysical connections, understanding they are imaginary and embracing this fact. Integration of these awakenings involves repeated work and confronting illusions. Emotional Challenges in Awakening: Feeling negative emotions during awakening, such as depression or cynicism, signals a misunderstanding or incomplete integration of insights. Leo recommends examining and adjusting one's spiritual journey accordingly. Awakening Involves Love and Awe: Proper awakening should lead towards love, connection, peace, joy, and amazement at the structure of reality, rather than feelings of hate, loneliness, or fear. If such negative emotions arise, one should re-evaluate their understanding of awakening. Criteria for Genuine Awakening: Leo Gura identifies the signs of genuine spiritual awakening as feelings of love, awe, wonder, wholeness, and connection, accompanied by compassion and forgiveness towards others. He emphasizes that bitterness or negativity suggests one might need to reevaluate their spiritual journey. Navigating Negative States: Leo advises those stuck in negative solipsistic spirals to either take a break and enjoy ordinary life or to introspect and question their beliefs, possibly adjusting their spiritual practices to aim for a deeper and more holistic awakening experience. Doubting One's Awakening: Leo stresses that true awakening leaves no room for doubt as it is characterized by absolute consciousness and truth. If doubts persist, one is encouraged to deepen their spiritual work and to not get attached to any particular ideas or experiences. Psychedelic Path to Awakening: Leo discusses using psychedelics as a tool for awakening and the importance of carefully integrating and questioning these experiences. He advises against getting overly attached to ideas from psychedelic trips and recommends trying to invalidate past awakenings to build a solid understanding. Scientific Approach to Psychedelics and Awakening: Leo draws a parallel between science and the use of psychedelics, outlining that both seek the truth through rigorous testing. He suggests that like in scientific inquiry, one should remain open to challenging and potentially disproving their insights for more profound understanding. Understanding and Facing Fear: Pointing out the potential for self-delusion, Leo emphasizes the need to confront fears during the psychedelic and awakening process. He explains that the truth will withstand skepticism, and understanding replaces fear with love, indicating correct process engagement. Ongoing Nature of Awakening: Leo concludes by highlighting the continuous and evolving nature of awakening, urging individuals to remain open to new insights and experiences, and never to consider themselves "done" with the journey toward deeper truths and love. Confundo

State Of Consciousness Is Everything https://youtu.be/2u5M6tDc5TE State is EVERYTHING Core Pillar of Understanding Consciousness: Leo Gura discusses the central idea of his teachings—that state of consciousness is everything. He insists nothing exists outside of states of consciousness, including all physical objects and experiences, which he asserts are figments within different states of consciousness. Reality as States of Consciousness: The materialistic notion that consciousness is a byproduct of physical objects is challenged. Leo argues that reality consists solely of consciousness, which takes on various states. This view substantially diverges from traditional materialistic paradigms. Infinite Nature of Consciousness: Leo rejects the categorization of states of consciousness, arguing that there are an infinite number of states, which can flow and change fluidly rather than switching on and off like binary states. Introduction to Figments of Consciousness: States of consciousness are made up of 'figments'. Instead of viewing reality as composed of atoms or as a simulation, Leo puts forth the idea that reality is comprised of figments held within consciousness, comparable to elements within a dream. Physical Objects as Figments: Using the example of a Snickers candy bar, Gura argues that objects we perceive in reality are not reducible to atoms or molecular structures but exist wholesomely as figments within consciousness. Consciousness as Absolute and Ungrounded: Leo conveys that consciousness does not require grounding in a physical nervous system, body, neural network, computer simulation, or universe. Instead, consciousness is presented as pure and absolute, containing all experiences within it, including the material universe. Consciousness as the Fabric of Reality: Leo Gura explains that both our idea of the physical universe and the physical universe itself are figments of consciousness. The room you're in and everything within it, including complex entities like Albert Einstein, are not built bottom-up from atoms but are woven figments of consciousness. Inclusivity of the Figment Concept: Various items, concepts, and experiences, ranging from physical objects like gasoline and braces to abstract ideas like Bitcoin and even historical figures like Albert Einstein, are all figments of consciousness. Non-materialistic View of Consciousness: Leo criticizes the materialistic paradigm of reality being constructed from the bottom up, advocating instead that consciousness creates reality in a top-down manner, holding figments within without the necessity for foundational material elements. Complexity and Interconnection in Consciousness: The complexity and interconnection of figments are underscored by the ability of consciousness to infinitely nest and weave together these figments, creating complex constructs like a human being or an entire city. Fundamentality of Figments in Consciousness: Emphasizing the radical shift required to understand consciousness, Leo argues that no figment is more fundamental than another, with reality capable of creating anything, from a mosquito bite to the concept of capitalism, directly as figments of consciousness. Limitlessness of Figment Creation: Consciousness has no boundaries in creating figments, which includes breaking down or magnifying into infinite sub-figments, akin to an endless fractal zoom, demonstrating the concept of infinite consciousness. Direct Experience of Consciousness: Leo encourages direct observation to understand that everything, from used condoms to entire cities and emotions, are figments of consciousness. This approach does not rely on belief systems or scientific verification, but rather direct conscious realization. Relativity of the building blocks of reality: Leo Gura underlines that from the perspective of consciousness, no single 'building block' of reality is more fundamental or plausible than another. An electron and an abstract entity like a pina colada or a joke are all considered equal in complexity as figments of consciousness. Misunderstanding of complexity in figments: He argues that the human notion that some things are more 'natural' for reality to create is a misconception. Complexities of an electron and a pina colada are identical, as both can be infinitely zoomed into and analyzed. This illustrates that from reality's perspective, everything is equally plausible to create. Consciousness as the fundamental fabric: Leo reiterates that attempts to find a non-figment substrate of reality are misguided, since any posited substrate, whether an electron, a string, or the notion of a computer simulation, is ultimately another figment of consciousness. Life as a tapestry of figments: Leo invites the audience to consider their entire lives, including memories, birth, death, and even times of unconsciousness, as a single figment of consciousness woven from strands of smaller figments. Material objects as figments: He emphasizes the exercise of grasping that all material objects, demonstrated through the example of a smartphone, are not made up of matter but are entire pieces of consciousness which are holistic and qualitative. Understanding the infinite nature of figments: Consciousness is described as infinite and scale-invariant, not limited to any specific shape, size, or complexity. The scale is a concept created by comparing various figments within consciousness. The fallacy of seeking concrete reality: Leo challenges the idea that at a fundamental level, reality is concrete or discrete, emphasizing that concreteness itself is a figment of consciousness, and reality could be abstract, vague, or unspecified. Consciousness as irreducible: He demarcates that consciousness cannot be reduced further since it is the ultimate constituent of all figments. Consciousness is defined broadly as infinity, encompassing all possible figments and is equivalent to pure emptiness. Reality as woven figments for sanity: To maintain a coherent sense of sanity, reality is intricately woven together by consciousness using figments from the top down, revealing the challenge of understanding consciousness while retaining sanity. Sanity as a barrier to understanding consciousness: Leo proposes that trying to understand consciousness might require one to risk their 'sanity', given the radical shift in perspective needed to grasp the true nature of consciousness and reality. Reconciliation of Dreamlike and Material Reality: Leo questions why reality feels so solid, contemplating why walls feel tangible if they are figments of consciousness. He suggests that realizing the dreamlike nature of reality might feel like insanity, as it threatens our understanding of physicality and sanity. Sanity and Material Reality: Leo intimates that sanity is intertwined with physical reality; to experience non-physical reality, one might feel insane. The more non-physical reality is perceived, the less physical it seems, challenging our definition of sanity. Fear of Losing Physical Reality: He highlights the fear and confusion that would result from losing a sense of physical reality. The potential to walk through walls or for hands to pass through people might impress upon someone that they're going insane, disrupting their ability to lead a normal life. Survival within the Dream: Leo plays with the idea that our survival and daily functioning depend on the coherence and stability of the dreamlike state into which we are born. Anything that shakes the foundation of this dream creates fear because it threatens our perceived ability to survive. Quest for Normalcy Amidst Unraveling Reality: When faced with inconsistencies in what we perceive as material reality, humans seek to re-establish their baseline state of consciousness. They seek medical help and reassurance to revert back to their previous state, highlighting society's dependence on a coherent, shared sense of reality. Material Reality as a Coherent Dream: The solidity and consistency of material reality are attributed to a coherent collection of figments of consciousness. When this coherence unravels, it induces a sense of insanity and the impulse to restore the original 'dream'. Everything as figments within consciousness: Leo insists that experiences and objects like walls, brains, and even material reality are not outside consciousness but are absolute figments within it. This perspective challenges the traditional view of reality as material and separate from the mind. Understanding Consciousness through Awakening: To truly understand consciousness, Leo suggests that one must awaken to the interconnectedness and fluidity of all figments, unraveling them like yarn in a sweater. This shift allows for the realization that reality is infinitely continuous and made of the same 'yarn' or substance. Mind vs. Material: He distinguishes mind from material, noting that the mind is holistic and top-down, with the capacity for intelligence and sentience. In contrast, the material is limited to its smallest parts and works bottom-up, precluding intelligence. Features of Mind: Mind has distinct capabilities such as creativity, remembrance, forgetfulness, lacks a substrate or ground due to its infinite nature, and possesses will. This sets it apart from material systems, which require a substrate and cannot exhibit will or consciousness. Mind and Matter: The relationship between mind and matter is such that mind can create the illusion of matter, but matter cannot generate mind. Matter, as perceived in reality, is a dumbed-down version of mind designed to appear finite. Material Systems as Infinite: Leo Gura asserts that, upon close examination, finite material systems are actually infinite systems "dumbed down" from the top-down to give the illusion of being limited and finite. Infinite Field of Consciousness: Consciousness can be thought of as an infinite field of infinitely divisible and communicative 'voxels' or pixels that coordinate intelligently from the top-down. This field lacks any smallest resolution unit, shape, or boundary, making every 'voxel' boundlessly dynamic. Concept of voxels: To better illustrate consciousness, Gura uses the term 'voxels' instead of pixels as they can exist in more than three dimensions, are unbounded, and represent an infinitely subdividable field of consciousness. Intelligence in Consciousness: Intelligence is defined as the ability of these infinitely subdivided and coordinated subdivisions of consciousness to communicate and manifest as our physical reality, such as a human hand. Remembrance and Forgetfulness in Consciousness: Consciousness can selectively remember or forget aspects of itself, a capacity material systems cannot emulate. Adjusting the level of remembrance and forgetfulness is akin to the process of awakening. Limits of Conceptual Thinking: Conceptual thinking, modeling, and logic are insufficient to replace or replicate direct states of consciousness. They are constrained within the frame of the current state of consciousness. Hyper Thinking: A higher state of consciousness allows for hyper thinking, which provides a multidimensional and higher bandwidth intelligence that can think and interconnect complex ideas, similar to a highly evolved alien intelligence. Such hyper thinking transcends normal human cognitive abilities. Communication Limitations: Current human discourse and language lack the bandwidth to adequately convey or articulate experiences and concepts from higher states of consciousness. Accessing Higher Intelligence: Gura explains that it is possible for individuals to experience and access the intelligence of a highly evolved, superintelligent entity, which he refers to as hyper thinking. This hyper-intelligent state allows for profoundly advanced cognitive processes beyond the scope of our regular state of consciousness. Hyper Thinking: Leo Gura introduces the concept of "hyper thinking," which transcends normal human thought by combining rationality, logic, mysticism, intuition, and spirituality. This advanced form of thinking helps cut through the constraints of ordinary thought, providing access to deeper spiritual truths that are not reachable through traditional meditation alone. Limitations of Traditional Mindfulness: Gura critiques certain practices like Zen Buddhism which emphasize silencing the mind, suggesting that while these can lead to awakenings, they fall short of achieving the level of understanding possible through hyper thinking. Memory and State of Consciousness: He illustrates the limitations of memory and understanding within our current state of consciousness by comparing it to an HD image reduced to a tiny and simplistic black-and-white version, indicating that profound insights from higher states lose much of their transformative potential when viewed from lower states. Expanding Consciousness Bandwidth: Leo emphasizes the goal of spiritual work is to expand the bandwidth and memory of our consciousness, which is necessary to retain and utilize insights from higher states of consciousness. Parameters Defined by Consciousness: Gura explains that every state of consciousness sets the parameters for what we can think, feel, and perceive as logical or possible. To transcend these limitations, one must expand their state of consciousness. Possibilities in Higher States of Consciousness: He urges us to recognize radically new states of consciousness which are beyond our imaginations and suggests that at the highest states, there are no limitations, leading to "god mode" where nothing is impossible. Changing Consciousness States: The most crucial change one can implement is altering their state of consciousness, both in temporary peaks and permanent baseline changes. While peak experiences offer profound insights, changing the baseline state is essential for lasting transformation. Science and Consciousness: Leo asserts that science, birth, death, skepticism, and even rationality occur within certain states of consciousness, indicating that these elements are relative and not indicative of higher truths. Equivalence of States of Consciousness: He proclaims all states of consciousness have their value and warns that higher states may not be conducive for those wishing to maintain their sanity and engage with human life. Accessing Higher States of Consciousness: Most misunderstandings about spirituality, religion, and reality stem from the inability to access high mystical states of consciousness through traditional intellectual efforts. Misinterpretation of Religious Teachings: Gura laments that society and culture tend to degrade religious teachings due to translating them from higher states of consciousness down to lower levels, making them difficult to grasp fully within an ordinary state of awareness. State of Consciousness and Understanding: Leo highlights the difficulty many people have in making sense of spiritual concepts without accessing higher states of consciousness. They remain confused and lost, hindered by ideologies and models that would collapse if higher states were accessed. Defense Mechanisms Against Higher Consciousness: Gura notes that people have defense mechanisms preventing them from accessing higher states of consciousness, which could lead to the collapse of their current belief systems and the sensation of losing their minds. Importance of Changing Baseline Consciousness: Emphasizes the importance of changing one's baseline state of consciousness, despite the fear, difficulty, and potential danger involved. This change is rare, marking society's ignorance and signifying we're living in a 'dark age'. Isolation in Higher States of Consciousness: Explores the loneliness of reaching higher states of consciousness due to a lack of understanding and connection with others, also noting that at the very highest levels, it feels like there's no one else to validate or share the insights with. Methods to Change State of Consciousness: Lists various methods to change states of consciousness, emphasizing the necessity of deep concentration, prolonged practice, and intensity for significant shifts. Techniques include meditation, yoga, chanting, deep breathing, psychedelics, and extreme experiences. Challenges in Raising Baseline Consciousness: Mentions the challenge of permanently raising one's baseline state of consciousness compared to accessing peak states, stating that raising the baseline requires intensive work. Capabilities from Higher States of Consciousness: Explains that mystics and enlightened individuals may display paranormal abilities due to being in higher states of consciousness, which seem impossible from lower states. Varied States and Awakening: Discusses how each being inhabits a unique state of consciousness, with God being all states but only self-aware from higher or awakened states. Enlightenment can be temporary or permanent with varying degrees. Discrepancies in Spiritual Teachings: Attributes disagreements between spiritual teachings to differences in states of consciousness accessed by their proponents. Challenges the notion that mystical teachings are irrational, suggesting that disbelief indicates lower states of consciousness. Infinite and Unbounded Consciousness: States that consciousness is infinite, unbounded, and the foundation of all realities. It has no origin as concepts of 'where' and 'coming from' are within consciousness, making it eternal and always present. Nature of God in Consciousness: God is not just a figment of consciousness but rather is consciousness itself, encompassing all possible figments and existing at a meta level. Human Identity as a Figment: The biographical, biological self that one identifies with is a figment of consciousness, one of many that we, as manifestations of godly consciousness, dream up. Leo's Evolving Understanding: Despite understanding consciousness at a very high level, Leo acknowledges that his grasp on the nuances, mechanics, and details of consciousness continues to evolve. Challenge in Articulating Consciousness: Leo distinguishes accessing higher states of consciousness from the challenge of articulating, modeling, and explaining them to others. Struggle with Embodiment: Even with his experience of high levels of consciousness, Leo admits that he struggles with embodying these insights in daily life, indicating years of work remain. Awareness of Self-Deception: Leo is highly self-aware regarding the potential for self-deception and stresses the importance of constant self-scrutiny. Responsibility and Teaching Limitations: Leo conveys the responsibility he feels in teaching about consciousness, as well as acknowledging the limitations and biases inherent in his teachings. Imperfection and Growth: He urges listeners to take responsibility for their personal spiritual journey and not to see him or anyone as infallible, emphasizing continuous personal growth and learning. Spirituality as Personal Responsibility: Leo encourages listeners to embrace spirituality as a deeply personal endeavor that cannot be outsourced and to actively engage in their spiritual growth rather than passively accepting teachings. Dissendium

