One thing to remember when watching Leo's videos.

[FoxFoxFox]

Obligatory circlejerk: I really like Leo and his videos.

 

Leo's older videos about enlightenment are not the greatest, and i'm talking about as early as one year ago. Some of them are really trash. You got to realize that Leo has made those videos in the past, when his own understanding was not as mature as it is now (for example his God video is excellent). So I encourage you to be mindful of this, and always ask questions here in the forum if you are confused about something. Leo's mind is (was) a highly logical one, and that perspective lingers in the content of his channel. So it's entirely possible that you might watch one video where he says enlightenment is 'this' or 'that', or 'this' lists the "benefits of enlightenment", but he himself probably would disagree with some of those today.

Thankfully he does always seem to be growing as a desert saint. His recent choice of silence over yammering on is a great indicator.

Edited March 11, 2019 by FoxFoxFox

[cetus]

@FoxFoxFox Got it.  Thanks

[TheAvatarState]

@FoxFoxFox which videos of his are trash? 

[FoxFoxFox]

^ Any video that is not a practical guide for enlightenment. In general, theory crafting about the Self is meaningless, and this includes the God video. However that video is nuanced and the product of a spiritually developed mind so it can nicely affirm your own experiences if you have had them. Older videos that try to objectify the self mostly miss the mark and don't add much. Also i would like to re-emphasize just how analytical Leo's mind is. Thankfully he now realizes that the Self is trans-rational. 

[ajasatya]

1 hour ago, FoxFoxFox said:

Leo's older videos are not great. Some of them are really trash.

i'm not advocating for leo, but the contents that resonate with you change over time. all stages of development are necessary because that's how wisdom is built from zero to hero.

contemplate the 15 y/o version of you watching to the "how to make a girl squirt" video vs watching the "aztec non-duality" video. which one would trigger your interest the most? it doesn't mean the the least interesting video was worse... it just means that it was less interesting for you at that moment.

[FoxFoxFox]

@ajasatya While i do definitely agree with your general point, I maintain the position that some of the videos are useless, if not actually a hindrance. The older videos specially. 

[Shin]

3 minutes ago, FoxFoxFox said:

@ajasatya While i do definitely agree with your general point, I maintain the position that some of the videos are useless, if not actually a hindrance. The older videos specially. 

And that's your point of view,

Which is relative.

[ajasatya]

@FoxFoxFox anything can be a hindrance. it doesn't depend on the content, but on the wisdom and intent of the consumer.

for instance, 7 years ago i was on a blind pursuit for money, pleasure and lots of superficial trash. i used to watch motivational videos to work hard to achieve those things and feed my pride. what happened? i broke down, of course.

then, i spent 4 years in a journey towards healing and seeking to understand who i am. during that period, i developed a disgust for materialism and a strange anguish towards that kind of content.

now i finally feel happy and ready to embrace life with a big heart. i am now a married man and i want to work hard to offer everything i can to the world. guess what? i am now watching the same motivational content for hardwork. it feels completely different now.

the same kind of content, as seen from different perspectives made me:

1. feel insecure and anxious until i eventually couldn't take it anymore;
2. feel disgust and separation from the regular everyday life;
3. feel energized to contribute to the world in a healthy way.

Edited March 11, 2019 by ajasatya

[FoxFoxFox]

@Shin No. This is not an exercise in relativity. Relativity is implied, always. Some of the content is simply wrong. In the same sense that if I told you to be enlightened you would necessarily have to travel to Siberia and meditate naked on the ice it would be wrong. A lot Leo's older content are attempts at describing the absolute in words which is impossible. It is the same trap many neophytes fall into, trying to imagine how the Self looks like. It's a waste of time. Follow that path and that's how you end up meditating for forty years, missing the point. 

[noselfnofun]

Funny you made this post I recently watched some of his older videos today. I actually think they are great, there not as deep as his videos of enlightenment but they are still very relevant. People need alot of help before they are even ready to take on the path of enlightenment. He also comes across a lot more humble in his earlier videos 

Edited March 11, 2019 by noselfnofun

[FoxFoxFox]

@ajasatya Yes, i agree with you. But this is not the same thing. Wasting time trying to explain what the Self is, without any practical guidelines of how to "achieve" it is pointless, and potentially dangerous.

[ajasatya]

Just now, FoxFoxFox said:

@ajasatya Yes, i agree with you. But this is not the same thing. Wasting time trying to explain what the Self is, without any practical guidelines of how to "achieve" it is pointless, and potentially dangerous.

i disagree. there are several spiritual schools/traditions that have led several people to experience True Nature. they're all filled with conceptual frameworks that aim to temporarily replace the content of the mind of the practitioners. it's through hunger and effort that the seeker is supposed to overcome the concepts (that helped him in the beginning). if you don't believe me, look back at your own story.

