Exercises for discovering Nothingness, God, The Void

[r0ckyreed]

Hello guys, I am relatively new to all this enlightenment stuff.  I have been meditating consistently for a couple years, and I have been using Sam Harris' Waking Up App.  

So far, I have read The Book of Not Knowing by Peter Ralston, and Spiritual Enlightenment The Damnedest Thing by Jed McKenna.  

As a result, I have been meditating everyday for at least 20 minutes just following my breath and noticing other sensations and thoughts arising and passing in consciousness.

I also am contemplating and trying to dispell and eliminate all my beliefs and programming such as Spiritual Autolysis like Jed mentioned in his book.  

I just want to be sure I am doing the practice correctly.  All I am doing is uncovering an unchallenged belief and challenging it.    

Such examples for challenging such beliefs are:

The belief that I am a real character or that I am a character at all

The belief that I am not in the Matrix

The belief that reality is real

The belief that I am not deluded (which I am)

The belief that I even exist (proving Cogito Ergo Sum to myself)

The belief that I am a good person

The belief that there is an external world

The belief that other people have minds

The belief that knowledge can be derived from sensations and rationality

The belief that my family is real

The belief that my culture is correct

the Belief that I am well-educated

The belief that my thoughts are my own or that I am the author of my thoughts

Belief that there is an observer to what is being observed

etc. etc. etc.,

I am just wondering whether I am doing Spiritual Autolysis correctly and whether meditating and contemplating alone will eventually let me have a direct experience of God? Like Jed McKenna said, "Sit down. Shut up. Find out what is true."  Jed McKenna also mentions in his book to ask yourself, "What can you know for certain?" The only thing you can know is that you exist.  This is known as Solipsism and Descartes had a similar insight in Cogito Ergo Sum (around p. 79).

  The part I have trouble with is that contemplation is using the mind to understand reality right?  But how can thinking lead to a direct experience of God?  What particular exercises do you all find most helpful in having the direct experience/implicit understanding of God, Nothingness, Void, etc.?  How do contemplation and meditation fit together if at all?

Is using contemplation techniques such Spiritual Autolysis, Descartes Cogito Ergo Sum, Peter Ralston's emptying your cup exercise, etc. going to lead me down the round to experiencing God?  

I know this is a lot!  I Thank you! I appreciate all of your help!

 

Edited April 11, 2020 by r0ckyreed

[r0ckyreed]

@Meta-Man Thanks for your response!  I would much rather prefer a path that did not involve psychedelics partly because I do not know the long-term effects it will have on my brain, cognition, neural connections, function, etc., I do not know how to get them, and it is illegal in my state (Oklahoma).  At this moment, I would rather elevate my consciousness "naturally."  I may try them in the future.  Hopefully they will be accessible in the future.

Did I describe the right process for Spiritual Autolysis correctly?  I mean, is it really that simple such as to just "Sit down. Shut up. Ask yourself what is true until you know?"

I sincerely appreciate your help on my journey!

 

[Inliytened1]

@r0ckyreed practice self inquiry and in between doing that- practice do nothing meditation.    Then go back to self inquiry.  Right now do you believe you are an entity behind a pair of eyes? Answer honestly. 

[Leo Gura]

@r0ckyreed In practice you ain't gonna awaken without psychedelics and/or crazy concentration ability.

The point of meditation, contemplation, yoga, self-inquiry is to develop very strong concentration ability which is necessary to break through.

Concentration is the key. It changes your state of consciousness when done rigorously and for long periods of time. Psychedelics make concentration much easier. Otherwise you gonna have to train your ass off manually.

Questioning beliefs is good, but it won't be enough by itself. Your state of consciousness has to change.

[r0ckyreed]

@Inliytened1 @Leo Gura Thanks for your responses! As for your question about being an Entity behind eyes, I do not see one.
What is an entity? What are eyes? What is seeing? Is there really something seeing out of eyes? In my experience I do not see eyes or see what is seeing through what I think are eyes. In fact, I do not even see a head. Where my head should be, all I see is the world. I have a sense of being an entity, but I realize that this entity is content within consciousness. When I tried to look for this entity or the feeling that there is a meditator, I could not find one. In my experience, I tried to look for myself behind my eyes, but nothing was all that is there. When I asked “What am I,” in self-inquiry, I notice that that this entity (which cannot be found is identified with these thoughts and emotions). After examining closely and pondering “what will my next thought be?” My mind was so still until I sensed it wondering and it is creepy lol! But what sensed the mind wondering and what thinks its creepy?? It feels like empty awareness behind my eyes that identifies with being a subject within “human experience.” Am I doing this correctly?
 