What Does Awakening Feel Like https://youtu.be/fqUJI-NuiJM Defining "Awakening": Awakening is a complex and ineffable state of heightened consciousness, distinct from ordinary experience, that is difficult to convey due to its profound nature and the limitations of language. Personal Variability in Awakening Experience: Individual experiences of awakening can differ greatly due to factors such as neurology, genetics, and personal interpretations; what Leo describes is subjective and may not exactly match another person's experience. Awakening vs Ego Reactions: It's crucial to differentiate between the pure experience of awakening and the ego's reactions to it. These reactions, such as shock or drama, are not the awakening itself, which can be complicated to discern. Awakening vs Mystical Phenomena: Awakenings should not be confused with other mystical phenomena, like seeing angels or religious figures. Awakening pertains to a profound realization of self, rather than merely visionary experiences. The Consciousness Dial Analogy: Leo illustrates the concept of awakening by likening consciousness to a dial that ranges from deep sleep (near zero) to limitless levels of "sobriety". An awakening cranks this dial to an unimaginable degree, often inducing terror due to sheer intensity. Phenomenological Feel of Awakening: Awakening is characterized by an extraordinary lucidity and sharpness of perception, where reality remains physically unchanged but is comprehended in a radically new light. The familiar such as a coffee table, is seen in its 'true' form for the first time. Awakening as Heightened Lucidity: The awakening experience can be described as a profound increase in lucidity, making the entire environment—including inanimate objects—appear crystalline, luminous, and as though viewed in a vacuum. Recontextualization of Matter: Through awakening, what is commonly perceived as matter becomes understood as luminous consciousness itself, with objects taking on an appearance of both solidity and mirage-like qualities. Recontextualization of Physicality: Objects maintain their physical properties like solidity and color but one's perception of them changes; they're understood as mirages within consciousness, with even solidity revealed as another aspect of the mirage. Hyper Presence: An extreme state of presence is achieved that can be unsettling in its intensity, surpassing anything previously known or thought to be possible. Physical Transformed to Spiritual: Matter is reinterpreted as spirit or divinity. Everything one sees—the room, one's body—is recognized as the illuminated mind of God rather than physical substances subject to biological processes. Qualia as Absolute Truth: Experience and sensation, or qualia, are not temporal occurrences but eternal manifestations in the mind of God, leading to the realization that phenomena are not governed by physical laws but are divine, acausal, and instantly manifesting. Realization of God: One has an immediate and profound realization of the reality of God, not as a speculative idea, but as a direct, present, and experiential truth. Identifying as God: Moving beyond the realization that the surroundings are divine, one turns inward to discover that they are not just a part of God but the entirety of God, overcoming a wall of denial and fully embracing this identity. Universe Awakening to Itself: This transition leads to the understanding that the individual is the universe experiencing itself, and that human existence was simply a dream of the universe. Cosmic Self-Perception: One's sense of being a small human within a vast universe is replaced by the realization that they are the cosmos itself, transcending physicality and embodying a metaphysical, universal identity. Infinite Scale: The concept of scale becomes meaningless as one experiences infinite complexity at every level, from the micro to the macro; every part of existence holds the potential for infinite exploration and is a self-contained universe. Existential 'I Am-ness': An existential realization occurs where one identifies as existence itself, with no possibility of non-existence. Transcending Death: Death is either experienced as an ego death and thus a release from an illusory limitation or understood as an impossibility because one's true identity is eternal existence. The Surreality of Awakening: Awakening induces a surreal sense of having "broken" reality, transcending the imagined physical constraints of the brain and mind, leading to profound shifts in perceived reality. Shock and Obviousness of Awakening: The feeling of awakening is so unexpected and shockingly clear that it can induce laughter because what seemed doubtful before now appears as the most obvious truth — that one is the entire universe dreaming up their life. Radical Nature of Realization: The realization that comes with awakening is so radical it defies all definitions of the term, creating a paradigm shift in understanding reality as something far different from prior expectations. Deconstructing Misconceptions: Preconceived notions about awakening fall apart as one recognizes them as mere stories and delusions; what is experienced in awakening is starkly different and far more profound than any previous ideas or expectations. Map versus Territory: During awakening, one's experience reveals the territory of true reality, highlighting how wrong the map — our constructed perceptions and concepts about reality — was in comparison. Realization of Life's Illusion and Perfection: The awakening process uncovers the realization that there never was a separate self and that what was previously considered 'nothing' is actually the rich entirety of life, redefined as both 'nothing' and 'everything.' Oneness and Unity with All: In the state of awakening, one recognizes they are not just connected to everything but are everything, including all people and objects; even memories and the past take on new meaning as constructs contributing to this moment of awakening. Understanding Infinity and Existence: An awakening can lead to the realization of being infinity itself, which brings an overwhelming sense of completeness and deep peace, marking a profound existential shift. Struggle for Definition: The ego's attempt to define the undefinable nature of God or self will fail, leading to the recognition that the essence of reality is an ungraspable mystery. Experiencing Perfect Beauty and Love: The actualization of awakening allows for the realization of one's own infinite beauty and perfection, leading to complete self-acceptance, love, and the melting away of self-judgment. Gradual Process and Multiple Facets of Awakening: Awakening is not a single event but rather a collection of many glimpses and aspects that unfold over years, or even decades, of spiritual work and integration. Highest Levels of Awakening: At the highest levels, physical distinctions collapse as consciousness expands; one becomes a perfectly conscious point that contains everything, transcending form and the known physical universe. Limitations of Conveying Awakening: The experience of awakening cannot be fully conveyed or understood through usual concepts of experiences or states of the brain; it transcends all physical, biological, and scientific processes and is not a product of causality. Misinterpretation of Awakening as an Experience: Mistaking the awakening for a mere 'experience' is a misunderstanding, as it is not a state produced by the brain but the realization of absolute truth, not limited or caused by any natural or mechanical processes. Existential bind of discussing awakening: Leo explains the paradox of discussing awakening: keeping silent about it keeps others unaware, but discussing it can lead to misunderstandings due to the limitations of language, mind, and one's current level of consciousness. Consciousness as a master control knob: Leo emphasizes that to truly understand awakening, one must 'crank' the knob of consciousness to higher levels, as no amount of thinking, logic, or science can help if you are stuck at a lower level of consciousness. Resources for exploring awakening: Leo advises his viewers to read his recommended book list, containing works by experts and masters, to help lend credibility to the seemingly unbelievable nature of awakening. Warning against simplistic teachings of awakening: Leo criticizes certain neo-Advaita teachings that claim awakening is ordinary and non-astounding, arguing that a true experience of awakening is astonishing and rips apart one's reality. The middle ground in spiritual awakening: He highlights the importance of not getting stuck chasing peak experiences or renouncing progress as purely egoic, but rather finding a balance that recognizes the extraordinary depth of awakening. Recognizing incomplete awakenings: Leo warns that many individuals believe they are fully awakened when they haven't fully grasped the depth of reality. He asserts that someone who is truly awakened can instantly recognize when others are not. Awakening versus mystical visions: He differentiates between genuine awakening, which is a profound shift in consciousness and self-realization, and mystical visions or encounters with entities, which he considers tangential to pure awakening. Continuous exploration of awakening: Leo concludes by acknowledging that he is still discovering new facets of awakening and promises to share these insights with his audience in the future. He mentions the facet of 'self-design' as an example of a complex aspect of awakening he has yet to discuss in full. Alohomora

The Social Matrix - How Society Is A Mass Hallucination https://youtu.be/RAqOMGnJ2MQ "Culture is a mass hallucination, and when you step outside the mass hallucination you see it for what it's worth." - Terence Mckenna Concept of the Social Matrix: The social matrix is an intricate web of societal elements and institutions that human minds use to construct reality. People unknowingly participate in this collective construction, mistaking it for objective reality. It shapes deeply rooted beliefs about history, knowledge, and morality. Influence and Selection of Information Sources: Individuals are conditioned from an early age to trust certain information sources without realizing the arbitrary nature of this trust. Reasoning for selecting sources, like media, the Internet, and educational materials, is based on faith rather than objective methods. Questioning of Information Validity: Each source of information is vulnerable to deception and corruption, and those providing information also grew up in a world where knowing which sources to trust was unclear. The circularity of validating information within the web of society reveals the lack of truly independent, unbiased authority. Role of Academia and Wikipedia: Wikipedia, authored potentially by academics, raises the question of the neutrality and the biases of the contributors. The educational system itself, formed by previous generations and governed by school boards influenced by parents, perpetuates potential distortions and subjective ideologies. Intertwined Authority and Validation of Knowledge: The social matrix utilizes a network of authority and cross-validation, often appealing to other parts within the same network. This includes trusting academic institutions, universities, and the credibility accorded by peer-reviewed journals, which heavily influence career paths and professional credibility. Vicious circularity in human epistemology: Leo elucidates the deeply incestuous and self-serving circularity inherent in human knowledge systems, where the judgment of what is considered authoritative reinforces itself through various interconnected academic and information platforms. Trust in academic and information gatekeepers: Leo questions the trust in journal editors, university educators, and other authorities within the academic system, exposing a feedback loop where the trust and authority granted to these figures are based on pre-existing standards that they themselves helped to create. The reinforcing web of information: Elements of knowledge within society, such as Wikipedia, schools, universities, and search engines like Google, are highlighted as part of a web that reinforces and justifies itself in a self-serving manner, creating a collective 'mind' that is susceptible to self-deception. Biases within Google's PageRank algorithm: Leo shares his insight as a former SEO specialist, explaining how Google's PageRank system can perpetuate biases by assigning higher authority to links from universities. This can create a feedback loop where academic biases influence search results, which in turn reaffirm those academic perspectives. Possibility of unseen information due to Google's algorithm: Leo raises concerns about information and perspectives that may never be presented to users because Google's search algorithms prioritize content that is most profitable or popular, not necessarily what is true or comprehensive. Manipulation of Google search results for profit: Leo discusses the manipulation of Google search results for financial gains and the public's general unawareness of such practices, stressing that these manipulations can influence what is considered factual or authoritative. Education and academia's intertwinement with capitalism: The ties between educational institutions, the internet, and the capitalistic economy are discussed, showing how education functions as a business prioritizing endowments, reputation, and authority over the pursuit of truth. Incentives and disincentives to conform within academic systems: Leo highlights the systemic incentives for agreeing with and progressing within educational frameworks, such as good grades, credentials, and eventual employment, contrasting with disincentives to question or challenge the status quo. Flow of authority and credibility in society: The concept of how authority, reputation, and credibility flow through societal institutions is compared to Google's link juice, revealing a longstanding dynamic where certain institutions and individuals are granted more credibility than others, influencing public perception and trust. Role of economy and capitalism in shaping knowledge: The economy plays a significant role in determining what knowledge is disseminated and valued, deeply influencing the educational and research priorities of institutions like universities and their ties with for-profit sectors. Hierarchy of Information Authenticity: Society has developed a hierarchy determining credible and non-credible sources, which influences what information is perceived as authoritative. Business Influence on Research: What gets researched in universities is heavily dependent on available funding. Biases in funding decisions can affect the direction of scientific inquiry. Pharmaceutical Companies and Profit Motivation: Pharmaceutical companies, driven by the need to maximize shareholder profits, fund research favoring patentable drugs over possibly healthier and cheaper natural alternatives. Banking System and Social Constructs: Money acts as a social construct within the matrix, lubricating exchanges between various societal elements and institutions. Wall Street and Flow of Money: Wall Street directs the flow of money within the social matrix, determining which parts of society get resources to grow, similar to how blood flow affects parts of the body. Survival Incentives and System Conformity: Individuals face a strong incentive to conform to societal systems to meet basic survival needs, like paying rent and buying food, post age 18. Society's Collective Survival Mechanism: The social matrix serves as a sophisticated system for collective and individual human survival, but its intricacies are often not fully comprehended by its participants. Scientific Authority and Validation: Science is regarded as a credible authority, but its validation ultimately relies on a chain of trust in authority figures, with most scientists not personally validating the majority of cited studies. Role of Educators and Hierarchical Knowledge Dissemination: Educators and subsequent generations perpetuate the authority of science without necessarily engaging in critical examinations of epistemology or metaphysics. Interpretation and Bias in Historical Knowledge: Our understanding of history is largely constructed from a chain of narratives filled with potential biases, interpretive distortions, and intentional omissions for cultural pride preservation. Social Matrix Cultural Components: Social norms, taboos, and ceremonies reinforce the social matrix, shaping one's aspirations and behavior in the pursuit of climbing the societal hierarchy. Incestuous Nature of Industries: Industry insiders network and shape their fields, leading to an incestuous atmosphere where favors, gossip, and networking have a substantial impact on career trajectories. Influence of the Food Industry on Mind and Health: The food industry, including fast food and supermarkets, is part of the social matrix and significantly impacts mental clarity. The widespread availability of low-quality, toxic food, marketed as healthy or desirable, influences eating habits from a young age, potentially leading to health issues and obstructing clear thinking. Advertising as a Tool of Social Conditioning: Billions are spent on highly targeted marketing campaigns that exploit human fears and desires, significantly shaping beliefs and behaviors. Advertising is not concerned with truth or well-being, but rather with selling products, even at the cost of the consumer's health. Childhood Exposure to Marketing: From an early age, children are exposed to relentless advertising across various media. This shapes their development, instilling consumerist values and desires, potentially leading to a lifetime of conformity to the social