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right intention I know there is nothing. no reason, no purpose, no meaning. I've experienced that nothingness. the ego uses the mind to construct all of that. why? it's about survival. to keep going. to get up in the morning. motivation, goals, validation. to reassure I am, I exist, I matter. I matter in this world, I matter in other people's perceptions. it's not necessarily a bad thing. I don't want to judge that anymore. the k.ey is the light of awareness. I see that it's all a projection of my mind. but why not embracing it? I don't want to get rid of 'my' ego. I want to integrate it. I want to embrace it with love. the mind is a poor master, but a good servant. I create my own meaning, I've always done so. I can do it in a mindful, conscious manner. why am I doing all of this? why am I living at all? what's the purpose? what is my purpose in life? my mother says I'm egoistic, self-absorbed. that hurt me. am I? why do I spend so much time meditating, doing yoga, reading/studying, practicing mindfulness? my goals have changed over the last year.. what I am aiming for now is something completely different. I couldn't have ever imagined. I want to become empty. so empty, to be filled with the only thing there is: divine love. I'd like to become selfless, a mere vessel of love and compassion. all of that to serve; I want to heal and help others like I did with myself. I've managed to drag my poor soul out of self hatred and victim mentality. I would like to share all the bliss and love and empathy I've experienced since then. am I tricking myself there? is that ego searching for validation, a sense of importance? I don't know at this point. I hope not. it doesn't feel like that. my desire to share and to reach out feels genuine and deep. and if not, maybe it will become along my journey. to change the world one must change herself. I shouldn't feel guilty for spending so much time on myself and my inner journey. Matt is right, sometimes awareness can become quite toxic. when it's tinged with judgement. the answer? love. I want to deepen my self love <3

@Barry J lol the moment i let go of spiral dynamics and enlightenment i was in constant bliss and mystical experience once again!

