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There suddenly being no more me, and being God creator of everything, seems like a big deal. I honestly wish I didn't know anything about all of this, and someone just came up to me with 5-MeO and said "here try this". And then got to learn about Nonduality after the fact.

A) I don't know what you mean by that. You are painting with a broad brush here. People experience and realize different things. Nondual consciousness is not a state of ego, it is the absence of ego, and the realization that your true nature is nothing and everything, or infinite, or God. There are many people here who are unaware of many things. Just because they have some degree of realization does not mean they are aware of the deeper layers. Ego dissolution also has layers and degrees of depth to it. The ego is a complex and relentless structure. It takes a lot of deconstruction work to fully get beyond it. B) Do not start yet another nonduality debate.

Nice story bro, but Truth is everything and the only thing. Psychedelics can certainly take one there. Of course here and there are nowhere and one and the same. Truth is both temprary and eternal. It is all and nothing. There is nothing but states of consciousness and you are in a state right now, regardless of what it is. All states are part of the Truth. Whether it is formed or formless is irrelvant. These nonduality debates are getting really silly.

This is just false. Psychedelics are not merely "an experience", they can take you to the Absolute. Just because enlightenment may not require an experience shift does not entail that an experience shift cannot lead to an enlightenment. Psychedelics do not merely change one's experience, they radically elevate one's degree of consciousness -- which is the whole key to this work. Psychedelics put you into an instantaneous samadhi state. From this state one can contemplate and realize all sorts of things, including one's true nature or various facets of the Absolute. The reason you're making this mistake is that you're trying to understand psychedelics in terms of some traditional spiritual paradigm like Buddhism, Zen, or Vedanta, which tend to discount state changes -- but psychedelics are a totally different path so it is inappropriate to judge it from those other paradigms. Psychedelics can take you to levels of understanding and awakening which are simply impossible otherwise, or else possible but extremely rare and only for exceptionally gifted practitioners. It is correct that you will not be able to permanently lock in a psychedelic peak state 24/7. But that is an improper expectation to begin with. Psychedelics, when used properly, can absolutely take you to the highest, most Absolute Truth. Of course the real trick is integrating it and embodying, which requires a lot of additional work. Psychedelic insights and realizations square up perfectly with those of Buddhism, Zen, Vedanta, yoga, Christianity, Islam, and any other serious mystical tradition. Shunyata, Brahman, The Self, no-self, ego-death, Allah, God, nonduality, Shiva, Buddha, nirvana, rigpa, samadhi, Mu, Infinity, The Void, Nothingness, The Dharmakaya, the godhead, union, Absolute Consciousness, satchitanadna, Truth, Love, kundalini awakening, Nibbana, formlessness, etc. -- all of this and more you can realize on psychedelics.

Nothing can come from nothing. So nonduality teachers talking about nothing are deluded I suspect, or are big conmen/conwomen. Even to say no-thing is confusing, because what is a thing? They need to define what they mean by thing first. EDIT: I came to think that there is also a third possibility: that some spiritual teachers have to be somewhat vague or misleading or the powers of the global ego might attack them and take them down. There are huge ego interests in protecting profit, social control, established collective egos and so on.

There are many different styles and varieties of seekers coming from many different standpoints and schools. For example, you might find a community of seekers if you went to Tiruvannamalai in India (where the Indian sage Ramana Maharshi used to live) -- though you might also find a lot of other people. And clearly they will be seekers influenced by Maharshi's teachings. You will also find seekers in various Buddhist monasteries and retreats, Hindu ashrams, and so on. You'll find seekers at places like the Science and Nonduality conference, and also around any of the prominent Western spiritual teachers, though obviously those seekers will be influenced by and in the style of those teachings. Maybe you could consider watching some interviews on Buddha at the Gas Pump and see if anyone resonates? By watching what they say and what they do and how one feels about them and in their presence, one can get a sense over time of whether they 'get it' or not. Though in a sense it's limited, because the ultimate truth is that there are no enlightened people, there's just enlightenment.

