Matt8800

If they were true, how would one verify it? If we believe things without verification, what methods would we use to weed out the untrue beliefs or should we just believe everything told to us? Im not saying Astrology isnt true. Im just saying be very careful about taking a position on something until it can be verified objectively or experientially. Personally, I think the best answer is to say we dont know and leave it at that until there is more information to consider.

It would be the first time in human history that someone video taped the unfolding of enlightenment of a human being. Every step along the way would include every insight deemed important explained in a clear, concise manner. It would be reasonable that it would slow down at some point but think of the information that would be available to every person, that has access to information, until the end of humanity. Its biggest impact may extend past his lifetime. I say he should give it a go

You are describing the "easy problem" of consciousness. Understanding the mechanisms of the brain that produce cognition, emotions and sense perception is one thing. Understanding who/what is aware of the cognition, emotions and sense perception is another thing (hard problem). You can google "consciousness hard problem" for more information. Awareness is not necessary for survival in the same way a robot doesnt need to be self aware to execute its program. Dont be so quick to assume that understanding the easy problem addresses the hard problem. If you investigate this enough, you will find that solving the easy problem does nothing to solve the hard problem. For more information, David Chalmers does an interesting TED talk on consciousness that lays this out. Chalmers also wrote a book called The Character of Consciousness. Its pretty technical and one should have a rigorous understanding of biology, epistemology and physics to understand it but if you do, you can research all his claims on your own and try to pick it apart (its solid). I have investigated this topic thoroughly for years and the hard problem has never been explained from a materialist perceptive.

Leo does a video on the "dark" side of meditation. Id recommend that. What you are experiencing is common and temporary. Just keep pressing through. Life takes some getting used to when the ego is dissolving but its well worth it

I think a video on breathing techniques would be interesting. Particularly combined with how one can set their intention for their meditation session. I think something explaining the yogic concept of prana would also be interesting. Maybe some breathing techniques that are yoga specific although the ones that involve elaborate tongue contortions might not be for the broader audience. I've added Ujjayi to my meditation sessions and Im really liking the results.

Sometimes an existential crisis can happen when people realize that 1) the ego/self is an illusion, and 2) there is no such thing as objective meaning/purpose. I've been mulling around a few ideas I wanted to throw out. Objective Meaning The idea that meaning or value can be objective is a misunderstanding of what objective means. The only “thing” that can attribute meaning, value and purpose is consciousness. Consciousness is pure subjectivity and has no relation to objectivity. The idea of objective meaning and value is logically incoherent. Value, meaning and purpose can only be determined subjectively. People seem to make the mistake that if value (and/or meaning/purpose) are not objective, then it isn’t valuable. Subjectivity is assumed to be inadequate to attribute “real” value and meaning. This is a false assumption. If it is true that the true Self is infinite consciousness, then what is the difference between subjective values determined by “you” and the idea of objective values determined by “god”? One could say that happiness is the highest value but I think that is too general to be of any use. After a lot of thinking over the past year, I have decided on what my three highest values are. They are love, beauty and being present. Those seem simple but if one builds meaning and purpose around those values, it is a never ending working in progress. Love Some people are predisposed to naturally feeling love and compassion. I am not one of those people. When I was young and Christian, I used to pray that god would give me a heart so I could feel love. In retrospect, it seems odd that I cared that I didn’t care. I have learned, and practice, loving kindness meditation and this has worked wonders. I have also noticed that when I am a more loving person, I am able to perceive beauty that I would have normally missed. I have also found that my trips on psychedelics are more beautiful when I do loving kindness meditation as opposed to other meditation techniques, which seems to confirm this correlation. If my daily goal is to embody love, that is going to change how I perceive other people and how I interact with them. The things I choose to say, or not say, are different. A side benefit of this is everyone thinks you are the most amazing person on the planet. Before the ego can be dissolved, it needs to be made healthy and strong. Someone that struggles with confidence, worries what people think about them, etc, etc is going to have a hard time actualizing. I believe that a focus on embodying love naturally fixes much of the problems that arise from a weak and needy ego. Everybody loves a loving person and a loving person loves themselves because they are easy to love. There is no need to go overboard with fake, contrived love. That comes across as weird and desperate. I just try to make sure love is a factor in how I treat and perceive others. Judging other is the antithesis of love. When I started trying to be mindful of how much I judge others, I was shocked to find that I do it constantly. This is something I work on daily. Beauty One of the things I learned from psychedelics is this universe if full of astounding beauty but sometimes we get so desensitized to it that reality appears to be dull, grey and mundane. Personally, I do not think someone can be happy if they are unable to perceive beauty. I believe that the ability to perceive beauty is affected by loving state of mind and being in the present moment. With myself, I have found I have to continue to cultivate love and being in the present moment to perceive beauty in the way I want to perceive it. Being in the present moment When I refer to the present moment, I don’t mean present moment-ish – I mean this exact present moment that is indivisible into smaller periods of time that can be experienced. Going for a walk around the block on a nice day can be simply refreshing or incredibly beautiful and profound depending on the degree of being present. I try to be as present in the moment as much as possible with everything I do. Much of the time, I get lost in the dream but try to remember to wake myself up as much as possible. Over time, I find that I am more present/mindful more often. If I am mindful, it is more natural to speak and see through the filters of love and beauty. Purpose I have a limited amount of time before I die to develop myself to the highest possible potential. That is my life purpose. I have always had a drive to do something huge with my life. If you havent decided to do something profound and huge with your life, maybe you should. There is more to life than just escaping a weak, needy ego. I look at myself as a blank canvas and I am the painter. I want to create myself into the most beautiful work of art possible by the time I lay on my death bed. Why? Because, subjectively I have decided that is the highest and best life purpose I can have. My purpose does not need to be utilitarian but from a utility standpoint, I suspect that reincarnation and karma are real things.