Good one. There is a body consciousness and a Supreme consciousness. When you are experiencing body consciousness yiur desires and mind control you. Outside of it, nothing exists. Sin means to miss the mark. There is nothing like good and evil, only being on the path or away from the path. Jesus says that you can either serve the body or serve the mind depending where your consciousness is placed. You are sinning when you act upon the desires of the mind. (edited) When Awakening begins, you start to tap into the Self that awakens to itself. ENLIGHTEMENT IS LIBERATIONI SAMADHI - NIRVIKALPA - KNOWTYSELF The moment you think l am aware, that's athought, not Awareness. When you have become Awareness - and there is no more 'you' being aware (which is a thought) -then you are no longer here in the body. You have entered into states of SAMADHl in which your Awareness is somewhere else and in those somewhere else's lies realms and realms of realms of Equally Vali reality to this reality. It's a Realm Of Awareness where all i is ONE. In that Oneness, you feel as if you are one with every flower, with every tree with every stone and with every human being. The essence is pure at the basis of all. After a while you can sense the soil of your plants, you will feel the Volume of Space between you and the wall, you will be more sensory. ll D 20% 1:31 AM Space between you and the wall, you will be more sensory. When you reach that point, we can say that - you are INFINITE. You are on 'no man's land'. It will become extremely difficult to stay because you are experiencing INFINITE but you are still in a world of FINITE. You are not really going 'up, nor 'down'. You are never overly excited and never overly sad. The thoughts of sorrow and happiness no longer exist. You are 'steady', no-thing and every-thing at once- more like a 'wave. Here, Joy is not constant, therefore it will make less and less sense to stay. There will be no point. You will have to make Conscious Choice to "cling" to (or hold focus upon if you wish) something that belongs to the body in order to stay in the body. Your life is slowly becoming being the Fragrance of the flower, rather than the flower itself. STELL [Ram Dass, Sadhguru, Daniel Schmidt: Inner Worlds Outer Worlds] ll D 20% 1:31 AM Conscious Choice to "cling" to (or hold focus upon if you wish) something that belongs to the body in order to stay in the body. Your life is slowly becoming being the Fragrance of the flower, rather than the flower itself. STELL [Ram Dass, Sadhguru, Daniel Schmidt: Inner Worlds Outer Worlds] "We are not born into the world. We are born into something that we make into the world." - Michael Talbot, Mysticism and the New Physics "Death may take man out of the world but only wisdom can take the world out of the man. - Manly P. Hall "A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities. -J.R.R. Tolkin "Absolutely everything is happening in your mind, which means that your mind is not in your body. Your body is in your mind"- COurse in miracles n "Absolutely everything is happening in your mind, which means that your mind is not in your body. Your body is in your mind."- COurse in miracles Outstanding work, my compliments. xx.. 2 _______________________________ Chakras 1 Root physical needs basic, basic health Sacral desires and passions 3 Solar plexus productivity and work and energy 4 Heart emotions and spirit, ego, self identity, self esteem, prams or life force, identification with the self image, liberation, detachment, oneness consciousness, morality, duality of existence and body consciousness, universe or oneness consciousness and body consciousness, detachment for spiritual relief 5 Throat words and language and media, influence, senses Third eye ~ gut instincts, intuition, feeling, perception, study, research, knowledge, insight work, shadow work. Differentiation between cognitive and reptilian brain. Transcending of the mind. Transcending to suppress senses and avoid getting fooled and have realistic understanding of environment 7 Crown thoughts and consciousness work intentions, attention, focus, awareness, intelligence, wit, sharpness, karma actions. Chakra healing means balancing these various points in life because they govern life. It's close replica of the Maslow hierarchy of needs Based on the object, system, observer concept. Chakra traps Sleeping without schedule, allowing bad thoughts, Paradigm consciousness - the consciousness associated with your current body, self identification, ego and current condition. It's more or less fixed and is very susceptible to the changes in the environment and very fickle, at the mercy of the conditions. It's only blissful as long conditions are constant and pleasant. Fluid consciousness. This is moldable with the use of your cognition and imagination powers. You can feel happy or sad depending on how you feed your mind and control your responses. The one thing that holds you back from experiencing the fullest extent of this consciousness is the paradigm and body consciousness. Body consciousness is nothing but body identification. When both paradigm and body identification are strong, they inhibit the stretching of the fluid consciousness to the extreme level or fullest extent. It's like a wall or a bottle that separates. Oneness consciousness is universal consciousness or consciousness of one creation. As move along the chakra and evolve spiritually, we move from the lower red consciousness towards the upper blue Consciousness. Our consciousness is a mix of red, orange, yellow and green, blue. Even the blue Consciousness has shades. This is the field of the fluid consciousness. In the beginning we experience lighter shades of blue and specs of dark blue scattered throughout. This is because we only experience glimpses of the God consciousness or great bliss. There is nothing eternal about it. The consciousness itself is eternal but You only experience it for as long as you allow it and remain in that state. Once you come back, you are again in the yellowed parts or just the lighter shades of blue with the usual specs. The further end of this blue spectrum is the dense deep blue which represents God consciousness. Again. In your human form you will only experience glimpses of this, the effect will be more or less permanent, or at least long lasting and you will feel better but this is not an eternal experience or a life long permanent one, it's only as long as you get to feel it. So embrace and cherish it while you experience it. Omega consciousness spectral. Moving from red towards blue. From red towards blue as you work on your chakras, consciousness and consciousness precursor complex elements. This is moving from the fluid consciousness towards the deeper end of it, closer to God consciousness. It's more than enough if you are towards the middle of the spectrum with the slightly deeper shades. You already experience bliss and mental stability and peace here. Further exploration towards the deepest end might lead to dissociation from reality and discomfort when you return back to your yellow blue zone. Paradigm consciousness can also be improved but the effect is conditional and dependent on the external conditions and therefore fluctuating. It can be improved by improving outer conditions of existence. It does create happiness, not deep bliss, just everyday feeling of euphoria and happiness, the kind that you get when you win a video game, it's temporary and fragile, it's what society usually defines as happiness derived from material pleasures of money, wealth, success, pleasures, entertainment, excitement, romance, beauty, achievement, attention, adulation. Most people only strive to achieve this and usually get dejected and give up spiritual pursuits assuming that life is only limited to reality and material /physical world. They forget to explore further. Those who experience this happiness feel this is adequate leading to dissatisfaction when things don't work out anymore the way they once did. They get blinded and everything appears to be a blur as long as they are enjoying things. For others who have a deeper perception, they break out of the social conditioning and feel inadequate despite having everything that defines success, these people then look for different spiritual paths to fill the void and seek bliss. The void is because of not experiencing blue consciousness. Those who experience it no longer feel the void and are fulfilled. Most people are just unaware of the void because they fill up their time and attention with other distractions and pleasures. Throughout your journey towards a fluid consciousness and deep bliss, the universal laws remain the same, so even if someone thought to manipulate the world through evil doings, they are just pushing themselves further away from the divine truth and towards the red consciousness, they are only causing damage to themselves. They will find it even more difficult to seek peace and more struggle to reach the blue zones. It's in the red consciousness that karma meets. So they have to face consequences of their own misdeeds and problems. Those in the blue zones are enjoying fruits of their hard labor and those in the red are getting ready to face the effects of their bad karma. Karma exists everywhere because it only represents cause and effect, work and fruit. But it's strongest in the red zones because the conflict between action and consequence is highest there. It's like the energy of a stable ocean is lower than the energy of a destructivr hurricane. There's a lot of energy in the red zone, hence red like fire[since fire is like a concentration of energy], this is the energy of chaos and conflict and destruction. In the blue, the energy is stable and passive and steady, not frenzied or violent. So if someone thought they are being smart by manipulating the world, they are only deceiving themselves and living in delusion. Therefore they are foolish. There's nothing to come from evil actions other than chaos and misery and turbulent flow of energy. There will be so much dysfunction that it will be impossible to bring a stable state. Such people are just doing more harm not only to others but more to themselves. They will never experience peace or lasting happiness. They will suffer in the dungeons of their own hell they created. They are creating a prison planet trapped in the envelope of their wicked desires and harmful passions. They are creating a huge wound that will need much inner work to heal. They are not necessarily evil but their actions are harmful. Body is the shelter for the consciousness. Body identification ends at death. Satan, lucifer, devil, demon are all metaphors. There is no devil and there is no evil, only good and destructive. Body consciousness is the hell and the ego component is the devil. Consciousness precursor complex elements are associated with different chakra and their associated energies. Thought - crown ( mental energy ) Word - throat Chakra (energy of chant or sound ) Emotion - heart or spirit (spiritual and emotional energy, the highest ) what the heart feels. Intention - third eye (mental energy ) Attention - third eye (mental energy ) Visualization - crown and third eye (mental energy ) Quality - lower Chakra or solar plexus (physical energy ) action - crown Chakra (physical energy ) Desire and passion - sacral chakra. [spiritual energy] Body consciousness arises from the reptilian brain and God consciousness or fluid consciousness arises from the cognitive[human brain] and spiritual brain. The spiritual brain is the spirit or the heart. Spirit is merely energy. Heart is the director of this energy. It's like spirit is like a negative film and the heart is the image on it. How the heart feels will determine the image and the strength of this image. If the feeling is strong, this image is sharper otherwise faded. The physical nature of things or reality or the physical dimension is limited in its problem, resources and solutions. It's good and bad at the same time. If the physical was infinite then we would have been immortal, in that case it also means eternal suffering and if the physical dimension was infinite it means that our suffering will have no boundary. We would suffer terrible hell and it can go to any length, it can manifest in horror, because now there is no end to what can happen to the body during such suffering. Because the physical dimension is limited, our physical suffering is also limited. The worst that can happen is death. Therfore we need not worry. The suffering will or can never be greater than death. Also if someone is prep evil like a evil dictator he cacnot go on doing evil things forever because someday he is going to die. So the physical limitations do not provide a ground for evil to reign eternal. There is no permanent physical hell which is good news. The bad news is that it's like a double edged sword. So even the solutions are limited. The happiness is limited. You eat a cake and you feel happy but you start craving again. Also if there is suffering like a disease you may not have a cure for it. This is because the physical world has boundaries and there are things for which there is just no solution at all other than acceptance and endurance. But still even the acceptance and endurance is only till death. But the spiritual world is infinite.. There anything can happen. You can dream, imagine absolutely anything and nobody can stop you. It's a virtual world where anything is possible and every disease has a cure and every desire has a place.. This again is like a double edged sword. Because it gives you the freedom to limitless imagination and thought and desire. You can create a heaven in your thoughts but you can also create a hell if that's what you chose. And these desires can then start bugging you. When these desires are not fulfilled in real life, they can create massive conflict. However the good news is that even though you felt tortured and in pain because of your condition, you can choose to not feel the pain or at least reduce the severity of a feeling by imagining good things and taking your mind off the bad things and choosing to focus only on the good. You can choose to feel miserable about being by bullied someone or feel good and imagine something nice and forget or ignore what that person said. The possibilities are limitless of what can be created in the mind. In order to experience the fluid consciousness, you do not have to give up paradigm consciousness [just have to control it enough] or you do not have to give up desires of the physical world or pleasures of the senses. You don't have to be free of your physical dimension. You don't have to forget body identification. Although desires to some extent are manipulations of the mind or mind tricks, they are essential for life to move on. Like the desire for romance is essential for procreation. So not all desires are worthless or redundant. But some desires are just not important enough and they are an undue source of misery. It's a misunderstanding to think that somehow in order to experience spiritual bliss you have to give up material pursuits and desires and be devoid of desires. This is ridiculous. Because it means you have to lead a very bland life, a very mundane existence. Most religions both in the east and the west focus on giving up everything for spiritual pursuits. Excessive suppression of desires is not healthy, can lead to perversions, depression, isolation from the social world and tendency to do things in a secretive manner that is behind closed doors. It is also very encouraging of hypocrisy. In fact it's very difficult to control desires and may lead to intense frustration and conflict. Such a things appears unnatural. There seems to be a stigma of sin associated with desires in most religions. This is unnecessary. Also this causes more people to not take religion and spirituality seriously because they don't find it feasible or practice to avoid all desires. It may not be healthy or normal. It's a age old paradigm that has been passed down through generations without dissent or question. It appears totally ridiculous to completely avoid desires. How are desires harmful. Desires are harmful only when they cause harm to the self or others. Or when they totally control the mind so much that it leads to obsession and addiction. But otherwise having a harmless desire and fulfilling it is completely normal and healthy too. We are given desires by nature, not to forget that, hence its natural to feel the way we feel.. It's unnatural only when it goes overboard. People without desires may get depressed. This may not be healthy, also such person might become uninteresting, morose, robotic and devoid of feeling. You can always follow the path of consciousness even while you have your desires without the desires creating any conflict on your spiritual path If the desire is creating conflict and obsession and or addiction and interrupting the spiritual work on consciousness and it might be necessary to either get rid of such desire or control it so it doesn't control you. In such a case, where you feel like only your desires are running your world, and tricking and controlling your mind then this is when and where you need to get rid of desires and body identification so that you can freely focus on your spiritual dimension and do consciousness work and break the glass bottle to experience the fluid consciousness. This is where your paradigm consciousness is causing some trouble to your overall growth and it's time to drop it for a while to take a dip in the consciousness ocean. This never means that you have to cpmplety give up paradigm consciousness. It only means learning how to manage and balance and control it.

