List Of Enlightenment Exercises

[Leo Gura]

@Anton Rogachevski I don't understand your question.

[The White Belt]

@Leo Gura Leo, are you baking your weekly video for a little longer this time? Can we expect to see one next Sunday or are you taking a break?

[Anton Rogachevski]

@Leo Gura How can I know I'm advancing?

[Martin123]

@Anton Rogachevski https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijSng_X9soc

[Nexeternity]

Nothingness must exist exercise

Sit comfortably and quietly, still your mind, and become aware of direct experience.

Notice that Nothing must exist for you to be aware of something.

Notice in your visual field that there has to be Nothing in front of the thing you actually see for you to see it.  If there was "something" in front of the thing you were seeing you would see that "something" and not the something that you do actually see.  

Notice that In your audio field there must be Nothing for you to hear what you actually hear.  If there was "something" you would hear that "something" instead of the something you do actually hear.  When hearing silence there must also be Nothing for you to be aware of it.

Notice that in your body Nothing must pervade and filter through all the sensations you feel or else if "something" pervaded and filtered through what you were feeling you would feel that "something" instead of what you actually feel. 

Finally, notice that in your mind, in that dimension in which you are aware of thoughts, that there must also be Nothing for you to be aware of the thoughts you are actually aware of, or else if there was "something" you would observe that "something" instead of the thought you do actually observe.

Nothingness must exist for us to be aware of anything at all. 

[Leo Gura]

5 hours ago, Anton Rogachevski said:

@Leo Gura How can I know I'm advancing?

If you do the exercises every day, you'll start to see noticeable gains in awareness within just a few weeks, and definitely a month.

The only way to fail is to avoid doing them.

[PureExp]

@Leo Gura Thanks a lot for sharing. For those who are interested, here are  some exercises for directly experiencing the fundamental truths. I call them introspection, but its same as self-enquiry. So far there are 7-8 of them. They are fairly detailed, so posting a link, but I've started posting short versions in this forum. My terminology is from non-dualism, but nothing fancy, just plain English.

Start here : The Art of Introspection.

(Everything is in public domain, learnt from masters, took many years. Feel free to copy/share/do whatever you like, I don't take credits).

[Anton Rogachevski]

@Leo Gura It's interesting that you say "Not to meditate" while doing it. I've had the most powerful inquiry in some very deep meditative states.

[Martin123]

Rest in in awareness.

- take a deep breath 
- give up your thoughts for 2-5 seconds, just give them back to where they came from
- realize there is present moment
- rest in the present moment for the 2-5 seconds
- realize that this presence is always there, even when you are not paying attention, even when you are on your most damaging and self-focused ego trip, this awareness is always there. It is literally screaming HEY I AM HERE LOOK AT ME at all times.

Do this exercise as often in the day as you can remember, this can even serve as a substitution for a regular meditation practice!

[Leo Gura]

8 hours ago, Anton Rogachevski said:

@Leo Gura It's interesting that you say "Not to meditate" while doing it. I've had the most powerful inquiry in some very deep meditative states.

Meditation is of course good. The reason I said the above is so that you focus on the self-inquiry aspect of this work. You can bring the meditation back in later, after you're got a handle on why you're meditating.

Too many people meditate without understanding the true point of meditation. Or they attain meditative states and confuse them with enlightenment.

[Parki]

I am sure if it's okay to write it, cuz I haven't break it down to myself.
So WARNING this is just a thought came to my mind and I'haven't check it for myself.

Does pain(and here by pain I mean pretty much any body sensation like pain, tickling, asmr, a hug) is located in space?

- Push your index finger with your thumb finger to feel pain a bit.
- Close your eyes(or try with opened eyes, I am sure not which one is the best)
- Move the finger in space and notice if the pain is moving too.

I think this exercise could help recognize if pain is actually located in space.

Edited February 3, 2017 by Parki

[abrakamowse]

1 hour ago, Parki said:

I am sure if it's okay to write it, cuz I haven't break it down to myself.
So WARNING this is just a thought came to my mind and I'haven't check it for myself.

Does pain(and here by pain I mean pretty much any body sensation like pain, tickling, asmr, a hug) is located in space?

- Push your index finger with your thumb finger to feel pain a bit.
- Close your eyes(or try with opened eyes, I am sure not which one is the best)
- Move the finger in space and notice if the pain is moving too.

I think this exercise could help recognize if pain is actually located in space.

I am doing something lately, I trying to focus in the pain when I have a pain and feel what is that pain? Is it a sensation? What is it... and it goes away.

I am not saying that a can control a big pain, but maybe some of those enlightened yogis can. Who knows?

[Not a shaolin monk]

@Leo Gura after enlightenment these exercises will still being useful?

[Leo Gura]

@Not a shaolin monk Depends on the depth of your enlightenment. Chances are you'll be doing this work for years to come, make yourself comfy.

[Afonso]

I get confused when you say "Become deeply conscious of". What is this about?

Edited February 12, 2017 by Afonso

[Leo Gura]

@Afonso That's the trick, isn't it?

Here's an example: become deeply aware right now that you are going to die, and to the self, that death will be ultimate and endless.

And then compare that level of consciousness to your typical day. Notice the difference. This gives you a little clue of what it means to become "conscious of something". Although this isn't deep consciousness. It's very shallow still.

[WorthyBird]

"Illusion of time" contemplation/exercise:

Try to experience time without thought.

Conversely, try to experience eternity by thinking of it.

 

 

[Tuure]

Could you use affirmations to speed up this process? For example "I am nothingness". Could it be possible to program the false sense of self out of your mind this way? 

Proubably not since words are symbols.

Edited February 20, 2017 by Tuure

[Leo Gura]

@Tuure No. But what you can do is use affirmations to program your mind with the intent to become conscious of what reality is. Which would be the same thing in effect. At some point, you would actually merge into the infinite. That's what mantra meditation is.

There is no need to program the false self out and the true self in. Just realize the self is a program.

Then all that's left is what's true.

[Anton Rogachevski]

@Leo Gura Any powerful affirmations you might suggest?