Sugarcoat

Yea it’s a tricky thing.

I can relate to that. I have had moments where I’ve thought along the lines “I wish I didn’t understand anything”, because ive felt my narrative, collection of worldview, in my mind contributes to suffering. I’ve been playing with the idea, could you reach a state where you strip everything of language/meaning you’ve learned and you just experience reality more purely. But then I’ve also thought how a lot of thought is imagery, so even if you drop language you could still imagine things in images that could evoke certain emotions. But as you say it can be positive too

If your goal with the running is health, you could gain similar benefit from doing shorter runs (like intervals, 800 meter repeats or something). It can remove the boring part. Because for me, when I do intervals, I’m running high tempo and intensely, it’s not possible to be bored because your mind is laser focused on propelling you forward, it’s like you’re zoomed out from everything and all you’re aware of is the feeling of running, and it’s so intense that yes it will be hard, but not boring, the boring gets replaced by the struggle of it being intense. I’m not saying you should go extreme, you run at the level you can handle, but just that shorter more intense running takes your mind to a different place where boring will be the smallest problem

Does making myself look more attractive increase my chances of someone finding me attractive… hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Easy problem just be religious about sunscreen and you’re safe

People define awakening differently. Although a trend seems to be to become more aware of something, and that creates a shift. But that can be on intellectual level, when people call it awakening that they’ve realized “society is corrupt” or something and they deeply question the mainstream and enter more spiritual thinking. And for sure it stirs up emotions and it can feel expansive so it’s not purely intellectual but they still stay on level of human psychology and the self. Or it could be becoming increasingly self aware, and connecting to intelligence of higher development (like deeper intuition). But still on human development level. But for me I feel there is one thing about reality that stands out from all those things and that would be insight/experience that goes beyond the self/mind. The term awakening can be useful for those above too but this is the ultimate I think. (I don’t know directly if reality is non dual but I resonate with the idea and have experienced shifts in my sense of self strengthening this questioning if it’s actually real) So increasing metacognition I think can bring you a step closer to the ultimate truth because when you become aware of something more subtle in you, it might have required breaking down something greater in order to be able to notice the more subtle (or just moving your awareness inward) So it can be one step in process of deconstructing the mind/self. It can maybe go both ways, if you are deeply immersed in something, someone may have temporary experience of “forgetting themselves” which might be a glimpse of some sort into non duality in some cases . But also by doing the opposite, focusing on your mind and self might aid in the deconstruction of it (my experience) so you tackle the very thing “in the way” by firstly having lots of awareness to it. So basically there seems to be layers and subtleties to our current reality and something like increasing meta cognition no matter your starting point might be a step to deconstructing that reality

I think we want originality because duality works in contrast and identity is duality so it needs contrast to be itself strongly. If everyone’s funny nobodies funny kind of logic. Lol why am I treating this like color theory or something . Well it’s not ONLY that ofc. Originality could be many things : breaking world record in maximum amounts of avocados eaten in one day is original, but it’s not automatically desirable because of that. So it’s about being original in something you value and see as “high”. So you have those things, then you wanna enjoy an identity related to it, but in order to enjoy it strongly it needs contrast to stand out (exist more), which is other people who are NOT that. It’s like you need others to contrast and highlight and strengthen your identity. How would you identity if you were isolated on island? Thought experiment if you want

I’d say I mainly associate consciousness with this experience that “I’m here and there’s something going on, something here that’s not me”. Dual. In this moment, we can agree “there’s something going on”. And that something includes you. That to me is what consciousness makes possible, meanwhile in itself it might be nothing, but not nothing as in the fabric of existence but rather something relative to you. (it’s a very conventional definition but it’s what I first thought of for now) It’s weird have you noticed a split in your self; you are aware of yourself simultaneously as you are yourself directly and can’t thus exactly pin point yourself so maybe consciousness actually needs THREE . I think I just invented THRUALITY Some may say increased consciousness is when you’re more aware of nature of reality, but if that nature is nothing then to me it sounds it would more be an undoing (undoing the sense of limitation, self) , because how can you can become aware of nothing in itself when there would be no reference point? That’s assumption tho, it’s because all I know is this dual (or thrual ????) experience so I just assume I need myself to be aware. So if we say someone like sadghuru is more conscious than average person (I don’t know THAT much about him but just impression). Some may say well he is aware of no self nature of reality. BUT how can you be aware of absence….You can only be aware of something. So it’s more that the undoing of the sense of self, creates situation where the person is less absorbed in thinking and image, so they’re able to be more aware of other processes (in body etc). They’re less attached to things, less neurotic, more aware of immediate moment, sense perceptions. So that combined makes them more conscious. AND maybe they’re able to describe reality as non dual, no self etc as a CONTRAST to the experience of duality they used to have. So it’s not in ITSELF recognized, but everything else is seen through so it’s known to be NOT THAT. Idk

Thanks

I had a thought, some say awakening is dissolution of self, or do you consider it differently? Nonetheless, a profound spiritual transformation that leads to something better is good regardless. Not trying to pick at people here

How does the the table being broken in anger relate to karma? I thought objects were outside this karma dynamic. So you mean for example a hateful mindset has low vibration and thus bad karma? I am a bit unsure about the term karma because I’ve heard it used in different ways. I’m not expecting you to explain it tho

Yea sometimes something can put us off balance too far so we need to find balance again and recenter ourselves but at a better place than before.

Agreed.

That is indeed a profound experience. You said it had lasting positive change so thats good.

Yes. If you get rid of all your fears, a significant chunk, if not all, of you will deconstruct as well. Challenging your fears is spiritual