How much does it shit in the woods? I think its a really good question, one as a 20 year spiritual practitioner have found myself blindly thinking suffering goes on more then it maybe does. I can see how this has formed a perhaps false idea of reality, and served as a reason to feel as though I have a solution to all this suffering (not to say the spiritual life and lessons can uplift or benefit humanity). Its also weighed on my heart in a belief that reality is a lot worse then maybe it actually. I mean if we are to take into account any use of happiness surveys that ask how much a person feels content for what ever reasons that feel they are content, or summarize how they feel during a question of if they are happy, who is to say thats not happy? From what I've read it seems like people stat being relatively happy/content 50-70%. Interesting though that this is across 100 or so countries (a really interesting side fact is all countries when asked what do they think is the average level of happiness of the general population, they answer 30-50% lower then reported). Its really easy to think everyone deep down is really just a mess and suffering, and perhaps it is this way, but the percentage of people that have psychological issues (anxiety, depression of all levels, bi-polar, suicide statistics, etc) It's maybe 20% of the population. Sure maybe people are "self" medicating via drugs, alcohol, and food, and what ever craving we can think of, but perhaps some of this is a projection onto a generalized whole from a spiritual slant. I mean I believe a lot of the people who get into spirituality and the ones that awakened to something greater, had a lot going on, perhaps more then the average joe, their experience of humanity may not be a actual reflection of the human condition. Im no expert, but if I had to guess the general okayness/not suffering/kinda content of the general population is 40-50%, 20-30% pretty happy (even if its not for reasons of self knowing, bliss, god recognition) and then a gradual gradation going down into the into unhappy/suffering levels. Still lots to improve, its just not what I think the people who are really suffering and seeking spirituality generally think. Again I'm talking about general feelings of ones life, not if there isn't impactful emotional moments or tragedies, I think these are more common and most people face stuff that is regarded as hardship, but I'm not sure if that makes "most" people not like their life

They will only know themselves as a thought and emotions. Thoughts change, emotions change; they suffer, they are happy. There is a difference between happiness and bliss too. They only reach a shallow level of happiness. But life can still be fulfilling to a certain degree, especially if you are doing things you are passionate about. But you can’t make even a small comparison when you haven’t experienced your true nature. Strive for that, and see for yourself. And hang out with these happy people you talk of too, see their lives behind closed doors. Everyone in high school thought I was happy, and had everything I ever wanted. Intelligent, a great leader, with almost the whole school loving me. Yet I was deeply suffering on the inside, and not even my family knew about it until a few years later. That’s how good we are at wearing masks ? It’s better to live naked.

