Grateful Dead

It's difficult to argue with solipsism because it's true in the sense that the world we perceive is an illusion, and there is only one Self. The problem is that the concept creates the impression that the individual self (the ego) is all that exists. But the ego can be dissolved, sometimes temporarily, sometimes for longer, and when it does, it's as if the personal self never existed. What remains is vast, limitless Being, the Source, which cannot be grasped from within the framework of the individual mind. If the truth terrifies you, know that this fear is only the ego trying to "understand" what it can never comprehend. The full realization of truth is not terrifying at all. It is so good, so complete, that words can only diminish it. Enlightenment is incomprehensible to the mind. It is therefore the downfall of the ego, because it renders it irrelevant. When someone claims to have realized God but still operates from a place of superiority or separateness, it’s often just the ego in disguise, trying to play the role of God. From there, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you’ve “got it,” as if awakening were a personal achievement. According to the solipsistic way of thinking, the illusion of the world would cease once you have fully realized your Self. But here is the problem: even when you're so awake that the world holds no reality for you, the dream may still appear to persist. “Others”, or other parts of your mind still perceiving through the ego and continue to project the dream. Awakening isn’t personal. It’s shared. No one wakes up alone. Until the entire mind, or all of us, as expressions of the one awareness remembers itself, the dream will seem to continue. Any belief that I am awake while you are not is just another form of separation. In the end, solipsism is just another ego trick, the idea that you can awaken apart from the whole, and still be whole...

I haven't watched the entire video yet, but I'm already hearing that they have a rather theoretical background. From my point of view, the blog post contains many misconceptions, but I'll only address the most important ones for me. There seems to be an assumption that Christian or Buddhist teachings are limiting. But that's not true once you know how to apply them; it's like psychedelics. The teachings themselves are merely a tool to free the mind. Once that has happend, you can go infinitely deeper; from then on, no specific teachings are really necessary because you know the path and what you need to do to deepen your realisation. It also sounds like there's no real understanding of what Christ or Buddha stand for, perhaps because it hasn't been recognized through those teachings. Christ is God, Buddha is God. When Christians identify with Christ, it's the same as identifying with God himself—just a different way of saying it. ("I and the Father are one."—John 10:30). The same applies to Buddha, at least that's my view. And by the way, I also believe that a specific teaching isn't absolutely necessary to truly awaken and maintain that state permanently. But that seems to happen very rarely from what I've seen. I haven't studied Ramana Maharshi very deeply, but it seems to me that he, for example, didn't need specific teachings to achieve it. If someone sees themselves at that level, fine, then just follow yourself. I appreciate that Leo says at the end that he has no real interest in full enlightenment. I think that's what many people expect when they follow him, at least that's what I did for a while, so thanks for that clarification! I also admit, my need to understand reality is limited. Since understanding the core of the matter, it's much more important to me to deepen my awakening and to live and embody it; that's what truly satisfies me. I still enjoy deepening my understanding, but it's more of a side effect.

That's not true at all. It's about the exact opposite: forgetting the world (survival) and finding the Kingdom of God within ourselves. Just think of the story of Jesus. The main character literally gave his life for God and allowed himself to be crucified. And afterward, many martyrs died for their faith. However, this only applies to the masses who, as already mentioned, are not really interested in true spirituality.

I don't quite understand your argument. So, is Christianity bad just because it's popular with many people, but most have no interest in the truth and are unable to truly understand and live its teachings? I think Christianity has great appeal for many because it answers deep existential questions and offers a strong spiritual, moral, and communal dimension. There's a lot more to it, but that's it for the majority, I guess.

Why do you think brainwashing children is a better representation of Christianity than people who discovered it on their own later in life? Seems ridiculous to be honest.. Much has already been said in this thread. If you want to gain deeper insight, look into the book "A Course in Miracles", which is an advanced Christian teaching. It's available for free online and contains many tools for gaining direct experience.

That depends, for someone like you I would say that cannabis is a good support for your development in meditation as long as you feel it has a benefit for you.

No, you are right. If you have a brilliant therapist, this is definitely better than ChatGPT. But then it could still be a useful complement.

You seemed like a good example. But I shouldn't have made it personal, I let my ego act out there for a moment. I removed it from my post.

Sounds like you've built a solid life for yourself. Cannabis increases your state of consciousness. It served me well for a long time, too. I've found that advanced meditation skills are even better. They take quite a while to develop, but then you're also no longer dependent on external factors to alter your state. And I think that the cannabis high requires more maintenance to remain stable.

