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I feel we may never agree on this, but I do feel one can fully embody awakening and still have a nice house, car, basically enjoy material things such as nice food and drinks. Also, isn't creating a business that provides huge value already part of an embodied awakening as you are actively helping people find solutions to their needs. A famous wealthy individual was asked what's the best way to earn money- 'Get outside of yourself and why you want money. Learn to get in your customer's shoes, understand their needs and their problems and then solve them and help them.' To me, that sounds like a very loving and fulfilling way to run a business! And, I agree Stage Orange isn't always like this, but those exploiting and benefitting from loopholes in our society will not prevail forever, a business that fulfills needs and helps people will. To me, running a business like that is part of an embodied awakening. The family comments- Yes but one needs balance, that's what I mean you can't work 24/7 and neglect your family, that isn't expressing love in your closest relationships at all in my eyes, it's hard to strike a balance! I don't agree ALL money made from a business should be used to create value, SOME can also be used in one's own life, of course, I'm not saying hoard excessive amounts like millionaires do, but enough so you can effortlessly live the lifestyle you desire for the rest of your life. I agree our lives should be devoted to helping others and service, however, this doesn't mean we should neglect our own lives and needs as a result. I watched an amazing Satsang on Loving Without Living recently, and it said about 'Receiving for the Sake of Sharing' which means literally what it says. But, to me it kind of feels you're slightly rejecting the receiving part, but, the Universe is constantly allowing us to receive absolutely everything it wants to share with us. So you receive lots of money from work say, you then share this with your loved ones (Nice House, material benefits, good schools etc) and then you also share beyond that and with those in need etc. I guess I'm trying to look at things in a slightly more balanced approach that doesn't negate your own needs and enjoyment but incorporates it all, and by increasing your own abundance you can also help increase others' abundance! You could call it 'Enlightened Greed' but by simply Receiving for the sake of sharing, you are working in allignment of the Universe and allowing yourself to benefit from what the Universe is giving you and the many joys of life, while always looking to share this with 'Others' which is yourself of course. To me, living in abundance is actually living in alignment with the Universe, and that living in poverty is actually not helpful at all, we all deserve abundance and as long as you are generous with the abundance we have been given, how are we not embodying Awakening? For me, post-awakening I have developed my business massively to focus more on helping people before profits and developing love in all areas of life. I still want to receive whatever the Universe gives me and enjoy these gifts 'Because these 2 are often at odds' I couldn't disagree more, living a life that helps others is the most fulfilling life possible, so you are actually benefitting from this without even knowing it potentially and there is no end to the depth of love we can give! ' Yes. The more we help others the happier we become. But once a certain point is reached helping more will decrease your happiness. That's the sweet spot in my opinion. My intention was to contrast embodied enlightenment from not embodied enlightenment. Because I think that answers the original question of this thread. And I don't say embodied enlightenment is better than not embodied enlightenment. But relatively speaking, there are pros and cons.' Nope, there is no end to how deep you can love or how much you can help, of course you have to take care of your own needs (I think I've said enough on that ) but there is no end to infinite love, how could there be? Embodied enlightenment to me means abiding as The Self, and knowing everyone is your very own self. Of course it goes way deeper, but that's an easy summary. You can live like this in various ways like I said whether it's as an athlete doing your best in your sport and doing what you love, or helping the poor, everyone's path of spreading love and living this understanding is different, there is no one path. I used to struggle with this topic, so will link a few videos from Rupert Spira that helped me in particular. gm

@Keyhole Who is to decide what someone 'needs' though, why can't a teacher enjoy nice holidays and things though? Don't they deserve a nice house and car? I see your points though and it shouldn't be taken to extremes, either way, however, post-awakening one can still enjoy luxuries in life, we don't have to live in poverty for example. After all, they are literally guiding people towards absolute peace and happiness, isn't that better than some Oil Company CEO taking your money?

Common issues. You can still have a girlfriend mate and grow spiritually, in fact they help expose your blind spots in regards to awakening often. You can enjoy partying, and embrace the joy in it. Learn to enjoy the gym and take a more holistic approach to health, aesthetics is one part of that. I also had a similar issue, but now focus on enjoying my workouts, progressing in strength and muscular development but the number one focus for me will always be health. MAybe you don't enjoy the Gym (I LOVE it) so find exercise you do enjoy and take that up, enjoyment is everything! Yep, but you can still enjoy games if you want and social media, just not as an escape but more as a source of enjoyment, your relationship to entertainment will change for the better, trust me. In regards to girls, either do a more Conscious form of typical pick up where you learn social skills but don't manipulate women, or get out and find a GF to develop a meaningful relationship. Spirituality should enhance your life, not make you live one you hate! However, sometimes, we need breaks from things to focus on other things.

a few resources that helped - https://non-duality.rupertspira.com/read/treat_everyone_and_everything_as_they_truly_are_224 https://www.google.com/amp/s/nondualityamerica.wordpress.com/2014/01/12/nonduality-teachers-and-money/amp/ @GreenWoods also regarding your last post, why not do both maximise your own happiness and so called “others” who are literally your very own self’s happiness? I don’t see why it has to be one or the other. In fact, sharing and loving and helping others often leads to greater levels of happiness and abundance, so in fact doing both is actually beneficial. I don’t see an issue with someone wanting to live a comfortable life and help others simultaneously. You can never perfectly embody enlightenment 100%, if you look at modern teachers such as Rupert Spira, Adyashanti, Francis Lucille, all of these earn money be deservedly so. Are they not embodying their awakening as a result? an embodied awakening doesn’t have to mean you go feed the poor, you could work at Starbucks and live an embodied Self-Realized life Also, do you have a problem with teachers earning money?

