Wisebaxter

@Serotoninluv I'm happy to hear you're making some progress with your inquiry into form. I like what you said about not phrasing things as a question to avoid getting a conceptual, word-based answer, I'll remember that. I'll be honest I haven't really gotten anywhere with the small amount of self enquiry that I've done. I ask 'what am I?' and I just get the same answer. 'I'm here, I'm this body and this mind. I just can't seem to disassociate myself with being a body at all. I feel so....located in space and time. But I really haven't done much. Maybe now I've made some progress with the meditation I'll get some better results. But patience and perseverance is the key I'm sure. I have a couple of books to read on self-enquiry from Leo's booklist so that should help me out. I'll drop a subtle question or two into my meditation perhaps, like you suggested and see what unfolds Thanks for the link

@Serotoninluv Ah thank you, thank you, not much I want to add or ask about your first two paragraphs as you phrased all the stuff about thoughts so well and it made perfect sense to me. Those were powerful words and I'm going to study them intently. I'm feeling so much love for everything right now, it's crazy. This fuzzy feeling, that's what it feels like, pure love, like I've taken a mild psychedelic perhaps (if my memory serves me as its been a while). Sorry, are you saying this line of inquiry I.e thought based ( about neutrons etc) is to be avoided? Are you saying that the answer to such a question should come from a more intuitive place? I might need to watch that episode again. Which one was it exactly?

@Nahm Haha, that's the first time someone has quoted Anchorman to me, which is surprising seeing as I've used this name and this image for so long and its such a popular film. You know how to cut right to the core of me Baxter. I'm an electronic music producer (life purpose) and I'm trying to think of a good artist name. it's been bugging me for ages and I was wondering if I should just use Wisebaxter. Do you think its a bit crap for an artists name though? Honestly?

@Serotoninluv Yes it certainly is nice to have something to chase. I've already meditated once today and I here I am itching to have another session. I just want this feeling to stay put and I have this urge to keep feeding into it. Great point, thank you. You're saying it's a trap to separate thoughts from emptiness...as they themselves are empty? Just modulations of awareness? I've heard Spira talk about this and other teachers say everything is comprised of emptiness. Or is that thoughts are forms that arise from this emptiness? You mean, they come to you as something other than words in your head? So do you mean images, or something deeper, something intuitive and beyond words?

@Serotoninluv Well now I've actually experienced some real, tangible effects from my meditation I'm in it for the long haul. I was operating on faith before somewhat but I've been feeling high for two days straight now and my awareness is as sharp as a blade so I want more, more, give me MORE haha, na I know its not good to chase these states as firstly you can't rely on them and secondly they're a distraction on not the real deal, so I've read. Adyashanti warns against chasing feel-good states, seeing as your real, true state - the enlightened you, as you put it, is stateless. I think that's what he said anyway. The insights you mention, which come when your mind is empty...do you wait until after the meditation to contemplate them, or do you follow them when they occur? Or maybe they don't require any further contemplation. I'm just confused about how meditation, which is supposed to be about becoming 'thoughtless,' (unless you're doing neti neti or whatever) can be used for insights...

@Rilles Yeah that seems to be the thing that's made all the difference recently. I've started being able just to stay in awareness for longer in between thoughts. Basically watching for the next thought allows me to do this. It was during a long spurt of awareness that the warmth appeared. Lol, I made that sound like I either jizzed in my pants or wet myself. You know what I mean though @Nahm That's really interesting, non duality stops you dreaming huh? not surprising as they're based around relative concepts, just like the waking state. I'm reading a book on shadow work at the moment and digging into my unconscious mind a bit as I want to be befriend the shadow before I start taking psychedelics. Although these dreams are disturbing I'm very grateful for them and to the higher power that's helping me to uncover all of this stuff.

@Rilles Ah cool, so basically it means I'm doing it properly? It's taken me a while of trying out different techniques and getting my posture right etc so maybe I should continue with the particular method I'm doing, which is mindfulness meditation.

