Raptorsin7

I'm very confused about how to control my thinking. Sometimes I hear people say that you don't control thinking, and that thoughts are simply arising in awareness. But on the other hand I think that my thinking habits are the reason I am unhappy, and so i need to change thinking habits to improve my feeling in life. But how do i resolve this paradox? Am in control of thinking or are thoughts just arising outside of my control? Also, can someone expand on the role of thinking in how we feel about our lives. Why is it that thinking is important to happiness?

@tsuki Have you ever looked at @Nahms threads or comments. He is very wise, and has helped me a lot. He could probably help you. Good luck friend. As i learn more i'll come back and try to help.

@tsuki Yeah sorry I get that what i'm saying may not be resonating. I'm just trying to help. I just believe that major life improvements are much closer than people realize.

@tsuki No, then you are not understanding it fully. You are thinking too much. The more concepts you have about this stuff the farther away you are from the truth that will set you free. I don't know exactly what you're doing, or what beliefs you have, that are causing you so much suffering. But i'm confident that there is something subtle about your reality and direct experience that is fucking you. You are the source of your own suffering. Not your boss, not your parents, YOU. Keep trying your best though. I hope things get better soon (:

@28 cm unbuffed Are you happy and satisfied with your life then? If you are already happy and satisfied what is your motivation to continue with spiritual work?

@28 cm unbuffed So you're enlightened?

@28 cm unbuffed Yea that is what i'm seeking too. I accept that my happiness will have to be unconditional for it to be meaningful. But how to start this process?

@Max_V Very good. I have a similar complex around achievement. Part of the reason i'm on this forum is because I want to be super successful, and achieve my greatest potential. But then I think why i even care about this. That why is the important part. Whatever reason you think you have for researching this stuff is bullshit. Examine the why, and you will learn so much more.

@28 cm unbuffed agreed

@Surfingthewave I don't agree necessarily with that. Life never stops, and we will always be growing throughout our lives i have no doubt. But in terms of happiness and satisfaction with life that is binary. I am looking for happiness, the same way people look for water in a desert. It's not true to say that a thirsty guy in a desert is on a lifelong journey to improve his water getting. No, he gets his water he's done and now he moves onto other issues. This is how i view happiness. It's like a character trait. Some people are just happy and satisfied for some reasons. Others, like me, are looking hard for it. I'm the guy in the desert looking for water. When i get my water i'm good

@Max_V Why do you care about intelligence at all?

@Bluff I can that stand for only moments at a time before i get dragged back into content. I know changing thinking can work wonders that's why im so interested in it. I want to get this little win, before i move onto something more advanced like trying to embody just plane awareness in every moment of my life.

@tsuki I understand. There's no problem with looking for another job and trying to get out of the toxic situation. But don't make a rash decision out of anger and fear. You have a lot of emotional baggage clearly, and it seems you aware of a lot of your issues. What do you think of what i wrote above. Do you believe you can change your happiness from within? Do you even believe it's possible?

@28 cm unbuffed Yea i'm not arguing any of that at all. But if it's you vs Nikolas Tesla and there's a math problem. Good luck with all those nootropics, and psychedelics.

@Max_V Genes will determine the content of your brain. The types of neurons, etc. Then the brain is responsible for your intelligence or problem solving ability. But the brain is very complex so I'm not sure how intelligence will change in the future.

@Surfingthewave I don't believe in the chemical inbalance theory of depression. I agree with the other parts though, I also have poor discipline so i can't implement those things at will. I have a lot of soft addictions that are difficult to uproot.

@Max_V Yea. Think of the brain as a computer. Computers have different RAM, Hard drive space, graphics cards. Each computer is the sum of it's parts, which will define the limits of the what the computer can do. Human brains are the same. Those underlying structural differences are due to differences in our genes.

@Max_V I think intelligence comes down to your ability to problem solve. So people are limited in their ability to think creatively, work with multiple concepts and paradigms at once. Their minds operate like computers and they are efficient at solving problems, and recognizing where the next problems are going to arise in their problem. So those guys I mentioned are at bottom elite problem solvers. If you ask me how to solve a complex math equation I will have no clue wtf is going on. If you ask Einstein. He will learn the relevant math, he will go through the steps and problem solve until he reaches a point where he can solve the math equation. And he will do efficiently so he's not spending a lifetime learning Calculus.

@Max_V Based on personal experience I think we have innate limits to our intelligence based on our genes. Guys like Albert Einstein, Nikolas Telsa, these guys are a different breed. To make the argument that genes don't limit our intelligence would be to say that anyone could be Einstein or Telsa which I think is foolish.

I don't really know what's preventing happiness. It's just when i stop and look at my life, and more importantly how I feel about my life it just doesn't feel good. I feel like life should feel way better than this, and I've experienced times in my life where life was much more satisfying and enjoying. So i'm trying to solve it with meditation by going for enlightenment but I think what I really want is genuine happiness. @Nahm gave me great advice about aligning thinking with feeling and stuff. But i'm still confused. I don't know what specific thoughts are causing me to be unhappy. I just know right now i'm not happy. And i feel like I could feel 10000 million times happier but I just don't for some reason.

@tsuki Ok don't compromise your families financial situation then if you aren't stable. Be careful. You can get happiness without making huge changes in your life. I am also currently not happy but I have a different context then you. Happiness is a choice. We are the only reason we are unhappy. Our outside life means nothing. I know it doesn't seem like that right now from your POV. But is the truth of our reality. The longer we deny this truth the more we will suffer. Have you talked to @Nahm about happiness before? He can give you great advice. Listen to Rupert Spira and Abraham Hicks for happiness. This talk is legit.

@Derek White I can silence the mind for moments, but I still face resistance and get dragged back into thinking and procrastination. But isn't the first step changing thinking? Can i run before I walk here and just detach from thinking altogether. Feels like it might be too much

@Anderz That's wild. I honestly felt some panic with my ego when you said that about NPC's. This work is too crazy sometimes lol

@Derek White I will read long replies about this specific topic. I'm going to do a long meditation session like 3 or 4 hours based on advice from another post here who posts about happiness in meditation. I can observe thinking, i have a decent amount of mindfulness. i've made big improvement with my quality of life with changing thinking patterns in the past so I know it's possible and I liked the higher state i got too. I understand ultimately I will transcend these kinds of questions but i'm not there yet. Right now i just really want to find genuine, lasting happiness in my life because I feel like i'm missing it. And changing thinking seems like the most practical thing I can do right now based on where i'm at.

Haha i'm too scared to try DMT too! I have done LSD a few times and it's not too crazy at all. I think you could handle a low dose LSD trip. I think i'm going to start with LSD and then work my way up to DMT.