Eph75

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Posts posted by Eph75

  3. Posted · Edited by Eph75

    That's all very broad.

    What is it that you imagines that you would have done, which you have only done 10% of?

    What is it that has been stopping you from doing "all that"?

    And why is it that that "what" has stopped you?

    And what kind of internal work have you done to make anything happen?

    Do you feel that "enlightenment" is the fix all solution? And what do you imagine would happen if you suddenly would find yourself being "enlightened"?

    There are a lot of questions, contemplation is key in order to help taking us "somewhere".

  4. Posted · Edited by Eph75

    While time being a mental construct and also the past only existing in the mind as a mental construct that past is very much prone to being a misrepresentation of reality even more so than what the perception of the current moment is. That illusion of time doesn't negate the representation of perceptions of moments experienced "in the past" even if we should say that there is only this moment. Well, unless they are fully false memories and not false in the sense of inaccuracy through perception. 

    The past happening right now in the mind whenever the thought of the past occurs means it is experienced right now and we own the capacity to change the past by reinventing or reinterpreting the perception of that past. We do that with or without intent. It happens all the time. 

    IMO it adds confusion when trying to make sense of this when applying the idea that everything is happening in your mind and hence is only an illusion.

    I find the topic interesting yet hard to make sense of all the thoughts that are being thrown out there, there's a lot of implicit subjective assumption in these kind of topics. 

  5. Posted

    I'd say..

    Pay attention to what you are telling yourself. Hell is created by that internal voice when it gets to do its thing unchecked.

    A) Become aware of the voice in your head

    B) of what it is saying

    C) that it's bullshitting you 99% of the time

    D) treat what it tells you with maximum sceptisism

    If you manage to understand this, experience it while it's full at work and challenge it, that will turn you away from the destructive paths it lays out before you.

    You will be going to better places. 

  8. Posted · Edited by Eph75

    15 minutes ago, Bill W said:

    I think the main thing is to find a vagina that fits you lol.

    Which brings up a related - and should be equally interesting - topic. Do women suffer a self-esteem hit as they get older and their vaginas become - not sure what the most accurate term is - not as firm as it used to be?

  10. Posted · Edited by Eph75

    Are you sure a defense mechanism is that crude? That's not really a question. Don't underestimate the subtleness of the ego. Instead recognize and ask what might be going on here that is not readily available for you to percieve. 

    I don't know you so what I say means nothing, of course, but also recognize that you reasoning this way actually means something. That something is much more interesting from a growth perspective. 

    Loving the stage we're in is loving life. Life is to be loved. I don't think tier 2 underestimate tier 1, rather the opposite, appreciates the stages for what the are. They're part of all of us. And they are more apparent from a perspective beyond. Actually, they are not seen as a direct thing from within tier 1.

  11. Posted · Edited by Eph75

    We're constantly adapting and picking up patterns whether we know it or not. 

    I'm guessing that there was something about these things that they did that resonated with you and that is why you remember that. 

    Being social creatures we are pre-programmed to fit in socially, being accepted in a social setting. So adopting features that we ourselves find compelling, straight off carbon copy or modified, knowingly or unknowingly, is not a strange thing.

    I've done the same. It's harder to do the same when you are conscious of it, as it comes out as a bit ridicules, and we tweak it to be more our new behavor than mimicing someone elses behavior. 

    Have you ever notised someone else copying someones behavior and thinking "oh she/he is totally copying him/her"? Happens all the time. 

    If you have a poor self-image or low self-esteeme I imagine that you would be more prone to do this as you have greater a need to fit in/be accepted.

    The line between building a facade and an actual behavior shift can be hair-thin. Adopting behaviors isn't bad, facades usually are. 

    Facades not to be mixed up with roles, we can put on a role at work that essentially is a kind of facade, but that facade is purpose driven to fulfull a function more so than hide something that we've made "ugly". 

