The Don

An analogy. So you have undertaken the initial stages of the self investigation process. And the initial stages of self investigation involve what's called a 'neti neti' process: - I'm not this. - I'm not my thoughts. - I'm not my sensations. - I'm not my feelings. - I'm not my body. - I'm not my mind. The 'neti neti' process is only the first stage of the path of self inquiry. It only tells us what we are not. It is necessary to see what we are. It is not enough to simply see that the rope is not a snake. We have to see the rope. If our investigation only takes us as far as 'it is not a snake' then there is still the possibility that later on we may mistake it for a stick or a shadow. So we have to go further than just seeing 'it is not a snake'. We have to see it is a rope. We have to go further than seeing simply what I am not. We have to see what we are. In other words: 'what we are has to see what it is'. That I that I am has to know itself clearly. You are not a body or a mind. You have to see that you are pure awareness. You are inherently peaceful. In other words: 'you cannot be disturbed'. How do see clearly what we essentially are? In the exactly the same way that we see clearly what anything essentially is. If you want to know what something is, you give it your attention. If you want to know about Mathematics, you give your attention to Mathematics. If you want to know about music you direct your attention towards music. Whatever you want to deeply investigate, you simply give that thing your attention. And as a result of shining the light of your attention on that object, what it is gradually or suddenly becomes clear. If you want to know what you essentially are you have to give yourself your attention. That is the essence of self-inquiry or prayer.

Hello guys. I wanted to start this topic because I need your opinions for no good reason. I'm kidding. I've been meditating for three months now. Every single day. Just in the last month alone I've noticed huge growth. I don't have so many negative thoughts, not anymore and I'm MORE aware of things around me. I feel like I'm starting to understand what is consciousness. That's great because at first I thought I'll never get better and better at meditation. I sleep better and I have more mental clarity. And many other positive benefits. But when I sleep, I have bad dreams that I remember when I'm waking up in the morning. Before my meditation habit I couldn't remember my dreams. Almost every time my dreams are bad. Ugly experiences. What does that mean? I'm telling you this because I bought a Magic Mushrooms kit and I want a Psychedelic experience BUT I don't want to have a negative one. And I'm thinking about my bad dreams as a reflection of my subconscious mind. Will that mean I'll have a negative experience while trying Magic Mushrooms? Thank you. @Leo Gura

Take any thought or a series of thoughts or just allow a series of thoughts to appear and it doesn't matter what the thoughts are because the nature of every thought must be the same. We can proceed to the reality of thought or mind in two steps to make it simple and experiential. See first of all that this object called a thought albeit a subtle object is identical to the experience of thinking. Take away the label 'thought' and call it thinking. It's like taking away the label 'body' and calling it sensing. It's the equivalent of the level of thought so there's just thinking. Thinking is something. We don't know what it is bit it is something. It's not nothing. We recognize that all thoughts are made out of this single substance called thinking. We ask ourselves questions in order to set our exploration in the right direction. Is there any substance present in thinking other that the knowing of it? Pure knowing is consciousness.

Hello. I've been meditating for three months now. Every single day. Just in the last month alone I've noticed huge growth. I don't have so many negative thoughts, not anymore and I'm MORE aware of things around me. I feel like I'm starting to understand what is consciousness. That's great because at first I thought I'll never get better and better at meditation. I sleep better and I have more mental clarity. And many other positive benefits. But when I sleep, I have bad dreams that I remember when I'm waking up in the morning. Before my meditation habit I couldn't remember my dreams. Almost every time my dreams are bad. Ugly experiences. What does that mean? I'm telling you this because I bought a Magic Mushrooms kit and I want a Psychedelic experience BUT I don't want to have a negative one. And I'm thinking about my bad dreams as a reflection of my subconscious mind. Will that mean I'll have a negative experience while trying Magic Mushrooms? Thank you.

Nope. They are not always the same type. Many of them are very cloudy and negative. Some of them are scary.

Hello. Thank you for opening this great topic. Take a look at this video: The first stage of the part of self-enquiry. - you are not your mind; - you are not your body; - you are not your thoughts; - you are not your sensations; - you are not your perceptions. It is necessary to see what we are. Pure awareness. Pure consciousness.

The key to happiness is awakening, the end of conceptualizing, and being fully present in the NOW with whatever happens. - @Leo Gura

We are addicted to the idea of separation. There's no separation. What the brain can not understand is that the brain can't understand non-dual truth.

