LfcCharlie4

Netflix isn't all bad, same with TV. If you look past the 'junk' and get to the deeper shows with great stories and messages, it can be amazing. And, like someone else said, a good Comedy can also be amazing. Recently, I rewatched the Hunger Games trilogy and there's not only great entertainment and a great story but so many messages, and so many ways you can analyze characters and their actions, etc, it really becomes even more fun when you do that. Reading fiction is also great, often books go far deeper than movies (Like Hunger Games trilogy) but you said passive, so reading may not be what you're looking for. Also, Video Games in moderation aren't terrible, find games you enjoy and just set limits to how long you can play if it gets bad, I personally play sports games when I can't play sports outside! Porn is also something I'm trying to kick, it has little value and doesn't help your actual Sex Life, however it is far from easy. Cutting out triggers and replacing the habit with something else could help, so instead of exploring Porn, when the urge arises do some Push Ups, Jumping Jacks, maybe even have a cold shower, then Explore Movies/ TV shows that peak your interest instead Entertain yourself however you want man, life is meant to be enjoyed, so find things you enjoy, and allow yourself to experience it all fully!

@Javfly33 Self-Inquiry leads us to silence, to the ultimate surrender, all of your answers will be found there Talking and Information is of course key in certain aspects. but the greatest understandings will be found in silence Have a fun day of Inquiring, Ramaji (I'm biased) has a good book on Self-Inquiry and Pure Awareness meditation on Amazon, and I'm sure there's LOTS of others, as I said Ramana can sometimes be hard to understand due to the cultural differences and translations.

@DrewNows Yeah, I'm not denying for Yogis and Monks etc this can certainly be done, and the potential of the Human Body is amazing. However, for the typical westerner- 8-9 hours of work, Family, Exercise, etc I'm not sure it's ideal. I don't doubt it can heal, and if it's working for you I'm happy bro! For a 'Normal' person like me and many others I feel the first step would be moving away from processed foods, towards a fully Whole Foods diet, whether it's Keto or Plant Based it's just getting rid of the processed, corrupt SHIT! Good luck my friend, don't starve yourself before the end of the season!!

@Michael569 Exactly, but since plant milks are so readily available these days (and there's nicer ones anyways like Oat) it's probably better to just avoid. I'd still imagine Soy > Normal Milk, but Dairy caused me so many acne issues in the past I'm very biased

@Michael569 Well said, Soy is a minor issue compared to Processed (proven to be Carcinogenic) Meats like Ham, Spam, Hot Dogs, etc and Dairy. I agree with @TrynaBeTurquoise that processed forms of Soy like Soy Milk aren't great, there's much better plant milks out there for example. But, there's also great, healthy forms of Soy available!

Like Leo said, what's wrong with Psychology and Spirituality. If you could merge the 2 in some sort of therapy practice you could revolutionize people's lives? If you need something practical you could create Courses/ Books/ Articles etc that could help people with different issues. But, if you aren't passionate about then keep thinking mate

I think there's a lot of great books on the subject. I've never experienced Reiki, but have had many Transmissions before and they helped me beyond words!

@Soulbass Personally I feel it's certainly not suitable for everyone, and would focus on more on eating Nutritious whole foods, periods of fasting and maybe even quarterly FMD, as well as regular exercise and getting a good amount of sleep. Once you have all the basics down and you're nutritional levels are all great with tests then maybe consider it. However, I think it's more suitable for those with 'low intensity' lifestyles, I think Ray Moor mentions this, so it's perfect for like Yogi's and people like that, but if you're working 8 hours a day, exercising and want an active lifestyle- it may not be the most ideal diet.

