Tim R

Never heard of "epistemological anarchism" but I love it❤ this virtually screams "Terence McKenna"?

"The past" is completely illusory. It doesn't exist now and it never existed at any other point. All there is, is memory. And even memory is not something "left over", i.e. something which comes from a point "in the past" and has now left an impression/imprint on your mind, memory comes out of now. What you call "something is happening" is an illusion created by memory. When for example you see something moving, the only reason you know it to be "moving" is because you create images/memories about a certain "state in which something once was" and in contrast to "what you see now", the image has changed. That way, your mind "fills the gaps" and thereby creates the illusion of a connected, developmental process which you call "time". So we got it backwards. We think that the present comes as a result of the past. Which is the exact same thing as saying "the present is a result of memory". But it isn't! It's the other way round! Memory is a "result" of the present. I say "result" because that's not at all an appropriate word; "result" implies "time". But the present has/creates no results, because there is only the present. Nothing "results" from the present. Put your hand in front of your face and move it slowly from left to right. Watch it "moving". And try if you can see this. Try to see how your memory isn't the result of something that happened but how there's just the present and that all memory comes out of now. "Something that happened " is memory!! But you think your memory is the result of something that happened! And it isn't!! @Holygrail That's what is meant. If you can see this, you will suddenly realize that nothing ever happened, aka "the past has never occurred". You think this is scary? Then you're looking at it the wrong way - it's liberating! It liberates you from "you". Because the largest part of what you call "you" is memory. This is a part of what is meant by "Samsara", the cycle of rebirth. "Rebirth" is basically just another word for "time". Because if you think that "you" are someone who goes on in time, someone who has once been born and will at some point die, "you" are being reborn. And to liberate yourself from time and Samsara is the same as entering and residing in eternity. "Eternity" doesn't mean "going on within time forever". It means "going on outside time forever". You get a glimpse of this when you sleep. In deep sleep, you're literally outside of time. And this state lasts forever. Can you see that nothing happens? Between going to sleep and waking up, nothing happened! Because it's eternity, aka. outside of time. Outside of memory. Same with death. When you die, all that happens is that "you" as a collection of memories simply seize to exist. Death = Cessation/Absence of memory Absence of memories = absence of time = Eternity Imagine a person who had no memories, of anything, ever. And he couldn't produce memories either. His mind would simply be completely and utterly devoid of any memory whatsoever. Here's my question for you: from his point of view, is there anything happening? So... if we want to liberate ourselves from time (memory), do we have to become like this guy? And what would that entail for us? We wouldn't recognize anybody or anything anymore, that would be horrible! See, the point is not to get rid of memory. The point is to not let your mind be fooled by memory. Because then you can play the game of life, but knowing that it's Nirvana, pretending to be Samsara. And by the way; this is the other meaning of "Maya". "Maya" means both "illusion" as well as "creative/magical power". It's this illusion of memory, that creates the world/reality. And without Maya, without the illusion, without memory, there would simply be... That which "was before birth" and "will be after death". See? There's Samsara again

Since physical exercise is an essential part of working on oneself, I was curious as to how many of you exercise regularly. I made a poll, feel free to select your particular option.

You guys need to stop asking meaningless questions or at least start recognizing them as meaningless

I'd like to share this meditation technique with you, it works unbelievably well for me and gets me extremely effectively and reliably into a state of no-mind. I don't know if there is an actual form of "running meditation" out there already, so I have basically discovered it as a meditation technique myself. . So basically what you do is you go for a run, preferably somewhere in nature. The point is to go to a place where there aren't many distractions like flashy ad lights or loud traffic and stuff like that. The effectiveness of this technique relies on two things which you get in combination from running: Feeling & Flow / Effortlessness Both feeling and flow don't kick in instantaneously, you have to keep running for a little while to get both states going,but it doesn't take long. Depending on how regular of a runner you are*, the flow will set on earlier. Feeling: obviously, as you are running, after a while you will start to feel your body. Your muscles, your feet, your torso, your arms, your joints, your legs, basically everything. Running is one of the few activities in which your whole body is working. This gives you something to focus on, which isn't a thought. But your body isn't the only thing your going to feel: right at the start, there might be intense euphoria and an adrenaline rush, depending on how eager you are to run. This rush will fade off after around a few minutes, but it's the entry. Then comes your body. You don't even have to direct your focus towards your body, it will happen naturally. Feeling will simply announce themselves to you and you're going to notice them, it's unforced focus. This unforced focus is very important. Don't lock your focus on anything, try to let everything in without discrimination. When you get the feeling that your focus is highly alert but somewhat diffuse, you're doing it right. Keep running, and listen to your body. When your mind says "stop", don't just give in. Notice the thought suddenly arising, and let it go. It's just like in normal meditation. It takes practice. But when your body says "stop, I need a break", take a break. It's absolutely essential to this technique that that you don't force yourself into running. Flow/Effortlessness: this is the most important aspect of this technique. As you are focusing on your body in an unforced and natural way, what will happen eventually, is that you will get into a state where you aren't running anymore. Let me explain: There's no "I am running" anymore, there's just "running". It feels (notice it as the feeling that it is) automated, but in such a way that you aren't the separate witness of an automated process, you are the process! You have merged into the process of running and it is a very funny feeling. You suddenly feel as though you are as light as a feather and free as the air. Your body doesn't weigh anything anymore, it carries itself, jumping along and enjoying the dance. In this state you can also feel very euphoric, because the whole notion of "I am the force behind my running body, the one who's pushing" has disappeared and so the initial gravitas, the seriousness and the forcefulness have vanished too. This combination of feeling into your body and merging into an ongoing process will (at least partially) eliminate the sense of "self" and the constant chatter of mind. It works great for me and if you like running, try it yourself. You can listen to music, but preferably without lyrics as they might get your thinking mind going. And if you're not running regularly, you might wanna start because it's great. I do it because it's fun, not because it's healthy or good for me or whatever. Initially it might seem hard (and it actually is hard), but after a couple of runs, you will become addicted. Great, innit? * I should ad that when you're actually not running regularly, start out by simply running. This technique is more for people who already feel comfortable running.

