Shin

How much aware you think you are when you start consciousness work How much aware you think you are after 1 year of consciousness work

Hum yes it is useful, if you like, you know, have friends, a wife, a family. Now if you live in a cave in australia, that's an another story of course :3

I also do this. This is good, you don't need a specific technique if you don't find one that feels natural to you. After all, meditation is just about being present, and nothing else. Although, when you start and your mind is extremely agitated, it is better to stick to one technique (like breathing or body scan) until you are able to choose to be present. You can use certain meditations to increase your concentration to a very high degree (and this can be very helpful if this is what you want), but this isn't necessary, what matters is how much you can stay in the present and feel at peace with what is. Trust your own intuitions about this, sometimes you'll feel you need to practice body scan meditation, sometimes you'll feel that you want to do some Do nothing, that's ok to switch (if it's not neurotic and intuition based), because that means your body/mind needs specific types of awareness at this specific moments.

Nonono, the real question is why you let your mind mental masturbate instead of self-inquiring/practising presence. 99% of the questions you'll ask about non-duality will be about you being very smart on how to distract yourself, and not about finding the truth.

Most people are inconscious, which means they think they already know everything that matters (especially reality and god). So unless their paradigm is shaken really really bad, they have no reasons to be interested in spirituality. Unless you're naturally extremely open-minded and/or are interested in reality/dreams/alternate state of consciousness, you can't just stumble upon and say "oh this seems to make a lot of sense, totally not some religious/hippie bullshit"

If you only allow yourself to practice presence through meditation, and if your meditation only last 20/30 minutes, then yes. You can have huge growth in 6 to 10 months if you meditate more than 1 hour a day, practice mindfullness of the thoughts/emotions 24/24, and everytime you walk you focus on the breath or on your feet.

If you think you don't have time for meditation, Double the time of your meditation.

Take a trip to the US, and visit the church that Leo talks about in its psychedelics video.

An urge can be neurotic and ego based. In the other hand, the emotions you get from doing the thing can't lie. So you need some trial and error there, maybe you're thing is: Teaching spirituality (be very careful there, especially if you just found out about it, could be "the messiah complex"), Healing people emotionally (could be linked to spirituality but it doesn't have to). Teaching how the mind works (simply because you're passionate about it) Doing research on the mind and or consciousness etc ... Could be something entirely different, maybe you're just deceiving yourself, maybe it's just your ego wanting to feel important, who knows. Don't rush it, but don't be lazy too, explore and if you have the intuition that you have to go back to college study some field (or study on your own), for more than 6 months, then do it. You don't have to be 100% sure, not only you can't, but you will always find a good excuse to stay in your comfort zone if you think you can. It's not because you're not sure that you can't know you're in the right direction though. If you feel alive, "in the zone", even joy, and it is consistent (like not just for 2 months) while you're doing the thing, then it is a clear sign you have to dig in this direction. If you feel fulfillement and peace after a day where you felt "you did your part", then it isn't a clear sign, it's a fucking lighthouse.

Detail the symptoms.

Are you ? If you are then you're still wasting time arguing on internet instead of helping others. If you're not, then this kinds of quote wars is a huge waste of time, time that you could use to works towards it.

@Charlotte Also read this:

When you hear for the first time from one of your friend "There is space around it" (talking about suffering): You don't know what love is ----- You are love Nothing is about you ----- Everything is about you Don't become a Zen devil ! ----- There is no right or wrong Don't kid yourself, you're not enlightened ----- You're already enlightened

It's free anal sex, can't say no to that !

So many people think of enlightenment as something so big that it cannot be something that simple.

I know you're not gonna like this, but this is how it will be resolved. Think intentionally about how your boyfriend could cheat on you, the worst kind of ways, then don't focus on the thoughts that will appear. Focus as fuck on the emotion in your body. Everytime it happens when you don't want to think about it, then feel that the emotions fully, and don't try to escape it. The goal is to accept the emotions so fully in you, that they will eventually dissolve. It can takes some days/weeks or months, it all depends how much you are ready to go into your pain. The more you resist it, the longer the pain will stay. The only magic pill that exist is this technique, every other techniques are temporary fixes, and most of the time it only makes it worse (alcohol/drugs etc ...).

Ahah no, you think you do

How could you have free will if you don't control your thoughts and you're identified to them ? It's just conditioned behaviors at this point. The thing is that you can only acknowledge that once you've raised some awareness, otherwise you'll just think it's bullshit or some metaphors.

Limit it to 1 hour per day (2 the week end), and decide a monthly budget for it. You could totally drop it, but that would require all your attention and energy, and apparently you don't have right now. Walking, music, sport, yoga, meditation, sex, and even just sitting doing nothing are ways that are far more effective to recharge you than Video games and TV ever will.

You don't have to disbelieve them, you just have to watch them, it will sort it out itself. If you try to disbelieve them, it's still the mind trying to control something.

Learning non-duality as a newbie: You don't exist ----- You're everything There is no self ----- There is a true self There is no free will ----- You have 100% free will The obstacle is the path -----You have to follow the eightfold path There is nothing you can do ----- Meditation/Self-inquiry/Retreat/Yoga ... Don't chase enlightenment ----- You have to desire enlightenment really bad

Post that in the "Leo's practical guide to enlightenment" topic. We proud of ya

Is it P2W ? Do you have to use the cashshop to have a fast enlightenement ?

No it isn't. In really old cultures, women were considered as goddess and most of the divinities were female. It's only when the ego started to grow full force that men became dominant and oppressive towards women. The fact that most gods suddenly became men, is also a sign that the ego was projecting itself, because the men mind is much more prone to mental activities. It's actually a good point, men are rejecting their feminine side not only in their mind, but also by rejecting and abusing women. If they were accepting it, they could start the transition to become the truth, and this is not what the ego wants at all. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goddess