ajasatya

yes. don't try to get something out of it. don't try to impress and don't crave for approval. if you need to talk to any of them, look straight and deeply into her eyes. if you manage to maintain a humble attitude, you'll have nothing to hide. this is actually an acing advice for almost any situation in life.

i'm learning to cook slowly. there's no way other than taking the risk.

the perfect world of mathematics is mental. math is built upon axioms, which are simply convenient beliefs.

forgiveness is essential for living in the present moment. it's achieved by getting in touch with the emotional pain and releasing it. feel the pain and let go of its reasons. thinking about the reason just feeds the emotional pain. be the pain itself alone.

@AlexB suffering is a great opportunity for union. if you had a son, how would you like him to treat you if were attacked by a dog and were in the same situation as your mother?

@alyra why do you want this question to be answered? why do you pursue an answer?

exposure and discomfort. make eye contact and listen with your heart. melt down in pure presence. my theory layer is very thin. i've organized it in such a way that every single line of argumentation leads to a form of practice.

@5driedgrams that's a powerful practice. it's useful to throw away a lot of garbage and align with what really matters.

sure... that's how we usually grow up. very deep inside we already love everyone unconditionally, but it's not felt until we can't take our lies anymore.

obliteration

no. such person does not even know what love is. an easy way to detect love for someone else is when you want the other person to be happy even if her happiness has nothing to do with you.

@alyra eckhart tolle calls it the "background noise" and explains very well why the solution for it is the practice of mindfulness in his book the power of now. there are certain ambients in which you can train to be present and remove that background noise. the great master thich nhat hanh has several teachings on how to practice mindfulness on the daily basis. i also recommend solitary zazen sessions, groupal zazen sessions (zazenkai) and zen retreats (sesshin). good luck with the practice!

@Geog how often are you truly present? i had depression and social anxiety. my problem was the fact that i was constantly filled with regret, trying to change the past with thoughts or thinking in the next achievement, the next way to satisfy the mental self-image i solved it with a rigorous training process of 24/7 mindfulness. very little theory, almost purely practice: spend your day focused on what you're doing while you breath consciously. you may notice how hard it can be. the harder it is, the more you're identified with mental objects. attachment to mental objects is one of the main causes for human suffering.

@Ilya you're not sick. you just need some training. that "forgetting what i just read" symptom is very common. society has grown too distracted. focusing when reading is the solution. it's the training itself. try being mindful while washing the dishes or cleaning the floor. and while you walk, watch the bodily sensations. it's also training.

@Vibivub do it for 6 months and tell us work on your intuition. try things for yourself. feel them. feeling is a lot more important than conceptualizing. in fact, if you can feel, conceptualization is completely optional. spoiler: if you practice enough, you'll be free from techniques.

i gave this topic a second thought and then i realized how much these devices actually suck for real. by using devices to measure his level of agitation, one will try to pursue calmness and will attach to peaceful moments. there will be frustration when he doesn't "get there". and none of this is the goal of meditation at all! meditation is not a pursuit for calmness. damn, a hot bath does the job much more effectively. the goal of meditation is to free oneself from his addiction to pursuits and expectations. the goal of meditation is to liberate oneself from any state of mind, be it calm or agitated. my wife is not pregnant yet, but when she becomes pregnant and the son is about to be born, do you think the mind will be quiet? hell no! the mind will do its thing. but i'm not identified with a particular state of mind.

@ArasH then go out and drink like 500ml of beer. you'll know what they feel. do it.

@Siggi you want people to hang out with you, but can you even do it to yourself?? can you go on a solitary walk and enjoy yourself? if you cannot enjoy your own presence in solitude, then don't even expect people to do so. don't be hypocrite.

@ArasH why are you looking on the internet about pros and cons of introversion? and why the hell are you using people around you as models of happiness? talk to them. ask them if they're truly happy. this is what i found when i took the courage to do it: they're far far away from happiness. most of them are just acting out from a deep feeling of despair. throw away this comparison game altogether. you're not the only one who's jealous. jealousy is a common pattern among unconscious people, no matter if they're introverted or extroverted, rich or poor, beautiful or ugly.

@How to be wise what exactly is permanent enlightenment in practice?

@Marinus imho, good food and yoga!

@Shiva spiritual teachings have always been misunderstood. jesus said "i tell you the truth, before abraham was even born, i am!" and people thought that he was saying something particular about himself, when in fact he was pointing to the true nature of every being. Truth has been misunderstood for ages and probably always will be.

there! some people choose one path for the entire life and they're able to live a content and fulfilled life until they die. i've seen it happen within each of the three paths. but it wasn't the case for me. i've been implementing all of them. of course it isn't easy! i've gone into crisis countless times. i've experienced huge lacks of self-love trying to serve. i've seen horrible things trying to focus on a mental transcendental image to practice devotion. i've struggled with existential fears during retreats trying to transcend language, as has the OP. but you know what? i can't express how grateful i am. so yeah. it's about implementation. one thing at a time! and i said those things about the path of the servant because of the following saturday is prasad day on the hare krishna community that i'm part of! we offer food to God and then we serve it to the visitors and then we eat it with them!

@severedfred your sincerity is a jewel, but don't put me in a pedestal because it will make things harder for you. the baghavad gita mentions 3 paths for spiritual realization: the path of the servant and selfless actions the path of devotion to a mental symbol of Truth the path of transcendental knowledge according to what i feel from your words, maybe you should try the path of the servant. it's a genuine form of purification. of course it has its own traps, just like all other paths. one should be constantly watching what motivates him. is he motivated by ego or by genuine compassion? how does he feel in the heart? if you can't understand what i say now, it's fine! there's no need to bash yourself. kindness works better haribol!

no man, i'm trying to show you how you're the one creating riddles. there's nothing being hidden from you and there's nothing hiding things from you. are you reading these words in a computer screen? what do you think your computer is fundamentally made of? WHAT is reading these words? there's nothing looking through the eyes that see these words. the Universe itself is looking through those eyes.