Tim R

@Endangered-EGO Dude... then why not just use a number generator, you don't need to spend money - or wait, you secretly want to use us to win the lottery and become filthy rich... now I see what you up to??

How could there be a "how" to reality?

Infinite consciousness owl?

Well you haven't posted very much yet so don't be discouraged I promise you, if the title of your post sounds interesting and the content is engaging, you will get the conversation rolling in no time. Some posts get thousands of views and hundreds of comments. Depends on the quality. @AndylizedAAY And welcome to the forum

and rightfully so...

@Endangered-EGO Then what are we talking about if not that? What is your understanding of manifestation?

Whoaa take it easy??

Of course you can be pretty fucking sure, I said that to make a point. Not to mention that this would be a one time event, which therefore doesn't allow you to make any statistical claims whatsoever about its cause . You and I know that winning the lottery 10 times in a row because you meditated on it is not going to happen, not in a million years, for the same reason that you can't know that it's not because you meditated on it. As I said, set up the experiment and see for yourself. not to mention that if what you claimed were to be true, someone else would've probably figured it out long ago and manipulated all kind of shit. But it didn't happen. Because most of this "manifestation" business is utterly delusional, except for very few things like maybe the placebo effect, wehere in fact the mind can influence what goes on in the "physical" world.

But how would you know? For example: this week, I'll finish a scientific paper I've been working on for a while, it's on molecular plant physiology and a certain mechanism of a protein in these plants. I have a theory how it should affect the plant and lo' and behold, it turned out that the plants behaved as was predicted by the theory. But: I can't make any conclusive statements about the exact reason for the new plant behavior; all I can say is that there is definitely a correlation between this protein and the plant behavior, but maybe this correlation is because of something else which I haven't yet taken into account, you see? As I said, if you set up this experiment, I will participate. Even if you did win 10 times in a row, you still can't say for sure that it's because you meditated on the numbers. "Coincidence is what you have left over when you apply a bad theory". (P. W. Bridgman)

@herghly Do you have any links or recommendations?

Perfect example of confusing correlation with causation. Only because a result looks like what you expect it to look, that doesn't meant that the result is actually caused by some hypothetical explanation. If you want to be scientific, you must keep that in mind. We see what we want to see. So let's say you're right, and manifestation works - then in fact, you would be quantifying it. But if it doesn't work and the lottery and prediction results are aligning anyway, you will be quantifying probabilities and confuse it for manifestation. And you won't even know it because you are simply assuming that the results are that way because of the phenomenon of manifestation. So unfortunately, your experiment will prove nothing, but go ahead - I will even take part in it because I find it admirable nonetheless and maybe we'll learn a thing or two. The work of a scientist is not to prove his theories, but to do everything he can do show that they are wrong. And let me tell you, only few scientists actually understand this. They have a theory about something and then create and collect data to find as much correlation as possible so that they can sell it as causation. And maybe it is! But maybe it's not and the way to find out is by trying to disprove your theory. Every scientist here will know exactly what I'm talking about because everyone of them will at some point have had results which look very much like what the theory predicted and so they think "well here's the proof!" But it ain't necessarily so.

@diamondpenguin There's nothing wrong with selfishness. Just don't overdo it. I really mean it, it's okay to be selfish, even if you think that it's not, and even if Leo is always talking about selfishness being the origin of all the evil in the world. And this makes it sound so bad and so very, very judgmental when listening to him and I understand why you would feel attacked. But selfishness is not the bad thing you think it is. Ironically, judging selfishness as "bad" is itself selfish. But again, that's not a bad thing. Everybody is selfish. It's just as much a natural part of you as your arms and legs and emotions and opinions and desires, etc. It's a part of you. Don't reject yourself. selfish = bad , selfless = good What do you suppose happens when you stop making this judgement? I mean what would happen if you stopped making any judgments about selfishness and selflessness altogether? Would that be selfish or selfless? "I am selfless and therefore feel good about myself". See the irony? "I am selfish and I judge selfishness and myself to be bad". See the irony? Rather be selfish and love and accept the selfishness than to be "selfless" and pretend that you're a better person. You're not. Give yourself the selflessness you need, which is the love and permission to be selfish. And trust yourself, that you will know how selfish you can allow yourself to be and that you won't overdo it. Learn to see that in being a little selfish, you are still a good person, you are still worthy and you still deserve to be loved, first and foremost by yourself. Don't neglect yourself/selfishness. Love yourself.

@diamondpenguin Ok so tell me if I got this right or not (and I don't know what "clout" means in this context) You feel attacked in your self esteem because you think that being selfish is equal to being less valuable, less good as a person? And your self esteem is coupled to being a selfless person? And you feel good about your self/ self esteem when you are selfless?

@diamondpenguin What did he say that attacked your self esteem?

Does anybody know what happened to Leo's plan on releasing the one million subs ama video? Sorry if this has already been answered by Leo, but I couldn't find anything about it.

Well he isn't entirely wrong about that. But yeah, he should've just said "I don't know, I have no experience with them"

Link?

@Someone here But isn't that what makes you suffer? Mistrust in reality? And the desire to "conquer" it with your mind? That way you only separate yourself from the universe and of course you can't build trust that way.

Yes! And it is. But "mystery" is not the same as "puzzle" or "problem" (at least the way I use these words). "Mystery" means groundlessness. Nothing to grasp, because reality is itself and there's nothing beyond what is apparent. All I can say is "this is it." And the only question is whether you understand that there's nothing to "understand". To know reality is simply to be reality. And you are it already, so you already know yourself intimately. But by all means, go ahead and try if you can solve "now"

Then what is there to comprehend? Is reality a puzzle or is your mind creating puzzles where there aren't any?

What did you think "it" was?

The Dhammapada is some good shit indeed? http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/dp05.htm

I can guarantee you that if you take an online test to find out if you are wise, then are dejected by the result, and then come to a forum looking for solace and confirmation for such a narcissistic belief as "I am wise", then you are not nearly as wise as you would like to believe (sounds harsh, I know). That being said, I must add that to a certain extent, everybody is wise and everybody is a fool. That's because the two are essentially the same, they are on a spectrum (metaphorically speaking). The fool believes himself to be wise, the wise man knows himself to be a fool. Which means that paradoxically, your desire to become wise is foolish - as it must be, by definition. So how can you feel disappointed to be a fool? How could you become wise if you aren't a fool to begin with? See? That's why C. G. Jung said "the fool is the precursor to the savior." Realizing that you are a fool and loving the fool within is how you become wise. Not by rejecting yourself. Therefore, rejecting foolishness is foolishness. And this repulsion and disappointment that you feel when I or the online test tell you that you are a fool - that's the rejection of yourself. That's what prevents you from becoming wise.

It's one thing to let someone believe what they want, it's something else to let them express their ideology on a privately owned forum. Nobody is entitled to express their political views here.

Ok before you leave, just give me the links to the threads pls?