ajasatya

@Rashid were you trying to perform halasana? sarvangasana? you need to respect your body. right now you need to rest and mentalize your tissues healing. you've probably overextended your cervical nerve, which is extremely dangerous. always remember: hatha yoga is about effortless effort and relaxation. if you're trying too hard you're not practicing yoga.

@ClearThought sincerity is my fuel and your words made my engine skyrocket. you truly touched my heart and now i'd like to reciprocate, so i am going straight to your main difficulty. we, human beings, keep searching for fulfillment everywhere. and when we find some safety confirmed by the society, we usually get attached to that context. it can be money, power, bodily perfectionism or even a love story, among many other options. you, though, have fallen into a situation of prestige. you've gone to that place from which there's no other way out than stopping everything and finding your own very truth. this is a special moment throughout the human experience. the fear of not finding another beloved person comes from ignorance, just like any other fear that emerges from situations that don't involve your survival possibilities (there's nothing wrong with the fear of losing a hand, for instance). but you have to go very very deep in yourself and find self love so you can drop the attachment to external love, social approval and confirmations. this is the time to learn how to stand on your own feet and appreciate the possibilities of being a living human being. i'd like to point to an audio recorded from an adyashanti's satsang in which he's also pointing to this inner belonging within yourself, which can heal tremendous wounds. feel free to watch other videos from his youtube account. they're all awesome. soon enough you should be thanking to all this suffering you're going through right now, as i myself am grateful for my past moments of breakdown and truth confrontation. wish you the best.

during my healing process i used the following phrase right after i'd wake up everyday: but nowadays i just feel peace of life and i'm very grateful for whatever comes around without attaching meaning to it.

my childhood vow:

@SamEuphoria93 i got the fuck out of my parent's house after getting my own job, dropped old friendships and then i restarted my life with 24/7 zen practice.

there's nothing to do about it. you've seen that what you call "me" is just a composition of things, a changing bag of sensations and concepts without a substantial center. and since there's no ego (center of me) to experience those feelings, thoughts, sounds etc, it goes even deeper if you ask yourself "who" or "what" is experiencing them. who's reading this phrase?

http://nondual.net/ i'm finding it amazing

@Nexeternity buddha's teachings are public search for the noble eightfold path the the five precepts. cheers.

yes. the zen retirements are called sesshin. the practitioner is subject to spend consecutive days living a hardcore monastic life (not a regular monastic life), meditating 10 hours a day. it can vary from 3 to 10 days in most cases. i'm not talking about vipassana. sesshins are tougher than vipassana. during a sesshin it's not allowed to speak use cellphone use computer check the hours masturbate read books listen to music sesshins are tougher than vipassana because of the extremely strict schedule but the overall rules are the same.

@hedge eventually it will come down to this question: how hard are you willing to undergo a real ego breakdown? beware of the fact that a real ego breakdown involves frustration, disorientation, discomfort and fear. these are the ingredients for any method that makes the practitioner get in touch with true humility. otherwise the search for enlightenment will be reduced to more intellectual gibberish and arrogance. the zen training process, for instance, is based on creating artificial emotional crisis within a context in which NOTHING is about you and there's no room for ego driven distractions.

@quantum for me it's about compassion, forgiving, listening, helping, giving and loving.

@jse mastering the art of teaching and mastering the art of learning are two sides of the same coin, which is mastering the art of living. and it takes a life time. if you feel uncomfortable with those "you guys" phrases, it may be a sign of some inner conflict which needs to be worked on, and this is good. i'd invite you to feel spirited instead.

@sgn what are you scared of when talking to people? are you scared of their expectations? have you given any time to yourself to go deep into this issue?

certainly good for beginners, even though we should aim for no attachment to objects in any part of the consciousness spectrum: visual auditive tactual olfactory gustatory mindful and ultimately, respiratory

@Debbie B your question is one of the biggies. the zen master dogen spent a lot of time trying to clarify it himself, so i'm going to attach a great book with the core of his teachings. the very first chapter should help you to answer your own question. it's not about understanding things conceptually, intellectually. it's not about accepting nor attaining. it's about embodying Truth and staking your life upon it. every thought, word and gesture. it's about becoming a true master. a true master of yourself. Shobogenzo.pdf edit: also, @Leo Gura, i think you may enjoy this book on this new phase of yours.

no. they're not enlightened at all. they've just found excuses for their ego's comfort, laziness and arrogance.

@Tancrede Pouyat have you tried opening your heart and telling them that they hurt you when they act like that? this is an attempt to practice the jesus' teaching about showing the other side of the face.

@Costa7 start really slow. meditate once in a week. when i started, i only practiced on mondays exactly at 20pm. my mondays started to be all about my meditation practice. mondays became the best day of the week after a while.

@stevegan928 not everyone. it's possible to heal this addiction. progress is not bad but you can't put your happiness on it. a day in which "nothing" was accomplished? that's still a day. the only way to have REAL progress is when you know what you want and how to get it. if you don't know it yet, use this opportunity to free yourself from self harassment. this opportunity is quite rare to be honest.

@stevegan928 hello! you're still looking for progress on these spiritual practices. one of the purposes of meditation is to kill your addiction for progress. so just sit with no goal. it feels terrifying, i know. it means you're doing it properly. keep going.

@Shin nice. more important than knowing Truth is living it. the secret lies on being sincerely curious and paying attention. be completely present. while listening to someone, that's your satsang.

@John, true meditation is sitting for no reason. just sit and do nothing. let everything be the way it is. just sit.

good point. this kind of topic is not important right now. i see myself on the place you are because once i actually was. i was sexually ill, with a sick penis, for 26 years. sex was horrifying and i had to go through a dangerous surgery, with the risk of losing genital sensibility. fight for your healing because it's possible. you need professional help. all i said on the other comment was that suicide is NOT going to help at all.

@Deepak sadhwani the mind is the best book. practice meditation daily. if you want something to read throughout your practice, i'd recommend the power of now.