Raptorsin7

@MAYA EL Any tips on how to become proficient? Can you essentially do whatever you want while dreaming?

@Rasheed Yes, multi tasking will kill your concentration (i'm multitasking right now lol). You don't want your attention bouncing around like that because it's the opposite of what concentration. It's hard, i know i multitask way too much, but without concentration you can't go deeper into the meditation, and multitasking plus internet browsing will kill your attention/concentration. You want your concentration practice to bleed into your everyday life, and multitasking is the opposite of a concentration practice. I also highly recommend using a metronome during concentration practice, i find it very helpful.

@Nahm Is it preferable to put all this energy into thinking thoughts that will change our life in x number of ways, or should we just watch thoughts and learn to disassociate from thoughts all together? I remember reading a post on the forum about how we must break the cycle of thinking bad thoughts then thinking good thoughts to counterbalance the bad, and instead just observe thoughts and let them lose power over us. Thoughts?

How have you guys found dating while on the path of self actualization and enlightenment. Are there many beautiful girls that are emotionally mature enough to be worth dating while pursing this kind of work? How has dating been for those with significant enlightenment experiences? I've never dated before in my life, i'm 24 now, and i'm really interested in finding a partner but i'm not sure how likely it is to find someone incredibly attractive who is also compatible with my higher spiritual goals. Any insights would be appreciated.

How can i use my meditation practice to help me get into flow in everyday activities. Stuff like class work, basketball, softball, and conversations/social situations. Is there a type of meditation practice that is more conducive to cultivating flow in our everyday lives. Also, for the enlightened folks on here, can you access flow states whenever you want in your life? Were you able to enter flow states before becoming enlightened? Thanks (:

@Leo Gura Ok

@Leo Gura Do you have any advice for someone trying to self actualize in the conventional sense; for example, establishing an amazing relationship, excelling in sports and work, experiencing frequent peak experiences and spending significant amount of time in flow. I do self inquiry work for at least an hour a day, but i don't really know if this work is going to bring me towards self actualization like i wanted it to. Do you have any interest in this kind of stuff anymore?

@Leo Gura Have you stabilized your awakening experiences? Would you consider yourself enlightened, using the definition from mastering the core teachings of the Buddha, whereby you no longer suffer from delusions of a stable self? How have you changed from when you first began self inquiry to now?

@onacloudynight LOL (:

@onacloudynight And then Leo is going to start sleeping with our wives/girlfriends and we'll know we made it as a spiritual community (:

@Nahm But how do i know what is resistance to flow? I honestly don't even know if i've had a legit flow experience in life, at least not recent enough to where i remember it. I'm usually pretty mindful in class, but i usually oscillate between being lost in thought and focusing on what the professor is saying. I feel like there's a better way to experience class but i don't know how to go about doing it.

@cetus56 Wow so this tech can actually be used to monitor how close i am to flow in any given meditation session??? So presumably i could hook my self up, meditate for 2 hours, then track how close i was to flow in any given session and work from there? This sounds like technology that is years away so im definitively skeptical.

@Truth Addict Why 5 hours? I do an hour of self inquiry per day right now, but my concentration skills definitely could use some work. What will i get from 5 hours that i'm not getting from my current 1 hour practice

@cetus56 Never heard of that i'll check it out. But why does monitoring heart rate help me get into flow?

@Kalki Avatar i think you should keep meditating, i don't think it will dissolve a new self image you are creating. I also study law haha good luck with school man (:

@Nahm I disagree. There is going to be a time, who knows how long, where @Kalki Avatar will be working towards stabilized enlightenment and in the mean time it's very much going to matter what your self image and subconscious are like. I'd recommend psycho-cybernetics it does a great job of going over the value of a positive self image. I don't think these two pursuits are antithetical to one-another, work towards enlightenment but at the same time develop a healthy self image.

@Ibn Sina Your friend likely felt threatened by your achievements, and now is responding to that feeling by putting you down. A lot of guys have a bro culture where they roast each other and they view it as a sign of there friendship, so it is possible this is just how this guy expresses his friendship, but you will be a better of judge of his motives than i could be. A lot of people in life are psychologically disturbed in some form of another, myself included, and it manifests in treating people in ways that rub them the wrong way, but the person engaging in the behavior is either unaware or they don't have the sense to actually care about how they are making others feel. I strongly recommend against scolding him, you will create unnecessary drama simply to prove to him and those around you that you are a no nonsense guy. Find a more diplomatic way to tell this guy to stop treating you like that, like maybe tell him you don't like that kind of joking around and it's not cool that he keeps doing it. This is very much a him problem not a you problem, but still take care when dealing with these kind of people you don't need to create unnecessary enemies in life it will only cause you hardship in the future.

@Dwarniel Yea that is my instinct as well. I don't expect to find someone committed to the path like me, but there will be girls who better embody healthy traits simply through a good upbringing, and also happen to be good looking and open minded haha.

@Devi Shanti It really depends on the girl. If she's a unicorn ,rich, beautiful, kind, open-minded, and intelligent then i'd defintely try the relationship. But for me 99% of girls who are celebate will be an instant turn off. Its too dogmatic, i can't think of a good, secular, reason why someone would remain celebate.

@Privet Yes

@Leo Gura But people will be more or less compatible with these kinds of concepts right? I imagine there's a spectrum whereby girls on one end will have personalities/lifestyles that are more conducive to this kind of work

@ajasatya Alright will do thanks

@ajasatya What kind of classes? I just started doing yoga, and I'm currently in law school so I spend a decent amount of time at my university but I don't really interact with people outside the law school. Right now i'm just focusing on going to class, studying, going to yoga/gym and trying to be friendly to everyone. I have no interest in cold approach due to my fear of looking like a creep and because I want to get know someone before I actually ask them out, so i'm not sure how long it will take to meet someone like this.

@system Thanks i just read it. I can't wait haha

@Meditationdude @Matt8800 What is the dark knight? I'm doing self inquiry work right now and I've yet to breakthrough but is something I should prepare for?