How do I get over solipsism?

[seeking_brilliance]

Quit asking the question as @Vision and see what happens. 

[OctagonOctopus]

59 minutes ago, Vision said:

I feel like I'm the only person in this dream. Everything and everyone I'm interacting with is just my imagination. This makes me feel depressed.

I used to measure my success and fulfilment relative to other people. Seeing others in a less fortunate position than me made me grateful for where I am. But if it's just my imagination, I'm just comparing myself to a fiction. 

I have an idea of what non-duality is, I know that solipsism is just a belief and that there's no such thing as a person, or me. I still can't stop thinking this way and it's driving me crazy. 

Look deeply into this loneliness, you are the only thing that can give it Love. Anything that you are comparing to anything else is fiction, always a concept, never Being. There are layers to what is going on, first at the absolute level of being everything is one, then at the relative level everyone is what they are, they are the people you love, and the self you are trying to survive as. 
You can't really know that there is no such thing as the person, as knowing is something the person does, however you can be it.  

 

41 minutes ago, Vision said:

I CAN'T HELP BUT DOUBT IF ANYONE I INTERACT WITH ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS IS EVEN REAL. 

So I'm God, experiencing itself. Is everyone else also God, experiencing itself? Therefore everyone I interact with is real? 

As people we are in the relative trying to grasp the absolute, to realize our oneness with the Truth, & how we are it. Forget about what anyone told you, you DON'T KNOW, it is just concepts that someone told you about. Be here and now, discover what is true for youself. 

[Gesundheit]

The solipsism confusion is the silliest one I've ever come across. I mean, why do people only assume that it's either black or white? Really, let this sink in. Why assume that the question has only two possible answers? Either everyone is conscious, or it's only you? What if there are only two conscious beings? Or only three? Or only four? Or only five? Or whatever number that isn't 1 or everyone? Can you see how your mind is playing a biased game here against you? Just to trigger your worst fears, because you can't stand being alone. At least with my approach, you will end up in not-knowing, which is a better place than loneliness.

[DoubleYou]

The thinking mind will never, ever, ever, ever, find an answer to this question. It will only drive you mad.

Contemplate why that is, and let that be the starting point of your discovery.

[Nahm]

Meditations.

(The non-thinking, non-conceptual, non thought-believing, non-self referencing, non-depressing, non-ignoring, of the true nature.)

It’s SO simple.   Allow it to be as it is. 

 

Having An Inner Smile

Sometimes we can get in our own way by striving too hard or taking life too seriously. Smiling and lightening up can be beneficial for both physical and mental health. Having an inner smile means we’re greeting our experience with more kindness and openness. As Thich Nhat Hahn says, “You need to smile to your sorrow because you are more than your sorrow.” Holding an inner smile also reminds us to keep a sense of humor and avoid being too hard on ourselves. 

You can maintain an inner smile in everyday life as well as during formal practices such as yoga, prayer, or meditation; gently smile to yourself, with kindness, appreciation, and a sense of perspective.

Gently smile to yourself.  

The smile is not so much a physical gesture, but is more of a gentle, internal smile.

Let this smile remind you not to strive too hard or criticize yourself.  Also, let it make your thoughts, words, and deeds more gentle and accepting. 

Be mindful of what it’s like to maintain this gentle smile, and notice if any reactions arise.

If you notice that you have become caught up in striving or struggling, remember to smile.  See if you can find any humor in your thoughts or experience.

 Also, if you notice strong thoughts, emotions, or sensations arise that are particularly challenging, see if you can meet them with a smile.  You are not denying them or resisting them. You are just opening to the possibility that these experiences are not your true identify, and you are much more than them. 

Practice “smiling” at difficult situations or relationships to honor and acknowledge them with friendliness.  Notice what happens when you do this.  

Please note that by smiling at your experience you are not trying to deny or diminish it, you are simply meeting what is present with friendliness. 

[roopepa]

Just keep solipsisming until you come out from the other side.

[Inliytened1]

@Vision what may be happening here is that you are taking these teachings and turning them into a belief...this can lead you down a very bad path.

You have not had any mystical experiences yet to show you that you are alone as God - so for you it ain't true or actual for you.  

