r0ckyreed

Intro To Pure Philosophy “Philosophy is not the love of wisdom, it’s the love of pure understanding.” - Leo Gura “There is only one serious philosophical question, which is: What is Consciousness? And that is because, Consciousness is all there is.” - Leo Gura All the real philosophy is needed to be learned on my own. Top lesson of philosophy is appearances can be deceiving. Consider that philosophy is the most important thing a human can do. Grasp the importance of curiosity, contemplation, and asking profound questions about reality. Philosophy is about connecting with life. Science is a subset of philosophy. Science was created by philosophers. Questioning is what humans take for granted. What is a question? How do questions work? How is questioning reality possible? Why do humans have questioning functions? It is amazing that I can ask questions about reality and get meaningful answers. Questioning itself is amazingly mysterious. Asking questions is a superpower. Most people underutilize the power of asking questions. Turn questioning into an art. Become curious. Philosophy is also very practical. There is a philosophy of success, and I can ask questions about what success is and the principles to be success, and study the work and philosophies of people who have been successful. A true philosopher takes up the task to ask questions for their own genuine curiosity. Questions to get started in philosophy Write down the questions I am genuinely interested in Where did reality come from? Why is there something rather than nothing? What is language? What is consciousness? Is a rock conscious? Are plants conscious? Can a machine be conscious What is the relationship between mind and matter What is truth? Does ultimate truth even exist? What makes for a good life? why do people suffer? how do we reduce suffering? is religion valid? does God exist? what is God? Where did God come from? How can I know science is true? What makes science better than religion? What is rationality? Can anything be known for certain? Is philosophy even worthwhile? How can I be sure anything exists outside my own consciousness? What are the best ways to understand nature? What do the results of Quantum Mechanics mean? What is the color red? How do I know I am not fooling myself? What is life? Where did life originate? Where did the laws of physics come from? Could they have been different? What is time? Is time travel possible? why does war happen? Why does war keep happening? What would it be like to communicate with aliens? How do we construct the best society possible? Can all true things be proven? What is proof? What constitutes proof? Why is the world ordered? What is more certain perceptions or reason? Which should I trust more than the other? How do I know which sources of information I should trust? Does philosophy have right or wrong answers or is everything subjective and relative? How to know if philosophy is right for me? Am I deeply curious about fundamental existential questions Am I able to stop wondering and questioning everything? Do I love truth and pure understanding for its own sake? Do I love to question and contemplate? Do I love to do thought experiments? Does asking existential questions excite me? Do I love conversations about profound existential topics with other humans? What do I want out of philosophy? Why am I doing philosophy? What are my motivations? It is important to be clear about this for myself. Contemplation is a lifelong journey. It is about deepening my understanding and insight into reality. Contemplation is not about getting some quick answer or asking other people for the answers. Philosophy is all about going through the process myself and deriving my own answers. Various fields in philosophy Metaphysics/Ontology What is existence/reality? What is anything? Does God exist and what is God? Is reality material or mental? Epistemology How do I know what is true? Ethics/morality What is good? What is evil? Aesthetics What is beauty? What is art? Political philosophy Science What scientific paradigms are correct? Logic/mathematics Religion Philosophy of mind What is consciousness? What is qualia? What is subjectivity? Psychology How do I do good philosophy if my psychology is weakened? I have to take into account my own biases when doing philosophy Sociology History Spirituality Make a distinction between speculation and genuine observation and insights. Philosophy is not about speculation and belief. Philosophy is about making genuine observations about reality and having genuine insights. The only way to become a great philosopher is to spend thousands of hours in deep questioning and contemplation. Knowing how to question well and how to think is an essential skill to have that I have to develop just like tennis. Most people are poor thinkers because they are biased in their thinking. Traps Projection Confirmation bisa Confabulation Rationalization/justification Reasoning backwards from conclusions Question Begging Circular logic Notice how tricky my own mind is. That is how I become more aware of self-deceptions. Philosophy is about improving the quality of my thinking. Philosophy is about high-quality thinking in general. Philosophical work is accomplished through contemplation and observation. Contemplate and observe Do thought experiments and observe what happens Philosophy work is accomplished by thought experiments and also accomplished by exploring different points of view. Philosophers are interested in exploring perspectives for their own sake and not about whether it is right or wrong. Questioning everything and all assumptions. Learning how to think and how to question is valuable for its own sake. I will be thinking throughout my life. Will I think good or bad? High quality thinking will help me throughout all domains in life. It is a wise investment. Philosophy is about self-reflection Be aware of how my own mind gets in the way of my observation. Philosophy is not armchair and guessing. Bad philosophy: I think plants are conscious or not conscious. Good philosophy: What might plant consciousness look like and how would I verify that? Bad philosophy is mental masturbation Good philosophy is pure understanding Philosophy is all about genuine desire Truth not verifying pet theories. This means to admit when I am wrong and adjust my methods. Most philosophers try to reinforce their biases. Groupthink and ideology is another trap. There is a difference between reading Karl Marx and being a Marxist than just studying economics and come to my own conclusions. Inquiry vs. rationalization Inquiring = asking questions and deriving answers Rationalization = coming up with stories why it is true and why something else is false Debating, arguing, and critiquing is another trap of philosophy. When I am debating I am doing rationalization and not inquiry. My mind can rationalize and convince me of any philosophy and anything. Deciphering old texts from philosophers is a distraction. Philosophy is not writing and publishing papers. Philosophy is not subscribing to a philosophy or philosopher. Philosophy is not about proving things to