  12. Posted · Edited by Eph75

    @EternalForest Do you see that you argue that the stage you are in is the best stage - which coincidentally is a trait of the teir 1 stages. 

    You don't have to transcend-transcend-transcend. It sounds like the words of the achiever, the orange stage, with a need to succeed. Well, you don't need to anything.

    You don't transcend stages, each stage is building on the previous stage. So you won't end up waking up one morning feeling like "you" have been lost. You're not losing anything, you're gaining something new. Of course you're losing limitations in making sense of things, but you won't miss "not being able to make sense" or "making less sense" any more than you probably don't miss wearing and pooping in diapers. 

    Your reasoning sounds like it is coming out of fear of what's not known and it manifesting as a defence mechanism that is working hard at convincing yourself that the best thing would be just to stay where you are at.

    The beaut is that you don't have to convince anyone, just do what you feel is right at this very moment. There's no twisting of arms. But you're probably allured by what's on that other side, otherwise you wouldn't be here.

    The problem is that you can't convince someone for whom doing his business in the toilet makes sense to agree to it making more sense to regress to "pooping in diapers". The example is ridicules, but it is really the same mechanism at work.

     

  13. Posted

    Personality is a set of behavioral scripts that is based on the belief systems/paradigms that the ego has attached itself to, so that it can assess, judge, accept, reject ... and operate autonomously without mindfulness. I.e. a figment of your imagination, ignorance, that keeps you away from the discovering that you're not who/what it has limited yourself into thinking you are. 

  14. Posted · Edited by Eph75

    6 hours ago, ErikaLayne said:

    Hmm so you think that the ability of introspection is something you either just have in the first place or you just don't? 

    Well, no, we're all the same with the same inherent capabilities but some of us have strayed farther away from the path, building stronger defensive mechanisms and walls - and - it is probably harder for them to let go of their paradigms in order to tear those defenses down, so that they can open their eyes and see.

    Externalizing problems is a very effective defens mechanism as it removes you out of the equation - but also away from any solution.

  15. Posted · Edited by Eph75

    On 2020-02-22 at 4:57 AM, Adodd said:

    @Eph75 I am glad you brought this up. Through some freak coincidence I clicked on Leo's video called "concentration vs meditation", in which he mentions reaching this "access concentration". I have been hardcore concentrating on my breath and navel before I reach this state so this term is something that really caught my attention however I'm not sure I really understand what it is. Is it just a temporary mind state? Is it a higher state of consciousness or awareness(this is how it feels)? Is it just clarity through concentrating or just extreme concentration? All of the above maybe?

    Sorry, I struggle with the length of my posts. This got even longer than usual. Also more personal than usual :$

    In meditation, things don't mean much and it's a bit of a trap to try to put meaning on things. We love trying to make meaning out of things even if there is no meaning to be found. We create meaning. But it is only adding distracting and preventing us from going further. 

    Meditation - well this form of it at least - is about doing nothing so that nothing can do its work on you. 

    With that said, there's your question  "when" this happens, and you're perfectly right. It happens when you manage to reduce your mind straying about. The absolute best is to try having "no thought" but that is extremely hard. For me I get the sensation of falling into a blackness when that happens and usually I get pulled right back out due to reacting/thinking about it. When I manage to let myself stay there for a while time is lost, it's like sleeping but not sleepy. Although - and as of yet - I can only manage short bursts of this state. I'd love to be able to stay there for hours. 

    While "no thought" is hard, "less thought" is easier but still the mind wants to stray. By focusing on one single thing, it doesn't matter what that is, it can be a hand, a finger, foot, forehead, "third eye" , pulse in arm, sensation of passning air at the base of your nostrils, and by being strict on not letting mind wander at the same time as minimizing thoughts/analysis, you will reach access concentration. 

    I myself put my thought into the void behind the blackness of the visual field and find that more "no thought" can be found there. But whatever works works.

