UnbornTao

You're holding happiness as circumstantially-derived, and conflating it with survival. Bring to mind moments in your life when you felt genuinely happy. Now: Did happiness originate in the object of attainment or "within" you? You can be happy even if you don't like your experience! Contemplate what it'd take for you to make such a shift in your life. If you want happiness, that's the only way that it's going to work, otherwise what you'll get is winning, success, self-survival – getting your needs and desires met. Depression is holding a negative future. Therefore, on a pragmatic note, create a positive vision for your life that is aligned with your values and goals.

Don't frame socialization so negatively. It seems to me that in your case finding like-minded individuals would be most helpful. Consider: How did it feel like to interact with your best friend? For me, it's always been generally positive. So, try to find a new group of friends if that's what you want. Learn to make intimate relationships enlivening, with the right people for you.

Low-quality post. Trolling, potential conspirational thinking and denial of basic facts.

Graduation party! ? ? Happy to be a part of the staff.

Memory is a fool's intelligence.

Before something is considered obvious, it must first be accepted and adopted.

How do you know that these are not subjective experiences?

@Osaid

@JosephKnecht That's what I was talking about the entire time.

Easy there. I didn't express myself accurately so the post is now hidden. Don't readily assume that others know what you take for granted. To air out a few things, no, you're confusing internal dialogue with thinking. Not the same. Also, what you call honesty isn't what I consider it to be. In your post, for example, long before spouting words reactively, recognizing what's behind your reactivity would be a more honest stance. Like: I feel anger, perhaps because I didn't feel listened to. Behind that emotion, there is a sense of hurt, which is the basis for anger. Feeling hurt is a more honest experience than acting out the anger, which is a manipulation for dealing with the hurt. The chakras model is a form of belief.

Those stupid INTPs, I love them all lol Intp here.

@Leo Gura To play devil's advocate: Why would Buddhism stipulate that "all understanding is illusory"?

In regards to prior discussions in this thread, some of us might be failing to make a distinction between self and you (Being). Take that into account whenever someone claims to be the only one that knows himself. They're not talking about their personal self.

This is precisely how it can turn out in the end -- us falling into the following trap: An average individual, as far as we know, is commonplace even by his own estimation. After becoming deeply conscious then he's considered genetically gifted. Nobody knows what role genetics play into this matter. That's the truth few are willing to admit. What's known is that that is a relative matter while enlightenment isn't. So, we might as well work on honesty which has much more to do with consciousness than environment or talent.

@puporing @Space No. Enlightenment isn't a result. The notion that a drug can produce direct consciousness is ludicrous. That Leo thinks that enlightenment can't be "permanent" clarifies how he holds it: as some grand state –always temporal– with powerful effects on the mind induced primarily by drugs. Either it isn't clear that enlightenment is not any of that, or you're conflating "stuff" with the absolute. How could it be touched by experience? As an analogy: How could drinking coffee within a dream wake you up? Whatever you did within the dream before waking up is irrelevant in this regard. Waking up is on you, not factors and circumstances which are all relative.

Huh?

@Leo Gura is it like saying that everything is occurring as a process?

So you are a state? The absolute isn't a state by nature. State is relative.

Well, first, abstract terms can be used very broadly. What are you referring to by spirituality? States come and go. Are you saying that consciousness is a state, or that existence and states are mutually inclusive? So if one isn't in an altered state, one doesn't exist? What do you even mean by state? You'll now come at it with Leo's narrative of "everything is a state" but thanks, no. No parroting.

Why would a lottery winner pursue anything at all after a period of relaxing and hedonism? Why wouldn't she? Do what you like. Learning and creating are the avenues I recommend. I'm sure there's plenty more than you realize. Explore that.

Don't know why I used that word. It's useful. It simply means: invest the regained energy from healthier habits into something constructive that you like. Refocus your energy on creating whenever you're urged to do something hurtful to your body. That personal challenge was about abstaining from the Internet and phone, not TV. Rarely, when I felt tempted to pick up the phone, I'd watch TV for a bit. Nice. Yes, that'd be more doable then. Cutting out all forms of stimulation at once would be overwhelmingly hard and boring. Don't get stuck in mental masturbation. Either do it or don't.

@Leo Gura Oldest mode of thinking

Why would the truth need to be sugarcoated? Seems to me like you're saying that communication isn't enough, therefore turn the truth into something that it's not so that it makes us feel good and entertained. Got it. But I'm talking about spirituality.

Which categories will you be using? For me it's either OneNote or Obsidian. Right now, I built a fairly simple structure on Obsidian, and I'm happy with that as it is efficient. Local file saving is key. Obsidian uses a text-based format, readable by any computer. To start from scratch, I'd make an Archive page, transferring all the old content into that folder. The book is going to evolve as time passes. You could also change your software at some point, that's a possibility to consider. Start with something good and go from that.