Leo's Practical Guide To Enlightenment

[Leo Gura]

3 minutes ago, Lenny said:

Leo, am I supposed to do the "thought experiment to open your mind" before I start the self-inquiry?

If it helps you open your mind, sure. Although the mind is tricky. It will become immune to mechanical routines for opening it. You gotta stay sharp when you're self-inquiring. You can't just phone it in. You gotta do it consciously, afresh each time.

[123456789]

@Leo Gura So what matters is to open my mind before the inquiry but it doesn't matter how?

[Leo Gura]

@Lenny Yeah. You basically need to be open to the possibility that you are not the human body, or any experiential object.

You'll want to really question and doubt this assumption/feeling/belief that you are a human body.

[123456789]

How can I raise my base level of open mindedness to such a degree so that I don't have to do any exercises before the inquiry?

Is there any limit to how much open mindedness I can have?

[Leo Gura]

@Lenny The inquiry creates openmindedness. Just do it. There is no shortcut for the work. You can't will your way into the truth. You have do the deconstruction work.

[sgn]

When is Leo's Practical Guide To Entitlement coming out?

[sgn]

@Leo Gura Omg it's so crazy! I'm literally this empty space  It's like the body is thought too.

[Scholar]

It seems like the more I focus on the witnessing process, the more it seems like suffering doesn't matter at all. It's not really me who suffers, it's simply suffering being witnessed by me, if I identify with the witnessing process.

I've noticed though that the more I do this, the less relevant the suffering of others seems to me. Noone is really suffering, ever. Suffering simply happens in awareness, created by the egoic structure that aswell, is just witnessed by awareness. So what does it matter? The witnessing stays witnessing no matter what, it doesn't need anything. It doesn't even care if anything suffers or not because caring itself is witnessed by the witnessing.

Is this normal? I seems like the less serious I take my own suffering, the less serious I take the suffering of others aswell. Because noone is actually suffering, just as I am not actually suffering. It's completely illusiory, so why bother to make it go away?

[123456789]

54 minutes ago, Scholar said:

It's completely illusiory, so why bother to make it go away?

There's no reason really but you will fall back into ignorance and start identifying with the suffering, again.

 

[whiterabbit]

I followed your advice and arranged to have a very large dose of psychedelics. I understood all you talk about. Aside from some limitations of language, yes agree, all true. However it seems that we've come back with totally different learnings. Bc of this particular session being extremely long lasting, somehow the more loving part (and positive side of being God) that happened earlier on is more easily forgotten, as compared to the more terrifying part later on, most likely upon coming slowly back to base (although it's hard to tell when there's no time). I don't know why you would shoot for this state. I was the eternal dreamer, the God indifferent to all, constantly bringing anything in and out of existence. Being awake or being asleep made no sense, they were both. All opposites vanished too. Outside of linear reality, at some point all was pure insanity. Existances were all infinite possible dreams, but I just wanted back to this one. Then there was the coming back in a room where I'd stay for infinity but not being any part of it, not my body, not anything, but witnessing for all for eternity with no control over what happened. That was the deepest mourning ever. That just sucked. Who would want to live like that forever. Back into this dream I created,  I feel so loving and grateful for every instant of this illusion. Having parents, friends or breathing, having a body, just feels a gift and a blessing now. That didn't seem like such an orgasmic state as you describe. At a point it was similar to what Suzanne Segal describes in the excerpt you shared. I happily take the illusion over it!

Edited April 18, 2017 by whiterabbit

[Just Do Nothing]

fantastic guide, thank you!

[Afonso]

@Leo Gura

I've been meditating for 6.5 months now.

I just started Self-Inquiring recently, but for the past 3 to 4 days I have broken identification with "the voice". I no longer identify with it and see it just as thoughts. Now, it takes me a lot of conscious effort to speak the words in my head when typing/writing/reading, which means that I can write and read a lot faster because I don't go through the mental process of speaking the words. Also, it's now very rare to find myself in "Speaking-To-MySelf-Day-Dream", if you know what I mean. Is this an important step in my spiritual journey? I want your validation. Give it to me 

Edited April 22, 2017 by Afonso

[Shin]

On 17/04/2017 at 4:42 PM, Scholar said:

 

Is this normal? I seems like the less serious I take my own suffering, the less serious I take the suffering of others aswell. Because noone is actually suffering, just as I am not actually suffering. It's completely illusiory, so why bother to make it go away?

That's only your mind using this piece of info as an excuse to act as a jerk.

True masters are full of love and compassion, it's just they don't suffer from it, they just want to help.

Just as @Lenny said, if you diverge from the path, sooner or later you'll start identifying with your suffering, so don't listen to the bullshit that your mind is feeding you, it just wants to go back, classical homeostasis.

