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I think we are already aligned here: The separate self is an arising appearance, appearing/moving temporarily in You/Reality/Infinite Totality, like any other appearance. Every night in deep sleep its gone. The bullet will also work That is why I mostly write "Separate Self Arisings". "Arisings", to emphasize it is not a really existing "thing", more like a process clouding ones recongition of ones True Identity, but the clouding itself creates an illusion, and is an illusion, not a thing. Technically defined by some as ignorance, or illusion, Maya... All arisings in ones mindstream that make one feel/think that one is not the Totality, but something separate (ranging from Ego/Body-Mind to a Transparent Witness with some last remnants of feeling separate/Individuality or feeling like watching/experiencing the totality). At the end, its all of the same/one essence, like the beautiful example of gold or origami/paper. Same essence, different forms/expressions. I belong not to those demonizing the whole character/body-mind. The more functional it is (health, relationships, financials, the whole Maslow-Pyramid), the easier it is to transcend the separate-self-arisings-part of it. Wilber for example says a strong&healthy ego is easiert to transcend than an ego that hurts in many areas. That is also my experience. The character can also operate without separate-self-arisings. The separate-self-arisings are only an optional part of the character/body-mind. Actually, at least in my experience, once the separate-self-arisings are no longer disturbing ones intuition, one acts much more efficiently/smoothly/successful, much closer aligned to Ones True Core. Once "one" gets out of the way, things run much smoother. Actually, "the" separate self is more a process/structure/Gestalt, "separate-selfing", a verb more than a noun/thing.... Like a process, that can happen, but that can also stop. Then, the True You/Reality, by definition has still to be there, and is of course, as always. The clouds between the sun, that can also evaporate or no longer happen.... and then, welcome home to a home you never left in the first place. It only appeared so. Coming back from a trip that never really happened, only appeared to do so. Thanks for your message, I want to learn to optimize communicating all of that, and I should emphasize this point sometimes more. Water by the River PS: "The dream is absolute truth, the character is not separate from the dream. Therefore the character is also absolute truth." Many (including me) would probalby prefer writing that the essence of the dream or character is Absolute Truth, but not Absolute Truth in itself (which is the Infinite Totality, the One without a second, of which nothing can be finally said) but this depends on the context it is used, and is a question of preference. One can only use pointers to the Absolute Reality of which nothing positive can be said at the end since that would limit it, make it no longer infinite. IT can only be pointed to (the pointers appearing in IT/Absolute Reality), and realized as Ones True Identity. That is why the pointer Nothingness of Halaw (God is Nothingness) is actually in my opinion a beautiful tool. The essence of every appearance is already Nothingness. The essence of every thought, of every "separate self arising" is already Nothingness. The "behind ones head" is it already floating in Nothingness. The visual field is floating in Nothingness already. Once the referent (Enlightenment, realizing ones True Identity as Absolute Reality/Absolute) is in place, one can use signifiers (pointers) to point to it. Before that, all pointers can only show in the direction of that Realization of Ones True Essence. When the referent is in place, something like Bashô "The old pond, A frog jumps in: Plop!" can work very precise when said from one person knowing the referent and the corresponding/accompanying states, to another. Much more precise than some pointers like Absolute/Nothingness/Infinite Reality,.... At the "edges of Duality" approaching "that" which can never be made to an object of any kind is challenging business I assume that you mean that, and that its only a preference of writing/pointing.