@GreenWoods Yeah you can't embody The Absolute perfectly or you'd literally have no experience of a Human, just Infinite Awareness (which is absolutely what we are) bit that alone, with no body, human experience etc. Unless you plan on dropping the body, you will have to play the game of Survival, of course it can be done more consciously Post-Awakening, I thought I made that quite clear in my post. I'll go through each point numerically from your first point. 1) Survival isn't merely a survival of the body, have you watched Leo's videos? That is beyond reductionist. Survival means your relationships, human psyche, personality and on on and on and on. It encompasses far more than just the body. Just because one has a desire for financial abundance does not necessarily mean they are 'Selfish', of course many Businessmen/women are, but that's another story. You can be an unselfish millionaire, just because you create wealth for yourself doesn't instantly mean Selfish, it should also be emphasized one person cannot save humanity by themselves in terms of altruism. Of course, we should donate to good causes, but just look at the Bill Gates foundation, throwing money at problems isn't the solution. These issues run way deeper and are far more systemic and require complex and nuanced solutions. 2) You can never perfectly express oneness, that is a ridiculous idea. Otherwise, you'd never eat as your prioritizing your needs over someone else's. I'm not even sure what you're suggesting wth this comment, but it is impossible to perfectly embody oneness, I thought that was obvious? You are of course going to have to favour yourself slightly in situations, otherwise you would give up all your possessions to those less fortunate and go and live on the streets, that's not very practical is it? This is literally the kind of survival I'm talking about, to survive means you will cause issues elsewhere, it's about doing the best we can. A full awakening actually realizes the humanity of oneself, a lot of early awakenings subtly reject duality, I did for a long time. To me this is the easy way out and allows for spiritual bypassing in so many areas of life, and actually prevents shadow work and integration which can be tough at times. So, yes, sometimes you will make decisions that benefits you/ closest to you- If you buy a house it means someone else who was interested in it can't have it, if you eat food, it means someone else can't eat it. 3) Not once did I say altruism = emotionless robot. What I said is that those who don't embody their humanity can become like a robot, some spiritual circles actually say having no feelings and thoughts 24/7 is the highest state, it's complete bullshit and literally the definition of Psychopathy to have a lack/ no emotions lol. Being Altruistic tends to involve duality funnily enough (even though as I said Duality= Non-Duality but for purpose of this I will separate the 2) as you are helping 'others' who are yourself but you get my point. 4) Never heard of spiritual ego then I see? Someone who gives away their possessions for the reason of being able to say, I gave away my possessions I'm so spiritual is as much ego as the Rapper boasting about how much money they make, it's all trying to act superior. Of course if one wishes to give away all possessions that' VERY different and that is just what they wish to do, however, it doesn't make one 'more spiritual' to do so. No, if one buys themselves luxury goods because they enjoy them and they are useful, why shouldn't they be allowed to? To me, this just seems like you have ideas of how Awakened beings must behave, but it just isn't the case, if an enlightened being wants a nice house does this suddenly mean they aren't awake? Again, I go back to that's basically saying if you eat that's saying this body is superior to others. Also, someone who doesn't buy nice things just because they're spiritual could also be operating from a Spiritual Ego standpoint as I said. And, sorry to break it to you a lot of 'Enlightened People' (don't actually exist, but at early stages of awakening they are often referred to) there is often a superiority complex of 'I'm enlightened, you're not' which can lead to issues. Look at the issues of Mooji and Bentino Massano to see this first hand. 5) It is an ever-deepening process, but while you are alive you can never embody it 100% it's near impossible as we have both already discussed. However, love can be deepened in many different ways and not just through Philanthropy/ Donations. For example, any billionaire can give away a few million, but can they stop work for a week and spend good quality time with their Kids and Grankids, for them that would be a deeper example of embodying love. And, yes an awakening to love is a key part of a true awakening which many don't have. Love will then express itself naturally in one's life as we embody this, but that doesn't necessarily mean we give up all our possessions and spend all of our days feeding the poor, it can be expressed in a number of ways. Always doing the best we can in any situation and always deepening our love, this never ends. Awakening is only the beginning of life. 6) As I have just mentioned, a Body/Mind can only do it's best in any situation and love is an ever-deepening process, we can't be perfect but we can always deepen love further, it literally has no end. 7) Here I guess you're suggesting all profits should be donated/ spent in an altruistic manner. However, I feel differently. I believe, if one creates a profitable business that is built on helping people and providing value, why shouldn't one enjoy the fruits of this in terms of material benefit. Of course, I am not saying to NEVER be philanthropic or donate, but I'm just saying you don't have to give away 100% of the profits to be 'Spiritual.' That is a complete fallacy in my eyes. In terms of my plans, yes I own my own businesses and yes I wish to create complete financial freedom for myself (sorry) and no I don't believe this makes me less spiritual or suddenly less awake lol. I will be very generous with my money of course and have plans to help my family very much so financially speaking, as well as eventually raise children and a family in a happy, healthy environment. Of course, I will also donate to charities and great causes, and may eventually even look to personally help causes I believe strongly in, or who knows to start my own. But, I will not deny money sorry. The Buddha actually has some good teachings on prosperity for 'Laymen' and says those who aren't monks should actually go out and earn as much as they can! Of course he also advocated being generous with this money, and also being sensible in terms of saving and investing. Maybe the Buddha knew that money is simply energy hey I just want to make it clear, I believe embodying love and kindness and altruism to the greatest of our abilities is a huge key on our journeys, and being generous with money is also essential (counter-intuitively this creates more abundance in one's life) and receiving for the sake of sharing is something I live my life by, without sharing what would life be? Whenever something happens, we want to share it as much as possible. Just because one creates abundance does not been they are instantly 'Selfish' in fact it could be the very opposite, that you get there by helping people, how is that in any way selfish? Philanthropy isn't the only way to show love, but is, of course, an incredible way. I just don't agree that you can't be both wealthy and 'spiritual' I have tried to answer your questions in as much detail as possible, but if you have any more please do ask and I'd be happy to answer Also, I would be really careful to not create money issues that end up in your shadow by conflating selfishness and greed with Money, this will actually prevent you truly understanding the energy of money and abundance and lead to more issues further down the line. I have just read all your other responses also, and yes I agree with The Self itself is the Guiding principle post-awakening and integration, and this pretty much means you live from a place of love and truth, although nobody is perfect. However, it doesn't mean you have to give away all of the money that you don't need always, it means you live a life full of giving and helping 'others' when in reality you are only ever helping, talking or seeing yourself. Therefore, knowing everyone to be your brother and sister how could you then act in any other way? Why would you want to hurt yourself? Also, in terms of giving away money, I agree hoarding beyond a protective amount is pointless. But, you could also invest money in a conscious way to help businesses/ things you believe in grow and in return create even more value for the world. While I agree that philanthropy is important, I feel you're looking at things in quite a reductionist manner in terms of how we can express love and The Self, there is an infinite amount of ways we can embody infinite love. In regards to your stage orange comment YES! That is the issue, I am literally saying to create a business FIRST that is built on helping people, not a stage orange Profit only business, these are the sorts of businesses that will also outlive Stage Orange, that's my point and are actually benefiting humanity!

