What are the practical steps to think for myself?

[BlackMaze]

I mean i believe i do but maybe i don't always. Is daily contemplation all that is needed? Constant contemplation? How do i make sure that i am thinking for myself? And what is a definition of this exactly? 

For one it should be the absence of beliefs but then what do i do exactly? Do i make a building of my own conclusions to look at the world from? This doesn't sound right. Is it just about understanding more every day? 

[Leo Gura]

Step 1: Stop asking others for answers.

Step 2: Contemplate.

Step 3: Repeat.

[Adrian325]

3 hours ago, BlackMaze said:

I mean i believe i do but maybe i don't always. Is daily contemplation all that is needed? Constant contemplation? How do i make sure that i am thinking for myself? And what is a definition of this exactly? 

For one it should be the absence of beliefs but then what do i do exactly? Do i make a building of my own conclusions to look at the world from? This doesn't sound right. Is it just about understanding more every day? 

Once you awaken to your true nature, you'll also realize everything is perfect. You are perfect and anything you do is the will of God

[kinesin]

@BlackMaze My biggest piece of advice is don't just contemplate in your own head, but do it through writing instead.  If you spent 30 minutes every day (that's about 2 pages) doing contemplative writing with the intention of figuring out your conclusions and their origins, within 6 months you would have done more contemplation than most people do in a lifetime.

When you write, just do a lot of what you did when posting this thread.  Ask questions, and investigate every answer.  One of the most fascinating aspects of contemplation is the fact that when you ask a question like that and then simply pause for a moment, an answer will almost always come to you.  So you can force the process of contemplation by asking questions of yourself, recieving an answer, investigating the answer and asking more questions, etc etc etc

[sethman]

8 hours ago, BlackMaze said:

I mean i believe i do but maybe i don't always. Is daily contemplation all that is needed? Constant contemplation? How do i make sure that i am thinking for myself? And what is a definition of this exactly? 

For one it should be the absence of beliefs but then what do i do exactly? Do i make a building of my own conclusions to look at the world from? This doesn't sound right. Is it just about understanding more every day? 

maybe contemplations should be seen as Spritual exercises like praying, meditation, running, or gym weight lifting, etc. 

Contemplations must be developed through times and years. also you need to be from being relaxed position. take the journey of contemplations for the next 10 years. what i see a trap for contemplations is once you start to derived your answers you will fall a trap of you figured out reality and stop doing contemplations. but contemplations must be contunied for the rest of your life as food you eat everyday. 

[BlackMaze]

4 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Step 1: Stop asking others for answers.

Step 2: Contemplate.

Step 3: Repeat.

I suspected this was the answer as i was writing the question. 

 

@kinesin this sounds good, you are right. Why not do both though? I learned about a concentration exercise called productive meditation. As i understand it you could also call it contemplation in your head. I could hit 2 birds with one stone with this but writing is also great. You can have everything organized in one place and i personally am better at thinking when i write stuff down. In the end any amount of contemplation i do is good. The more the better. 

Practices are good of course but living the practice is better is what i learned so far. For example gratitude. You make a gratitude list in the morning for 10 minutes and you think you are doing something. It's better than nothing that's for sure. The way i practiced gratitude in the past was in my head and all day long. Giving thanks for everything. That felt almost spiritual when i did it.

Yeah i will have some benefits from contemplation if i do it for some minutes everyday but i suspect that the extreme benefits appear when it's a way of living. Like meditation. Or self inquiry. But of course from doing nothing the next best thing is to have a daily practice. 

[BlackMaze]

4 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

 

 

4 hours ago, Adrian325 said:

Once you awaken to your true nature, you'll also realize everything is perfect. You are perfect and anything you do is the will of God

Was this a thought that came from your experience? 

 

@sethman you are right thank you. 

[JosephKnecht]

9 hours ago, BlackMaze said:

I mean i believe i do but maybe i don't always. Is daily contemplation all that is needed? Constant contemplation? How do i make sure that i am thinking for myself? And what is a definition of this exactly? 

@BlackMaze Read this story: https://medium.com/timeless-stories-fables/how-to-think-for-yourself-8015560fd345 

 

[BlackMaze]

@JosephKnecht i enjoyed reading this. 

[Adrian325]

5 hours ago, BlackMaze said:

 

Was this a thought that came from your experience? 

