Consilience

1) Yes 100% 2) I think it stems from childhood sports. I used to be the smallest kid in my grade and this created an inferiority complex. Moreover, I was always intelligent as a kid but never quite as smart as the SMART kids. For example, I was like 90th percentile frustrated I wasnt 98th+. This created a lot of emotional and mental self abuse and planted a deep seed for self improvement, and ultimately self actualization. Eventually I stumbled onto Leo’s work and was lucky enough and wise enough to see its enormous value. 3) The entire mind structure has radically transformed. Im able to process emotions quicker, Im able to feel emotions more strongly, Im much more detached and willing to let things go. My anger management problems have nearly disappeared. My concentration ability has skyrocketed. Awareness has expanded to levels and realms I didn't think possible both in meditation and with psychedelics. My understanding of philosophy is probably better than most academic professors at this point which I know sounds egotistical but after having read many philosophy books, classes, videos, papers, etc., and pursuing this consciousness work, I see fundamental errors mainstream philosophy simply does not acknowledge. This feels good because Ive always been interested in philosophy. My appreciation, love, and reverence for all facets of existence are much higher. My heart and mind feel the most open they’ve ever been. 4) My life will never be the same because of stumbling into actualized.org. It has been deeply meaningful. Cognition, emotions, relationships, wisdom, self respect, work ethic, authenticity, mindfulness... all of these have improved. 5) I am happier. But I also go through periods where I feel light modes of depression, particularly after having deeper and deeper insights. Sometimes it seems difficult for the mind structure and ego to handle, and negative emotions get thrown up as defense mechanisms (ego backlash). But even i. Depression there is a still equanimity always present that Im able to tap into. As others have said, happiness comes and goes but peace persists and it is deeply fulfilling. However that being said, Im the happiest Ive ever been.

Yeah, randomness is actually an impossibility in the absolute sense. Or maybe a better phrasing is that true randomness simply does not exist. Randomness implies, “could have been otherwise” but there is only right now. There is only being. So.. yeah no need to get too deep in an explanation. Yes this coin flip method is awesome. Although it’s funny because sometimes when you flip you’ll discover which answer your heart or mind actually wants. So then the outcome isn’t even the most useful data. I like it great post

@The Don Are you serious? Do you realize the ecological damage Trump is causing? Do you realize the amount of damage to the white house he’s doing? Lies upon lies upon lies. Inarticulate egomaniac, narcissist. Yeah Trumps not a probkem huh? Tell that to the immigrants at the border camps, tell that to those with chronic health conditions who get fucked over by big pharma’s price gouging which he wont over do anything about, tell that to the shrinking middle class due to the increasing wealth gap, tell that to the homeless veterans who get shit on while all our military spending goes towards the military industrial complex. The problems go on and on. To claim the left is part of the problem when the United States is overwhelmingly more conservative is myopic and misinformed It’s so funny... Trump’s grabbed his fanbase by the p*ssy and they dont even know it. Lolz

This perspective is great. On rare occasion, I will feel this perspective with meditation but unfortunately monkey mind continued to be a very problematic feature of my meditation sessions. Since then Ive been doing deliberate practices aimed at settling my mind’s energy and training attention’s focusing. My intention is to be able to reach deep states of samatha and then returning meditation to its purest form which is just Being.

Unfortunately I don't have any book recommendations, but what I've started doing during my meditation sessions (I do 1 hour per day) is the first 45 minutes I will exclusively focus on my breath, but that last 15 minutes, I let my attention expand into awareness while simultaneously allowing the feelings of gratitude and love to unfold. It's interesting, my background with spirituality is totally intellectual. I only stumbled into Leo's content because of a deep intellectual curiosity into the nature of consciousness. For better or for worse, Leo's content has always been more intellectual for me. It's almost like his work and videos act as a way for me to "open my 3rd eye" so to speak. However, on my first LSD trip I was shown infinite love and infinite gratitude, and what was so astonishing was not only did the LSD show me these things, but I had the insight that it was my mind which broke my connection to these things. I had finally started to "open my heart chakra." The very nature of reality is one of total, complete infinite acceptance, love and self gratitude, which is wildly unexplainable to the logical mind. It is the human mind, the human ego which clouds consciousness, or God from seeing this fact and yet nevertheless these facets of reality persist. For anything to Be requires Being to fully Accept what is. In terms of recommended practices: Actively practicing gratitude inside and outside of meditation is huge. Practicing acceptance of whatever form is arising too. This acceptance will eventually snowball into love. And finally, contemplating the nature of Love, Gratitude, Reverence, and Acceptance while on psychedelics. I hope this helps <3 And also, thank you for sharing your journey thus far. It was an incredibly interesting read

Do you feel grateful for what you’ve learned? Do you feel grateful for your individuated, illusory moment of living this lifetime of nexusoflife? Your awakening process seems to lack love and gratitude for what God, you have done. Love and appreciate what it is you have done. You certainly have reached levels of consciousness 99% of humans havent reached, at least that’s what your post makes it sounds like. But it can always go deeper. And particularly deeper into what Existential Love is. Total absolute acceptance of what is. Total acceptance of form, acceptance of formlessness, and reverence and gratitude for all that exists or doesn’t.