@herghly I have to confess I'm no expert but I would be doing them at least 4-5 times per day. Pressing against the palm of one hand with the fingers of your other hand, or just stopping to ask yourself, am I dreaming right now? Maybe set up a timer on your phone to do those, maybe at the same time. Then your subconscious mind will be primed to ask that question when you're asleep. Start to get into the frame of mind that you could be dreaming at any point, and in fact, your waking state is a dream according to Leo so you pretty much are anyway. Interesting about the NoFap. I find meditating every day makes my dreams super vivid. This video seems pretty good. I would take this guys advice over mine as he seems experienced and I got most of my info from him:

@herghly Are you doing reality checks throughout the day?

@EvilAngel That was so inspiring to read. I've had a similar experience with Leo's content. A year ago I was unhappy, negative, racked with neurosis and suffering from a chronic weed addiction. Now I'm happy, peaceful, I meditate every day and I haven't smoked for four months. My girlfriend jokes and calls Leo the third man in our relationship as I'm always talking about him (well Leo says this, Leo says that etc) and watching his videos haha. When I was a kid for some reason I wanted to be called Leo. I was just drawn to the name for some reason, now I know why. Shameless fan-boy here

Wicked report dude, thank you. I'm excited to try this stuff too. how often do you think you're gonna be using it?

@winterknight That was an in-depth and illuminating answer, thank you

@winterknight I've heard it said that concepts and thoughts are illusions and all there is is actuality, or being, but aren't thoughts and concepts themselves just as much a part of being as anything else? Why is an 'I' thought any less real than that object which looks like a tree? Both are real things and have a being-ness to them, even if one seems more abstract. Thoughts and concepts seem to be downgraded in spirituality but they seem as much a part of the world as anything else, so why can't they be real?

@Jack River So true. I'm working on accepting everything but there are still some trigger points for me. I think it stems from putting myself in the shoes of the person who's been 'insulted' and feeling like I want to jump to their defence. I assume that just because it would upset or annoy me that everyone is the same. Crazy stuff. Anyway - on with the important stuff

@Hellspeed Sorry, my own ego gets triggered when it decides someone is being judgmental. It's a trap I'm always looking out for as it just makes me a hypocrite. Peace and love to you

@Hellspeed Whereas you're just good old fashioned Egoic. Namaste

@Jack River in that case I' Awesome, congratulations! Were you using any technique in particular, or was it a spontaneous insight type of deal? I'll get on with destroying the crap out of my ego then, post haste.

Ah this makes some sense to me. I need to be careful to not just turn any psychedelic experience into another part of my narrative, the story of 'I,' by continually killing this 'I' off, from moment to moment. Perhaps this is where meditation comes in, to cultivate detachment to these stories and stay in a non-dual state of awareness. When there are no thoughts, there is no I. You're saying the very idea of an experience is an illusion as it's conceptual and part of the thoughts process...all there really is is raw data. Deep bro. This will help me avoid some pitfalls, thanks

If there is no 'I' and there are just perceptions/experiences floating around somewhere, where is all this happening?

@seeking_brilliance Thanks a lot , I think I'll combine some direct experiences with going over to that site maybe and asking some questions. I'm too far over into the theory side of things at the moment. Winterknight has really got me inspired to go full on into the self inquiry as well. It's all great stuff, lots of exciting adventures to go on and discoveries to be made,

@seeking_brilliance Haha, personally I think I'm gonna need a strong hit of psychedelics soon, before my mind explodes from any more conceptualising and assuming. I need some direct experiences of this shit to stop my mind going around in circles.

@Lynnel You'll just have to hope that the substance decides you 'need' some answers to some of those questions

@seeking_brilliance Thanks for answering. So we're saying that all of this stuff happening, things being born, planets spinning around, experiences being experienced, is actually happening, it's just that there's no 'I' perceiving it? There's no 'experiencer,' just the experience? What's confusing me is knowing whether any of this real, if it's all an illusion or if the 'I' is the only illusion...

@winterknight If none of us really exist, what are our mothers giving birth to?

So it's as if the sensations, or echos of an ego still remain, but you just become very detached from them and unaffected?