 

@sethman you are right thank you. 

Yes, absolutely. Your welcome

[BlackMaze]

@Adrian325

10 hours ago, Adrian325 said:

Once you awaken to your true nature, you'll also realize everything is perfect. You are perfect and anything you do is the will of God

This may be the case and maybe it comes from your experience. The only problem i have with this is the 1000 times i read it in this forum alone. I don't say that everybody does it but the majority just parrot it. It also doesn't answer the question exactly but my question got already answered and the answer is to stop asking others for answers and contemplate. I will go with that. 

[Carl-Richard]

Investigate a diversity of perspectives.

[Florian]

step 1: stfu

[Soullee]

Deep Contemplation or investigation + direct experience verification.

 

Other wise you not gonna trust your self with the answers. 

[Nahm]

@BlackMaze

Great inquiry. I’d first establish what you want. Anything small or seemingly insignificant, like literally ‘a sand which’… and anything big or seemingly significant, like become a millionaire… anything. I’d write it down, instead trying to remember or keep it top of mind. Dreamboard is great for this. 

Then, there is a point, that which you desire has been express, and you’re creating consciously, purposefully. Then, ‘thinking for yourself’, (while that implies there are two of you I get what you mean) has a point. 

As an example, say someone wants to be an Olympic figure skater. Then what does thinking for oneself, on one’s own behalf look like? Choices like what to eat, how much sleep to get, wether or not to do drugs, drink alcohol, etc, etc, etc… these choices are secondary, and supportive of the chief desires which were written down. Also, something to consider and much more so directly experience… the ‘deeper’ one goes in expressing one’s wants & desires… deeper as in more honestly, more authentically… the more desire is felt… and the more one is inspired via focusing on what one desires. It is far easier, and much more ‘stream’ or ‘flow’, in comparison to one employing motivation, or, the avoidance of what one doesn’t want. 

[BlackMaze]

@Nahm this has been extremely helpful and practical. "A sand which" this was great. I get it now thank you. 

This is my try. 

I want to quit smoking. If i go deeper in this i could say i don't want to be a slave to an addiction that destroys my health. Then i could go deeper and say i want to be healthy. Then even deeper i could say that i don't want to hate my life. I hate my life because i can't tolerate people anymore. Everybody sucks.

Why do they suck?

Because they are petty and selfish. I am too but not at the degree that most people are. I still have the belief of people that i haven't let go off so i leave it there for now.

What do i want?

I want them to be different but this will probably never happen. Therefore i should accept it and learn to live with it without ever be bothered again. After all we are the same thing and this is a game. Every moment happens something unexpected. I could understand why people are the way they are and do the things they do and what i should be doing. But i know what is going on more or less. I chose to be like them because the alternative is scary. I chose to be the same thing that i find repulsive. Maybe finding selfishness in people is so repulsive because of traumas that i healed only 95%

So how do i quit smoking? 

By deciding to become spiritual. By being comfortable with every emotion that arises no matter how powerful. By focusing on the positives and maybe focusing on working out and being in great shape again. But then maybe my unfulfilled desires will keep me where i am. Does this mean that i have to fulfill all my desires to quit smoking? The only solution is to focus on quitting with everything i have. But this will just give significance to smoking making me think that i give something up. But its the only way. 3 weeks and it's over. 

But the desire to quit smoking is not my genuine desire. This is why i keep failing. 

What do i want? 

I want happiness. I don't know what happiness means. I could read a book. 

I want good friends, a good relationship and my family to be doing good. I can't rely on these things. Not everything is completely in my control even if do all that i can. 

What do these things offer me? 

Just a feeling of joy. A smile on my face. The space to enjoy life. 

But then eventually a manager or someone else will show up being a dick and i will fall into stress and uneasiness mode, hating my life reaching for my tobacco. I can make a million and escape this but it will take years. Another stressful thought, another cigarette. I can't continue being controlled from stressful thoughts and stupid people. 

I want to not let anyone to have any control over my emotions, psychology and actions. I want to have control over this.

I want to feel extremely good in my body with energy flowing. 

I want to creatively direct this energy. 

Ok this is way more powerful than i imagined. Thank you for your answers everyone. 

[Nahm]

@BlackMaze

That was awesome. 

[BlackMaze]

@Nahm thank you for actually sharing a process on how to do this. I will keep practicing it.