Hello everyone, I think I can't concentrate on any of these questions. What do I do if the questions seem unanswerable? I've been stagnating on assignments and have seen no progress. This is a long list and the file would probably be too big to share here. There is also this book called Define Your Why and even those questions I'm stuck on. I don't want to confuse you with that other list so I will just post this for now. HI acknowledge that all of this needs to be contemplated for myself. Here is what I need to work on (more organized on Google Docs): Questions and Exercises to Work On What are your top fears and insecurities? How did it shape your early survival challenges? How did it shape your values? What strategies did you invent to get love? In what ways are you overcompensating? What are some outdated survival patterns, armor and defense mechanisms you still act out today? How did they serve you in the past? How are they limiting you today? What would it look like if you let them go? What are you afraid would happen if you let them go? What area in life am I able to produce an amazing creative result in? Your vision needs to cover the field itself. Why is integrity important? What integrity do you lack or have? How many problems are there in the world because of unholistic thinking (contemplate)? How many personal problems or the problems of people you know do you or the people you know have because of unholistic thinking? Thinking holistically requires appreciating the value of holism and vice versa. Ask higher quality questions developing intuition Don't accept reductionistic answers Study many perspectives deconstruct the materialist and mechanical paradigm Study systems thinking Start to consider externalities and collateral damage Read holistic thinkers Step outside of your survival concerns Study yourself-biases Get rid of judging and criticizing Everyone is right partially 1. How are x and y interconnected? 2. What is the big picture here? 3. What is the larger context of this? 4. What is the ultimate point of all this? (What you are currently doing) 5. Why am I doing this at all? 6. How is this a part of something larger? 1. How does this part serve the larger whole? 2. How is this part of a duality? Do you have the whole story / all points of the same story? 3. How will this invert? How will this duality boomerang? 7. What is the highest good for the whole? 8. How should the parts be rebalanced for the good of the whole? 9. Which parts are out of balance, leeching selfishly from the whole? 10. How is this fragmented? 11. How am I drawing the boundary of the system? 1. How can I redraw the boundary to expand the boundary? 12. How am I involved in the situation? - the rainforest ex. 13. How would god see this situation? 1. Unbiased, Selfless, unattached, fearless, benevolent, all loving, all understanding, non-judgmental, self accepting and seeking exquisite balance for the good of wall 14. How can I better serve the greatest whole? There are 2 versions of holism: There is holism with a lowercase h and Holism with a capital H (includes reductionism). Holism is a function of consciousness (cannot think your way to the highest Holism) The one who is most holistic wins the game of life Pay attention to dualities functioning in life and make your own list of them. What is duality part 2 “Everything arises in this way: opposites from their opposites.” -plato (scientific + existential) Concepts and ideas are categories which is duality which is groundless duality is not just pairs of 2 you don't just find opposites for categories you could also find 3, 4 … there's infinite dualities we can have in nonduality. Categories lead to more categories, all categories break and lead into something else. Science deludes itself by going through the filters of their categories; those categorial filters are what distorts it. Human created categories All science is direct experience. It's all first person. You cannot do proper science unless you understand the relativity of science. yoga=science of consciousness How you frame your problems determines the solutions you get, how you frame your question determines what kind of answers you get. It's not necessarily about the problem or the answer itself. The solution is found in the problem and the answer is the question. Examples of 3 straight vs gay vs bisexual/ sexual spectrum Red vs green vs ultraviolet/ Color spectrum Scientific dualities Solid vs liquid vs gas vs plasma Conductor vs insulator vs semiconductor vs superconductor Land vs water- land shapes the way water flows, the flow shapes the land and the shape of the water is determined by the land. Ecosphere/geosphere vs biosphere vs atmosphere vs hydrosphere Planets vs asteroids vs planetoids Life vs non-life Inanimate vs animate Plant vs animal Animal vs human Hardware vs software vs operating system Digital vs analogue Matter vs energy e=mc2 Matter vs antimatter Electricity vs magnetism Space vs time Quantum vs relative Theory vs practice ‘important video Theory vs reality cannot separate the two theory is reality System vs environment Organism vs environment I vs environment Inorganic vs organic Eukaryotic vs prokaryotic Sentient vs non sentient can a rock become sentient can a computer become sentient is sentient absolute Nature vs nurture Genetics vs environment epigenetics your genetics change from your environment First person vs third person Science vs philosophy science evolved from philosophy Science vs metaphysics Science vs math Science vs art Science vs pseudoscience (most pseudoscience is inaccurate) Science vs religion Science vs spirituality Science vs yoga Science vs consciousness Consciousness vs meditation Science vs culture Hard science vs soft science Natural vs unnatural Natural vs artificial Evolution vs design Evolution vs creation Inside vs outside Internal vs external human beings are shaped like donut exactly like a paradox Micro vs macro Western vs eastern medicine Rational vs irrational Rational vs intuitive Skepticism vs faith Fact vs interpretation Empirical data vs interpretation facts don't care about your feelings being wrong. All logic is dictated by your feelings. You cannot separate a fact by your interpretation from the fact but you can believe you can if your emotions want too. You don't have a single fact only interpretations Reason vs feelings Dependent vs independent Contingent vs necessary Philosophical duality a priori vs a posteriori this one is confusing a priori ;independent and prior to experience and a posteriori; dependent upon experience you cannot separate the two Analytical truth vs synthetic Relevant vs irrelevant Quantitative vs qualitative Quantity vs quality Natural vs supernatural Witch vs shaman/unknown Mind vs body has been resolved for at least 5000 years by humans merging with nonduality Mind vs brain Subject vs object Physical vs mental Psychophysical or Mental (without a brain) Physical vs non physical Material vs immaterial Same vs different Variable vs constant Input vs output Form vs function Syntax vs semantics Control vs controlled Determinism vs free will -divine will gods will Analysis vs synthesis Analytic vs holistic ‘Technology vs magic’ -Arthur c. Clarke everything is magic reality is magic Cause vs effect every effect has a cause of something else Consistent vs inconsistent/contradiction Discovery vs invention heterogeneous vs homogeneous Linear vs nonlinear Problem vs solution Possible vs impossible Chicken vs egg the chicken is the egg you can't have chicken without egg or egg without chicken Credential vs credentials Newby vs expert Map vs territory the map was always the territory all there is is or ever was is Territory which includes all maps Brain vs thought Objects vs thoughts Notice how these dualities function in your day to day life. Write down a list of these dualities that you are noticing and realize the width and depth of this rabbit whole. Work through all these dualities and discover them collapse don't believe the list does the work and discover the limitations of the dualistic mind you project on the whole world like you were given a math problem. How did you know which sources to trust and which sources not to trust back then? Write out your priorities and goals What would I regret when I'm 40 or 50? Ask what the frame of reference is in response including your own beliefs. Translate what people say relative to ______. Ask why you get triggered by things. Assume that something is true then try to look how it can be false. Although you have answered them in your notebook, you should keep your notes in one place. Here are the questions: Try to answer these questions: Metaphysical: About reality 1. How come existence exists at all? 2. What is existence? 3. How is existence related to non-existance? 4. Why is reality structured as it is? 5. Are there other possible ways reality can be ordered other than our own? 6. Why are the laws of physics the way they are? 7. Which comes first: consciousness or matter? Does consciousness come out of matter or does matter occur within consciousness? 8. What is matter, energy, space, time? 9. What is outside the universe? Is it infinite or finite? Why? 10. What existed before the big bang? 11. How does the material interact with the immaterial? 12. What governs what’s possible and impossible in the universe? What sets limits on the universe? 13. What governs emergent properties (eg atoms, molecules)? 14. How can emergent properties arise out of nowhere? 15. What makes a thing a thing? What is an object (a single thing, multiple things)? 16. Does reality have a bottom most scale? Eg lower than atoms, and lower than than. Does reality have a top most scale eg higher than planets, universes etc. Are there limits or do the levels go infinitely up and down 17. Does the evolution of the universe have a purpose? If so, where does it lead to? 18. Does external reality exist at all? 19. What is God? What would the concept of God entail? 20. What are thoughts? 21. How did life start? Aka Where did it all come from? Epistemic: The study of knowledge 1. How do we know what we know? 2. How can I know anything for certain? 3. What makes justifications valid? 4. Why do billions of people believe in God? 5. Why do people disagree about good and bad, right and wrong, moral and immoral? 6. How come intelligent people delude themselves? Eg scientists who are creationists. How can I be sure that I’m not deluded? 7. How do I know that I’m not indoctrinated aka brainwashed into believing things without thinking about them myself. 8. What is science? Is it the best way of arriving at knowledge? 9. What are the limits of science? Are there things that science can’t understand/explain? 10. What is mathematics? What makes it valid? 11. What are the limits of mathematics? Is it displayed by reality or projected by the human mind? 12. What is rationality? How does it work and why is it valid? Limitless? Displayed by reality or projected by the human mind` 13. Which is more valid, the senses, rationality, or intuition? 14. What are the biases/blind spots of humanity as a whole? 15. How do animals understand reality? 16. Are there creatures with higher intelligence than humans? If so, how can we be certain of our knowledge? 17. Why is human knowledge taken as the ultimate truth? 18. What is the truth? Is is objective or subjective 19. Where does understanding come from? How can we rely upon it? 20. What is the ultimate truth? 21. What is the best way to acquire knowledge? 22. Is reality understandable? Can humans understand it all or not because we are limited Self: You as an individual 1. How can I be sure that I exist at all? 2. If I exist, what am I? Biological? How do I know? 3. How did I, aka the identity of me, come into being? 4. What justifies identifying with the body or the mind? If the body is yours and the mind is too, who owns these things 5. If I am the body and the mind, what is everything else. Where do ‘I’ stop and the rest of the world begin? 6. What is in control of my thoughts? 7. What is my role in reality? My purpose? 8. How should I live my life to maximize happiness? Consciousness: The mind and all mental fabrications 1. What is consciousness? 2. How is perception possible? 3. What unifies our senses into a seamless experience? 4. What if there are higher levels of consciousness? What would that mean for our understanding of the world? 5. What about the different levels of consciousness eg on psychedelics, meditation. What do they mean? Are they better/worse/more or less real than ordinary consciousness? 6. Are consciousnesses separate or is consciousness one thing? 7. Can artificial consciousness be created 8. Can consciousness be split or joined? 9. Could inanimate matter be conscious? 10. Is consciousness only accessible to higher level beings or is it everywhere in the world? 11. What are the laws governing qualia (qualities of the senses)? Where do we come from? What's right and wrong, and who determines it? What is the meaning and purpose of life? What happens to us after we die? 1. What is the most important concept of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ4F_BpJi20 explain? 2. List the 5 things that you are most grateful for that you haven't seen the evidence of yet. Grasping the Illusory Nature of Thought -SYMBOLS ARE NOT REALITY ITSELF AND THEY ARE TOTALLY ARBITRARY; This makes you unconscious since thoughts are arbitrary symbols that acquire meaning over time. -YOU NEED TO GAIN MINDFULNESS OVER YOUR THOUGHTS. A thought is real as a sensation in your mind, not as the actual thing. If you don’t apply mindfulness you will be living in a reality constructed by thoughts and not reality as it really is. How to practice this? Commit to flatten 50 illusions in the next week and write it down. Describe the content and then what it really is. Mindfulness Meditation Mindfulness is experiencing reality literally, exactly as it is. There are three important components: 1) Focus – ability to put awareness of selective sensations for a long period of time (a very rare skill these days) 2) Sensory clarity – how clear are you about the raw data coming in. Clear the lens of your mind 3) Equanimity – experience and emotion/phenomena and not react to it in an emotional way (to be stable and grounded, and not go into a reactive state) The basics: Every 10 second cycle: (Note, label, savor) 1. Locate an object and note that you are looking at it 2. Label (silently) it “see” – to register that you are seeing it 3. Take it in exactly as it is in the present moment for 5-7 seconds. (don’t judge it, just experience it) Concentration vs Meditation -Concentration is selecting an object and focusing on it intensively while meditation is surrendering to the moment. -The best results come when you enter Access Concentration – your best meditation results will come from entering this. To develop concentration: sit down with an alarm, select a clear object or sensation. Sit there and focus on that sensation/object for the next 5 minutes, forcing your mind to never waver. Do not let it waver. You will know when you’ve hit Access Concentration when you go into a flow state – you will feel it; it will become easier to focus and distractions will melt away. Start with 2 minutes and build up to 3, 4, 5, 10 min. Become good at 2 minutes then bump it up. Be very precise and do not waver. Smoothen out the object you are focussing on, create a single sensation from complex sensations (such as breathing). Meditation on Steroids Strong determination sitting (SDS) can supercharge your meditation practice. Simple but very powerful technique. SDS may be the quickest way to enlightenment. Take a timer and sit for 1,2,3 hours with eyes open. Sit in lotus (or other position). Do not move for the full time, no matter what happens. Sit completely motionless. Your concentration and focus will supercharge. Combine this with the Do Nothing technique. This will show you how rotten your mind has become. This will show you how rotten your mind has become. Deep and true happiness is complete presence in the moment, and being one with reality, being completely unconditionally happy with whatever happens. Purification = pain x mindfulness. Suffering = pain x resistance (drop your resistance to 0) Anxiety is running away from pain and suffering. Try to do 4 one-hour sits per day for a week as a retreat. Contemplation Contemplation – openly pondering a question that you are interested in, with focus, and without bias in order to inquire into the nature/essence/truth of that thing. Sit down and relax, select one question you are curious about and ponder it from ground 0, avoiding anything you’ve been told about it, for 5-10 minutes Select a question you generally care about Ask yourself different questions to approach the thing in question from different angles Go deeper into the nature of the thing you’re questioning. What is it? What is its true nature? How did it come into being? What are the components that allow it to exist? What is its purpose? What is its substance? What is its significance/importance? Why do I care about it? Some nuances: Contemplation, meditation, concentration, and self-inquiry are different things that overlap. Contemplation is more of an intellectual activity, but it can become meditative. Self-inquiry is specifically contemplating your nature, who you are. Concentration is a non-intellectual activity. Contemplation can be done on a personal level as well an existential level. There is a spectrum. Contemplation becomes mystical when you penetrate past the level of thought into the level of insight when you get to the being-level of things. Your number-one problem in life is ignorance. From that stem all your other problems. Life is a giant illusory magic show. To penetrate illusion, you have to contemplate. Don’t just rearrange your prejudices. Your assignment: Wear a wristband for a week and contemplate “What is relationship?”. Every time you see the band, remember to contemplate the question. How You Lie -You are running your whole life based on self-agenda – what you want and what promotes your survival. -It’s about preserving your self-concept/self-image. -Truth alone is curative and healing. Level 1: Tell the truth to yourself, acknowledge how you feel and when you lie. Level 2: Communicate the facts of the situation more accurately and honestly. Level 3: Communicate how you feel about the facts (“Honey, I cheated on you with Sally, and loved it, we had multiple orgasms, so much fun, and then we went shopping later, I love her. You’ve become a harsh, naggy bitch, and I’m sick of it”). Your ego will feel like it’s getting destroyed when you are telling the truth. You will quiver with fear and dread. It will feel like pouring acid on your self-image but it is extremely healthy and healing. Don’t let lies fester and eat away at your soul. This is not a moral problem but an integrity problem. A warning: if you do start doing level 2 and 3 truth-telling you will have to accept the consequences. There may be serious consequences. BUT in most situations, the mind over-exaggerates the negative outcomes. Often the truth is refreshing for most people. Assignments: - Notice your self-agenda in action - Notice whether you are honoring your self-agenda or truth. - Notice how much you lie, be mindful as you lie. - Notice how you subtly manipulate people, especially those closest to you. Get a loose rubber band that you can wear on your wrist and wear it for a whole week to remind yourself to be on the lookout for lying and serving your self-agenda. Bringing It All Together Worksheet My top 3 values are… My 3 signature strengths are… The high-consciousness virtue I want to build my career around is… The 1 domain I want to commit to mastering is… •Spirituality My greatest personal struggle in life has been… The top 5 questions that fascinate me the most about life are… 1. Who am I? 2. What is life? The top 3 moments that inspired me most in the past were… My Zone of Genius is… The most meaningful impact that I can have in the world is… The Sheet From the Life Purpose Course: Life purpose: Domain of mastery: Zone of genius: Medium: Top 10 Values: Strengths: Top 5 goals: 64 Most Fascinating Questions A Human Can Ask Metaphysical: About reality 1. How come existence exists at all? Because existence has to exist even if it exists as Absolute Nothing. 2. What is existence? Existence is Being. 3. How is existence related to non-existence? Because non-existence is non-existent, non-existence would exist and therefore there is only existence. 4. Why is reality structured as it is? 5. Are there other possible ways reality can be ordered other than our own? 6.Why are the laws of physics the way they are? 7. Which comes first: consciousness or matter? Does consciousness come out of matter or does matter occur within consciousness? 8. What is matter, energy, space, time? 9. What is outside the universe? Is it infinite or finite? Why? What is outside of the universe is the multiverse. The universe is a sub infinity within it since there cannot be anything outside of space except more space and anything outside of space is still within space. 10. What existed before the big bang? Pure potential. 11. How does the material interact with the immaterial? Through forces like the laws of physics. 12. What governs what's possible and impossible in the universe? What sets limits on the universe? Scientific laws. 13. What governs emergent properties (e.g. atoms, molecules)? Pure consciousness since nothingness is the only solution for an infinite regress problem with substance. 14. How can emergent properties arise out of nowhere? 15. What makes a thing a thing? What is an object (a single thing, multiple things)? 16. Does reality have a bottom most scale? E.g. lower than atoms, and lower than. Does reality have a topmost scale e.g. higher than planets, universes etc. Are there limits or do the levels go infinitely up and down? Already answered (re-answer this question to easily find it). 17. Does the evolution of the universe have a purpose? If so, where does it lead to? 18. Does external reality exist at all? 19. What is God? What would the concept of God entail? 20. What are thoughts? The voice of the mind (and maybe of the soul). 21. How did life start? Aka where did it all come from? Epistemic: The study of knowledge 1. How do we know what we know? Through direct experience. 2. How can I know anything for certain? Already answered. 3. What makes justifications valid? 4. Why do billions of people believe in God? Because life is mystical. 5. Why do people disagree about good and bad, right and wrong, moral and immoral? 6. How come intelligent people delude themselves? E.g. scientists who are creationists. How can I be sure that I'm not deluded? 7. How do I know that I’m not indoctrinated aka brainwashed into believing things without thinking about them myself? 8. What is science? Is it the best way of arriving at knowledge? 9. What are the limits of science? Are there things that science can’t understand/explain? 10. What is mathematics? What makes it valid? 11. What are the limits of mathematics? Is it displayed by reality or projected by the human mind? 12. What is rationality? How does it work and why is it valid? Limitless? Displayed by reality or projected by the human mind? 13. Which is more valid, the senses, rationality, or intuition? 14. What are the biases/blind spots of humanity as a whole? 15. How do animals understand reality? 16. Are there creatures with higher intelligence than humans? If so, how can we be certain of our knowledge? 17. Why is human knowledge taken as the ultimate truth? Because it is all humans know. 18. What is the truth? Is it objective or subjective? Truth is a state of Being. There are relative truths and the Absolute Truth which cannot be explained. 19. Where does understanding come from? How can we rely upon it? 20. What is the ultimate truth? 21. What is the best way to acquire knowledge? 22. Is reality understandable? Can humans understand it all or not because we are limited? Self: You as an individual 1. How can I be sure that I exist at all? 2. If I exist, what am I? Biological? How do I know? 3. How did I, aka the identity of me, come into being? 4. What justifies identifying with the body or the mind? If the body is yours and the mind is too, who owns these things? 5. If I am the body and the mind, what is everything else. Where do ‘I’ stop, and the rest of the world begin? 6. What is in control of my thoughts? 7. What is my role in reality? My purpose? 8. How should I live my life to maximize happiness? Consciousness: The mind and all mental fabrications 1. What is consciousness? 2. How is perception possible? 3. What unifies our senses into a seamless experience? The brain. 4. What if there are higher levels of consciousness? What would that mean for our understanding of the world? 5. What about the different levels of consciousness e.g. on psychedelics, meditation. What do they mean? Are they better/worse/more or less real than ordinary consciousness? 6. Are consciousnesses separate or is consciousness one thing? 7. Can artificial consciousness be created? 8. Can consciousness be split or joined? 9. Could inanimate matter be conscious? 10. Is consciousness only accessible to higher level beings or is it everywhere in the world? 11. What are the laws governing qualia (qualities of the senses)? You might want to rethink these questions: Contemplation of Your Own Death 1. What would I miss the most about life? Socializing and finding my life purpose. 2. What do I want to get out of this life? Enlightenment. 3. What is really worth doing? Finding my life purpose and spirituality. 4. What isn't worth doing? Procrastinating. How am I being small minded? How do I need to reorganize my life? 7 Day Exercise Make a reminder of your death If I was more conscious of my death I would _____. 10 quick responses. Be more decisive of my time Do more housework Check things a less amount of times Be more social Make a reminder of my death Rewrite this later/have this in a notebook or on a sheet of paper Find more spiritual exercises Read more books Do the life purpose course Find a way to pay for it or learn about how for the future How To Harness Your Intuition – Exercises: How has my intuition served me in the past? How does my intuition feel when it’s working? What has my intuition been trying to tell me lately? What is my intuition saying about my career? What is my intuition saying about my relationships? Where is my intuition ultimately trying to guide me? In what ways do I ignore my intuition? Why don’t I follow my intuition more? What changes could I make to reconnect with my intuition more consistently? What would my life look like if I had the courage to follow my deepest intuitions? What are some noble or aspirational yearnings that I am suppressing or stalling on? What Is Insight? Worksheet v1 Copyright 2023, Leo Gura, Actualized.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - What is insight? What generates insight? Why is insight so slippery / ineffable? How is insight different from belief or knowledge? What are the biggest insights I’ve had in my life? How have insights I’ve had shaped my life? How have insights mankind has shaped civilization? What are the greatest insights mankind has had? Can the capacity for insight be developed? If so, how? What would happen if I seriously developed my capacity for insight? How much is the capacity for insight worth to me? How is insight related to understanding? What kinds of insight exist? Where do insights come from? What tools exist to help me generate insights? Is there such a thing as false insight? If so, how is it distinguished from true insight? Can I fool myself with insight? What is the relationship between insight and states of consciousness? What is the relationship between insight & thinking? Can there be insight without thinking? How is insight related to mental construction? What is the relationship between insight & wisdom? What is the relationship between insight and truth? When do I have the most insights? Where am I and what am I doing? Your Meditation: What is the next best thing that I can do? 3 Steps to Break YouTube Addiction 1. Pick something that you are going to do with your time to replace the time that you currently spend watching YouTube. 2. Widen the gap (through meditation) that you're going to have before the addiction before the addiction for YouTube kicks in. 3a. Create the emotion needed by thinking about death or think about the dark you (your dark shadow) living up to its potential and not you. 3b. Bypass the emotion of resistance by using the 5-second rule. How To Let Go of a Coping Mechanism - Teal Swan - Background: -To cope is to make a specific alteration either mentally emotionally or physically, that allows you to manage a situation that is causing you stress. -A coping mechanism is a process, or a technique for enabling you to do that. -Take a look at what got you into spirituality. -Chances are, it was you feeling some form of distress or discomfort. -This means that your entire spiritual practice is ripe for coping mechanisms. -People who are prone to denial will gravitate towards the law of attraction practice communities. -People who are prone to self-harm will be drawn towards asceticism. -Why is it so hard to let go of coping mechanisms? Because they don't cause us pain on the front end and are instant gratification and you are wired to avoid pain. 1. Stop avoiding pain and actually befriend it. -Any kind of pain is a signal to gain valuable feedback. 2. Look at the things that make you feel better. -Make an entire list of these things. -What do you do when you are in a state of distress? -It is your job to argue to yourself how those ways are detrimental to you. -How could each one be a coping mechanism? -What potential downsides could there be to that coping mechanism? -How does each one not work? 3. Take a look at online lists of coping mechanisms and the ones that you engage in. -How are those coping mechanisms beneficial to you and how are they detrimental to you? What does it give to me and what does it take away from me? -Think about someone who does have that coping mechanism. 4. You have to undo the coping mechanism the same way that it began or first occurred which is in your past (obviously). -It's resolved through trauma integration. -When you have a coping mechanism that you are feeling inclined to engage in or are currently engaging in, close your eyes and imagine not engaging in it instead. -Try to find someone in your life that will point out your coping mechanisms. -What would happen if you engaged in the opposite of that coping mechanism? What would be so bad about not doing X? -The Completion Process (the book) is good for this. -If you notice yourself about to engage in something that you "shouldn't" be doing, choose to engage in it consciously. -After doing this a few times, choose to do something else. -Do this several times with several techniques. 5. Practice the art of softening instead of tensing in response to discomfort. -Close your eyes and imagine literally becoming completely soft and allowing that sensation in your body. -Imagine relaxing your muscles. -Send your cells the message to open up -Start breathing into it completely so you feel yourself completely limp against the discomfort. -When going soft, not only can you learn from the discomfort, but you can also choose not to engage your coping mechanism. -What you resist, persist, and your coping mechanism is a way of resisting pain and thus getting more pain in the long run.

