New seeker: hello!

[kamekat]

Hello friends,

I'm fairly new on my awakening path. It started about a year ago after a lot of suffering. 

I still struggle to meditate and to understand the concepts of nonduality but this forum and Leo / Abraham Hicks / Alan Watts etc have been very helpful in paving the way.

Please share anything you think might be helpful to hear for a new seeker.

Thanks!

[LfcCharlie4]

What's your existential experience right now? 

Most importantly, realize this is it and you can NEVER figure this stuff out with your mind! I remember constantly being caught in thought loops!

[Guest Bazooka Jesus]

Now, first things first... if you don't mind, we'd like you to sign this contract here with a black feather quill and a drop of your blood.

(Just skip the fine print where it says "Yada yada sell my soul yada yada...", it's bad for your eyes. )

[kamekat]

18 minutes ago, LfcCharlie4 said:

What's your existential experience right now? 

Most importantly, realize this is it and you can NEVER figure this stuff out with your mind! I remember constantly being caught in thought loops!

I'm still stuck in the thought loops and still seemingly a separate person within a vast universe. I understand it intellectually but having trouble actually seeing the Truth. 

[SoonHei]

10 hours ago, kamekat said:

I'm still stuck in the thought loops

That "I" is not you. 

Thought is stuck in thought loop

[LfcCharlie4]

@kamekat Haha, sound like exactly how I used to be! 

Other people's advice will be different to mine but I can only tell you what's worked for me. 

Of course, a standard meditation practice would be a good starting point, find a meditation that resonates with you if it helps you stick to it. 

Remember, meditation is every moment of your life also, and BE HERE NOW always, no matter whether you're at work, washing the dishes or listening to a teacher, this is it and live here now. 

Other practices like Yoga, Self Inquiry can be helpful. I'd also say foundational PD such as Exercise, Nutrition, Career/ Business shouldn't be overlooked.

I can recommend some books and teachers that helped me, I work with one of them 1-1 and receive a Silent Transmission which has been the most helpful thing as well as finding out my enneagram type to overcome my own sticking points, everyone is unique and everyone's process is their own!

No Mind, No Problem and 1000 by Ramaji are great books, as is his and Ananda Devis 1-1 coaching. Any of Ramana's/ Nisgardatta's teachings if you're ready for them  

It's hard to give recommendations without knowing you a bit better everyone is slighlty different and certain paths will work better for certain people, could you maybe expand a bit more on your journey/ story so far+ any current issues you are facing?

 

[Nahm]

56 minutes ago, kamekat said:

Leo / Abraham Hicks / Alan Watts

Welcome!

In the vein of what you mentioned...spiral dynamics comes to mind, as well as a deeper dive into meditation, solo / silent retreats, etc. Also, inspecting direct experience, time & the “ I “ in thought, leading to transcending / realizing more awareness / consciousness / love.  Scrutinizing & dispelling that ‘struggle to meditate’, experiencing some new modalities, and understanding purification, is where I’d begin. Just suggestions.  

 

[Forestluv]

25 minutes ago, kamekat said:

I'm still stuck in the thought loops and still seemingly a separate person within a vast universe. I understand it intellectually but having trouble actually seeing the Truth. 

It seems like you have a desire to let go of thought loops and intellect and to "see". If so, observe the mind trying to control the narrative. Letting go of that can take practice. One thing that helps me is to simply observe. Thoughts appear Now, yet they are very sneaky and it's easy to get lulled into "la-la land" with thoughts. . . In contrast, feelings and the breath are always Now. A great way to get grounded in Now is to keep returning back to feelings and the breath - and to let go of the thought stories. I don't try to repress the thinking, I just let go of it. As if it is a child yelling for attention. Eventually it will calm down.

You mentioned meditation, which is a great practice. Meditation provides great contrast of "la-la land" to Now. Anything that relaxes the mind and brings us to presence can be helpful (such as the breath). Sometimes I will light a candle and stare at the candle. After a while, the thoughts quite down and I'm actually observing Now! For example, rather than thinking about what I should have done at work - I am Now observing how my breath affects the flickering of the candle! It's amazing. Then all the different colors in the candle. Also how the candle dances. This is all happening Now. . . Sometimes I will go into nature and just sit and watch nature happening Now. Other times I will go to an art gallery and stare at art. Quite often feelings arise and an essence arises. Again, this is all happening Now. To me, this all counts as "meditation".

[undeather]

1 hour ago, kamekat said:

Hello friends,

I'm fairly new on my awakening path. It started about a year ago after a lot of suffering. 

I still struggle to meditate and to understand the concepts of nonduality but this forum and Leo / Abraham Hicks / Alan Watts etc have been very helpful in paving the way.

Please share anything you think might be helpful to hear for a new seeker.

Thanks!

 

Hey Kid! 

This is what I can wholeheartedly recommend you:
If your life is not build on a solid fundament right now, dont start your spiritual journey from that point, especially on this forum. 
You will get confused, you wont be able to distinguish between information and noise, and there is just too much blind leading the blind going on. 

