Viking

in a nutshell physicists were able to see difference in the interference pattern from the double slit experiment when people thought about the photons collapsing the wave function. extremely convincing, with reproductions to come. I think this is fascinating if this will end up true. Imagine the implications of such results if it will become mainstream physics!!! spiritual education in schools is an example which would be amazing to witness. I think this will be THE tipping point for science, which will make a ton of new groundbreaking discoveries.

question for the purpose of understanding better the zen devil concept

how spiritually mature should i be to read this book? is it the top of its league? any other book suggestions?

@Max_V i meant spiritually mature

@Shin what being in nature has to do with it?

so some spiritual masters' life purpose is making other people lead better lives. why do they care about other people's lives, since a human is no different from a cat or an ant or a rock? is it because it makes their human body feel good sensations?

this thread was made just to clear things up for me, just to tell if i got the philosophy right, tell me please if something seems off. So basically who "I" truly am is this presence/awareness that is aware of all of the experience: thoughts, sensations, emotions. because presence is seeing thoughts "it" creates an illusory self that is causing those thoughts and the one who experiences stuff. free will seems like it exists because presence "sees" the mental talk that is causing certain actions, therefore because of the illusory self it seems like it makes those actions.

sure, i didnt achieve the no self part so it might be premature of me but for the sake of the sake- the current leo's guide as i understand it will reveal the no self, but that is a step below infinity, how do I achieve absolute infinity after that?

@Arkandeus anything more practical?

1 step forward 10 back.. Fucking hell i know the idea of my brain is just an idea, but why cant there exist a thing thats a brain and its me?

@Telepresent wow thanks

@Socrates what I meant was why should I exist in my experience at all?

@Socrates that's exactly how i discarded that option in the past, but why should i be something everlasting in my present experience? @Loreena sure it's an identification, but how do I get rid of that identification?

as spiritual seekers, we inject a lot of theory about enlightenment, non duality etc. so can our subconscious mind create experiences we might interpret of as enlightenment but not actually it? and how do we distinguish between them?

self inquiry goes for me like this- who am i? i get the feeling of myself, realize its not me and doing that again and again. do i simply do that until i Truly believe its not me? thats the point of self inquiry?

@ajasatya sure this whole thread you misunderstood most of the stuff i said, all i wanted was to be more clear as to what i have to do, thanks

@ajasatya so the combination of removing my ego, implementing it in everyday life and mindfulness in everyday life will result in elevated consciousness? I think yeah, enlightenment is already occuring but stuff around that like the cosmic joke and stuff can occur.

@Space yes, that's what ive been doing, you described it very clear. the problem is that I got to a point where i simply dont know what i am so i cant get that honest answer. what do i do then? if i dont know and im not enlightened yet, does that mean that i still kinda identify with something and im not aware of it? and i should try to find that something? or should i try to reach that nothingness and realize thats me?

@ajasatya the problem is that i am a newbie, im only about a month into the practice. in conclusion, what i should do for now is to increase uncertainty about who i am by that cycle of mindful questioning, making myself not sure who i am more and more and enlightenment will occur?

@Nahm sure I do, I meant to ask if contemplating what i am is the right way to do so, since as i understood the answer will come naturally when i strip away my ego

@ajasatya I mean confusion as a positive thing, uncertainty about what i am. im doing the self inquiry leo's way, so I should do something actively, dont I? increasing that uncertainty by asking questions letting them be answered and realizing im not the answer, not focus on breathing like in a meditation.

@ajasatya if there is just that state of uncertainty and no questions have to be asked, I would simply sit and do nothing essentially, simply sitting confused, wouldnt that trigger monkey mind? shouldnt i just continue to increase confusion?

@Nahm is there a point to contemplating what i am? shouldnt i just strip all of my beliefs and simply increase the state of uncertainty and what i am will simply come? @Joseph Maynor how do i stumble upon these beliefs to get rid of them?

@ajasatya exactly !! im in complete darkness about who i am. so whats the practice after that? continue to increase uncertainty by asking myself who am i?

I watched Part 3 of leo's vid of enlightenment with the practice. was it meditation or was it self inquiry? that experience was much more powerful than the most of the self inquiry that ive done, mainly because i came to the conclusion that i am the presence (not the idea, nor the feeling) and it seems that i know for sure "i" am not an entity yet im not enlightened, questions dont seem to do anything for me and im stuck.