It depends on the substance and the intent I strongly believe that everyone should try at some point under guidance or with mature intent Also be wary of chasing the bliss

You have gained lots of awareness of your body, it’s quite the experience losing yourself to its beauty, and grace. There is lots of things I do too like body scans before bed, feeling food digest, the weight of my feet on the Earth, even simple Asanas. But through out all of this I always stay aware of the Love in my Heart, because I know that this brings the energy of your Soul/God/Bliss into everything you do. That is the most important aspect of all of this, where are living life from? You can be aware of your body, but as long as you are lost in a imaginary story in your head, you will suffer. So keep it simple, stay in the heart, and feel what you have been searching for, and if you can’t feel the Unconditonal Love trust it will come From that place you can be aware of you body on a much deeper level. The Heart has made me sensitive to my chakras, and slight movements in the muscles. It relaxes all of the subconscious tension we hold naturally, and effortlessly; and even increases the vibratory frequency of our cells. So for for the deepest body awareness, to feel a sense of oneness with the body, and then every form that arises make sure to have Heart awareness. But once you find the infinite Bliss that resides in there would you then desire to be aware of your body, or to bask more in that Bliss with your awareness? Namaste ?And great topic!

Breath in, breath out. Do this for ~30 minutes a day to feel better about your pathetic life and maybe one day you will attain some sort of mystical state where you will have permanent joy and bliss! You may even get an altered state of consciousness and access private secret knowledge! Woo! This is what modern day spirituality is about, a total hack. Tyler's quote ; " In a catastrophic emergency you're taking giant panic breaths , suddenly you become euphoric , docile , you accept your fate. Calm as Hindu cows! How to break free? Unplug from this ''spiritual'' crap, go outside and do whatever the fuck you want to do! Stop being so sterile and respectable and '' clean '' , this is all BS. You're a dirty ape that requires daily showering & feeding itself just to keep itself alive. You can't force spirituality by meditating, I've meet kids who are more spiritual than Zen masters who practiced the most advanced techniques out there. All those techniques keep you chained, break free! If Leo is authentic then he should read this with an open-mind and see that he's just deceiving himself.

I took the red pill but part of me wants to go back. Ignorance was bliss. I feel like I woke up today haunted by the fact that almost everyone is zombie-like...living in this stupid society chasing stimulation. I feel empty not being able to "connect" with people on a deeper level anymore. To the point of my chest hurting...I feel alone. The "good" in others...how I used to see people in the world..it's shattered..I see zombies and it makes me emotional on a deep level. I'm having a hard time finding meaning in "normal" things. I feel like an outsider. I don't know what to do anymore. I feel lost. This is painful. I have a hard time working when I know how meaningless the work I'm doing is. I have to do it to pay for my bills but I feel like a prisoner. Spiritual guidance tells me to let go..follow my heart and everything will work out. For a second I believe it and then I see how it'll lead me to homelessness and give me more problems. I can't just go live in a cabin for a few years..and survive... The life purpose I came up with. It was exciting at first and now is not. I have to work hard to inspire myself with it and I have not. I have to try to enjoy this journey. What else is there to do?

Last night i experience psychedelic with avalokitesvara mantra(aum mani padme hum) for the first time, i felt my 7 chakra activate and line up and immediat my consciousness switch into something else,i was in pure bliss for 30minute

Nice post. Yes, love suffering. Create some loving story in your mind that makes suffering seem like the biggest gift you have ever been given. Such as if you get cancer, you can say then, "Thank you Universe for taking everything away from me, even my strong attachment this body I express myself in, so that I have the opportunity to know who I am, I look forward to more suffering, do not hold back for I want to become one with God in this life in a state of eternal bliss." Everything is neutral, so we can project onto it a loving definition, and this definition will open our Hearts wide open. And then all we can do from there is surrender to the Heart in totality, but first we must awaken it by loving whatever arises the best we can. Because everything in this reality is inside the mind of God, and since God is perfect, that means everything that is, was and will be is perfect, and that you are perfect. Use effort to see through the same perspective of God, love whatever He gives to you a tiny bit more each time. You are the son of God. Feel it, have faith in this. Your Heart fills with Love.

sometimes they take both after. take care, but for me it worked a lot like this. but not for everyone, I ve seen many friend fall for both. ( I do not drink alcohol seriously 1 year after starting weed ) But I NEVER did alcohol at home alone ( or just a beer ) I do not drink any alcohol besides, even at event. ( It has been 3 years without being "drunk" but I was high for sure haha ) I love weed, it's already enough to calm down ( with music it's bliss ). Choose your tool, not every tool. Alcohol don't sound like a wise choice at all. Focus on all the bad feeling after alcohol, best way to hate it.

This isn't an anti-enlightenment thread. It's a sincere inquiry. Later on in the conversation we came to the cessation of suffering, and then a level deeper about whether there's an ultimate bliss state or not. Not sure how that's being anti-enlightenment.

There is different side of the truth that you can discover. The one that appears the most common is self-realization, which looks like a lucid dream (but ofc different), so you can be extremely sad or in physical pain, but it's not really a problem cause you don't identify as those emotions/body sensations. If you had a lucid dream where you constantly get killed, you kinda intuit how it could be (a little bit). Then you have enlightenment or god realization where you have a ridiculous amount of bliss and love because you realize everything that you experience is you. There is other stages prior to self realization, and there are other after god realization. It would be nice if Leo make an episode on the non dual map, cause it can be pretty hard to find on the internet. I found one someday, but I didn't save it ?

This seems to be the best explanation I could come up with too. The cessation of suffering, as much as you can. The question for me is, does Enlightenment simply center you or does it swing you completely to the opposite side of suffering? It seems to be more of a calm, centered energy. Though we like to believe there is an extreme bliss state awaiting for us on the other side. I'm not saying this isn't the case, but I'm afraid it could be a trap. Could holding out for this bliss state be the attachment which keeps us suffering?

