Raptorsin7

@Aakash Ahh very interesting. I'm not interested in absolute truth, although I guess after exhausting my interests I'm going to come to the conclusion that what I've been searching for has always been absolute truth, i'm more interested in improving my fitness, my self image, my overall happiness and relationships. Is enlightenment going to be beneficial on this path? Also, do you think an hour of self inquiry and a mild concentration is enough to gain all the insights you just mentioned or am I going to need DMT and LSD to get there?

@Aakash So then why pursue this at all? If the end of the game Is to end up right where I am now then I wouldn't want to keep playing haha. There must be some benefit or something to self inquiry? Has your spiritual path had any effect on worldly aspects of success like fitness, relationships, self esteem etc?

@Aakash It is difficult to follow what you're saying given my experience is all dualistic. I know you mean well and I appreciate you taking time to help myself and others but I know for myself and i'm sure many others I just can't make sense of a lot of what you say because i haven't had those kinds of experiences. How should I interrupt what you say from your perspective?

@Inliytened1 Thank you very much for your insights. It feels good to know i'm close even though idk how close I really am haha. When I achieve some sort of break through with self inquiry ill definitely post about it and I hope to hear your thoughts. Good luck with your path man.

@Aakash ahh thank's for clarifying that. Do you really believe that reality is infinite in the sense that if I imagined my self as having the abilities of superman I could actually manifest those powers? Do you believe in some limits like the laws of our universe etc? I'm not trying to denigrate that idea because clearly we are only on the cusp of what is possible in this universe, but some of the more out there claims regarding enlightenment I've always just dismissed but i'm curious to what you think is possible.

@Inliytened1 I think no self is losing the identification with the "I" of the mind so you can just observe it and not follow it as if that's all there is to me. As far as the feeling in my head, I understand that it doesn't need to be there and I would exist just fine if my awareness were to just focus on anything I am focusing on rather than default to this position. I feel like there is the world and my awareness, and I can shine my awareness on everything in the world and that is all there is. But to be honest i'm not sure, all the jargon surrounding enlightenment like I am the world and I am love etc etc sounds great and If I experienced a major awareness shift I wouldn't be shocked because I've spent a lot of time thinking about this stuff, its just I don't experience any of this stuff in my own experience so it all rings hollow.

@Aakash What kind of traps should I watch out for?

@Inliytened1 The issue is I have watched so many videos on no self that my understanding Is beyond what I experience. For example, I know I'm not the feeling behind my eyes because I feel nothing there when i'm sleeping or focused on reading, yet I still exist in a general sense. However, I would say that my awareness identifies most strongly with the feeling in my head/the feeling behind my eyes, for example when I stop and try to be mindful while writing this paragraph my awareness goes right to the pressure in my head. I'm just powering through with the practices right now, and i'm about to start ashtanga yoga in a few days, but i'm not sure how I can make my direct experience catch up with my knowledge on the subject.

@TrynaBeTurquoise Ooo i did the float tank for about year before i got seriously into self inquiry ill definitely try it.

Does anyone have experience using edible weed as a way to enhance one's self inquiry process? Is edible weed similar in function to drugs like LSD and DMT when applied to self inquiry? I'm planning on starting to use psychedelics to enhance my self inquiry but I won't have access to LSD for at least a few weeks and was wondering if edible weed is a valuable substitute or if I should just wait for LSD. Thanks a lot.

@Consilience Ok thanks ill check it out

@Meditationdude But how often your mind wanders and how often you get lost in thought is directly proportional to your concentration. Its a spectrum not black and white.

@Meditationdude I read some posts where they said you don't need high levels of concentration to achieve awakening from self inquiry. Not that you don't need concentration but you don't as much concentration as one might think to get results from self inquiry.

Thanks a lot for the responses.

Hi, would it be unwise to use contemplation as a way to progress through different spiral stage, like advancing through orange or advancing from orange to yellow. Additionally, I had a period of my life where I was very depressed and suffered from very low self esteem, and then I kind of hit a low point that prompted to try many self help techniques over a short period of time, like "fake it until you make it", cold showers, and intense exercise. This transition from depression to non-depression led to feel the best I had ever felt in my life for about 6 months post depression, whereby I got my grades back up and sort of recovered many superficial/material marks of success that I lost due to depression. The issue is it has been a few years since that transition and I feel like in many ways i'm back to a level of consciousness that I was at before the depression, but not quite where I was at in the period immediately following the depression. I've thought for a while about how I can practice techniques that could get me back to what felt like an elevated level of consciousness, and I've recently begun the practice of contemplation. So basically, I'm wondering of using contemplation as a way to understand exactly what I did during my depression that led me to feel much better than I have ever felt Is a misguided approach; part of me feels like a drug addict trying to get back to a previous high, but at the same time I feel like that period of my life was incredibly valuable and if I could get my consciousness back to that level it would only serve to enhance my self-actualization journey. Sorry for the ramble, I've never really expressed this with anyone and I'm curious to what people on this forum think of my dilemma. Thanks.

@Serotoninluv Yes I've had a similar experience in basketball. I guess I need to continue with the meditations. Thanks for the advice.

Can you transition from an egoic state to an enlightened state/state of no self in the course of a 60 minute sit on a consistent basis or is it difficult to get back to that peak state?

@DocHoliday That makes sense. Its tough to talk about this stuff from my perspective because i'm starting to realize how limited my perspective is.

@DocHoliday Thanks for the insights. Good luck man

@DocHoliday Haha thanks that made me smile. If you don't mind me asking, have you had a non-dual experience and if you did was it sustained?

But from my perspective/experience I still live in a duality so speaking of my own experiences in terms of non-dual wouldn't make sense because it would just be thought and not grounded in actual experience. I'm basically dual until I get a glimpse of non-dual and from that point is it just permanent non dual or do people mostly go back to how they perceived reality prior to the experience?@DocHoliday

@TrynaBeTurquoise@TrynaBeTurquoise You're right I did a poor job framing the question. I equated the experience of no self with the experience of enlightenment. Change enlightenment to a feeling no self where you become reality then what do you think?

@saffron How long have you been meditating? It takes time to realize the effects meditation will have on your life. If you can meditate comfortably for an hour while recognizing when you are lost in thought then I would recommend starting self inquiry work on top of your meditation. The problems you have are coming from YOU and self inquiry will help you wake up to who you really are not what you think you are.

I'm about to start my first year of law school, but I'm having stronger reservations because most of the reasons i'm going to law school in the first place are shallow/egotistical. Given everything I've learned from Leo about life purpose and enlightenment, I just can't see myself enjoying something as mundane as litigating corporate mergers or some other type of "prestigious" legal work. However, I brought up my anxieties with my parents and they were very distressed and want me to continue through and at least finish the 3 year program before I do something else. I am also very lucky because my parents are paying for the entire program and living expenses, and if I treat law school like a 9-5 job I will have at least 3-4 hours for all the stuff i'm currently interested in (self inquiry/enlightenment, yoga, other interests that may arise). Any insight or advice would be appreciated.

@Average Investor Best of luck to you as well.