UnbornTao

Thank you!

Waiting for that sweet audio file upload.

This is a great option. Personally, though, Kindle never captured me in the same way as physical books. The latter somehow makes the experience more palpable and real.

I hold it as becoming directly conscious of the true nature of you, other, existence, etc.

Heard Season two might become a reality, after all.

Hmm, the avoidance of hard work? Communication? Let's see.

That should be part of the GTA 6's storyline.

Seems to be the case in some ways. As examples: Deconstructing reality may temporarily undermine your sense of meaning Dropping what's false can be painful when one is attached to it Take a look into depression. It is a way of holding or imagining a negative future for yourself. Do the following: Imagine a negative future for your self and life for 5 minutes. Imagine a positive future for your self and life for 5 minutes. Notice the difference in effects. What occurred in your experience? I'd add that, if the results are negative, we have yet to go all the way into our contemplation; it is usually because there's still something we're unaware of. What also occurs as a result of the work are feelings of unprecedented joy, clarity and freedom, so what the hell?

I see, thanks for sharing. I hope the new company will at least notify you of their decisions beforehand. Those bastards.

What caused the issue?

Is that true or not? That's the key question to ask oneself. It seems to me you're referring to a distinction within awareness that may be useful to make but this is made by you. In any case, I'd say that no matter what answers or system of belief we come up with in this regard, whether true or not, in the end they won't be the direct consciousness we're after. External sources can point out a new possibility, inspire, or encourage you; however, when it comes down to it, the reality is that you must stand on your own consciousness of the matter, otherwise it remains hearsay, an idea adopted by you. Not to be pedant, but by holding the matter as subject to process, you're looking into the relative, and these are out of the picture when it comes to the absolute. So, quick is too indirect. The only way isn't a way and it is direct; it is you grasping your nature now. As Dogen put it––if not now, when? This is what it boils down to. The best you can do is contemplating--being at the bus stop when the bus arrives.

@abrakamowse As written.

@Someone here What is pain made of? How does it exist? If your intention isn't to contemplate it, enjoy it. You're manufacturing it because it serves the maintenance and promotion of your self. But this is just an answer.

Lisan Al-Gaib!

If you want to be happy, be. -Tolstoy.

Let's approach the following as a contemplation exercise. How so? Where does it say it has to be that way objectively? Is the pain of having your arm cut off equally bad as the pain of pinching your leg? Is the pain of stretching your body bad? That doesn't help us pinpoint exactly where it starts and ends. It may be a loose sensation with no clear boundaries, that you then compare to other body part that is "neutral", less painful, or pleasurable. We're questioning here. I'm saying that pain may not belong in the same domain as emotions. If it's a feeling, what's the feeling about? Locate a physical sensation that you say is painful and contemplate what it is: What's painful in your experience? Locate the distinction "pain." Show me where pain is as if I wanted to buy it.

Remembering past pain and resisting the possibility of future pain are unnecessary activities that generate more pain on top of whatever you're experiencing now.

You take a look. Does "bad" come with the sensation? Are you comparing the sensation to other parts of your body? Where does it start and stop? What about degree? Which criteria is used for determining degree of pain? It is more fundamental than that. Emotions such as anger and fear can be broken down into components, while pain can't.

What does bad mean, and where specifically in the body? Can it be precisely located or are its boundaries somehow undefined/unclear? And what criteria is used for determining its degree? Is it compared to other part of your body that isn't hurting, or that is hurting less? A feeling belonging to a similar domain as, say, boredom or enthusiasm? Or is it perhaps something more fundamental?

Perhaps, but we also take our experience of pain at face value. For all we know, we could be talking about something else, like our idea of it. Why experience pain when your car is scratched or your phone stolen? Not all pain is necessary or useful, and yet we keep generating it in abundance. Maybe pain exists similar to how a mirage exists. Grasping this would transform how we relate to pain and provide an experiential understanding of its purpose. But I'm extrapolating at this point.

Action is the solution for both cases. With procrastination, take action; with addiction, refrain from acting it out. This requires observing what motivates you for real in each case.

We don't understand what pain itself is. First, what is it, then why is it?

Oops, one day late. Happy birthday, Leo!

I was hinting at our tendency to conflate self-survival with happiness. The latter seems to be independent of circumstances. Still, not sure what it is.