All this part of your message comes entirely from that part of your mind that is dying (ego). Somehow you threatened too serious its thought system and you realized in a very profound way the illusion of that being (in which you were identified). Your words are the words of that false self (in this message) as he know that the end is imminent and as you are identified completely all life with it, you feel that sensation of disappearing (because ego is nothing but an idea, that you already uncover), your pain comes from that identification, you are in a moment of start getting a new thought system where the Real Self can understand His reality as Wholeness and become who He Is. The attempt to be happy in a "mundane life" is the attempt of that false self of becoming unconscious again, you don't want at all that "mundane life" since was made from that false self so that you can never become happy, what you want is not feeling that fear! what you may imagine as becoming happy in that "mundane life" (wife, children, etc) is a projection of that false self to perpetuate the illusion of itself. The enormous fear that you have for enlightenment is an other projection to a specific state of the mind where there is such a pain, however what you call enlightenment is a state of no fear. And your fear for meditate is again an other projection of that state of mind that you want to avoid (intense and insane fear). I've been there, is such big and freighting that is almost impossible to see a way of leaving, but that state is not real (not just words but a fact) you need to face that fear not with your strengths but you need to train your mind so that you can realize once you enter that cave that there is not such state of pain as you were thinking, at this point you won't be able to do it just facing it, as I said you need to train yourself since all is about what you believe, all are projections about what you think in your mind, you are just starting your Journey, but you must know that is completely safe. I understand when you say that you won't feel stuck, I have news: the stuck that you talked that is what you fear is where you are. So the best thing you can do now is to start trusting that your are completely protected, this won't come just for saying it, you will need an experience of that trust, little by little, you are afraid since you believe that you have no choice but fight against that darkness, however the good news are that you have not!, you just need to work with the part of your mind that is believing is in danger so that the fear become less an less (since in the end the fear does not exist, is your own creation, but again you need realize that not just hear it). You have not choice about becoming enlightened or not, whatever you may believe about that word, the ego or your current suffering self is not what you are, that should be understood first so that you can start trusting in your process. If the mind is very afraid however you can go and take pills, therapy or whatever makes you feel better, the real practice is not to fight but realize that there is no need for that. There is no such thing as a dark night of the soul, the soul or Spirit never has one since He is in a constant state of bliss (as you but you have not yet realized it) the dark night is for the "ego" and while you stay there identified with that idea of yourself that night will feel as real, is as simple as choosing again not to be that self. But again, the important part is train your mind to find the new thought system. You must know that even if you think a mundane life is cool, you will always be needing to face death in the end for your life, we must be prepared from now to undo the false idea of our self so that we can have never nothing to fear. Little people have that great opportunity that you have, big fear is because the false self is dying and with that you will become free, real free and see what is life for real. One of the greatest teachings that goes directly without compromising or playing with the ego is A Course In Miracles, this path help you go slowly erasing the idea of fear little by little, but there is many more teachings out side that can be used. Don't be afraid because soon you will know your self, and you don't need to stay in the dark night any longer if you don't want. You will understand soon all the trick, and be prepared since a big laugh will come to you just when you see and feel that what you believe was never what was real. We were wrong in almost everything and that's great! Be brave, not because there is some monster there but because there are not. I'm in the path too, with you ! Samuel

There is another quote I copied off of from a comment of someone who claims to be enlightened and lives in a constant state of bliss. These two quotes from her mirror what Leo says about causing unnecessary mental suffering "Nothing on earth has the power to destroy me because i have transcended beyond that. There is self preservation but ultimately i have a "so be it" attitude about every single thing." "The reason it rarely happens is because i approach things that happen from a perspective where being upset as a reaction or response is usually inappropriate or useless." "my third eye opened by accident after a near death experience in childbirth twenty years ago. i came back to my body and tried to continue my life as normal. But that was not possible. Every dark shadow in my heart was brought to the surface. i was forced to battle my inner demons. i wasn't given a choice. i literally had to kill my demons in my dreams and in this way my soul was purified. i walked through the fire but not on purpose. i felt that burning pain of the darkness of my heart burning away. Then entities made contact with me inside my dreams to awaken my consciousness even when asleep. They taught me the physics involved with energy work over many many months. my third eye opened as i began to master skills like astral projection and remote viewing, telepathy and control over elements when awake. one day, i was standing next to my kitchen and suddenly all the light of love in the universe went into me and poured through me. on that day i became a vessel for God's love and a manifestation of love in the world. i went into intense ecstasies, physical ecstasies, indescribable ecstasies. and twenty years later it remains the same. my talents have changed and matured and my focus has changed over time. But, the feeling of bliss and peace and pure ecstasy never leaves me. i fall asleep in ecstasy and i wake up in the morning in ecstasy. its not a state of being i have to will mentally into experiencing. i read no books and had no names or terms for the things i was experiencing. i was very confused at first and felt i must be losing my mind. i didn't tell anyone what was happening to me because i was afraid of the consequences. i was incredibly confused and an unwilling participant in this, at least at first. But now it is my natural state of being. the person i was no longer exists. my ego is unimportant. my Enlightenment is unimportant to anyone including myself other than being aware of who and what i am which is nice and less confusing. and also, only useful in so much as it is helpful to other human beings. There is no power trip here and i rarely tell anyone im enlightened because why should they believe me. what difference is there for anyone to know that about me. But, there are times i wish people were not so blind to the obvious because i would be willing to help if they asked but then again even that doesnt matter because everyone is where they are supposed to be in life, on their own path with their own experiences and their own level of spiritual growth. The more spiritually advanced you become the more you realize how little it matters where someone is on the path in comparison to yourself. They will get there in their own time and on their own terms. and thats how its supposed to be. its a really bad idea to assume for anyone else what their experience of enlightenment is. You dont get a cookie or gold sticker for having it. it wont raise your social position in the world. You wont be taken more seriously. instead what it does is offer you a permanent sense of well being and a permanent state of bliss and happiness. well, thats nothing to sneeze at i promise. im extremely blessed in life and i know that. and when i say permanent i do not mean i do not have feelings sometimes, even strong ones, even sad ones or angry ones. But, negative things that happen dont affect my emotional or spiritual wellbeing the way they do most people. Even physical pain is somewhat numbed. You learn to control that also. Nothing on earth has the power to destroy me because i have transcended beyond that. There is self preservation but ultimately i have a "so be it" attitude about every single thing. when i say permanent i do not mean 24/7. i just mean "mostly all the time." what i mean is ecstasy, Love and complete peace is my natural state of being. i may deviate a little bit here and there but i always return to that state. and its not an effort or prayer or meditation. i was permanently transformed and changed through Enlightenment. ive experienced loss of loved ones since then and i did cry for my loved ones but even in my tears i was in ecstasy. After awhile you get so used to it that it becomes the new normal. The only time i ever notice it now is when its temporarily taken away if i am upset by something in the moment, which very rarely happens. The reason it rarely happens is because i approach things that happen from a perspective where being upset as a reaction or response is usually inappropriate or useless. Everyone seems to have an opinion of what it means to be Enlightened but please know if you are Enlightened you would know it without any question because it would be impossible to escape even if you wanted to. But why would you want to. infact, why would you want for anything at all. There is a downside to all this in my experience. its hard to keep your feet on the ground because you exist in more than one world at the same time. i have to do things sometimes to ground myself inside my body and this plane of physical existance. a cool night breeze off the balcony is useful for sobering up an enlightened one. i have to pay extra close attention when i do activities that include physical risk of some kind. left to my own devices i probably wouldnt notice or care if i didnt take extra precautions to protect my physical body. Functioning in society can be problematic. You kind of want to sit there and do nothing except BE. i make a point to keep myself in check and make sure im not being too flaky. i function alright but its deliberate and before i was Enlightened it wasnt an effort to care about my physical wellbeing or surroundings. i dont know if any of that makes sense. ive tried to convey my own experience in a way that i hope you might be able to understand. There is alot im not saying but its not anything you yourself dont have access to knowing if you inquired and did some reading on it. in closing, i just want to assure people Enlightenment is a real thing. its not a made up fairytale or a matter of perspective. i do believe its worth aspiring to, though i never intentionally perused it for myself. if you want to know how i became enlightened i will share but i dont know how many ways there are to have that change occur inside you permanently. For myself, it was the trauma of several years of absolute misery and emotional pain in childhood, the near death experience during childbirth, inherent psychic sensitivity that laid dormant before that time, also a general sensitivity to my own body and energy and emotions as well as other people and environment and animals and even inanimate objects."