Throw it all away and throw spirituality away for now and tend to your ego.   You can always come back to it later when and if you want awakening...then and only then put in the actual spiritual practices to discover what is actual for YOU...not what I say or what Leo says or anyone else here.   

 

[Nahm]

SEEING YOURSELF WITH LOVE

Practicing Seeing Yourself with Love can help shift your perspective to see the good qualities within you that others see every day. Through this practice, you can begin to reclaim and embrace the good that you have overlooked, and see how lovable you really are.  

Imagine seeing yourself and good qualities through the eyes of someone who loves you. Then, come back to your own perspective and notice how it feels to possess these qualities. 

Choose someone in your life who truly loves you.

If you have trouble thinking of someone, try choosing a person that you knew previously or briefly who made you feel “seen” and accepted.  Or, try choosing a pet.

Now, imagine you and this person sitting across from each other beholding one another.  

Begin to see yourself through this person’s eyes, focusing on the good qualities he or she sees in you, and this person’s love for you.  

Ask yourself, “Why does this person love me? What does he/she see?”

Go slowly with this exercise until you can really see and feel what this person sees and feels for you.  

When you are ready, come back to yourself and notice how it feels to possess these good qualities.

Really take in the good of this experience, savoring the love, worthiness, and good that exist within you.  

If you wish, write down these good qualities and read them daily to remind yourself of them.  

 

?

 

“Wonderer, worshipper, lover of leaving. It doesn't matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vow a thousand times 
Come, yet again, come, come.” 

Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi

[Vibroverse]

Relax

[BipolarGrowth]

Your consciousness will forever be alone, and this world and all its inhabitants is a dream, including your ego, body, and mind. The reality is that you as consciousness have created this dream. Do the best you can to enjoy the dream and help your dream character as well as other dream characters. This will be the most enjoyable and sustainable path, at least within this dream. Love means realizing you as consciousness have created your human self and all other beings. As the source of creation, it would be wise to treat your creation well if you wish to experience harmony. 

[Javfly33]

32 minutes ago, Nahm said:

 

32 minutes ago, Nahm said:

SEEING YOURSELF WITH LOVE

Practicing Seeing Yourself with Love can help shift your perspective to see the good qualities within you that others see every day. Through this practice, you can begin to reclaim and embrace the good that you have overlooked, and see how lovable you really are.  

Imagine seeing yourself and good qualities through the eyes of someone who loves you. Then, come back to your own perspective and notice how it feels to possess these qualities. 

Choose someone in your life who truly loves you.

If you have trouble thinking of someone, try choosing a person that you knew previously or briefly who made you feel “seen” and accepted.  Or, try choosing a pet.

Now, imagine you and this person sitting across from each other beholding one another.  

Begin to see yourself through this person’s eyes, focusing on the good qualities he or she sees in you, and this person’s love for you.  

Ask yourself, “Why does this person love me? What does he/she see?”

Go slowly with this exercise until you can really see and feel what this person sees and feels for you.  

When you are ready, come back to yourself and notice how it feels to possess these good qualities.

Really take in the good of this experience, savoring the love, worthiness, and good that exist within you.  

If you wish, write down these good qualities and read them daily to remind yourself of them.  

 

?

 

“Wonderer, worshipper, lover of leaving. It doesn't matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vow a thousand times 
Come, yet again, come, come.” 

Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi

God how I am so weak for love, I was smiling like a weirdo reading those paragraphs ????

[Vision]

I am going back to my day to day life to get busy and out of my head. 

 

I appreciate everyone that responded. @Nahm I will check out the links you posted, thank you. 

[Lyubov]

15 hours ago, Gesundheit said:

The solipsism confusion is the silliest one I've ever come across. I mean, why do people only assume that it's either black or white? Really, let this sink in. Why assume that the question has only two possible answers? Either everyone is conscious, or it's only you? What if there are only two conscious beings? Or only three? Or only four? Or only five? Or whatever number that isn't 1 or everyone? Can you see how your mind is playing a biased game here against you? Just to trigger your worst fears, because you can't stand being alone. At least with my approach, you will end up in not-knowing, which is a better place than loneliness.

