Critical Thinking for Objective Truths

[Wisebaxter]

If all concepts are relative how on earth do I work out any problems in my life by contemplating them? If essentially there is no objective truth, then really I'm just assigning the answers myself and layering concepts on top of other concepts, right? For example, I ask myself, what career would I be best suited to? There's really no answer is there. I can make some guesses but there's no way of knowing if I've come up with the right answer because in reality there is no right answer. Another example would be the question, 'are wants productive things to have? Or should I dispose of wants altogether and try to realise my perfection?' Right now I'm just lost in a maze in my own mind, trying to work out all these problems in my life, like what job to take next, what kind of friends I want, how I should treat desires, but I'm aware that every answer I come up with can be immediately disputed as there's no objective truth. This is making me feel very lost and confused. I don't know the criteria I should be using to come up with answers, to essentially 'create' my own truth. Any guidance would be great. I've been learning about non-duality for a long time and engaging in the practices but one challenging aspect of it all seems to be the way it leaves me grasping for solid ground to stand on, to know what direction to take in life. When you realise all concepts are bullshit, how do you know what to do? 

Edited January 27, 2019 by Wisebaxter

[Aakash]

right 

meaning you make yourself, without becoming attached to it. 

just doing something out of love or passion for something 

desires and wants are needlessly unconscious to the unenlightened, no matter what way you go backwards if your not confortable not staying where you are. 

but we still need to live, which is what leo is trying to say. always put enlightenment work second, i'm lucky in the sense i'm currently an older student, so i have reversed the equation currently out of pure luck, but i would always do it the other way around if need be. 

enlightenment is a long game in my opinion, well so far its been that experience for myself. its long confusing and really i realised today is the greatest thing you can ever do with your life. before today i really was social justice warrior, fighting for anything. creating boundaries of good vs evil. until after leo's first cult video and now i've let it go. really i see that the greater jihad is the real deal, so you can look it at one of two ways 

a) greater  jihad- relocate all resources to completing it - which will require you to give up alot of things

b) lesser jihad- wants and needs of adequancy for the given time 

 

hope there are some points you could take away from this 

[Wisebaxter]

@Aakash Yeah I see what you're saying, that taking care of yourself should be put first, but I can't muster up any passion for anything now other than reading self help books, watching non-dual videos and carrying out spiritual practices. Nothing on the level of form seems to excite me as I can see that its all meaningless. I feel that the only thing worth while is enlightenment. Sure I'd love to get my finances in order and money causes me a lot of stress (currently unemployed) but I feel like I have to become a bullshitting animal and shoe horn myself back into society, which I'm finding difficult. I've always been creative and I've taught myself music production over the last 3 years. I play the guitar, sing etc but I'm feeling that even this has all been tied up with the concept of 'succeeding' (due to my early programming) and so there's no joy in the actual process of creation. Perhaps this should be my focus, learning to enjoy creating, but I don't know how. It's a tough one. Thanks for the help

Edited January 27, 2019 by Wisebaxter

[Aakash]

@Wisebaxter its a singularity we all pass through on actualised.org, which could be addressed, but alas its our own reality and suffering we create and in our face. 

The path to enlightenment and finding a life purpose are paradoxical to each other in notion

a) you get some people that are lucky i would say, but lucky isn't the right word, they just know what they want, which is great for them, they have found their passion for something and i encourage it wholesomely i.e @ivankiss and @ajasatya are two individuals i know that have definately found this. 

or 

b) people like me and you who are creating passions out of thin air, if you don't have anything. so it becomes a game we play with our thoughts and head instead of a realisation we play with our emotions and feelings. its awakening on the level of mind, that you THINK this would be right. when it needs to be something that you feel. most people aren't in tuned with their emotions, they either neglect or fail to interpret them correctly and get attached to them. where they love something they would die for it. i had this realisation yesterday when ajasatya posted a video about awakening on the heart, mind and gut level. so do you feel music with your emotions and feelings or with your mind? 

[Wisebaxter]

That was a great post, thanks. You summed up the issue perfectly. 

So emotions are they key? I thought this might be the case. Maybe I need to develop more emotional awareness. My EQ is rubbish to be honest. I'm so stuck in my head it's ridiculous. 

There's really no emotional connection to the music. When I create a good chord progression or whatever, yeah it sounds nice but I don't really know what I'm trying to express and there's no inspiration behind it. Just from having this discussion I think I'm getting somewhere. Lack of inspiration could be my issue. I feel it in my bones that creating beauty is the way forward, but perhaps first we need to be inspired by beauty...more walks in the countryside maybe, or just getting out there and engaging with life and people instead of being such a hermit. 