@crab12 Yeah, the SD thing is common around here lol. And yep I was the same when I was a hardcore seeker, I almost felt bad earning money from business etc, when in reality money is just an energy, and you can earn it consciously in a way that provides value for you and the customer. And, yes many businesses do exactly what you said, unfortunately too many don't but, in the long term (50+ years) it'll be the businesses that evolve to focusing on providing value and holding good principles that actually prevail. Profit/ Rich people aren't evil at all, I mean some are but it's not because they have money that they're bad people. There's also amazing rich people and great businesses that make a profit by providing value, that's the kind of business that is actually fulfilling as well. I mean there's plenty of depressed and unhappy rich people because they simply never gave up chasing profit in either an unethical business or one they weren't at all passionate about. So, if you are going to create a business, create one that truly helps people, and that truly provides a form of value to their lives! Or, if you are an employee, ideally work for a company that is helping people, not like a PayDay loan company or something that aims to exploit it's customers.

Been researching the Bue Zones recently, and going to purchase the full book and reading it as overall health and longevity has kind of become a huge passion of mine. For the past couple years I've really neglected anything but Weight Training, so have made it a personal goal to focus on overall health including building muscle but not solely building muscle. From Some research here's some basic things many of the Blue Zones have in common 1) No Smoking- Pretty obvious why, used to smoke a fair amount of weed when I was like 17, glad I didn't make it a daily habit like many do. Nothing needs to be said about Cigarettes, everyone already knows about that. 2) Avoid Processed Shit- Again obvious but we're bombarded with it, keep your diet basic, even store-bought salads are pretty processed these days. Whole Real Foods > 3) Wild Plants and Legumes- While most weren't strictly vegan/ Veggie, most of these areas are predominately plant-based, but properly prepare their food. Often, follow similar to a Mediterranean diet. 4) Low level physical activity through the day- This is the BIG one westerners miss, we spend so much time on our arses, and think an hour at the gym can make up for it, unfortunately, it can't. At the minimum take a break every 25 mins and do some walking, stretching, jumping jacks etc, I'm not saying cancel your Exercise routine, more make it an option. 5) Social Engagement- We are social creatures, get out there and socialise. With spirituality, it's easy to isolate ourselves, loneliness rates are only going up also, Family and Friends are a really important part of life. 6) Calorie Restriction and Fasting- Easiest way is Intermittent Fasting, give your cells a chance to regenerate and your digestion system a rest. You could say these zones eat mindfully, and not like savages. 24 Hour fasts are also amazing when done right, but be careful with these (especially Women and those suffering with ED do more research!!) 7) Life Purpose ( @Leo Gura will love this one)- Basically having a clear purpose on why you wake= living longer. Simple as that. 8) Low Stress- Pretty obvious why, Stress= Inflammation, worry etc. Life is meant to be enjoyed 9) Spirituality/ Religion- Of course most of these places are quite traditional so believe in a conventional God, in summary take care of your 'soul' I think most people here are doing that on a 'higher' level 10) Remain Reproductively Useful- Basically don't go into a nursing home and rot away, always learn new things and stay active in the community- stay 'useful' I'd say a better term is stay engaged with life. Basically, have a lot of sex, have kids and after you have kids, have more sex. The supposed oldest guy ever had 23 Wives and 200 kids lol, imagine the January credit card bill...Although this is now not proven about this guy. 11) Low Level Alcohol Consumption- The one that shocked me most too. In particular Red Wine (not processed commercial wine) usually a glass or 2 a night in these places. However, it can easily be replaced with Green Tea/ Coffee, I personally hardly drink and don't plan on starting to, except when I go out with friends (not great for longevity in that way though) These are all pretty easy to implement in our own lives, in 2020 there's also countless modern technologies and BioHacks we can add into our lives, and following Ben Greenfield has opened my eyes to these. The most practical ones I've found are: 16:8 Intermittent Fasting Basic Nutrient Intakes such as Vitamin D Regular Sauna Usage Cold Showers/ Wim