Warning: Loooong rambling ahead! The deception is what I call (at least for me) Separate-Self-arisings (I-thoughts, I-feeling), that arise with a very high frequency in Oneself (True Self/Reality). That leads to the world appearances manifesting as "external" and "solid/not hologram-like mere appearances". Et voila, the magic show! When one spots them fast enough (separate self arisings) and is familiar with them, and doesn't get captured by them (in my opinion the goal of meditation), the visual field at some point becomes nondual, mere appearance, lucid/hologram-like, hovering in Infinite Nothingness. Then, there is no more deception, since it doesn't "grip". Nothing the "separate self can throw at you" is believed anymore. It just runs/appears in True You/Reality, but is no longer to believed to be more real than mere arising in True You/Reality. Perceptions perceiving themselves in You/Reality, and some practical mind-stream-stuff of the human you have (not are, but have) running in True You/Reality. As long as any of it is still believed, and not transcended as objects/movements/arisings in the True You, one doesn't cross over to the other shore. 3% of still "gripping" and not transcended separate self arisings (very very subtle ones at the end, just mere "Individuality") prevents the full Realization of ones True Identity. They all have to "go". It is like the mindstream runs in oneself, and doesn't capture ones attention. Nothing of it. The mindfulness stays, it is all a magic show. There is no more "external" world, just a magic show of hologram like lucid appearances, hovering in Infinite Nothingness. Suffering (psychological suffering, or resistance to what is here and now) has stopped at that point. Then, it all becomes a magic show. It is totally clear what the essence of the magic show/movie is. Nothingness. without suffering. Sure, the Magic Show is a deception/Illusion. But what else is there to do for the True You? The Real You can not gain or loose ever. But it can manifest the show. And just a disclaimer/warning, because I write very freely from the absolute side of the street, tending to ignore the relative side of the street while writing this way: When you start to think while the separate self is still intact, that you can not gain or loose ever: Well, Maya will give one a nice smack demonstrating that one (as the separate self) can very well suffer, grow and develop, loose and gain. Karma is well and alive when the separate self is not fully transcended). That leads automatically to appreciation of the beauty of the show. Appreciation of the beauty of manifestation. With a certain preference of being interested in all these mechanisms. But being interested not in a grasping way, like suffering when one doesn't get to understand it, but more like: Hey let's go for a walk, and if it rains we don't, and do something else. No big deal anyway.... If there is no appreciation of the Illusion/Show, but disgust/horror/discontentment/anything other than marveling at/with the state of things, I would assume there is still a separate self active/not transcended, that then resists/suffers. I personally find the investigation/exploration of the Multiverse, trying to understand the manifestation mechanism, Alien-anything quite interesting. But it no way leads to me grasping to the beauty and bliss of these experiences of understanding or exploring. If something like that would show up in my mindstream, a reaction would arise like: All nice and well, interesting for sure, but starting egoic/separate self-suffering or grasping for it, no way I am doing that, would be rather not so smart. and lead to suffering/resisting, and shutting down the Endohuasca-System (below).... and that would be it (grasping stopped). Selling Water by the River Some Quotes from Pointing Out the Great Way, Brown "once you have eradicated all the pain from the mind": "Tashi Namgyel calls the two stages prior to experiencing enlightenment recognizing awakened wisdom/[awakened awareness] and setting up awakened wisdom/[awakened awareness] . One-taste yoga establishes the foundation for awakened wisdom/[awakened awareness] to emerge. In non-meditation yoga the practitioner: ...proceeds from the perspective of having seen the benefit of the aforementioned [special] samadhi. Generate a fervent desire for this [awakened wisdom/[awakened awareness] ] to increase and continue once you have eradicated all the pain from the mind." Tashi Namgyal, in Pointing Out the Great Way, Brown "The commentary merely alludes to these changes withthe brief passage from Gampopa, "once you have eradicated all the pain from the mind" (TN, p. 5oo).These and other changes, however, are described in much greater detail in the oral tradition, especially by Rechung.'" Rechung says that the practitioner "unties the chakra knots that prevent the full experience of mental and divine bliss, respectively." [the Endohuasca-System of the Body, at least in my theory, see https://dmtquest.org/endohuasca-magic/ ] Attachment (zhar ba) is transmuted into great enjoyment (dga 'chen).The practitioner finds great bliss (bde chen) simply from experiencing ordinary phenomena as they arise in their own way. The natural spontaneity of the mind is freed. Bliss replaces misery." Tashi Namgyal, in Pointing Out the Great Way, Brown That is how at least developed for me. And the end of the game: "According to Tilopa, such uninterrupted, effortless mindfulness finds no refuge (gtad so) in any particular events of the mind because of their inherent emptiness/clarity, so that awareness-itself turns back on itself and naturally crosses over [to Enlightenment]" "In short, crossing over [to Enlightenment] happens at the time when every single sensory experience—appearance and thought—are viewed as clarity/emptiness and movement/emptiness with absolute certainty." [not 1% of the separate self still untranscended/not cut off/still believed] "Tashi Namgyel's root text explains how nonmeditation yoga ripens in three stages: At the lowest level, it becomes possible to maintain undistracted mindfulness of the simultaneous mind [simultaneous mind = nondual] at any time, so that it is unnecessary to limit the practice to formal meditation sessions. Seeming appearances arise "like a mirage." [mere luminous appearances hovering in Nothingness]. At the middle level,awareness-mindfulness continues day and night. The subtlest flow of shapes that arise is the mind's self-illumination. At the highest level, awakened wisdom/[awakened awareness] stays even throughout all these subtle forms [not 1% of the separate self still untranscended/not cut off/still believed, including any feelings/thoughts of Individuality/being separate from the Totality/Reality]. Continuous awakened wisdom/[awakened awareness] in the face of everything experienced is great nonmeditation. (TN, p. 697) I highly recommend the book, it is truly awesome. It is a synthesizing text of the Mahamudra-Tradition, quoting many books of the tradition and integrating them.