@DustyWhy Need for someone to convince you is lack of motivation on your own part. You’re afraid of yourself, what you can do, what you can see, what you really are. I don’t blame you at all. You’re terrifyingly powerful. You can real-Ize that. You can couch-call and speculate, but, you know, deep down, you know, you can never be beat. One day you will find yourself in the sanctuary of death, and if you like, you can take just one breath of bliss, just enough to expel, “I can never be beat”, and you can arise again to say “I can never be beat”. It’s now brutha. You’ve been dyin since you were born. You can.

@Hello from Russia ?? @kev014 “Pretending you were born” is a heavy mental weight added in thought/belief/falsity, so after some inquiry & clarity, there is relief, release, lightness and inherent peace and ‘connection’ by default, as if intuition remembered who it is, very different from cognitive/brain memory, which is an adding and carrying of things, vs, a dropping or letting go of things. Another great model, biggest picture, is ‘getting down to nothing’, always ‘shedding yourself’, always letting go. Fear just shows we are still afraid of the unknown, which is completely understandable, I mean, you’ve spent your entire life with a completely opposite understanding of reality and self, almost all of us have. Awareness alone is curative, because you can become aware, through inquiry, that you indeed are not only behind adding self doubt (fear), but you are entirely creating your reality. Stay focused on “I am letting all this bullshit go, I’ve carried it long enough and I am putting it down now”, vs “trying to solve some big mindfuck riddle / enigma”. “Solving” things is for relativity, life stuff. Letting everything go is for enlightenment, and this paradox is as natural as sleeping at night, and doing stuff through out the daytime. So kick ass all day, and sleep well all night. Advance your life, and retreat in meditation. The more you zoom into life, the more you can zoom out, the more you can zoom out, the more you can zoom in. It only makes sense to love yourself unconditionally. If you feel “normal” or not, if you did good or fucked up - love yourself, regardless. That unifies you. Let love be the unifier of all that you are, and all that you experience, a lowest common denominator, plain, simple, connecting of all things. The presence of the Being that you are arises in love, and is hidden in frustration, hurry, impatience, etc. It’s the same as the adding thoughts/beliefs/concepts (weight & tension) vs letting everything go (freedom & love / Being fills in / is presence). (“Does it effect your ability to function normally for a few weeks?”) After the ‘watershed’ moment / ‘hereo’s dose breakthrough’, (shroom tea) ime, my “problem” was with having the capacity to experience so much joy, love, and synchronicity (not laughing and crying all day in bliss and elation). I honestly can’t relate to “being stuck here indefinitely”. The relativity of life is a big component of course. I meditated for about 20 years, go very fit and ate very clean for around 5 years - before the oneness occurred, and then started looking into psychedelics / enlightenment, which led to direct experience of Self, then no self, then awareness of the mental processes in which doubt returns. If there were a “normal”, then I did a lot of shit backwards. But, alas, there is no normal. Nobody is functioning ‘normally’, that reinforces projection of one’s own definition of ‘normal’, as a ‘thing to be’. You are already perfect, and everything is happening as it should be. Nobody is escaping that they are infinite love, no matter how shitty their ‘movie’ appears at times, All. Is. Well. All is God. All is You. This is true wether you know it yet or have realized it yet. The value of that, is if you have tension, you have added it, and you should be highly confident that inquiry and practices will reveal to you just how you are doing that. I’ve done from .5g to 8g shroom tea, and 5ug & 20ug 5meo. Everything I wrote (above) is as much of a part of enlightenment as the psychadelics / trips - or more simply, the 5meo was like really good nitrous, because the realization was already had through the practices, inquiry, and shroom tea. I saw that I already saw, if that makes sense. *one disclaimer...I’d like to try 30ug meo...and I don’t really know anything. Rambled a little. Hope some of this is useful. Follow those “intuitive hunches” and “flashes of inspiration”. IMO, those are insights, glimpses, into life without doubt, without fear.

