Matt Skinner

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Posts posted by Matt Skinner

  2. Posted

    10 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

    You are Infinite Love. There's no need for compassion once you realize what you are and there is no one but yourself to be compassionate towards. So you just fall in love with yourself. Which is just to say you ARE Love.

    You feel Love so deeply it kills you. Death by Love.

    Would you say compassion is at least an important/possibly inevitable stepping stone on the path to Infinite Love? Similar to moving through Stage Green in order to arrive at SD Tier 2. Compassion for “others” seems to be the most obvious way of embodying Self-Love, at least from a normie perspective.

    In any case, I enjoy being as compassionate as I can at this stage of my development.

  5. Posted · Edited by Matt Skinner

    1 hour ago, Leo Gura said:

    FYI, I'm never angry at you.

    I think this addresses a common projection people fall into.

    1 hour ago, Leo Gura said:

    Mostly I'm baffled by the stupidity and laziness of people. I am in constant disbelief at how much the average person takes life/reality for granted, and therefore it's hard for me to respect such a person. So I tend to look down on such people and sometimes I rant and rebuke from that perspective, but I'm never too serious about it. Half the time it's done tongue -in-cheek.

    This is the vibe I get from you most of the time. It’s easy to forget how much we assume about your perspective and mindset, thinking you’re angry at us, etc. Even if that were the case, to take it so personally is something we are ultimately responsible for, not you. I’d imagine you often feel like a human trying to teach advanced calculus to monkeys. Given that dynamic, you do an admirable job of communicating in a palatable way—if you didn’t, we would have all left by now.

    You’re providing a service that you put a staggering amount of time and effort into, so of course you can do it on whatever terms you like. People resist the dilemma of either switching to a different teacher and missing out on the juicy info here, or growing a thicker skin. And thus, they will demonize you to avoid responsibility.

  7. Posted · Edited by Matt Skinner

    1 hour ago, TheDao said:

    Of course it is possible to lure people with honey with tact. And still say the maybe more difficult message. That works much better. Every mother probably knows.

    I pretty much agree, yeah. Definitely a lot of masculine communication. He seems to scare off some people who could benefit greatly from this stuff but, out of ignorance, ask what he considers to be obtuse questions or are just very stubborn in their worldview, etc. If they were given a little more benefit of the doubt, perhaps they would stick around longer and be able to grow with the community.

    I think Leo’s just not interested in tailoring his vibes to members on here, for better or for worse. And I think (hope) he sees a purpose in this prickly communication, and is not doing it reactively/unconsciously. I really can’t imagine that being the case, but maybe I drank the kool-aid, idk ??

  8. Posted · Edited by Matt Skinner

    59 minutes ago, Preety_India said:

    When you doze off while meditating, Leo comes and beats you with his bamboo stick and then you wake up. 

    9_9

    This is actually a very accurate representation of how I process Leo’s sternness with others on the forum. Like a hard zen master just doing his job.

    It can make me feel empathetically hurt or uncomfortable when he speaks harshly to others on here, or to his audience in the videos. I try to use that as an opportunity to check my ego attachments/neediness and see the love in his communication.

    I do think it can be a barrier for people (myself included, occasionally) who are sensitive and insecure and hoping to find some warm, validating, feminine(?) communication here. Which, of course, Leo does sometimes engage in. I’ve seen him be very kind and emotionally generous, and I assume he makes an intuitive judgement of how he communicates with others on a case-by-case basis.

    I make a point to tread carefully on here, communicate as thoughtfully as I can and, like, not waste Leo’s time haha. Even though he can be a dick, the forum itself and all his free content is a massive expression of love and real kindness. Personally, I find his teachings too important and well-formulated for my sensitivity to be a dealbreaker.

  10. Posted · Edited by Matt Skinner

    Simulation with Allen Saakyan!

