DrewNows

@Dan94Darkness retreat, hmm interesting. When i was in that phase i handled it much like you. Unfortunately seeking truth to help support these beliefs will not bring you any closer to understanding actual reality. Eventually it became too much and i had to let it go. Turned out that's exactly what's needed I began throwing all concepts out the door and giving attention to direct experience. Stopped seeking any sort of spiritual knowledge/wisdom. There was only observation of my thoughts/feelings/actions judgement-free To better understand belief systems, I found this video helpful. Asking yourself the right questions like why do i believe the belief i hold to be true may help you break down the beliefs causing the turmoil

To remain just as the “witness” of all thoughts/emotions may end the cycle. This means no reactions/judgements/or “intention”

I believe what @non_nothing is saying here is when you feel a "negative" emotion, but do not want to feel this way, it creates psychological conflict or "suffering" as you cannot be with "what is"

@MM1988The feeble attempt to "control" the emotional state because it is not "desirable" to our psyche People often spill their feelings out to someone close as it is a sure way to work through negative emotions. We can also do personal investigations where we determine what thoughts may have caused or perpetuates the negative emotions. This simple "understanding" what makes us feel bad is curative by nature. I would advise you to go even deeper and figure out what sort of thought patterns are feeding the emotional roller coasters

This has definitely been the biggest obstacle in my life Fear

Does emotion create suffering or does thoughts/interpretations create both suffering and emotion? @How to be wiseDo you equate blissful with peaceful? EM means feeling blissful even when being tortured?

@How to be wisecan you list me your negative emotions? Do you see sadness as negative? Sounds boring to me...i would rather feel nothing and have bliss arise spontaneously at any given moment. Maybe they just don't define the emotions they have to be negative...possibly it's taking the seriousness out of the identity?

"conscious" meaning connected? I find this to be the case, blissful/open/loving

@How to be wiseYou have your definition of emotional mastery, but is it ideal? Emotional mastery (in my understanding) is knowing what an emotion is, why it is necessary, how it comes about, and how it ends. At this point, one has the freedom to experience emotions without labels, not experience those which are useless/senseless, and connect with others. How does one interpret an emotion as being negative? At what point does an emotion cause suffering? Can suffering ever be necessary? Why don't we investigate compassion as in feeling the pain of others. How is it helpful? Enlightened movement is free flowing, intention-less, intelligent, and non-fear based. To avoid judgement and separation when investigating emotions to gain a holistic understanding

yea dude exactly @SoonHeiThere is no "quieting the mind" as in effort to reach/sustain no self. It is an occurrence of undivided attention to what is

I spoke of this with @Jack River a little while back. This reading is "conditioned fear-based effort" / "concentration" (reading aloud in the head as to comprehend all) Ive noticed fear is lingering in the habit itself. For me it was and sometimes still is a trigger anytime i go to read books and other dense material. Ive tried to forcefully control and stop this sort of conditioning and it never seems to work. Let go of the illusion of control, division, separation and effort. For me it is observed until transcended

@How to be wiseHey good topic! To me, emotional mastery is still going to be surface level as it only focuses on emotions. Emotions are "never wrong" as in they are always going to be justifiable from one's given perspective. All emotions, even anger, can be a great tool. Someone could always "look on the brightside" and claim to have emotional mastery. With enlightenment, a perspective is seen through/transcended without any "controller" suppressing/manipulating any emotions. The actions/interpretations creating emotions will no longer be there (no personal attachment/psychological thought) But in the end...they are both just "ideas" and if you want enlightenment to mean emotional mastery, it can

@Robert Can you answer the questions i gave while quoting you? Does perspective make a worldview correct? Does acknowledging the truth in all worldviews bring about freedom from the need for purpose? Can you prove there is an objective reality? I would like to know your thoughts as you did come off a bit ignorant...

Does perspective make a worldview correct? Does acknowledging the truth in all worldviews bring about freedom from the need for purpose? Can you prove there is an objective reality? No, but doesn't mean you can't believe there is...