oh gee found another one: yooo what is going on with this bot

But hoooow is this illusion?? How is this possible??? Sorry for not being constructive but this is kinda... what the heck man. Do I even want it to be real? Yes and no I guess.. Hang on, the illusion is real? but not really because it's just an illusion, right? I don't get it. Gotta meditate more, nevermind

Yeah but in both cases they are nothing, so imagining/not-imagining is a dualism which isn't actually real, yes? In other words, when I visit my father, nothing happened. And when I'm not visiting my father, nothing happened. Only me imagining that something ha Holy fuck. I get it now. Both are just stories. Holy fuck. Oh my god, nothing ever happened. It's just memory and not even that. I'm literally sitting here with my mouth open. It's both nothing. What the hell. What the hell. This whole f*cking thing is nothing. Whoaa. What a great story, whaat..Holy shit but this is liberating....

Isn't this just being/non-being dualism? Like when I ask "does my kitchen still exist when I'm in my living room?" ; this assumes that the kitchen (and living room) "are" (something) in the first place and that they are not the same thing (one is, the other isn't, depending on" where I am"). So I could very well argue that the kitchen and living room are the same. Both exist, as nothing. And so in the same way I could say that when I stop "imagining" my parents, they still exist, as nothing, just as they did when I imagined them being with me in the same room. Me sitting in my room is the same as my "not-being" kitchen, only appearing to be somehow different. Which solves the problem of Solipsism in the sense that you're bubble is all there is as "something". True, the bubble is all there is, but as nothing, just like everything else. Otherwise you'd be creating a duality where there isn't one. Or am I missing something?

Now that you're saying it, it's so obvious...lol

Wow ok that was kinda unexpected. What did he get banned for? For saying or what? Did he "spread misinformation" regularly? Did he receive warnings for doing so? Or what happened? Aren't we allowed to be deluded?

@Zion Because... it's the case?

I'm sorry but I have to do it, at this point it's almost tradition:

Bro the ego doesn't even exist?

Am I missing something? What survey? And what does this have to do with men and women?

@Someone here I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate you always asking all sorts of questions on the forum Really keeps things alive and thriving in here

@Someone here Very nicely put. @Nahm So in your definition, "sanity" isn't limited to the domain of mind? Because I can have bodily ailments and am not well then. So are you leaning towards something like "harmony"? Ohhh or is more something like this: well-being aka sanity comes from / is realizing the truth/what is Because then it wouldn't really matter what is going on with body or mind, because sanity = truth, no matter what it turns out to be Something like that?

Insanity is nothing but deviation from consensus about the way "objective reality" is. If someone says "the earth is flat" he goes against that consensus. Crazy! If someone says "I can talk to dead people" he deviates from that consensus. Nuthead... If someone says "I'm God and so are you" he acts subversively towards "objective reality". Crucify him! etc... All these statements have the same overarching theme: "there is no objective reality" And this goes against absolutely everything, so society responds "well, we can't let that happen... this is threatening the survival of every idea and identity of each and everyone who plays our game. What are we to do with such people? Ostracize them! Ridicule them! Put 'em away in the booby hatch!" What was once called "heresy" is now called "irremediable schizophrenic psychosis". And of course there's another kind of "crazy".. you know... feather in your hat and a couple of tattoos, "I'm so crazy!"? because slight deviation from the majority makes you "special". But let's not become too special! We mustn't cross that fine line between "crazy but ok" and "he broke a tabu, he said he is God". It's one thing to do "crazy" sh*t on the weekend and tell your friends the next day, it's another thing to discover that your God and tell your co-workers about it the next day. So crazy is a relative term as well. And It's a spectrum. When someone on this forum exclaims that he/she found out about God, we say "hurray, welcome home, dear❤". And when Leo shares some "epistemic madness" video on his blog, it's us who say "oh good lord, these people are nuts!" So "crazy" is simply judgement, aka ego defense.

