Shmurda

@commie the idea that one should be purely scientific about this and inform you by being much more specific is just the ego attempting to avoid reflecting honestly on the ramifications of the destruction we're facing. Not everyone who says "we're probably going to die" is spreading some bs apocalyptic theory. This crisis is backed up by years of scientific investigation.

@commie Hey. Yeah sure there's a lot of info out there and a lot of numbers as well. I'm not gonna do a full exposition of all the threats here due to time constraints. They're all available if you search for them. Here's a great explanation of one the most impending threats So basically within the next few years we can expect the Arctic to have an ice free summer. What does that mean? The ocean currents that dictate global weather patterns are heavily reliant on Arctic temperatures remaining below a certain level. When the sea ice melts completely, which it will shortly, we will see a dramatic shift in global weather with some areas remaining dry year round and others remaining stormy. This is obviously a death blow for agriculture in any of those regions. We need the agriculture industry to continue to grow in order to supply the current demand for food. I'll let you arrive at the conclusion. This is just one of many imminent threats to global stability. I'm not claiming to arrive at the ultimate Truth. I'm just saying that most people are only giving themselves a partial or unrealistic perspective on our collective future. Of course I've done the reading and looked at the numbers otherwise I wouldn't be posting this.

@mandyjw thanks that's a great response. I see what you mean about a mindset shift from inner work without being so explicit about how fucked situation is. Nonetheless, I feel like a lot of us still have this idea that "theres something going on but maybe we'll find our way out of it and society will persevere" and we just leave it at that. In a few videos Leo refers to climate change and says things like "we've done some pretty incredible things before so maybe humanity will find a way around this one". Imo this is just patently not the case. We're bracing for disaster here and the vast majority of people are either ill-informed or unwilling to face up to the truth. If we're intentionally avoiding something because it's too painful, then that is contrary to spiritual practice. We must face the truth of our situation and not to do so is unconscious.

@allislove I like the idea that the "I am" is going to wake up as if from a dream. Imagine if the reality we awoke to was even more real than this one... Still, I see no evidence for this. I like the Rupert Spira example you gave but it's still purely a belief with its own problems. For one, it's rare that we experience aging and approaching death in a dream. We usually just wake up in the middle of a crazy story. Secondly, the dream reality ceases to exist once I wake up, but, if we consider other perspectives as real as our own, then the waking reality continues even after the individual is dead.

@SQAAD not sure why you didn't get a response to this very important topic. Perhaps partly for the reason that we tend to avoid thinking about it in the first place. The ego hates it! I have struggled with this a lot and I still do to a degree. Facing these harsh truths about life as an organism makes the egoic self horrified. However by doing this you are being radically honest, and this is one of the most important factors in awakening. Part of the illusion of ego is the shrouding of uncomfortable truths that remind it of its own eventual demise. You will die one day, possibly under horrific and painful circumstances. It's happening to organisms all over the world right now, but you just don't want to think about it. Well, here's my advice: do think about it. Think about the exact moment that you or anyone else you love will die. Think about watching the world burn. Feel your ego writhe about in fear and discomfort. Eventually you'll realise that despite your darkest fears, you're still here, and isn't that what you wanted all along?

@captainamerica You can surrender your desires if you have the strength. I don't recommend it if you haven't already realised that the answer to your suffering isn't in money, women or any object for that matter. If you think a business person is enlightened, you can be sure that it wasn't as simple as doing good business, gaining success and then BLAOW kundalni. Actually, they will have followed their dream and had it shattered many times. They will have had to reinvent themselves, change their priorities, realise the ways in which they were deluded. All of this is a painful process that involves a lot of learning, just like spirituality.

A spiritual practice is a way to discover what is true for you on a personal and, by extension fundamental level. If a person engages in business and in doing so they learn about their authentic personality, what motivates them, how they relate to other people and what they fundamentally want to be in life, then this is a spiritual practice and it will reward them with similar fruits as any other path. Its a bonus though cos they get to make money as well!!

@Nak Khid That was quite a long and confusing essay my guy and I thought the arguments were pretty circular. I give it a C minus. Anyway the point is, the origin of something-ness is not a thing. What we refer to as God, the creator, cannot be defined conceptually. It is devoid of a fundamental structure, parameters or objectivity. What is that? It's No-thing. Also, you seem to be gunning for Leo a lot. Is it because Leo is usually wrong and you're here to show us the way? Or is it that you have some bias going on where you're always trying to outsmart him? I think it's the latter.

