Sugarcoat

Is it different from vaping? I’ve only vaped and last time I tried cig was so long ago I don’t remember

Karma word is thrown around a lot don’t really know what it means People wanna take the path that’s gonna lead to the best well being. It could include gaining power if that’s satisfying to the self image, or just nice self image in general. But many aren’t super self centered either so they crave things like relationships etc, it’s not all self image. But bottom line it’s to increase well being and lessen suffering. And some find spirituality the best path for that Don’t know what negative affects means Some subjects might be more mainstream because they appeal to the masses, suggesting that people have something similar in neurology, their minds, genetics, so something less mainstream, being drawn to it could suggest you’re different than most

It seems we have capacity to see things how they are, but then the normal mind reappears again and we’re back to normal

I definitely think a normal person could live on a day to day basis with a baseline of contentment that fluctuates a bit based on stressors like work, money, relationship problems etc. It can be hard to tell if someone is doing well if you don’t know them personally, because people have a social fasade and filter where they don’t openly share their problems, and their problems might not show through their behavior. People have social codes ingrained in their psyche, and for many, talking and seeming fine comes naturally and automatically: they could still be stressed on the inside. For example, when I’m low I tend to become more quiet. Then I might mistakenly assume that people who talk a lot must be doing fine, because I talk more when I’m doing fine. But for someone who is naturally more social and verbal, they might deal with issues by for example ventilating, or socialization might be a distraction for them, so them being social doesn’t reflect their inner state.

I heard from some expert that creatine is one of the only extensively studied supplements that has significant support scientifically. So it seems good

What would it even mean to “go for an experience of real being now”. Like staring at a wall until you have the raw experience of the wall? (If you’re not focusing on the self) Maybe “the self is seen for what it is” is synonymous with it being “stripped” of its realness, so yea as you say those might not be mutually exclusive . I think similarly . But for now it still seems some things can be done to increase the chance, because it’s not usual that average people who don’t pursue awakening just suddenly have a glimpse, hmmm

If you’re gonna experience hell it’s gonna be from a particular form. If you are in the form of human experiencing hell you’re gonna be limited by your body’s biology. When you are tortured, you will either die from injury, or maybe pass out eventually from pain, or even die. Or extremely rarely, your ego might just surrender in the pain. So either way it’s limited, so eternal hell might not be possible because any form is limited. I mean, it’s not really a comfort still because how does it help by saying “you might be tortured for a long time but I promise it’s not eternity!”

There’s a hive mind “matrix” aspect to almost every niche. But then it’s a question of why does one person fall into one paradigm and not another. Someone more prone to questioning society (sign of openness) might be more likely to fall into something a bit unconventional like spirituality (some branches are less mainstream)

Yes it can be hard to completely distinguish the mind. And you say what remains is open presence. I’d say before the self has been stripped, there’s also the sense of the presence of self- may or may not be the mind Well I guess some people correlate caring deeply about something to being stressed about it. They feel their stress is part of their care and helps them stay focused on it and thus control it better Yea I think ultimately enlightenment doesn’t discriminate, anyone could, but I also think the chance of it happening spontaneously is very low so if it’s the goal I think it’s wise to pursue it but maybe down the road it leads you to realize you never had to pursue it, but such realization might just come after the fact of pursuing it

This human experience is apparent limitation playing itself out Then it’s a matter how to break limitations… to see directly as you say I was just talking suffering generally how it works for people, but no it’s not necessary generally and might even make us less effective, but now that I think about it some people genuinely feel they work better under stress I find there’s many layers to this experience, and I agree about removing them to see clearly. One can get a long way on the path but never reach the end… so for me the enlightenment still remains an unknown Yea thoughts can go beyond the conventional sense of mental shatter and intertwine with our sense of raw reality I am familiar with the video about actuality. I used to stare at my hand. It’s also something very accessible

💯

One of my impressions of people here is that many score high on the openness personality trait. Also conscientiousness. ADHD to me sounds like someone impulsive, more focused on the immediate moment than long term, and who would have trouble focusing for long. Like doing meditation or watching long Leo videos. They might be more pragmatic. Although I’ve heard adhd people can be deep thinkers , so it’s non impossible to draw correlation there. It also seems some people are more self centered, so they’re interested in developing a nice self image, which could be linked to the tendency of personal development. There’s also like a streak of autism about it, to go about life in this calculated way forming a conceptual framework, instead of being more “natural” like some people are, especially in regards to socializing can the pickup approach come off as little autistic, where you make mental models of socialization instead of just naturally socializing. From an outside perspective self development can be seen as little geeky and try hard, like you’re full of yourself. So it might be more likely practiced by people who are less focused on relationships than ideas.