Hof Breathing/ Any Breathing Techniques Blueberries, Dark Chocolate and Green Tea for the intake of activators of “sirtuins” broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts and turmeric for Nhrf2 Apple Cider Vinegar Blue Light Blocking Glasses That's just a couple but beyond that things can get quite confusing and expensive, I mean if you do most of the basics right you increase your chances of living longer by a LOT, I'm new to all this and before thought I had it all figured it out when I went vegan at 15 lol, how naive I was. Here are the main sources for this post: https://www.bluezones.com/ https://www.bluezones.com/articles/ https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/anti-aging-articles/ancestral-habits-enhanced-longevity/

Because if you want to play the game of survival you need money? Awakening doesn't mean you stop living, the opposite in fact. It's when you truly start living. Before enlightenment chop wood and carry water; After enlightenment chop wood and carry water. People like to think when they awaken they will become 'above human' 'superhuman' or some other absolute BS. In fact, a true awakening is when you become more human than ever before. You realize that while you live as The Self, you still live as a unique expression of The Self as a human. And, as that human, you will have a personality, interests, likes, family, friends, a job probably etc and will be completely unique to anyone else. Awakening allows you to realize what you truly are is Natural Pure Awareness, The Absolute, God, whatever you want to call it and yes you abide as this. However, you are awareness experiencing itself as a unique human, so if you deny this you are literally denying life. If you try to become an emotionless robot who has no interests and no personality you are simply rejecting Duality. (In reality Duality and Non-Duality are literally the same thing but that's for another post) So, this whole money BS is basically people projecting that Enlightened people either are or see themselves as superior, which isn't the case, well some teachers do like to see themselves as superior. In reality, NOBODY is ever enlightened because a person can't become enlightened, and those that say they are, may well be, but are not fully Self-Realized. In reality, EVERYONE is merely The Absolute, however, 99.9% of people have no idea of this and are completely oblivious to it. You are not superior because you're awake, in fact, a true awakening is very humbling, as you realize literally everyone and everything is your very self, how could you be superior? Therefore, yes you are also still having a human experience, and unless you don't want to live in the society you will need money to function. It's also such a backward question, wouldn't you rather conscious, good people became millionaires/ billionaires by actually creating true value and weren't exploiting people, instead of the many unconscious wealthy individuals we have. The problem is a lot of awakened beings often ditch society and I don't blame them, however, it means those in power are far from awake or conscious and look what we have created. Imagine conscious people in politics, business, in normal jobs, sports, etc imagine how much better things would be. So, to answer your question after that rant, you could simply say, Awakening doesn't make me/someone special, in fact it shows how all humans are merely God/ The Absolute/ The Self, and it doesn't mean I'm no longer (Insert Name) or no longer a Human. I still have a personality and have what makes me human. However, it means I abide and operate from a place of truth and love, and from this place, I would be much more conscious in my actions and wouldn't con people out of money. Wouldn't it be better if we had, good and loving people who wanted to push humanity forward in charge of big businesses and in important positions instead of the corrupt, greedy and power-hungry people we see today?' Also, please don't demonize money on your journey, all you will do is create a shadow issue around money that will prevent you from making money and create blockages in your life. Money is simply an energy, just because those that have the most are usually quite corrupt doesn't mean money itself is evil. Money is a tool that can be used for the greatest reasons or for the worst reasons. Be conscious earning and spending money, and always be grateful for what you have, when you buy something, and when you earn money, this helps create a welcoming environment where you can become wealthy. (you'll still have to work for it, I'm not saying you can simply magic up billions) Sorry for the long post, but this is a common issue and one that affected me for a while, I thought I couldn't be spiritual and run a business, it's complete BS!