This is just a paradox, like you say, and one I have to accept and reconcile somehow. 

[Aakash]

emotions are easy to get attached to, they play a small percentage of the part. i've learnt the word feeling and emotions are different. i can't give you an accurate description why, because i haven't contemplated it. but i would say from a gut perspective is feeling you only need on a gut level or just the feeling to be satisfied, with emotions you need it to be a certain way, you need it to have certain characteristics and traits. its pretty conditional in the end. i.e i feel happy today i'll make some music, i feel sad today, i'll leave the music until tomorrow. whereas a feeling is granted in the present moment, you have no mind-thought, no emotions just a feeling you need to go this particular direction, or do this particular thing. 

so for example, i'm starting to have this feeling that i want to open up a school. it started off with mind thought, it has not been improved through emotions, but over the last months it's turned into a feel, i feel comfortable around and would like to persue. its a pretty unrealistic target if you asked me honestly, but its more the feeling in trying to cultivate, momentarily. 

9 minutes ago, Wisebaxter said:

I feel it in my bones that creating beauty is the way forward,

these are the types of feelings you should move forward with, theres a sort of itamacy you feel with reality, when these sorts of statements are produced; like a feeling of "everything is going to be alright" you could use inspiration as a booster 

but i always say inspiration is internal as opposed to external. 

12 minutes ago, Wisebaxter said:

I don't really know what I'm trying to express

your trying to express the individual infinity that is wisebaxter, isn't that enough? there doesn't need to be a million reasons why. just to be an expression of the infinite. you should speak to @ivankiss he does music also and is pretty passionate about it. i'm sure he wouldn't mind helping you, hes got alot of love for the infinite. 

[Wisebaxter]

@Aakash That's all great advice dude. I'm gonna dig into it and contemplate what you've said before I come back with anything. I might shoot @ivankiss a line too, thanks for the pointer there

[ajasatya]

56 minutes ago, Wisebaxter said:

When you realise all concepts are bullshit, how do you know what to do?

careful here. concepts are bs if you're sabotaging yourself or if you're seeking Truth.

concepts are useful to live a healthy and happy life. a disciplined mind is a powerful tool.

[Wisebaxter]

@ajasatya Sure, but how do I know which concepts to get behind, which concepts are right for me? 

I also struggle with the paradox of disciplining my mind and practicing non-resistance. When I control my mind it feels unnatural, but when I let it do what it likes I feel I'm wasting time and not figuring anything out, or I'm letting old, negative pattens run rampant. To be honest I don't know what the hell to do with my mind. There's too much to think about, too many questions to answer...it's tiring. I can never decide where to focus it. Even with something like contemplation. Where do you even start with something like that? What should be prioritised? See what I mean, too many questions. Maybe I need to meditate more as my mind is driving me a bit nuts right now. 

Edited January 27, 2019 by Wisebaxter

[Nahm]

@Wisebaxter Sounds like you’re at a “barrier” of sorts, and it is a new frontier for ya which is awesome. Overall essentially, you are going backwards, or, given you are the all that is being ‘Wisebaxter ‘- you are going the other, counter intuitive counter logical direction. It’s not natural relative to how you’ve experienced life thus far, but past ‘the barrier’, it’s totally natural. When you “stop” at the barrier and have attention on the thoughts there is confusion, like static half way between two radio stations. The thing to do is keep going.

How? Dedicate a half hour to this meditation, and maybe let us know how it goes.

Sit w back straight as usual, get comfy and balanced as far as not leaning, say to yourself ‘this is relax time, just for me, my favorite part of my day’. Then do these:

 

(Approx 10 mins) Keep returning attention to stomach breathing. It’s fine if attention goes to thoughts. When you notice this, return attention to stomach breathing. 

(Approx 10 mins) Keep relaxing, via the “relax” or “let go” signal, from the crown of your head - until you feel the muscles there release. Then the eyesockets, until you feel the muscles there release, then your cheek muscles, jaw muscles, neck muscles, shoulders, arms, chest, upper back, stomach, lower back, hips, upper legs, knees, lower legs, ankles, then any remaining tension - visualize / feel it going out of your feet through the toes. Do this over and over. At first you might have to send the relax signal a few times to a muscles until you feel the muscle release. After a few days or so, you’ll feel the release the first time you send the signal, and then more and more release with each time you send the signal to each muscle. The key here is send signal until you feel each particular muscle release. 

