Leo, answer this question please.

[Ayham]

From all the people I have seen and learned from, I would say you are the most developed, to the point that inspires me so much and makes me emotional and in awe.

So I am asking you this question. 

How do I achieve this level of wisdom, maturity, spiritual development, integrity and consciousness that you have and go beyond it? 

I want a no bullshit answer. 

What exactly do I need to do? 

Is it meditation, is it reading, is it contemplation, is it psychedelics, what is the key? what do I need to do that guarantees me to reach this level? I don't care if it takes decades, I just want a genuine practical answer. 

 

@Leo Gura

Edited January 15, 2023 by Ayham

[Mu_]

13 minutes ago, Ayham said:

From all the people I have seen and learned from, I would say you are the most developed, to the point that inspires me so much and makes me emotional and in awe.

So I am asking you this question. 

How do I achieve this level of wisdom, maturity, spiritual development, integrity and consciousness that you have and go beyond it? 

I want a no bullshit answer. 

What exactly do I need to do? 

Is it meditation, is it reading, is it contemplation, is it psychedelics, what is the key? what do I need to do that guarantees me to reach this level? I don't care if it takes decades, I just want a genuine practical answer. 

 

@Leo Gura

If your really this serious start doing all of the above and see what draws you in. Keep with it. Be ready to deal with being uncomfortable in ways you didn’t know you could and feeling better than you’ve ever imagined. Be honest with yourself.  And try to uphold some semblance of kindness how ever you understand that to mean with others in your daily life. If your kinda a dick or prick start by being less of one to the degree you can and work towards improving. 
 

im sure Leo will have some other stuff for you if he gets to this. 

Edited January 15, 2023 by Mu_

[Ayham]

@Mu_

I have been doing all of that and more for more than a year now on a daily basis (except psychedelics because it's illegal here and I am too young for it). 

Yes there is growth I would say, but it's nowhere as much as I want. 

I have vowed to continue this lifestyle up until I die, and I won't stop, but I want to know if this is enough to bring me to where I want. 

I appreciate your answer, mu. 

[Mu_]

@Ayham ya it’s enough for now. Your 17. Enjoy life too. Make friends. Have relationships. Explore. And pursue this interest as well. And ya find something that you like and will afford your living expenses. 
 

just keep in mind it’s likely that you won’t find a lot of people locally who you can talk about this stuff with (who are also in your age group) and to find connection elsewhere. If you can great bit don’t make ot into something you focus and get upset about. 

Edited January 15, 2023 by Mu_

[Eternal Unity]

@Ayham Excellent! PM him

[Ayham]

@Mu_

Yeah i kinda lost connection with friends and people in the last 1.5 years, but since I am introverted, it hasn't effected me much, I also have an idea about my life purpose, but it's not solid. 

and yeah, it's been impossible to find people with similar interests locally, especially here in Iraq. 

 

@Eternal Unity I have done that before, he ignored me lol . 

[Leo Gura]

7 hours ago, Ayham said:

From all the people I have seen and learned from, I would say you are the most developed, to the point that inspires me so much and makes me emotional and in awe.

I could be a lot more developed.

I feel the pain from my lack of development every day.

Quote

So I am asking you this question. 

How do I achieve this level of wisdom, maturity, spiritual development, integrity and consciousness that you have and go beyond it? 

I want a no bullshit answer.

Good!

Quote

What exactly do I need to do? 

Well, there's a lot you could do, but in a nutshell I would boil it down to this:

1) First, prime your mind with reading and studying a wide array of sources and perspectives, like by reading the sources in my book list and watching my videos. You need some basic theory as grist for your contemplation mill.

2) Then, after some years you will have a solid theoretical foundation and the real work can begin. Now you stop reading and learning theory, and you start doing serious contemplation. 1000s of hours of thinking everything through for yourself and deriving every answer for yourself from scratch from first principles and direct experience.

3) And then you turn your attention to observing your ego-mind at work, and become a master of your own self-deception and egoic reactions.

You don't have to complete one step before doing the others. In practice you should be intermixing them.

Of course practices like meditation and psychedelics become really important after a while.

