Leo Gura

Locking this topic because it's turning into a random hodgepodge of stuff. Not a good way to use this forum. If you have something worthwhile to share, take the effort to start your own topic. If it's not worth starting a topic, then it's probably not worth posting.

@Echoes The brain controls the body and creates experiences, emotions, and thoughts. But it is not what you are.

Yes and no. It's tricky. What the lamp is, is prior to experience. "Experience" is what you have when there is a "you" looking at the lamp in the ordinary sense. But there is actually no "you" looking at the lamp. You ARE the lamp. This is the difference between experience and BEING. You need to get past experiences, to the being level of things. This requires a radical shift in perspective. Imagine for a second that you became the entire world. That's what happens when you realize you don't exist "inside there somewhere". You exist as the world. Notice that there's nothing "inside" you. Enlightenment is like becoming 100% extroverted. As if introversion didn't exist. Even "your mind" is actually happening "out there". Nothing is happening inside the body. Imagine for a moment that there is no difference in kind between your thoughts and emotions, and a lamp or a tree. There is no "in here" vs "out there". The "in here" never existed in the first place. There's just this bubble of consciousness and within it arise all sorts of phenomena, from lamps to tree to thoughts to emotions. And this bubble is self-aware, without a witness or perceiver. But don't get lost in all these explanations and metaphors. You need to become directly conscious of it.

Enlightenment is a shift in PERSPECTIVE. That means, nothing about the "external" world changes. You just begin to see it in a radically different way. Sort of like reality flips inside out. The context of everything changes while the content remains the same. But you can't appreciate just how significantly a change in context can alter your relationship to the content. You'll have to discover that the context you call "my life" or "our reality" is totally unreal. It it's groundless! That "you were born" is just a story, and that you are inhabiting "this reality" is just a story. Yes, you are already enlightened, but it will take you many years of grueling flailing around to realize that. Your perspective must flip. That flip of course must occur in the present moment, because there's nothing other than the present. Nothingness exists in the exact same place as everything! For example, when you look at your lamp, are you aware that the lamp is nothing? It's nothing right now, as you're seeing it. The nothing is located exactly where the lamp is. It's not necessary for the lamp to disappear or change colors. Those are misleading expectations of the mind. You just have to realize that the lamp's "substance" is nothing. Everything is made out of this substance of "nothingness". It's like objects are hollow, including yourself. Consciousness is not a change in phenomena. It's a change in consciousness. You can't imagine it because your present consciousness prevents you. It's too low. As it rises, everything gets seen in a different way, although it's not like you're seeing aliens, dragons, and unicorns. The mundane world is enough. After enlightenment, the mundane becomes magical. Seeing a table or a lamp is no less magical than seeing a dragon or a unicorn. The mind likes to get lost on shiny objects. That's the whole problem. Nothingness isn't shiny at all, which is why you keep not seeing it.

@Outer Of course the more you do it, the better. You can do it all day long and in your sleep. But it's emotionally grueling. Start small.

Yes, that will be part of the various levels of enlightenment you'll pass through. First you'll have to discover that you are awareness. Then you'll have to discover what awareness is. Neither of these things is anything you can imagine.

@Anton Rogachevski You're just wasting your time avoiding the actual work. Do the exercises! They are the most direct method.

If you knew what awareness was, you'd be enlightened. Go self-inquire.

Topic locked. This not a place to discuss conspiracy theories. Go contemplate!

@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.

No, enlightenment.

5-meo is particularly anxiety-producing. At least the first 10 minutes after snorting it. Then it's heaven, once you've died.

That's all fakery. Good riddance. Enjoy the calm of Truth. But don't take life too seriously either.

@Debil It's tricky. There are various degrees of this insight. At the deepest level of it, all of reality will cease to exist. There will nothing: no body, no mind, no experience, no world. Nothing. At the shallow levels, it will be like you existing as an infinite field of awareness. Sorta like becoming space itself. Either way, the "you" you know and love is gonna be gone. Well... it's not there to begin with. There's no you there right now as "you" read this sentence. There's just the sentence. And even the sentence is nothing. So you're in for some epic mindfuckery.

@JOKERface999 And certainly don't start with 5-meo. Start with very low doses of milder psychedelics like shrooms or AL-LAD in a friendly pleasant setting. 5-meo will freak the fuck out of you if you have anxiety issues.

@JOKERface999 NEVER do psychedelics if you're taking SSRI's. Results could be lethal. There is no doubt psychedelics can be highly effective for anxiety, depression, PTSD, etc, but you cannot take them while on SSRI's. Wean yourself off the meds over a month or however long your doc says is right. Then you can try psychedelics. Anti-anxiety and anti-depression meds are mostly garbage anyway. You might as well work to wean yourself off them in an intelligent manner (unless you REALLY need them to prevent a shitstorm). Tread very carefully on this topic to avoid harming yourself.

@Colin There is no there, there. And no you to get there

@aryberry Infinity/Nothingness is NOT an experience. Ego ends forever after true enlightenment. It never existed. Life as you know it ends.

The coolest part is when you get to the opposite side of it and realize that the fear of death was literally nothing. Made out of hot air. The silliest thing ever. And then you smile and laugh. Death? Hahahahaha... There is nothing of fear but the fear itself. It's totally hollow. Of course when you're on the wrong side of it, it seems as solid as granite.

@Santhiphap Yes, that's a tiny glimpse. Existential terror is the hallmark of approaching the Truth. It's the ego recognizing that it's unreal, and immediately recoiling back into illusion. The first glimpse is actually the easiest, because the ego is so foolish it doesn't know yet that enlightenment actually means it's death. Now you know, so it will be harder. You'll have to really want it now and really work your ass for it. What you had was a bit of the spiritual beginner's luck. But you can't coast on that luck.

Beautiful!

All thoughts are meaningless. Contemplate that until your mind implodes.

@DrMobius You're probably losing half the dose because it's dripping down your throat, so that 15mg is turning into 7mg. 15mg is a fairly strong dose, although 25mg is about x100 times stronger, and 30mg is like x100000 times stronger. Or maybe you're just naturally less sensitive and need higher doses. Or maybe your 5-meo isn't very pure. Carefully test out the issue. You don't need to wait a week if your trips are failing. Waiting a week is for when you've had a decent trip.

@Lenny Of course. It should bore you to tears and homicidal rage.

Make sure you grasp spiritual teachings at their root, not at the surface verbal level. Passion IS important. Being "run by your passions" means a totally different thing.