[Preetom]

@FoxFoxFox

One of the things I've struggled (and still do to some degree), is the notion of ''Many facets of Reality'' advocated by Leo so often. The whole story of how he has tuned into dozens of different facets of Truth through dozens of psychedelic trips, and how one must also have those dozens of realizations or else it is not enlightenment. Sometimes, it does sound like there are 'actual' parts of Truth.

This sounds very inconsistent because while there is the constant hammering on of ''EVERYTHING IS ONE" but when it comes to Enlightenment, you must have to realize like 30 different truths? 

No hating here, but it's like one is making all these imaginary ceilings called ''facets of Truth'', so that one can reach it; then making that as some sort scale to measure one's enlightenment. 

Is it about how many fireworks one can have? 

 

Edited March 11, 2019 by Preetom

[FoxFoxFox]

@noselfnofun 

Quote

Funny you made this post I recently watched some of his older videos today. I actually think they are great,

I should add that I'm talking about his enlightenment videos, and as early as a year ago.

Quote

People need alot of help before they are even ready to take on the path of enlightenment.

This is not really the case. It only appears so. A good enough teacher will enlighten you in an instant.

Quote

He also comes across a lot more humble in his earlier videos 

Humility has nothing to do with teaching enlightenment. Humility is the mark of the sage, in his dealings with life, but not the mark of a teacher, in dealing with his pupils.

[Igor82]

The newbies benefits from this very much, but if you have listened to all of Leos videos then you either are mindful of this or your not listening properly.

For those who does understand that Leos old videos comes from his old perspective can still learn from the older videos! If you watched one of his videos 2 years ago then please rewatch it now! Because I think every one of Leos videos are worth several replays as they are still full of integratable gold. 

Although, I listen to his videos (mp3) while im doing other stuff, so its much more practical for me to listen to mp3 rather than actually sitting and rewarching them, spending hours doing that, I dont think that would be worth it. 

[FoxFoxFox]

@Preetom

Quote

One of the things I've struggled (and still do to some degree), is the notion of ''Many facets of Reality'' advocated by Leo so often. The whole story of how he has tuned into dozens of different facets of Truth through dozens of psychedelic trips, and how one must also have those dozens of realizations or else it is not enlightenment. Sometimes, it does sound like there are 'actual' parts of Truth.

Yes you are correct. Leo is actually wrong here. There are no facets of reality. There is only reality. What he calls "facets of reality" are appearances, which have no substance of their own. An LSD trip is as real as a simple dream, or even deep sleep. The notion that one must experience all these psychedelics to be enlightened is frankly stupid, irresponsible, and dangerous. 

Quote

This sounds very inconsistent because while there is the constant hammering on of ''EVERYTHING IS ONE" but when it comes to Enlightenment, you must have to realize like 30 different truths? 

What is meant by "everything is one" is that there is a consistent, underlying reality which is directly experienced by everyone, which has always existed, exists, and will exist, and that, is the fact of your own existence, independent of awareness of body or sensations or mind. Any worthwhile spiritual practice clears away all your doubts to grant you enough clarity to see this reality, which is called God or Self. The only psychedelic experience that is of any value in self-realization, is that which assists in granting you clarity. LSD hardly does that.

Quote

No hating here, but it's like one is making all these imaginary ceilings called ''facets of Truth'', so that one can reach it; then making that as some sort  scale to measure one's enlightenment. 

That does sound like what the mind/ego does, no? 

 

But like i said, Leo going on a silent retreat is only a good sign of his increasing sagacity. 

[mandyjw]

One of the most important things Leo taught me was to be open minded and because I was able to do that I was able to glean a lot from his content which is what made me seek out other spiritual teachers. I was able to see that Leo being involved in the pick up community was a good sign that he had a lot of growing to do but still enjoy most of his content. 

Don't ever idolize a teacher and don't ever discount their work because they aren't perfect. 

[FoxFoxFox]

@mandyjw Amen

[Preetom]

16 minutes ago, FoxFoxFox said:

What is meant by "everything is one" is that there is a consistent, underlying reality which is directly experienced by everyone, which has always existed, exists, and will exist, and that, is the fact of your own existence, independent of awareness of body or sensations or mind. Any worthwhile spiritual practice clears away all your doubts to grant you enough clarity to see this reality, which is called God or Self. The only psychedelic experience that is of any value in self-realization, is that which assists in granting you clarity.

Beautiful. Thank you!

[Nahm]

A beautiful story of courage & insight, a documented lotus, perpetually mistaken for a unilateral book.