others. I don’t have to prove my understanding to others. Other people are so closed-minded that I could never prove anything to them. Credentials and status have nothing to do with philosophy. What if Plato is a bad philosopher? It is not about the philosopher, it is about the quality of their ideas. Even intelligent people like Einstein have bad ideas. Authority doesn’t guarantee whether ones ideas are good or valid. Putting people on pedastles isn’t philosophy. Using philosophy to avoid survival and practicality is another trap. Philosophy can be used as escapism. Put my philosophy to the test in the real world not just brainstorm. Suffering is a true test to my philosophy. True understanding is not just theory, it is transforming me. Deep Philosophy changes my behavior, it is not just brainstorming. Serious philosophy can scare and threaten me. Philosophy requires deep courage for truth-seeking. Correct philosophy, I will be able to answer every existential question and come to know myself and reality completely. Pure Philosophy is philosophy devoid of any person, history, or ideology. Pure Philosophy is caring only about the ideas themselves. It is like a spread sheet of every idea, concept, and perspective about reality. Then, these concepts are evaluated based on their merit and revise them freely to create the best possible understanding of reality. Pure Philosophy is only about complete understanding and not about proving or debunking or convincing the whole world or writing papers. It is simply interested in Pure Understanding of reality, which involves questioning everything. Nothing is taken for granted. Everything starts from scratch. Infinite open-mindedness. 5 questions for pure philosophy How is anything possible? What is anything? Where did I come from? What is consciousness? How do I live the best life? **Top techniques for serious philosophers** Sit down and contemplate for hours in solitude Sitting alone and thinking with focus is challenging. Asking powerful questions and getting better at asking questions and clarifying questions. Simplicity, clarity, and cutting through ignorance/delusion If I truly understand something, I should be able to explain it to a child. I will be able to explain it simply. Radical skepticism Question everything and apply skepticism to my own ideas Get an overview of all philosophies. Study all philosophies a little bit so that I can understand the landscape of many different points of view. Don’t just study one philosophy/philosopher in-depth and neglect all others. Big picture is key to full understanding. Explore radical perspectives and points of view. Radical open-mindedness. Question science as though it were a religion Psychedelics Keep a common-place book of all my notes and quotes. Write down all of my major insights and put them in my commonplace book Do serious meditation practices. Go to meditation retreats. Make a deep study of psychology and sociology - Understand my mind and how culture programs my own mind Making and collapsing distinctions Generate specific and powerful examples. Analyze the examples and how they work. Observation happens externally and internally. Observation Master language and clear articulation of my ideas Engage with other intellectuals in philosophical conversations but not debate. Arguing with others with retard my development. Writing. Write out all my ideas. Do my philosophy on paper. It helps to keep me honest and articulate my ideas. Teaching philosophy. Start YouTube channel, blog, or public speaking. Get my ideas out there and learn. Develop practical skills like computer programming, copywriting, sales skills, cooking skills, etc. Keep my philosophy simple and clear. Articulate my ideas so simple that a child can understand it. Be careful of pet theories and intuitions. Consciousness is key. Study consciousness the most. Consciousness is my north star. What is consciousness? Be more open minded Enjoy the process of pure understanding. There is no rush. This process will take a few decades. Generate practical insights for materialistic pursuits Be an original thinker. Don’t follow any philosopher. Read less and contemplate more. Contemplation is more powerful than reading Don’t get attached to any one school of thought like Buddhism. I don’t need technicalities of philosophers. All I need is overview on the wikipedia page. I don’t need to spend a month reading Descartes when I can read Descartes in one hour. I don’t need to read the original works. Their ideas are what are important. Wikipedia is my greatest friend. Study self-help Be careful of being too specialized. Be holistic. Holism = pure understanding Make clarity one of my highest values. History and parroting are not philosophy Beware of intellectual fads Which philosophies are worth reading and studying? Skepticism/Pyrrhonism Idealism Relativism Political philosophy Eastern philosophy Dzogchen Mysticism Non-duality Meditation Monism Solipsism Yoga Philosophers most worth reading? Heraclitus Anaxamander Anaxagorus Platinus Sextus Empiricus Hegel German idealists (excluding Kant) Berkeley Thomas Kuhn Paul Firerobind Spinoza Willard Quine William James Stoics: Marcus Aurelius & Epictetus Arabindow Ken Wilber Peter Ralston Overrated philosophers who are least worth reading (Just read their stuff on wikipedia for their ideas) Socrates Plato Aristotle Descartes Hume Kant Deridoff Wittgenstein Hobbes Locke Nietzsche Heideggar Sarte Camus Ayn Rand Confucius Rosseau Is there one correct philosophy? Idealism Panpsychism Pantheism Monism Nonduality Zen Buddhism Vedanta Radical Skepticism Pyrrhonism Mysticism Holism Relativism Hindu idealism Solipsism subjectivism phenomenology Is philosophy worth doing? Mental masturbation is a trap of philosophy but philosophy done properly can be used practically and to understand reality. Philosophy can be done to connect deeper with life and be happy. You can’t avoid philosophy. Not doing philosophy means being programmed by philosophies of my culture. What is the end point of philosophy? Philosophy is like a maze Awakening/God-Realization Philosophies that are a waste of time dualism atheism behaviorism materialism realism logical positivism empiricism rationalism libertarianism nihilism absurdism existentialism reductionism Should I become a professional philosopher? Leo does not recommend it because the university does not care about truth. I can be a philosopher outside of academia like on YouTube, but there are only a few slots. I have to offer unique and original insights that provide value. Getting started with philosophy Briefly study all the different philosophies out there in summaries Decide what questions I am most interested in answering. Make a list. Start a habit of independent contemplation Observe my own mind at work and write down new insight about how my own mind works. Be really truthful and honest about my biases and self-deceptions Set a timer for 60 minutes and contemplate a question of interest. Have a notepad for only writing down insights. Mindless writing is a distraction and is not contemplation. Do philosophy that transforms me. That is true philosophy.