Hahaaa nice. Did you come up with that?

@Artsu Let's not make this situation more complicated than it needs to be. Perhaps your experience of Ego feels like you're trying to reason with yourself but it could be different for other people. Telling@Jay Ray that he's more likely possessed could send him in totally the wrong direction. I think it's still Ego and I wouldn't go telling someone they're possessed unless I was a spiritual medium who could sense that kind of thing...

"Appalled and in disbelief of such emotional immaturity..." Wow remind me not to let loose around you, oh saintly one. And then when he's left, you go and tell everyone. Why?? They probably wouldn't even notice. Relax, no one cares.

I have to sit for at least 1 hour if I really want to bliss out in self inquiry. Imo one of two things is happening here: 1) Your I-thought has got to a blank state. This is a sneaky trick of the Ego where the mind goes quiet and creates the impression that it has been diminished, but actually it's just another mental state. I was fooled by this for about a year before I really understood what falling away was. If you want to check if this is happening I highly recommend Leo's guided "the next level of meditation" video as he really gets you to let go of everything. 2) Your definition of emotions are still wrapped up with the Egoic self, in which case you need to temper your expectations. Remember, you're going beyond the realm of conceptual experience here. Don't expect to be happy, excited, overjoyed or awe-struck whatever. These are all emotions about something. The emotion of abiding in the Self is beyond description but its about the most enjoyable feeling there is.

Self inquiry meditation will allow you manifest these feelings sober, then they will start to seep into your every day experience. A caveat: be prepared to give up your sense of identity and all the things you *think* you like.

First off I wana say keep doing what you're doing. It sounds like you're already firing beams of light from your eyeballs, taking pieces of the world and molding them into something beautiful. There is one thing worth noting. At the beginning of this thread you didn't know what to do and so your life may as well have been over. You were listless and distraught. Now, you've created a different narrative full of confidence about who you are and where you will be going over the next several years with all your hard work. What happens if that is taken away? What if you become incapacitated and can no longer play music? What if civilization spirals out of control and we're all dead in a couple of years? Did you take the time to stop and smell the flowers?

I started experiencing something similar a few months ago except, after my sense of 'I' became an object, there was no fear. In fact it is pure peace. It's like in a movie when someone is dying they're going towards the light at the end of the tunnel. The Egoic self is like the voice saying "don't go towards the light, come back to us." and it will try its hardest to take your attention away from that light. Have faith in the light. It's silence and presence are louder than any thought or feeling the mind can summon.

Hey man, I read your questions and they're very specific and personal. There's only two ways you're gonna get answers to these questions: you answer them yourself as honestly as you can, or you work with a therapist who is able to fully understand where you're coming from. I used to think that others could help me out of a rut like the one you seem to be in. Then I realised that my belief that someone was going to help me was actually making it harder for me to overcome. Consider that you are the only one who understands your issues, and you are the only one who can get over them. Lastly, you absolutely must have a daily meditation habit if you want to maintain perspective on this matter. Otherwise you're just going to be a slave to this perceived suffering. Try to keep some distance from your self and the pain. This way you will be able to see it more clearly and deal with it better. Determination is key.

Hi guys I've been on the path for about two years now. I'm well versed in no-dual teachings, practice meditation daily and have had some breakthrough psychedelic experiences where I experienced myself as God. Right now I'm practicing self inquiry, and I'm realising just how unwilling my seperate self identity is willing to surrender itself to awareness. I get deep into the present moment and identify the illusory identity within it, but no matter how much I let go of all identification, the seperate self hangs on and is ready to jump back into action the moment I get distracted. I've read about dying to your seperate self and"dissolving the self into love". Any tips on how to get the self to actually die?

Hey, Interesting post and I'm glad you put this here. It gives me the opportunity to ask an honest question that probably would be shot down by a lot of people who are grieving George Floyd right now. Why do you care about this guys unjustified death, compared to all the other fucked up shit that happens in the world all the time? Just to list off a few examples: Industrial animal farming and the thousands of sentient beings that die every hour, the patriarchy and the countless women who have suffered and died because they were treated as less than men, wealth inequality and poverty and the hundreds dying in Africa and the middle east every day so that we in the west can sit here getting fat. Why do you choose to grieve George Floyd so explicitly but not these other things? Is it just because its popular on social media right now? Sorry if this seems insensitive. I have the best intentions and genuinely just want to find out your thought process.