YESS!!!! Adya is an amazing teacher, and is so so so right here, if a practice is useful and helpful for people then they should continue doing it. He makes the perfect comparison between the long time hardcore seeker, and the lazy seeker doing nothing and how each case is individual and unique in regards to what's best for them. I'm happy you posted something like this man as it's spot on, teachings/ practices are simply strategies and eventually all concepts and teachings need to be let go of. Then, whatever comes back after you let go is what you still need, for example I still meditate when I'm in the Sauna and in the mornings as an Enneagram 7 I'm also chasing things to do and struggle to sit still and sit with boredom and negative emotions, meditation helps ground me even post awakening. For someone else, post awakening they may have the opposite issue so a 'practice' for them would be to get their body moving, do some Yoga and Workouts or join a sports team as a 'Dynamic Meditation' if you see what I mean? We are lucky to have so many teachings available and it's about finding what is helpful and useful for us at that time

Love Mic, great nutrition videos.

@VeganAwake Yeah man, I'm currently reading 'How Not to Diet' by Dr Gregor, which exposes the food industry for what it is, and crafts the most 'scientific' weight loss diet possible. Also, using the daily dozen app has made me clean my diet up further- less of that fake meat and processed shit, and more whole foods! And, yes Ben Greenfield mentions hum a lot, I currently only do 16/8 and then a fortnightly 24 hour fast, which is actually starting at 3PM today (yay), I need to look more into FMD but Greenfield recommends to do it quarterly for an optimum effect. Isn't it basically 5 days at a very low level of calories to mimic water fasting without the downsides?

You live in an incredible society and enjoy the highest potential of human life? If God never got bored, he wouldn't of bothered ever leaving Pure Infinite consciousness, and localizing himself. One day we will return, but I'd say focus on your own journey, finish your own seeking, then you'll realize this question doesn't need to really be answered. We're also 1000s of years away from that, if not 10000s, spirally speaking we're at Orange in developed societies, undeveloped countries are Red/Blue some even lower, so there's LOTS of work to be done!

@Visionary Of course bro. I still believe areas of PD are very beneficial post-awakening, and you can 'add' in spirituality to all areas of life as I said and approach them from a more developed standpoint, perfect examples here are business/ Career and health. Health- treating your body with love and compassion and fueling it with what it needs and taking care of yourself. Business/ Career- Running a business/ Having a job that you enjoy and benefits society, not simply to make money. Basic but in a bit of a rush!

@Visionary Yes of course, I wasn't meaning to present them as a distinction or a be-all solution, Awakening can have transformative areas in many areas of life BUT is not guaranteed to. For those open to it, of course, pursue it. However, it must be remembered often seeking can be difficult at times, and involves some hardships, so those who go for it need to be comitted to the work. I did mention spiritual practices such as Meditation and as you mentioned Inquiry can also help. But, most of my friends in real life would not be open-minded enough for duality, they may meditate to help reduce their anxiety, but are also opening themselves up to truth without even knowing it if you get me? PD also tends to eventually lead to some form of spirituality of spiritual practice, yes there is, in the end, no difference. However, if we can improve our diets post-awakening, why not also do that pre awakening? Everyone is unique and has their own path and what is ideal for them, won't be ideal for me or you. It's not a one size fits all approach ever. Integration is incredibly key, especially post-awakening, Rupert Spira speaks of how the awakening is only really the first step, it's then how we live this understanding in all areas of life where the fun really starts.

@VeganAwake I agree about the hamster wheel comment, Rupert& Francis belong to the 'Direct Path' so that kind of tells you what it's about. Defo don't need to fed a load of BS at all, just saying practices can be effective, and often have psychological work- E.G. someone who has traumas needs to deal with these either Pre or Post Awakening, it won't just go away if you get what I mean I have great respect for all teachers, as anyone helping to awaken someone is, of course, doing amazing work! I'm all for the Direct approach hence why I love RASA, Transmissions, Direct Teachings etc as well as direct practices like Meditations, Self-Inquiry, we are very lucky compared to the old days of decade long Guru/ Disciple relationships and needing to go to India for the teachings!

@VeganAwake I don't think you get it. That literally is Neo-Advaita and also quite an unhelpful and uncaring message? 'I'm extremely unhappy' 'There's nobody to be unhappy, there is no individual that's unhappy.' Yes to us, that makes sense. Still just because nobody is there, does not mean the feeling of unhappiness disappears for someone who BELIEVES in the separate self, in fact it probably only makes it worse. What would be much more beneficial would be to go to the root of the issue, experientially understand the Separate self is a fiction, and deal with it that way. (As well as many other lifestyle alterations if one has suffered from depression for a long time and it is not a 'spiritual' depression) To me, Neo-Advaitans are just very reductionist in their teachings, if it resonates with you and has helped you find an absolute sense of peace and happiness that has no cause, then great. However, for the majority of seekers, such a blanket, a simple approach will not be very beneficial and will likely do more harm than good. Anyways, different teachers and approaches resonate with different people, and I wish you nothing but peace and happiness