I'm sure those of you who live in the US are somewhat more familiar with this term "White Fragility". It's the title of a book written by Robin DiAngelo and it's basically about the defensive attitude of white people when they're being confronted with the issue of racism. I just watched this video and suddenly I realized: holy sh*t, she sounds exactly like a priest. She's using different words, but says the same thing. Good ol' Christian guilt trip, only applied in a different field. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. You're guilty either way. And if you admit to be wrong, you're sure to be right. What do you think about this? Is this idea of "white fragility" itself inherently racist?

@Gesundheit @NOTintoxicated https://www.actualized.org/insights/why-debates-dont-work

@Consilience Thanks mate

I think Nahm means the latter... Fast, but don't overdo it. And after fasting, don't overdo it. Backlash is the result of overdoing it, so when you overdo it with fasting, you are provoking a backlash. So actually, the backlash isn't the real problem, the real problem is the overdoing it in the first place. Since you're anticipating the backlash, you're conscious of it and it doesn't have as much might. Just take it easy.

I'd like to show you a little exercise which you can easily implement into your day to day life, it doesn't take much effort and can be a lot of fun too This exercise aims at developing gratitude, consideration and mindfulness. I've learned this from the traditions of the Zen Sangha ("Sangha" means Buddhist community of monks etc.), although I think other Buddhist schools do the same thing. Before you eat or drink, become aware of your food in the following ways: whatever you have on your plate, it gave its life for yours. It died so you may live. Whether it may be some plant or some animal, it gave its life to you. Literally. Is there any greater gift? Think of the many, many ways the universe worked out to provide for your food to be on your plate. Some fruits and vegetables? They had to grow. A plant had to grow. And where did the plant come from? Well there's the earth. And what is earth made from? Other plants of course, who died and are now soil. Then there's water. Where has the water been? it has been on the planet for billions of years, providing life to every being that has ever lived, every plant, every dinosaur, every human, everyone. Then there's the sun. Without the sun there would be no food. No plants can grow without light. No animals can live without eating plants or other animals. And there's the atmosphere of the earth, preventing deadly UV radiation to kill plants and animals. There's the farmer who had to take care of the plants. There's the people who worked together to get those fruits to the grocery store. There's society, working together in order to allow you to enjoy your food in times of peace. There's.... You can go on forever, in every direction. And suddenly you find, that the whole universe must be considered. Literally, everything that ever happened lead to you being able to eat and drink your food and water. And even if you eat only one blueberry while making Leo's blueberry smoothie or whatever, the whole universe is contained in that one blueberry. The whole universe gave itself, completely, to create this one berry. Can you even begin to fathom how unbelievably great of a gift that is? And it is a gift! for you! If that doesn't make you tear up in gratefulness for one single blueberry, you haven't understood. Or when you drink a cup of tea. "The whole universe is contained in that last drop of tea in your cup" (this is something I read in "The Book of Tea"). Are you going to waste it carelessly? Or are you going to honor it by being grateful and mindful, in consideration of every being that gave its life and everything that ever happened, all for this one last drop of tea? And don't forget, one day you are going to give yourself to every other being too. No giving without receiving. No receiving without giving. Can you also recognize that this is Love and Selflessness? It is the embodiment of "I give myself to you. I am selflessness. I am Love."

@CBDinfused That which is, is the way it is. And therefore can't be any other way. A = A ; Reality = Reality ; Being = Being ; That which is = That which is This "principle" is actually extremely simple. Which is why it is so difficult to understand it. You think that reality could be any other way than it is now. But it can't, because the moment it is something else, it is the way it is. Existence is Truth. Because it is what it is, no matter what it is. So whatever existence can become, it always is. Notice, that your question assumes that reality is some-way, i.e. some-how. It isn't. Reality is actually no-way and no-how. Because then you could pin it down. Have you noticed that you can't? Reality can't be captured in any concept, it always escapes. This is called "Shunyata" in Sanskrit. "Void". No-thing. No some-thing. No some-how. That is what Lao-Tse means by saying "the Dao (the way/the how) which can be uttered is not the eternal Dao". Basically what you have to do, is drop the desire for any explanation for why reality = reality. Because the question is actually meaningless. Which is why the answer is tautological and from a logical point of view completely meaningless too. The answer lies in the experience itself. You won't find it on this forum. I can't give it to you and neither can Leo. Nobody can. You must find out for yourself. Again, you experience what you experience because A =A. The answer to your question is not a philosophical answer, it's a no-thought answer. It's insight into the nature of being, which won't come from discursive thought. What is the answer to a meaningless question? Well that's the whole game with Zen Koans. No-answer.

@JosephKnecht Impossible