Interesting post. Perhaps someone can provide a reviewed source or some evidence beyond an anecdote that a person can actually live healthily without food? For example a scientific study or a record of observation of someone who, say, didn't eat anything for a few years.

Having used a variety of psychedelics, I notice differences in the after effects and how they affect your life hours or days after a strong experience. Here is my perspective. Perhaps you could share yours and we can compare? N,N DMT - I feel somewhat mentally drained the day after, but I the experience remains fresh in my mind, like seeing a great movie and remembering it the next day. LSD - I feel very mentally drained the day after. However, for the most part the afterglow can last for days. Its that experience of walking down the street, feeling comfortable with the world and appreciating its beauty. Significantly reduced death anxiety or anxiety of any kind for up to a few weeks. However, this is not always the case. In the past I have suffered brief bouts of anxiety a few days after the fact. Mushrooms - The same as LSD. A very homely, earthly feeling. As if everything is in its right place, and it always was. It's just that now you remember the truth. The things felt and realised during the trip can be brought back with you into consensus reality. Ketamine - The real maverick here, and basically my reason for starting this post because its such a mind fuck. The breakthrough experience is an epiphany of pure one-ness that literally debilitates my body and smashes every attempt at conceptualization. Its so incredible but completely indescribable. Then, the day after I feel like total shit. Anxiety is through the roof, judgement of myself and others, old mental patterns such as shame, social anxiety and general confusion return. The skeletons of past-trauma that i thought had been overcome are re-animated. The memory of the breakthrough itself is nothing more than an after-thought "oh yeah, that was incredible... i think." Very strange. 2C series - Little to no effects the day after usage except mental tiredness. Although there is something similar to the confusion that occurs post ketamine. Similarly, I can remember that the experience of the peak was mind blowing, but I can't describe in what way. Another experience where I take not much, if anything positive into my daily experience. So, ime, mushrooms and acid can bring an enjoyable afterglow and ability to integrate some part of the breakthrough into sober reality, whereas, with ketamine and 2c series, the experience can be as much if not more mind-blowing, but I don't experience anything that could be beneficial to sober reality and actually the ego backlash is quite unpleasant. What after glow experiences do you have with various psychedelics?

Thanks for the clarity guys. Much love xx

I see a lot of talk in the spiritual domain about how, when we go to the root causes of our activity, love and fear are the only two forces in life. I also see a lot of teachers warning against those who frame reality in dualities, and that a trinity is necessary to capture the relative nature of our finite human existence. This seems like a contradiction. If there is only fear and love, that is a duality. What am I missing?

When you become more conscious, you are able to witness the activity of the self with more clarity. This also extends into the sleep process. When we are going to sleep, at some point our attention dissolves, removing the feeling of the subjective perspective. This is the point at which we are no longer going to sleep and we cease to identify as a body, mind or ego. But as we become more effective meditators, we become more acutely aware of this shift from being the one going to sleep to ceasing to be aware of anything. This means at some point we must stop being consciousness that is aware of going to sleep and simply become consciousness itself. Recently I have realised that, for my whole life, I have relied on lying down and becoming distracted by the contents of the mind and simply drifting into sleep. However, recently my mind has become so sharp that I am constantly aware of my conscious experience. Thus I can no longer get to sleep by relying on distraction. So my question is, if you are constantly aware that you are conscious, how do you consciously enter the sleep state? Or, another way of phrasing it, how do you meditate to sleep?

@tsuki thanks for the response. I guess what I'm asking is, how do we get from Stuff + conditional identification (waking) To Stuff + unconditional identification (dream) If meditation is the inactivity of the self, then by my understanding, the way to trigger a dream state would be to disidentify from self in waking life and to become self as imagination. So I guess my question is, how can you do this when you are aware that you are in the waking state? Is there a way to focus your attention to enter dream state or must you always rely on eventually getting distracted from waking reality and falling into dream state?

Some more of the typical reductionist statements that never allow philosophical and practical discussion on this forum to get off the ground. Yes, I know this, that's why I'm here but I'm also not presently aware that I'm pure consciousness, hence why there is anything to discuss at all.