Beautiful description. We agree here. Some "technical" musings: At some points, all the pointers (necessarily including duality) collapse. The Reality manifesting them contains them all. What a good pointer can do is shut up the thinking mind and make it rest in suchness, so that the Absolute can reveal itself. To get the clouds away from the sun. I personally like the pointer "Nothingness initially unaware of itself when no imagined arising is showing up" where the Nothingness is described in such a way points to a specific state (like Nirvikalpa, Deep Sleep, or Cessation). The Absolute is (by definition) still present there. As Nothingness. And I like it because "Nothingness initially unaware of itself when no imagined arising are showing up" clarifies what is more fundamental: Not the the full illusion-clear-light-show of imagined arisings ("the world"), but the Nothingness "beneath" it. The Absolute essence of manifestation, nondual, Nothingness. The show can disappear, the Nothingness/Absolute not. this "Nothingness initially unaware of itself when no imagined arisings are showing up" which can also be called the Void or Infinite Potential, (as you do), is a state on the extreme end of the dream, a duality compared to the full show going on, as you write. The nice thing how Halaw (God is Nothingness) uses Nothingness as Absolute is: He describes the Nothingness as present throughout, also while the Dream-Show is active, as the essence of all appearance. Or the Absolute. Halaw uses Nothingness as synonym for the Absolute. Absolute sounds a bit like a thing, although its philosophical definition and the way you use the pointer/signifier pointing to its referent (Absolute Infinite Reality itself , the One without a second) is absolutely correct. The advantage of Nothingness when used for the Absolute is: you can not mistake it with some kind of object, some kind of "thing". But as you correctly write, the Absolute it is neither existence nor non-existence, and because of that neither an Absolute that can be confused with an existing thing, nor Nothingness which can be confused with non-existence, capture Absolute Reality fully. And the Absolute (or Nothingness in the usage of Halaw) is, as you write, "incomprehensible, indescribable, and nameless and it is the absolute essence of it all" [bold markings by me]. Nondual, Oneness, Infinite, One without a second. And Nothingness/Absolute as "its" essence. "The absolute is beyond the dream. It is beyond existence/nonexistence, beyond form/formless, and beyond imagination/emptiness." Madhyamaka-style, the Middle Path. And how to conclude all the musings above? With a pointer that is maybe even better than Absolute or Nothingness? A pointer which at the same time makes the most sense after having passed the Gateless Gates? So with a nice Koan, "technically" the most precise pointer, but a pointer that can be pretty useless before the Gateless Gate. before the Gateless Gate, a Koan is mainly a concentration object, after the Gateless Gate a Koan is the technically most precise pointer to the Reality that contains all pointers/signifiers pointing towards "It". Here it comes: “An ancient pond/ a frog jumps in/ the sound of water.” Water by the River PS: Maybe in the next life, I am done writing about pointers, and only stutter little Koans and smile