@Truth Addict @kieranperez Cute finish

Tbh this response didn't answer what I was asking at all. Why does reality appearing logical, consistent, stable, or anyway at all mean anything? How do you know you aren't dreaming this all up? How do you know this isn't just be simulated?

I'll definitely have to check it out. Thank you for the recommendation

Why should this mean reality’s not a fantasy or dream? Why does consistent, continuous, “logical” (there’s literally nothing logical about existence existing though), stability, etc... mean it’s real? Do you see how arbitrary of a definition you're giving real here? What if despite these traits you’re describing it WAS a dream? What if the dream of God was stable, consistent, logical, etc.?

It is interesting, true. But let me point this fact out. In the most Absolute sense, this post is correct, however also in an Absolute sense, there are two “destinies” for humanity, if you will. Destiny 1) is the continued expansion of consciousness as we are doing in this community, and across time. If you look at humanity, particularly through the lens of Spiral Dynamics, it is quite clear that humanity is transforming, so in the relative sense there is transformation taking place or Destiny 2) which is total extinction of the human race. Perhaps this 2nd destiny is inevitable anyways. Here’s the key insight- there are only tw outcomes for humanity, continued expansion or extinction. Destiny 1 is the only way humanity isn't going to kill itself off through some mass scale ecological meltdown or through some irreversible war. We have to expand consciousness, awareness, love, self understanding as individuals and as a collective- how do we do this? Well actualized.org is a great resource and there are many others. Like I said though, Destiny 2 may be inevitable in the end. Maybe all of our efforts for growth are in vain but... yeah well we already knew that because we’re all gonna die. However, until that happens there’s literally nothing else to do besides try to raise the collective consciousness of humanity. Yeah you could sit on the sidelines and do nothing, watching by with the Truth that nothing really matters and all is perfect, or you could work your ass off at self realization and life purpose, thus raising the collective conscious of the world as you self actualize and give your unique individual gifts back to the Universe. Life Purpose and trying to “make a change” in this light is a form of gratitude, a recognition of just how precious an opportunity it is to be alive and able to give back to existence. You can either seize this momentously rare opportunity YOU have as an individual to help shape the collective Destiny towards 1 (or 2) or you can watch the world go by passively. Each option is equally perfect. Each option need not be illusory. This idea that there is nothing to do is valid yet it lacks taking Nihilism full circle. There’s nothing to do is synonymous with there’s everything to do. Each is perfect. Each is not the Absolute and thus both are illusory in some way shape or form. - just a side note, it is a false dichotomy to think that self actualization work, life purpose, is antithetical to understanding Absolute Truth. All is Truth.

@Leo Gura what is worth more to you, gaining insights into the nature of God, or full blown stabilized Enlightenment? The kind Ralston spoke of when he went all super saiyan zen (he acted all angry about states)?

In addition to keep up your practice, Id also recommend reading the mind illuminated if you’re interested in achieving a calm and focused mind for this work.

Very interesting Leo. Thank you for being transparent with us.

Applied metaphysics, epistemology, and ontology. A first person, existential investigation of direct experience.

Thank you for sharing ?? What an inspiring read

I feel like I understand the Intent of Ralston’s message here but it feels inappropriate to not acknowledge that some states of experience are more conducive towards existential realizations than others. Perhaps I misunderstand how to contemplate from his perspective but... yeah. For example, focus is HUGE. Good luck realizing your true nature if your attention is continually dragged away from one thought to the next. Why is this not acknowledged? I don’t know.

I must admit, my ego felt riled up watching, but it just goes to show how much more work I have to do. Very interesting video.

Oh damn just realized someone else posted this. Fee free to delete mods

Bingo

Definitely Kotor 2. Game had so so so much philosophy in it... I dont think Id ever have gotten into spirituality as an adult if not playing that game so thoroughly as a kid.

? nah no triggering but your response makes me laugh. Have a great day good sir. Im glad you’re aware that no one is aware and that you’re aware awareness is a lie

@Truth Addict then why say something as silly as “there’s no actual awareness” ? Who is aware at this supposed lack of awareness?

That’s the paradox of formlessness (awareness). It is literal nothing. You cannot point to nothing and yet it is the underlying nature of reality. Whenever one tries to talk about it yes of course duality arises. Real awareness, real formlessness, real nothingness can only be pointed to with language, and one can only become conscious of this absolute via itself. Awareness knows itself by being itself, awareness cannot point to itself. This is the key insight you misunderstand. To deny awareness is to deny your very direct experience.

This is amazing What’s your YouTube channel? Id love to check some of your videos out