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@Razard86 The ego is an incredibly intricate and highly complex sytem. Most of the spiritual teachings tend to oversimplify it saying "get rid of your ego and you'll be just fine" or even saying that the ego is the enemy and has to be killed. I mean, we're talking about your current perception of reality. That's the very reason you're not criminally insane and you can function properly in this world. In the complete absence of ego and memories, you'd be lying in your room and drooling over the carpet. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but you get the point. In the light of this, I think it's quite understandable why the ego is so 'sticky' even if you've had some glimpses into your true nature.

I was raised Hindu from birth. And I will share a few things about my relationship with this religion and how it shaped my personality. The way in which I became a Hindu is by far the most common: by birth. What make it usual are my race and nationality:Indian. The house in which I grew up was much like a Hindu temple in many ways, with thirty-six Murtis of the Gods and Goddesses filling almost every room. Every morning my priestess-like mother worshipped each of them with Sanskrit Mantras and Aarti, and I ate the Prasadam of the offerings for breakfast. Throughout my childhood I learned the Pujas from her and came to love performing them myself. When I went to school or almost anywhere else outside of home, it felt like stepping into an alien realm. No one else shared this pervasively spiritual world of loving, colorful deities, incense, and Mantras that filled my house. In my early childhood, Hinduism (a term I hadn’t even heard; we used “Sanatana Dharma”) was a tradition of home, not community. But when I felt lonely or scared – in the dentist’s chair perhaps, or most dramatically when I nearly died of appendicitis – I mentally called on Krishna, and i felt comfort enter my heart, giving me something to cling to. Then I decided to abandon all religions and all dogma and seek truth .that was before I discovered Leo and actualized.org. I wanted actual truth .but I didn't know what I was getting myself into . The more I did spiritual work and contemplating the more my reality started to fall apart . And now I'm stuck in a toxic skeptical mode .where I Don't even know what's the truth anymore . And I'm very confused as to what life choices should I take. I have thoughts in my mind that Convinced me that my entire life was a lie/misunderstood experience, that the people I know aren't who I think they are and that reality isn't what it seems. And that I'm being stuck at the center of a grand joke/conspiracy. I was totally ungrounded and caught up in my life at the time so these thoughts weren't easy to understand. I had to convince myself after the fact that what I thought I learned wasn't real because it was absolutely traumatizing to my young self... This is basically my biggest fear .that my whole life is an illusion. That life is a dream .and death is waking up. And the sad part is I verified that is true in my recent awakening. Now I wish that all the spiritual path that I walked until now is nonsense .

I like the matrix series. But any other good thought provoking movies out there ? Share your best metaphysical movies.

Yeah I agree with all these points. Balance is key. I tend to stay in the shallow end of the pool. It's a lot more work staying afloat in the deep end. Sometimes I might stumble upon a deep philosophical question that reflects a life experience that I had. In that case I am happy to share it along with the conclusions I might have reached. The one positive thing about getting older and gaining enough life experience is it gives you perspective that your younger self lacked. I try to pass that on whenever I can. And so all of what you mentioned should apply to my philosophical inquiries.. I think it would require someone with a creative mind, that is capable of deep thinking. It should not be forced, as some posts on here can be never ending paragraphs of made up sentences that seem as fillers just to be able to sound as if one is in fact a philosopher. To theorize as a philosopher I think one should have good amount of real world knowledge combined with a good amount of book smarts. My last point would be that the person should also be able to articulate those thoughts into well constructed and interesting sentences.. To answer a question philosophically you have to first learn to think philosophically . less abstractly and more concretely because what would happen if you gave all the soup ingredients to a woman who never cooked in her life, even if you include the recipe as well? Then when you taste the soup in the end and it's bad, you must say that she didn't understand the recipe even though she could read it. And so bad philosophy is like a soup of abstract ingredients with no good definite flavour @Razard86 I will get back to ya later today ..but I have to go shopping now so pardon me?

the ego is kind of "intelligent" (is not just a dumb robotic system) and it will modify its behavious with the new understanding. It seems like the ego is neccesary for surviving (If you want to survive in a body, a selfish "I" thought is neccesary to know and interact with the world). But the ego can become self-aware (like it is connected with a ubs-cable to Consciousness Lol) and be less neurotic and have more concious behaviours aligned with the Truth of reality. (But of course, the ironic thing is, that if the ego would be really aligned with this Truth,he would just dissapear Lol). Ultimately of course there is no duality between ego and conciousness because it´s all Consciousness. But Consciousness is imagining this differences so Consciousness still lives the dream of being a human being I guess

Thanks. Not sure if I would call it an existential crisis .but its just my mind by its very nature is so metaphysically and philosophically oriented and I like to think deeply about reality .I don't accept half-assed answers to big existential questions .I want to get to the bottom of things. Currently I'm working on a list of questions that I need to find answer to them ASAP to know where I'm headed in life 1) Who are you. (The essence of even I’d say, what you are as a person) 2) Who you want to be. (Visualization, timeframes, etc…) 3) Why are you alive. (Don’t look for it outside, find your own answer based on the previous questions) 4) What do you value in people. 5) What is your Morality. I'm still struggling with figuring out the correct answer. But I guess it's a part of the journey.