@Water by the River i think i can make it less confusing and propose this kind of framing. non physical energy (nothingness) is observing physical energy (coffee table). Ultimately it's just energy observing different manifestations of itself. But it's the primordial formless energy that is observing the manifest formful manifestaion, not the other way around.

As I see it, absolute reality is within everythingness (the cosmos) and nothingness (the void, or infinite potential). However, the cosmos and the void themselves are extreme dualities of the dream. The absolute is beyond the dream. It is beyond existence/nonexistence, beyond form/formless, and beyond imagination/emptiness. It is incomprehensible, indescribable, and nameless and it is the absolute essence of it all. It has aspects (love, seamlessness, immutability, timelessness) but it is beyond attributes.

19 minutes ago, Salvijus said: That's clever. But let me challenge this. Who observes that the coffee table has vanished? There's somone else observing the coffee table coming into existence and then dissapearing. I would agree that observer and the objects of observation are ultimately one, but not the same. Bc if it was the same, then if a coffee table was to vanish, YOU would vanish with it. > The separate self or witness vanishes exactly with it. Absolute Reality is initially unaware of itself of no appearance/coffee table arises, but IT has got the potential for sentience, when some appearance shows up. Without appearance imagined/manifesting, NOTHINGNESS. Yes, your Essential Nature, or Infinite Reality itself can never vanish, but it can be unaware of itself if no appearance arises/is being imagined. Nothingness. Not nothing, but a Nothingness initially unaware of itself if nothing arises, but with Infinite Potential to manifest/imagine any possible show within itself. I agree with Hawal that Nothingness is a very good pointer, since you can not associate any image/appearance/attribute with it, since any image/appearance/attribute would be an arising within it. Neti Neti. The empty Abyss of the True Subject, fully nondual when a coffee table shows up, watching itself. . I know, sounds nuts... , but feels wonderful. And when there are no separate self arisings, the coffee table watches itself. And later, when a human thought stream is needed for practical daily business, that appears also within you. But doesn't-need to. True You is still there when the coffee table watches itself, no human identities necessary. Optionally these can be imagined, but the True You is fully fine without them. And any scary-reaction-arisings to this state of things are just protection-mechanism of the illusion/game, also arising in You. Please excuse when I started rambling with these musings again... Selling Water by the River.

Everything is energy. Manifestion is gross energy, nothingness is primordial non physical energy. In that sense i would agree everything is one. It's one energy manifestaing in different ways.

I would agree that a small part of you vanishes when a coffee table vanishes. But your essental nature never vanishes no matter how many objects in the universe were to vanish. Hence that formless nothingness would fit the definition of absolute the best and everything else is also you, but it's your secondary nature, not primary.

Although I agree with all you have written, Salvijus, there is a third formulation that at least I prefer: The coffee table observes itself. Perceptions perceiving themselves. When it feels like that, it is stable. At least for me. And if the coffee table is gone, and you are gone, you are not aware of yourself (Nirvikalpa, Deep Sleep, Cessation). But "Nothingness & Infinite Potential", with a potential for sentience. That is when all dualities collapse in the Always Here Reality that One truly is. And when being awake to That Nothingness/Absolute Reality in daily life, one is not a Witness or a human, but One has a witness or human. In the Reality that One is. Totally nondual. Then "one" gets out of the way, and lets Awakened Awareness do what the you/human did before. And at least in my case, that works more smoothly than the illusion that was in place with the separate self-show before. Water by the River We are that Reality. When you understand this, you see that you are Nothing, and being Nothing, you are Everything. That is all. - Kalu Rinpoche

The Clap of the One Hand/Reality/True You is still there when the light-show of the visual field, and every other formless arising, is switched off. Then "It" is just Infinite Potential, Nothingness, initially unaware of itself. Perception and Awareness (which is always "of" some appearance) comes when something appears. Before that, "It" is initially unaware of itself, but with the potential for sentience. Nothingness with a potential for awareness (of something). In one of my last posts, I described Massaros (Conversations with a Sceptic) example of Infinite Vastness/Nothingness, and suddenly a water pistol is imagined: Before that, no awareness, no nothing. Just Infinite Potential/Nothingness. Initially unaware of itself. So what is more fundamental? Switch "everything off" (Nirvikalpha, Deep Sleep, Cessation), et voila.... But then it is not nothing, but Nothingness, since IT/You has the potential for sentience, and Infinite Potential, since "It/Reality" can be aware of something if something is imagined/manifested/duality appears. Infinite Potential includes Infinite Intelligence and Infinite Love and so on.... When you contact this always here Reality/True Being/Nothingness/Infinite Empty Consciousness-Suchness deeply, and it becomes your True Core/True Identity (which it has always been, but one preferred playing the games of mistaken identity/separate self), then the clear light show of the visual field automatically becomes less important than the Always Here Reality/Abyss. The light show can actually go dark. Nothingness. You are not aware of yourself there, that would be too much movement. The eye can't see itself. But You/Reality has the POTENTIAL for sentience. That Infinite Nothingness is that in which "everything", every appearance the Visual Field, floats in in a nondual way. IT is always here. Behind your eyes, so to speak, and literally . The Nothingness behind your head, and "around" your Visual Field. The Nothingness "below" and in every appearance. Actually every appearance IS this Nothingness, appearing as appearance. Its the Groundless Ground of everything. It is that which gives you absolute Freedom, and Eternity in the palm of your hand. Practically speaking: When the "access" to the Absolute is available in a stable way, it is this aspect that "one" tends to talk about values highest, and identifies with. Not so much the Illusion-Light-Show. But of course the Nothingness is the "substance" or groundless ground of all appearances, in a total nondual way. They are not separate. But the Nothingness/Infinite Potential is more fundamental than the Appearance Clear Light Show. Selling Water by the River

imagine infinite sounds playing right now. We cannot imagine it, but being infinite, multiplied by infinite infinitely, would be absolute silence. and the same if you listen to absolute silence or realize absolute nothingness, it automatically opens up and manifests itself as the flow of infinite "things". the quality that you say must be immutable is the infinite quality, and to capture it you have to do 5 meo in my opinion. infinity is god, it is total plenitude, total love, and at the same time total emptiness and zero. since this cannot be understood by a linear mind that dissects and defines, it is necessary to break that mind with 5meo Yes but there is not observer and objects, that's the thing, just the infinity experiencing itself, seeming that there is a subject and an object. If you observe yourself, where is the subject and the object? Are the same

Interesting. Allow me to challenge this view. By definition absolute means that which never changes. So an open question becomes. Do sounds change? Yes, all the time. Does silence ever change ? No Does silence have degrees? No Does silence have different forms? No By definition only the silence is absolute, never changing, without any levels. It is our true nature, pure witness, primordial awareness. Out this nothingness/silence comes the sound/manifestaion. And manifestaion is not absolute it is relative. By definition no sound, no cloud, no phenomenal experience can be absolute (unless your definition of absolute is something else) This would be my counter perspective to what you sayed that only the absolute exists. I think there's a flaw in logic there.