Just got the book and started reading. Great book to help someone from getting lost in the dogma and superstition. Thank you for posting this.

They have the same meaning in my life as humpty dumpty and three little pigs. If its a requirement that the story must be of religious affiliation, then I suppose you could ask the same questions about the meanings of the story of how Joseph Smith read the stone tablets with the secret, magic stone (Mormonism) or the significance of the evil overlord Xenu (Scientology).

It sounds similar to existential crisis that people sometimes go through when they start to suspect the ego might be an illusion. If so, this is normal. Leo does a video on the dark side of meditation that addresses this. Keep going. It sounds like you are making progress. If you are looking for objective meaning in your life, stop. Consciousness has no relation to objectivity. Dont underestimate the importance and profundity of subjective meaning. If the real "you" is infinite consciousness (god), then subjective meaning that transcends the ego is the same as meaning established by "god". Focus on love, beauty and being present and start building meaning from that. If you havent experimented with psychedelics to get a breakthrough, consider that. Combining DMT and meditation is what helped me get past the symptoms you described.

As an ex-Muslim, would you mind expanding on why you think Leo's video is valuable? I was indoctrinated by Christianity at a young age and it took me many years to undo the delusion before I could search for the Truth. Anyone that thinks religion is a great way to find god has never had to untangle all the dogma, delusion and confusion that it caused. I dont understand why Leo's take on what the interpretation of Islam should be, while ignoring what it currently is, is helpful to anyone. Even if it was relevant to discuss what Islam (or Christianity) should be, even the most cherry-picked interpretations are sorely inadequate compared to Buddhism or Yoga. Saying that religion is a great way to find spirituality is like saying a life sentence in prison is a great way to get food and shelter. There might be a couple benefits but its the other stuff that is the problem and the other stuff is hard to separate.

1. Everyone needs to support themselves by making money. 2. Leo has a gift that benefits a lot of people. Him spending more time at a job to pay his rent is not helpful to anyone. 3. There is nothing "wrong" with money. Money is a tool that magnifies the character of the person that wields it. People that criticize others over how much money they make is usually from a place of jealousy. 4. The amount of money does not determine its "goodness". It does not matter if Leo makes 100k a year or 10 million a year. It matters what goes on inside Leo and the overall effect it has on others. 5. If Leo's contribution to this world is impactful in a positive way, more money is only going to increase that impact by increasing the ability to reach a larger audience. There is no need to face outward to judge whether others have motivations you find acceptable or not. That is an indication there is an opportunity for growth there. The question is, does Leo impact others in a positive way?