 

These two questions works wonderful:

• Where do thoughts come from ?
• What if I'm just an idea?

Edited April 23, 2017 by Shin

[Scholar]

23 hours ago, Shin said:

That's only your mind using this piece of info as an excuse to act as a jerk.

True masters are full of love and compassion, it's just they don't suffer from it, they just want to help.

Just as @Lenny said, if you diverge from the path, sooner or later you'll start identifying with your suffering, so don't listen to the bullshit that your mind is feeding you, it just wants to go back, classical homeostasis.

 

These two questions works wonderful:

• Where do thoughts come from ?
• What if I'm just an idea?

I guess I'm not that far. Right now is seems like I am becoming aware of a "vacuum" from which everything is percieved. I'm saying vacuum because it really isn't anything. I have no idea if I just have to stay with that vacuum to breach through it? Because it seems like you cannot become aware of it, simply because it is awareness itself. It's not content, it's before content, before anything coming into consciousness. It's not even that thought because all of that is just an idea, and it's aware of the ideas, and all perceptions. Meaning that, no perception can ever describe it. The coming into being of perception seems to be literally a movie playing within it, and all of percievable reality is that movie.

I don't know, it seems like this is the unconsciousness, the processes which create the percieving, atleast talking from a psychological standpoint. Processes within the unconsciousness create the conscious mind, so everything conscious is happening as an output of that.

[Afonso]

@Leo Gura

Since I've started doing this, it seems like my mind and body function without my intentional control. It scares the fuck out of me. I mean, here I am, now, doing stuff and it takes "effort" to create the illusion that I am doing "effort" in doing stuff. But stuff just happens, mind just does it thing and body just does it thing. I can't explain it... but it's both amazing and frightening. For example, I don't really know what it's going to happen next. I can sense that the control I think I have over my body/mind is nothing but illusory. Still, sometimes I do feel in control but that is also dissipating.

Is this how the process unfolds?

I feel like I'm watching my life unfold

[Leo Gura]

On 4/17/2017 at 7:42 AM, Scholar said:

It seems like the more I focus on the witnessing process, the more it seems like suffering doesn't matter at all. It's not really me who suffers, it's simply suffering being witnessed by me, if I identify with the witnessing process.

I've noticed though that the more I do this, the less relevant the suffering of others seems to me. Noone is really suffering, ever. Suffering simply happens in awareness, created by the egoic structure that aswell, is just witnessed by awareness. So what does it matter? The witnessing stays witnessing no matter what, it doesn't need anything. It doesn't even care if anything suffers or not because caring itself is witnessed by the witnessing.

Is this normal? I seems like the less serious I take my own suffering, the less serious I take the suffering of others aswell. Because noone is actually suffering, just as I am not actually suffering. It's completely illusiory, so why bother to make it go away?

It's a phase. It will pass as you go deeper in this work.

You haven't really hit the belly of the whale yet, where you will suffer so deeply from your own unconsciousness and arrogance that it will humble that spiritual ego into submission and compassion. And experiencing the divine love of God helps.

On 4/18/2017 at 0:30 AM, whiterabbit said:

Then there was the coming back in a room where I'd stay for infinity but not being any part of it, not my body, not anything, but witnessing for all for eternity with no control over what happened. That was the deepest mourning ever. That just sucked. Who would want to live like that forever. Back into this dream I created,  I feel so loving and grateful for every instant of this illusion. Having parents, friends or breathing, having a body, just feels a gift and a blessing now. That didn't seem like such an orgasmic state as you describe. At a point it was similar to what Suzanne Segal describes in the excerpt you shared. I happily take the illusion over it!

Truth is an acquired taste. But once acquired, there's nothing as sweet.

Knowing that reality is an illusion makes it all the more amazing. Why would you want to live in a 2-dimensional reality when it's actually infinite-dimensional?

With time and more awareness your tastes will change.

On 4/22/2017 at 10:47 AM, Afonso said:

@Leo Gura

I've been meditating for 6.5 months now.

I just started Self-Inquiring recently, but for the past 3 to 4 days I have broken identification with "the voice". I no longer identify with it and see it just as thoughts. Now, it takes me a lot of conscious effort to speak the words in my head when typing/writing/reading, which means that I can write and read a lot faster because I don't go through the mental process of speaking the words. Also, it's now very rare to find myself in "Speaking-To-MySelf-Day-Dream", if you know what I mean. Is this an important step in my spiritual journey? I want your validation. Give it to me 

Just a phase. Keep going deeper. Consciousness work will not make you less capable. It will not rob you of your thoughts. Any such fears are just fears. Part of the ego's defense mechanisms. Become more mindful of this mechanic.