You don't have to give up work to do this work at all, you'll likely have to evolve it though, especially if you work for a corrupt company or a company that inadvertently doesn't help people. Anyways, a large % of the population simply aren't ready for this and would benefit more from a form of Therapy/ Personal Development. The average person these days is a wage slave, overweight, has shitty relationships/ people skills, often have subtle or not so subtle addictions (alcohol, porn, phone, etc) very little knowledge on essential areas like Health, Business etc so a lot of other areas of study would be far more beneficial for their development than non-duality, in fact a LOT of people try to jump the gun on this stuff and try to fly before they can even stand up. A lot of issues can be dealt with by simply getting the 'basics' sorted out. Also, many people due to poor lifestyle and other factors have many mental problems such as depression and anxiety, a lot of these imo should be either dealt with prior to Non-Duality work sometimes even including meditation, breathwork etc or be dealt with as part of the spiritual work as they can often hinder progress. However, that being said, some of the work can be far easier post awakening, such as dealing with your shadow without an I-thought is much easier and their is much less resistance, so it's a double edged sword and quite nuanced. However, a LOT of people would benefit from more standard PD work, cleaning up their diet, a healthy exercise routine, developing people skills/ relationships, finding hobbies, developing their careers/ business/ LP and all the rest before jumping into Non-Duality and Awakening. If you're overweight with health issues pre awakening, there's a good chance you'll be overweight with health issues post awakening unless you take the required steps to fix them.

I think you often think I'm then talking about separation or some form of an individual that gets enlightened, I'm really not. What I'm saying is the first glimpse of truth, The experience of No-Self is the beginning, not the end. I stated that the separate Self is an illusion, the Little me is a fiction, and all that exists is The Absolute, the 'world' is simply The Absolute, the world as we know it doesn't actually exist as anything except Presence, The Absolute or whatever you want to call it. 'To move from the belief, I am something, to the understanding that I am nothing is a path of exclusion - I am not this, not this, not this. To move from the understanding that I am nothing to the all-embracing feeling-understanding that I am everything is a path of inclusion - I am this, I am this, I am this. The first is a path of understanding, the second a path of love.' Rupert puts it well. No Self, is the path of exclusion, and not the end of the path, but the beginning. True Advaita/ Non-Duality takes us to Absolute Peace and Happiness without any cause. I like you @VeganAwake but honestly, a lot of what you say sounds very much like Neo-Advaita, 6:27 - As he says it's fine for people who are already at peace and happiness, however telling people who believe there is a Personal Entity that there is 'nothing to do' is such a shitty teaching, for starters that belief needs to rid off, there is something to do! As I said this is about the seeing through of separation and the separate entity, and the recognition of the true nature of our beings that brings this absolute peace and happiness. These teachers are speaking from the 'other side' and most listeners are not there, therefore, the teachings simply are not helpful in most cases. So, if someone is unhappy and there is nothing they can do is that just it? Does this person not deserve happiness then, as there's nothing they can do about their unhappiness? I always say the deepest teaching is that of a transmission of presence and being in the presence of awakened beings. However, when that is not possible, and even on top of that, practices are very beneficial for a number of reasons. Most of the people listening to Neo-Advaita teachers are NOT happy, are NOT at peace and have Zero/Little experiential understanding, therefore, saying there is 'nothing' one can do is literally a pointless teaching in MOST Cases. Of course, in some cases, it is the EXACT teaching they need if they've been seeking for decades and are still stuck, but as a blanket teaching, it is very unhelpful. This article by Rupert is beautiful and a great reminder for those on the path, I forget how eloquent his writing is https://non-duality.rupertspira.com/read/the_disentanglement_of_the_self

@Esoteric Yep. It is perfect for westerners though, It's like seeing things- 'Lose weight without exercise and while still eating Bacon and Candy' or 'Lose Weight by moving more, eating whole foods and reducing Inflammation in your body!' what one sells more? As I said in my post there is value and elements of truth to these teachings, The Small I is a fiction, however stopping at No-Self is reductionist and part of the path of Exclusion, to me the fun really began after realizing I am Everything, I am Love, This is it etc, any form of negation no matter how subtle is a form of rejection and therefore can not be the final answer. Even Non-Duality is simply medicine for Duality. You can't eat a Non-Apple can you? Just to be clear I have great respect for these teachers and they in fact help so many people, but that doesn't mean they're perfect

