Boundless Awareness

[Intraplanetary]

Hey guys

 

I need to share this with you. 

 

Long story short, I've been an avid Leo's follower since early 2016. In addition to other books and psychedelics, I've watched every single Leo's video, many of them 2 or 3 times. 

Yesterday, I came across this book: Boundless Awareness: A Loving Path to Spiritual Awakening and Freedom from Suffering by Michael A. Rodriguez . 

I've finished reading the book already. It's absolutely magical. It's helped me to connect so many dots. The writer has a similar history as Leo's being in academia and then leaving to pursue the spiritual path as he realised that academia didn't allow to seek the real truth. 

He beautifully and simply explains what is awareness/consciousness, makes a distinction between I-thought and awareness. Explains the structure (awareness) vs content (your life) and he talked about the true meaning of self-love which was an amazing aha moment for me.

Basically, this book has so much in common with many of Leo's videos that I thought they should get married!  

The book's really helped me to deepen and integrate many of the concepts shared by Leo, especially about grasping your true nature through direct experience and detaching from the conceptual, psychological illusion of 'I'.

 

Finally, I would say that I've been always seeing the spiritual path as rather challenging, hard and unique. However, I've realised that it's much simpler and easier. It's not about gaining something and becoming something; it's all about removing stuff and self-emptying to awaken to your true nature that you've always been.

 

Cheers!

Edited October 6, 2020 by Intraplanetary

[silene]

Thanks for the recommendation, it sounds a great book and I'm happy that it's helped you so much!  As well as the explanations, does it have a practical side, advice or exercises in how to make this progress? 

[VeganAwake]

11 hours ago, Intraplanetary said:

Finally, I would say that I've been always seeing the spiritual path as rather challenging, hard and unique. However, I've realised that it's much simpler and easier. It's not about gaining something and becoming something; it's all about removing stuff and self-emptying to awaken to your true nature that you've always been.

When that letting go or emptying out is combined with the realization that everything you believe to be true could in fact be completely wrong...it allows for that deep emptying out you described.

It also helps to see how deeply conditioned and mechanical the mind actually is...it has a habitual repeating nature to it. ❤

Yes absolutely and it's been described as the crumbling away of untruth to reveal what has always been the case.

[Intraplanetary]

@silene

Yes, it does. every chapter comes with a practical meditation exercise that's extraordinarily simple. They usually take around 5 minutes at the time and are based on the direct experience of your thoughts, feelings and perceptions. I felt it was so very easy and natural to do the exercises. 

While the book teaches you that there is no ego-self in the first place by giving self-emptying practices and getting you in touch with your true nature as awareness, it also deals with shadow integration. it explains the process of integrating what's been neglected and leads you towards embracing all your emotions. It makes so much sense to start with self-emptying because it helps you to realise there is no one who suffers there is no 'I'; it's just agglomeration of concepts, yet it feels so self. Still, the shadow integration must happen to allow the energy to move through the body without labelling it as bad. It's not an easy practice but it's the way to liberation - TO FEEL IT ALL.

 

Hope you'll find it useful had you decided to get it

 

[silene]

Thanks  definitely worth a read, I'll look out for a copy.

[Adamq8]

Im reading it now! Interesting so far! Thanks for recommendation ?

[Intraplanetary]

On 12/10/2020 at 9:46 PM, Adamq8 said:

Im reading it now! Interesting so far! Thanks for recommendation ?

Great! Let me know if it made sense and was useful