    So in short, access concentration is when you've calmed the mind so that it doesn't do thought-hopping. It is just the first stage of increased concentration and you should allow yourself to go further. This is where it gets tricky, as it feels amazingly good beyond this point, and the acknowlegdement of this sensation is thought, and thought takes you out of it. So you need to learn to not let the occassional thought interfere with the process, let it go.

    With time that occassional thought will interfere less. And with time those occassional thoughts will be fewer. It's difficult to say that you have no thought, that's probably impossible but they can be let passed without attention. 

    When staying in access concentration for a while, the next pleasure challenge will come, the "rising and passing away". They are probably very individual so this is highly subjective, and for me it is usually (99% of the time) one of a limited few differnt forms of the same type of lightning effects. The absolutely most common is that a black/blueish-metallic void appear in the visual spectrum (eyes closed) , rather large and it moves away getting more concentrated. As it gets smaller it grows an outer orange/firey glow around the edges and as it grows the void shrinks down to a glowing electric dot and then down to nothing, at the same time as the organge light grows up to 100% of the visual field. At the same time as it reaches 100% it turns into a new black void that shoots off into the distance. That cycle is repeated over and over, sometimes a very short while, less than a minute, sometimes maybe 15 minutes (time perspective is problematic when you get to this point), but usually somewhere inbetween. Sometimes the orange is circling around the void and end up exiting right, never left.

    You know when you get here, these phenomena are not subtle, they are absolute. Why does it do that? What does it mean?

    So what does it mean. Nothing. Just be along for the ride and don't react when it ends. Place no thought or meaning to the intensity nor length of the phenomena, it's distraction. Also don't try getting here, that's also distraction. Do nothing.

    With time you get to this state quicker and quicker. Currently I'm there somewhere between 3 and 15 minutes into the meditation, wholey depending on how much peace of mind I've had during the day. If I'm having good days I even get here when awaken, when going to bed in the evening, after being to the restroom in the night or during my meditative morning walk. 

    This got very personal, I try not going personal but since the meditation experience is fully subjective I felt it might be helpful to hear what it can be like. 

    Also, these two states are the easy ones, they are more of switch-on states that defines the start of the meditation session, you will get through them and you will learn to get through them quickly.

    Key is "do nothing, think nothing, just sit". 

    If you want some reading, I'd recommend Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha by Daniel Ingram. It's free both as audio book and pdf. Audio book only first edition though, I think. 

    https://www.integrateddaniel.info/book

    Also Ten Happier podcast by Dan Harris Ep. #187 Is Enlightenment Possible for Regular People with said Daniel might also be interesting. Dan Harris has more podcasts on the topic that might be worth looking into. 

  17. Posted · Edited by Eph75

    My theory is that some people have a more or less inherent ability to awareness and consciousness through introspection but not having awakened those abilities becomes tools that instead of helping transcending ones problems actually work as excavating tools, digging the hole one is in deeper in every possible way. 

    At some point the bubble of ignorance is popped - typically through crisis - and you suddenly gain a lot of clarity as a result of all that contemplation work you've done without realizing it. 

    Other people have little or no ability to introspect and are externally focused around their problems and it makes it very hard as no solution is found "out there". 

    ...it's a theory, that matches my experience. 

  18. Posted

    Yeah sure :D but if you think about it, competition is usually about achieving excess and not just enough to cover the basic needs so that you can focus on being happy. We're products of a world in which we need to win, earn big, make success, be liked, having others look up to us, be beautiful, have the perfect poster-life and so on. Oh all that distraction...

  19. Posted · Edited by Eph75

    To me success is to effortlessly live in the current moment.

    I meditate in order increase my concentration levels, have better focus, have space of mind and a calmness and clarity that makes me see what I wouldn't see otherwise. It reduces mental chatter and as a result productive ideas seem to appear from nowhere when not even trying. It's a help in consciousness development. It does not make you happy by itself, but it helps creating a setting in which you can work on yourself from a creative perspective.

