Consilience

Im at a point in my practice where meditating can feel like 50 - 70ug of LSD and that’s just.. normal. Wild, outlandish meditative experiences just happen, regularly now. Less in a perceptual intensity but in the awareness of direct consciousness; this consciousness is extremely palpable, obvious, self illuminating, self liberating, and effortless and continues to increase in intensity as I keep up the rigor of practice. There’s a spaciousness and emptiness to experience that I walk around with. The idea of life being a dream is not a philosophical concept but an experiential observation and embodiment. Solipsism is a joke compared to Absolute Unity, and interdependency. The sense of self is fluid, expansive, contractive, I can detect people’s emotions much more easily. Because Ive also been doing a large amount of strong determination sitting, my relationship with pain is radically transforming. Basically pain tolerance is much much higher than it was even 3 months ago. Craving for junk food, porn, masturbation is at an all time low. Very high amounts of emotional ease, happiness, peace. Im more honest with others and how I communicate. I literally just dont feel bored now. At this point Ive accessed deeper “states” of “God” meditating than many of my earlier psychedelic trips. When I see Leo shitting on meditation I find it both hysterical and sad because he’s leading so many people away from the path that actually Awakens us. Using 5MeO for the rest of your life just isnt it, and observing Leo’s lack of embodiment and shadow come out on the forum and in videos makes this increasingly clear. It‘s blind leading the blind, yet because of his success with Actualized many assume he must know what he’s talking about when it comes to spirituality. In many ways he does, in many ways he’s utterly and completely deluded, like with how meditation works and how to achieve crazy results with it. He’s cornered himself into such determined arrogance, that Im not confident he’ll ever snap out of the self-deception. Anyways, the thing about this intensity of practice is that it’s become extremely pleasurable not in an overt perceptual sense, but in the radical recontextualization of basically all facets of life. I see the relationship between how much Im suffering in the background of life, and how by purifying the conditions of this suffering, Im also coming into deeper union with truth. And this authentic (re: watch out for neo advaita bullshit) union with truth that transcends all states is the path of Buddha’s, and is the path the self most deeply desires. Im realizing how precious and rare it is to actually be on the path pursuing it at full force and feel immense gratitude that reality somehow manifested the conditions for me to be legitimately on it.

Lmao. Where did Leo say this? For the past 1.5 months Ive been meditating 3 hours per day, can confirm it is not horseshit, at all. It’s… absurdly powerful to say the least.

Relative, relational knowledge is a function of cognition (mind), cognition (mind) is a function of consciousness. Knowing of actuality is the most authentic, trustworthy knowledge as it leaves 0 room for epistemological debate. Relative, relation knowledge, by virtue of its building blocks on a multitude of ontological scales, is never fully true or false, and therefore cannot be absolutely true.

So much to unpack here, my guess is it would takes most beings lifetimes to understand.

Rigorous meditation.

Well it may be a little late, but today and tomorrow I would increase your daily sitting to around 4 hours per day as a means of building momentum before the formal day 1. Unless you’re looking for the whip lash of not as intense practice to extremely intense practice. Id also recommend letting go of all expectations of how the retreat is supposed to go or feel. It’s common for people to be blissed out, go through excruciating difficulty, total neutrality, or some combination of those three. Remember, (and this is a HUGE insight I would guess the majority of meditators don’t understand about meditation) what is happening in one’s experience or mind at the surface, what is clear and recognizable moment to moment, is not always indicative of what is happening in the depths of mind and consciousness. Imagine the surface of the Earth before an earthquake - many shifts in tectonic plates are taking place underneath the ground, the overwhelming majority of which cannot be felt or perceived. All it takes is one tiny shift in the tectonic plates and suddenly a massive earthquake erupts. Likewise, deep transformations and “progress” can be made with meditation despite the fact that no surface level or gross manifestations of mind are changing. Many people give up on meditation before these profound earthquake moments can happen. It’s best to keep practicing despite what is happening at the surface level of mind and emotion. In my opinion, it’s best to not take seriously our surface level emotions and thoughts. The deeper, more intuitive clarity and wisdom as a result of the retreat will emerge on its own and be self-validating. Yet in order for that clarity/wisdom to arise, we need to let go and surrender to the practice, retreat structure, and all attempts at manipulation. Let the pain, fatigue, boredom, and doubt filter through you without resistance, thereby purifying the mind rather than creating suffering. Last thing, sign up for your next retreat immediately after you finish. To get the most out of serious meditation practice, annual retreats are the minimum. Have fun!