Ramana started teaching Self-Inquiry for those who weren't ready for his deepest teachings of silence, to bring the practitioner to this silence. I will leave some quotes from Ramana on the matter, but if the question is leading you to silence, sit in that silence, for that silence contains all the 'answers' you could ever need. There's also a lot of good books that have helped westerners decipher these teachings, as many translations are hard to do from Ramana's native tongue to English directly, same as with Buddhist teachings of old, and the slightest difference (Desire causes suffering instead of Craving for example) can create havoc for the seeker. https://www.sriramanamaharshi.org/teachings/instructions/ Ramana Quotes- 'God dwells in you, as you, and you don't have to 'do' anything to be God-realized or Self-realized, it is already your true and natural state." Just drop all seeking, turn your attention inward, and sacrifice your mind to the One Self radiating in the Heart of your very being. For this to be your own presently lived experience, Self-Inquiry is the one direct and immediate way." Sri Ramana Maharshi You and I are the same. What I have done is surely possible for all. You are the Self now and can never be anything else. Throw your worries to the wind, turn within and find Peace. We loosely talk of Self-realization, for lack of a better term. But how can one realize or make real that which alone is real? All we need to do is to give up our habit of regarding as real that which is unreal. All religious practices are meant solely to help us do this. When we stop regarding the unreal as real, then reality alone will remain, and we will be that. 'I exist' is the only permanent self-evident experience of everyone. Nothing else is so self-evident as 'I am'. What people call self-evident, that is, the experience they get through the senses, is far from self-evident. The Self alone is that. So to do self-inquiry and be that 'I am' is the only thing to do. 'I am' is reality. I am this or that is unreal. 'I am' is truth, another name for Self. https://hridaya-yoga.com/hridaya-yoga-articles/the-self-inquiry-method-of-ramana-maharshi/ The question comes from silence, and longs to return to that silence.

@Heaven Hi, ill recommend some authors and books and I guess you mean in the topic of Non-Duality. (All these are what I class as “finished” as in fully Self-Realized ) Ramaji- 1000, “No Mind, No Problem” , he also has a self-inquiry one if you’re interested in that practice. Ananda Devi- The Intimacy of The Infinite (I’ll be honest I’m slightly biased to these 2, was a hardcore seeker before working with Amanda, who helped me so much in my journey ) Rupert Spira- The Art of Peace and Happiness, and any of his other books. He is quite “wordy” though. Francis Lucille (Ruperts teacher) also has some great books. I AM THAT - Nisgardatta Maharaj- many regard this as the “Non Dual book of the 20th Century! Be as you are- Ramana Maharshi My personal favourite is 1000, as it led me to working with Ananda and receiving RASA, which I’m hoping I’ll be able to “give” (more transmit) by the end of this year!

@crab12 the point is, it’s not about having or not having free will, I am not saying “I believe there is no free will” if you believe there is a separate self, then from that POV, it seems there is the free will of a self who decides. when that is seen through, and all is known as The Absolute, we see that all there is, is that there is no self to have free will/ no free will, so my point is the argument is only relevant from the POV of having a separate self.

@ivankiss exactly! Duality is to be enjoyed

@GreenWoods Realize the truth of your own being, abide as that and then come back here, that’s all I will say Instead of speculating actually go and awaken, then you will understand what I mean. Currently you are simply speculating how one should behave, true awakening gives us complete freedom, and yes love deepens, but does that mean we can’t enjoy our own life? No.

@GreenWoods I agree on less selfish, I never said I didn’t, that’s expressing love. all I said was it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your own life too mate Awakening to love will show you this truly ? but acting selfless at the Expense of your self consistently is different, and often coming from a sense of lack / personality type. as in say you have a doctors appointment that’s serious, but someone needs something from you at the same time, you don’t HAVE to do what the other wants to show how “selfless” you are, it’s about finding that balance, and helping others without meaning you end up worse off

@dvdas yeah man, I appreciate your post and it’s good to look at things from multiple POVs, there’s no magic pill for awakening. No matter if it’s psyches or transmissions or whatever, it’s only you that is the true Guru

@electroBeam true. I guess it’s a problem in all walks of life. I’d say it’s exaggerated in Psyches though. although I naturally have an addictive personality, so have to be extra careful. I got pretty booked on MDMA psychologically speaking, but maybe that’s just me! if it helps people realize their own being and experience the peace and happiness that comes with that- I’m all for it

Well said, others “don’t exist” in the terms of everything is God/ The Self/ The Absolute. But, simultaneously you are a unique expression of this, as is everything and The Absolute wants us to embrace and live this fully. here’s a few pages from a book that explains this well! Well said again, a top post on here! this is the perfect example of integrating a true awakening I AM that includes EVERYTHING! This is it! Embrace it!