Make sure you find a licensed professional counselor (LPC), who specializes in evidence-based practices such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Therapists are not supposed to impose their values into you, but to rather help you understand yours and point out your limiting beliefs/views. If this keeps happening, see another therapist. Journal about what you really want out of a therapist and out of life. Do your own research. The quality of your life hinges on quality of your research.

The real delusion is perceiving negativity in the first place. Truth is basking in the perception of pure positivity and beauty. Of course, you still have more work to do to process and work through your negative thinking. Rule of mind is that negative thinking is a clue that you are missing something about reality. Good luck.

This is the issue. It is a self-defeating narrative that will always be true until you think otherwise. “Whether you think you can or can’t, you are right.” - Henry Ford Open your mind to other points of view without attachment. You are attaching yourself to a disempowering and untrue view of reality. Entertain the possibility of what she is saying and verify it is true. Don’t immediately dismiss ideas that disconfirm yours. Healing requires a transformation in your outlook. If you don’t change, you will always be stuck. The future isn’t written because it doesn’t exist. Decide who you want to be and be it now. She is right in that everything starts with belief and desire.

You don’t need a fancy software like OneNote. All you need is your Notes app on your iPhone. Keep it simple.

I read Peter Ralston, Jed McKenna, and Eckhart Tolle in that order.

Then what are you waiting for? Go all in. I am talking about the first date or beginning phase of a relationship. Now, I don't even ask my girlfriend. I just look her in the eyes and make out. If a woman on the first date thinks that you asking for consent is nooby, then maybe she doesn't have high self-respect? That is a red flag for me. I have been a nice guy and have achieved all results that I have dreamed of out of relationships/sexuality because I am authentic, respectful/kind, confident, and witty. And I blow her mind with my love for philosophy and magic tricks.