I've done enough strong determination sitting and had enough results with the practice to see where it leads long term, and under extreme training. I believe it is entirely possible for the human mind to uproot the aversion to pain, but the amount of practice required to achieve this is so incomprehensible, I'm not confident one could do it in a single lifetime unless they completely devoted themselves to the path of liberation.

Meditation and purifying the mind to be totally at midst with discomfort and pain through things like waking up early, rigorous exercise, strong determination sitting, cold showers, eating healthy, doing the work, walking the path. You'll find your body/mind naturally starts doing the things it most authentically values when it can have equanimity with discomfort.

More popular. The need for a massive, collective growth in the qualities of wisdom and compassion are rapidly growing. Humanity is walking off a cliff and taking the entire planet with it; run away climate change may very well be an inevitability at this point. The only glimmer of hope humanity has is if we become wiser and more compassionate, which is essentially the byproduct of spirituality done correctly. Through a combination of widespread psychedelic usage and mass adoption of contemplative practice, there is still hope. However, if we just keep repeating these collective cycles of destructive behavior, yeah it’s only a matter of time before a very painful shift happens. Again, a shift that doesn't just threaten humanity but all life on Earth, more than it already is.

This. So much this. I would add that in addition to not using an effective strategy, as you seem to indicate with "low quality nonsense, these people are also vastly underestimating how much meditation is needed to see serious results, are never going on retreats, are basically thinking 30 - 60 minutes per day will get them somewhere. And while it will to some extent, the profound, life shattering results meditation is capable of providing typically need something along the lines of 2+ hours per day plus frequent retreat training. If one is serious about liberation, 2+ hours per day is very easy to find time for. Of course, most people are terrified of actually getting their hands dirty and doing the work and would prefer spiritually bypassing/spiritually bullshitting themselves, hence the explosion in popularity of the Neo Advaita like messaging.

“Samaneri Jayasara - Wisdom of the Masters”on YouTube

That obviousness can be extremely shallow, or extremely clear. And even still, this clear seeing doesn’t reveal “what am I?”

Are you speaking from belief or direct experience? How can you trust your answer either way?

And yet only a fool doesn’t pass through, walk, begin, or end.

I would say this is possible, and equally and perhaps more possible for Jim Newman and Tony Parsons followers. How enticing would it be to jump to the end of the path? To feel accomplished, like I finally got it! Rather than the honest and at times painful admittance that I don’t know. The ego hates not knowing. It seeks answers, security, assurance, invulnerability, all of which Neo Advaita provide to its followers. In my own experience, it’s not that “so many years of seeking and practice must count for something.” It’s more like I am continually and utterly humbled by the depth of this path, work, what is possible, and simultaneously how much “Ive done” and how much further there is to go. It would be like a casual gym goer telling a professional bodybuilder yeah lifting weights may help some with growing muscle, but it’s all about nutrition anyways. How does the bodybuilder respond?

I would say this is possible, and equally and perhaps more possible for Jim Newman and Tony Parsons followers. How enticing would it be to jump to the end of the path? To feel accomplished, like I finally got it! Rather than the honest and at times painful admittance that I don’t know. The ego hates not knowing. It seeks answers, security, assurance, invulnerability, all of which Neo Advaita provide to its followers. In my own experience, it’s not that “so many years of seeking and practice must count for something.” It’s more like I am continually and utterly humbled by the depth of this path, work, what is possible, and simultaneously how much “Ive done” and how much further there is to go. It would be like a casual gym goer telling a professional bodybuilder yeah lifting weights may help some with growing muscle, but it’s all about nutrition anyways. How does the bodybuilder respond?