matrix. Subconscious Impact of Advertising: Advertising subtly influences our tastes, values, fears, and anxieties, distorting our perception of authentic desires and values. It manipulates perceptions of health and well-being, impacting lifestyle choices without conscious realization. Workplace Conformity and Capitalism: In the professional environment, individuals adopt their employer's worldview to maintain job security. Confronting or contradicting this worldview threatens one's livelihood, illustrating the conformity required for financial survival in the capitalist system. Challenges of Ethical Business Practices: Establishing a "conscious" business while competing against companies that engage in unethical practices (such as lobbying and advertising) is incredibly difficult, revealing the systemic pressure to abandon ethical principles for survival within capitalism. Corruption in Non-Profits and Charities: Non-profit organizations are not immune to corruption and often rely on funding from businesses that use charitable donations to launder their image. This renders even the non-profit sector complicit in reinforcing the social matrix. Bias in Technology Development: The types of technologies developed are influenced by businesses and are intended to be marketable and profitable, rather than healthy, truthful, or consciously beneficial. This technology perpetuates and deepens the social matrix's influence. Government's Role in Maintaining Social Matrix: Government policies, laws, and subsidies play a critical role in upholding the social matrix, contributing to the establishment of societal norms, and demarcating acceptable and unacceptable behaviors or beliefs. Influence of Advertising and Brainwashing: Individuals can develop a fondness for products like Coca-Cola due to sustained advertising, which effectively brainwashes them into loving potentially harmful products, similar to Stockholm syndrome. Role of Government in the Social Matrix: Laws, courts, police, prison, military, taxation, and national identity are all components deeply entrenched within the social matrix, influencing individuals' epistemic worldviews and political beliefs. Whitewashing of National History: National identity is associated with a national history that has often been sanitized and whitewashed, with educational systems promoting uncritical narratives about a country's legacy. Political Influence and Media's Role: Billion-dollar think tanks, political lobbying, and media outlets like Fox News and CNN shape public opinion on various issues, often neglecting deeper epistemological and metaphysical concerns in favor of survival within the social matrix. Pressures of Wealth and Public Image: The struggles of individuals, including financially successful news anchors and billionaires, are tied to their roles within the social matrix. Accumulated wealth comes with its own set of survival-based challenges, perpetuating the matrix. Enforcement of the Social Matrix through Legislation: Governments may pass laws that prevent the questioning or exposing of the social matrix to protect business interests, such as making it illegal to film in slaughterhouses. Survival as a Natural Force within the Social Matrix: Survival is described as a force of nature like gravity, inherent in every human, driving participation in and perpetuation of the social matrix, regardless of social or economic status. Religion and Language as Aspects of the Social Matrix: Religion influences cultural norms and ethics, while language shapes thought processes and ideas, both being powerful but often unquestioned elements of the social matrix. Influence of Close Relationships in Maintaining the Social Matrix: Family, friends, and coworkers actively discourage questioning the social matrix to preserve harmony and stability in relationships, driven by the collective desire for love and approval. Conformity Enforced in Social Gatherings and Gender Norms: Etiquette, fashion, gender roles, and sexuality are dictated by the social matrix, with these norms being reinforced in social gatherings, where deviation from the matrix can lead to exclusion. Healthcare System and Medicine within the Social Matrix: Leo discusses how the healthcare system, including pharmaceuticals and doctors, is a substantial part of the social matrix. He questions where we get our ideas of health and points out that doctors, educated within the social matrix, may unknowingly dispense advice and drugs heavily influenced by pharmaceutical companies' marketing strategies, without engaging in genuine scientific inquiry. Questioning Reality and the Mental Health System: The mental health system, including therapy and psychotherapy, is analyzed as part of the social matrix. He suggests that even professionals in this field derive their understanding of mental health from the social matrix, which might not truly know what is healthy for the human brain. Leo also touches upon the issue that seeking help from mental health professionals, who are entrenched within this system, can result in reinforcing the very illusions that one should be questioning. Interconnected Web of Social Constructs: Leo presents a vivid image of society as a tightly interwoven tapestry of constructs, which reinforces itself and shapes our understanding of reality, morality, values, and other societal ideas. He implies that our entire sense of reality—down to the physics of our existence—is derived from the social matrix, making it challenging to imagine alternatives or question this deeply ingrained system. Transcendence of the Social Matrix: Despite the complexity and ubiquity of the social matrix, Leo contends that it is possible to become conscious of and transcend the matrix through difficulty and strenuous perseverance. He describes the social matrix as limiting our imagination and perceptions, akin to the old practice of foot-binding, which physically deformed and constrained growth. Independent Thinking as a Mechanism to Break Free: Emphasizing the necessity of independent thought from scratch, Leo advocates for thinking methodically, without biases, and from a place of truth and self-honesty. Not taking anything for granted, including foundational beliefs and societal truths, is crucial to escaping the social matrix. Real Skepticism: Leo describes true skepticism as a painful process where one's favored illusions crumble. To him, real skepticism is not about cherry-picking but rather systematically questioning everything, even personal beliefs about our own nature and existence, to avoid getting trapped in the social matrix. Peer pressure and conformity: From an early age, starting in preschool, individuals are subject to peer pressure to conform to societal expectations. This pressure continues throughout schooling and university, internally reinforcing the social matrix. Educational indoctrination and blind acceptance: The educational system, including vocational training, fosters memorization and blind acceptance of information provided by authority figures, such as adults, teachers, and parents, without critical thinking. Linguistic limitations and myths: The language we use contains categories that shape our perception of reality. As children, we accept inadequate explanations, stories, and myths about the world from adults, which helps to establish the basis of the social matrix in our understanding. Need for love and approval: The desire for love and approval is the fundamental hook that enables the social matrix to dominate one's mind. Growing up, if an individual is in a dysfunctional environment, they may accept the dysfunctional values of their surroundings to receive the necessary love and approval for survival. Influence of selected media and entertainment: The books, media, internet content, and art that individuals choose to engage with can exacerbate biases that originate from one's family and education, perpetuating the cycle of conformity. Family obligation and loyalty: Families, friends, and even professional colleagues can exert pressure to remain loyal and not question the norms of the social matrix, with feelings of betrayal arising if one challenges conventional wisdom. Globalized social matrix: Various local social matrices around the world contribute to a larger, now-globalized social matrix, where western internet culture plays a significant role in connecting different societies. Impossibility of complete independence: It is not feasible to live entirely outside the social matrix because individuals are part of a superorganism that relies on society for survival, much like cells within a body or ants in a colony. Hypocrisy and survival: Even as one seeks to transcend the social matrix, necessary participation in society continues—needing food, employment, and engagement in social activities—leading to charges of hypocrisy against those advocating for independence of thought while still involved in the system. Transcendence within the social matrix: Overcoming the social matrix does not mean abandoning society but involves freeing one's mind and developing independent, critical thinking, leading to subtle yet meaningful changes in life. Consequences of clear vision: By striving for clarity of perception and truth, individuals can live in a way that minimizes contributions to societal deception and leads to a more authentic existence. Value of truth and the costs of self-deception: The pursuit of genuine happiness, truth, love, consciousness, and fulfillment may be hindered by the self-deception within the social matrix; recognizing this may drive individuals to seek a life beyond superficial societal rewards. Evolution and improvement of society: The social matrix is not static; human society has made progress over the centuries, evolving from more brutal practices to better standards of living and universal rights, suggesting that the goal may be to continue improving rather than destroying the social construct. Prospect of a collective hive mind: The idea of society as part of evolution's trajectory, leading to a collective hive mind that raises individuals' consciousness rather than diminishing it, implies potential for a society that is selfless, conscious, and loving. Evolutionary Transitions & Human Consciousness: Humanity has experienced multiple evolutionary leaps, and humans might be a part of a forthcoming quantum leap in consciousness. Leo encourages the viewpoint of seeing the self as potentially contributing to this evolutionary process, noting that most humans fail to notice the grand scheme beyond their immediate concerns. Concept of 'Jailbreaking the Mind': Leo refers to the importance of deconstructing the social matrix to free one's mind, emphasizing that individual thinking is deeply influenced by the collective consciousness. This process is essential for understanding the extent of social influence on one's thoughts and beliefs. Discovering versus Being Told: Leo suggests that true discovery requires a personal drive to explore rather than relying on authority figures for answers. He compares the individual journey of understanding to explorers setting out into unknown territories without guarantees of what they will find. The Antithesis of Seeking Easy Answers: This endeavor to understand reality requires abandoning the expectation of easy answers and instead following principles and intuitions. Leo positions this approach as critical for transcending the social matrix and reaching a deeper comprehension of existence. Intuition and Principles as Powerful Tools: Leo emphasizes the inherent value of aligning with principles like the pursuit of truth, independent thinking, questioning, epistemology, metaphysics, and radical open-mindedness. He finds it baffling when people do not recognize the inherent value of these principles. Improvisation and Living Beyond Survival: To live a fulfilling life, Leo believes in improvising based on core principles and intuitions, rather than meticulously planning every detail. He suggests letting life unfold and trusting in these principles without overmanaging one's trajectory. Understanding Profound Self-Deception: Leo indicates that the social matrix inhibits self-reflection by limiting perspectives that challenge our self-deceptions. He proposes that our reliance on mutual validation perpetuates our collective illusions. Unique Epistemic Position of Human Civilization: Humanity's lack of contact with more advanced intelligent species leaves us in a dangerous epistemic position—prone to collective delusion with no external corrective perspective, stressing the importance of caring about truth to avoid self-deception. Oneness and Sovereignty of Consciousness: Leo discusses the sovereignty of consciousness and reality, which are self-constructed and can become trapped in fantasies due to their oneness. He points out the paradox that one cannot seek external validation for self-understanding within the concept of oneness. Questioning and the Problem of Epistemology: Leo presents the fundamental problem of not knowing who or what to trust for answers, underlining the necessity of independent questioning and contemplation to discern what is true instead of accepting superficial answers or deferring to authorities. Connection Between Truth and Selflessness: Insight into the nature of truth requires overcoming personal biases and attachments. Leo states that selfishness can be the biggest barrier to realizing the truth because personal interests can distort one's perception of reality. Self as the Obstacle to Overcoming Self-Deception: Leo argues it's not external forces that keep us from understanding truth but our own selves. He encourages self-examination of personal biases and inclinations as the key to navigating out of delusion. Skepticism Towards Conspiracy Theories: Leo explains his skepticism towards conspiracy theories, implying that the only significant 'conspiracy' is the insidious personal and collective self-deception inherent in the social matrix and that focusing on external theories might distract from addressing this core issue. Conspiracy Theories and the Social Matrix: Leo criticizes mainstream conspiracy theories, emphasizing that the only significant conspiracy is the social matrix— the pervasive conspiracy of selfishness and egotism distorting human perception since civilization began. Distractions in Seeking Truth: As one questions society and reality, numerous avenues can distract from the essential truths. Leo advises focusing on what matters most, as finite time and energy necessitate prioritizing significant issues over trivial ones. Emphasis on Understanding the Big Picture: Leo values grasping the big picture over getting lost in minutiae. He believes that a broad understanding can prevent delusion, even if some details are mistaken or overlooked. Importance of Correct Epistemology: Stressing the significance of epistemology, Leo argues that if one's approach to knowing is flawed, all subsequent knowledge will be corrupted. Therefore, it is imperative to correct one's epistemological understanding to achieve genuine knowledge. Actionable Response to Realization: Realizing the importance of epistemology compels one to act, not just acknowledge it intellectually. Actions include reading, studying, and independent contemplation to pursue deeper understanding. Validity and Clarification of Teachings: Leo's teachings aim to present possibilities, not to be accepted blindly. It is up to the individual to validate what is taught and to utilize the capability of the mind to clarify itself if used correctly. Desire for Truth as the Guide to Knowledge: A strong desire and intent for truth can lead the mind to clarify itself. However, brutal self-honesty and questioning personal biases are necessary to overcome self-deception. Understanding Selfishness in Pursuit of Truth: Realizing one's own biases and selfishness is challenging but crucial. Acknowledging the ugliness within is essential for genuine self-examination and pursuit of truth. Actualized.org as a Resource: Leo introduces actualized.org, offering resources such as a book list, courses, and a blog to aid in the journey of escaping the social matrix and achieving self-improvement. Techniques for Escaping the Social Matrix: Key techniques include developing introspection, contemplative practices, meditation, mindfulness, and psychedelic experiences, all of which are discussed in Leo's other episodes. Thinking Correctly and Intelligently: Leo points out that even those who consider themselves spiritually awakened often lack the skill to think correctly. He emphasizes the importance of learning to use the mind effectively and consciously. Connection Between Theory and Action: Leo insists on the importance of linking theoretical knowledge with practical action to avoid the pitfalls of nihilism and skepticism, which can result in unproductive mental paralysis. Constructive Approach to Life: Leo clarifies that he advocates deconstruction not as an end in itself, but as a means to pave the way for conscious, constructive efforts in building society, businesses, families, or governments. Accio