I just ask, “Is it okay if I kiss you?” It works wonders. My now girlfriend said it turned her on when I asked her for consent because it made her feel comfortable.

Absolute Beauty. Infinite Intelligence. Absolute Love. Complete Perfection.

This one is better in my opinion! It even had OA (original artist) tear up. It had me tear up too! Enjoy!

But... isn't that what is the case? You said that my hand is actuality and bigfoot, santa clause, and round earth are imaginary. If I went up into space (imaginary) and saw the round earth (imaginary), and then if I come down to earth, how would I know that the earth is round when I am not looking at it? How would I know that I actually saw the "actual" earth rather than just imagining it now? In the same way, I can look up at the moon, but how do I know that the moon exists when I cannot see it during the day? How do I know external reality exists? The answer is that I don't know. If I imagine that I have seen Bigfoot in the past, the answer is still that I do not know because me claiming that I know is assuming that my memories are accurate and that time is real. In a way, Bigfoot like The Big Bang, depends on me existing in the first place like you have claimed before. Third-person objectivity depends on first-person subjectivity. Am I missing something?

I have not heard of anyone on here talking about David Lion. I am not sure why that is. He is very spiritual and has great wisdom. He is a mystic, channeler, healer, psychic, hypnosis, and magician. Here is his website: https://www.livingmagic.life You can also find some of his YouTube videos, which I think have been quite helpful! What do you all think of David Lion?

Rationalism is correct. You are proving it just now just by talking about it. All knowledge is a form of thought. Some people say that there is a knowledge through being because being is primary to thinking. All knowledge is about being. But being cannot be known because it is. The hand cannot grasp itself so it creates a thought to create a game where the mind attempts to grasp being but it cannot. Rationalism cannot get you to being. But rationalism can point you in that direction, which is what all of this typing and thinking is. But think about it this way. In the relative domain, rationalism is one of the best ways of knowing anything. If you want to know the earth is round, you have to first experience it first-hand. Then, you take note of those observations and store them into long-term memory. You make sense of the world you are living right now through your mind, through critical thinking. You know that the earth is round even when cannot see it because you have the memory of it when you did see it first-hand. If you just relied on what you observe now (absent of rationalism), you would naturally believe that the sun moves across the sky rather than the earth rotating. Rationalism is what says that the earth rotates because you have no experience of the earth rotating, only the sun moving. Your senses can deceive you. Another similar example is with poisonous plants. Your mind identifies what plants are edible and poisonous through experience and memory. It takes critical thinking to be able to remember what you previously observed. People may say that rationality can also deceive you too. But I would suggest that it is irrationality that deceives you because if you are deceived, then somewhere along the way, you missed something and had an error in your thought processes. If you consider all the options and think things through and are willing to admit you are wrong, you are being rational and that is a more reliable method than relying on anything else. Critical thinking is essential because it analyzes experience. Without rationalism, you would not have any access to the knowledge you acquired through experience!!!!

Infinity cannot be reached. You can only realize yourself to be Infinity. The hand can’t grab itself. This spawn count stuff is just another ego game. No more valid than getting the sperm count for Santa Clause. I am Jesus, average Joe, and the shit and piss of Donald Trump.

Most definitely! However, if you want enlightenment, you will need to also use contemplation to deconstruct your mind. So it’s like washing your hands to have clean hands. You need both water and soap if you want clean hands. Same with your mind in experiencing the nature of reality. Awaken to Absolute Beauty. It is right here always.

Keep at it. Don’t just stop after today lol. Try Satisfaction Meditation for 2 weeks and if you don’t get the results you want, then try Absolute Beauty Meditation (ABM) for 2 weeks. Just be satisfied with existence itself. Connect with the Beauty of Existence. That is what all meditation is about. Don’t make it so complicated. Keep going!

But there are higher stages of meditation and TV watching! You can meditate deeply or shallow. You can watch TV consciously or unconsciously.

I feel like I am not even in a body. I feel like my body is inside of Me!

Of course. You are never going to completely excel at something you don’t enjoy. There will always be resistance and obstacles there. But meditation isn’t about excelling at anything really. It is about connecting with Absolute Truth and Beauty/Perfection and basking in your true nature.