@Buba Everything you've described so far sounds like Eckhart Tolle's experience with a similar situation. In the introduction of the Power of Now he describes: "Until my thirteith year, I lived in a state of almost continuous anxiety interspersed with periods of suicidal depression. It feels now as if I am talking about me past lifetime or somebody else's life. One night not long after my twenty-ninth birthday, I woke up in the early hours with a feeling of absolute red. I had woken up with such a feeling many times before, but this time it was more intense than it had ever been. The silence of the night, the vague outlines of the furniture in the dark room, the distant noise of a passing train - everything felt so alien, so hostile, and so utterly meaningless that it created in me a deep loathing of the world. The most loathsome thing of all, however, was my own existence. What was the point in continuing to live with this burden of misery? Why carry on with this continuous struggle? I could feel that a deep longing for annihilation, for nonexistence, was now becoming much stronger than the instinctive desire to continue to live. 'I cannot live with myself any longer.' This was the thought that kept repeating itself in my mind. Then suddenly I became aware of what a peculiar thought it was. 'Am I one or two? If I cannot live with myself, there must be two of me: the 'I' and the 'self' that 'I' cannot live with.' ' Maybe, only one of them is real.' I was so stunned by this strange realization that my mind stopped. I was fully conscious but there were no more thoughts. Then I felt drawn into what seemed like a vortex of energy. It was a slow movement at first and then accelerated. I was gripped by an intense fear, and my body started to shake. I heard the words 'resist nothing,' as if spoken inside my chest. I could feel myself being sucked into a void. It felt as if the void was inside myself rather than outside. Suddenly, there was no more fear, and I let myself fall into that void. I have no recollection of what happened after that. I was awakened by the chirping of a bird outside the window. I had never heard such a sound before. My eyes were still closed, and I saw the image of a precious diamond. Yes, if a diamond could make a sound, this is what it would be like. I opened my eyes. The first light of dawn was filtering through the curtains. Without any thought, I felt, I knew, that there is infinitely more to light than we realize. That soft luminosity filtering through the curtains was love itself. Tears came into my eyes. I got up and walked around the room. I recognized the room, and yet i knew that i had never truly seen it before. Everything was fresh and pristine, as if it had just come into existence. Picked up things, a pencil, an empty bottle, marveling at the beauty and aliveness of it all. That day I walked around the city in utter amazement at the miracle of life on Earth, as if i had just been born into this world. For the next five months, I lived in a state of uninterrupted deep peace and bliss. After that, it diminished somewhat in intensity, or perhaps it just seemed to because it became my natural state. I could still function in the world, although I realized that nothing I ever did could possibly add anything to what I already had." It only gets better from here. If you want to hear directly from someone who has gone through literally the exact same thing as you and come out the other side 'as if I had just been born into this world' and 'in a state of uninterrupted deep peace and bliss' then get this book the Power of Now.

I also hear the high pitched noise on psychedelics. A pressure in one or both ears is also usual. On 5-meo I also heard a few strange clicks: it was like the sound of high-pressure steam between crystals and it has the duration of a click, but it echoes. When you'll hear this sound you'll be in bliss

@Nahm Thank you To handle the 'thinking' side of the coin I've generally just been allowing it to happen and not identifying with it, which the meditation and the idea of 'letting go' has allowed me to do. I wouldn't say there's bliss involved there yet as with the meditation, but there's definitely more calmness. You raise a really goof point about paying attention to my experience of being when I'm 'off the pillow' as it were. Focused stomach breathing...interesting. I'll give that a go. Thanks for the link too, what a great list! So far I've been sticking with 'do nothing' meditation as I love the way it just allows you to flow with the moment and not resist it through any kind of doing. I know the focused meditation has some uses and I will get into that at some point, but at the moment it seems to involve effort, which I'm trying to move away from. Looking at that list...sky gazing meditation...hmm, sounds awesome. How many have you tried from the list? @PsiloPutty Ah, its so nice to hear enthusiasm from others about my new habit. It's been such a major, life changing thing for me and you guys obviously know where I'm coming from. I wonder how long a strong determination sit would be. At least 3 hours do you think? I'll have to watch Leo's video again. I reckon I could handle two hours at the moment. Have you done any? I do remember Shinzen Young saying these sits are the fastest way to enlightenment. But what if you need the loo? lol. Do I wear a diaper? Yeah I'm doing a bit of contemplation and self enquiry too, although isn't the answer just 'there is no I?' I've had that given to me as a spoiler by various sources. I literally can't find myself and I've realised the self is an illusion so I'm wondering what is it about repeatedly acknowledging this that leads to enlightenment. Maybe I'll ask on another post.