Depends on what you call 'awakening'. If you mean a direct glimpse/realization into one's true nature, then any good nonduality teacher should be able to give you one within few minutes, given that the person is open minded and willing to follow that philosophical inquiry- either through a video or face to face conversation or through a book.. In that sense, dozens wake up like that in any nonduality retreats, Rupert's included. But if you mean firm establishment into that true identity, then no. No one can give you that. That's when the real game begins. You are not seeking anymore. You've found it. And now you are making it true in every situation all the time. And that requires conscious relinquishment of all the ideas associated to oneself and erasing one's habitual structures- and that happens simply due to inattention or non-engagement in those patterns as one only genuinely contemplates about one's real nature and sinking into that. In contrast to that, the peeps in 'progressive paths' are still seeking. One should be intelligent enough to see this distinction. But hell! even those who do find a glimpse in retreats forgets about it and starts another round of seeking some new fantastical thing once again lol. The perversion of the intellect. So it generally requires being in this circle for a while, have multiple 'awakenings' to finally wise up and see that one is not really coming or going or growing or diminishing- one is ever the same- that intuitive understanding slowly untangles one from the fantasties of new seeking and experiences- and instead encourages one to sink into Being

I dont recommend or discourage enlightenment. Its not a cutting edge diet plan. Those who are meant to get it, those with necessary dispassion and introspective samskaras(latent tendencies) as opposed to extroverted samskaras, will get it when the time is right. Enlightenment doesn't harvest a goodie nor does it solve the human problem. It simply dissolves that human and the whole 'chabang' that goes with it (as the inlightened nonduality warlord likes to use that word ?) But unfortunately most "spiritual teachers" wouldn't spill all the beans due to marketing issues. I mean who in the world would sign up for a teaching for suicide. Virtually none. Many would definitely romanticize about it, but not the real deal. I merely try not to spread misconception and maybe show a signpost here and there for those with doubts.

@FrankTheTank I understand it looks that way from your POV, but you do not yet understand how radical Absolute Truth is. It cannot be doubted. The end result of openmindedness is Absolute Truth, at which point you are beyond the mind entirely and you are never going back nor will you ever compromise with ignorance. Don't mistake openmindedness for compromise with ignorance. Not all positions warrant serious consideration. Once you taste nonduality you will never take dualistic positions seriously again.

Dude you’re point is irrelevant. Yes and you can meditate all day long and that doesn’t make you enlightened. Much less worshipping a sole person that were calling a guru. To say asceticism just neurotic nonsense is itself nonsense. This is a conceptual and cultural fantasy. Look at the story of Buddha beyond not your rigid dogmatic Indian culturally distorted lens. LOL this notion that God is some dualistic thing you’re learning from is a cultural fantasy. That somehow some fucking mountain is somehow more special than any other mountain. This is fantasy. Everything is God. Everything is Shiva. Nothing is more Shiva than anything else. Ramana Maharshi had his massive enlightenment in his room as a 16 year old and spend years in a temple meditating in such a deep trance that he almost died. Your clinging to some fucking mountain as more special is cultural baggage. Yes there’s probably a lot of strong subtle energy there but that doesn’t make something more Shiva than anything else. If you’re REALLY trying to suggest Osho wasn’t enlightened then you’re kidding yourself. Period. You can be deeply enlightened and still have your life in shambles. That doesn’t discredit Osho nor anyone else’s nondual consciousness and understanding. Bodhidharma is from India. Not that it matters. You’re making such a silly distinction. Mahavira is a strong influential force in India. Once again. Cultural conceptual baggage and stories. Look at the actual person’s life. Don’t give me some religious scholastic story that bears no evidence nor accuracy. Having a lineage and tradition that works for you is different than submitting yourself to some other person. Those are two different things. Having a teacher you go to and eventually go beyond is very different than purely being a discipline and sannyasi to Sadhguru for example. That is what’s what’s being addressed here. Kali is Om. Om is Kali. Om is very much aware of that. Youre nitpicking is you not wanting to look at the actual story. The far majority of deeply enlightened masters did most of the heavy lifting on their own. This brings more results because those people have a thirst for Truth so they take full responsibility for their craving. Which is why even most people who are into nonduality in practice often don’t go all the way. They don’t want it enough. Which is to say though should. However, those rare indivuals go to the source directly without distraction. No guru is going to do the work for you nor was it going to do it for them.