Some concepts will feel like a sledgehammer to your ego. You will have moderators answering simple questions with non-dual, crypto-neo-vedanta-esque "wisdom" which is not understood by 99% of the people here who usually just "understand" things conceptually (not even that sometimes). There is a pseudo-integral thinking going on which is mainly caused by some misunderstanding or subconcious shadow. 

Start with meditation. Start with easy books & proven quality teachers (Adyashanti, Sadhguru..). Start with psychodelics. 
Fix your life first. I have seen too many people here, lost and never to be found again, because they didnt take care of their basic human needs.
Then, if you already got some grip, return to this forum.

Anyway, either way - I wish you good luck on this journey, keep thinking for yourself and dont believe everything. 
Love, undeather! 




 

Edited December 9, 2019 by undeather

[silene]

1 hour ago, kamekat said:

I still struggle to meditate 

Greetings kamekat and welcome to the forum  Sometimes it's hard to know if the struggles we all experience are just part of the process, or a sign that we aren't on the optimal path or technique for ourselves. It takes time to build up that experience, especially if we are following a solo path, rather than belonging to an organisation.  But as a rule of thumb, there's no need to be judgemental about your meditation sessions. If it feels like a struggle and you can't keep your attention on your meditation object, that doesn't mean it's a bad or unsuccessful session. Likewise, a focused, relaxed and blissful session isn't necessarily better. You  develop and make progress either way. 
 

1 hour ago, kamekat said:

I still struggle ... to understand the concepts of nonduality

Me too. I have a basic theoretical understanding in my mind, but only enough to get bogged down in paradox. But that's kind of the point, the spiritual side of nonduality (as opposed to the philosophical side) is trying to point us beyond the intellectual understanding to direct awareness. Hence the promotion of practices like meditation and yoga. So the moral is, don't worry if you don't understand nonduality. Feel free to treat all the ideas here as purely provisional until you have built up your own experience to the level when you can find out for yourself.

[LfcCharlie4]

@undeather Can I ask what Psychedelics have to do with fixing one's life? 

[seeking_brilliance]

@LfcCharlie4 a psychedelic changed and fixed my life, although not sure about the advice of starting with a psychedelic... I think the mind and energetic system should be purged and purified to an extent before introducing a psychedelic. 

I was suffering almost two years straight of mild to deep depression and becoming suicidal (while also working on PD) and took a psychedelic and was instantly no longer suicidal and was set on a clear trajectory to reclaiming my life and getting out of the victim mindset. 

[Nahm]

@seeking_brilliance ??♥️

[Eu Sint]

Welcome

All those who have answered you above, have given you wise advice to reach you for a lifetime. Now it is your turn to choose wisely and do what is to be done.Just do it.  ( ? like nike advertasing)

[ShugendoRa]

Look into AVS system helps with meditation almost effortlessly 

[LfcCharlie4]

@seeking_brilliance That's awesome then man! I'm glad Psyches helped you, hopefully they'll be legal and registered under supervision to help more people get them kind of results.

I'm also glad you mentioned the Holistic side of things, as that's still very important imo.

[undeather]

On 10.12.2019 at 9:19 AM, LfcCharlie4 said:

@undeather Can I ask what Psychedelics have to do with fixing one's life? 

You dont think that curing depression & giving nihilistically endangered human beings a taste of "extasis" is a huge part of "fixing" a life? In fact, if you find yourself in midst of a depressive episode, you wont even be able to do ANYTHING productive. 

Also, Psilocybin might be the best working and safest anti-smoking product we currently know of. 

Edited December 11, 2019 by undeather

[LfcCharlie4]

@undeather  No need to get so defensive man, I just know people whos lives have been ruined by drugs (including Psyches) so tend to stay on the side of caution. A lot of the time people need more fundamental work than just a Shroom/ Acid trip, that's all, I like to look at things holistically. 

Like I said, when used properly Psyches can help people in amazing ways as you said, and I can't wait until they are properly administered for things such as Depression. And, if they helped you I'm super glad. Can you explain how they helped and the optimal way to actually help people with them? ANy resources to learn more. 

Beforehand, I knew they were great for insights into awakening, have heard MDMA's usage in PTSD therapy, Microdosings effects etc, but I would like to understand much more. 

I've also become a bit bias against them as I believe there are more efficient and safer ways to facilitate ones awakening, that's all  

[kamekat]

Thank you all for taking the time to share your wisdom and insights. I really appreciate it. I look forward to being a part of this community as my journey develops.

I've always been skewed towards being a scientific / rational/ atheistic person.  My education and career are testaments to that. 

About a year ago, the veil of my thoughts and ego were obliterated on a dosage of LSD. Since then, I have slowly opened up to deeper realizations that I would of written off as crazy in the past.  This was extremely positive for me as I was able to see how my mind created my own suffering and even created the very events that created the suffering. I would agree with  @undereather and others about the benefits of psychedelics. They were the spark that helped me heal a great deal of my depression. 

I am having trouble distinguishing between false and Truth. Such as the law of attraction.