I am a little confused

[caelanb]

I just had a few questions I have been pondering? If all that there is is the present moment, and the past and future are thoughts in the present, then what is time? Is time real? If I am conscious, and that which makes me conscious is neurons firing in the brain, than does that make me just a bunch of neurons in the brain? Which makes me my brain? Or maybe I am all of my body (legs, arms, cells). But if I lose my arm, does that mean that I lost myself? I am just curious about these questions. Because it seems to all come down to the consciousness that makes me experience my reality which seems to be physical and always changing in the present moment? Thank you for any answers to help me figure this out:) 

[Dima]

hi, @caelanb !

There is this book https://www.amazon.com/Holographic-Universe-Revolutionary-Theory-Reality/dp/0062014102 that might have answers to your questions. Explicit and implicit orders - that what you might be interested in.

Though it's just another perspective

[Raptorsin7]

@Dima  What brings you to the forum?

[Carl-Richard]

Time is change. Change happens in the present moment.
Consciousness creates the brain, not vice versa.
You're not a brain, a body or a soul. You're not confined to a finite part of reality. You're all of it. You are God.
Consciousness is not physical. Reality is not physical. Reality is "appearance without substance": there is no "first cause" in any causal link.

Edited March 25, 2020 by Carl-Richard

[StripedGiraffe]

You are the perceiver, and the perceived. You are just as much the screen in front of you as you are your body or the brain. This confusion is a great sign. Nobody on this forum can give you the answer to what you are. It cannot be communicated. We can only point you in the right direction. I highly suggest you try self-inquiry. You can start with Leo's Neti Neti technique video, and then "how to do self-inquiry".

[caelanb]

@Dima What does explicit and implicit mean? I have started reading the book Beyond Biocentrism: Rethinking Time, Space, Consciousness, and the Illusion of Death by Robert Lanza, do you think this is a good book to read? Or is The Holographic Universe: The Revolutionary Theory of Reality better? Could there not be only one perspective that is correct? I mean that is what science is trying to find out right?

@Raptorsin7 I came here because I started watching Leo's content and found that it he speaks of very radical topics and ideas that I have never heard of, I have two hypotheses for this, first; what he talks about is wrong which is why it is not taught in society (such as the world not being physical), or he is onto something, that is seems outrageously abstract to me. I tried to have a conversation with my dad around these topics and I found that the we identify with our experiences, thoughts, emotions and the decisions we make in our life. This brings in the conversation of time due to what we do going through time, but then again what is time. So in general I did not get a super clear answer from him, apart from the latter.

@Carl-Richard That is not logical though. What are the neurons firing in the brain if consciousness creates the brain and not vice versa?

@StripedGiraffe I feel like self inquiry would not help, because I would not ever get to an answer.

[Carl-Richard]

1 hour ago, caelanb said:

 

@Carl-Richard That is not logical though. What are the neurons firing in the brain if consciousness creates the brain and not vice versa?

 

No scientist can every claim that they've experienced anything in reality outside their own consciousness. This doesn't mean that their personal slice of consciousness is the only thing that exist, but what it does mean is that everything is an appearance in consciousness.

The neurons firing in the brain is an idea, and an idea is an appearance in consciousness. 
If you were to look at your own neurons firing, then that is still an appearance in consciousness.
When a person gets their brain removed, stops moving and is unable to talk, that is also an appearance in consciousness.

Try to find a moment where whatever you interpret to be "objective physical reality" is actually arising separately from consciousness.

Edited March 26, 2020 by Carl-Richard

[SilentTears]

All will make sense in time. <-- I say this as a joke and literally. That's if you continue down this path 

Time is an illusion because past and present are just thoughts from the "now" just like you said. It's a concept we may identify with, however we can never know outside the "now" besides using thoughts. You can never know anything besides the "now", this present moment, Right? I want you to think about this. I'm sure you get this. 

You can still think about the past and future as they are essential for living a life in this society, however it's good to always know how they are just thoughts. You can only ever live in the "now" anything outside of this we take on blind faith from our thoughts. 

A great book to read addressing time is "The power of now". 

7 hours ago, caelanb said:

If I am conscious, and that which makes me conscious is neurons firing in the brain, than does that make me just a bunch of neurons in the brain? Which makes me my brain?