I'm mostly convinced the whole ordeal/trap of solipsism on this forum comes from the ego's desire to be the center of everything. "I am" is basically stage 1 of survival. The ego would love to be the only center in a boundless field where everywhere is the center yet paradoxically all are "at the exact same place." Even the spiritual ego so to speak which people have problems discerning. That and I get the sense a lot of the seekers here are lonely introverts that don't interact with other people often. I have not seen this discussion come up anywhere as much in any spiritual community than I have seen here. Dunno why some people here can't see the brilliance in their own finiteness and ordinariness.

Edited January 19, 2021 by Lyubov

[Vision]

On 1/19/2021 at 9:06 AM, Nahm said:

SEEING YOURSELF WITH LOVE

Practicing Seeing Yourself with Love can help shift your perspective to see the good qualities within you that others see every day. Through this practice, you can begin to reclaim and embrace the good that you have overlooked, and see how lovable you really are.  

Imagine seeing yourself and good qualities through the eyes of someone who loves you. Then, come back to your own perspective and notice how it feels to possess these qualities. 

Choose someone in your life who truly loves you.

If you have trouble thinking of someone, try choosing a person that you knew previously or briefly who made you feel “seen” and accepted.  Or, try choosing a pet.

Now, imagine you and this person sitting across from each other beholding one another.  

Begin to see yourself through this person’s eyes, focusing on the good qualities he or she sees in you, and this person’s love for you.  

Ask yourself, “Why does this person love me? What does he/she see?”

Go slowly with this exercise until you can really see and feel what this person sees and feels for you.  

When you are ready, come back to yourself and notice how it feels to possess these good qualities.

Really take in the good of this experience, savoring the love, worthiness, and good that exist within you.  

If you wish, write down these good qualities and read them daily to remind yourself of them.  

 

?

 

“Wonderer, worshipper, lover of leaving. It doesn't matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vow a thousand times 
Come, yet again, come, come.” 

Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi

Hey @Nahm 

 

How can I do this exercise if I've never really felt loved or truly accepted by anyone? Are there any alternatives? 

[Gili Trawangan]

Notice that solipsism is a mental position. It is therefore relative (and ultimately wrong).

It is also a mental position of exclusion (I exist and others don't). It feels bad to think that way because it's wrong, as it goes against what reality is. Reality is inclusive, it's Love. Love includes everything, it doesn't separate (which is what this "I exist and others don't" position is doing).

[Guest SirVladimir]

3 minutes ago, Gili Trawangan said:

Notice that solipsism is a mental position. It is therefore relative (and ultimately wrong).

It is also a mental position of exclusion (I exist and others don't). It feels bad to think that way because it's wrong, as it goes against what reality is. Reality is inclusive, it's Love. Love includes everything, it doesn't separate (which is what this "I exist and others don't" position is doing).

@Vision Solipsism means nothing in this vast and infinite land, it's like a millstone around your neck, it's the human mind mentally molesting itself. Fuck that, right?

[seeking_brilliance]

2 hours ago, Vision said:

How can I do this exercise if I've never really felt loved or truly accepted by anyone?

I truly love and accept you. You can use my profile pic to do the visualization I'll even do it together with you if you want. 

[Nahm]

@Vision

First this...

1 hour ago, seeking_brilliance said:

I truly love and accept you. You can use my profile pic to do the visualization I'll even do it together with you if you want. 

You can think of me as well. I actually do love you, and find love to be a different order of reality, beyond whatever we think, believe, experience, do, etc. I love you!

As far as different meditations, Lovingkindness is oriented to loving, and self love. 

[seeking_brilliance]

28 minutes ago, Nahm said:

@Vision

First this...

You can think of me as well. I actually do love you, and find love to be a different order of reality, beyond whatever we think, believe, experience, do, etc. I love you!

As far as different meditations, Lovingkindness is oriented to loving, and self love. 

Reveal the Nahm face!! 

[Nahm]

@seeking_brilliance

It’s just one more part mahn, same as the rest. 

@Vision

Also, all day, any time...awareness of perception & sensation in the body. A momentum of a change in experience ‘itself’ does get underway, of less focus on thinking, and more feeling, more not knowing what things are, and yet more interest & curiosity.  Awareness of, and feeling breathing from the stomach can be practiced all day as well, and is in a way a short cut. Takes a little faith, a little letting go, but momentum is actual. 

Also, try some earbuds and meditation with some ‘for you by you’ songs like this one.