I can relate to every word you say. My spontaneous awakening also started with a psychosis (it was SSRI induced, but whatever) without any pre-knowledge about spirituality, nonduality or anything. And it happened 2017 as well, by the way. I was also deluded and did a bunch of stupid things and thought of myself as a god and a messiah, but still I know that experience was IT. The state was a genuine awakening. If only I had someone to guide me then and help me differentiate what was true about my state and what was illusory and ego-driven. Eventually I got "cured" but anti-psychotic medication and eventually it all faded away, my ego got constructed back and after some time my previous mental illnesses got back as well. Though to this day I strive back to getting back to the same state, this time consciously and knowingly. And seeing the truth and then losing it pretty much hurts. But ok, no more about me.. What I would advice you is not to lose that remnant of a nondual stage that you are experiencing, even from time to time. Continue research about awakening/spirituality/nondualism, watch leo's videos, and try not to cling to the previous "experiences", although they may have been marvelous and life-changing, and I believe they were. The state you once spontaneously reached needs to be worked on, integrated in everyday life, or else the ego will soon take all the strength back, as it did in my case. Try to remain in a real reality as much as you can and do not chase after "mystical" experiences. Synchronicities and everything are real, but that's not the main point of realising the Self. Youtube videos and spiritual books could be a great guide for you. Also you can message me in case of any questions. Best of luck <3

Nonduality/God is not a confirmation bias or a mental projection. Psychedelic effects are very consistent as the science shows.

@Pouya Very good question. The mind sees what it wants to see and interpret. But the opposite scenario is also tricky. Its not like if one is tripping without any knowledge of nonduality, their minds are totally empty or pure. There is always a shit ton of stuff there and thus whatever is inside comes out.

I've never really considered or pondered the possible infinity characteristic of other dimensions beyond the physical dimension . I even forget the latest number theorized about the number of dimensions existing. I think arrived at mathematically....? Then there is Time, whatever it is. I could see it as a dimension, in a way. Does it connect duality and nonduality through human lives lived? Yes, I guess so and then some,,, Humans as meso or meta-bridge? Bridging dimensions? Comments welcome,,,

Well actually when it happened most frequently was back like 10 years ago when I was in my late teens. Back then I didnt really do much spiritual practices, I only smoked weed and did some casual meditation now and then. I would say my consciousness is alot "higher" nowdays but I still have a harder time performing astral projection at will. Nowdays it happens randomly now and then, usually when Im newly awake in the morning. Always starts with intense (nowdays almost painful) vibrations mostly in my spine/skull. And Im fully aware of the experience, its like a lucid dream but much more real and "conscious plus the fact that you are fully aware of the actual separation from your physical form, and its all but an instant shift of consciousness (like dmt-breakthrough is), instead its slow and goes limb by limb pretty much. I get the feeling that many nondualists may neglect the possibilities of many layers to this specific game/art of forms we're in. And instead only jumps directly from this here to the absolute. Source is one and everything, this is not new stuff. But that doesnt mean there cant be illusions of more stuff between this illusion and source/god/nonduality.

Right. Very few of us are in a state of permanent nondual consciousness. Not even Leo entirely. This is why the illusion of separation can make a great tool to stop the ego from self-identifying and getting inflated. The "I am God!" half-truth can quickly become a game of narcissism. Nonduality to fuel the duality. This is why wisdom is so important. Handle knowledge with care.

It wasn't a discussion of Vedanta, it was framed as a nonduality war and devolved into that. Threads which split hairs over unspeakable truths are not helpful, they just get folks riled up and defensive as folks talk past one another. 5 blind men and the elephant syndrome. It's literally a debate about nothing.

@Inliytened1 the nondual nonduality

I believe so, faith itself is everything and continues to be everything the more you move into nonduality. The ego believes in its separate finite self, the religious person believes in a separate self and God that loves them and cares for their soul even after death. The next step is to inquire into the nature of oneself and merge with God.

I mentioned somewhere that the extreme form of nonduality techings such as that of Tony Parsons might seem nihilistic, but that I find it useful when combined with the idea that evolution leads to more and more progress. Evolution is a move towards more good. And good can be defined as something working in harmony. A holon is simultaneously a whole and a part, and evolution leads to the formation of larger and larger holons, such as from atoms to molecules to single cells to multicellular organisms and to planets as whole organisms and so on. Tony said in the video that the separate individual is duality. I think it still can be useful to do mindfulness practice, in the sense of: "Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens. Mindfulness also involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them—without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future." - https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition My idea is that mindfulness practice can be made compatible with Tony Parson's explanation by adding the possibility that the individual doing the practice will dissolve after a while. That's the opposite of detachment which is the depersonalization disorder described in an earlier post.