@Galyna @Preety_India Its necessary to see a therapist because I struggle with this a lot. My limited thinking gets pretty deep sometimes and the deeper I think the more believable it seems. I Imagine micro organisms and a pyramid. I wonder where we are at on that pyramid. It gets worse. I struggle with anxiety.i Wish I had an answer. Sometimes I feel like I'm from another planet and being around people is like watching Animal Planet. Sometimes I go like , life is really an illusion. It is impermanent. Nothing remain constant and things change. People change, conditions change and to think that everything remains the same is an illusion. If we understand this, embrace it, then we would not go crazy when someone dumped us, betrayed us or when we lose our wealth or fame. For some people, a deep part of themselves intuitively know that life is a kinda of illusion. But when everyone surrounding you are not like you, when the media is only showing what you want to see and bombarding your senses, you would seriously be doubting yourself and feel very conflicted inside. The best way to find the answer is to take the path less travelled. To pray (based on your religious faith) that one day you can find the answers you are looking for. And that's what I'm working on currently.

If you are into football (soccer),Few months and the competition of FIFA World Cup 2022 will begin in Qatar. Specifically in 21/11/2022 . Who is your favorite team ? Mine is Brazil ??.. What about you?

Yeah I know. I recently got on with a grip on my biggest fear. Even if life is an illusion, we are still present here to live or to survive it. It is up to us to choose whether we want to live or just survive. That being said, it is normal for us to have questions about life, about us, about everything. However, if it gets difficult for us to deal with life, or if confusion arise about life, decision making, it is better to seek an expert (counseling psychologist) of the field. And I'm considering seeing a therapist.

@WokeBloke Life exists on many levels. Some are real, some are just an illusion, it depends on your perspective. Take, for example, a stone. One the one level you can see, feel it, know its shape and its weight. It exists and it seems very solid and very real. But we all know that it's solid appearance is just an illusion. It is actually made of countless zillions of individual atoms, none of which are actually touching any other atom in the stone, they are merely tightly bonded with other nearby atoms. So it's solid appearance is really just an illusion. Further, those atoms are the smallest units of the substance that have the properties of the substance, but they are all actually made up of even smaller subatomic particles, none of which have the properties of the substance. So those atomic properties are just an illusion, from the perspective of a subatomic particle. But that subatomic particle is actually not a particle. It is just a tiny bundle of energy that exists on one level as a subatomic particle. Further, it is made up of even smaller units of very strange energy, having properties that don't always conform to the laws of normal physics that apply to it from the subatomic level and above. The subatomic particle is just an illusion from the perspective of the quantum world. Take, as another example, taste. You can pick up an apple, take a bite and taste the apple. You identify the taste and it seems real. But your perception of the apple’s taste is just electrical signals from your tongue being interpreted by your brain. The electrical signals from your tongue were triggered by receptors on your tongue detecting certain chemical compounds in the apple, which your brain has learned are associated with the taste of an apple. Those chemical compounds are forms of matter, made up of subatomic particles, none of which actually have the property of flavor. On one level taste is real, but on another level it is just an illusion. Sound? On one level at least, it is just an illusion. It is nothing more than vibrating particles of air, vibrating in waves of soundless energy that your ear drums detect and then your brain tells you is sound, but is all just taking place in your head. Love? When we experience love, it certain feels very real and on one level it definitely is real, having very real impacts on our feelings, our decisions and our lives, but on another level it is just biochemical processes taking place within our brain. A trick of evolution that has evolved to help our species prosper. Thankfully, it still feels real and mostly feels good, whether it is actually a real thing or not. There is almost nothing in life that cannot be seen as just an illusion on at least one level, real on another. Whether you see things as real or just an illusion is your personal choice - both answers are correct.

From an existential perspective: does the fact that the experience may be imaginary make it any less valid? Pain is pain, fear is fear, and pleasure is pleasure. There is no denying that we interpret the world psychologically. Does it matter what percentage of it is psychological construct? Besides, the only way to answer this question is to push the limits of the illusion. You can only disprove an illusion externally. The only way to disprove our reality is by exiting it. And death is the only way to escape life. It's possible that life is an illusion, but are you willing to bet your life on it? Whether or not life is an illusion is a question that can only be answered in death. It is also a question that can only by answered by the individual, because the dead seem disinclined to share their knowledge with the living. This question intrigues me, but I'm willing to postpone my curiousity for a couple of decades, or so. I'm young, and my bucket list feels real. Life asked Death, “Why do people love me and hate you?” Death replied, “Because you are a beautiful lie and I’m a painful Truth.”