I have the answer for this. There's no you. We don't exist. Is that simple.

Hello. I have a problem. I'm socially awkward. I overthink everything. I can't be myself with others... How can I correct that? Thank you.

I don't know what to think anymore. It's so difficult for me to unwire the awkwardness from my brain. In my country, Romania, yes. It's hard to find people to talk about Enlightenment or science. But I'll do my best. I hope I'll be OK in the future because I'm working hard on this problem. I contemplate. I meditate every day. I try to understand that it's not important what other people think of me. Even if they think I'm weird or something. When I start to contemplate I'm finding answers which leads me to ramifications. I start to be aware of the fact that I care too much about what others think of me and then I realize that I can't control the thoughts of others. And also I realize that the thoughts of others can't hurt me. So I'm starting to understand that nobody knows me better than myself. I can't be happy with this kind of thinking so... I guess in time my `problem` will dissipate. Thank you for listening to me guys.

If I start talking about science or Enlightenment with other people they think I'm weird.

Thank you! Good tip.

Hi. Thank you for opening this great topic. I have to admit to myself that I'm addicted to technology. That's not OK but I'm using it for Self-Actualization and not for playing games like I used to do before. I watch Leo's videos on YouTube and I learn a lot. I like reading topics on forums and so forth... How about you guys?

Hi. Of course it's possible to break free from all addictions. I gave up on sugar. I gave up on junk food. I gave up on my Facebook phone app. I've installed a daily meditation habit. I'm developing my awareness. This makes me more conscious of what's happening in my life. Awareness alone is curative.

Hello. Thank you for opening this topic. Most of the time you operate from your subconscious mind. You are filled with negative programs and that's what causes this type of thinking. Until you change your subconscious beliefs, you can't do much to stop it. Negative thoughts will always bubble up. Take a look at this video and you'll understand what I'm talking about. It will teach you how to 'reprogram' your subconscious mind. P.S: If you have a daily meditation habit please watch this video. (made by Leo - it will help you a lot) Good luck.

Hello. That's a good spirit but it takes a lot of time to reach the point where you become enlightened. Don't let your mind deceive you. Constant awareness is the answer. Your EGO has to be dissolved in order to become awake.

Hello. Thank you for opening this great topic. What I'd say to you is to start a daily meditation habit. Meditate every single day for 30 minutes. That will open your eyes to make wise decisions. Good luck!

Hello. Thank you for opening this great topic. It reminds me of my non-existent past, the period when I was making a lot of money unconsciously. I said 'non-existent' because the past doesn't exist. Neither the future. Neither time. What exists only is the present moment. The truth is we all need financial independence because we want more freedom. Our EGO loves that. You can start creating your business right now but don't forget about value. Don't create your businesses just to earn money. Do it because you like it and because you want to offer something good to your clients. Otherwise you will not be fulfilled. In the meantime, while you create your business, don't give up on your meditation habit. Good luck!

Time is a conscious expression. In the quantum physics time doesn't exist. There's not past. There's no future. There's only the present moment. Live it. Grasp it.

Hi. Great topic. I had the same struggle when I started my journey of Self-Actualization. I had a lot of doubts because people were complaining about results. Then I set up a meditation habit. I meditate every single day. After a month results started to come. So if you want to know what's working and what's not working, you need to experiment things for yourself. Practice and see what is bringing you results. Good luck.

Hello. Of course visualization is a powerful tool. It can help you a lot. But in order to be a good musician you have to practice a lot. Thousands of hours. There's no growth without practice. It's technically impossible to become a good musician only by using visualization. Practice. Good luck.

Hello. I understand your concern. At first I wasn't very convinced of becoming a Self-Actualized individual because I didn't believe in Self-Actualizing. When you start this journey, a lot of things will confuse you. Why? Because you'll not understand them. What helped me a lot was meditation. I set up a daily habit. After two months of daily practice things started to make sense. Meditation is very important. Be patient.

Hello. This is me.

Hello. Thank you for opening this topic. I'll give you a straight answer. You can't be happy when you're judgemental. Why? Because you don't accept yourself and that's what causes neurosis. My advice to you is to be aware of your thoughts. Awareness alone is CURATIVE. You'll see that over time. You can also contemplate on a daily basis. That will help. Another thing you can do is to start a meditation habit. Daily. Good luck!