Perhaps most importantly, have an insatiable curiosity and passion for understanding reality at the deepest levels, and never settle for beliefs or the words of humans. That's really my only secret. All I do is just rentlessly pursue pure understanding by derviving all of it for myself from direct experience and intuition. This is what I've called Pure Philosophy.

The doing of Pure Philosophy leads to the highest wisdom. That's it. See my episode: An Intro To Serious Philosophy. That's my process.

Edited January 16, 2023 by Leo Gura

[Sincerity]

19 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

I feel the pain from my lack of development every day.

Why/how so? What makes You remember this lack of development? If You feel comfortable answering.

[Shane Hanlon]

36 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

Now you stop reading and learning theory, and you start doing serious contemplation. 1000s of hours of thinking everything through for yourself and deriving every answer for yourself from scratch from first principles and direct experience.

What does contemplation look like for you? Journaling? Just thinking through different topics/ideas?

[Leo Gura]

42 minutes ago, Sincerity said:

Why/how so? What makes You remember this lack of development? If You feel comfortable answering.

The more conscious you become the more you will see and feel the pain of your ego at work. You will see every way in which your mind fools you, but you will not be able to correct it all.

29 minutes ago, Shane Hanlon said:

What does contemplation look like for you? Journaling? Just thinking through different topics/ideas?

I rarely journal.

It's mostly just sitting and thinking for an hour, or doing the thinking on the fly as I'm driving, showering, cooking, etc.

My life is basically a never-ending stream of questioning, contemplation, and self-reflection, punctuated by eating, internet, shitting, and sleeping.

Edited January 16, 2023 by Leo Gura

[Sincerity]

9 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

The more conscious you become the more you will see and feel the pain of your ego at work. You will see every way in which your mind fools you, but you will not be able to correct it all.

Huh. Do You find that awareness of self-deception gradually makes the mind deceive less and less? Or does it never end and You just get better and better at recognizing it?

[Shane Hanlon]

26 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

My life is basically a never-ending stream of questioning, contemplation, and self-reflection, punctuated by eating, internet, shitting, and sleeping.

LOL I love it! I'd expect nothing less from god himself

[Socrates]

Just entertain the fact that Sadghuru can "schedule" multiple births not only of his own but for other people too in order to achieve his goal and build dhyanalinga and help people wake up in his own way. Not to mention he said he will even help people after his death for many years to come.

Only some food for thought of how deep this can possibly get...

No amount of trips will get you to that level of mastery, but what do i know ?

[Thought Art]

@Socrates obviously tripping isn’t holistic on it’s own 

[Aiwass]

2 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

I could be a lot more developed.

I feel the pain from my lack of development every day.

Good!

Well, there's a lot you could do, but in a nutshell I would boil it down to this:

1) First, prime your mind with reading and studying a wide array of sources and perspectives, like by reading the sources in my book list and watching my videos. You need some basic theory as grist for your contemplation mill.

2) Then, after some years you will have a solid theoretical foundation and the real work can begin. Now you stop reading and learning theory, and you start doing serious contemplation. 1000s of hours of thinking everything through for yourself and deriving every answer for yourself from scratch from first principles and direct experience.

3) And then you turn your attention to observing your ego-mind at work, and become a master of your own self-deception and egoic reactions.

You don't have to complete one step before doing the others. In practice you should be intermixing them.

Of course practices like meditation and psychedelics become really important after a while.

Perhaps most importantly, have an insatiable curiosity and passion for understanding reality at the deepest levels, and never settle for beliefs or the words of humans. That's really my only secret. All I do is just rentlessly pursue pure understanding by derviving all of it for myself from direct experience and intuition. This is what I've called Pure Philosophy.

The doing of Pure Philosophy leads to the highest wisdom. That's it. See my episode: An Intro To Serious Philosophy. That's my process.

Great explanations! #FirstPrinciples #Aristotle 

Edited January 16, 2023 by Aiwass

[Leo Gura]

1 hour ago, Sincerity said:

Huh. Do You find that awareness of self-deception gradually makes the mind deceive less and less? Or does it never end and You just get better and better at recognizing it?

If your aim is to transcend your own deceptions then gradually you improve. But you must make it your aim. It won't happen spontaneously.