It is never easy to understand why someone attempts suicide, and the reasons are varied and complex. Often suicide involves emotional or physical pain that someone finds to be unbearable and leaves them feeling as if there is no escape. Hopelessness. People sometimes reach a point where they feel there is no hope and no way to change that feeling. When they are hopeless, they may realize the good things in their life, making suicide a viable option to escape. Traumatic Stress. Traumatic experiences such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, assault, or war trauma can put someone at greater risk for suicide, even a great time after the event takes place. What do you think of suicide? Do you think it's a sin ? Is it really the only way out after one has become fed up with existence? Where do you think the person who killed himself go? What awaits him on the other side ?

If you are familiar with spirituality and nondual teachings you likely' know' that the sense of individuality or separation is false or illusory. That there isn't an actual separate self inside the organism. Who you think you are is not who you actually are. Who you think are - the ego is literally just a thought. An arising sensation that says "im me here inside this body ". When this thought disappear.. What is left is pure awareness of various perceptions and sensations without any personal relationship to them. Without "my perception and my sensation" identification. You can grasp in direct experience that "you" is false identification with thought.. It is not real. Yet it is the most real thing for you. After all what is more real and important to you in your life then yourself? Right? So what exactly is grounding this sense of self? Why does the "I" thought keep arising throughout your whole life even after seeing through the misidentification? And what is the personality ? What makes this body-mind here to have a different personality than that body-mind over there even tho there is no "person" to begin with? What role do memories play in grounding your sense of self? What is the difference between a memory and a thought? Now a whole pack of questions can open up about memory .is the past even real ? No matter where you look you can't find anything but the present and How can we trust our memory if any at all? Etc but I will just stop here. For example your entire life story and who you think you are and how you view yourself and your life is just a thought story.. Mostly memories... But those thoughts are not occurring 24/7.. So once they stop occurring even for a second you are left not knowing who you are and how you got there (interesting huh?). And so what prevents you from losing yourself and going Insane is these stories and memories keep arising to ground your sense of self and reality.

Did you get this impression from my profile pic?

Can't promise you about that..I'm beyond addicted to this forum . I guess one day one of the moderators will do what's necessary and ban me

@fictional_character what do you mean exactly by infinite hell and infinite insanity?

@something_else I didn't mean it .and if I meant it .I take back my words . Those are my own strugglings and problems with masturbation. And does not necessarily apply to everyone. Fair now?

@Federico del pueblo As I said in the beginning that's how masturbating affects me . It doesn't necessarily mean it will affect you in the same Way. I think I repeated this point enough now . I’m struggling with sex too. I just want to add something. Sometimes masturbation and porn are bad that it's so obvious that its easy to see. It help us to see it as sin without much effort. Unfortunately, sometimes it make us, focus on sex and fail to see other sins within us. You have to understand that there are thousands of young guys struggling with insane addiction to porn and masturbation. They need rewiring, not just about sex addiction but in all aspect of their life Because aside from my sex problem, I realize I’m far from perfect, sometimes I become self centered man, a narcist, I say things to get praise from other people, instead looking for God, etc. I need to change all these flaws. I just wish i could bring it to a more bigger picture, instead focusing on sex. Although my point could be applied in other aspect of our life as well. So no complain, just some suggestion.

@something_else @Danioover9000 @Federico del pueblo this post is directed to the three of you because you three have quoted the same post of mine.. First of all like I said it varies from person to person. It depends on your age ,your diet ,your genetics,your lifestyle etc But just a couple of points: 1.So let’s get into the guts of it . on a cellular level.. When you ejaculate, you lose nutrients from your body. Most of the nutrients are lost in trace amounts, but zinc, selenium, and copper are significant and cause significant issues. 2.watching porn and fappping to it does rewire the brain to be responsive to porn and masturbation rather than real sex .check out the site www.yourbrainonporn.com https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.yourbrainonporn.com/relevant-research-and-articles-about-the-studies/dopamine-and-addiction/&ved=2ahUKEwir3N3F7pH4AhU5gv0HHUv8CoYQFnoECAcQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1SJHKHZ3W7FiS9ECU-ms6U 3.yes you can use a light grip or hump a pillow .but most people actually do it the way monkey does it .they beat the shit out of their dick .because another side effect of chronic masturbation is desensitisation of the penis .you start feel less pleasure down there If you've been fapping for years .so you must use a fast tight grip. Or what's called "death grip". And otherwise you cannot reach an orgasm from gentle light strokes . 4.And don’t forget when you ejaculate, the good hormones and chemicals in your body are DECREASED - Serotonin (happy drug), Oxytocin (love drug), and Dopamine (euphoria drug). These hormones are produced in high levels when you watch porn and ejaculate. But what goes up, must come down. So these chemicals and hormones are decreased, but that then causes Prolactin to increase. An increase in Prolactin can mean poor moods, tiredness, and difficulty getting an erection. 5. There is no question about it .masturbation and porn are an addiction. Sexual orgasm is the single most potent activity that triggers release of dopamine in your brain. Most teenagers are addicted to it .because they want to stop but they can't.

