ajasatya

@Monkey-man i wouldn't say "prevent ageing". i would say "prevent excessive ageing". right now, because we're such a young species, we're yet too ignorant about ourselves. we age A LOT faster than we should. some topics are still to be introduced in the mainstream culture in a few centuries: healthy breathing: lower and deeper healthy eating habits and prosperous food gardening practices healthy relationships: no attachments, no possessiveness healthy bodily education: flexible/vigorous muscles, clean internal organs, healthy spine our general academic medicine is extremely poor. the only strong field is the surgery niche. our politics and economic systems are extremely poor. a few exceptions happen when the leader is enlightened (eg.: jigme wangchuck, sadhguru).

@zenjen the very first experience is a SHOCK. it usually comes from an accidental/naive event. after the shock, comes FEAR, which is fundamentally the fear of death. the next phase is the SLOW APPROACH, in which we tap into spiritual practices carefully. the next phase is a COOL DOWN, in which we become intimate with deep existential matters. the next phase is a POWERFUL RISE, which moves us towards our full potential. the motivation comes from inside. the last phase is ABUNDANCE MANAGEMENT, in which we gather what we sowed whilst working just enough to sustain the abundance.

@eskwire thank you for your effort!

you call yourself coward and loser. and you do feel affected. stop lying.

no. i finished my bachelor in computer science then i started to work in a 9 to 5 job. from 5 to the sleep time was my moment of extra practices like meditation and stuff. i also planned my vacations to do amazing things like going to retreats. then i quit the job and just lived for Truth experiences. then i started a master degree and here i am. professionally i never really stopped completely for more than 6 months. it's much more about the distractions on your regular day. get rid of those and your days will be like a thousand hours long.

@-Rowan it's a common human mistake to try to extract happiness from one's job. but the job you do is not enough. it can't be. you're much more than a doer. you're a human BEING. i thought i was going to have problems with the academic lifestyle but my problem was the fact that i identified myself with the academic avatar. the feeling of dissatisfaction stopped as soon as i expanded my life. i started to be part of a zen sangha, practice yoga and drink ayahuasca with shamans. also dancing and traveling to retreats. meeting healthy people and learning about good eating habits. be infinite, 'cause you are.

@Wes Thoughts the best option is to live in a place designed for such difficult task. some buddhist communities find ways to afford their own food supplies. it's a good way to save money if you decide to spend even more time. living in a city, paying for rent and expensive/trash food and transportation in a context full of distractions is a waste of time and energy. the money you have can be a blessing to sustain a simple lifestyle devoted to Truth for YEARS, not just months. you just need to use it very wisely. i've done it. ask anything if you have questions. ah, your questions... YES! you're much more than a society tool. live a full life. the life that this sick society teaches us to live is trash; yes. and you'll go even FASTER if you let go of expectations about results; schedule: wake up extremely early for meditation (4~5am) breakfast samu (some works that need to be done like cleaning, dish and gardening) meditation before lunch lunch rest time meditation at 14:00 samu small meal meditation before dinner dinner meditation before sleep time sleep at 21:00

@Ilya notice the amount of suffering that arises because of that desire. be mindful of the internal agitation and observe it until it vanishes. be mindful of the utterly unnecessary effort that's required to strengthen impressions about a character and make a lucid decision: do you want to feed that lie?

yes. be your own master. there's no ultimate authority other than your own direct experience.

there's no right answer for your question. you need to find a rhythm that suits you. what you really need is consistency. as soon as you find your rhythm, commit to it with all your willpower to become free from distractions. have a wonderful life!

@JustinS beautiful!

it's not just a matter of our liking/adaptation capabilities. it's a call from mother Earth. as Earth heals Itself, we will gradually enjoy a simpler and healthier lifestyle.

@egoless do it! less worries, lighter mind, healthier life!

taking good care of your physical/mental/emotional health. exercise, meditate and forgive.

@egoless your past looks like mine. i'm slowly letting go of "my achievements" and migrating to a simpler lifestyle like ernest gotsch's.

@Psyche_92 you haven't lost anything. in fact, you've never gained anything in the first place. live each day for its own sake.

@jhmarrio you cannot comprehend what thoughts are with more thoughts. the intellect cannot go further than this intrinsic limitation of logic/language. if you truly want to "comprehend" it, you'll have to find another way. and it CERTAINLY will require a huge leap of courage.

@Max_V practically speaking, it comes down to your way of dealing with daily/mundane tasks. do you experience lack of patience? are you attached to the fruits of your work? are you possessive on your relationships? do you allow addictions to ruin your goals? do you experience fear of failure?

@Visionary practical example: yoga teacher A works very hard but gets frustrated because he's not the best yoga teacher around yoga teacher B works very hard but he is detached from comparisons of any kind result: A faces hard emotional frustrations and is more prone to quit. B will just go with the flow and allow himself time to perfect the quality of his work. clarifying what i mean: when your goals are authentic, you are unstoppable.

@Visionary contemplate how you would feel if your goals were achieved but nobody noticed who you are. if your goals are authentic, you should be free from needs for external approval.

right now i'm an academic researcher (computer science/artificial intelligence)

this question cannot be answered with words. go look by yourself if you have enough courage to experience true Nothingness. hypothesizing is almost useless for it can only expand your curiosity for true (un)knowing.

@Berjohansen Reality is fundamentally mystical and groundless. it's the highest hallucination ever. enjoy the trip.

no. only the optional suffering is caused by an untrained mind. but the optional suffering corresponds to at least 95% of our suffering anyway. the other 5% are intrinsic to the nature of Life. we age, get sick and then we experience the process of dying.

@Lorcan do it!