Then the next stage of nonduality would be to recognize that silence and sound are inherantly one. But still silence remains the absolute and sound remains the relative. We can have silence without the sounds, but we can't have sounds without the silence. Or we can have sky without the clouds but we can't have clouds without the sky. Nothingness is king, manifestaion is the queen.

@Breakingthewall i think you're talking about two experiences or two states. one state is when in our perception everything is one Another state is when in our perception we feel seperation and duality In this context enlightenment is an experience or a state of perception. When clouds of ego are veiling the awareness it feels like everything is fragmented. When clouds of ego are gone, all sense of separation is gone. Yea, that's why it's called nothingness btw. Intangiable, incomprehensible, immesuarble, the womb of existence. Where all states come and go, even the change of perception is happening inside this awareness that undergoes no change. Not sure where im going with this one even

Psychedelics are awesome when done together with meditation. I believe that efficient meditation systems (like for example Pointing Out the Great Way, Brown), explained in an efficient way, plus Psychedelics (but with coaching from somebody who has walked the path to the end and knows the traps) is the future. Where there is potential, there are (as ususal) also risks and traps. Let's look at Wilbers perspective on the risks and downsides: Main Points from Wilber: The downside comes with people that only use psychedelics or drugs and I found that over the years they just become mean. That somehow it just kind of closes them down it's like you keep doing it and you keep doing it you keep doing it doesn't quite cause the transformation. It can cause a peak experience but generally not a transformative experience and some people like David data will say that you know for altered changes of state to contribute to transformation permanent transformation it has to be basically in endogenous and not exogenous it has to be has your own. See my Endohuasca-Theory and Links to it above. The people that do use both and use it as a sacrament I think an enormous bit out of it. My personal opinion: When you think that the meditation path to make it permanent is not doable for you (for whatever excuse, like genetics) , or seems to unpleasant, maybe you use an inefficient meditation system. Try the one a mentioned above (Pointing Out the Great Way, Brown). I get no roalties or kick-back-paymanents by the way, just love the method/system Agreed, most meditation system on the market have an abysmal "success" rate of Enlightened Ones. But there are some really good ones also. And non of these efficient systems have used Psychedelics + good coaching on top. That is where I believe is the future. Exploring the Multiverse is all nice and important and a wonderful pioneering effort. But as soon as you draw your love/happiness out of the sublime beautiful experiences/understandings, you are playing the same samsaric game of every unenlightened sentient being chasing good emotions to avoid suffering, the usual merry-go-round-cycle. But on a very high level, with quite a show . When psychedelics boost the narcissm/grandiosity of the separate self, well: Best regards from Maya, she just loves you too much to let you go... If you can be "gaslit" on any realization from psychedelics and need to put your foot down: Well, probably the realization of your True Identity (Reality itself) is a bit shaky, or a bit preliminary. The Real Thing can't be shaken. Because You are It, like in "never can not be It". And if you dragged home an alien from I don't know where, and feel like you have become the special-alien-of the day, maybe check if you have received a very seductive love-letter from Maya herself, and consider ordering the Men in Black for the Alien, together with their Flashthing/Neuralyzer that can make you forget: https://meninblack.fandom.com/wiki/Neuralyzer And maybe that Neuralyzer makes you full empty, makes you get rid of the last filters of the separate self, which are just a very very empty, already nondual/mere appearance "feeling" of individuality, a vastly intelligent, potentially "alien" nondual nothing, understanding a lot of the mechanisms of God and the Universe, but still a nothing with the last filter attached to it: Individuality-Arisings (in Wilbers wording, the Transparent Witness, see Religion of the Future), "seeing/looking at" a vast mere appearance Multiverse hovering in Nothingness. So not fully empty yet. And that is the "last few percentage clouds" blocking stable realization, or the sudden Full Enlightenment. Because if the last filters/elements of the separate self go, you can sustain the realization/bliss sobre in daily life.... . Because, if you understood/got rid of all separate self filters IN the psychedelic state, why shouldn't you be able to keep that Realization in daily life? The world gets a shimmering lucid hologram like imagined appearance-illusion-show when you have engaged your Endohuasca-System, which is done with getting rid off these last separate-self elements, see my previous post. At least my experience, and that of countless others in the history of mankind. Why should exactly the Psychedelic-Aficionado not be able to do that? No Endohuasca-system? Well, the receptors in the body seem to be working just fine... Or maybe a different Buddha-Nature? Sorry, just kidding... And if there is no Neuralyzer around, maybe try an efficient meditation system, get to the last stages of Nonmeditation-Yoga (spontaneous automized meditation without a doer still active) And after having used the Neuralyzer or an efficient meditation system, after having looked deeply into the Empty Abyss of your own True Nature/Nothingness, when you are really everything because you are really totally Nothingness (with no 5% clouds remaining), maybe then go hunt for the alien again. But this time, not for getting the love and sweetness of Understanding-experiences or whatever to break the cycle of suffering, but to express the bliss and love of your True Nature that you have then 24/7 going on from your own core. And if one feels gaslit about what I have just written, see the point above: "If you can be "gaslit" on any realization from psychedelics and need to put your foot down: Well, probably the realization of your True Identity (Reality itself) is a bit shaky, or a bit preliminary. The Real Thing can't be shaken. Because You are It, like in never can not be It." And if in doubt: Call these gentlemen, let them take care of the Aliens, look at the Neuralyzer/Flashthing, and get fully empty. But still, the Psychedelic pioneers, facing the unknowns of the Multiverse, exploring Alien intelligences, some even catching an Alien beast or two and dragging them home, going alone boldly to where no one has gone before, facing dangers that nobody else faced before... If there is some material for the movies of the future looking back to our time, where if not there is the true hero's journey to be found... I just hope that they get back from the trips, integrate their experience, get their mindstream awakened all the time, and live happily realized ever after, radiating the love of their own True Being, and maybe even getting the roalties from the upcoming movies of the Psychedelic Heros Journey based on their biography! Bon voyage! In the meantime, It’s for sure one of the most interesting shows on this planet to be seen. At least, it for sure has my attention! Respectfully Yours & mind the possibility of the Bear Manoeuvre in the signature-link below Selling Water by the River

Last night in my bed , I started contemplating nothingness. How am I nothingness? How is all of this nothingness? I asked . And slowly I was absorbed into this state. I started really to vanish and become nothingness!!. What!!. I was vanishing slowly and I reached the threshold where I am about to breakthrough. I was pushing and accepting but I couldn't. I couldn't take a breath. I was suffocating , at least that is how it felt. I couldn't push more. What really amazes me is that I have not done a lot of yoga or meditation. But how am I offered this chance to enlighten ??? I have been struggling with mental illnesses lately and taking medication. Is that related somehow ?