Hey guys. While I was having trip on mushrooms two days ago I promised myself to share this wisdom and love to the whole world so here I am. I'm not a native English speaker so I apologize for mistakes . ( I always feel like my English sounds like 5 year old child speaking ) First attempt - 2 grams Everything happened two days ago in my apartment. Firstly I didn't want go crazy and decided to try just 2 grams of Golden Teacher mushrooms since that was my first time . I eat them. After waiting for an hour nothing special was going on , just colors had become vivid and gotten kind of purple-greenish shade. After I turned the shamanic music on I noticed that shamanic faces and forms started appearing on a curtain , on a wall , wherever I was staring at there were these faces.The fact that they were appearing out of nothing amazed me. At that moment that was obvious to me that they were my ancestors and they had been all my life with me and never left me. I felt a strong connection with them on spiritual level.But the thing was that they were laughing at me lol. Second attempt - 5 grams And I was like hm ok ,why are you laughing ? I felt like I had a conversation with them and their response was "Stop create boundaries and let your ego go, your ego is the reason why we are laughing " . And I started to laugh along with them . After that the effect was slowing down . I decided to eat 5g more (!) . I did it and an hour later I laid down on my bed and stared at ceiling which was zooming out and the whole room was zoomed out as well and breathing in tune with me. There were fascinating patterns and forms arising on the ceiling , the walls and everywhere . I felt like ''Yeahh this is it . That's what I was expecting from mushrooms. There was a strong inner awareness that I was a disciple and mushrooms were teaching me something which I was not able to understand to but it was definitely something beautiful and indescribable. Tears flowed down my cheeks.I started to speak loud saying "Thank you , thank you ,thank you" . Shamanic music was still playing . I closed my eyes and ...ohh man.. I can't even describe that feeling . I saw .. no .. rather I felt that I was the music (sounds weird but it was such a strong clear feeling). I was the patterns that the music was creating . I found myself in kind of 3D world consisted of patterns,thoughts, dreams, music, and universe . These were all mixed together and I was all of them . I was breathing out the Universe accompanied by movements of my mouth and head. For some time I was just enjoining this beauty . Looove... My heart and soul were never ever filled with sooo much love. Just an unconditional love for everybody and everything: people, animals,birds, sky,moon,sunrise, whole Universe. ( Even now while I'm writing I've come to realize that the word "Universe" itself sounds so beautifully amazing. Mushrooms are still working ) I also felt much love and appreciation for Golden Teachers . They were like my gurus that would never let me down. (Times to times I would start crying and then suddenly stop . And then again cry over and over.. I felt a ton of appreciation for each circumstance that happened in my life. I even felt you guys. This was so cool to realize that there is a community where people genuinely sharing their spiritual experiences and wisdom. Flashbacks of childhood I had a lot of flashbacks of my childhood. It felt like I was moved into old movie of my childhood and seeing it from the perspective of a viewer . It felt so amazing .My grandfather was good at painting . And he would always paint something for me and brother when we were kids. I saw that and a felt so much love. I saw my great grandparents . They were telling me something but I would never understand what. I had realized that their bodies were dead but not souls. Souls never die. God and Universe Once again there was Universe whatever I was looking at (cracks,patterns, skin,everything). And yeah . There was such a vivid realization deep deep inside me that I am the Artist of my life and I could paint everything I want in my life . I had a paint brush in my hands and was waving my hands in the air. I I would look a my hands and see the whole universe in them . I was God . I could add any color I wish and make this planet brighter. I was on the most beatiful I'm a monkey Then I would fall down on the floor and would stare at a crack and Universe inside it forr like 10 minutes I found myself with my hand in my mouth . I was chewing my hand O_o . I was drooling and rolling on the floor . It was a very weird animal attitude . But so familiar . It felt good being an animal . It was monkey attitude I would say. If somebody had seen me I would have been immediately sent to a mental hospital . While I was having the trip I would repeatedly start laughing and then cry. In the end of the trip my reality and ego were coming back which was a little sad But at the same time I felt amazing and also exhausted emotionally . Honestly I was a piece of meat and could do nothing . Question : Has any of you guys ever felt so exhausted emotionally and psychologically after a trip? Is it normal? After having such an experience I think it is.It was painful ..fortunately I fell asleep soon . On the next day I had a little headache but mostly was in a great mood still filled with so much joy and bliss . My takeaway from the experience : First of all there was far more to take away from this experience and I feel it . Which makes me more aware about what consciousness is. There is too much to expand . I discovered some of my boundaries and fears that I was creating all the time . My breathing has become smoother and deeper. I can feel connection between me and Universe which is now in tuned with my breathing . That tension in my stomach had magically disappeared and now I . I got grounded to the present moment even more . I can feel this very moment. That infinity . My body movements have become more authentic . That a little noise that constantly is saying "What people think of you" started disappearing in the way that I quickly become aware of these kind of thoughts. Being strongly aware of it helps me to get back to the moment , to the breathing , to infinity . I have become aware of this unconditional love when I just want to give to this world and people not getting anything in return. Eye contact has become not that scary that it used to be. Before the trip I was reading a lot of self-help books especially books about creativity . Now I feel like I don't need those books anymore . Process of creation is being God. That's all I can say. So being creative in no matter you do (washing dishes , sweeping , painting , selling ) is what means to be God for me now. In the end I would say taking mushrooms was the best decision I've ever made . It has healed and changed me. For those who is going to try it first time just have respect and appreciation for mushrooms . It's not just a psychedelic for fun and party . It 's a food of goods . Gift of nature. And be ready to fly Of course it's better to start with small dose and get to know what it feels like . Don't be me. Thank you @Leo Gura for introducing to me what psychedelics are and you guys for sharing your love and wisdom. I would have never thought that I would say this but Love is all we need. And it's in our hand to share this love .

@Wisebaxter Congrats! Great practicing. Consider attention on the other side of that coin. The particular thinking which resumes, “taking you out of” that bliss. See how it is that it is slipping through the cracks and resuming. Bliss is available anywhere, while doing anything. Focused stomach breathing, all day ? helps a lot. Try some other meditations if interested. https://sites.google.com/site/psychospiritualtools/Home/meditation-practices

Escaping wage slavery is only for beginners, if you truly want to ascend to the next stage of development then you must do some serious inquiry Right Now! How to escape real life? The thing you are in right now, observe your every day behavior using your memory. Now stop that. Stop doing everything and you will have escaped real life. Every movement you take is a distraction. Every thought you think is a distraction. Morpheus said it very clearly yet most people overlooked it ; " It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the Truth " . Reality is so Bright and Crisp and Juicy and Dark and full of content that you totally get lost within it thinking that you must do anything, following a structure, reacting to stuff, like a chemical reaction. Watch this video, people are genuinely reacting and being offended at a guy holding up a camera and just filming them in public. Every '' person '' you see outside is an NPC { NON-PLAYER-CHARACTER } meaning there is no true self inside of them, their behavior/reaction can be accurately predicted up to 99%. The same applies for literally every organization, every church , every mosque , every buddhist temple , every businesses, everyone in their car, everyone walking down the street, every government. Reality is a structured simulation full of regulations & rules that only "privileges" the ones who are naturally gifted in one way or another, even being able to work hard is a gift, not everyone can do that, and the system is designed that way, and by system i mean the entire human grid. Now let's look at the privileges because that's the entire reason you even cling to life. 1. Food shelter & security 2. A sense of belonging to a tribe, organization , the human race , culture 3. Sex, porn , music , movies, amusements of all sorts 4. Enlightenment, mystical experiences of all sort , relaxation , feeling good , feeling bliss and union of any kind 5. Intelligence, being a know-it-all , being a master, owning stuff That's it, this is the game, and you're stuck in it. The game's gravitation is so strong that you keep getting pulled back into it, many people try to escape it and they just end up killing themselves because of how hard it is to get off this game. Remember, even Donald Trump, or the richest man alive is a slave to his desires, even if it feels good. It's literally impossible for 99,999999% of people to escape this. How could you? Are you truly willing to give up your entire existence for this? Are you starting to see how every people act like an NPC? There is no '' person '' , they're just heavily configured nervous systems/brains going along their way doing what they are designed to do like an NPC in a videogame. How will you get out? Certainly not through meditation.