I'll get pushbacks for this, but to me, they say this because they only have partial awakenings, they're definitely awakened and have had awakenings but tend to get stuck at the whole 'No-Self' rap, however, they help a lot of people and that's what matters most. To me, you could say these guys are the League 2 of Spiritual Teachers, and teachers like Francis Lucille, Rupert Spira, Adyashanti, Ramana Maharshi and Nisgardatta Maharaj are the Premier League. Shit analogy but can't think of a better one really. The funny thing is if they actually truly practiced Self-Inquiry they'd realize No-Self is simply not the final answer, and is in fact the I-Thought clinging onto a new Identity that very subtly rejects 'Duality.' 'There is nobody there, nothing to do' is a great teacher in certain situations and for certain people, but when used as a blanket message is hugely reductionist. That said seeing through the illusion of self is a HUGE step on the path, and one many won't take, and as I said IS a genuine awakening but stopping here is like running in an 800M race and deciding the finish line is only after 200M. Basically your selling yourself short. Once you start to teach, you also rarely develop further and 'crystalize' (Leo seems a rare exception but he's not exactly a full time touring speaker and is more focused on his own growth) Like I said all teachers are amazing in that they are trying to help people awaken and that is beautiful. But, this doesn't mean all teachers are created equal, although saying someone has had a deeper awakening is like a crime in some circles of Non-Duality. Also, saying practices aren't worthwhile is reductionist. In some cases people may benefit from dropping certain practices, as Practices in a Non-Dual sense are meant to take you into the silence and experience the truth for yourself. (Ramana literally invented Self-Inquiry for this purpose) But, practices can have other benefits for people- Meditation/ Breathwork can help with sleep, anxiety, healing etc, much of this isn't necessarily related to Non-Duality but clearly practices benefit many people. Then you also have the issue of past lives, (if you believe in past lives/ karma) you could look into these guys past lives and see decades or lifetime of spiritual practices for example to prepare them for awakening, and most would have done some form in this lifetime, they may not benefit them now but that doesn't mean they never have. For example, those who had spontaneous awakenings could have had lifetimes of practice e.g. Ramana and Eckhart Tolle, or they're just super lucky. Practices may not benefit everyone, but benefit many and help many realize the True nature of reality. Neo-Advaita is actually quite dangerous imo, when embodied as a belief system it can be very toxic and confusing, they are talking from a place of understanding but their listeners are unlikely to actually get it experientially so may go home and tell their children 'There's nobody here to take care of you anymore' etc, extreme example but we have to be careful of the ramifications these things can have. Many more developed teachers have written on the modern issue of Neo-Advaita, so I'll link some articles below. All I'll say is take what you can from these teachers, but don't become dogmatic about the message, they never really talk about Love, The Absolute, The Self etc and to me miss many facets of awakening. Also, suggesting no work needs to be done is incredibly appealing right? What would you rather do, be told there's no work to do, or actually put in the effort to grow yourself and work on your shadow. Even if there is a spontaneous awakening, there is still embodiment and shadow work to be done, which these teachers forever miss out on. The neglection of teachers like Adya and Rupert could be as realizing deeper truths would involve deep inquiry and put their current livelihoods at risk, we have to remember awakened beings aren't always free of self-bias. I personally went through this crisis as was an Eckhart Tolle addict, and realizing his teachings weren't the be-all and end all was hard for my 17 year old self to take! You could say they are at the Neti, Neti Stage (Not This, No Self, Nobody here) but have failed to embrace the path of Inclusion in that I am everything, I am love, I am The Absolute, which is a much more complete teaching. This is it, as it is right now, but not in the Neo-Advaita use of the word. I used to love Rupert Spira and read most of his books and posts, he for one wrote on this subject: https://non-duality.rupertspira.com/read/suicide_and_awakened_behaviour230 https://non-duality.rupertspira.com/watch/suffering-and-neo-advaita

@ElenaO I see your points and I'll attempt to answer them 1 by 1. 1000s of studies have shown the detrimental effects of loneliness, by Social Engagement this means being part of communities, teams, families etc. Think about elderly people when they are isolated and left lonely, they tend to die faster, compared to those surrounded by family and parts of communities. Some people socialize less, but these studies follow thousands and are making conclusions based on that. And study after study shows deep meaningful relationships are very beneficial for Humans. For those on a spiritual journey, this may be different for a period of time for example, but overall, the trend seems to consistently show how important close relationshops are. This doesn't mean you have to be the centre of attention, just having several close relationships with friends, family, clubs, communities etc will go a long way. This article sums up the book quite well: https://www.bluezones.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/NationalPost2011.pdf In terms of life purpose, not necessarily. You can run a company, follow your LP etc and know how to manage your stress levels, relax, take time out etc and not expose yourself to ridiculously high stress environments like Wall Street, there are ways to work around anything. By the way, it says Purpose= Living Longer so I'm not sure your confusion. A lot of the research shows big families and having children actually helps you live longer especially later in life, or who will take care for you and help you as you age? Again, it links back to that sense of community and belonging by having a family, and in these areas families are very close as are communities. I'm also guessing it's a biological response that shows you're still 'useful' so your body still needs to work hard? I'm not sure, but regular sexual activity is usually correlated with a long and healthy life. A lot of them tie together- Sex tends to mean you have a family and a wife, which gives you meaningful relationships increasing social conections etc. I haven't read the book but it's next on my health and diet list, so when I do I'll give a book summary.