The way you are meditating seems like suffering. Forget about the stages for right now. Meditation is about being aware of this moment and falling in love with the beauty of the now. It sounds like you are making meditation really mechanical when it is really as simple as noticing the beauty all around you and connecting to that. You are not going to progress to higher stages until you can really enjoy your “practice.” You backslide because the way you are doing it is mechanical and not enjoyable I am assuming. Look up Leo’s video on Satisfaction Meditation. Also, do TMI technique to quiet the mind, but don’t forget to not overlook the beauty all around you and for making this time for yourself! My technique is called Absolute Beauty Meditation. It is similar to Satisfaction Meditation except it adds the recognition of beauty all around you and bask in the beauty for as long as you can. Close your eyes, quiet your mind. Then open them like you are seeing the world for the first time. Then, stay with that feeling of beauty and newness for as long as you can. Then, after your “practice,” carry that with you throughout the rest of your life!

Really amazing question! For me, it would be to be set up with a career that I love. Everything else, I already have and feel complete. I already got the girl, I just now have to slay the dragon. I did it backwards but oh well! ?

For any follower of Buddhism or of any thought system, this is going to piss you off, but it is what you need to read, think about, and deeply consider. If you push any Buddhist in a corner and ask them "What is Buddhism, and what is the goal of Buddhism?" They will say something along the lines of "Nirvana. To alleviate suffering, to find a solution to it, and help the world overcome suffering." Notice that the goal of Buddhism isn't Truth. It is to alleviate suffering. Notice that there is an assumption that Truth = Suffering (or the overcoming of suffering). But what if suffering and the overcoming of it is part of the distraction to keep one away from pursuing Truth? Ever consider why The Buddha was so focused on suffering but yet silent on God? By definition, The Buddha was not concerned about God (or Truth) but about suffering. You can see how this is an issue. How can you understand suffering and overcome it without opening yourself up to God? Suffering is a distraction from Truth. You can spend your whole life trying to alleviate the suffering of yourself and of others but what is the cost of that? What would happen if you prioritized Truth instead of alleviating suffering? Another thing is to doubt whether Buddha even existed or not. Notice that all of your ideas about The Buddha and Buddhism are just your ideas and not your actual perceptions. Start to question the motive of Buddhism. If Buddhism is in alignment with the Truth, then you should have no problem questioning it and deconstructing it. Rule of mind: Whenever you are defensive or afraid of questioning anything, that is a sign that you are trapped in a belief and belief is ultimate not Truth. Beliefs are very helpful for your survival and for overcoming suffering, but don't think that your beliefs have anything to do with reality as it is. Think for yourself. Don't lock your mind inside of the bubble and worldview of anything. Unlock your mind from all worldviews, programming, beliefs, and ideas that aren't yours. EDIT: I forgot another important reason why you should be really skeptical of Buddhism. Buddhism demonizes thought. If they had it their way, you would be a mindless (or thoughtless) meditator. Meditation is good for alleviation of suffering and achieving peace of mind. But if you want Truth, you have to consider that peace and truth may not be the same. If you want Truth, you have to start questioning the costs of meditating all day and what you are getting yourself into. Meditation can be easily used by cults as a form of brainwashing to program followers to not think for themselves. It is easy for Buddhism to be turned into a cult because it already discourages thinking and demonizes "thinking as dangerous." Hahahaha! They only say that because if you deliberately thought and deeply questioned anything, it would ultimately collapse and you wouldn't need Buddhism or any mental prison anymore. No worldview, ideology, or mental prison can survive contemplation. Why are you so attached to Buddhism? Examine your feelings of my critiques of Buddhism. If you care about truth, then why are you so defensive? Do you care more about being right or truth? Namaste??

But… the planet earth is imaginary!! ???? The only one who can awaken is me!! ???? If plant earth exists, then that must mean external world exists outside the human mind. The external world is held within universal mind.

All schools of thought are criticized. Buddhism is picked out specifically because it is so prevalent in spiritual circles and is the hardest religion to deconstruct that I know of. The myth of Buddhism is up there with the myth of science. If science is a myth, what do you think Buddhism is? You haven’t transcended religion until you have firstly deconstructed Buddhism.

This is such a joke and troll. Your notion of intelligence is finite and petty. Intelligence is way beyond grammar. Hyper intelligence is realizing grammar is imaginary and not giving a f*ck.