Nahm

Choosing consciousness over alchohol is consciousness work in & of itself; honest self awareness & analysis, commitment to change, discipline in followthrough, being an example for others who may be stuck - you should feel good about doing the work! (And you know you won’t miss hangovers, regrets, self loathing, etc.)

There’s a paradox at play, in that those closest to us offer the deepest teaching, yet we try to teach those closest to us - like a mirror so close, so clear, we unknowingly trying to ‘comb the hair’ of the mirror. Ask yourself what is to be learned from him. The humility will initially be perplexing, and then quite eye opening. Then, yet again paradoxically, once you have embraced and embodied this ‘teaching’ “from him” (as a mirror), he will take notice and be very interested in what transpired, what was transcended, in you.

@FoxFoxFox I think we’re seeing this the same, really, and have very similar, if not the same, intentions. I can really appreciate what you said there. I do want to point out, (because you said “the rest of your writing”) and not to appear to take credit, that is not my writing. It’s from the SAND website. Mine was just an offering of an explanation, just an opinion of what the writer was conveying. It’s open to any interpretation of course. I don’t know that he / she would consider it a concession, though I’m in agreeance with you, consessions are problematic. I’d add their name btw, but there isn’t one on the site. I am thankful for your comment. It draws attention to the limiting nature of making a post like this with only one explanation of nonduality. I should probably add at least a few more. https://www.scienceandnonduality.com/about/nonduality/

@FoxFoxFox Good lookin out, thanks! I appreciate the vigilance, however, that is not my writing, but from... https://www.scienceandnonduality.com/about/nonduality/. In terms of the sentence you copied & pasted above, yes, of course. However, if we look at the author’s entire paragraph: “In the last century Western scientists are arriving at the same conclusion: The universe does indeed comprise of a single substance, presumably created during the Big Bang, and all sense of being – consciousness – subsequently arises from it. This realization has ontological implications for humanity: fundamentally we are individual expressions of a single entity, inextricably connected to one another, we are all drops of the same ocean.” Then we can see the initial reference is not to truth, nor the author’s sentiment, but to what “Western scientists are arriving at”. The author has used the word “presumably” before “created” in a reserved, humble manor - as an initial concession even - to convey a sense of respect to readers who’s knowing of self is limited to the rationale of “western scientists”, while simultaneously expressing to the reader there is a much deeper truth. (pre·sum·a·bly: Used to convey that what is asserted is very likely though not known for certain.) In understanding the subject of the paragraph thus far is what “Western scientists are arriving at” - then we can see he goes on to elaborate on that with western science coming to a realization the universe is “one substance”, and that “all sense of being - consciousness - subsequently arises from it” has ontological implications. By “ontological implications”, we are Invited to consider that there is a much deeper, relatively speaking - meta - truth of being. (on·to·log·i·cal: 1. Relating to the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being.) In understanding the initial reference pertained to what “Western scientists are arriving at”, and acknowledging that is a presumption, the author points out the shortcoming of that presumption is limited: “all sense of being” . The writer then goes on to express the truth behind his implication (quite beautifully imo): “fundamentally we are individual expressions of a single entity, inextricably connected to one another, we are all drops of the same ocean.” So, the writing is not geared towards someone with your knowing, but perhaps towards a materialist with some interest in obtaining a deeper understanding of self & truth than western science has currently put forward.

By “inviting your mind to go to the level of Soul”, I think he means tripping balls.

@Tony 845 You can ‘touch’ the actuality of it together without explanation of anything to them. There are some excellent nondual kids books out, perfect for 4&6. Some of my favorites... I Am Peace, Susan Verde What Do You Do With an Idea?, Kobi Yamada What Do You Do With a Problem? Kobi Yamada Love, A Story About Who You Truly Are, Anita Moorjani The Knowing Book, Rebecca Kai Dotlich The Sara series of books, Ester Hicks Also, The Most Magnificent Thing, Ashley Spires and What Do You Do With a Chance, Kobe Yamada, are really great. There is also Goodnight Yoga, Mariam Gates And Happy Dreamer, Peter Reynolds Have you guys seen Small Foot yet? Also, just an idea, this ‘works’ well with my kids....recontextualize a concept, a teaching, a principle - for example open mindedness, into a game, which only has the purpose of fun. Simple things, like describing an event between people or whatever, and while driving somewhere, etc, play the game of each person taking turns seeing the event from a different perspective. Similar to taking turns naming animals until someone can’t think of another animal. A creative thing we do, is one of us starts by drawing a very simple shape of any sort in the center of a piece of paper, and then we take turns adding something simple to it, recontxtualizing it each time, until it becomes a completely new thing which fills the page.

@ivankiss Ok, just fell in love. ??

Nah. Everything is everything. Hopeless is just one perspective. Right Thought: Cultivating our ability to control our minds. To think about things we want to and stop thinking about things we don’t want to.

@DrewNows @Jack River ?????♥️♥️

Maybe it’s not obscured but more, cloaked. In the sense, nobody’s murdering anyone on a cross for writing conflicting Standard Operating Procedures Manuals. (As far as I know). Also, the main themes are unity of the Father, Son, & Holy Ghost, Jesus died for our sins, and forgive each other and be forgiving of ourselves. It is at least kind of blatant, in hindsight, no? The churches do seem to roll it out minus the entire nondual message somehow. It’s like a paper thin illusion made by accenting all the wrong notes.