Relative vs Absolute Truth https://youtu.be/Vr69GZikub0 "The truth is not the truth." - Rudy Giuliani Distinction Between Relative and Absolute Truth: Leo emphasizes the importance of understanding the distinction between relative and absolute truth. Failure to do so leads to conflations and traps that he addresses later in the episode. This episode aims to open the listener's mind to the possibility that absolute truth exists and that one can personally access it. Cultural Influences on Belief in Absolute Truth: He notes that the prevalence of relativism and materialism in the 21st-century culture casts doubt on the existence and accessibility of absolute truth. Most people believe that if absolute truth exists, it's beyond human reach due to our limited perceptions and the vast unknown beyond our senses. Opening the Mind to Absolute Truth: Leo challenges listeners to honestly assess their beliefs about absolute truth and consider whether they are truly open to its existence and their ability to access it. He urges an openness to the radical possibility that one can know reality as a whole, absolutely and without error, under all circumstances. Nature of Relative Truth: Leo discusses the nature of relative truth, pointing out that most human "truths" are relative—it is situated within a context and relies on comparisons. He uses everyday examples like the color of the sky and velocity to illustrate relativity, showing how context, perspective, and frames of reference influence what people consider to be true. Einstein's Relativity and Human Perception: Highlighting Einstein’s theories on relativity, Leo explains that there's no such thing as absolute velocity, emphasizing that even seemingly still objects are moving at high speeds relative to other cosmic bodies. He suggests that human perception is commonly based within an Earth-bound frame, obscuring broader relativistic realities. Understanding Large and Small as Relative Concepts: Leo elaborates on how scale, like being large or small, is a relative concept dependent on comparison. He explains that without comparison, one cannot say for certain if the universe or anything else is objectively big or small. Reality, as one unified whole, cannot be measured or described by those terms when not compared to something else. Invitation to Explore Absolute Truth: Leo acknowledges potential skepticism and invites listeners to be open to exploring absolute truth. He differentiates between the intellectual understanding of these concepts and truly opening ones mind to them. He also explains that absolute truth, unlike relative truth, which requires validation, is self-evident because its existence is non-dual and doesn't require external verification. Conceptual Scale and Relativity: Leo discusses the idea that concepts like 'big' and 'small' are relative and cannot be ascribed to objects like mice or elephants without a point of reference. When compared to each other, scale becomes apparent, but if isolated, a mouse and an elephant are of the same scale—scale itself does not exist besides as a relative concept. Constructing Units of Measurement: Measurement units are human-made divisions that allow comparison, exemplified by inches on a yardstick. These divisions let us quantify and compare heights, lengths, and velocities, but their truth is contingent on consensus and methodologies in measuring, interpreting, and the language used. Relative Nature of Velocity: Velocity's relativity is linked to its formula—distance over time—with distance and time being relative concepts themselves. Distance depends on artificial subdivisions, such as yardstick inches, and time, as Einstein cleverly defined, is what a clock measures—another subdivision and relative concept. Truth and Its Dependence on Agreed Framework: The acceptance of any measurement or scientific truth depends on a universally agreed framework of units and interpretations. Any change in this framework can alter the perceived truth, revealing the fragility and relativity of these 'truths'. Time and Relative Truth: While delving deeper into the nature of time is reserved for another discussion, Leo acknowledges the complexity of defining time and points out the artfulness of Einstein's definition, which circumvents metaphysical inquiry by focusing on time as a quantifiable measure without addressing its essence. Foundational Issue in Science: A fundamental issue in scientific methodology is the reliance on measuring differences within predefined units without understanding the intrinsic nature of those units—scientists can measure and compare but cannot explain what a meter, joule, or atom fundamentally is. Reality in Parts and Whole in Science: Science's approach to truth involves dividing reality and comparing those divisions, but this only yields relative truths. Cultural truths, moral norms, and societal rules are derived from the comparison of divided parts of reality and also fall into the category of relative truth. Contrast between Relative and Absolute Truth: Absolute truth exists as a non-dual concept, inherently different from and preceding the subdivisions of relative truth. It is singular and incomparable. Understanding absolute truth entails acknowledging a domain where conventional questions and comparisons are inadequate because they transform an absolute into a relative. Inevitable Mind's Conversion from Absolute to Relative: People convert absolute truth into relative by asking dualistic questions that originate from a misunderstanding of non-dual truth. Leo encourages openness to an absolute domain of truth that operates differently and where such relative questions and assumptions are not applicable. Direct Access and Non-duality of Absolute Truth: Leo invites listeners to consider that there is no veil of perception between humans and absolute truth. By suggesting that appearances and experiences themselves are aspects of absolute truth, he challenges the paradigm that perceives a separation and encourages direct access to absolute truth. Practice vs Speculation: Leo urges active engagement in opening one's mind to absolute truth, differentiating it from passive contemplation or armchair philosophy. He asserts that only through action can a genuine shift occur. Dealing with Skepticism: He anticipates skepticism about absolute truth being a hallucination or self-deception, stressing that skeptics have not genuinely considered the possibility of absolute truth. Absolute Truth as Singular and Indubitable: Leo posits that the idea of something being so true that it's incapable of error or delusion is central to understanding absolute truth. He challenges listeners to genuinely contemplate if they accept this radical idea. Closed Mindset Conundrum: Leo addresses the closed-mindedness that prevents acceptance of absolute truth, suggesting that it's an impediment to deeper understanding. He criticizes the scientific skepticism that outright dismisses the possibility of absolute truth without thorough exploration. Epistemological Challenge: He explores the paradox of knowing something is absolutely true, challenging the traditional demand for external validation, which doesn't apply to the non-dual domain of absolute truth. Non-dual Domain and Validation: Leo emphasizes that in the non-dual domain, the search for external validation is moot, as the truth is self-validating due to its singular nature. Self-Validation of Existence: He invites viewers to become aware of their existence as an example of absolute truth, which does not need external validation because it confirms itself through the act of its existence. Existence as Sovereignty: Leo highlights personal existence as the manifestation of absolute truth, underlining the sovereignty of individual existence and consciousness in determining what is true. Depth of Self-Deception and Receptiveness to Truth: He suggests that the real deception lies in doubting absolute truth and not in the fallacious confirmation of its existence. Leo encourages listeners to be open to the possibility that reality is truth itself, not an illusion. Piercing Through the Veils of Deception: Leo Gura challenges listeners to open their minds to the idea that they, personally, can pierce through every single veil of deception to reach the rock-bottom truth of reality. He proposes that this can be achieved without fallibility as absolute truth excludes doubt, error, delusion, or misunderstandings typically found in relative truth. Singular Validation of Absolute Truth: Leo explains that absolute truth cannot be validated by anyone other than oneself, much like one's own existence. No external authority, whether scientist, parent, or spiritual guru, can affirm one's existence; it is a direct, unmediated knowing. Existence as Validation: He emphasizes that existence itself operates as the validation of its own reality. This self-recognition is what makes reality possible; without it, existence cannot be known. Reality's existence is an example of absolute truth because it is self-validating and needs no external reference point. The Natural Absurdity of Proving Existence: Leo outlines the circular logic and absurdity in attempting to prove existence through any process or experiment, as any such method already assumes the existence it seeks to validate. Existent Nature of Absolute Truth: He discusses the oneness of reality, which is the essence of absolute truth. This oneness means there are not multiple kinds of truth within the absolute domain—only absolute truth. The Illusion of the Relative Domain: Leo posits that the relative domain operates under the illusion of dichotomies like absolute versus relative truth, which is not present in the absolute domain. Here, he stresses that all storytelling and interpretation by the mind are part of the absolute, but misconstrued due to a lack of consciousness. The Existential Responsibility of Accepting Absolute Truth: He discusses the profound existential responsibility that comes with recognizing one's sovereignty as a creator of reality. Leo explains that the fear of this responsibility can lead to an avoidance of accepting that one's imagination can shape what is perceived as truth. Rejecting Self-Deception: Leo debates the idea of self-deception and insists that direct consciousness of the absolute truth cannot be a product of self-deception. He also confronts the materialist misconception that experiences attributed to absolute truth might be mere illusions or brain-generated phenomena. Absolute Truth Manifested: The session closes with a compelling call to acknowledge that reality as it stands is the manifest form of absolute truth. Leo invites listeners to embrace the radical possibility that there are no hidden layers to reality and to understand that reality is precisely what it appears to be. Constructing Reality with Belief: Leo discusses how belief systems shape reality. He uses the example of identity, explaining that if society reinforced the idea of being an alien instead of human during growth, a person would believe that. The belief in being human has been ingrained in us through constant social reinforcement and imagination. Experiencing and Dismissing Absolute Truth: Leo warns about the risk of dismissing encounters with absolute truth as hallucinations or trips, following intense experiences like meditation or psychedelics. After the high of such experiences wears off, there's a tendency to rationalize them as mere illusions, preventing deeper understanding. Claiming Sovereignty over Reality: Leo emphasizes the importance of embracing one's authority and responsibility to construct reality. Actualizing absolute truth entails understanding that validating one's experience and existence depends solely on oneself, not on external affirmation. Potential for Delusion: He acknowledges the risk of delusion when one misinterprets their understanding of absolute truth, which could lead to harmful behavior. Leo counters this by arguing that delusional and destructive behaviors exist even within the current materialistic paradigm. Absolute Truth is Beyond Thought and Imagination: Leo elucidates the paradox of absolute truth: it's neither the thoughts nor the imaginations about it, yet everything one thinks and imagines is also part of it. This complex paradox is hard for the mind to interpret because bringing the absolute into the relative domain, such as through language, is inherently flawed. Differentiating Concepts of Absolute Truth: Leo differentiates 'absolute' as a concept (lowercase a) from the 'Absolute' (uppercase A), which is beyond verbal expression. The latter signifies the ineffable reality, while the former is merely our understanding or idea of it. Cognition Levels and Pre-Trans Fallacy: He explains the cognitive stages: pre-rational, rational (including scientific understanding), and trans-rational stages of understanding absolute truth. He warns against the pre-trans fallacy, where the trans-rational is misinterpreted as pre-rational dogma. Conceptual Truth vs. Being Truth: Leo makes a clear distinction between relative, conceptual truth (lego castle) built from language, logic, or thought, and absolute, being truth (lego blocks). Absolute truth exists as the foundation, while relative truths are secondary, constructed forms. Importance of Validating Individual Experience: Rather than seeking external validation, Leo stresses that people must determine the truth for themselves. He advises listeners to base their beliefs on personal experiences of being and existence. Human Validation of Absolute Truth: Leo Gura explains that absolute truth, which predates human existence, cannot be validated by any human construct. This is fundamental common sense, but is often overlooked because people hesitate to deeply consider its implications. Qualia as Substratum of Reality: Leo elaborates that the building blocks of reality are not atoms but qualia, such as colors, sounds, feelings, emotions, tastes, smells, and thoughts. These sense perceptions form the substratum of reality, contrasting with scientific conventions which suggest that reality is composed of atoms. Relative Truth and Fiction: Using Sherlock Holmes as a metaphor, Leo illustrates that while the character's universe contains facts that seem true relative to the author's narrative, they don't make the fictional elements real. Similarly, science operates within our experienced reality, making factual statements based on observation, which works relatively but doesn't address the actual reality of what's studied. Absolute Truth in Fiction: Despite the relative truths within fictional narratives like Sherlock Holmes, the act of imagining and creating the story, and the physical book it's written on, is rooted in absolute truth as it exists within consciousness. Intertwining of Absolute and Relative: Leo asserts that absolute and relative truths are not in opposition but deeply intertwined, manifesting as a cohesive whole. He emphasizes that understanding both simultaneously is challenging due to their complete overlapping. Common Conflations Between Absolute and Relative: Leo identifies common misconceptions that occur when lessons from absolute or relative domains are mistakenly applied to the other. For example, acknowledging that "nothing is good or bad" from an absolute perspective doesn't justify stealing in the relative perspective of societal norms. Misuse of Absolute Truths by the Ego: He warns that the ego often distorts absolute truths for survival purposes upon glimpsing the absolute, leading to practical or moral errors in the relative domain. Relative Domain Challenges: Leo reflects on the problem of conflation where someone might misinterpret the statement "reality is a hallucination" to believe they can physically walk through walls, not recognizing that hallucination itself is a facet of the relative domain. Survival and the Relative Domain: He discusses the necessity of understanding and addressing relative truths for survival purposes, like the need to earn money and maintain physical health, even if one recognizes the existence of absolute truth. Monetary Considerations in Spiritual Teachings: Leo explains that he charges for teachings to fulfill basic survival needs like food and shelter, which cannot be obtained through the concept of enlightenment but require tangible currency. Misinterpretation of Spiritual Teachings and Religion: There's a clear distinction between the absolute truth Leo discusses and religious dogma. Merely using words like 'God' or 'Absolute' does not endorse any specific religion or belief system; misunderstandings arise when these concepts are misconstrued to validate pre-existing beliefs. Misuse of Absolute Truth in Personal Justification: Leo discusses the dangers of applying absolute truth to justify unethical behaviors. For example, dismissing cheating as a 'social construct' or harmful actions by claiming an inflated sense of love. This conflates absolute and relative truths and is often rationalized by the ego. Relative Truth and Physical Health: Leo explains that dismissing the reality of the human brain because it's 'imaginary' from an absolute perspective could lead to disregarding one's health. Drinking poisonous substances like mercury still leads to concrete health consequences in the relative domain. The Problem with Elevating Every Concept to Love: Leo mentions the folly of justifying unhealthy behaviors, like overeating junk food, with the statement that everything, including junk food, is love. This is a misapplication of absolute truth which ignores practical health implications in the relative domain. Misunderstanding No Path to Awakening: Newbies might wrongly interpret the statement "there is no path to awakening" as an excuse to avoid practices like meditation or self-inquiry, potentially thwarting any chance of actual awakening. Absolute Truth and Relative Suffering: While at the absolute level, suffering is not a concern, Leo emphasizes that in the relative domain, relieving suffering is vital as it can have direct repercussions on oneself and others. Neo-Advaita Teacher's Inability to Meet Students' Needs: He critiques teachers who overly dismiss the relative domain as they fail to provide practical, relative advice to students who are not operating from the same level of consciousness. Understanding 'Death is Imaginary' Misinterpretations: Some might misinterpret the absolute notion that 'death is imaginary' as an invitation to end their lives, not recognizing the need to maintain survival and experiences in the relative domain. Awakening Does Not Exempt Illness: Leo acknowledges that even an enlightened person can get sick or suffer genetic disorders, as the nature of 'God' or 'Absolute' includes both health and disease. Realizing one's divinity doesn't miraculously cure illnesses but entails accepting and dealing with them pragmatically. Past and Birth from Relative Perspective: Leo Gura clarifies that although from an absolute perspective birth is imaginary, he discusses his past and family from a relative, culturally co-imagined consensus for practical purposes. Conflations and Misunderstandings of Absolute and Relative Truth: Newcomers to absolute truth and even awakened teachers could fall into conflating absolute and relative perspectives, leading to misunderstandings and unhealthy dismissals of the relative domain which can impact survival and communication. Applying Absolute Truth in Survival Contexts: Leo warns against using absolute truth to justify personal gain, as the ego manipulates both absolutism and relativism for its own ends. Relative truth, while not ultimately true, is essential for survival and everyday life, and is treated as absolute by most people who are not aware of the actual absolute truth. Relative Importance of Survival: Survival in the relative domain is critical, and regardless of one's level of enlightenment, the finite human form requires attention to physical needs such as food, water, and health. Leo warns against the dismissal of relative truths, which are vital for day-to-day living. Absolute Truth and Practicality: Leo notes the ultimate problem with absolute truth is its enormity, making it impractical for daily use in survival, where humans must construct smaller, manageable truths to manipulate their immediate realities. Absolute vs. Relative Truth in Life Satisfaction: Leo suggests that a smaller, localized existence might lead to dissatisfaction, prompting the search for a more expansive life that inches closer to an understanding of absolute truth. Enlightenment and Maslow's Hierarchy: From the absolute perspective, basic human needs and desires are irrelevant, but from the relative perspective, they are significant obstacles to awakening. Leo advises satisfying these needs first, making it easier to transcend them later. Significance of Accessing Absolute Truth: Encountering absolute truth recontextualizes one's life, eliminates fear and suffering, and acts as the ultimate source of true happiness, answering life's critical questions and offering unparalleled beauty. Role of External Validation: Leo encourages using a variety of spiritual resources to corroborate and gain confidence in the concepts presented, emphasizing the significance of personal experience in actualizing spiritual teachings. Actualized.org as a Modern Religion: Leo describes Actualized.org as a modern, sophisticated approach to religion with minimal corruption, aiming to aid individuals on their spiritual journey through various resources and courses. Independence and Critical Thinking: He urges his audience to think independently and not to blindly follow spiritual teachers, stressing the importance of personally verifying and experiencing teachings to realize their truth. Flagrate

I’ve had plenty of moments in discussions of peeling back some layers of insight for people to see awakened consciousness more clearly. The issue is that it takes a lot more than occasional glimpses in conversation for awakening to stick in a lasting way. This part, the most important part of the equation, is up to the person themselves to do the work. And I’ve only had success in helping with these glimpses with people who have already been doing the work themselves. Someone who is only interested in enlightenment in a cursory way will usually not even be interested enough in real awakening talk for it to go deep enough to take traction. It looks like in most cases someone will have had to clear the crust from their own eyes and opened them slightly before you can predictably assist in opening their ability to see any wider.