@Aakash So basically you are shouting as demand for silence. And you've made so much assumptions about enlightened people, winternight, pre and post enlightenment, Leo, vedanta etc and posted so much in so little time that I can't even quote them now due to page restrictions lol Anyway no one is saying here Vedanta is THE TRUTH. If that was the case, there would be no search for truth. A person would simply write a book about it and that would be the end of it. Vedanta is a thorn used to remove another thorn; and its a very effective thorn at that if understood properly There is a saying that after self-realization the Vedas(knowledge) becomes the Avedas(ignorance). The upanishads and all this nonduality and god talks are all part of Vedas.

No you are still misinterpreting Vedanta. Brahman is not in the world. Brahman never becomes or unbecomes anything. Brahman alone is. The world is not. If it's all ONE why are you still making a distinction between the world and Brahman. Your message seems to imply that there must be a world and Brahman- two things first- then they will be viewed as one - yeah that's panchychism or a version of Samkhya philosophy, not advaita vedanta. Like I said, if one is really Brahman then for him there is no misconception about what Brahman or the world is. He neither needs to talk or convince anyone about it. But before that, this precise discrimination is essential. Or else you get a half baked nonduality or whatever it is- but it's definitely not what advaita vedanta is talking about.

This journal is to help organize some of my thoughts about myself and the people around me. I encourage, no, request that anyone with insight jump in. I appreciate constructive criticism and feedback, and I know that simply talking to myself will not get me where I need to go. I know this because that's what I've done for the past ten years. Some background: Ten years ago, I went on a spiritual journey of sorts. It wasn't as deep as many of those here, but it was a start. I took a hard look at myself, my beliefs, my thoughts, my knowledge and threw it all away. I learned an important lesson during that journey: From there, I've tried to build my belief system from the ground up, accepting truths from many sources. I've spent a lot of time in my head as I've delved into a myriad of topics on a theoretical level, from Tarot to BDSM to public speaking and leadership roles to politics. I've tried to keep an open mind about all the things I've come across, although I can't say I've accepted everything I've heard as truth. That would be crazy. The problem is that I've had a lot of theory and almost no practice. I've never meditated, as I have a hard time shutting my mind down. I've attempted to several times in the past few weeks, but I never really felt like I had achieved it. I have a hard time accepting nonduality as a final state when duality is so useful in describing non-spiritual matters. I have a massive ego based around the knowledge I've gathered as I wish to be right more often than wrong. And I hate talking about myself, instead focusing on helping others. So this journal is going to be tough for me. I've never kept any sort of journal before, so I doubt I'll be able to write here daily unless I'm replying to people. To that end, I would appreciate any tips on how to start. Is there something that has spoken to you recently that you feel might help me to focus on? Are there any truths you wish to share? Feel free to post them and hold me accountable. I realize I am close-minded still about some things. This forum may not even be a great fit for me as I disagree with Leo's methods in many ways. But it's a start, and we all must start somewhere. I am willing to learn. Please teach me.

@ivankiss Thanks for the beautiful painting. @lostmedstudent Have you ever done any mild "fear setting" exercises? They can be something like pushing yourself to talk to someone you don't know, going for a walk outside in the dark if it's safe, anything that pushes your comfort zone. They almost always turn out to be exhilarating and fun. I would suggest reframing how you look at fear and also trying to push the boundaries, gently, when you are ready. Also do you follow any other nonduality teachers other than Leo? Abraham Hicks, Eckhart Tolle, Rupert Spira, and Pema Chodron are my favorites when I get spooked.

@Anna1 That is wrong. EVERYTHING is Brahman. Your nonduality is incomplete. If you have 2 things, that is duality! The distinction between Brahman and world is something Brahman (You) is imagining. All difference is God's imagination at work. So if you see a difference between things, you can be sure that you created that difference. It would be wise of you guys to listen to what is being said here.