On 4/25/2017 at 6:49 AM, Afonso said:

@Leo Gura

Since I've started doing this, it seems like my mind and body function without my intentional control. It scares the fuck out of me. I mean, here I am, now, doing stuff and it takes "effort" to create the illusion that I am doing "effort" in doing stuff. But stuff just happens, mind just does it thing and body just does it thing. I can't explain it... but it's both amazing and frightening. For example, I don't really know what it's going to happen next. I can sense that the control I think I have over my body/mind is nothing but illusory. Still, sometimes I do feel in control but that is also dissipating.

Is this how the process unfolds?

I feel like I'm watching my life unfold

Again, just a phase. There's nothing to really fear, because nothing is really changing. It's not like you're losing control. You never had control in the first place. It's much more scary to have control, because that would mean you have to bear a big burden. No control, no problems. Sit back and enjoy the show. The core issue here is that the ego HATES giving up control. That's its sole justification for existence: that sense of control. But it's just a hoax!

Yes, that's how it unfolds. The mind/ego will conjure up all sorts of doubts and fears about this process. Notice that it's just being a whiny little child. Don't take the fears too seriously. They are part of the monkey mind. A still, conscious mind has no fears, even in great danger. Because danger itself is part of the illusion of life. When you're really conscious, even your physical death will not be scary. You can actually look forward to it.

[Guest username]

@Leo Gura

 

I have noticed that a lot of my hedonistic compulsion stems from bundles of sensation/ thought stories+ pleasant body sensations. I am making progress on not getting lost in thought stories, but breaking the addiction to seeking pleasure and avoiding pain is proving most difficult.

Is the best solution to this just more patience with the work, or are there more concrete things I can do to address this particular sticking point?

Edit: I'm also not quite grasping that all duality is suffering. I can see that it is transient, but while pleasant experiences  last, I wouldn't call them suffering-- the only way I'm really seeing that is due to the fact that they end.

Edited April 27, 2017 by username

[Leo Gura]

10 hours ago, username said:

@Leo Gura

I have noticed that a lot of my hedonistic compulsion stems from bundles of sensation/ thought stories+ pleasant body sensations. I am making progress on not getting lost in thought stories, but breaking the addiction to seeking pleasure and avoiding pain is proving most difficult.

Is the best solution to this just more patience with the work, or are there more concrete things I can do to address this particular sticking point?

I will share a technique soon for how to work on that in a very powerful way. Stay tuned.

Quote

Edit: I'm also not quite grasping that all duality is suffering. I can see that it is transient, but while pleasant experiences  last, I wouldn't call them suffering-- the only way I'm really seeing that is due to the fact that they end.

Duality defines happiness in relation to unhappiness. So they are two sides of one coin.

And yes, conventional happiness ends. That's a big freaking deal! The way you're holding it doesn't acknowledge the massive significance of this simple fact. All experiences end. So you must stop identifying with all experiences and instead identify with the only one constant, empty awareness.

[whiterabbit]

@Leo Gura Yes conventional happiness ends. But I quite don't see how you can like that state. The 'end of suffering' isn't cool! It's so flat. At what I believe to be the peak/plateau it wasn't that bad because I was mostly passed out into the eye of God. And YET, even then when I was him and equanimous to ALL (murder or sainthood being equally peacefully witnessed) in a perfect balance of mathematical perfection..... there was still that feeling of something missing. I feel the missing bit was the expression of love. I was a silent calm numbness like an eternal womb... like the mute sound of a drop into the ocean somehow hearing itself and making the sound, an ontological self-reflective unity.. with some depth missing. Something was missing. I believe it was The love and drama of dual life. That's why I believe that in Christianity you have God and also Jesus who's become a man in flash and bone and decided to go through all the horrible suffering out of love for humanity. During that trip I felt I had to make a choice and either stay or incarnate into a human body. That's why I became kind of obsessed with moving (lol) I felt that it was a choice to be made, between being God or giving it all up for one shot at manhood and I was willing to sacrifice infinity just to be back into humanity and redeem human beings and express my love (like Jesus). In the later part of the trip I guess because of coming down a bit, I could stand up and not just lie down, and that's when it was scarier, because the room was more clearly perceived however there was no sense of self. It was like being eternally damned to watch a show that makes no sense at all, and that I don't wanna watch, that I did not choose. So I'm all and yet I can't modify any piece of the all. What a terrible paradoxical set-up!

The physical perspective of seeing my hands, body etc did not change, just to clarify. Just the absense of a sense or control or localized self. There was also recoginition of the fact that 'well.. at the end of the day it's always been like this. Now it's so clear. You screwed yourself man... you've led yourself to this point to see what always was. You set up the little clues along the way of your life... only to come back to this evidence and now there's no denial. This is it. Forever. Cannot return to not see. It's done".