(Approx 10 mins) If you haven’t moved (because you got relaxed and balanced first) then at this point, 20 minutes in, you should be feeling your entire body much less. Not numb, not euphoric, but somewhere in that ballpark.  Now, the nature of thoughts arrising is likely thoughts which are beneficial to you; maybe an insight, maybe the answer to something you’ve been wondering about, maybe an inspiration to do something you’ve wanted to do but haven’t been, etc. Here’s the thing - let each thought go, even though they’re “good” and enjoyable, let each one go, and return to stomach breath focus, and relaxing over and over head to toe. 

You will reach a point that I’ll refer to as the infinite mind, or the emptiness, the peace, (words, words, words) 

But paradoxically and counter intuitively you reach this deeper you, infinite self, through relaxing your entire body away & surrendering all thoughts. 

Then, the questions and thoughts just start to be “answered” by being. (Not answered in the common sense). 

Hopefully attention on stomach breathing while relaxing your body head to toes over and over “answers’ your question about what to do with the mind. Again, in the sense I don’t think you’ll have that question any more. 

 

 

[Leo Gura]

@Wisebaxter This is where it becomes extremely important to distinguish between existential inquiry and practical life. You need to be able to both compartmentalize them but also allow one to inform the other.

When it comes to practical survival issues like: pursuing sex, finding food, getting a job, running a business, etc. Don't get too philosophical. You can find practical how-to advice and books on each of these topics which can give you step-by-step instructions on what to do. Yes, these books are filled with concepts, but concepts are highly useful, which is why they are everywhere!

Your ability to pursue sex, food, a job, business, etc. has little to do with Truth. Most of those things are accomplished through pragmatic action-taking. You don't need to know the Truth to drive a car successfully. It's just a skill you develop. This skill has right and wrong ways of doing it (relative to the result you want to get). Driving a car successfully requires you obey certain rules. For example, you cannot press the breaks and the gas at the same time.

Relativity does NOT mean: anything goes. If you want specific outcomes, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it.

There is also Absolute Truth, but this has little do to with achieving simple practical outcomes. You need to be able to distinguish relative and absolute truths. I've have a video about this in the future. Survival and success are accomplished through relative truths.

[Truth Addict]

@Wisebaxter Notice when you are having a meal, do you need any knowledge to chew and swallow?

Your whole life was run by the old same bs concepts you had back then, and they got you here.

Point is, there is no need to question basic survival to death. A little questioning from time to time is healthy, but you need to stay alive for the big event 

[Wisebaxter]

@Nahm That's awesome Nahm, thanks. I've read many times that spontaneous, intuitive insights can come from a state of being, from what they call in the scientific field 'diffuse mode' as opposed to 'focused mode.' I think I've been coming at it all from too much of a neurotic angle, focusing my attention on questions like a laser beam and when nothing comes I start to feel frustrated, or if something comes it just feels a bit unnatural, like it came from my ego and not somewhere deeper. I'm going to carry out the practices you suggested and see how that goes. 

@Leo Gura Thanks a lot Leo, that's really helpful. Perhaps I need to reset my outlook a bit to how it used to be before I learned about Non-Duality, where concepts of cause and effect and practicality were just what they were. I can keep my new-found understanding of absolute truth there but like you say I need to realise that when there's a relative goal then there will also be a relative solution to that goal. I think I'm trying to bring considerations of absolute truth into my practical daily affairs and it's fucking with me a bit. 

Also, the 'how' to get something done is one aspect of things, but something else I'm struggling with is the 'what' and even the 'why?' What criteria should I use when choosing what to do with my life? How can I discover a direction for myself and trust myself to come up with the right one? Is the answer basically an avoidance of pain and a pursuit of pleasure? The avoidance of suffering? I'd imagine your life purpose course is good for this one. Intuitively I feel the answer has something to do with 'creating' as that's an act of love. I'm sure @Nahm's meditation exercise can help me find direction here too. I might be fundamentally dealing with an issue of low self-efficacy. I'm reading Nathanial Branden's 'Six Pillars of Self Esteem' at the moment and making some progress with that. 

I realise I'm coming across a bit like I need you guys to run my life for me lol, but this shit is seriously confusing me. I think I need to enjoy the process more and be able to deal with paradox as well as 'not knowing' without freaking the hell out. 

@Truth Addict For sure dude, maybe I'm overthinking things too much. Like I said I might need to just leave certain things alone and accept them as being useful without picking them to pieces. 

Edited January 27, 2019 by Wisebaxter

[Leo Gura]

33 minutes ago, Wisebaxter said:

I can keep my new-found understanding of absolute truth there but like you say I need to realise that when there's a relative goal then there will also be a relative solution to that goal.

That's right.

Quote

I think I'm trying to bring considerations of absolute truth into my practical daily affairs and it's fucking with me a bit.