Leo addressed this I believe in the video "why brains do not exist", also really look at thoughts. Focus in on them. Don't try and describe or label them. Just become aware of them. 

Great job asking these questions, it takes openmindedness to do so. 

One last thing, 

5 hours ago, caelanb said:

@StripedGiraffe I feel like self inquiry would not help, because I would not ever get to an answer.

"I feel like self inquiry would not help" You seem to have created this belief. Notice where this belief comes from. What is it based on? 

I am saying this not to get you to do self- inquiry, though, I would recommend it. I am saying that for you to notice how we may sometimes create these assumptions for no reason. How much of our life's is created from thoughts?

If you ever start to get lost in theory/ thoughts then take some time to meditate or walk in nature. 

Take it easy and continue to have the openmindeness you posses to grow. 

[caelanb]

If brains do not exist because they are created by consciousness, then the scientific paradigm of brains creating consciousness is wrong. However, it has felt/seemed right for my entire life due to my senses and limbs being attached to where we say the brain is, and the perception I have of the 'physical' world around me coming from where we say the is brain (inside the head). The only logical answer I can think of is, I am a variety of different things; my experiences, thoughts, feelings, body, limbs, cells, and spiritual/soul if there is one at all. Which is a mix of physical and non-physical. And if all that there is is present moment, than wtf am I because all of what I just said is a mix of things. I can not point to one being the true me, the spiritual one is a bit erry ferry because I am not sure what is meant when it is referred to.

I'll look into self inquiry I just hope that I won't give up because I don't get some radical insight or just get bored of asking questions.

[StripedGiraffe]

 

 

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52 minutes ago, caelanb said:

I'll look into self inquiry I just hope that I won't give up because I don't get some radical insight or just get bored of asking questions.

Even doing self-inquiry once can point in the right direction. You'll at least get closer to the truth even if you don't have an enlightenment experience. Just watch the Neti Neti video and follow along with the exercise. It will be so much more helpful than all of this theorizing. Theorize again after you try this lol.

[Nahm]

Eternity forgets itself and says, “time”. 

[caelanb]

Isn't self-inquiry the same as theorizing?

I am not sure what

1 hour ago, Nahm said:

Eternity forgets itself and says, “time”. 

means.

if consciousness does occur in the brain, how come other animals such as deers and goats (who have smaller brains) are not as conscious as we are? 

Edited March 26, 2020 by caelanb

[SilentTears]

3 hours ago, caelanb said:

Isn't self-inquiry the same as theorizing?

No, watch Leo's videos on self inquiry. It will give you the information you need to not get lost in all this monkey mind.

3 hours ago, caelanb said:

if consciousness does occur in the brain, how come other animals such as deers and goats (who have smaller brains) are not as conscious as we are? 

What is truth for you? You are thinking a lot. What is here when there are no thoughts? The brain is just an idea. It's a thought. You're mental masterbating. 

Good job. I understand it may seem confusing, however this will pass. Just continue to take this work seriously. If you want answers to your questions then do some work. Do Meditate, self inquiry, any practices that help quite the mind and bring you to "truth". 

Don't get lost in thoughts. If you are serious about all this then trust me(or don't) about saying you will get answers. 

p.s no one can tell you the answers you are looking for. We can only point you to what has worked for us. 

[Carl-Richard]

5 hours ago, caelanb said:

If brains do not exist because they are created by consciousness, then the scientific paradigm of brains creating consciousness is wrong. However, it has felt/seemed right for my entire life due to my senses and limbs being attached to where we say the brain is, and the perception I have of the 'physical' world around me coming from where we say the is brain (inside the head). The only logical answer I can think of is, I am a variety of different things; my experiences, thoughts, feelings, body, limbs, cells, and spiritual/soul if there is one at all. Which is a mix of physical and non-physical. And if all that there is is present moment, than wtf am I because all of what I just said is a mix of things. I can not point to one being the true me, the spiritual one is a bit erry ferry because I am not sure what is meant when it is referred to.

I'll look into self inquiry I just hope that I won't give up because I don't get some radical insight or just get bored of asking questions.

You're not a finite thing. You're not bound by time, you're not bound by a body, you're not bound by anything. The feeling of "I am" is the feeling of being aware, which is just the feeling of "being". This is the essence of self-inquiry: trying to become familiar with the sense of "I am". Whether the brain is created by consciousness or the other way around is really secondary to this practice. When the recognition of "I am" settles within you, the answer for your question will be realized.

