CoolDreamThanks

Oh sorry, didn't have time to read.

My question is, do I really need to follow those retreats schedule to the t or is it okay to allow myself some flexibility and continue what I have been doing? - I think you're doing the right thing, you probably intuit that having a better night's sleep will improve the meditation effectiveness, and just flowing with life more instaed of upkeeping a schedule will turn out to be more meditative in the end. The whole goal is to become meditative whilst operating in life, so I would try that more - more walking in nature whilst meditating,. That helped me alot. Less painful to walk for 6hrs per day in a forest meditating than to sit for 6 hrs. Do you have recommendations for a different type of meditation techniques suitable for a home retreat? Would a different technique give me different results in comparison to Vipassana? Please consider dropping vipassana. Why do you need a technique to bring yourself closer to yourself? Look at Rupert Spira's videos for instructions, it's a non-doing, much more pleasant than VIpassna. No need for a strict posture, as well. If you practice this non-doing meditation for the same period as a vippasna with the same intensity - I would guess it will be more effective. Try it out. It was for me. It is also more practical. Easier to integrate into everyday life. Now at the office I walk around meditative, at least sometimes. Also, how much impact does the duration of a retreat really have? Is a 10 day one really that different from a 7 day one for example? Not sure about the exact number of days, but I found that if I go for a month, then it will be transformative. Many enlightenment experiences, etc.. People who met me after month-long retreats said I got a completely different vibe. They can feeel the meditativeness emanating. There is one drawback, though. If beautiful music plays in public, you might cry a little. jk, not a drawback, those states are just so amazing that they bring out tears more and more often. Sometimes you might look at tree's and cry alot, just from the beauty and the bliss inside. Anyway, good luck with your retreat, glad to see that you are doing what really matters, and not the being fully immersed into the concepts.

I think being exact about what you mean by "surrender" is important. People have different definitions.

Gentle Hands The only Lover Eternal. The only Hand that's gentle.. She awaits at the end of time How can shadows overrule the Sun? How can illusions trick the One? Can the Lord be in prison without his volition? Can there be agony when there is no illusion? The ghosts of the past I hallucinate Night and day Dreamy figures, a mesmerizing delusion A trick of the mind, A thousand steps inside. The prodigal Son Sits back on his Throne Not a single step taken towards his goal His Function and his Soul are One. A whole new dimension A heaven beyond comprehension How is thy Heart so Gentle?

🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

And you call Ramana your teacher, it seems, but have you not read the most basic things he teaches about the world? See it here: https://tomdas.com/2020/03/25/ramana-maharshi-the-world-should-be-considered-like-a-dream/ A little more humility, brother.

Also, here's what my teacher, Jesus, says about the nature of this life: "It is the figures in the dream and what they do that seem to make the dream. You do not realize that you are making them act out for you, for if you did the guilt would not be theirs, and the illusion of satisfaction would be gone. In dreams these features are not obscure. You seem to waken, and the dream is gone. Yet what you fail to recognize is that what caused the dream has not gone with it. Your wish to make another world that is not real remains with you. And what you seem to waken to is but another form of this same world you see in dreams. All your time is spent in dreaming. Your sleeping and your waking dreams have different forms, and that is all. Their content is the same.16”

Ramana didn't make a single video. Try going deeper to the source, to the exact words he spoke to his students. Did you know that his students were forbidden from writing down anything he said when they were in front of him? They did, however, write things down when they left his presence. The main students of Ramana also didn't believe that life was a dream at first, even when Ramana told them that clearly and multiple times. But some of them realized the illusory nature of life after some time.

Ramana is looking down on you frowning. All good though, no harm - no foul. Only a piece of the illusion appearing confused.

@Dodo In other words, you think you know better than Ramana Maharshi, Jesus (in ACIM), Mooji, Lisa Cairns, Leo, Ramaji, Sri Nisragadata Maharaji, Buddhism in general, and one of the main teachers of Hinduism -- Adi Shankara? Buddhists call it anicca, Hindus call it maya, and Christians call it a dream. I don't recommend following others based on belief. Still, it might be wise to look at well-respected spiritual teachers and be open to the idea that if you disagree with all of them, then perhaps there is a possibility that you are mistaken. Just another POV to consider.

Dont listen to @Schizophonia his name checks out. he projects I think you are doing good! Just try to get closer to spirituality to have something stable to rely on.

True philosophy has to be concerned with Highest Truth aka God. Words are merely symbols of symbols. they are used to liberate and then, when you are up the ladder of understanding, the final step is to throw away the ladder. . Dreams are symbolic of what is in your Mind .

Wow. Amen.

Also, it’s interesting how your posts contain Truth and you see it in me, but you feel like it’s not the right time to be immersed in this. All is well in your world and that is perfect, it’s a part of the journey that is already finished. You are simply mentally reviewing what has already happened. You see only the past. God has corrected this dream of separation into Love, it just takes time to unwind the egoic mind.

What you are describing is what I call mind excitement. The human mind is happy with how things are going, he feels fullfilled ant connected to those around him. He is content. The happiness of the world only appears as happiness because it is contrasted with very bad experiences. In truth, it’s either a good or a bad or a very bad/traumatic dream. While Heaven is Infinite, Perfect, Eternal, Abstract Love. I am rambling. And I might he mistaken. Maybe not. Hehe. Good day, Sir.