    I actually met Allen at my first vipassana retreat back in 2016. He’s a great guy. Very sharp, kind, and generous, from the little I interacted with him. He has had some awakening experiences, though I don’t know the exact facets or degrees of consciousness he’s reached. I think he interviewed Frank Yang and Rupert Spira recently.

    Impact Theory w/ Tom Bilyeu, Your Mate Tom, and Psychedsubstance are all open-minded and have big audiences.

    Also, my dad is a big fan of Buddha at the Gas Pump; he would jizz his fucking pants if you appeared on that show ?

    EDIT: ALSO, if you could get ahold of Russell Brand, that would be incredible, don’t know how realistic that is though.

  13. Posted

    Practicing NoFap contributed to problems in my last relationship. I was so unsuccessful at it (never could make it past like 12 days) and was constantly needy about sex, which she rarely wanted to have.

    There were deeper issues at play. But I think my horny neediness only made things worse and generally created a bad psychological environment where I was constantly frustrated and ashamed of myself for having “relapsed”, despite trying to exercise optimism and growth mindset. Everyone is different, and undoubtedly it works for some people. But in my experience, it’s more trouble than it’s worth.

    I seem to yield better results just focusing on my goals and making a point to fap from a feeling of “inspiration”/genuine horniness instead of compulsion/emotional avoidance. An attitude I learned from Julien Blanc, as well as Leo to an extent.

  14. Posted

    11 minutes ago, WaveInTheOcean said:

    It's a good pointer/analogy, but be careful: The concepts/analogies/explanationd that we like the most are often the ones that are hardest to let go of. And letting go of all maps is ultimately needed to become IT.

    Totally. I’ve definitely gone through phases of getting too wrapped up in models/concepts. Whenever I actually have a profound experience, there’s a distinct difference between that and what I thought it was going to be like/“supposed” to be. And I find it can feed a neurotic need to understand everything logically, slowing progress.

    I’ve learned it’s extremely easy to underestimate the degree to which I’m over-conceptualizing. Nothing matches experience and surrender. Appreciate the reminder!

  15. Posted

    @Leo Gura That does make sense, and I’m realizing there actually was a time not that long ago when that explanation was fresh in my mind because I’d watched your What is Love videos. I think something crucial I was forgetting is that suffering, hatred, struggle etc. are not default or fundamental to reality, they are directly proportional to ego and survival need. So without ego or survival, how could there be anything but love?

    There’s still a fogginess present for me EXPERIENTIALLY, regarding the subject. But that’s partially because I’m feeling cannabis withdrawals (I’m pretty addicted and just stopped the other day) so although my mind unusually clear, I’m in a lot of bodily and emotional discomfort (so thoughts like “How could this suffering I’m experiencing be LOVE??” etc.) My awareness is being dominated by survival right now, basically.

    But also I just need a deeper glimpse into Love directly and higher baseline consciousness. It won’t resonate properly without that. One of these days soon I’m gonna do another, deeper shrooms or LSD trip and contemplate on this... :D

  16. Posted

    1 hour ago, Leo Gura said:

    So a true Chameleon cannot even be a chameleon. He must be a non-chameleon Chameleon ;)

    This is beautiful.

    And your point about mimicry is actually really helpful. Mimicry implies identity and distinction: if “A” mimics “B”, or vice-versa, that means A and B must be different and separate from each other. But for GOD to mimic anything, God would have to be finite in some way like A and B. Since God is INFINITE, any mimicry that occurs is purely relative and still within the domain of God. God mimicking God, which I guess is just being.

    1 hour ago, Leo Gura said:

    God IS Love. Love is Truth. Love is Absolute. Therefore literally nothing but LOVE can ever exist. So if a thing exists, it's ultimate cause is always simply LOVE. Reality is LOVE, and LOVE is EVERYTHING, and God is EVERYTHING. Therefore all the finite stuff is just literally what God is. The end.

    This makes sense to me conceptually. The concept that God is Love resonates with a deep part of my intuition, but I think it’s buried under too much mind/lack of consciousness at the moment. I still associate Love too much with an emotional state (lower-order love), and therefore chase my own tail trying to figure out how that = Truth = Infinity = God = Nothingness.