Thanks for all of your help!

 

Edited April 12, 2020 by r0ckyreed

[Leo Gura]

@r0ckyreed Yes, empty awareness. You ain't ever gonna find a "thing" behind the eyes. All you will find is degrees of emptiness. And emptiness is not behind the eyes, it is equally in all places, since it is nowhere.

[Samuel Garcia]

@r0ckyreed It seems that you are seeking alot. What is it that you mean by awakening really?

 Absolute truth is always the case so you don't need to change you're experience. Ramana Maharshi and Rupert Spira are two very good teachers who talk about a ''direct path'' to enlightenment. A few years ago I came across these teachings of turning attention to myself, and completely dismissed it because I was trying to find fulfilment in an object.

I even did the whole psychedelic thing having lots of trips on mushrooms as well as 5 meo, MDMA, LSD. But psychedelics in one way can open you're mind and apparently gain a lot ''insight'', but they are completely unnecessary and can cause a lot of seeking -- of an object, experience, knowledge, special spiritual state etc. These all come and go. But what is it that remains?  A starting point to this stillness, is to keep resting in ''I am''.... When you get rest in yourself, a lot will enfold automatically.

Spend a lots of time alone, in silence. Be with you. Be with your heart. Follow your heart. What does it want? This is your path.

 

 

[r0ckyreed]

Thanks for all of your responses! I love actualized.org! 
 

@Meta-Man how long do you recommend just sitting?

[cetus]

@r0ckyreed

[Astra]

@r0ckyreed The method I used to first discover nothingness is this: astral project (have an out of “body” experience) then repeat “non dual state now” until your body shatters and you will see what remains. Another word you can try is “zen guru”. It takes a while to learn how to astral project but once you learn it is very useful and fun. 

[cetus]

3 hours ago, Mikael89 said:

Hm, the "infinite intensity of emptiness and silence", is it the same thing as deep dreamless sleep?

@Mikael89 Nisargadatta describes it as the 4th state of consciousness which is beyond the usual 3 states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep.

 

[diamondpenguin]

3 hours ago, Astra said:

@r0ckyreed The method I used to first discover nothingness is this: astral project (have an out of “body” experience) then repeat “non dual state now” until your body shatters and you will see what remains. Another word you can try is “zen guru”. It takes a while to learn how to astral project but once you learn it is very useful and fun. 

How do you do the astral projection?I'm really curious.

[diamondpenguin]

2 hours ago, cetus56 said:

@Mikael89 Nisargadatta describes it as the 4th state of consciousness which is beyond the usual 3 states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep.

 

What state of consciousness would you classify the state after 30 minutes of shamanic breathing my friend?

[cetus]

6 hours ago, diamondpenguin said:

What state of consciousness would you classify the state after 30 minutes of shamanic breathing my friend?

@diamondpenguin I've never done shamanic breathing but my impression is it's a type of altered trance state that lies somewhere between waking, dreaming and deep sleep. 

@Mikael89 You nailed it.

 

[r0ckyreed]

I have just watched Leo's video on What is Actuality- Direct Experience vs. Concept.  

This seems like a really interesting exercise to do.  

So if all thoughts are concepts, then isn't contemplating and questioning reality a concept as well?  Isn't Self-inquiry a concept as well?  Can you grasp the truth and have an experience of God based on the conceptual nature of contemplation and Self-inquiry?  

After thinking about it, it may be that if you drive concepts toward actuality then concepts may be helpful?  For instance, contemplation, even though it is conceptual, contemplation is a tool and can guide one's awareness deeper into actuality such as questioning my assumptions about my hand being a human hand, molecules, or whatever else I believe.  

 

What do you all think about pursuing this exercise?  What did you find in your experience?

 

[r0ckyreed]

Wow I am dumb.  I discovered that Leo literally has outlined step by step contemplation exercises for enlightenment on the forums.  

 

[Edan]

21 hours ago, r0ckyreed said:

 I would rather elevate my consciousness "naturally." 

 

What could possibly be more natural than mushrooms 

[Edan]

Just kidding i got what you meant but really, consider that psychedelics were heavily stigmatized and you might have heard of misinformation about them

[r0ckyreed]

Yeah your right! I probably have a lot of misinformation about them.  My culture has really made me skeptical and fearful of them for what they can do to my brain.  Do you have any information on psychedelics that could set me down the path to discover them for what they are?  From your research, are there long-term damages to the brain? I am most nervous about the negative impacts of psychedelics of me screwing it up.  I think I stay away from them for good reason  LoL!!

 

I realize now that this Spiritual Journey is all about interpreting reality LITERALLY!!