Beautiful post, agree on all of that. Enlightenment is both a state (Understanding/Realization and certain energetic nondual/mere groundless appearance state) but also a waking up/removing the clouds to the Reality/True Self/Enlightenment that is always here, that is Absolute Reality itself, and when called Buddha Nature the core of each sentient being, and knowing that to have always been the case. Like with many pointers to the Absolute, the pointers highlight only one side of the coin, like Advaita True Self/Absolute Consciousness (positive definition), and Buddhist Madhyamaka Emptiness (negative definition). And in Absolute Reality, these paradoxes collapse, since they all point to the same Reality/"thing/referent". Absolute Reality contains the pointers. Once realized, there is no paradox or contradiction left, it makes fully sense and couldn't be any different. It doesn't stay paradoxical. I also believe (but I can't proove it) there is a kind of "Endohuasca-System", that when one is (1) proficient enough with the separate self arisings (like knowing them, even the most subtle ones, like a separate self feeling/sensation/localization/concept/... ), and (2) is fast enough in spotting them/cutting them off (since they arise much much faster than normal thinking, like maybe 20-30 arisings of separate self sensations per second, while thinking "against" these arisings brings maybe maximum 1-3 thoughts elaborated per second, if at all). that explains why you can't "think" your way to shutting off the separate self, thinking is just too slow. It has to be automized, Nonmeditation Yoga-style of the Mahamudra-System. Spotting them when you know their nature as Emptiness/Consciousness/Suchness immedeately cuts them off, at least with some proficiency in the Skill of Reckognition of the Mahamudra-System (see Pointing Out the Great Way, Brown). funny thing is: When one tries to do that, the emerging of thoughts frequency gets much faster. Like a protection-mechanism of the Illusion/Maya. When I learned to finally be fast enough and got faster than this increased speed of thought-emergence, and didn't get distracted or "captured" anymore by the high-speed-emergence-flow of thoughts, the following happened: (1) and (2) trigger some kind of "Endohuasca-System" in the body, which removes the solidity of the visual field, makes it increasingly luminous/hologram/mere appearance/groundess floating in Infinite Nothingness, like Psychedelics do. And it also bring a lot of bliss. https://dmtquest.org/endohuasca-magic/ That was at least my experience: first major parts of the separate self Gestalt Structure/emerging thoughts go, then the visual field/world becomes nondual/luminous/mere appearance hovering in Infinite Nothingness and with that as a basis, more and more subtle separate self elements/clouds go and all of that in a funny merry-go-around (meditation experience/state -> Realization/Understanding -> Deeper meditation experience/Luminosity/... -> Deeper Realization/Understanding of more subtle separate self element, ....) , like a positive feedback-loop, slowly burning away the clouds. Which can sound maybe harsh or bad or unpleasant, but it is exactly the opposite. Somewhere along the path it was learned that these separate-self arisings are to a large part all the unpleasant stuff, suffering, dissatisfaction,... , and that evaporated as well. And while resting in a very mindful, empty state, when the mind-stream starts getting nondual (and even before that), I learned that I can produce my own good emotions/states, like directly getting the bliss from within. That disabled then slowly all the separate self arisings that didn't feel well. So actually a lovely process, best thing that has ever happened to me. In the beginning, its difficult, but at some point it becomes quite pleasant and continues by itself. Pushing the rock over the mountain-pass, and then it rolls downhill without effort. Please excuse the length of my musings. Selling Water by the River

Beautiful summary. Please allow me some musings on the topic.... What You/Reality/Truth are is/was/will be always the case, can not be different or change. And yet "IT" can be clouded over, like the sun can be clouded over with clouds of separate self arisings (the illusion of being something different than what one really is - Nothingness, but with potential for sentience, and the whole infinite field, nondual. "We are that reality. When you understand this, you see that you are nothing, and being nothing, you are everything. That is all. Kalu Rinpoche"). looking at a solidified (not just mere luminous groundless appearances) and external (out there, not nondual) world. The sensations of "solidity, not luminous/mere appearance" and "external, not nondual" are specific arisings that can arise in the opening of Reality that one really is, but they don't have to. If they don't, IT/Truth becomes much clearer (mere appearance show hovering in eternal Nothingness). This "on top added" clouding over (separate self arisings) can go, can be understood, seen through. The thought arisings of the person move in You like for example the wind. Arising, but just something happening in Big You/Reality. Then, one has always access to the real state of things (what is always true). Blowing away/seeing through all cloud-arisings of the separate self via certain meditation methods over the years blows away all clouds. Psychedelics are generating a hurricance to blow away most/nearly all of these clouds at once, but it leaves one not able to blow them fully away afterwards without the hurricance. Psychedelics are wonderful tools to get previews and explore the Multiverse/manifested reality, and combining them with efficient meditation methods to see through all (!) separate self arisings is the best of both worlds. Enlightenment has been defined as realizing/deeply understanding/awakening to that the separate self doesn't exist, has never existed, and will never exist. It just seems to exist, like a clouding over of the sun, an illusion, seeing the rope as a snake for example. The sun in this metaphor is what would always be true, always be the case. The Eternal Enlightenment that is always here, the Buddha-Nature at the core of every being, who are already enlightended but don't know it. The sun/IT has always existed, always exists, and will always exist. The clouding over is temporary, a temporary state, and can be removed. The clouding over state (sun not visible, but still "there" would be a state with no Enlightenment) corresponds to an unenlightened mind-stream, with duality and solidified "external" world present. But that doesn't make ones True Nature/Eternal Enlightenment a temporary state. Ones True Nature/Original Enlightenment/Buddha Nature is more fundamental than any state in it, clouded over or not. And if one fully realizes ones eternal empty True Nature, the eternal aspect dominates in ones being. It is more fundamental than the passing and changing illusory show/river of appearances. The eternal unmanifest empty side of Nothingness is more fundamental than the flowing river of manifestation/appearances/"Appearance side of manifest consciousness,->Szyper, Infinite Consciousness". The clouding over can be temporary be removed by a "hurricane/strong wind" of psychedelics, removing 95% of the clouds. When the hurricane/wind is gone, it snips back to being clouded over, and you can't see the last 5% of clouds while tripping (fully empty, but some individuality still left), because the sun already looks very visible. And exactly these last traces of individuality are what makes it cloud over later again. And these last 5% can make a lot of trouble, because they make you think you already removed all separate self arisings... here is where it can get a very interesting show, involving terrestrials/heaven and earth/and maybe even some extraterrestrials. Possibly sometimes even a case for these gentlemen, with the flash-thing... The clouds can be removed fully by seeing through them all, normally done by hundreds of hours in these states. Then, you can realize yourself to be the sun fully. And the difference between 5% clouds remaining and 0% is quantum. Or a deep deep shift in Identity, which remains. Understanding what one really is, and realizing it to ones core. A cloudless sky with only the sun is something fundamentally different than a sky with 95% sun and some clouds remaining. That last shift is certain. One can not miss the last shift. On all other Awakenings/Enlightenments before you are not sure if they are final. It feels like, but one is not sure. This one is. If one has to convince oneself that "this" is it, or decide on it, or if anybody/anything can shake one/gaslight one, well.... it is not it. Which is logical, because if one knows what one is one knows what one is, and if one is not completely sure, then one doesn't know what one is. And it brings the potential for psychological suffering to stop, because psychological suffering IS a big building block of the separate self arising Gestalt/structure. And if one fully see through that (the last 5% of the clouds), one gains the potential to literally cut off these suffering-arisings. If one fully knows what one really is (like in "no doubt possible"), and one can cut off all separate-self psychological-suffering-arisings, who or what could lead you to doubt or gaslight you? Hope I didn't lecture too much. Maybe some find that helpful. For those that don't, please don't do the bear manoeuvre shown in the link in the signature, listen to the "Blackeyes Peas, Where is the love" video, and enjoy the show. The point of the ride (separate self show) is the ride, and if that is still attractive, let's continue the ride... Selling Water by the River @UnbornTao: Can't help it ....

Hi Phil, some ideas: 1) Does the real You/Reality/Infinite Consciousness possibly change? Not the appearance side, but the Absolute Subject, the Absolute Empty Abyss? Reality itself? Of course it can't. You are You. The Absolute Subject. You never changed, can't go anywhere. You are all there is, and ever can be. The appearance side is just an appearing imagined show, relative stuff, always changing. Not stable. And not really existing, just a mirage happeing in the True You. 2) If you fully know what you are, how can you loose that? It can solidify again if you loose the nondual/mere appearance state when the psychedelic wears off. But it doesn't have to. It can stay stable without psychdelics. And that can be done with transformative practices, mainly meditation, to become fully empty, no separate self left, that you ARE the whole infinite Reality outside of which nothing exists. And its not that you need to be a genetic freak or something, or ten years of facing the wall. With the right techniques, it is very doable. 3) Maybe "From my experiences with psychedelics, it seems that I am enlightened in that state but come down to an unenlightened state when the psychedelic wears off" is not the Enlightenment that Ralston is talking about? And all the other enlightened sages? Maybe the "enlightenment with psychedelics" is not the final thing, exactly because it wears off, and you can only have the full insight when you are fully empty, and zero filters of a separate self left/not transcended? I know, many won't like this idea. And that only the full transcendence of the separate self finally ends suffering. And still, its only logical that to become the Totality of the Infinite Reality that You are, the separate self has to go... because IT IS SEPARATE and not the total nondual infinite Oneness of Absolute Reality. Feel deeply into you heart: If you dont fully become what you already are, if you don't give up every filter of the separate self that cuts the infinite nondual reality in pieces, makes it solid, takes its luminostiy/mere groundless appearance/magic show character.... These separate self arisings still running when you got out of the psychedelic state are what solidifies your world again. And they were never fully gone in the psychedelic state. If you get this nondual mere appearance state sobre without psychedelics, then you are sure you have transcended and cut down the separate self arisings sufficiently and fast enough, else you wouldn't get that state that allows insight into Absolute Reality or the True You. And then its stable, you don't come out of it, it is always there. And you can also call that a state. But it is always accessible and present then, and you fully understand/know/Realize that the Real You/Reality/Infinite Consciousness doesn't change, only what appears in it, the appearance side. So it is a certain paradoxon, but only before entering the Gateless Gate. Afterwards it is as clear as day, and everyone who has had that has used terms of IT being permanent and the final realization. When You know what You are, You know what you are and what Reality is. And that never changed and can't change. There can only be "confusing-arisings" in it, clouding the understanding and realization of what you are. But when you can touch/understand the always eternally here Reality, everything changing and appearing seems more like a magic show, an illusion, just appearing, in that which you are that stays constant. Of course it is all nondual and essentially the same, but the appearance side is TEMPORARY/CHANGING/FLOW/ILLUSION, while the Real You/Fully Empty Subject/Abyss never changes. Because it is NOTHINGNESS, nothing specific at all, unchanging, Reality itself, the Empty Abyss of the Eye that can't see itself. Because it couldn't change. It is the only "thing" than never can change. It is Reality itself, fully empty, but with the potential to manifest itself as any show possible and marvel at its temporary illusion show. Water by the River

Why do you think buddism deny the Absolute? Absolute nothingness, absolute void, cessation, dharmakaya is the classic buddist awakening.