@ttm @electroBeam @Gneh Onebar Thanks for the info guys. great point about Shamans, maybe it is the new technology. However, some things are timeless, and I also think things like Transmissions and meditations fall under that category. as I said I’m open minded to these substances working, the more people who realize there own being the better! as I’m saying I have little experience with them. Only 3 LSD trips and MDMA, LSD was post awakening so while it was fun, I didn’t have any amazing insights, maybe I should’ve done more? I just don’t have a need to use them, apart from “fun” but then what’s the point in that really? if they help people realise absolute peace and happiness in every single moment then I’m all for it, I guess There’s issues with everything. I just worry it leads people to chasing states and “highs” instead of realising THIS is it right here, right now. But, it seems it helps a lot of people so if that’s the case I can’t argue I was more interested in a mental health/ brain health long term standpoint, as I wonder if using any substance that regularly can have 0 effects, but then if they help, that’s awesome. I will try and check out that book man, thanks for the recommendation Like I said, I’m happy to be proved wrong but it seems they are best for insights and showing what’s possible in an awakening perspective, unless I’m mistaken? im not doubting their healing potential, which is finally being explored in Science.

@ttm I saw something on one of Leo's awakening videos, linking to a podcast where he's essentially begging his followers for money and talking about his struggles, I think the comment mentioned mental health issues, but I could be very wrong, so don't take my word on it. But, can you or anyone point me to long term research on 5MEO or LSD etc that shows regular long term usage of these substances and the effects on the Body/Mind. I am open to being proved wrong, just from my own POV I haven't seen anyone fully awaken from psyches, but there's lots of fully enlightened teachers out there. And, we don't know the long term effects of regular usage of these compounds, or if someone does please point me to it, to the levels being used here. So 1 trip a week I think is the most people here do? I just personally lean on the side of caution, when there are plenty of Drug-Free ways to awaken, that are incredibly effective. Also, I'm only 20 and know a lot of young people are also on here, so regularly using mind-altering drugs on undeveloped brains could also cause problems down the line. I'm kind of just trying to act as the other side of the argument, as everyone is here is SO strongly for Pshcedelics, I'm more saying be careful, do your research and don't expect full awakenings from trips. It seems these compounds are incredibly effective at giving insights and helping show you what's possible but don't seem to alter the baseline except with deep integration work. Like I said, 10-20 years down the line I could be completely wrong and people are using these compounds regularly having full awakenings, or the regular usage could cause long term damage. I guess we will see.

@crab12 If you've truly seen through the illusion of the separate self, Free Will is a non-issue, there is no self for there to be Free Will. Free will only is relevant if you still believe yourself to be a separate entity, even if you theoretically know you are not. https://non-duality.rupertspira.com/read/is_the_physical_body_of_any_importance_whatever_183 (also describes how we shouldn't excuse things by using Neo-Advaita/ a veneer of Non-Duality)

@ElvisN wouldn’t call it Semantics, none of the people you mentioned are Fully Self-Realized, it’s not like a 1=1 scenario where all awakenings are of the same depth and understanding. This is emphasised pretty clearly by Neo-Advaitans and teachers who haven’t awakened to love. these teachers may be awake, but have they had the 10th Ox Herding picture kind of awakening? Most haven’t. again not doubting these people have all had awakenings, and probably incredible experiences on Psyches and they’ve helped them so much, but they are not at the depth of True masters such as Ramana and Nisgardatta. If you want to see an embodiment of true western masters, go read/ watch Rupert Spira and Francis Lucille.

