Leo's Blog Discussion Mega-Thread

[Yimpa]

30 minutes ago, Beans said:

Being ugly is being mean.

 

[Davino]

@r0ckyreed Good answer 

[bazera]

@Leo Gura AI video was very insightful, thanks for sharing.

I liked the part when AI outputted "aha" token to indicate having an an actual aha moment, but in reality nothing new was added to the context except for that literal one token. It's so deceptive. It's crazy.

These people who make AI tools on top of LLM's make it harder to notice that illusion of reason. One example, when you prompt something, some models show "Thinking..." label, instead of something like a generic "Loading". It tries to sell you the idea that LLM's do reason, but as they guy was saying, they rationalize instead of reason.

LLM's are really helpful in many ways, we just have to not bullshit ourselves on what they really are and do. But since the topic is too technical to dive into deeply the maths of it, it stays unnoticed.

ChatGPT is epistemically irresponsible 

I wonder if we'll see some entirely new AI based on a different technology. It's apparent that probabilistic search system won't do it. And this tech-bros make it seem like AGI is around the corner, when in reality the current technology just isn't in the same ballpark as it seems.

He mentioned Emily Bender, and I found some of her videos YT interesting. Also there is this book that I'll check later:

https://www.amazon.com/Surveillance-Capitalism-Artificial-Intelligence-Information/dp/0063418568

If anyone is interested.

[Lila9]

On 27/02/2026 at 6:16 PM, Rigel said:

Culture has been crippling our physical coherence since kindergarten by sitting us on chairs all day. It’s pure crap & makes us so weak we can’t even imagine basic human functioning anymore. Sitting on the floor is better for your health in every conceivable way if you can stomach the fact it’s going to take literal years to fix the damage caused by decades of conformity. This goes way beyond yoga or meditation practice. It’s your entire life.

I agree that lotus is not good. Sitting cross legged doesn’t mean lotus or even half lotus. Your legs shouldn’t be on top of each other.

I agree. Sitting on a chair is not natural and can even be harmful in the long run.

If someone can’t sit cross-legged or in natural positions, this is a sign that they need to work more on their flexibility and practice more asanas. This can also protect the body from injuries, especially as we get older.

I don’t know if it is mentioned in the Kriya Yoga book Leo has on his reading list. I have another Kriya book which is more comprehensive in my opinion, and it emphasizes the importance of doing yoga asanas prior to meditation because it prepares the mind and body by making it easier to enter a meditative state, unlike directly entering a meditative state without any asanas. Doing so is like running without warm-ups. This only shows how the mind and body are connected and how ignoring this connection negatively affects the meditation practice.

 

[bazera]

@Lila9

7 minutes ago, Lila9 said:

I have another Kriya book which is more comprehensive in my opinion, and it emphasizes the importance of doing yoga asanas prior to meditation because it prepares the mind and body by making it easier to enter a meditative state, unlike directly entering a meditative state without any asanas. Doing so is like running without warm-ups.

Could you share book title and author?

[Lila9]

42 minutes ago, bazera said:

@Lila9

Could you share book title and author?

Sure.

https://www.amazon.sg/Yoga-Kriya-Systematic-Ancient-Techniques/dp/8185787085

[Ajay0]

While I like using the cross-legged position, there are times when I get discomfort out of it and sit in a chair or sofa, or even lie down on the mat.

So it boils down to comfort as well, which is necessary for relaxation.

There are meditators who sit on chairs as well for comfort. 

There are even back rests for meditation, and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had promoted back rests as well during meditation.

You use what works and what is comfortable for yourself.

As Bruce Lee stated with respect to his martial arts philosophy of Jeet Kune Do, "Research your own experience; absorb what is useful, discard what is useless, and add what is essentially your own."

I believe this is sound advice for anyone as well on this matter.