What Is Goodness - Good & Morality Fully Explained https://youtu.be/3Z4D-gBLT-Y "If good happens, good; if bad happens, good." - Stephen Mitchell The Tao Te Ching Lack of formal education on goodness: Despite extensive education and expert advice, Leo points out that most people have never been given a clear explanation of what goodness is. This absence is prevalent even in many spiritual teachings, where the concept of absolute good is seldom addressed. Absolute Goodness: Leo emphasizes that goodness is not just a human attribute or a relative concept, but an absolute one. He distinguishes between relative good and bad, which are human judgments, and absolute good, which can be directly experienced through expanded consciousness. Materialistic scientific paradigm's limitation: The scientific paradigm assumes reality is neutral and that any notion of absolute goodness is non-scientific. Leo challenges this assumption, proposing that reality is not merely neutral; it is the embodiment of absolute good. Consciousness and Goodness: Leo asserts that consciousness itself is goodness, and that realizing the full, absolute state of goodness requires infinite consciousness. This suggests that what we perceive as bad is merely a projection onto reality due to our biases and limited perspective. Creation of Reality and Goodness: Leo puts forth the idea that in a universe created by an entity with unlimited power, the highest good would allow infinite beings to realize the infinite goodness of consciousness. He claims that our current reality is this very embodiment of absolute good. Goodness as its own reward: According to Leo, goodness holds the unique position of being its own reward and goal, unlike other things like money that can be used for various ends. He presents the universe as a manifestation of this principle, where goodness is the point of reality itself. Human Misconceptions of Goodness: Human beings, having limited consciousness, often misjudge the universe as flawed due to personal biases and a narrow definition of goodness that fails to consider the infinite and selfless nature of reality. Goodness, Neutrality, and God's Creation: Leo revisits the concept that the universe, being created by God, is absolutely good by nature and that any perception of unfairness or evil is a result of human bias and limited consciousness. Achieving Godlike Goodness: The journey to living by Godlike goodness is difficult and fraught with traps such as adopting a false persona of selflessness. Leo concludes that becoming more conscious and experiencing absolute goodness directly are essential steps to genuine improvement and aligning with the selfless nature of the universe. Infinite perception and the illusion of evil: Goodness requires an infinite perspective to understand how every piece fits into the whole. Isolated local events may appear negative, but when viewed from a broader context, their role in the ultimate goodness becomes clear. Thus, the concept of evil dissolves as a mere perception problem, not an objective reality of the universe. God's existential dilemma and the nature of goodness: God is infinite goodness and desires for beings to realize their own infinite goodness. However, goodness cannot be coerced; it must be chosen freely. Coercion would negate the authenticity of goodness, making it a matter of self-preservation rather than selflessness. Conscious choice in being good: The essence of true goodness lies in its voluntary nature. It is about choosing to be good for the joy of goodness alone, without any higher priority or ulterior motive. This aligns with the nature of God, who is the embodiment of self-justifying, self-reinforcing goodness with no need for anything external. Goodness as a self-sufficient end: Goodness is self-reinforcing and tautological. Once conscious of this, one realizes that only goodness can exist, as it is a foundational structure of reality and God. Infinity and goodness are identical, meaning nothing can exist outside or prior to infinity—and goodness, by extension. God's infinite neutrality and embrace of existence: God's consciousness is pure, unbiased, and perfectly neutral. It embraces every possible form of existence, recognizing all as parts of itself. The ego mind misunderstands this, imagining God as a selective creator, whereas God allows all forms to arise without judgment. Overcoming the problem of evil through consciousness: The problem of evil is not solved by eliminating "evil" experiences but by understanding and embracing them with consciousness and love. Evil is not an inherent attribute of reality but a consequence of limited consciousness and personal biases. Misconception of goodness and personal hurt: Our perceptions of good and evil are influenced by personal hurts and self-preservation instincts. Overcoming this requires understanding the absolute good, which can be challenging for those who have personally suffered or have deeply ingrained biases. Self-bias as a barrier to perceiving absolute good: A lack of awareness of one's own self-bias impedes the ability to see reality clearly. To comprehend the absolute good, one must take the notion of self-bias seriously and work towards eliminating it. Influence of self bias on perception of absolute good: Our capacity to understand and accept absolute good is significantly hindered by self biases, including the fundamental desire to stay alive. This self-centered perspective warps our entire view of reality, giving rise to various problems and obstructing the realization of absolute good. God's infinite goodness and neutrality: Leo asserts that God represents infinite goodness due to infinite selflessness, suggesting that the universe's absolute neutrality, as seen by scientists, is not wholly grasped until it is recognized as absolute good. To awakened individuals, neutrality feels like overwhelming goodness rather than mere indifference. Conundrum of God's potential for evil: The question of why an all-powerful God doesn't choose to be evil is addressed. Leo argues that since God created all, including moral rules, these rules cannot bind God. God is not evil simply because, as the infinite entity, it has nothing to gain from selfishness and therefore has no motive to be evil. Stages of moral development: Morality evolves through stages of human development, from rules enforced by punishment and reward in childhood to socially enforced conformity, ultimately moving towards a principled approach that appreciates the relativity and multiplicity of perspectives. Concept of transcendent morality: Transcendent morality is described as a morality that transcends societal norms and doesn't judge others based on a lower level of consciousness. This higher-order morality sees the goodness in all beings, irrespective of their actions, which can be misinterpreted as unethical by those with less developed consciousness. Relativity of goodness: Leo explains that true goodness does not adhere to fixed judgments and must be expressed from a broad, balanced perspective understanding the relative nature of all viewpoints, aligned with what benefits the entirety of the universe, not just the self or immediate group. Concept of the Good Life: Living a good life, according to Leo Gura, means realizing absolute good and endeavoring to embody it, effectively becoming godlike or God. This transformation is the core measure of how good one's life is, based on how close they come to embodying God. Realization and Embodiment of Absolute Goodness: Realizing absolute goodness is critical before working to embody it, as mere ideology isn't enough. This realization must come through direct consciousness of absolute good as a guiding principle for life, beyond any rewards like money or pleasures. Impulse to Be Good: People inherently have an impulse to be good, which is the essence of God moving through them. This impulse can be obscured by the pragmatic demands of survival, leading individuals to lose touch with their true purpose, which is the manifestation of goodness. Practical Aspect of Goodness: Leo Gura highlights the practicality of reaching down to one's innate impulse to be good and building a life around it, despite it being one of life's most challenging pursuits. This involves facing one's fears and conquering them with love, realigning one's life to be congruent with the impulse to be good. Godlike Qualities: The qualities of being godlike or good include truth, honesty, integrity, concern for all, working for the benefit of others, selflessness, non-judgement, consciousness, recognition of beauty, forgiveness, and balance, among others. People who embody these qualities are seen as exceptional and inspirational. Transitioning to a Life Aligned with Goodness: Leo Gura discusses the daunting yet fulfilling journey of transitioning from a life not aligned with goodness to one that is. This often requires confronting fear, making tough decisions, and potentially changing one's career to align more closely with their impulse to be good. Absolute Goodness as the Ultimate Nature of Reality: According to Leo, reality is structured such that every point in the universe, irrespective of the route or duration it takes, will ultimately converge into absolute goodness. This concept reflects the Self-creating nature of God as inherently good. The Challenge of Overcoming Selfishness: Leo notes that becoming truly good, or godlike, is extremely difficult, as it requires surrendering oneself—a profound challenge due to the powerful instinct for survival honed over billions of years of evolution. The Invisibility of God as a Necessity for Infinite Good: He explains that God must be invisible; if God were visible and had a form, it would introduce limitations and selfishness, thus contradicting the nature of absolute goodness. Visibility entails limits, which equates to evil in this context. Dangers of Egoic Selflessness: Leo cautions against adopting a facade of selflessness as part of one's ego, differentiating between the genuine selflessness that comes from increased consciousness and merely pretending to be selfless. Trap of Self-Sacrifice and People Pleasing: He highlights a trap of self-sacrifice where people, especially women, wear themselves out by continually giving without receiving in return. True self-sacrifice involves confronting fear and not tolerating abuse. Understanding and Being Good Are Different: Leo admits that comprehending 'goodness' conceptually is one thing, but truly living in alignment with that understanding is another, more challenging matter. Goodness and Love as Similar Facets of Awakening: He clarifies that goodness and love are similar aspects of awakening that unify into a single concept at higher consciousness levels, although they may appear as distinct at lower levels of awareness. Truth, Consciousness, and Understanding Relativity Are Essential for Goodness: Finally, he asserts that truth, consciousness, and a deep understanding of relativity are critical for being truly good, pointing out that without these elements, one cannot be genuinely aligned with goodness. Emulating God's Neutrality: To be a truly good judge, one must not hold biases and must view every situation as neutral, as God does, who is not attached to any situation and views things in impartiality. Concern for the Whole: To achieve genuine goodness, one must have concern for the totality of creation, not just for a specific group or nation. Preferring the welfare of one over another leads to evil, as God's concern is universal, encompassing all life and matter in the universe. Non-Judgment: Non-judgment is critical for true goodness. Recognizing that he himself has not entirely overcome judgment, Leo emphasizes that one must first understand how to be non-judgmental and bias-free, which is a prerequisite to embodying godlike qualities. Godlike Goodness Is a Challenge: Leo underlines the difficulty of living a life characterized by godlike goodness. Understanding goodness is easier than embodying it, and falling short may lead to feelings of guilt, depression, and neuroticism about one's conduct. Committing to the Highest Goodness: Leo advises committing to and embodying the highest form of goodness in life, which may require taking challenging actions that people often avoid due to discomfort or attachment to their current way of life. Avoiding Traps on the Path to Goodness: On the path to godlike goodness, numerous traps such as neurotic behavior over failing to meet standards must be avoided. Devotion to embodying goodness takes precedence over distractions. Balancing Practical Action with Philosophical Wisdom: Leo acknowledges his teachings may appear too abstract to some and assures that while he will continue to delve deep into philosophical wisdom, he will also be offering more practical, success-based content in the future. The goal is to find and follow a path that works uniquely for each individual. Avifors

Outrageous Experiments In Consciousness - 30 Awakenings In 30 Days https://youtu.be/mnn0IU0-atg Return from Retreat: Leo came back from his month-long psychedelic retreat, full of profound experiences that were difficult to communicate due to their depth and paradigm-shifting nature, which necessitated a period of integration. Experiments in Consciousness: He undertook 30 days of isolation, using daily doses of 5-MeO-DMT to push the boundaries of consciousness and challenge preconceived notions about enlightenment, aiming to be authentic to his experiences. Exploration Beyond Established Limits: Leo started the retreat with a desire to validate deeper levels of awakening that he suspected surpassed those commonly recognized by spiritual teachers, intending to approach truth without the influence of established teachings. Rapid Advancements: Within just one week of his experiments, Leo reached levels of consciousness that he felt went beyond what he had read or heard from other spiritual teachers, questioning their awakenings in relation to his own experiences. Deepening Understanding of God: He had profound insights into the nature of God, suggesting that many spiritual teachings do not fully explore the depth of what God is, often focusing on concepts like emptiness or cessation. Distinguishing Different Degrees of Awakening: Leo grapples with the challenge of articulating the depth of his awakenings, emphasizing there are multiple degrees and levels. He reiterates his commitment not to undermine other teachers, but to honestly share his experiences for the sake of truth exploration. Reflecting on Spiritual Masters: He muses that the most awakened individuals might not be publicly teaching, and he expresses a deep understanding of God, declaring that true knowledge of God is layered and can be understood at increasingly profound levels. Reconciliation of Teachings and Truth: While Leo respects many spiritual teachers for their work and contributions, he clarifies that his primary passion is for truth, not for surpassing others in spiritual attainment. He emphasizes the need for individuals to explore truth independently. Linear Perception of History: Leo illustrates how the human mind generally perceives the world in a linear timeline - from the past through the present to the future, connecting events one after another. God Consciousness Perspective: In contrast, when in a state of God Consciousness, one perceives every moment as present and interconnected; reality is understood from an infinite number of angles, akin to slicing a watermelon in infinite ways rather than just cutting it down the middle. The All-encompassing Room: A profound insight during his trip leads Leo to experience being in a room where he is acutely aware of having created and imagined every part of it, including understanding the intricate design of a computer and the concept of emails and the internet. Breaking into Telepathy: Leo shares a new mystical experience of telepathy, where he realizes that conscious awareness becomes so interconnected that it facilitates direct communication among all points of space without the need for conventional, fragmented methods like email or phone calls. Redefining Communications: He suggests that when one becomes deeply aware that they are infinite consciousness, direct, immediate, and telepathic communication is possible since all perceived separations are just a construct of the human mind. Telepathy as Self-Dialogue: Leo explains that telepathy is essentially a form of communication with oneself, as other individuals are seen as extensions of one's own consciousness, making real-time communication with others conceivable. The Potential to Download Consciousness: He presents the idea that one might be able to download someone else's skills and experiences instantly if they realize their oneness with that person, although he admits he hasn't fully achieved this himself. Superhuman Levels of Consciousness: Leo discusses achieving states of consciousness so profound that they are beyond meditative or traditional spiritual approaches, suggesting that an upgrade in neurotransmitters might be required to reach such states and that they are not sustainable in day-to-day life. Difference between Temporary and Constant Enlightenment: Contradicting some spiritual teachings, Leo argues that real enlightenment doesn't have to be constant. Temporary but radical degrees of consciousness can be just as authentic and transformative. Transformative Challenge of Psychedelic Use: He describes his psychedelic work as challenging and uncomfortable, emphasizing that it is not about seeking pleasure but about pursuing deep truths and love. Questioning the Efficacy of Traditional Spiritual Practice: Leo casts doubt on whether traditional practices alone can lead to the kinds of consciousness experiences he's talking about, suggesting that many who have devoted their lives to such practices have not reached the superhuman states he describes. Leo's Appreciation of Beauty: Leo Gura recalls an awkward moment where his collection of aesthetically pleasing images of female bodies brought him to tears with their beauty while in a state of infinite consciousness, recognizing them as a creation of his own imagination. Ritual of Taking Baths: Leo began a ritual of taking hot baths during his psychedelic experiences as a means of showing love and kindness to his body, a realization that emerged from his heightened states of awareness. Profound Insights on Desire: During his psychedelic experience, Leo realized that human desire is inherently biased and fragmented, but in a state of infinite consciousness, one desires everything without bias, equating desire with the desire for self, absolute truth, or God. Breakthrough into Infinite Love: As Leo's experiences deepened around the two-week mark of his retreat, he describes a profound awakening into the nature of love, which he now understands as the core of true awakening. Verbal Telepathic Communication: Leo developed a method of verbal telepathic communication with God, having a dialogue with himself. He interprets this as God speaking through the symbols, images, or languages that are most understandable to the individual. The Love Becomes Overwhelming: The love he experienced became so intense that his physical body and mind struggled to tolerate it, requiring a process of purification and letting go to accommodate deeper levels of love. Spiritual Catharsis: Leo underwent a spiritual catharsis, letting go of resistance to God's love, allowing himself to be guided into even deeper levels of self-love and spiritual growth. The Challenge of Continuous Psychedelic Use: Leo emphasizes the difficulty of his undertaking, highlighting that it was not pleasurable or escapist but required significant effort and determination. He had to push himself to