Edited March 26, 2020 by Carl-Richard

[caelanb]

Would there be other ways of realizing this, I have experienced a sense of oneness during mediation (it was more like a moment of peace you could say). Are there any mystical experiences I can achieve through meditation or practices like self-inquiry. Leo talks about this stuff all the time, I am wondering if I could achieve them through these practices (chakra opening, awakenings). Maybe these will give me some answers I am looking for.

Thank you.

[The Awakened Viking]

Time is a gift, in order to make stories

[StripedGiraffe]

 

 

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3 hours ago, caelanb said:

Would there be other ways of realizing this, I have experienced a sense of oneness during mediation (it was more like a moment of peace you could say). Are there any mystical experiences I can achieve through meditation or practices like self-inquiry. Leo talks about this stuff all the time, I am wondering if I could achieve them through these practices (chakra opening, awakenings). Maybe these will give me some answers I am looking for.

Thank you.

There are many ways of having these experiences. You can have them through meditation, self-inquiry, and yoga. Consider that it will likely take years or even decades to have these awakenings from these practices alone. The fastest way to have these experiences is by combining these practices with the responsible exploration of psychedelics. Also, it's very important to use contemplation with your psychedelic experiences. Some other practices that can create these awakenings, from what I hear, are tantra and holotropic breathwork. Hope this helps.

[Carl-Richard]

9 hours ago, caelanb said:

Would there be other ways of realizing this, I have experienced a sense of oneness during mediation (it was more like a moment of peace you could say). Are there any mystical experiences I can achieve through meditation or practices like self-inquiry. Leo talks about this stuff all the time, I am wondering if I could achieve them through these practices (chakra opening, awakenings). Maybe these will give me some answers I am looking for.

Thank you.

If you're innately curious about the nature of reality and value truth above anything else, you'll land in non-duality sooner or later. Meditation helps, self-inquiry helps, psychedelics help.

[Osaid]

@caelanb It's great that you are being open-minded about all this.

The brain is simply an appearance which affects other appearances in a self-interacting system of consciousness.

When Mario gets hit in the head in a video game, he dies. But, that doesn't mean Mario's brain is running the simulation.

Here are some things to think about:

You are not your body.

You are not your thoughts.

So, what exactly are you?

Consciousness. There is no difference between a human body and a lamp. There are just perceptions within consciousness, and they are also consciousness itself. Everything is consciousness, everything is you. But, do not attach yourself to these perceptions, in the end they are just that. Perceptions. Different manifestations of consciousness.

You do not have consciousness, consciousness has YOU.

The question of "why does consciousness feel so attached to this human body" is a good one. This is because you have been programmed to become very attached to it, and the human body is very good at coming up with stories and creating individuality. When you become aware of an object, the object is becoming aware of itself because that object is you.

These are pretty radical ideas, and I anticipate that you probably won't think a lot of it as true, so contemplate it for yourself and see if you get the same answers.

Good luck on your journey for truth.

Edited March 28, 2020 by Osaid

[caelanb]

I think I have a curiosity for the nature of reality because Leo's videos have gotten be wondering about it. However, I still get distracted with life which makes me ask myself why all this matters in the first place when I can just live life, which is what I have been doing my entire life. But if I decide to the pursue discovering the nature of reality, how do I balance it with my life. Does Leo's video on this topic give good insight? It's also hard to become innately interested when no one has spoken to me about this stuff, apart from the occasional person who brings up a philosophical theory during a conversation or something because it can be applied to the situation in some way. 

I have been watching his brain video, and it does make sense to me, however it's crazy to think about. My dad says that 99% of the material in the universe was created within just 1 second. And that everything started within single point which came from nothing, leading to the big bang. I am having a trouble connecting this to what Leo is, because I don't if the 'nothing' that science refers to is the same as the same nothing that Leo is referring too.

I have no access to psychedelics so I'll just stick with the other stuff. However, I feel like the holotropic breathing will cause me to hyperventilate or something. But for meditation, which I have been doing for a while now, and I feel like I have not been making any progress with it due to every day being the same without new insights or anything. How long and how often should I meditate for? Currently I meditate for about 15 to up to 21 minutes per day.

Thank you everyone