@Amadeusz Subconsciously, it might help not to hold spirituality and business at odds.

@Nadosa It may certainly seem like it is / was, but that was not an awakening. This is the opposite of being, or “deep in awakening and nonduality”. You should really consider addressing this psychologically, and or actually going much deeper into nonduality. If what you’re saying is true, then The Buddha was completely wrong. If you are claiming to have realized there is no self, then who has low self esteem? Who cares about the pedestal? Take action to find relief and happiness.

@benny Begin to know the knower of the trauma to help disidentify with it. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzj7R9IB48s

Short & sweet. Thanks for sharing!

Beautiful video.

You’re believing your thoughts about what other people experience. You’re saying “wether you are aware of it or not” because you think it would be “the other” who is fooling himself, or unaware of their own suffering. That’s not possible for you to know, you just think it is, which means you are fooling yourself by projecting it. Consider your own implication - what exactly would it even be like, experiencing suffering which you have no awareness of? It’s a silly notion. Your belief in struggle perpetuates the perception and experience of reality as struggle. Heed the wisdom in “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. Get out of that old box. Open your mind. Definitely give this a watch.... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LGpYE-FZRhA Buddhism is not a condemnation of the experience of life, nor is it a cult or religion. The Buddha did not claim to be able to save you from continuing to suffer, with faith in him, nor with attachment to any dogma or belief. Buddhism is a most masterful pointer, to how to save yourself from suffering, by realizing the attachments to dogma & beliefs that you already have. The Four Noble Truths are: 1)There is suffering 2)The cause of suffering is attachment 3)There is a way out of suffering 4)The way out is the noble eightfold path. (https://www.patheos.com/blogs/bodhisattvaroad/2016/04/the-buddha-and-the-truth-about-suffering/) It would seem that your current knowledge of your quote is roughly 25%. By realizing the remaining 75%, you’ll realize how wrong you are on this... To begin that full circle, you’ll need to understand this... https://www.simplypsychology.org/defense-mechanisms.html and then use that understanding to recognize these mechanisms in your own psychology. Then you’ll likely have to go through some pretty horrific suffering. But then, “your cup will be empty”, making it possible to even begin to realize the highly counter logical truth of Being without the veils of maya. Then you’d have seen both sides of the paradox of suffering. (In going into it, we experience & understand it, and therefore transcend it. ) Then, you could begin the work, of this... The Way Out of Suffering; The Eightfold Path: Right Understanding: Understanding how the world works and our place in it. Right Thought: Cultivating our ability to control our minds. To think about things we want to and stop thinking about things we don’t want to. (Ox). Right Speech: Use only kind words and don’t tell lies. Right Action: Be kind to others. Don’t harm people and animals. Right Livelihood: Work on learning how to do things that help the world instead of things that cause harm. Right Effort: Always try your best, with intention of compassion. Right Mindfulness: Pay attention to the world around you. Right Concentration: Learn how to meditate and put it into practice (of life). (While your suffering arises over and over again) Then the actual work begins...

@Nadosa No self no problem. This is what led me to think you could use some help... “Also, this all has consequences on my self-esteem, I often feel worthless because I just dont feel like there is a self worth living. And yeah, I do live somehow, but most of the time I am just utterly miserable and I dont need to hide that fact. You know what bothers me is...that I feel like I will never be at peace with myaelf or be happy with myself...my happiness is relied on outer influences...they keep me alive which is bad.” Or some yoga, breath work, psychedelics maybe? Something to get a little “out of your head”. The doubles you’re experiencing, imo, are in trying to conceptualie what can’t be conceptualized. You have to let it all go to embody it.

@Nadosa To put it in some framework / model, you’re trying to start at the top of Maslow’s pyramid and go into nonduality. Start at the bottom instead. Get the foundation in place. Look into counseling / therapy. Check your diet and physical well being. When you come back to this pursuit it will be from a much healthier perspective.

Believing in an ego doesn’t make the duality of life and death actual.

@Anton Rogachevski ♥️....(cont’d lol)....In the simplest sense - can you, visually speaking, with your eyeballs, see your thoughts?

@Jack Walter Leon Shelf determinism for a bit, and look into potentiality, spontaneity. Appreciate both perspectives to loosen up the duality. To hear one does not suffer, or there is no evil, or that the enlightened one has no mother, will not make sense through the lens of thinking. Someone who says such things would likely appear to you as thoughtless. Can you see this would be your idea of “thoughtless”, not what it is to be thoughtless. Nothing, is similar in the sense you have an idea of “nothing”, but that is an idea, it is not nothing. The self discovery of the actuality of these, or “going full circle”, is quite literally the adventure of a lifetime. The difficulty is that 99.99% of the population does not know of this adventure. That’s ok though. Only one needs to know, and you are the one.

@Alex bAlex There are some great people in this community getting into life coaching. Maybe consider starting there. Even one session could be very eye opening. @Emerald @aurum There is also The Life Purpose Course btw. A change in perspective from “what I am supposed to do”, to “what I want to do” might help. It can also be very eye opening, in terms of figuring out what you want to do, to write down a list of what you’ve learned you don’t want. Writing this down allows a ‘bird’s eye view’, a clarity arises which often doesn’t while it’s ‘all in your head’.

@Mu_ Very insightful to SD’s. Much appreciated.

@ivankiss Gettin close man! Might be time to have a peak.