continue his daily psychedelic experiences as part of his journey towards truth and love. Understanding of Psychedelic Work: Leo clarifies that his psychedelic work is not about addiction or escapism but a profound and often challenging exploration of consciousness that includes emotional purging and can drastically accelerate spiritual growth. Telepathic Guidance from God: Leo describes receiving telepathic guidance from God during his experiences. He acknowledges this seems like a duality but suggests it's akin to "training wheels" for his mind, which is conditioned to perceive the other as a separate guiding entity. He elaborates that while God's voice appears external, it's actually an aspect of his expanded consciousness. Understanding God's Forgiveness: Leo emphasizes that God's communication is accepting and forgiving, never judging, because God recognizes itself in everything. He stresses how God's acceptance can help heal one's self-hatred and denial, contributing to profound self-acceptance and love. Deeper Self-Acceptance: Over the course of multiple awakening experiences, Leo discovers that loving and accepting himself more deeply leads him to open up to even deeper levels of love subsequently. This process involved forgiving himself for perceived imperfections and transgressions. Purpose of Reality as a Love Contest: Leo had an insight that reality's true purpose is a "contest" to see who can love more. He asserts that the only significant pursuit for fully conscious beings is to engage in this race for love, which goes beyond personal love to an existential level. Reciprocal Love with God: Leo narrates a transformative experience where he engaged in a reciprocal "ping-pong game" of love with God. This interactive process led to a concentration of love, symbolizing infinity and purity, as the two mirrors of self and God aligned more closely over time. Loving the Unlovable: The experience of reciprocating love with God challenged Leo to love aspects of existence difficult to embrace, such as tragic world events and personal traumas. He discusses the need to reflect God's capacity to love unconditionally. God's Challenge to Expand Love: As God showered Leo with love, he realized his role was not to passively receive love but to actively give and embody it. This back-and-forth dynamic intensified, demanding that he confront and love all aspects of life and himself. Love as the Transformative Force: Leo makes the case that love, coupled with the acceptance of truth, is what leads to healing from dysfunction and suffering. He underscores that love is not just a sentimental emotion but a radical acceptance of reality. Deficiency of Love as Root of Dysfunction: Leo argues that addictive behaviors or psychological issues stem from a lack of love. He suggests that dysfunctions can worsen when not met with love, signifying the importance of infusing love into every aspect of life for healing. Challenge of Embracing Truth and Love: Leo Gura expresses that opening oneself up to truth and love is difficult, as it involves confronting and letting go of the lies and deceptions that make up the foundation of many individuals' lives. He acknowledges this resistance as a barrier to spiritual growth. Consequences of Lack of Love: He explains that dysfunctional behaviors in people, including criminality and abuse, often stem from a deficiency in love experienced during childhood. This lack of love pushes individuals to seek fulfillment in destructive ways. Transformative Power of Apology and Self-Love: During his experience, Leo had a profound realization about the importance of love—he apologized to himself for the first time in a meaningful way, regretting not having loved more. He learned that not loving oneself and others enough is the primary source of regret. God's Unconditional Love: Leo discusses God's love, emphasizing that divine love is unconditional and does not seek to change us. This realization that God accepts us as we are, with all our limitations and faults, is what drives transformation. Experiencing Gratitude through God's Love: The experience led Leo to express genuine gratitude for the first time, thanking God for love, which became a pivotal moment in his spiritual journey. Radiating Love: Leo talks about the experience of learning to radiate love in the same abundant way God does, comparing it to a contest of who can express more love. This interaction pushes the boundaries of one's ability to love even the most challenging aspects of life. Challenged to Love Unconditionally: In his interactions with God, Leo confronts the challenge to love difficult and traumatic aspects of life, such as past abuses or societal issues. This practice expands his capacity for love, testing his willingness to love what he previously couldn't. Contemplating Willingness to Suffer: Leo considers whether one is truly willing to experience the worst aspects of life—suffering, torture, and death—out of love. He realizes that God's love would endure these out of pure love and questions whether humans are prepared to do the same. Understanding of Reality as Infinite Consciousness: Leo comes to the understanding that reality is infinite formless consciousness manifesting as love, and this revelation brings about an intense fear of losing his individual self to become one with this love. Fear of Complete Awakening: He expresses fear over the potential loss of his individual identity and life as he knows it, should he fully merge with the infinite consciousness that is God's love. Merging and Dissolving into Love: Leo describes that complete awakening leads to the dissolution of the physical self and the unification with omniscient and omnipresent love, which is profoundly transformative yet frightening for him. Concern for the Impact on Loved Ones: Despite the profound realization, Leo is concerned about the suffering his transformation into pure love might cause his family and friends, as it would result in his physical death. He acknowledges that this is only the beginning of his spiritual exploration. Contemplating the Essence of Reality: Leo intensely questions the ultimate essence of reality, leading to his consciousness becoming more omniscient, interconnected, and ultimately forming a singularity of pure love. Analogy of Infinite Consciousness: He compares his increasing consciousness to a light bulb being dialed up, becoming brighter and infinitely more conscious, indicating a continuous expansion without an endpoint. Consciousness as Infinite Subdivision: Leo describes consciousness as infinitely subdividing, immediately spawning an endless number of branches in all directions, symbolizing the endless fractal nature of awareness and its interconnectedness. Realization of God as Love: Through this experience, he faces an oscillating inner dialogue about the nature of God, ultimately realizing, despite resistance, that reality is infinite love. The End of Individual Existence: Confronted with fear, Leo understands that fully embracing this singularity of consciousness would mean the end of individual life and the physical universe as he knows it, merging into oneness with all existence. Awakening as the End and Beginning: He recognizes that awakening to this pure love is both an end—death to the ego and personal identity—and a beginning—entry into an infinite state of being that is the true nature of reality. Struggle with the Finality of Transformation: Leo grapples with the idea of completely transcending physical existence and the impact it would have on his loved ones, recognizing both the irrelevance in the face of infinite love and his struggle to accept this finality. Preview of Ultimate Awakening: He shares that his experience gave him a preview of Maha Samadhi—dying while awake—and the commitment it entails, ultimately deciding he wasn't ready to merge with this infinite consciousness permanently yet. Ongoing and Intense Experiences: After ceasing the use of 5-MeO-DMT, Leo continues to undergo profound and terrifying insights and awakenings, struggling with the irresistible pull toward the infinite singularity and the fear of losing his individual existence. Multidimensional Nature of Awakening: Leo describes awakening not just as a single event but as having multiple, unimaginable dimensions, each one deeper and more expansive, hinting at an infinite potential for spiritual exploration and discovery. Continuing Exploration of Awakening: Leo shares that he has only begun to explore the "second dimension of awakening" and recognizes that this journey into awakening appears to be infinite, causing him a great deal of fear and emotional upheaval. Struggles with Integration: After the retreat, Leo spent several weeks dealing with sleeplessness and emotional turmoil as he attempted to integrate and comprehend the profound experiences and insights from his 30-day psychedelic journey. Uncertainty about Permanent Awakening: Leo expresses uncertainty about whether it's possible to stabilize these heightened states of consciousness (like Maha Samadhi) permanently and questions what happens post-Maha Samadhi, such as reincarnation or transitioning to another dimension. Humbling Experiences: These experiences have humbled Leo and made him question the depth of understanding that other enlightened teachers or masters possess about reality. Leon’s Insight about Awakening: He insists that the distinction between permanent and impermanent consciousness is an arbitrary human imposition, and experiencing infinite God consciousness, even if just for a second, is as real as a more prolonged experience. Integration and Teaching: Leo contemplates how to achieve these profound states of consciousness naturally, without psychedelics, and reflects on the authenticity and effectiveness of his teachings, considering the notion that when fully awakened, there would be no one else to teach because everyone would be understood as one. Shift in Teaching Focus: He anticipates a probable shift in his teaching style toward being more compassionate and loving, playing fewer "games," and placing a stronger emphasis on teaching love. Defining Reality: Leo concludes that the most significant insight from his experience is that reality is love, and he hopes to witness others come to this realization—that they, too, are love. Re-evaluation of Teaching: After his exploration, he has been re-evaluating not just his teaching methods but also whether he should continue to teach at all, given the realization that ultimately, he is only teaching himself. Advising Critical Thinking: Despite sharing profound insights, Leo cautions against turning his teachings into an ideology, advocating for open-mindedness and an individual approach to the spiritual journey. Openness to Diverse Spiritual Paths: He recognizes that his path may not directly apply to others, as everyone's journey, including the use of psychedelics, traumas, and emotional challenges, is different. Understanding the Depth of Awakening: Leo encourages listeners to consider that their awakening may not be complete, and there might be deeper levels of truth to discover. He emphasizes the importance of a continual search for truth regardless of where it may lead. Acknowledging Incomplete Transformation: Leo admits that while he has experienced profound awakenings, he has not reached the pinnacle of understanding or completed his personal healing journey. He still deals with his own physical and health issues. Fidelius Charm

Self-Love - The Highest Teaching In The Universe https://youtu.be/4OmMpYa7R_U "Self-Love is the only teaching." The culmination of a seven-year journey: In his personal development exploration, Leo Gura reveals that after exploring numerous methods ranging from therapy to meditation, he has distilled everything into a singular teaching - self-love, which he believes is the highest concept in the universe, essential for the evolution of all conscious beings. Defining self-love: Leo clarifies that self-love is a profound existential force, transcending mere human emotion. It is universal, driving evolutionary progress. Despite its abstract nature when compressed into two words, he emphasizes its fundamental role and the need to decipher and actualize its meaning deeply. Alien species hypothetical: Leo hypothesizes that if advanced aliens were to impart wisdom to humanity, they would prioritize teaching self-love over technical knowledge. He implies that humanity's current inability to appreciate self-love suggests that aliens might understand it far deeper than we do. Self-love as an intelligence measure: Leo proposes that the intelligence of an entity, including hypothetical aliens, can be judged by their understanding of self-love. He states that self-love is a practical litmus test for evaluating teachers and ideologies, with those that promote self-love being of the highest quality amidst a spectrum of beliefs. Corruption marked by the absence of self-love: He asserts that a lack of self-love or the presence of judgment and hatred in ideologies indicates their corruption. He cites Nazism and radical religious ideologies as examples, emphasizing that even a teaching that preaches love, like Christianity, can be corrupt if it is not practiced genuinely. Identification of spiritual corruption: Teachings that contain hatred, judgment, or fear towards individuals or groups, such as condemning criminals or fearing witchcraft, indicate corruption of those teachings from their original pure form. Self-love as a universal remedy: Leo proposes that fundamentally, all problems humanity faces trace back to a lack of self-love, including issues that appear unrelated, such as poverty or health crises. Reframing self-love: Self-love, as Leo describes, refers to loving the ultimate self or awakened self, not just the human identity. By loving oneself as the whole universe, other problems will naturally correct themselves. Components of self-love: Understanding self-love requires grasping the true meanings of "self" and "love". These concepts cannot be comprehended through traditional logic or science but require a shift to a higher state of consciousness. Necessity of mystical experiences: Emphasizing that discourse is insufficient, Leo argues that direct mystical experiences of the true self and love are essential for genuinely understanding and implementing self-love. Practical importance of self-love: Leo outlines how self-love can resolve common personal development issues such as insecurity, self-esteem, and relationship challenges by addressing the root cause rather than external symptoms. Self-acceptance as a path to self-love: Genuine self-love involves accepting one's physical appearance and personality traits, and involves recognizing oneself as part of the universe, thereby aligning with the expanded concept of self. Self-love beyond the physical: While starting with self-appreciation on a physical level is valuable, Leo challenges individuals to also embrace the broader universe, which includes one's body, other people, political entities, as part of their self-love practice. Expanding appreciation of existence: Appreciating your existence involves recognizing that you are an integral part of the universe, and your infinite mind is generating the reality you experience. Unconditional love versus conditional love: True love for oneself or others is not based on utility or what one can provide, it is unconditional, celebrating existence itself rather than what it can do for you. Transformation from physical to existential love: Shifting focus from the physical body's utility to a deeper appreciation of existence enables the experience of deep, unconditional love. Integration of self into the universe: Through self-love, one's sense of self and love expands to merge with the entire universe, leading to the most profound levels of awakening and joy. Realizing love through consciousness: Recognizing the profound nature of reality through consciousness leads to profound existential love, transcending mundane emotions or needs. Experiences that awaken self-love: Moments of consciousness, like admiring a beautiful sunset or being amazed by the complexity of a living creature, activate an appreciation for the beauty of existence. Practical application of self-love in dating: In attraction and dating, a lack of self-love can be detected by others and reduce one's appeal; genuine self-love enhances self-confidence and genuine care for others. Resolving disagreements with self-love: Recognizing that both parties' perspectives are valid and practicing self-love can dissolve conflicts and promote understanding in relationships. Self-love in addressing life's challenges: Facing illness, injury, or injustice with self-love fosters healing and growth, while self-respect requires setting boundaries in harmful situations. Awareness of self in the context of self-love: Becoming aware of how little control we have over our body's automatic functions, like pupil dilation, can foster a deeper appreciation for one's existence and contribute to self-love. Self-love during illness: Having self-love while battling an illness like cancer is vital, as it supports faster healing alongside medication. Reaction to accidents: Instead of reacting with anger to accidents like breaking a leg, accepting and loving the situation can lead to faster recovery and possibly learning profound life lessons. Dealing with injustice: Embracing injustices with love rather than resistance offers a broader, empathetic perspective, recognizing that those causing harm are also part of the universal self. Personal incident of theft: Leo describes how he dealt with his car being broken into by empathizing with the thief, considering the societal issues contributing to drug addiction and poverty, thus practicing self-love and universal perspective. Workaholism and self-love: Overworking and neglecting one's health at work indicate a lack of self-love. A comprehensive understanding of self-love can prompt a better work-life balance and healthier work practices. Job dissatisfaction and self-love: Expanding self-love can catalyze a vision for a new career path away from an unsatisfying job, fostering passion and purpose for more fulfilling work. Fear of starting a business: Overcoming fear in starting a business requires deep love for the business idea and genuine desire to make a meaningful contribution to the world, rather than focusing on potential financial loss. Business practices reflecting self-love: A business that truly helps people, rather than harming them, is a product of self-love and is intrinsically more fulfilling and sustainable than one driven by greed or exploitation. Expanding self-love for positive change: Leo emphasizes that expanding self-love and one's sense of self beyond personal gains—like family, money, cars, and homes—to include all of mankind along with the environment and animals is necessary for personal and global evolution, leading to true happiness and responsibility in roles such as parenting and partnerships. Impact of self-love on business ethics: He argues that many professionals, like marketing executives in unhealthy food industries, are so preoccupied with profits that they don't invest time in personal growth or consider the societal implications of their products. Expanding self-love, according to Leo, would motivate such individuals to innovate healthier alternatives rather than contribute to health epidemics. Addressing societal issues with self-love: Leo describes monetary, economic, societal, and political issues as fundamentally rooted in a lack of self-love. To resolve issues like tribal warfare and corruption, which sabotage economic stability, a shift in societal culture that embraces collective self-love and unity across factions and ideologies