@Arzack i would just say there’s better teachers to “learn” from than Martin Ball, that’s all, such as Ramana, Nisgardatta, Rupert Spira, Francis Lucille, Adya, Shinzen Young to name a few. im also not denying the power of psychedelics for giving you insights and experiences. I do just feel, for me at least, nothing has beaten that lasting peace and happiness that a true awakening brings. if Psychedelics can help people realise the nature of their own being, then I’m all for it. The question was whether they alone can fully awaken someone, (Ramana, Nisgardatta depth of awakening) and I’m yet to see it, that’s all.

@Arzack I would look a bit more into that guy and how he is right now before using him as an example.

@mandyjw Sounds like a fun year full of growth Naturally, we go through periods of time where interests and hobbies drop away during the seeking process and when we are on this journey. However, post-seeking, when there is no need to listen/read more Non-Duality, the bulk of shadow work is worked through (ongoing process forever), and you have 'found' what you were after, the absolute peace and happiness. Then, we can begin to express this new understanding through our hobbies, passions, and interests, and even through our work and relationships, in all areas of life. So, it's almost like being reborn again as we integrate 'life' into this understand and act, behave and think/ feel with our new understanding, this is the integration work. But, maybe, like Rupert you want to express this understanding mainly through Teaching and writing. Or, it could come through your artistry once more. However, it doesn't mean you only talk about and think about spirituality. Rupert was saying when he's with Francis they literally don't mention a peep about this, as why would they? They have both realized the true nature of their being and aren't teaching at that time, so often he said do normal things, chat about family and play tennis for example. Basically, enjoy life. Ramaji and Ananda said on a Satsang how if they weren't teachers (and unless someone asked) they'd also be little need to talk about Non-Duality, they would get on with raising her children, playing Golf, 'normal' things. The ordinary is the extraordinary. At the same time, you could just go and become a Yogi/Monk if you wish, that's the point there is absolute freedom to do as you please. And, of course, a full Awakening these activities will come from a place of love and joy, so it's unlikely you'll go around harming or hurting people for example. One student even started acting post-awakening, simply for the joy of doing so!! This is what I mean by complete freedom So, while doing all this you could still have hobbies/ activities etc but you're no longer searching for happiness in them, simply doing them for the fun of it and to express the happiness and joy you feel inside of you. This way we actually have complete freedom and can dive even deeper into our activities, without any resistance and fully enjoy them in the now. Isn't that even more beautiful? My advice would be, follow your heart, your intuition and come from a place of love, and do what you love to do for 'work.' But, if you're financially free and secure then you have the freedom and time on a relative level to make this 'choice' or you just go about living life- Freedom is beautiful.

This is a follow on from the thread about money/ work post-awakening and how it can be expressed in a number of ways. And, why not all motivation comes from Ego, and how this understanding can be expressed in a huge number of ways. A touching watch, Rupert is an incredible example of doing just this, and following his desire to share this understanding through Speaking, Writing and his retreats. Teaching Non-duality isn't the only way to express this understanding, it can be expressed in literally any way. A mother/father staying at home raising their children(Imagine how sick being raised by 2 self-realized parents would be, Rupert's kid is so lucky), a schoolteacher, an Entrepreneur, an Animal Rights activist, a Musician, an Athlete, a Comedian. If it comes from a place of love and understanding and a desire to help/entertain others and treat others as they are- your very self- then who's to say it is the 'wrong' way to express the truth of reality. Each Body/Mind has a unique set of skills and traits which makes them equipped to different professions and interests, and these should not be denied but expressed and explored. Awakening shows us we have complete freedom to express and be ourselves in any way we see fit, that is the beauty. Also, helps make a distinction between relative/ absolute, even though the absolute is all there is. A great paradox as always However, as always awakening is the greatest service one can bring to the 'World.' Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world.” Ramana Maharshi.