This is just a post from development that I've been going through Post-Awakening regarding business and the issue of many modern businesses and society. The main issue (leo talks about this in his politics series) is that the system doesn't necessarily reward those that provide the most value and help to society, instead, it is stacked heavily towards those already at the top and who know the loopholes and system best. Now, I'm not saying all billionaires are bad people or anything like that, but a high % would've used forms of exploitation, manipulation etc to get there. I mean look at industries like Banks, Insurance, PayDay Loans etc, these aren't geared towards helping people they are solely geared towards maximizing profits at any costs, compare it to playing sports and winning at any costs- who cares if you cheat right? You can see this best in the Food industry that packs in processed shit into everything as that has the highest profit margins. You never see adds for broccoli or Chickpeas do you because there are no profits to be made. So, it's actually understandable from a basic POV that business is the issue and Capitalism is completely evil, but of course, this is also a reductionist way of looking at things. It's the way companies do business, not business itself that is inherently evil. Same with money. Another issue that arises with this is because people are so used to being scammed and conned out of money when 'spiritual' or people who genuinely want to help charge money for their products/ services, this instantly raises a red flag. Again, understandable, but in reality doesn't someone who is genuinely helping you deserve the money more than the CEO of a PayDay loan company who has destroyed families to get there? Luckily, we are starting to see many businesses evolve past this, and companies that aren't solely profit-driven are starting to arise, of course, it is MUCH harder to thrive when this is the case, hence companies don't want to do this and it is shareholders biggest nightmare. And, I'm not saying Profit isn't important in a business, of course, it is, but to put it above all else, at the expense of anything and everything is the big issue. It is merely a symptom of Stage Orange Capitalism gone WAY too far. It will take decades to even begin to see real change, however, for those of us who run/own businesses, or are even employees we can change on an individual level. We can make sure our businesses/ companies are actually having a positive effect on people, helping people and providing value in their lives. It doesn't matter if you're a musician (or any form of entertainment) or an E-Commerce seller when you actually start to focus on helping people and providing value this not only makes business more meaningful and enjoyable but actually increases the longevity of your business. Companies like Coca-Cola and McDonalds run riot now, yet in a more conscious society, who's going to want to eat and drink poison, when health is actually valued as people's highest values? Almost nobody. In my own businesses, I have begun to employ this 'Philosophy' if you will, in that the number one focus is always the quality of the product and making sure any product or service I am providing is actually helping people with their issues or providing amazing entertainment they will enjoy and will bring joy into their lives. I haven't done Leo's LP course, but I remember a post on Creator vs Competitor and Reading a book on the Toxicity of the food industry-inspired this. Sure, you could create a typical stage orange Profit > everything business and make bucket loads in the short term, but wouldn't it be better to create a long term, sustainable business, where you know the products and services you are creating are genuinely providing value in others lives? To me, it certainly would. In the short term, it may be a LOT harder, however, in the long term you will reap the rewards and know that you are actually running a 'Conscious' Business that helps people/ Like I said, it doesn't mean you all have to become Spiritual Teachers or Humanitarians, you could employ this in your life serving Coffee or being a cleaner for example. However, I would like to add @Leo Gura is a great example of this, he could quite easily go down a different route with Actualized.org but hasn't and I very much respect him for that. I'm sure there's plenty of other examples on here, like @Nahm giving 1-1 sessions with people (I've heard great things so keep it up!). And, helping people comes from a place of love, when you open up to this love, you are no longer able to simply scam and manipulate, therefore, you HAVE to grow your business to meet your own standards and like I said it comes with a LOT of challenges, but sure is worth it! Sorry, I kinda ranted there but writing this has actually inspired me to get back to work and back to creating better products and services to help my customers and clients. Personally, I run online businesses and am doing so to create financial freedom, however, recently I've also made them more passion-based, and now I wake up every day excited to start my day of work, and that to me alone is amazing! As Leo called it in his Politics series, let's upgrade to a more Conscious form of Capitalism

@TrynaBeTurquoise Exactly I don't know the percentages, but I mean I feel that's like at least 75% of the puzzle, and the rest are just small pieces that can make that extra little bit of difference. And exactly, Alternate Health/ Biohacking etc isn't exactly for people on a budget, so he's just marketing to his audience, and he's really good at it, I know when I buy my first house I'll be designing it in a 'hacked' manner in many ways to optimize health, longevity etc. I mean I can already notice a difference with the little things I'm implenting. Just learning things about the Oils and Glycemic Variability are just so simple yet helpful. Will probably buy Boundless at some point this year. On that note, if you haven't I highly recommend 'How Not to Diet' by dr Gregor, I understand if you're not plant based and don't have to agree with his solutions. But most of the truths are universal and he exposes the corruption of the Food Industry, it's a fucking amazing book on true health!

@EternalForest You can still live life at tier 2, post awakening or whatever you want to call it. You can still go to concerts, sports games etc, in fact they're even better without any resistance to the now Plus, wait until you feel and understand the peace and happiness of genuine awakening, then you'll understand. Then, in terms of what's left? Go live your fucking life however you want, and do what you love. And, living from this understanding is the greatest gift of all.

@TrynaBeTurquoise Yep, that's basically why I watch him and read/listen to his articles/podcasts, I can also see why's he hooked on it. Waking up feeling amazing is every day is pretty addictive and always finding new ways to do so is awesome. Of course he has the luxury of a bottomless pit of money as well, but the fundamentals anyone with a decent salary could do- Whole Foods, Regular& Low Level Exercise, Weight Training, Sauana, Cold Thermogenesis, Meditation& Breathwork, Blue Light Glasses etc etc