My own path or Leo’s videos?

[Mips]

I’m retiring early at 50 & am spending the remainder of my life concentrating on waking up. I have some experience with meditation and being profoundly in the moment to the point that the illusory mental construction of the ‘world’ and other places/people etc dissolves.
 

I have further go in many areas however - for example I want to achieve a much greater level of equanimity.

 

My question is:  Do I follow my own path completely or make the journey of starting watching Leo’s videos from a few years back until now, absorbing and integrating what I can?

 

I feel going it alone might be a more pure approach avoiding taking any unnecessary concepts on and getting bogged down - just pure presence and deepening awareness. Maybe some carefully considered 5-Meo experiences when I’m ready.

 

On the other hand, I might miss some valuable insights by not going through Leo’s videos. I’m good at achieving deep states of presence, but I’m not a great thinker like Leo - he’s covered lots of areas I’ve never explored.

 

I’d be very grateful for any feedback.

[How to be wise]

@Mips Slow down. It won’t be the end after you drop the body. No doubt you will start life again in a different form.

[Inliytened1]

@Mips If i were you - which i am  -  i would still listen to the videos.   You could even listen to some of the self inquiry and other exercises while doing self inquiry meditation.   Ultimately of course awakening will come with you merging with the present moment but opening your mind on a conceptual level can still help promote shifts in your consciousness.   It sounds like you know the difference between actuality and imagination which is vital.  Otherwise you could get lost in concepts in which the videos would steer you astray.  

[Mips]

3 hours ago, Inliytened1 said:

@Mips If i were you - which i am  -  i would still listen to the videos.   You could even listen to some of the self inquiry and other exercises while doing self inquiry meditation.   Ultimately of course awakening will come with you merging with the present moment but opening your mind on a conceptual level can still help promote shifts in your consciousness.   It sounds like you know the difference between actuality and imagination which is vital.  Otherwise you could get lost in concepts in which the videos would steer you astray.  

Great answer, thanks - I’ll consider the option of the videos. Although having been in the hectic property renovation business, all the complications of bringing up my disabled daughter and reading about spirituality/non-duality for my adult life, what really appeals to me personally is to drop all concepts and follow the (non) road of constant one pointed effortless presence to the point of 100% absorption. Can full awakening happen this way, or is some kind of inner investigation necessary to some degree? 

[Inliytened1]

1 hour ago, Mips said:

Great answer, thanks - I’ll consider the option of the videos. Although having been in the hectic property renovation business, all the complications of bringing up my disabled daughter and reading about spirituality/non-duality for my adult life, what really appeals to me personally is to drop all concepts and follow the (non) road of constant one pointed effortless presence to the point of 100% absorption. Can full awakening happen this way, or is some kind of inner investigation necessary to some degree? 

Of course it can.  Good luck !

[Mips]

19 minutes ago, Inliytened1 said:

Of course it can.  Good luck !

This is extremely useful, I can’t thank you enough

[Leo Gura]

"When you come to the fork in the road, take it!"

-- Yogi Berra

[Moksha]

13 hours ago, Mips said:

what really appeals to me personally is to drop all concepts and follow the (non) road of constant one pointed effortless presence to the point of 100% absorption. Can full awakening happen this way, or is some kind of inner investigation necessary to some degree? 

Trust your instinct. Letting go of your conditioned mind, and practicing one-pointed presence, is the path to freedom. Enlightenment isn't just directly realizing who you are. It is also developing the discipline necessary to swim upstream, against the current of your conditioning. This is how equanimity is developed. When you are resolutely centered, as Consciousness, you will be at the helm. Right thoughts, words, and actions will naturally arise, when you are present. 

A good guide can help you along the path, but ultimately it is a solo journey. It requires integrity, courage, and unrelenting commitment. That can only come from you. The rewards you reap along the way are well worth the effort. Unlike the false promises of the ego, you will discover the enduring peace and happiness that is only available when you abide in Yourself.

[Space]

@Mips Your own path and watching Leo's videos is just one path. They don't need to be separate. Watch Leo's videos, but hold what he says lightly. Hold his comments as possibilities that you may or may not verify for yourself, rather than adopting them as beliefs. You'll be lost without learning the theory and listening/learning from people who are further along the path than you are. At the same time, pursue your own Truth. Experiment with different techniques and learn what works for you. 

[Kalki Avatar]

@Mips From my experience, at your point you dont need leo very much. For example, am young, so i have taken much general life advice from him in order to not get a skewed perspective. I need to balance maya and truth, meaning I got to survive somehow, learn to use the mind, and socialize. 

But, you are at a point were you have taken the decision to go fully in. You dont need the mind very much. It will be an obstacle. Leo is a great thinker because his ego is very sharp, he multi tasks in order to teach in different ways, reach different audiences and survive at the same time. 

Just make sure to get his booklist, create a spiritual lifestyle and favorable enviroment. Conditioning yourself to consume spiritual info in majority, will program your mind to more motivation, conviction and success. Such spiritual ego (spiritual personality) will be the transport between your present beliefs which block your realization of God to building momentum. Eventually you will have to drop such spiritual ego aswell, but it helps get you started.

I could also recommend you the book the secret self from Christopher Jai Smith. It goes from start to end into all you need to know about spirituality/enligthenment/consciousness/ego/life, etc. 

Try not to consume external data that doesnt help your awakening as much as possible. Meaning music, shows, TV, news, old friends, bad habits, porn, meat, etc. When at a low consciousness state, these things go straight into the subconcious and creates more karma. 

Edited January 8, 2021 by Kalki Avatar

[Bodhitree]

Good advice from Kalki Avatar. My thinking has led me to suspect that absorption will only be a success as a path after a lot of purification, letting go of unnecessary ideas, and slow reform of the inner dimensions. If you want to do some light Buddhist reading, you could look up dhyana and how it relates to the Eightfold Path. 
But I believe that ultimately we walk our own path, you can listen to others but their pointers may not help you because your internal makeup may be different. The most important thing you can do is develop a sense for what is wholesome and beneficial for you in particular at a given moment. Kind of an inner compass if you will. 

[Mips]

On 1/8/2021 at 3:10 PM, Moksha said:

Trust your instinct. Letting go of your conditioned mind, and practicing one-pointed presence, is the path to freedom. Enlightenment isn't just directly realizing who you are. It is also developing the discipline necessary to swim upstream, against the current of your conditioning. This is how equanimity is developed. When you are resolutely centered, as Consciousness, you will be at the helm. Right thoughts, words, and actions will naturally arise, when you are present. 

A good guide can help you along the path, but ultimately it is a solo journey. It requires integrity, courage, and unrelenting commitment. That can only come from you. The rewards you reap along the way are well worth the effort. Unlike the false promises of the ego, you will discover the enduring peace and happiness that is only available when you abide in Yourself.

Some great advice on the thread, very grateful to everyone. 
 

Thanks Moksha, this resonated with me very much, I’m going it alone. It suits me best, I need to concentrate 100% on the path and any other voices will distract me. 

[Moksha]

@Mips ? The best trip you can take is into Yourself, enjoy the ride.

[Mips]

3 hours ago, Moksha said:

@Mips ? The best trip you can take is into Yourself, enjoy the ride.

Thanks