snowyowl

@AlwaysJoggin Hi, have you seen Leo's video on addiction? I'm not very knowledgeable myself, but it seems to me that most addictive and greed habits involve a high level of stimulation such as gambling, drink, drugs, sex, food, shopping etc. Do you think this could be an escape from something you don't want to face up to? Any fears, past traumas or bad feelings which are difficult to deal with?

It's not just the brain, the whole nervous system is part of the consciousness system (brain is connected to hands by the nerves). I don't buy into this belief that 'brains don't exist' - rather, physical matter (brain etc) and consciousness are a mutually arising dual pair. But it's all a story created by the brain/consciousness pair, when the primal unity (being) splits itself up. Of course you shouldn't believe me either, because this is my story, I'm using these words in my own way. There's no argument, as long as we're all authentic to our own direct experience

Does any particular type of yoga interest you? For a general hatha yoga channel I use Yoga with Adriene https://www.youtube.com/c/yogawithadriene but of course there's many others. To be fit and healthy I'd also recommended aerobic exercise for a cardio vascular workout. Plus check out a healthy diet. Good luck!

Hi @Max1993, sorry my previous post was a bit brief, I was in a hurry and a cryptic one liner doesn't really do justice to your questions! We're all telling each other how it is on this forum, but the important thing is to have the direct experience. What is awareness like? Is there a something, a you, an apparatus as you call it, which has awareness? Or is it awareness which has all these various features and creates you? "I want to go deeper with my awakening" me too, that's the spirit, but just remember that it's all chasing our own tails while we look for ourselves!

@Max1993 ha ha yes, awareness is the apparatus, awareness is being.

Sounds awesome to me so what's the problem? You've got a steady practice, making progress. Sure, the world is awash with chaos, always has been, we all do our bit to help.

Then simply focus on your spiritual work. Perhaps try looking at why you have mixed feelings? Could be some social indoctrination which you have internalised that we should be fighting evil. But training yourself to be peaceful, equanimous, unconditionally happy is just as useful. What is your spiritual work, if you don't mind me asking?

@Alfonsoo I don't blame you for keeping away from social media. I've long since given up putting the world to rights, if the large scale isn't your thing, then I'd suggest doing small acts of kindness in your local community. Help out if you can, do a bit of volunteering, smile more, talk to your neighbours, make friends with lonely people, feed the birds, pick up litter. Start a meditation group. Whatever your loving consciousness feels is needed.

Isn't Love the answer? Cancels out neediness, co-dependency. Like in a loving relationship you set each other free, instead of shackling with neediness.

When it's all over we have to start paying the bill, and people are losing their jobs and businesses. We've already had what, 12 years of austerity since the 2008 credit crunch and now another massive recession. How on earth to make the fallout fair and not discriminate against the poor?

I haven't watched your video (no time) but looked up a definition on wikipedia. "the Law of Attraction is the belief that positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences into a person's life." I'd say it's another name for the placebo effect. Beliefs, positive or negative, have an effect psychologically and physically. So it's not bs, but not a magical force either.

I saw this thread by following a link from another one, "Building Concentration Recommendations". I had a similar trajectory with concentration / mindfulness of breathing meditation. Concentration used to feel like an effort, but when I experienced the effortlessness of letting-go, I realised there could be a similar approach to concentration. The awareness of breathing is already always present, it's a sensation which I can't turn off even if I wanted to. So all I need to do is rest my attention on that, and let go of everything else. It's kind of a stepping stone to letting-go of everything, but having one anchor left. Becoming effortless made it easier to drop the separate self watching the breath, and merge with it.

Did you get this from an astronomy source? I'm rather out of date, but thought that the universe is expanding at the speed of light, a constant value, as light is the fastest thing. Light doesn't accelerate or decelerate does it? Instead, if there's a black hole situation, or other high gravity, it gets red shifted and time dilated to lose energy. But I’m open to new knowledge.

@Dino D I don't have a good answer, but some teachers I've watched like Rupert Spira and Jim Newman, talk about us being a contracted form of awareness, rather than the whole shebang. Just think for a moment if you did have omni awareness, could you cope with it? I mean, my ability for multi-tasking is pretty poor anyway, I just about get by, but to take on everyone else's at the same time would send me crazy! Maybe there's a meta level which connects all awareness at a divine level, but at my level of development I'm sure I still need my blinkers on

Time is counting the number of repeating cycles of events, like days, years, swings of a pendulum. I can't see it existing beyond that as a separate thing. A bit like when I go for a walk in a wild ancient landscape and forget about the city, there's no year, I could be in the stone age if I don't look at myself. There's day and night, seasons, and that's it.

"This" exists, it's beautiful when you're one with it, ugly when divided from it.

@Nahm a spiritual masterclass in one post! Much gratitude

Physics is become poetry, lovely

I saw a Jim Newman video recently (can't remember which one) where he does his customary hand wave to indicate the here & now, and says "this is death already" as there is no-one here to experience the states of life & death, it's just pure appearance. I find Jim's work challenging but this quote is surprisingly comforting to me. The distinction between life and death is an illusion (in theory, but I'm not there yet!).

All conditioned phenomena Are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow, Like dew or a flash of lightning; Thus we shall perceive them.” - Diamond Sutra.

"The Great Way [the Tao] is not difficult It only excludes picking and choosing Once you stop loving and hating It will enlighten itself." - Xinxin Ming

The ego's illusory grip on life sometimes slips and the void beneath is revealed. Yes, it's super scary, many of us have woken up at night with existential fears. Death is scary, spirituality is the best way I've found through it which isn't denial or escapism. But hey, if it gets too much you can seek help without feeling guilty, keep talking, even see your doctor for some medication if you need it. Take care and look after yourself my friend.

@meow_meow but don't you see, this is a great insight you've already gained for all your hard work so far. Spirituality has shifted from seeking something outside the present moment, to chasing your own tail. The seeker is seeking the seeker, it's the strange loop, the awareness of awareness. So yes! It sounds like you're ready to drop the questions and goals, and be the Dao rather than seek it

We are still in NATO, Interpol, and I'm sure the intelligence agencies will keep in touch. I agree with the rest of your post though.

Cherry picking is pretty common. Didn't Jesus himself chuck out many of the Old Testament rules while keeping the prophesies which suited him? Or at least the authors of the New Testament did.