51 minutes ago, Socrates said:

Just entertain the fact that Sadghuru can "schedule" multiple births not only of his own but for other people too in order to achieve his goal and build dhyanalinga and help people wake up in his own way. Not to mention he said he will even help people after his death for many years to come.

Only some food for thought of how deep this can possibly get...

No amount of trips will get you to that level of mastery, but what do i know ?

First you will have to show me one person he's "awoken".

Edited January 16, 2023 by Leo Gura

[Ayham]

@Leo Gura

Quote

I could be a lot more developed.

I feel the pain from my lack of development every day.

Oh yes, I know this feeling man, it is what pushes me to try to develop myself more.

Quote

Well, there's a lot you could do, but in a nutshell I would boil it down to this:

1) First, prime your mind with reading and studying a wide array of sources and perspectives, like by reading the sources in my book list and watching my videos. You need some basic theory as grist for your contemplation mill.

2) Then, after some years you will have a solid theoretical foundation and the real work can begin. Now you stop reading and learning theory, and you start doing serious contemplation. 1000s of hours of thinking everything through for yourself and deriving every answer for yourself from scratch from first principles and direct experience.

3) And then you turn your attention to observing your ego-mind at work, and become a master of your own self-deception and egoic reactions.

You don't have to complete one step before doing the others. In practice you should be intermixing them.

Of course practices like meditation and psychedelics become really important after a while.

Aha, so a mix of theory plus contemplation plus understanding one's own ego and self deception, great!
also, I found meditation, even after a year of daily commitment is not matching my expectations, am I doing something wrong or is progress in something like meditation painfully slow?
I start with concentration practice for 5 minutes, then 20 minutes "see, hear, feel", and sometimes "do nothing" instead.

Quote

Perhaps most importantly, have an insatiable curiosity and passion for understanding reality at the deepest levels, and never settle for beliefs or the words of humans. That's really my only secret. All I do is just rentlessly pursue pure understanding by derviving all of it for myself from direct experience and intuition. This is what I've called Pure Philosophy.

The doing of Pure Philosophy leads to the highest wisdom. That's it. See my episode: An Intro To Serious Philosophy. That's my process.

I definetly have a very deep passion for understnading reality, but not settling for the words of humans is very challenging, I can see how important this is, will give it my full attention Leo.
This also means I won't settle for what you are saying.

I very much appreaciate your answer, I was in a state of overwhelmingness with all the practices I could be doing and all the knowledge out there.
I will focus on the essentials all the way until I finish college, which are those, plus meditation, health (exercise and healthy diet), and finding my life purpose.

And as much as I dislike being this emotional, but you changed my life Leo, I won't go in the details, but it is not in a small way, and I would even go to say that I started seeing you as a father figure since I didn't have a father figure growing up, I always hear your voice in my head lol, I found you when I was 15 last year, and I watched all the videos in the start here section and started implementing the stuff in "advice for highschool and college students".

I won't forget you man.

[Rafael Thundercat]

14 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

The more conscious you become the more you will see and feel the pain of your ego at work. You will see every way in which your mind fools you, but you will not be able to correct it all.

I rarely journal.

It's mostly just sitting and thinking for an hour, or doing the thinking on the fly as I'm driving, showering, cooking, etc.

My life is basically a never-ending stream of questioning, contemplation, and self-reflection, punctuated by eating, internet, shitting, and sleeping.

Is simillar to the track I use too. For me, I feel the pain when I sidetrack from meditation, contemplation and observing my thoughts. Then I forgive myself for sidetrack and come back on track from where I  remember I had lost track. 

Edited January 16, 2023 by Rafael Thundercat

[Leo Gura]

@Ayham You are wise beyond you years. Keep at it and you will reach amazing heights. Be patient. This game requires a lot of patience with yourself.

[Yimpa]

2 hours ago, Ayham said:

I definetly have a very deep passion for understnading reality, but not settling for the words of humans is very challenging, I can see how important this is, will give it my full attention Leo.
This also means I won't settle for what you are saying.

Follow your heart. At a certain point you’ll realize you won’t necessarily have to filter out any words or voices; they’ll be heard and felt from a much deeper perspective.
 

They won’t be able to control you, because you realize all of it is you.

Of course, my words have no value whatsoever without direct experience.