By direct consciousness you might imply that it transcends limitation, which contrasts to our current consciousness which is aware of limitation Effortlessness kinda implies an ease, so yea suffering feels more like a struggle so it can’t really be effortless by definition. I agree we deeply engage our mind. We engage in suffering, some feel suffering is necessary too, like being stressed feels it can help you have things under control. The human happiness id say is known in the same way the human suffering is known. But a transcendent happiness is unknown for most It can help to recognize when something is a concept, so if it weighs us down (like a negative belief) we have possibility of letting it go , instead of confusing it with rest of reality

It’s recognized for what it is

Scientists try to figure out reality, and they don’t want spiritual people to do it because it would loose them their job 😅 Jk

Yea maybe it allows us to access reality directly so no concept can feel like it grasps it

Late reply but yes I agree for most willpower alone won’t work because it’s like a limited resource, a muscle that gets tired. You need to also know yourself well and your triggers, to identify tricks to cope etc

I like a little vaping from time to time😏 How do cigs make you feel? I only vape for the effect. Although the act of blowing smoke is also kinda satisfying

I mean I recognize my thoughts as just concepts to, but then what the nature of a thought is , is not a concept 🤔

But do you live from that place?

Being conscious and aware is duality to me. It’s this human experience I agree we don’t need to consider enlightenment a pursuit separate from everyday life. It’s accessible always but I think as I wrote to princess Arabia that it’s reasonable to assume it most likely requires intense focus, that may be difficult when you’re genuinely focused on worldly things We think of happiness usually in the realm of human psychology. But yea we can be clueless about different mental states that could give access to a different quality of happpiness , and not know that it’s possible Suffering can be pretty effortless too. I’d say it’s quite natural for human psychology I think it’s important to recognize that your mind is just that, your mind, and anything it comes up with is just a concept. So not taking any concept so seriously, which connects to your point about setting everything aside and investigating from scratch

Saying it’s “just a story and not so serious” is a denial of your humanity. If you were sent to gas chamber you would feel it’s very serious

I think it’s realistic to believe that for most seeing the unreality of the self is very difficult

I guess it’s also quite individual for the person, what causes them happiness

I’m sorry to hear that Some thoughts I have. You said you feel like you’re holding things in. One thing that could potentially help is to speak honestly and directly with the people in your life where the relationship feels unfair. And letting yourself cry while you do it if that arises. Talking freely with honesty but still respectfully could feel like you’re “getting it out of your system”. And it has the potential to affect the other person to change their behavior. I have personally cut people of in my life before in respectful manner and it feels good to speak truth, living a lie can be mentally draining When it comes to your health and physical appearance, if doctors haven’t been able to help you, taking it in your own hands by doing your own private research can feel empowering, like you’re taking control to the extent you feel possible. Connecting with people with similar issues, in for example sub forums of people with similar health problems, could also help. You can feel for yourself, would focusing on bettering these things just increase obsession and neurosis, or would it help it? Sometimes in life we need to focus more on acceptance, other times on trying to change, or both at the same time is possible. When it comes to study, really ask yourself if it’s worth it. If you don’t like it because it’s too hard, there could be flaws in your study techniques making it so you are falling behind. But if you truly feel it’s not for you, try to make a change there if possible, by taking another road in your education/career. You could talk it through with someone, or write privately in your journal all your un filtered thought, give them some structure and come clear to yourself what steps you wanna take next in life. In terms of social anxiety, sometimes it’s too much at once if you try to tackle that too, but it could also be possible that it’s very giving to try to overcome it. A crucial step in overcoming social anxiety is precisely putting yourself in uncomfortable social situations, but one’s that don’t feel way too overwhelming , as that could just strengthen the fear. Something that’s more directly targeting the stress overall could be installing some kind of relaxing practice. Could be mediation, could be exercise, grounding etc I can relate to feeling old haha. I’m 22 sometimes I wish I could stay this age forever