ajasatya

that guy is clearly an experienced practitioner. start smaller. establish a solid 20 min daily practice first before going to retreats or making your own.

@Dodo alright. live complaining, die complaining. what a wonderful life. why do you even want money? let's see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

how does the thought of "i am going to move this hand" make the hand move? yes we can measure electric impulses that activate muscles and the muscles make more tissues move. but how come a thought is translated into electric impulses? or how come electric impulses are translated into thoughts? how does it work? it's already magic on the most fundamental level. you can't escape the fact that you, being aware right now, is pure magic. no, as i thought, you don't know what you're doing. you're just using spiritual gibberish to justify your laziness and lack of empathy for life. this way, nothing will ever work for you and you will be right for the rest of your life: "i am an useless creature. a poor miserable human being". that's what you're attracting right now. wake up! being seriously aware of how attraction works is a delicate art. my life has been on a vertiginous way towards thrive for more than 4 years. before that, i was where you are, with the mindset that you have, thinking that i was as smart as you think you are. they gain money quickly and then become poor quickly. why? because most people are poor in the heart. maybe you need some more suffering from life? are you addicted to suffering or something?

@Aaron p you don't suffer only during meditation. you're suffering all the time, but mundane activities keep you distracted/numb from emotional pain. meditation just allows you to notice the suffering that's always been with you. what have you done? do you have childhood trauma? feel free to send me a pm if you want.

sit down and do nothing for 20 minutes right now. that's a better start. don't sabotage yourself.

you don't seem to know what you're doing. if you want money, find a way to serve many. if you want death, starve yourself or drink poison. don't trick yourself into thinking that you want something. true raw and visceral desires are unstoppable... you don't think of them so that you can "test out existence". you feel them in the heart because they touch you very deeply. it's a humbling experience, as opposed to the huge layer of pride that i sense in your words. such desires are so delightful that they live within you throughout decades. they don't manifest with impatience.

if that's the case, the characters of the story above live under the same constraints. the "prison of reality" is a mental self-sabotaging pattern. it's a consequence of the illusion of individuality. don't get stuck half the way. go all the way through the mind! edit: i know this thread is a space for jokes. but the mind is so tricky that it can attach to helpless stuff. so i'm here to call you again. wake up!

using this platform would be impossible without theory

@Charlotte solid advice right there

@Elisabeth amazing report, thank you!

smells like delusion . @Wisebaxter a good guru would be one whose method of inquiry is similar to yours. this way he/she is able to anticipate your questions and lead you to even further questions, to the point where your reasons to hold attachments become loose enough.

what's a human being made of on the most fundamental level?

@theking00 you are the matrix asking what the matrix is.

this line of thought arises because you're not experiencing a good life NOW. live a good life NOW.

this is partially right. except that you don't "choose" to come down as if you're in some spectral realm and then decide "i am going to reincarnate". it's just that Reality makes it to be conscious of itself again and a new sense of "i" arises. "i" is a consequence of consciousness. not the other way around. don't ask me how/why Reality happens to become conscious of itself again, though. this is the core of the highest mystery. contemplate it... it's a doorway to immense awe!

@Fanis start by doing a few things differently, like engaging in a meditation sangha/practice.

i think @winterknight knows better

ask questions. be truly interested on the other person. stop trying to impress.

people get broken by attachments. love is healing.

the meaning of the word "love" has drastically changed for me on the past 4 years. even though we can find expressions like "fall in love" in mainstream culture, i find it impossible to fall in love. you can only rise in love. love is very different from passion. you can be passionate but when it comes down to love, you have to build it. and it takes time. a truly conscious loving relationship cannot be found by a fool and, by definition, you don't just lose yourself for it. such rare relationships actually help you ground yourself on virtues and growth. i am not talking about teenager romantic adventures.

that's a highly immature perspective of view btw.

this is where most people get stuck. they want to conceptualize the outputs of the practices before having a first hand experience.

i disagree. there are several spiritual schools/traditions that have led several people to experience True Nature. they're all filled with conceptual frameworks that aim to temporarily replace the content of the mind of the practitioners. it's through hunger and effort that the seeker is supposed to overcome the concepts (that helped him in the beginning). if you don't believe me, look back at your own story.

@FoxFoxFox anything can be a hindrance. it doesn't depend on the content, but on the wisdom and intent of the consumer. for instance, 7 years ago i was on a blind pursuit for money, pleasure and lots of superficial trash. i used to watch motivational videos to work hard to achieve those things and feed my pride. what happened? i broke down, of course. then, i spent 4 years in a journey towards healing and seeking to understand who i am. during that period, i developed a disgust for materialism and a strange anguish towards that kind of content. now i finally feel happy and ready to embrace life with a big heart. i am now a married man and i want to work hard to offer everything i can to the world. guess what? i am now watching the same motivational content for hardwork. it feels completely different now. the same kind of content, as seen from different perspectives made me: feel insecure and anxious until i eventually couldn't take it anymore; feel disgust and separation from the regular everyday life; feel energized to contribute to the world in a healthy way.

i'm not advocating for leo, but the contents that resonate with you change over time. all stages of development are necessary because that's how wisdom is built from zero to hero. contemplate the 15 y/o version of you watching to the "how to make a girl squirt" video vs watching the "aztec non-duality" video. which one would trigger your interest the most? it doesn't mean the the least interesting video was worse... it just means that it was less interesting for you at that moment.