@VictorB02 Thank you brother ?? Thank you for the kind words. I respect your path as well and hope you find true happiness. If this message feels in alignment, truly, well yeah you can’t not follow your heart. I speak as someone who feels somewhat intermediate on the path, advanced enough to see the mind breaking possibility of what a lifetime of practice results in. I also seem to have a strange capacity to empathize with the massive amount of suffering all beings experience, seeing very clearly our capacity to suffer. I also see how suffering is a mis-perception though. Ive broken through enough times with massive amounts of physical and emotional pain during practice to see how these are what occur when one is not perceiving reality objectively or in alignment with truth. The uncompromising message may sound nice, but when the spiritual rubber meets the road, if reality still has the capacity to steam roll us in an ocean of suffering, we are not enlightened. End of story. Seeing and perhaps even catching the ox, ie seeing the illusory nature of self, is just the starting point and is at best what this uncompromising message provides, maybe. At worst, it facilitates a deeply twisted spiritual bypassing process wherein a sense of self is created out of the *belief* in a lack of self or “this is it” mentality, rather than the true, authentic, embodied clear seeing. There is so much further to go.

How are you making that assessment from the above passage?

This entire reply really illuminates how tricky identification with ego/sense of self can be. There’s an entire self fabricated out of this neo advaita like philosophy you preach on the forum. In actuality, the ego doesn’t want to meditate, or find truth. It thinks it does, until truth starts “finding” the ego, at which point the path is like a gravity well pulling in on itself without control or without the ability for this process to stop. At that point, the work begins to grow like an acorn growing into a tree, completely naturally. There is no choice but to continue. In actuality, the ego loves avoiding responsibility and work. It loves telling stories about how awake it is, about how it’s liberated and sees selflessness. This is the common mark of spiritual ego, a fragile state and trap indeed. Pray life never tests your “realization.” In actuality, this is a conceptual movement of mind from a mind too untrained to notice, a mind too caught in conceptual falsehood to see the lack of depth to its realization. Perhaps not the case for *you* specifically, but a common trap from those caught in the sales pitch of Neo Advaita. The real irony from this whole Neo Advaita movement is there is something to find, something so profound and subtle it could never be communicated. There is something available that can be discovered. For those that have discovered it, it is self-evident, selfless, and seen as that which is truly sacred about life.

This would only happen with very poor meditation instructions, very poor effort, no teacher or community, and no real consistent extended retreat practice. As one develops their practice, these things naturally align. I have no clue where this idea that one could meditate for 40 years and nothing happens comes from on this forum. No idea where this attraction to polar ends of the spectrum on this forum come from either: 1) Meditation is useless - Psychedelics are the way 2) Meditation is useless - THIS is it. Meditation is just ego. Interesting how both diminish the value of sitting. There's pretty much 2 premises one needs to start with to understand meditation as a path to Enlightenment. If you don't accept these premises, you're screwed. 1) Reality has the capacity to shroud itself in illusion and ignorance. - In its infinite capacity, it has the capacity for existential self-deception. 2) Reality can be seen more clearly through paying attention. - As magical as this may seem, if we pay attention, we understand more deeply; you don't accept this, again you're screwed. Craving, aversion, and attachment push and pull on perception, creating this mirage and illusion. Craving, aversion, and attachment are how perception *appears* when one's mind and by extension, infinite consciousness, doesn't have the capacity to deeply pay attention. Perception appears to fight with itself due to a lack of existential clarity. The great news is we can train ourselves, or rather, consciousness can begin to pay attention. As it pays attention, Truth is revealed. As Truth is revealed through this purification or cultivation of perceptual non-interference, suffering is uprooted and an underlying happiness, the only invulnerable form of happiness (spoiler - it's formless), is seen. The paradox is that this Truth was always so, hence why it is THE TRUTH. Yet, this Truth is so grandiose, so infinite, so paradoxically twisted, it even has the capacity to appear as not truth. Meditation is simply the path by which we're revealing what has already been so, a clear seeing through all delusional movements of mind. If you think you're work is complete, you're living a very privileged, comfortable, life. If the harshness of reality were to reveal itself, the Neo Advaitan would crumble. One's capacity for suffering is a true mark of how much one is actually conscious of truth. Meditation is the path by which this fundamental conundrum is no only uprooted, but by which one's mind is transparent enough for consciousness to awaken to itself.