HOWEVER.......this did not remove the feeling of 'wishing the illusion of control and selfhood could come back. It was undeniable and yet horrible. The inevitability and clarity did not make it any better. Emotions of despair still existed.

Then ....the illusion came back  yay...Of course, the substance vanished. It's not like we can live in a trip forever, our brain chemistry has its own workings. Then I went trhough a process of riconstruction so to speak that was quite painful because it showed me my selfishness in various areas etc. Now I feel so much more loving especially towards the people in my life like family etc, I see relationships improved, I feel more appreciative of their presence in my life and grateful for the simple fact of actually being able to deal with someone OTHER than me! Even though it's an illusion, I just feel a big THANKS for the illusion of the friend who talks to me, the neighborh who crosses my path... the perception of OTHERHOOD  

God bless duality! I believe we need both! We need an ego. Good needs Manking, mankind needs God.  Why would you need Jesus in Christianity? Because as I experienced in the first part of the trip, in that eternal equanimity there's no room for truly expressing love. That's why jesus/ myself makes that choice. Just out of LOVE!!  And this resonates with other experiences I had with meditation etc. they end up in Love. Not in wishing I'll get into a different state of consciousness. Not in wishing one day I'll work my way towards enlightenment or such. Just in feeling more love. Now. And love means also paying attention and saying Thanks. Which sometimes can be difficult. More than meditating for hours. We are different, and so we may draw different conclusions....you seem to be shooting to get  'there'. I feel grateful to be here now. Meditation sometimes I do, but it does not matter much anymore....I don't know what'll happen upon death and right now I don't even wanna know, since I feel that I just want to be right here, to be grateful and express Love!

So in this spirit I say thanks to you  for pointing towards a tool for healing. And - at least for me - a tool that has the purpose of bringing healing in coming back here, in this beautiful 3 dimensional plane

Edited April 28, 2017 by whiterabbit

[Scholar]

16 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

I will share a technique soon for how to work on that in a very powerful way. Stay tuned.

Duality defines happiness in relation to unhappiness. So they are two sides of one coin.

And yes, conventional happiness ends. That's a big freaking deal! The way you're holding it doesn't acknowledge the massive significance of this simple fact. All experiences end. So you must stop identifying with all experiences and instead identify with the only one constant, empty awareness.

Isn't identification an expirience itself? If the mind identifies with anything, it's delusional, so why wouldn't it be delusional if it identified with awareness? Isn't the complete absence of identification the coming of "truth"? It doesn't seem like any claim is truthful, no matter how true it feels. It's still an expirience.

To me it seems more like the mind is desperately trying to identify with anything, to uphold it's structure, even if it means that it's something that is beyond the mind. It's still the mind identifying though, because awareness does not identify. Awareness just is. There is no "me" who is being the awareness.

Or am I just confused about something?

Identification is happening in awareness, it seems completely delusional either way. No one is identifying, identifcation is simply happening. He cannot identify with anything, identification can simply happen. The feeling of I can be there or it can't, it will not change that there is no I, no you, or anything, really. Identification stands for itself. The monkey can claim that he is more than he is, but he is not. He is still just a monkey. The words and concepts are simply words and concepts, no matter how much you shuffle them.

An expirience is always simply an expirience, so anything being expirienced is not awareness. So how can enlightenment even be expirienced? How can one be aware of awareness?

If something is beyond expirience, then how can anyone claim to have expirienced it? How can they be aware of having had something beyond expirience, if anything being in awareness is an expirience, even the expirience of beyond any expirience?

In other words, why do people have a clear memory of enlightenment if it's the true recognition of the "self", which is beyond expirience and thus memory? You Leo, can clearly remember that you had an expirience of infinity when you took 5-meo-dmt. Something has changed, a "shift of awareness". But, that shift is being expirienced, isn't it? So isn't it just another expirience? The monkey is saying wow, but what is it saying wow about if the wowness is still being expirienced, by something beyond the monkey, the wowness and the expirience of absolute truth?

 

Why is there this assumption that awareness exists? What if the expiriences just exist as themselves, they are just there? Why is there the need for an expiriencer? Why is there the thought of everything happening in awareness? What if it's not, what if it's not happening anywhere, what if it's simply happening. What if it's just all exactly what it is, not happening at all? Why is there even the need for the thought of anything happening? What is happening? This is happening there, this is doing that, but the fact of the matter is that even these concepts are just there. Even the being thereness is just another aspect. It doesn't even seem like anything is happening at all. Why are we trying so desperately to put it all into words?

Edited April 28, 2017 by Scholar