Yes, that's understandable, it's best to continue with your medication while you look for other solutions. It's about changing your behavior, thoughts, and emotions through targeted techniques. In short, conditioning. I don't want to give specific recommendations right now, as these life situations are usually complex. However, if you don't have the opportunity to work with a good behavioral therapist, I would recommend ChatGPT. Describe your situation and your problems to the AI as precisely as possible, and then let it suggest behavioral therapy measures. I've tested ChatGPT in this regard and am really impressed. For people who can work with it, I think it's better than a mediocre therapist. Yeah, get checked. It is better to know if something is wrong, then you can take action against it.

With all the medication, I imagine it's hard to get out of bed. And all of this "just" for anxiety and panic attacks, I honestly think it's excessive, but I don't really want to question your psychiatrist's treatment; he certainly knows your situation better. But have you tried other non-medicinal forms of therapy too? For example, various behavioral therapy techniques? That seems more appropriate for your situation. And do you exercise? I think that would definitely be helpful for recovering from the side effects of smoking for so long. It might also help a bit with your anxiety and panic.

I'm sorry if my answer was a bit unclear, but it's also difficult to assess a situation like this just online. When I read your texts, it seems to me that you're at a point where, as you say yourself, you can trust your intuition fairly well. It's best to let love guide you, but you should still always be careful to be honest with yourself. To put it a little more clearly, it sounds to me like you're on the path to healing and are really beginning to open up. And since many people here write that you're overdoing it, if I were to tell someone what I've done along the way, they'd think I was suicidal and didn't care about the consequences. Once psychedelics served their purpose for me, I simply put them behind me, and it hasn't had any negative effects on my life, even though I used them very regularly for a long time. I still take them sometimes and the experience is profound, but now it's more for fun at concerts or something.

Sorry, I didn't see the question before. I've only used anchor points when there was to much fear to handle my experiences. I think it's important not to get so afraid that you don't continue with the practice. But if you're reasonably comfortable dissolving into your surroundings, just let it happen and go beyond it.

I think the problem with people, who stir up hatred against Christianity, is that they primarily see what the Church has done with Christian teachings. There are some nice sides, but I am also disgusted by most branches of the church. For example, several years ago, many cases of abuse by the Catholic Church were uncovered in Germany, primarily involving children. Or what's happening in America right now with the evangelists and Trump. I even have personal experience with this. Like the priest in my village was a really bad person, and as a teenager, I literally cursed and insulted him, and got into heated arguments with him. And my ex-girlfriend was sexually abused as a small child by a trusted person in her church. But for me, all of these things have nothing to do with Christianity itself. In my view, this is only about the institution of the church, which is corrupted by power and uses Christianity as a pretext to abuse its power in perverse ways. Leo keeps repeating "This is not God realisation", the same principle applies here, this is not Christianity. If you look closely at the teachings of Jesus, for example, it quickly becomes obvious that Love is the highest commandment and that his teachings are about finding the kingdom of God within us and thereby conquering the world. Peace, Truth, and Love are the central building blocks of this teaching; anything that goes against them actually has nothing to do with it. And for me, it's not that I adhere to an ideology and demonize everything else. For example, I studied and practiced Buddhism and Hinduism for a long time, but it didn't have the same effect on me, and I couldn't achieve what I wanted with it. Nevertheless, I see the truth and beauty in these teachings, and I believe that if someone comes from a different background, they will have just as much impact on them as Christianity has on me. I also don't try to convert anyone who doesn't want to. For example, I have friends who are gay, bisexual, transgender, or atheists, and I love them just as much as I love people who follow Jesus and believe in God; there's no difference for me. To answer this question conclusively, people hate out of ignorance and lack of knowledge. Probably because they perceive inadequacies in themselves and need to compensate for these through their hatred of certain groups.

No, I don't. Of course, Christianity, like any belief system, has been abused for political power and control. But that does not mean that Jesus' core teachings, such as love, truth, and humility, are inherently harmful. And now I am gaslighting you, how? You literally asked to be made a fool of... What I don't understand is how someone like you can't recognize the spiritual wisdom of Christianity, but instead just spreads hatred against it. Why can't you see Christian teachings for what they truly are? A system for achieving inner freedom and peace. I realize you may not understand this, but I accepted it because it worked for me. I know, that was my point. But does that make philosophy inherently self-deception? Well said, and yes, I basically agree with everything you said. When you're just beginning, you shouldn't rely on it leading to awakening. But in the end, it was the teaching itself that enabled me to truly awaken.