Bazooka Jesus

It's kind of funny though that in his blog post Leo cited Steven Spielberg of all people who is practically the godfather of portraying Nazis as cartoon villains, heh. Also, it is a common misconception that acting as an art form is about "putting on an act". Orson Welles said it best when he remarked that acting is like creating sculpture (as opposed to plastic art), which means that a true actor doesn't add stuff to his own personality in order to create the character but on the contrary subtracts all of his own personality traits that don't serve the part until the character remains (in the same vain as Michelangelo who claimed to free the sculpture from the block of stone standing in front of him by simply chopping away all of the pieces that didn't belong to the figure he was creating). So acting is all about discovering the character you want to portray within yourself and leaving aside everything that is unnecessary for the role. In other words: You can only portray that which you already naturally carry within yourself. *Movie buff rant over.*

This is gold. I swear, life is funnier than (man-made) fiction. Well played, universe.

I have tried an Iboga retreat near valencia in 2021 (the name is Harambe, you can look it up online). However, they will tell you exactly the same thing that I am telling you: Iboga, just like any other substance, is not a magic pill that will do all the work for you and make the root cause of your addiction simply dissappear overnight. It can only open up a window of opportunity for you where you will be able to work on your underlying issues without getting bogged down by constant cravings; but you better believe that those cravings will return after a while if you don't take the plunge and face your issues head on. That's why they recommend to everyone to take necessary precautions beforehand and make sure that you will have a healthy support network in place once you return back home... and yes, this includes the big bad trigger word which starts with a "T" and ends with "herapy". Without this, you are going to relapse faster than you can say "all therapists are idiots".

Okay... so what exactly is this thread about? Isn't it about addiction and how to overcome it? If you don't want to hear advice, then perhaps you shouldn't ask for it.

I think there are probably a lot of prevalent misconceptions about what life in India is like among people who have never been here. I've met quite a few expats already, and they say that life is much more easy and relaxed here (at least for a Westener) than in places like the US, especially if you're an artist. Even though there are some things I have yet to get used to (and haven't seen much of the country as of yet), I could definitely see myself living here at some point. The energy is much less heavy and contorted than in Europe, let alone Germany... and the people are so unbelievably friendly that it's almost uncanny, lol!

Exactly. There is incredible depth in Eckhart's simplicity. I can listen to him over and over again and always get something new out of it... the more you progress, the more you will be able to draw out of his teachings. But I also understand the desire to hear something slightly more "advanced" at certain points of the journey - which also has the advantage that you will hear Eckhart's truisms with fresh ears afterwards. If you listen to the same thing over and over again, it kind of loses it's meaning and impact after a while... the same way that when you repeat a certain word fifty times in a row, you'll start to wonder "uuuuummm, what does that word mean again?" So it's good to mix it up every once in a while. One of my favorite teachers after I (thought I) had transcended Eckhart's teachings was Adyashanti; his talks and books are especially useful if you already had your first glimpses but now feel like you're stuck in post-awakening limbo where you have realized the Absolute but somehow still are waiting for something to "happen". (Check out The End Of Your World... it's one of my favorite books about the awakening (non-)journey.) Cheers!

@Sugarcoat So there is automatic resistance that you have no control over, gotcha. Now can you allow that resistance to just be there? (Spoiler alert... this is a trick question. You are already allowing it, otherwise it (and the thing that you have resistance against) would not be happening. The only question is: Are you aware of the fact that you are allowing it?)

What if there is nothing that you can do about it? What if there is nothing that anyone can tell you that will make you feel better about it? What if this is a process that simply needs to play itself out, and all you can do is let it pass? Could you be okay with (temporarily) not being okay? Nothing is ever permanent. Impermanence is the only constant in the universe.

Of course there can. It's called "life", and death isn't somehow the end of life... it is simply another aspect of the exact same thing. Death = Change = Life = Permanence = God. Different names, same singularity.

...when they themselves start telling you to do it.

Amazing.

Mmmmm yes... 42. Good for you, it's very forgettable fluff.

Fuck yeah, they are even better. Much better in fact! The New Hollywood era of the late sixties/seventies (those are my favorite two decades of the 20st Century as far as pop culture is concerned) was absolutely amazing. Tons of great gritty and original off beat movies, from comedy to musical to drama to thriller to horror flicks. And the actor Paul Newman starred in every single one of them, lol. Even the first Rocky and Rambo movies were great, before it all went down the toilet with the 80's sequels.

One crappy movie and one pretty good old BBC series from the late 70's. Don't watch the former, watch the latter.

Update: I've been here for ten days now, and I am still alive. In fact, very much so! I love the atmosphere of this place. The energy feels less heavy and contorted than in Germany, people are incredibly friendly and there is just a very generous and easygoing vibe overall. And I really love the fact that Indians seem to have much more respect towards animals than Europeans. Could I permanently live here? I guess it's too early to say, but at this point I definitely wouldn't rule it out. Tl;dr: India ROCKS!

That's a mental story. To truly awaken means to realize that which is behind all stories.

Don't you dare move this over to the Off Topic section. This is political/economical discourse of the highest caliber.

"I" is a concept. The Absolute is not.

"I" is a random label for that which is prior to all labels. Taking pointers literally is the mother of all spiritual fuckups.

@Thought Art Who says there needs to be a "you" to remember something for remembrance to happen? A you to contemplate something for contemplation to happen? If there are clouds floating in the sky, does there have to be a "you" in order for them to appear?

Exactly. It's good that you seem to be able to at least temporarily suppress the substance cravings, but a long-term solution is only possible if you address the root cause of those addictive tendencies. Which requires effective trauma healing (through therapy).

What many people here on this forum don't seem to understand is that (Neo-)Advaitan pointers are not meant as instructions on what (not) to do. They are apragmatic expressions, directly hinting at the non-dual side of reality as it is here and now. The great paradox of awakening is that it usually takes a great deal of prolonged effort to cross the bridge that leads from separation consciousness to the "other side"... at which point it is immediately recognized that there is no bridge, no other side and noone who could put in any effort.

Music for the ages. ❤️

Check this one out: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0676977413/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=VBOGTUZXLACQ&keywords=realm+of+hungry+ghosts&qid=1701784224&sprefix=realm+of%2Caps%2C605&sr=8-4 Amazing book about addiction and its connection to trauma. One of the most captivating & well written books I have ever read.