    The latter concepts I just listed are still somewhat elusive to me experientially, but less so than Love, I think. Love is probably my biggest blind spot. (Still haven’t had any big obvious awakenings besides maybe God/realizing I am consciousness which is all that exists).

    Basically, I just need to get more conscious! Lol thanks for your input as always Leo.

  17. Posted · Edited by Matt Skinner

    @Leo Gura The TV/movie screen analogy remains one of the clearest pointers to no-self and meta-awareness I’ve come across.

    Haven’t heard the chameleon one. I think that maps very well onto the Infinity = Nothingness concept!

    Question though—does Love address the “why” component of God’s fragmentation? Aka why does God fragment itself into finite perspectives. Like, God delights in realizing itself as infinity by first limiting itself. Or is it more just the fact that limitation is intrinsic to infinity, so it could be no other way?

    Hopefully that makes sense

  18. Posted · Edited by Matt Skinner

    @Gianna If I remember correctly, Leo addresses your point directly in this video. I relate to your confusion about the conceptual distinction between “selfless” meaning no-self and “selfless” as we usually associate with generosity, kindness, sacrifice, etc. Even though, ultimately, there is no real distinction.

    I think of it like this: God is infinite and total/one. But also God is Love and infinitely selfless (as you might think of a generous person). Because God is everything, it has nobody outside of itself to share its love with, so it must fragment itself into finite perspectives. God self-induces a sort of amnesia (aka ego) in order to share its love with itself through awakening.

    Or, something like that. It’s very mind-fucky  xD

  19. Posted

    15 hours ago, Forestluv said:

    I've found it helpful to enter transitional zones in mid-dose areas. These are like lucid dreaming spaces in which I'm still present and have control, yet not full control. Then I can work with surrendering into it and going with the flow as a co-creator.

    Just curious, roughly what dose is this for you on, say, mushrooms and LSD? Like 2.5g, 200ug or something like that? I realize everyone is different and perhaps there are other factors that influence the zone you’re talking about.

  20. Posted · Edited by Matt Skinner

    I think it’s crucial that music can reveal beauty to people who otherwise may have found little in life. Music can point people to the truth that there is something worth experiencing beyond survival.

    Personally, I do think music contributed to my interest in spirituality. I was in choir in high school, and some of the pieces we would sing and listen to were so ethereally beautiful, they created a noticeable state change in my mind. I used to tell people it was “transportive”. It was like a therapeutic reset that got me interested in the impermanence of mood and the potential for beauty in reality.

    It pointed my mind in a new direction that led to interest in psychedelics and meditation.

  22. Posted · Edited by Matt Skinner

    I will say that I had a somewhat similar experience as a teenager, but it was largely because I didn’t find my girlfriend attractive enough (possibly from porn desensitization) and I was extremely neurotic about sexual performance. Also because of the way I masturbated at the time (rather forceful grip) the condom/vagina combo essentially felt like zero contact was being made with my dick—more desensitization. Add on top of that the fact that she kept commenting on how much pain she was in; I felt like I was raping her so we stopped.

    THAT SAID, I agree with the others that you ought to just spend some time examining your own sexuality.

    Sorry to add to the nonsense!

  23. Posted · Edited by Matt Skinner

    @BuddhaTree Interesting! Yeah, I’m gonna try perineum for a while and see if I notice any substantial difference in energy/effects. I saw some video from the Sexual Kung Fu dude on YouTube where he said (of kundalini work in general) that a lot of people benefit from first focusing on channeling energy in the lower chakras and eventually will feel enough energy down there that they can start focusing on higher chakras.

    Of course, though, Gamana has the attitude that generally focusing on ajna/crown/upper chakras has a magnet-like quality that will awaken and pull the energy up regardless. So hopefully perineum vs. heart, etc. is not a huge deal when it comes to KSF.

    Thanks for your response.