Ralston’s New Book - The Art of Mastery

[ValiantSalvatore]

54 minutes ago, UnbornTao said:

Not gonna happen. Enlightenment isn't relative and isn't dependent on "stuff" -- circumstances. This doesn't mean good work can come out of this type of research. Shinzen looks like a wise, smart, nice guy, though I haven't studied him.

It's supposed to give people an experience of what it can be, similar to a psychdelic just with science. I am curious if it can just aid getting to deeper states etc. I doubt it's god-realization any of this mostly the classic buddhist path to non-duality, but actualy non-duality no the b.s that is claimed as non-duality and is just stream entry and other stages. It also depends which psychdelic I highly doubt that it can emulate a NN-DMT and or 5-MeO-DMT experience, and Shinzen could be aware. He did deity yoga type practices & people come with all type of questions from traditions&pratices to him. 

I highly value Ralston and Shinzen, I can go pretty deep with his techniques although they cause kriyas for me. It's very good practice that is extremely affordable, though when you can do it solo it does not matter as much. His techniques have a lot of variety and depth to it, as due to the nature of it beign many and having mixed traditions. It's also very exhausting. Yet it's not god-realization. I don't even know what that is even when watching the videos, and I still prefer to verify instead of spreading doubt. I use Shinzens techniques, they are effective for me as well as zen meditation, especially choiceless-awareness and self-inquiry these 3 things work the best for me, I use currently his "metta-paradigm" of being good, and give my best to dovetail it with Ralston insights, as I have no idea what the guy  teaches besides his books. As I talked to Shinzen and visited his home practice and life practice program. In his book he clarifies a lot of mystecism from a buddhist perspective historically and he did a shit ton of practice. 

I'd still say he is highly underrated, yet his techniques are not so good for people with trauma/shadows, as far as I know and talked to one other person online. The expansion and contraction paradigm is super sweet for meditating and also his ideas of wisdom function and creative work etc. I had some benefits to this for studying. I like it as he is not agains thinking and just shutting down the mind, although the techniques can do that. 

If I can have a 30-20 minute taste with a device like this, without only doing psyches, and ground myself in different states. That'd be pretty dope. 

He can be a little rigid, so I dunno. This is my impression of the device. He did LSD and Cannabis as far as I know as psychdelic no idea if he did other stuff, yet he is pretty open, I usually would love to check back with him even doing psyches as he is pretty open, and can just honestly tell me if I went beyond smth. and or not, relatively honestly. 

Edited July 10, 2023 by ValiantSalvatore