To each his own. I do believe it depends on the person .it can be healthy or unhealthy depending on the person . For me personally masturbation has fucked me up big time in the past two years or so that I'm really considering quitting for good . Here are some of the harmful effects of masturbation to be considered, kindly read and try to understand that I'm being honest in reporting these effects and its even backed up by science. 1. Masturbation makes you weak, it drains protein and calcium content in the body 2. Masturbation creates nervousness and neurological problems 3. Masturbation is one of the main causes for erectile dysfunction. Because when you masturbate you use a tight grip on your penis .and that is not how vaginal sex happen .the vagina is more wide than your grip .so when you actually try to have sex after years of masturbation you will be disappointed by the widness of the vagina compared to your grip . 4. Masturbation makes you addicted even if you taste it for one time. Controlling it is a very big menace. 5. Masturbation creates drowsiness .you will be sleeping most of the time after ejaculation of your sperm. You will experience a damn tired. 6. Masturbation causes stress and strain in your mind and soul. 7. Masturbation also affects us psychologically. it creates depression after ejaculation and makes one feeling bad on his own. Now once again ..that's just my experience with masturbation. I'm not saying everyone will experience the same effect . But I do believe that masturbation has its own season in life which is the age of puberty (14-18)..after that it becomes boring and repetitive and you should start becoming a man and seek relationships with real women rather than with your hands .

@Breakingthewall listen ..you are really pushing the limitations of my understanding and that's a great thing. But you have to understand that I'm speaking from direct experience not from a position of belief or speculation. What you have to understand is that You can come up with the philosophical idea that you are God or that everyone on this planet is God. You can even come up with the philosophical idea that everyone will one day join their conscious minds together. None of those things I just mentioned can be disproven but it can not be proven either way,I say this because I know damn well that I am conscious of my own mind. I know damn well that I exist, and though you have to believe me when I say that, I too have to believe you when you say you’ve got a conscious mind. The Earth realm will always tell you that others have a conscious mind so long as they are alive (or not brain dead), but remember that if it can’t be proven, it is only considered a theory. It doesn’t mean we can disprove it, or prove it. Now, I will say on a philosophical note, that others have claimed to have experienced “God”, and that there more alarming signs of “God” than you can conceive of being the only one to exist as a conscious mind . because it is in my opinion to be a healthier alternative. With that, I end this answer with what you need to know and that is you’re the only conscious mind that exists and solipsism is true. Some how, some way, “you know my answer to be true”, and you’ll be okay. Because I'm you.

@Razard86 That's a nice way to put it but I disagree . I have verified in my direct experience that I'm the only conscious being in the universe . My sense of self has expanded to include all sentient being .but not just conscious being .all inanimate objects as well . Basically all of reality is me . Most people take a subject-object view, wherein which they are subjects that relate to the objects of their perceptions. But a solipsist holds the view that there exists only a singular subject. The supposed objects of perception, put otherwise, are no more than elements of the singular subject.

Its really not worth it . You waste your health for the sake of 9 seconds of tingling sensation. Just think about how stupid of a deal that is . we all know after you nut one out you just lose it for a while. But not too long lol. You should recover within two days max. Also if you are not a horny teenager anymore you really shouldn't be yanking your Johnson anymore. your testosterone just stabilize and you are not horny anymore unless you purposely arouse yourself. Just save it for your girl. Also avoid pornograhy completely I don't need to tell ya that and don't bullshit my ass and say it's harmless. Also make sure you eat like a horse if you fap frequently to recover the lost energy. Or just don't fap at all if you are weak.

They call it post-nut clarity. It's a thing. If you wanna avoid this nonsense..do away with fapping off.

@Breakingthewall All attempts made to dismiss solipsism here are finally conjured within my own mind, regardless of how complicated and far reaching they may be. My conjurings may be complex, or simple, for their reality is there only as long as I entertain them in my thought, whether I think of this coffee cup on the table or of the multi-billion year story of the universe. I’m looking for answers that can convince me otherwise. But that is also just my game, for into my thought you come walking with your solipsism denials. Don’t advise me of ways to escape from my viewpoint, for it is really quite blissful. Thank you for being here in me.