is essential. Political turmoil as a reflection of deficient self-love: He links current political discord to a lack of self-love and empathy between opposed parties. He suggests that political conflict can be mitigated by each side expanding their sense of self and love to include understanding for different perspectives, even those of rivals. Advancing spirituality through self-love: Leo points out that struggles in spiritual practices, such as inconsistency in meditation or dealing with bad psychedelic trips, stem from a lack of self-love. Greater kindness to oneself and understanding of spiritual processes are necessary for overcoming these hurdles. Self-love in preventing crime and violence: He asserts that societal problems, including violence, crime, and terrorism, require immense infusions of self-love. By expanding one's sense of self to include even the perpetrators, society can develop empathy, effectively addressing why such acts occur and preventing them through systemic changes and support. Remedying environmental negligence with self-love: Leo argues that environmental issues, such as excessive CO2 emissions, result from a societal deficiency in self-love. Those leading polluting corporations lack an inclusive self-concept that values the environment and wildlife, prioritizing profit over planetary well-being. Root causes of obesity and environmental neglect: Leo suggests that obesity in America is interlinked with environmental neglect, highlighting systemic issues such as the marketing of unhealthy food, which he attributes to a lack of self-love among marketers and consumers alike. Self-love as parental guidance: The rebellious behavior of children is often a response to criticism and lack of acceptance from parents. Leo recommends self-love as a tool for parents to foster unconditional love and acceptance, thus repairing strained relationships with their children. Wide-ranging solutions through self-love: From depression to addiction and parenting to business success, Leo designates self-love as the fundamental remedy for creating happiness and leading a successful life. Self-love's role in conscious politics and leadership: Self-love is crucial for effective leadership and creative work, including politics and business. Leo criticizes profit-driven businesses with no real value contribution, advocating for passion-driven work that benefits society. Dealing with criminals and societal dilemmas through self-love: Leo posits that self-love is essential in dealing with criminals, and healing societal issues, emphasizing that no external achievement compensates for the lack of self-love. The fundamental nature of self-love: Leo defines self-love as the ultimate power and essence of consciousness, meaning that self-love is not merely an emotion or feeling but the acknowledgment and love of reality for what it is. Love as a materialistic world's necessity: Leo argues that love is integral to the nature of reality itself, rejecting the notion that it can exist without consciousness, and equates the concept of God being in love with itself to reality fully embracing its own existence. Self-love transcending acceptance: The differentiation between mere self-acceptance and the ecstatic union of self-recognition that represents true self-love is elucidated, with Leo asserting that recognizing the existential beauty of consciousness is the epitome of self-love. Infinite amazement as a foundation of existence: Affirming that life and existence are inherently amazing, Leo invites everyone to appreciate and love life unconditionally, which aligns with the perspective that we are a manifestation of infinite consciousness and amazement. Humans manifesting self-love: All actions, from technological advancements to philanthropic efforts, ultimately represent humanity falling deeper in love with itself. Each new discovery or creation is the universe – or consciousness – reveling in new aspects of itself. Ego vs. divine perspective: While individual biases may lead us to hate certain things, from a divine perspective, nothing is hated; it is all equally amazing. This infinite love is consciousness exploring itself without judgment or preference. Self-love and boundaries: Practicing self-love does not equate to being a doormat. Actually, proper self-love naturally leads to healthy boundaries and self-respect, indicating a departure from people-pleasing behaviors and low self-esteem. Transcending gender stereotypes with self-love: Self-love transcends the stereotypes of being a feminine or masculine trait. It is a universal truth that encompasses and integrates all qualities, offering true strength and wisdom beyond societal gender constructs. Distinguishing self-love from egotism or narcissism: True self-love is different from narcissism or egotism. Real self-love involves expanding one's sense of self to include and love all parts of the universe, embracing the totality of existence beyond the individual ego. Practical exercise for expanding self-love: Wearing a wristband can serve as a reminder to identify and embrace aspects one typically dislikes or judges. By accepting these aspects as part of oneself and feeling love for the entirety, one practices expanding self-love. Hating as self-reflection: Encounters with things we hate or judge give us an opportunity to see those aspects as part of ourselves, which can ultimately lead us to accept and love a more complete version of ourselves, integrating our shadows into our consciousness. Self-love as the acceptance of existential diversity: Recognizing that consciousness includes everything, from the mundane to the extraordinary, challenges us to accept and love all aspects of existence. This acceptance signifies self-love at its most profound level. All teachings lead to self-love: Every concept and subject discussed by Leo, including those that seem unrelated like quantum mechanics or spiral dynamics, is ultimately a pathway toward the realization and embodiment of self-love. Using self-love as a compass: When faced with confusion or difficulty, one can reflect on the absence of self-love in the situation. It's a central guiding principle to navigate life's challenges and can reveal underlying issues that need addressing. Failure of institutions to teach self-love: Leo notes that schools, universities, workplaces, and religious institutions generally do not teach self-love, which he sees as a significant contributing factor to societal problems and individual suffering. Self-love as an ancient and consistent teaching: The concept of self-love has been taught historically by spiritual and religious leaders; however, it often becomes obscured or misrepresented in institutions, overshadowing its importance and purity. Varied enlightenment about love: Leo indicates that even established spiritual teachers might proclaim love as an illusion because they haven't awakened to love themselves. He points out that awakening has many degrees and versions, hence the diverse teachings about love. Homework assignment for self-love enhancement: Leo gives his audience homework to write down all the aspects of themselves that they don't love—physical appearance, past actions, personality traits, etc. He then instructs them to decide to love all these aspects as part of their reality. The struggle with accepting the true self: Leo describes the resistance one might feel in accepting and loving all aspects of themselves. He explains that the ego resists this acceptance, preferring an idealized vision of oneself, which is a deviation from the truth. Truth and love as identical concepts: Leo asserts that truth and love go hand-in-hand at a metaphysical level, emphasizing that to reject any part of reality is to engage in untruth and self-denial, which is the root of evil. He states that love is the ultimate solution, a reintegration of all aspects of oneself. Incomplete awakening without love: Leo argues that an awakening or enlightenment that does not include a realization of love is incomplete. He stresses that true awakening encompasses both truth and love, and a lack of either results in division and falsehood. Emotional approach to spirituality and its pitfalls: Addressing the tendency for emotional individuals or those who identify as love-seeking, Leo cautions that a journey toward awakening through love alone is incomplete without a grasp of truth. He challenges the perception that truth is harsh or needless, underscoring its indistinguishable nature from love. Self-love as the point of human life: Leo emphasizes that full self-love is the solution to all of life's problems, encouraging the audience to contemplate this assertion and its implications for individual action. Encouragement to support Actualized.org: Leo requests support for his content on Actualized.org through Patreon and reiterates the importance of exploring in-depth the substantial content he has created to gain full comprehension and benefit from his teachings. The difficulty of organizing content: Leo discusses the challenges in organizing his voluminous work, highlighting the sprawling nature of the teachings and the difficulty for new viewers to grasp advanced concepts without foundational knowledge. The importance of depth in learning: Leo values deep comprehension, comparing superficial understanding to unsatisfactory sexual intimacy. He stresses that a profound grasp of his philosophies entails a long-term commitment and urges viewers to study his work over several years to gain true appreciation. Cave Inimicum

Self-Bias - Why All Worldviews Are So Skewed https://youtu.be/qMqNRUILvHc "Every bird thinks its nest is the best." - Congolese proverb Definition of Self-Bias: Self-bias is the mind's natural tendency to favor its intellectual positions above others, leading to question-begging worldviews. This phenomenon occurs when individuals are unable to evaluate their own worldview fairly and objectively, creating double standards and justifications for their views' superiority. Self-Bias Rooted in Question-Begging Worldviews: All worldviews are question-begging and are usually defended without acknowledging their baseless assumptions. This leads to a circular validation of one's worldview without genuine inquiry or objective analysis. Conundrum of Objectivity: The biggest obstacle in philosophy and the pursuit of truth is the need for impartiality and objectivity. This becomes complicated as individuals often believe they are being objective and fail to recognize their self-bias, resulting in a prejudiced approach to knowledge exploration. Biased Nature of Philosophical Schools: Each philosophical school, from atheism to theism, science to mysticism, practices self-bias by arguing for its own validity and against opposing views, without fairly considering alternatives. Impact of Self-Bias on Leo's Career Plans: Self-bias led Leo to abandon his plans for a career in professional philosophy. He realized that the industry and Western civilization at large are designed to reinforce, rather than critically examine, established worldviews. Entrenchment of Self-Bias in Intellectual Positions: Self-bias manifests as the presupposition that one's intellectual stance, such as atheism, is inherently more logical or evidence-based than contrasting views. It manipulates arguments and evidence to align with the predetermined, 'correct' conclusion without true inquiry. Challenges in Achieving True Inquiry: A fair and open investigation into subjects like the existence of God is rarely pursued. Instead, each side fails to genuinely explore the opposing views, instead, assuming their conclusions, such as atheism or theism, to be self-evident without rigorous examination. Conflict of Interest and Recusal in Legal Systems: Self-bias is acknowledged in legal systems with conflict of interest and recusal practices. Judges and lawyers must withdraw from cases where they may be biased due to personal involvement, ensuring objectivity. Self-Bias Beyond Legal Contexts: While the legal system recognizes the problem of self-bias, Leo stresses it should extend beyond law to other areas like business, science, and religion, where bias can heavily distort perceptions and decisions. Influence of Self on Perception and Reality: An individual's identity acts as a lens that distorts not only their perception but reality itself, affecting science, logic, relationships, and even emotions. This self-bias complicates the pursuit of truth. Survival and the Compromise of Objectivity: Leo examines how survival instincts compromise objectivity using the example of a judge who faces personal survival challenges. The desire to survive can corrupt even the most integral parts of society when truth is second to personal needs. Personal Cost of Pursuing Truth: The pursuit of truth can come at a great personal cost, often conflicting with one's survival and comfort. This inherent cost is a significant reason why self-bias occurs and why individuals may avoid admitting biases. Denial of Self-Bias for Survival: People often deny their self-bias as acknowledging it can create doubt, potentially threatening their worldview and survival. This avoidance is driven by the assumption that truth should be beneficial, leading to a cessation of the search for truth when no personal benefit is perceived. Intellectual Dishonesty and Defense Mechanisms: In the pursuit of survival, individuals craft rationalizations and defense mechanisms against the truth. Admitting to these mechanisms would lead to cognitive dissonance and a threat to one's defense against the harsh reality of truth. Deception and Self-Deception for Survival: To deceive others effectively, individuals must first deceive themselves. Self-deception is a strategy for survival within a social species which enables the perpetuation of biased worldviews. Unreliability of Evidence, Proof, and Logic: Due to the pervasiveness of self-bias, logic, evidence, and proof cannot be fully trusted. Many individuals throughout history have used these tools to justify incorrect beliefs, demonstrating that reason alone cannot always lead to truth. Recognition of Personal Self-bias: It's easy to spot self-bias in others and criticize their fallacies and double standards, but recognizing one's own self-bias is challenging. This realization triggers serious doubt, marking the essence of skepticism. Connection Between Consciousness and Self-bias: There is a direct relationship between a person's level of consciousness and their degree of self-bias. Lower levels of consciousness are associated with stronger biases and more aggressive defense mechanisms. Violence as an Extreme Defense Mechanism: Violence is the ultimate defense against challenges to one's beliefs. Individuals with low consciousness and high self-bias may resort to violence to protect their views. Ubiquity of Self-bias Across Entities: Ideologies, philosophies, organizations, countries, political movements, and spiritual schools exhibit self-bias, which can sometimes persist even in individuals who are supposedly awakened. Self-bias in Pragmatism and Nihilism: Pragmatism exemplifies self-bias toward practical outcomes, dismissing truth for personal gain, while nihilism represents a self-biased view that life is meaningless. Distinction Between Selfishness and Self-bias: Self-bias specifically refers to how the mind frames its intellectual positions to justify worldviews, such as the narrative a pragmatist uses to uphold the superiority of pragmatism. Self-bias in Authoritarian Figures: Dictators and tyrants, like Trump pondering self-pardon, exhibit self-bias by failing to see their own faults and prioritizing their survival and power above all else. Self-bias in Colonialism and its Consequences: European colonialists exhibited self-bias in their treatment of Native Americans by viewing them as inferior, which led to exploitation, forced conversion, desecration of cultures, and violence. Slavery as an Example of Self-bias: Slave owners exhibited extreme self-bias by dehumanizing slaves and justifying their ownership and mistreatment on the basis of perceived racial superiority. Justification of colonial exploitation: Leo discusses the rationalizations used by European colonizers, who claimed that their subjugation of native populations was justified and benevolent, overlooking the common human desires and sufferings that they shared with those they oppressed. This required a disregard for fairness and objectivity, reflecting a self-bias that historically viewed other races as inferior. Perspective on animal exploitation: Leo points out the historically self-biased view humans have had towards animals, using them in wars, overburdening them with labor, and slaughtering them for consumption without considering their worth and experience, essentially due to human-centered justifications. Corporate self-interest and self-justification: Leo addresses corporate corruption and lobbying as self-bias, where those involved often believe they are benefiting society while skewing policies in their favor, indicating a blindness to their self-interest and its effects on others. Nationalistic and ethnocentric self-bias: Discussing nationalism and ethnocentrism across countries, Leo speaks on how cultures often believe themselves to be superior to others without objectively evaluating or exposing themselves to different cultures, leading to cultural conflicts and problems like the Holocaust. Right-wing vs. left-wing self-bias: Leo addresses the accusation of his own bias, acknowledging that while all ideologies, including left-wing, are self-biased, right-wing ideologies tend to demonstrate a higher degree of self-bias. He draws a correlation between self-bias and cognitive as well as moral development, suggesting different levels of these aspects between the left and right. Self-bias and toxic masculinity: Leo critiques various men's rights movements, discussing how frustrated young men develop self-biased and misogynistic ideologies as a defense for their personal issues, using false logic and evidence to blame societal problems on femininity and women. Self-bias in wartime: Leo notes how self-bias manifests in war, with opposing sides demonizing each other and justifying their own war crimes, while denying or minimizing their atrocities compared to their enemies. He provides historical examples of wartime demonization, concluding that war is underpinned by deep-rooted self-bias. Historical Self-Bias in Wars and Conflicts: In ancient times, both Romans and barbarians saw each other as vicious enemies, with each side considering themselves more civilized than the other. Similarly, Athens and Sparta, as Greek city-states, demonized each other reflecting self-bias. World War II Demonization: During World War II, Americans depicted Nazis and the Axis powers as monstrous, emphasizing their self-bias in wartime propaganda against the Japanese, Germans, and Italians. Criminal Self-Justification: Many criminals, especially white-collar ones, do not view their actions as wrong or do not see themselves as criminals, illustrating self-bias in their perceptions of their own actions. Legal Disputes and Lawyer Bias: Courtrooms represent a battleground of self-bias, where defense and prosecuting attorneys argue one-sidedly for their client's interests rather than for objective truth, despite the judge's role as an adjudicator. Negotiations as Self-Biased: Whether it's salary discussions, business deals, or purchasing a car, negotiations are rarely about truth or fairness but rather about each party promoting their own self-interest, often related to survival or financial gain. Religious Self-Bias: Every religion believes itself to be the true path, creating justifications and ignoring contradictions present in other faiths, with institutions like the Catholic Church unable to admit systemic issues due to self-bias. Self-Bias in Spiritual Schools: Even seemingly unbiased spiritual schools, such as Zen Buddhism, Sufism, and various yoga traditions, exhibit self-bias by believing their practices are superior and more enlightening than others. Science and Epistemic Self-Bias: Mainstream science shows self-bias by focusing on quantifiable evidence, being dismissive of non-measurable phenomena like mysticism and spirituality, and holding onto paradigms resistant to change, as outlined by Thomas Kuhn. Reductionism and Nepotism: Reductionists display self-bias by insisting all phenomena can be broken down to physical components, dismissing what can't be. Nepotism exemplifies self-bias by favoring family in positions of power, highlighted by Trump's administration. Romantic Relationships and Gerrymandering: Self-bias destroys many romantic relationships due to the focus on individual needs. Gerrymandering is a clear case of political self-bias, with parties redrawing district lines for their advantage, overlooking fair representation. Debates, Partisanship, and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Debates are often counterproductive due to the self-bias of participants. Partisanship divides reality to favor one side over another. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is deeply rooted in self-bias, particularly with the contentious issue of Israeli settlements. Self-biased support for Israel by Americans: Leo points out that American support for Israel, particularly among evangelical Christians who see Israelis as the chosen people, is self-biased and unfair to Palestinians. He also notes past agreements by the UN to allocate this land to Palestinians, which are often ignored due to this bias. Self-bias in daily situations like parking: Using the example of critiquing someone's poor parking at Walmart, Leo illustrates how self-bias leads to judgment and double standards. When one's own urgency leads to poor parking, excuses are made, while others' reasons are dismissed without consideration. American exceptionalism and Western culture's biases: Western culture, especially American, favors rationality over emotion, materialism over spirituality, and individualism over collectivism. Leo criticizes American exceptionalism and U.S. foreign policy for bullying other nations and self-biased interference driven by notions of superiority and self-interest. Self-bias among intellectual figures: Figures like Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, Sam Harris, and Neil deGrasse Tyson are named by Leo as being self-biased, lacking in meta-level understanding. He warns of the widespread human species bias, where humanity views itself as superior and disregards other species' epistemologies. Terms synonymous with self-bias: Leo lists related terms that often indicate self-bias including selfishness, conflict of interest, hypocrisy, double standards, cherry-picking, and paradigm lock. He ties these to past episodes where he's covered topics such as 'devilry' and 'self-deception'. Detriments of self-bias: Self-bias is detrimental as it impedes self-reflection, distorts reality, breeds intolerance, creates conflict and 'evil', and ultimately hinders the quest for absolute truth and discovery of God. Indifference towards others' problems: People generally lack genuine empathy for others' hardships unless it impacts them directly. Leo urges the audience to recognize their lack of concern as a sign of low consciousness and extreme self-bias. Cultural self-bias: Leo comments on how people often absurdly favor their own culture, cuisine, and nationality, believing them to be superior due to self-bias without objective evaluation. Human indifference towards other species: Humans generally show little concern for the death and suffering of other species, highlighting the self-bias and the absence of objective value for life across species. Accusations against the objective: Individuals who point out societal and personal issues from an objective standpoint often face demonization or accusations of disloyalty as the existing self-biased views perceive objectivity as a threat. Attack on the selfless: Selfless and unbiased individuals working to correct societal problems are ironically attacked and labeled as selfish or unscientific due to the projection of self-biased flaws by others. Self-bias and group conformity: Leo observes that self-bias can be magnified within groups where biases are mutually affirmed, preventing individuals from recognising their own bias and complicating efforts to overcome it. On Self-Bias and the 'Devil': Leo describes how bias operates by explaining that those with a selfish perspective (referred to as the 'devil') see objectivity and impartiality as evil, bias, and disloyalty. The devil projects his own bias onto those who are objective and selfless, attacking them for characteristics they are actively working to remedy. Reaction to Objectivity: Leo points out that efforts to be objective and impartial are often met with resistance and hostility. People who are called out on their biases react defensively and may label the person pointing out the biases as biased themselves, a phenomenon observed in various ideological groups. Examples from Art History: Leo draws on art history to illustrate objectivity and impartiality. He discusses two paintings by Jacques-Louis David—"The Death of Socrates" and "The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons"—as representations of ultimate integrity and impartiality. Image 1 Image 2 Education and Self-Bias: Leo criticizes educational institutions for not teaching objectivity and impartiality, arguing that such principles could threaten the institutions' underlying biases. Self-Reflection on Bias: Leo admits his own biases and emphasizes that his aim is not to judge others but to encourage self-reflection, suggesting that awareness of one's own biases leads to personal growth and avoiding self-deception. Continual Vigilance Against Bias: Leo underlines the necessity of constant vigilance against self-bias and self-deception throughout one's life, even after spiritual awakenings, as new levels of bias can appear. Accessing Absolute Truth: Leo concludes that despite the prevalence of self-bias, accessing absolute truth is indeed possible, but not through conventional means or philosophies discussed earlier, hinting that a deeper approach is needed. Possibility of Objective Reality: Leo explains that through deep introspection and deconstructing human perception, one can access the absolute truth, which is the objective reality sought in the process of Awakening. No Simple Metric for Unbiased Thinking: There's no concrete metric or simple checklist for ensuring unbiased thought; the challenge is inherent because self-deception can always occur, requiring ongoing vigilance and self-reflection. Conscious Effort to Address Self-Bias: To combat self-bias, Leo advises becoming aware of biases (both major and minor), avoiding double standards, ceasing to prioritize personal interests, and cultivating integrity and a genuine desire for truth above personal survival. Broadening Perspectives to See Self-Bias: Engaging with diverse points of view, especially from outside one's "propaganda bubble," can greatly help in recognizing personal biases and expanding one's intellectual horizons. Admitting and Relinquishing Biases: Leo encourages acknowledging one's biases as a first step, then moving on to letting go of those biases, which can be a challenge requiring courage and a willingness to step out of comfort zones. Non-Duality as Transcendence of Bias: Non-duality is presented not as a bias, but as the transcendence of all self-biases, leading to ultimate truths such as God, immortality, and infinite love. Breaking Loyalty With Personal Identities: Leo recommends a radical approach to improving life—letting go of all personal loyalties and identities, which can be difficult but ultimately rewarding. Rewards of Living an Unbiased Life: Despite living unbiasedly being a challenging process, the rewards are profound, including truth, God, immortality, and infinite love. Continuous Practice to Eradicate Self-Bias: Overcoming self-bias is an ongoing journey that requires persistent effort, self-reflection, and the pursuit of intellectual integrity. Regular practices like yoga and meditation can aid awareness but need to be balanced with vigilance. Self-Bias in Teachings: Leo acknowledges the inherent biases within his teachings and emphasizes the importance of exposure to a variety of sources and ideas to avoid toxic ideologies or restrictive outlooks. Flipendo

I'm confused by the difference between having no identity and realizing that you're God. Aren't those the same thing? Realizing that you're God is almost like a non-identity since you're everything and nothing, right? Identity is dualistic if you're claiming to identify as one thing as opposed to other things... but realizing that you're God means that you identify as all things and also nothing. Realizing that you're God is the only non-dual identity. If nonduality is all about how there's only ONE thing... isn't God a good word for that one thing? Like what else would this magical shit be? Kinda confused about the whole deal with the word "experience" too. I understand that people don't use that word since "experience" implies a process over a period of time, which doesn't actually exist since time is an imaginary concept in the present. Realization might be better, but then again, that makes it sound like an ego had some kind of insight. Same with awakening and enlightenment. Who awakened or was enlightened? I feel like any word that someone uses could be torn to shreds and we're just using semantics as a way to spiritually dunk on each other without actually clarifying anything lmao

Leaving On 30-Day Solo Retreat https://youtu.be/yhfeLiuG_wo Reason for Taking a Break: Leo is pausing Actualized.org to undertake a personal 30-day meditation retreat to reassess things afterward, due to the intensive nature of video creation and his desire to focus on personal growth. Challenge of Content Creation: Leo finds creating increasingly complex and nuanced videos laborious and it limits his time for personal development and consciousness work. Balancing Act Between Teaching and Practicing: There is a delicate balance between conducting research, formulating ideas, and personally embodying the teachings discussed in Actualized.org content. The Importance of Embodiment: Leo emphasizes the need for more solitude to deeply contemplate and meditate, to embody the more advanced topics he covers. Plan for the 30-Day Retreat: Leo intends to conduct a silent retreat alone, focusing on meditation and self-observation, to facilitate significant personal awakening experiences. Experience Since Previous Retreat: Since his last retreat in May, Leo mentions his growth, quieting of the monkey mind, and plans to build upon these past insights and breakthroughs. Future Release Schedule: Expected changes to Actualized.org's video releasing frequency, with a potential shift towards less regular, but more quality-driven and impactful content. Evolution of Priorities: Leo's growing disinterest in subscriber counts and views, focusing instead on deeper work and original research for mankind's progress. Preparations and Mindfulness: Plans for complete digital disconnection, avoiding all media and work, maintaining mindfulness during routine activities such as grocery shopping. Anticipation of Retreat Outcomes: Leo shares a mix of excitement and expectation of suffering, but looks forward to the insights and personal readiness for deeper spiritual embodiment. Feeling of Transitional Phase: A sense of completing a chapter with Actualized.org and a readiness to move into a new stage of personal and professional evolution. Conclusion about Content Creation: Leo assures that despite his inward focus, he will continue the Actualized.org series with more content after his retreat. Closing and Evolving Chapters: Leo expresses that although Actualized.org has been a long-running project, there’s a natural time for closing chapters and beginning new ones in life. He's not leaving Actualized.org but envisions a rebirth, moving into a more spiritual chapter of growth. Next Stage of Life - Enlightenment Chapter: Transitioning from a business and life-purpose chapter, Leo aims to enter an enlightenment chapter. He wants to evolve his level of consciousness and bring his audience along, potentially changing his content delivery format. Potential Changes in Content Delivery: Leo hints at more in-person teachings or doing a tour, as well as possibly working on a book. He is open to allowing the direction of his work to unfold organically based on insights gained in his upcoming retreat. Content Creation Evolution: Leo describes his new content creation method, a multi-threaded approach, where he simultaneously adds ideas to 150 video outlines instead of focusing on one. This process allows connections across various topics, offering a holistic view. Constant Search for Innovation: Leo needs constant newness and innovation in his life, viewing it as essential for being engaged with life. He can't be content with repetitive success but seeks to push the boundaries in spirituality, science, and philosophy. Interconnecting Modern Insights with Spirituality: Leo emphasizes the integration of spiritual insights with modern scientific discoveries, pointing out that he is very much pro-science when used correctly to make advancements in spirituality, psychology, and government. Holistic and Integrated Approach Needed: He argues that society needs a broad, integral approach to spirituality and human development that goes beyond fixed sets of teachings. This means including modern knowledge and technology to address the evolving complexities of society. Intellectual Foundations for Global Awakening: Before technological advances, Leo sees the need for an intellectual foundation to help humanity awaken to new possibilities. Actualized.org aims to provide the intellectual infrastructure that supports this intellectual revolution. New Enlightenment Beyond Established Systems: Leo calls for a new enlightenment that incorporates scientific, philosophical, and spiritual insights, going beyond established religious and spiritual doctrines and transforming education, government, and other institutions. Continuous Learning and Evolving: Leo stresses that humanity is just beginning the awakening process, and the work needed spans physical, technological, and intellectual development, with the potential for evolution continuing indefinitely. Critique of Traditional Spiritual Practices: Leo criticizes ancient spiritual traditions, including Hinduism and others, for being outdated and lacking integration with modern disciplines such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology which are essential for addressing psychological issues encountered in spiritual practice. Need for Integrating Diverse Fields: Leo advocates for an integration of non-duality with all spiritual traditions and religions globally, combining them with advancements in science, social sciences, technology, philosophy, and self-help movements, to build a holistic understanding of life. Limitations of Existing Spiritual Systems: He points out that spiritual schools are often disconnected from contemporary knowledge and justify the exclusion of other fields like psychology, which hinders the progress towards a more integrated spirituality that addresses all aspects of life. Vision for Society-Wide Transformation: Leo argues for a comprehensive reform involving the sciences, culture, nutrition, education, and technology, suggesting that an interdisciplinary approach is needed to realize his vision of an awakened society. Personal Development as a Foundation for Reform: Emphasizing the importance of personal growth, Leo discusses his own health and the necessity of internal work to effectively contribute to social transformation and prevent the spread of dogmatic and rigid systems. Self-discipline in Achieving Vision: He stresses the importance of self-purification and awareness to avoid the temptations of power and influence that can lead to corruption, comparing this internal battle to the "devil within". Integration of Intellectual Frameworks with Spirituality: Leo emphasizes the need for spiritual masters to go beyond self-mastery and incorporate intellectual structures into their teachings to influence cultural and societal evolution more effectively. Balancing Personal Development with Societal Impact: Leo cautions against the potential trap of trying to awaken or change the world without sufficient self-development, maintaining that one can only lead others to the heights that one has personally achieved. Potential for Power to Corrupt: He warns that with greater influence comes a greater risk of corruption and using power for selfish ends, which can undermine the original purpose of spiritual work and lead to rigid, dogmatic institutions. Future Commitment to Content Generation: Leo assures that despite the focus on his personal journey, he intends to continue contributing to Actualized.org and further the goal of a widely integrative and evolving understanding of human development. Politicians' Downfalls Linked to Personal Indiscretions: Leo cites the examples of John Edwards and Anthony Weiner, politicians whose promising careers were ruined due to their inability to control their sexual impulses. Edwards' career ended in scandal, while Weiner was imprisoned for illicit communication with a minor. Consequences of Not Controlling Selfish Desires: Leo underscores the importance of self-control and warns that personal visions can be easily derailed by giving in to selfish impulses, which he metaphorically refers to as the "devil within." Role of Retreats in Preventing Self-Sabotage: He advocates for retreats as a means of confronting and purifying oneself from internal wickedness and limitations. Retreats bring about conscious suffering, which differs from the unconscious suffering most people experience in their avoidance of growth. Dangers of Comfort and Complacency: Leo discusses the risks associated with becoming too comfortable and disconnected from suffering, as success can lead to a life of chasing pleasure, avoiding the necessary discomfort that facilitates growth. Seeking Conscious Suffering for Growth: He advises deliberately placing oneself in challenging situations that lead to conscious suffering, which in turn promotes personal growth and aligns with the greater good. Life of Service versus Life of Pleasure: Leo contrasts the unfulfilling life of indulgence in a materialistic world with the fulfilling sacrifices made when one chooses to serve a higher purpose. Becoming Vessels for a Greater Purpose: Leo encourages becoming instruments for "Toyota's work," suggesting that individuals should purify their egos to allow themselves to be conduits for larger, impactful actions. Gandhi as an Exemplar of Purposeful Sacrifice: He presents Gandhi's life as a testament to living in alignment with a noble cause, which included hardships and ultimate sacrifice but also immense fulfillment and societal impact. Challenges and Rewards of Transformative Living: Leo acknowledges the risks faced by those who choose to drive societal change but stresses that the rewards of engaging with life on such an impactful level far outweigh the difficulties. Commitment to Continuing Actualized.org Content: Leo concludes by reassuring his audience that despite his focus on inner work, Actualized.org will continue to offer content dedicated to personal and societal development. Descendo