This is normal and it's tricky. The whole trick is that you need to be able to use existential questions to inform your everyday life, but you also need to be able to partition everyday life from existential matters. It's tricky to explain how to do this. It's like a selective filter you can develop.

One of my most important least-appreciated videos is this one: https://www.actualized.org/articles/balancing-theory-vs-practice

Where I tried to address this point. This video made many subtle points that few people understand. I recommend watching it several times and really contemplating each point.

Getting really good at converting theory into practice and practice into theory, without getting stuck in either, is like a super-power.

Quote

Also, the 'how' to get something done is one aspect of things, but something else I'm struggling with is the 'what' and even the 'why?' What criteria should I use when choosing what to do with my life? How can I discover a direction for myself and trust myself to come up with the right one? Is the answer basically an avoidance of pain and a pursuit of pleasure? The avoidance of suffering? I'd imagine your life purpose course is good for this one. Intuitively I feel the answer has something to do with 'creating' as that's an act of love.

It will take you lots of reading, research, and life experience to figure out which things in life are worth pursing. Although I've also addressed this a lot in my videos. Like this one: https://www.actualized.org/articles/65-core-principles-of-living-the-good-life

Yes, the LP Course would save you years of groping around in the dark.

No, the answer is not avoidance of pain and pursuit of pleasure. That's what you're already doing, that's what every ego is doing, and it rarely produces good results. You might almost say the answer is the opposite: you must face the things you resist facing.

Yes, creating and love are important pieces of the puzzle.

[Wisebaxter]

@Leo Gura That's awesome, I have some direction now. I'll check out those videos you mentioned again and develop my 'balancing theory and practice' superpower. I'm so balls deep in theory right now it's ridiculous. Also your video on How to Get Shit done seems very relevant. I've always struggled with creating results. I just hoard theory and feel like it's getting me somewhere. Thanks again for the detailed response to my query. 

[WelcometoReality]

On 2019-01-27 at 1:02 AM, Wisebaxter said:

For example, I ask myself, what career would I be best suited to?

Yes there is no objective truth in what career to pursue. If there were then we would all be chasing the same career wouldn't we? It's relative, meaning that it depends on what you feel is challenging, fun, and whatever you feel is important. So you can't really google the answer. You have to find the answer within yourself. Maybe one career path is right for you now and later you'll change that path. Who knows?

 

Edited January 28, 2019 by WelcometoReality
Added videoclip pn trusting oneself

[Wisebaxter]

@WelcometoReality Yeah man, not trusting myself is definately a huge part of the issue. Thanks for the Adya video, I haven't watched that one. He's fantastic

[WelcometoReality]

25 minutes ago, Wisebaxter said:

@WelcometoReality Yeah man, not trusting myself is definately a huge part of the issue. Thanks for the Adya video, I haven't watched that one. He's fantastic

Yeah he's really great. I've got so much guidance from his teachings.

[Telepresent]

On 27/01/2019 at 0:02 AM, Wisebaxter said:

 in reality there is no right answer 

But I'm willing to bet you're still looking for one. 

Written from one who still is a well - he's just realised how fucking stupid it is

[Wisebaxter]

@WelcometoReality That was such a great video. You really came through for me with that link buddy. I made some notes for anyone that's interested. 

"The conditioned self is so conditioned that it's hard to know what to trust there. It’s not the ego or personality's voice but instead there’s something inside that comes from a stillness. It’s not intellectual or thought driven, it’s a whisper within stillness, succinct and brief and doesn’t justify itself. If you ask why it’s the voice to trust, the ego's voice will give you a list of explanations as to why it’s trustworthy. The still, small voice doesn’t judge and doesn’t say ’should or shouldn’t.’ Sometimes it’s not a voice at all. The quickest way to access it can be to feel within your body. The body is a good truth detector. Despite what the mind thinks, when there’s bullshit afoot the body will have some kind of contraction or uncomfortable sensation. The truth will often just be a feeling. He doesn’t mean emotion, because emotions can delude you too. It’s something underneath that emotional reactivity. 

A lot of the times it’s trial and error. You try something out and see if it seems trustworthy. 

Listen to what’s intuitive and non-insistent. What’s intuitive isn’t usually insistent or forceful. It just presents itself without arguing it’s point with you or anyone around you. 

A lot of people were taught during their upbringing to not trust themselves, to put all of the authority outside of themselves. 

We have to be willing to fail over and over again. 

Its not easy as the conditioning is so strong and can often override it. You just have to keep going and learn to walk. 

Adya’s teacher would never give him straight answers. She would guide him in a certain direction and let him figure it out himself. We have this tendency to want answers to be specific and simple but they’re not. We have to discover what’s true for ourselves."

Edited January 29, 2019 by Wisebaxter