    It brings you closer to new insights.

  20. Posted · Edited by Eph75

    Who says you have to become a sage ^_^

    There's a misunderstanding that when being unattached - or less attached - to desires you're not supposed to make money or own things. That's not so, you can still do all of that but for different and more powerful reasons, or even for no reason at all. The things or pursuits won't own you. You don't need to be rich, but it's convenient to be able to buy things. You don't need a luxurious car to travel from A to B. You don't need to buy self-esteem. You don't have to look good in others' eyes. And so on.

    Being poor, you still need to cover some basic needs, so that you don't suffer in poverty, struggling with food and shelter and so on. But do you need to be "rich" - and more importantly - why do you think that you need to be rich? And what is true success?

  21. Posted · Edited by Eph75

    If you just want to make money and think that it will make you happy, you're in the wrong place ^_^ All this work here will move you towards seeing that all of that is what is actually causing the suffering you experience. You think that you need to fix something by adding more. When in fact it happens through reduction, especially reducing attachments to ideas that you just need that one more thing and then you can be happy. It will never happen, it will create more needs and more suffering.

    Trying to walk both paths and resisting the self-actualization one will create a cognitive dissonance and resulting in even more suffering.

    The self-actualization path is the right one to walk. But you have to have matured to a certain degree developmentally speaking in order to appreciate it.

    It's like aiming for being the world's fastest at running 100m but you're stuck thinking that it can be achieved without committing to hard training, healthy diet and so on. And you end up just feeling bad/disappointed about remaining slow.

  23. Posted

    10 minutes ago, Preety_India said:

    @Eph75 that's your opinion and you're entitled to that.. 

     

    Just a friendly observation.

    It's easy to miss our blind spots. E.g. you say that Indians don't know how to play victims, but you call out the racist card and want the thread locked while there's no racist content been written, merely observations related to culture and certain humor.

    That is playing victim.

  25. Posted · Edited by Eph75

    1 hour ago, Son of leo said:

    I would like to be actualized but this path is way too thorny, especially for me. How do you guys feel about this? 

     

    Why do you want to actualize? The very reason why is often the wrong reason as to why doing it.

    E.g. people do it because it seems to be a good thing, want to be like others, have others look up to you as you do look up to others that seem to have their shit sorted. Using it to get rich and famous, get all the materialistic stuff you always wanted. And so on, and so on. 

    Sure you can fulfill petty desires like that, but the underlying drive is about getting away from all of that. 

    Typically when you find your way into self-actualization you've already sorted out some psychological basic needs. 

    But it's easy to just look at YouTube videos (Leo) , finding the way to a forum, call yourself "son of Leo" ^_^ and then try to be something because it seems neat - that is not a good thing.

    There are a lot of people here with rather severe psychological issues that needs to be sorted out in order for the rest to fall in place. Without that there's going to be a lot of confusion. 

    The path is thorny because you don't like what you find, or don't understand what you see. And maybe you have not already committed to change, as it's all about changing as an individual. People don't realize that by pursuing self-actualization you have to let go of who you think you are and allow something new to emerge. 

    More likely is there going to be a desire for change - whatever that is you don't know - but at the same time having a tremendous internal resistence toward changing who you think you are. 

    Is self-actualization necessary? No. Developmental growth will still happen to some extent, for different reasons. That can lead towards self-actualization and a different perspective. But fully dedicating your life to transcending your current "self" is not for everyone and can cause more suffering than it would have without the desire to self-actualize - whatever you, at whatever state you happen to be at, think that it means and what it will give you. 

    So, what is your "why"... That why defines the need. When that why is strong enough and the current state is causing too much suffering, then, life tend to find its way into this stuff and you could just happen to find yourself smack-in-the-middle of the initiation of a self-actualizing process without noticing. From that stance it is much easier to accept what you find.