@SageModeAustinive been caught in this same trap a number of times! Watch all those "should be" thoughts as @Shadowraix says... breath deeply in the understanding "life is NOW" and it cannot be any other way. The emotions will be true for how you perceive the situation, but how are the situations misinterpreted? If there is no "YOU", what has to change?

@SageModeAustinYo dude...first off...let these thoughts or rather, the emotions, bother you. Don't run away...you must sit through this ludicrous behavior. This way you "fight" them head on. Explore the idea of "not knowing" and see how it is absolutely inevitable and ignorant to believe you could see it any other way The absurdity of them will shine through and you can go along your marry way

@ShakazuluDUDE YESSSS!!! you can create your own purpose.... Accept everyone else for who they are and what they believe....Most importantly use them to reflect on your own beliefs All is relative...embrace that oneness

Can't see any sort of technique being the solution. You can start with exploring why you want to stop the projections. It is great you can recognize projection. This in itself is all you need. What is it in the projections reflects the thoughts about your identity? What assumptions are being made verse the "actual" fact of the matter? This projection insight is only going to be solved by your accepting of truth, letting go of the division of you and your thoughts it ain't no thang but a chicken wang maaa dude.....FINISH HIMMMM <3

Okay, these impulses provide very receptive credibility as being "the way" to which thoughts cease and temporary liberation/pleasure is induced. How do we see this psychological security as limiting/thought-self/partial to the whole of intelligence?

@HellspeedI hear ya but what happens when life gets in the way of your 60h/week breath work? Controlling the mind is futile but understanding the mind brings about peace. Have you ever wondered why we have certain thoughts/emotions or even in-cognitive actions in certain situations? Why limit ourselves to merely the breath when there is total awareness?

@HellspeedFocusing on the breath may be a good starting point or temporary solution to ending the stream of thoughts but as we begin to understand the nature of thought, simply directing attention no longer becomes necessary. However, i do really enjoy focusing on the breath, as well as the whole body, during yoga and weight lifting activities

@HellspeedWouldn't you agree to focus on the breath is, in a sense, a "trained" quietness of the mind? To control the thinking is not dissolving the conditioning

I have experienced this too Daniel. It may help to realize the assumptions you have made in regards to absolute nothingness. This "belief" is not based off direct experience, so it can be treated as such. An "idea" to explore in your everyday life, but don't let it control you. Why does there need to be a purpose? Possibly there can be meaning in meaninglessness. Investigate your thoughts/emotions without trying to control them. What sort of division is happening and how is it false? Without the "you", there's total freedom to just be, completely limitless, completely whole. "instead of asking what do i want from life, a more powerful question is what does life want from you" --Eckhart Tolle

I think you may be on to something. We are conditioned to make an identity out of our body and mind being separate from our experiences when in actuality it is all mind which creates these experiences. The self being the conditioned mind which accumulates memory, knowledge, thoughts giving rise to ego as me being separate from the experience (sensations,thoughts,created experiences) I am thinking. who's thinking? the thought/self is doing the thinking, perceived as being separate from the thought. Simply observing the "programming" and mechanical reactions of mind, we can begin to see through the illusion of self (veil of thought). Often we mistake the ideas to be true and make assumptions instead of basing our knowledge off of direct experience. This hinders the chance to understand psychological time holistically. This second sentence is an assumption. We cannot know who is actually operating as thought/self. But this is a very good question to explore. We must realize only holistic understanding may end the movement of ego, not trying to control thought/self which will only feed the movement perpetuating the illusion.

@Jack River For sure dude, SD has nothing to do with enlightenment and only promotes development rather than un-development of ego. However, it is useful knowledge as a practical model to understand people, cultures, societies (ego/human condition). For those still interested in developing the psyche, SD may be used to see where they fit in different areas of life but can be confused with the actual and used to feed/sustain the conditioning