As someone that has had several enlightenment experiences, I have experienced the reality of the metaphysical. I fully understand that truth > whats provable. As someone that has invested a fair amount of time studying Epistemology, I try to balance open-mindedness with healthy skepticism. I have spent quite a bit of time studying Buddhism but was fairly unfamiliar with Yoga. When I saw Leo's video, I bought the book about Kriya Yoga and I also bought the book, "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramahansa Yogananda. Yogananda is considered a prominent figure in Kriya Yoga and generally considered an authority on the subject. I bought the book because I wanted to see if I could get a sense of of credibility. In the autobiography, Yogananda makes many claims of things like levitation, foretelling the future, mind reading, commanding events to happen, etc. These things happen throughout his life as if they are a normal every day occurrence, from the time he was a child. To me, this seemed to indicate that Kriya Yoga contained, at least some, untrue claims. Kriya Yoga makes claims about Chakras, Kundalini energy, etc. Some schools of yoga claim there are 12 chakras and some say 7. They also cannot agree on the "colors" of the chakras. Kriya makes a claim that once a certain level of meditation is reached, one may see a white star surrounded by a blue circle, which is surrounded by a yellow circle. I have enough experience with psychedelics that I know that interpretations of images are highly subjective so I am skeptical that everyone would see the exact same thing, as described, in an altered state of consciousness (through meditation). Why dont Buddhists believe in chakras, levitation, mind reading, etc? Would someone claim that Buddhists are less enlightened? While I agree that there are many Yogis that seem to be enlightened, it is also important to acknowledge that some gurus demand that their egos are fed by their devoted disciples not to mention all to common sexual abuse. I suspect that Yoga has an advantage with the breathing techniques but a disadvantage with dogma, superstition and human worship (of gurus). If this is true, I think it is important to know what tools one can appropriate and what claims lead to delusion. Here is a test: Scientology claims that one must follow the instructions of the church to clear oneself of thetans. Scientologists believe that when a person dies—or, in Scientology terms, when a thetan abandons its physical body—they go to a "landing station" on the planet Venus, where the thetan is re-implanted and told lies about its past life and its next life. The Venusians take the thetan, "capsule" it, and send it back to Earth to be thrown into the ocean off the coast of California. What methodology would one use to determine that the thetan claims are unsubstantiated/unreasonable and Yoga's claims of astral projection, chakras, levitation, etc are substantiated and reasonable?

Have you ever thought of being honest with a woman about it and seeing if she would be willing to help try a few things? Desensitization by overexposure might help. You could tell a woman about your problem and plan a weekend night to just hang out in bed naked all evening. Orgasm as fast as you want. Treat the first orgasm like you just want to get it out of the way. Spend some time on making her feel good and take as much time as you need to get it up again. Lay and bed and talk for awhile if needed. Take as much time as you need and plan that out with her. Have repeated sex until you cant orgasm anymore and you'll see what its like to go as long as you want. Practice sex in this space for awhile until it becomes more familiar. Having sex for 30 minutes is different than a quickie. The energy coming from your hands and lips should be passion, tenderness and sensuality. Move in between making love and fucking. Many people say that marijuana helps make sex more pleasurable and I agree It might also make it more interesting to keep having sex over and over.

A male with positive masculine qualities should be glad all the other men are moving towards feminization. Less competition for females I have always naturally been more masculine and have never had problems finding plenty of interested women. Dont believe what you see in the media; women absolutely love masculine, kind, confident men. The male essence will not die because plenty of men are just hardwired that way and many women are hardwired to love it.

I have always had severe insomnia. Now, I use my meditation skills to keep my mind from chasing thoughts while Im in bed. That has helped a lot. Marijuana also helps.

First, that seems like a lot of weed to be smoking. I smoke 2 joints a day, the first one starting after dinner. I have set rules for myself to keep myself balanced. Ask yourself - could I continue the routine I have done over the past month every month for the rest of my life and live a balanced, healthy life? If the answer is no, dont moralize, just be mindful and think about starting to taper down to a level that is balanced and healthy. Weed has been a huge positive in my life but balance is key. There are other psychedelics that have that are very safe physically and have less chance of a bad trip. Ketamine has been used successfully to treat anxiety and depression and is well tolerated. These effects seem to last for quite awhile after the day of the trip. I have read studies that people that use it once a week have no negative effects whatsoever over controls. Because of the euphoria, people do abuse it daily so be very wary of that. Daily use can definitely cause physical (bladder inflammation) and psychological symptoms. Because of the euphoric effects, the trips tend to be very pleasant but can still be used shamanistically. Do some research on how to have a good trip before you do so. Accept the fact that you will not be able to think normally or move physically in the same way so complete surrender is the key. You are there to simply observe. Ketamine only lasts an hour. In the beginning, short trips are desirable. Smoking DMT only lasts 10 minutes and can be euphoric and incredibly rich spiritually. I have found a trick to have a good trip is to put in headphones with some cool lights and visuals on a TV. The music is your tether back to reality and has a comforting effect but never detracted from the spiritual benefit, for me anyway. Please do lots of research yourself on the specific psychedelic before trying anything. Psychedelics have impacted my life for the better more than anything else I can think of. I am a completely different person because of them. They have been rocket fuel for my spiritual growth and there is no way I could have grown as fast as I did without them.