Bro, you should've sayed this from the start. Now i understand what you're trying to say. But the truth is, there are states of consciouness where there is zero love and zero hate or fear, zero emotion of any kind, zero bliss, zero joy, zero peace, zero quality of any kind, zero empathy, zero passion, zero desire, zero care, zero worry, zero interest in the world, zero involvement, , zero concern, zero regard for life or death, zero sense of time, just total absorbtion into nothingness. And ramana was quite famous of his absorbtions into this state. A being who abides in this state need not necessarily be full of passion and compassion to save the world. That's what bodhisatvas do. Some just dissolve into void and vanish without any care about others lol. Ramana just happened to have some compassion as well. So... im not sure where im going with this myself now.

Some possible answers 11. Anything that causes contraction as oppose to total surrender and allowence. (Fear, hate, selfishness, judgement etc) 12. Love has no opposite, Love is the only reality, everything else is a false misinterpretation of reality 13. Nothingness. Void, primordial silence.

Spiritual Autolysis Journal Entry #4 - Sat Apr 22 '23 - 8:52 AM Lower self: Hello.. How are you today? Higher self: Good.. How are you? Lower self: I'm doing alright.. Higher self: What are you thinking thats true today? Lower self: I think that emotions are true. Emotions are sensations that course through my own body. And each emotion has a distinct flavor to it. For example, when I am angry, my breathing gets shallow and I can feel tightness in my chest. When I am feeling content, I feel very light but almost heavy at the same time, in which I don't feel like getting up or moving a muscle. When I am feeling eager or 'icy' I have thoughts racing through my head of me doing cool things. Each emotion is a distinct thing. Higher self: Okay.. I don't recall ever establishing that this body that you are referring to is your own. Lower self: This body is my own. I control it. I experience the emotions that course through this body, Ben's body. Higher self: Okay.. You experience the emotions that course through that body.. Lower self: Yeah 'I' do. I experience the anger, I experience the pain, I experience the contentment, I experience the embarrassment. Higher self: You do you say.. and what is you? Lower self: I... I am... the body? The mind? Nothingness? Higher self: Nothingness? Where did you get that one from? Lower self: I heard it from somewhere. Higher self: What do you think it means? What would be the direct experience of nothingness? Lower self: A direct experience of nothingness.. I would bet that the thoughts in my head would need to cease, then I could experience nothingness. Higher self: Meditation would help with this. Lower self: I agree. Lower self: Ooooooh.. I've got a good one.. I exist. Higher self: You exist, huh? What is existence? Lower self: Existence.. damn that is a hard one. Higher self: Thats what she said Lower self: *Smiles reluctantly* Dude.. You're supposed to be the mature one. Higher self: I couldn't help myself. *Straightens up* Please continue. Lower self: Existence is... I don't know... Its just when something is there, it is just there.. If it wasn't there then it would not exist, and it would just be empty air. Although empty air still needs to exist. Everything exists.. Everything is existence. Higher self: Is anything not existence? Lower self: Well, anything that is not existence does not exist and therefore I would have no awareness of it, so no I can't name anything that doesn't exist because if I possibly could name it, then that means that it would exist. Higher self: Very good. Lower self: Yeah, thanks.. But I feel like I didn't get anywhere. Higher self: When something dies, does it no longer exist? Lower self: Yeah, I think so. I mean the body remains on the earth, but the consciousness part of the body no longer exists, but then again I am just assuming this because I've never died. But what I do know is that when my Grandma died a few months ago, I can no longer go visit her and talk to her. This body that I would call Grandma is now not responsive, therefore I guess it doesn't exist, or again to put it more accurately since the body is still there, the consciousness of the body ceases to exist upon death.. Yeah thats what I'm going to go with. Higher self: Okay.. The consciousness of a body ceases to exist upon death.. Lower self: Yeah.. *Looks at higher self for validation* Higher self: And what is consciousness? Can you explain this to me? Lower self: Ughhhhh... I was hoping that you wouldn't ask me that. I just heard Leo saying that everything is consciousness, I've also heard of Jed McKenna's theory of everything which is what he calls 'C-Rex' which means consciousness is king, or.. Higher self: Yes... But you need to come up with your own defini... Lower self: I know, I know... Just give me a second. *Long pause* Lower self: I think that consciousness is... well... I don't know.. Can we start off with a definition from Wikipedia or something? Higher self: *Smiles* Sure, one sec... Okay, this is from the Google dictionary: "Consciousness is the state of being awake and aware of one's surroundings." Lower self: Okay, well this definition contradicts what Jed and Leo are saying.. It says that only sentient beings are conscious. For example, a rock is not awake and aware of its own surroundings. Higher self: How do you know that a rock is not aware of its own surroundings? Lower self: Because... Because of science! We know that rocks are not conscious, same with grass and dirt and my Knicks hat... Not conscious! Higher self: Isn't it true that, according to science, the stalks of a plant will grow towards the sun's rays because it will help it photosynthesize and survive? Lower self: Well yeah, but those are plants, plants are living things, they just don't have a brain or lungs or a heart.. So yeah I guess plants are conscious, even according to the Google dic. But a rock cannot possibly be aware of its own surroundings.. Its just a stupid rock. Higher self: Woah.. That rock could be someone's daughter.. Lower self: No it couldn't! They don't reproduce! Higher self: Don't they? Where did they come from? Lower self: Rocks? I don't fucking know! Higher self: Well then try to come up with an answer... What... did they just appear out of thin air? Lower self: Sure.. Yeah lets just go with that so that I can get on with my day... Higher self: *Looks at lower self sternly* You know you're not done yet. Lower self: *Sighs* Rocks... Where did they come from... Well according to science... Higher self: Yeah lets start with that.. because science has all the answers.. Lower self: Okay, you know what? I do have a theory for who the father of rocks are, and it is God. God essentially created rocks, as well as all of the other things on this Earth and in this solar system, and in the entire universe. He created everything, thats what I believe. He created existence! Higher self: You don't think there was existence before God? Lower self: How could there be? God created the world, or the universe, so if he created the universe, then it did not exist before him. Higher self: Yes, but who created God... God does exist, doesn't he? Lower self: Yeah he does... Um.... Well ... Can't he just be, like, all encompassing... Higher self: All encompassing? I'm not sure what that means. Lower self: Yeah me neither... Well maybe this time thing that we think of as true, in which the universe must have began with a big bang.. Maybe the idea of time isn't real and there isn't this linear path in which we need to trace the origins of the universe back to anything. It would be as though time is just an infinite and endless loop. There is no start to it and no end. We humans have come up with this start-and-end-cycle theory because we die.. We as human beings are born and then we die. But maybe the universe doesn't play by those rules. And if the universe is infinite, then there would be no start or end, it just goes on forever and ever. Higher self: Hmmm... Thats an interesting theory that you've got there. Lower self: Yeah.. and it makes way more sense than that big bang bullshit. Look at that, I've outsmarted the scientists. And also... You know how the symbol for infinity is a sideways "8" ... its an infinite, closed loop, there is no start or end to it. Higher self: Alright, I think thats enough for today. Lower self: Yeah.. I'll see you tomorrow!

This is cool I think the eye has some representation of the universe the pupil being the I The Iris being the universe The limbal ring being God or the edge of the universe and the Screla the white part being the white light or white hole of god or maybe heaven When our pupils are dilated we become more spiritual or closer to nothingness and spirit Like if we stare directly into anothers eyes we are staring into the nothingness of ourselves and there can be great fear or love come from that depending on who or how long. Many different types of emotions can be taken by gazing into another Self.