“If you don’t seek an invitation to hell, never slander the Tathagata’s teaching.” - Shodoka, Song of Awakening Buddha’s Zen Buddha said: "I consider the positions of kings and rulers as that of dust motes. I observe treasures of gold and gems as so many bricks and pebbles. I look upon the finest silken robes as tattered rags. I see myriad worlds of the universe as small seeds of fruit, and the greatest lake in India as a drop of oil on my foot. I perceive the teachings of the world to be the illusion of magicians. I discern the highest conception of emancipation as a golden brocade in a dream, and view the holy path of the illuminated ones as flowers appearing in one's eyes. I see meditation as a pillar of a mountain, Nirvana as a nightmare of daytime. I look upon the judgment of right and wrong as the serpentine dance of a dragon, and the rise and fall of beliefs as but traces left by the four seasons." - Zen Flesh, Zen Bones The Neo Advaita message and “enlightenment” is pathetically half backed compared to true Liberation, true Freedom, true Enlightenment. The nothing and non-message of a Zen master is in an entirely other dimension compared to “Uncompromising Non-duality,” which is just fast food for the spiritual ego eager to cling to false attainments, and partial awakenings. The conceptual map may sound so good, but to truly embody what is being pointed towards takes relentless purification of mind and authentic awakening, both of which don’t happen mentally masturbating to “non-messages.” So many traps, so many traps. As one develops in their practice, it starts to become increasingly obvious who’s the real deal. Ive yet to find any of these Neo Advaita teachers who is. Bottom line - keep going ?

Rest in peace https://youtu.be/WuepYo3dRa8

I recently made this video for my YouTube channel. I know self promotion is a tricky line here on the forum. I typically keep my content to myself and personal social media channels, but this one felt appropriate for the forum. This is a community I am apart of and I personally think there are more people here that would benefit from this message than any of my other social medias like Facebook or Instagram. I wanted to share not from a space of self-promotion, but because I genuinely believe in this message. I believe in the rippling effect that would occur if more people understand the cascading qualities of serious contemplative practice (meditation) and its place with supporting humanity. Overall, this video and post come from the "relative" domain; i.e. this isn't an absolute perspective. But from a relative point of view, the planet is dying and there are still countless sentient beings suffering. This video and my decision to join a monastic training environment stems from this recognition and at risk of sounding egoic, stems from a compassion that acknowledges the unity of the second noble truth - there is suffering. Below is what I've posted on other platforms. If you're interested in discussing anything or have questions, I'd be happy to respond. - I don’t typically “believe” in much. But one thing I wholeheartedly believe in is the mass adoption of meditation would serve humanity’s collective flourishing. There are a growing number of existential risks we will be facing in the 21st century - Climate change, a mass extinction event, A.I., gene editing, horrible wealth inequality, bioweapons, drone warfare technologies, etc. Though our technological development is at an unprecedented peak, our collective capacity for compassion is severely lagging behind. Humanity doesn’t lack knowledge, technology, or intelligence for solving the many problems of our planet. We lack wisdom and compassion. Meditation, when practiced consistently and across a lifetime, facilitates these domains of human development to a radical degree. So again, though I don’t “believe” in much, it is it is my firm and unapologetic belief that wide-scale adoption of this practice would benefit Earth and all of her inhabitants. I believe that the mass adaption of meditation practice can dramatically support our collective flourishing both personally and collectively by providing a space for the effective responding to these growing existential risks. If you’re interested in this topic and why I’m going into monastic training environment, check out the video.

@happyhappy @BipolarGrowth @ardacigin Thank you ❤️

Really interesting. Thank you so much for sharing, and again just thank you for sharing your experiences with this post’s detailed responses.