Thats what I decided I would do. The Kriya book seems to assume the reader has a foundational knowledge of chakras, which I do not. While it does spend some time explaining chakras, I feel like it is incomplete and I dont understand what the theory of chakras is all about. I bought a well-reviewed book on chakras to have a better working knowledge. Thoughts?

If it was critical, someone with no legs could never reach enlightenment I will say that I have noticed that certain body positions can bring about more clarity than others but I have found through experimentation that much of the differences in efficacy can be overcome to a large degree. I think the positions recommended are best if they do not cause discomfort but if they do, the discomfort can be a bigger detractor than using an alternative position.

Since I am the one that started this thread, I wanted to add a comment... When I first watched the video, my curiosity was piqued. I bought the book and started reading and also got Biography of a Yogi, since it was referenced in the book. My skepticism grew as I read the books, which is why I started this thread. I wasnt claiming Kriya did not have credibility; I was questioning the credibility so I could get different perspectives on the concerns I voiced. Since I started the thread, I re-watched the video and found that Leo did an good job of addressing the concerns I have expressed here. I didnt catch it the first time, as I wasnt looking for it since the concerns hadnt developed yet. I am going to continue a serious investigation into Kriya, along with the theory of chakras. Even through my skepticism, I have found the breathing techniques a valuable addition to my meditation practice.

I have little interest in siddhis or experiences. Seeking siddhis is egoic, which I feel can be counterproductive. I have had tons of profound experiences on my journey without kriya. I am interested in achieving as much sustained spiritual growth as possible until the day I die. I view kriya as a possible tool to investigate.

@Shanmugam What you have said about Kriya resonates with me. I was curious - do you practice Kriya? Why or why not?

Another tip: watch all of Leo's videos on mindfulness and meditation so you can experiment with different techniques. One thing I figured out is that I carefully observe thoughts that arise and focus my observation on them very intensely when they do. They disappear like a mirage and leave my mind empty. An analogy would be a hunter waiting in the bushes for a prey to step in his trap so he can pounce. I can reach very deep meditative states this way. Sometimes I feel intense bliss that I cannot describe.

That used to be me until I discovered DMT. I started combining DMT and meditation and I can now reach very deep, blissful states even without psychedelics. If you are not interested in psychedelics, Im not sure what a solution would be. I would not have figured it out without DMT. Im sure other psychedelics could work but DMT was highly effective for me. People that know me all agree I am a radically different person now.

Kriya Yoga claims that, if the techniques and principles are practiced as described, it is a potent catalyst of spiritual growth. As to the definition of what spiritual growth is, I would defer to Leo's videos or any number of relevant resources. While many may differ in opinion in what makes claims "credible", I think credibility is important to some degree if one is considering devoting resources. The aspects of credibility I am considering are the sources. For example, if someone claimed to have a pet unicorn, maybe other claims they make should be more rigorously scrutinized. Regardless, I acknowledge that just because some claims of siddhis appear suspect, that does not mean that everything Kriya Yoga prescribes is of no value. I plan on delving further into Kriya Yoga with an open mind. Since Kriya Yoga involves knowledge and expertise on chakras, I have also bought some books to study more about chakras so I can understand it better. An open mind of an independent thinker should always be balanced with healthy skepticism or one will be vulnerable to delusion. Without healthy skepticism, otherwise intelligent people believe that people sometimes fly on winged horses (Muhammad), human sacrifice is sometimes effective (Jesus), virgins give birth (Mary), an angry, petty deity obsesses about the potential genital misuse by a specific species of ape, etc, etc.

@Leo Gura That is what I will do then. I think understanding that maybe not every claim is true is a healthy approach. My life purpose is to develop myself to the highest spiritual level I can before I die and help others do the same. I invest 3-4 hours a day in meditation and reading to that end. If Yoga is as powerful of a tool as many claim, I cant afford to pass it by.