Leo's Practical Guide To Enlightenment

[Afonso]

@Leo Gura After doing ~4 hours of Meditation, I did a 30 minute Self-Inquiry and I my mind exploded.......................... I got this huge energetic release PLUS huge huge pains in the top of the head.

[Shin]

What would be life If I didn't have a brain ?

What would life be If I didn't have any sensations ?

What If I'm inside myself ?

What is there beyond this body/mind ?

 

 

[Guest username]

On 5/30/2017 at 11:42 PM, Leo Gura said:

@username

Yes, dabbling in techniques will get you nowhere. Eventually you gotta pick one and go balls to the wall with it.

 

I've been having some trouble determining which technique is best for me. Strong determination sitting works well for sure, but it's also a very good one to combine with other techniques since it's so simple (but difficult). So far, do-nothing/non-manipulation has been easiest, but I am wondering if mindfulness with labeling . breath meditation, or self-inquiry would be better to do during my SDS for long-term progress.

I know I'm probably over simplifying this regarding how to determine what's most effective. Do you have any recommendations?

Edit: Also, I have a weak lower back and have been reclining while meditating. Would I likely see more results if I did lower back exercises and sat with a straight spine?

Edited June 7, 2017 by username

[Leo Gura]

On 6/2/2017 at 9:14 AM, unknownworld said:

@Leo Gura Why are you trying to get an average person on the street enlightened? It is a really unrealistic goal to have. People that have suffered enough or are genuinely curious about the truth are the people that will be seeking anyways.

People who are addicted to porn, Internet, kink food - just don't have a chance, so there is absolutely 0 sense in trying to force them on this journey. 

You should be fine and okay with the fact less than 1% of the people will get there. For those that are already on the path - to stop seeking (but continue spiritual practices) is a solid advice - otherwise you will end up seeking your entire life.

I like a challenge

There are tons of teachers out there who cater to those who are serious seekers. My niche is broader. And I care about a lot more than just getting people enlightened. I don't like how narrow-minded most enlightened people are. It's ironic that one can be enlightened, but still narrow-minded.

There is a lot of research to be done in this field, a lot of things to discover and understand, and hardly anyone is doing it.

On 6/3/2017 at 2:40 PM, Afonso said:

@Leo Gura After doing ~4 hours of Meditation, I did a 30 minute Self-Inquiry and I my mind exploded.......................... I got this huge energetic release PLUS huge huge pains in the top of the head.

Sounds like Kundalini energy.

6 hours ago, username said:

I've been having some trouble determining which technique is best for me. Strong determination sitting works well for sure, but it's also a very good one to combine with other techniques since it's so simple (but difficult). So far, do-nothing/non-manipulation has been easiest, but I am wondering if mindfulness with labeling . breath meditation, or self-inquiry would be better to do during my SDS for long-term progress.

I know I'm probably over simplifying this regarding how to determine what's most effective. Do you have any recommendations?

Edit: Also, I have a weak lower back and have been reclining while meditating. Would I likely see more results if I did lower back exercises and sat with a straight spine?

I would train up two things: some kind of meditation, and some kind of self-inquiry. They complement each other perfectly.

[Capethaz]

@Afonso You crossed A&P. Congrats!

[Afonso]

9 hours ago, Capethaz said:

@Afonso You crossed A&P. Congrats!

I don't feel like I did... Well, since then, I'm aware that I have no free will. Literally, I'm aware that I have no free will.

But... well, shouldn't I have had a major insight?

I don't think I'm there yet.

In the book Mastering The Core Teachings Of The Buddha, Daniel says (about A&P)

Quote

Reality is perceived directly with great clarity, and great bliss,
rapture, equanimity, mindfulness, concentration, and other positive
qualities arise.

Doesn't match to my experience.

Edited June 9, 2017 by Afonso

[Shin]

It's time guys !

 

[Afonso]

For anyone finding this process too thought-oriented or intellectual-oriented...

Simple contemplate on I, Me or I am and notice what arises...

I found that to be more direct.

I feel my most intimate sense of self and focus on it, hoping it dissolves.

[spinc]

@Leo Gura

Do you find it important to remain still during self-inquiry?

For sure, stillness helps to acquire some focus - but it also feels like the self-inquiry then turns into some SDS meditation

[Shin]

27 minutes ago, Afonso said:

For anyone finding this process too thought-oriented or intellectual-oriented...

Simple contemplate on I, Me or I am and notice what arises...

I found that to be more direct.

I feel my most intimate sense of self and focus on it, hoping it dissolves.

Personally I rarely think about anything now, I just sense "my" body and try to feel really deeply how and why I only perceive this and not other things.
I don't know if it is easy or not, but you can clearly sense that your whole body is contained in something else or part of something else rather than only body perception.
The best way I can describe it, is that I can sense the body and feel the space from which it is occuring and the space around it (but of course I sense the body more).

One question that pops up sometimes is "where am I", and a really weird feeling happens when I say it, like "no plz don't go there, too scary"

[Afonso]

19 minutes ago, Shin said:

Personally I rarely think about anything now, I just sense "my" body and try to feel really deeply how and why I only perceive this and not other things.
I don't know if it is easy or not, but you can clearly sense that your whole body is contained in something else or part of something else rather than only body perception.
The best way I can describe it, is that I can sense the body and feel the space from which it is occuring and the space around it (but of course I sense the body more).

One question that pops up sometimes is "where am I", and a really weird feeling happens when I say it, like "no plz don't go there, too scary"

Same thing happens to me now, and I enter in this sort of trance state.

I occasionally say "I" in my head to notice my sense of self becoming stronger and therefore more visible.

At sometimes I start hearing things in my head too ?

[Afonso]

Yet, I haven't found my self... this bastard keeps hidden.

 

Where is this fucker

 

Ahh man, everyone knows who they are and I'm just stuck with my fugitive self

Edited June 10, 2017 by Afonso

[Not a shaolin monk]

when you find out that you dont exist what else do you find out?

[Leo Gura]

On 6/10/2017 at 11:40 AM, spinc said:

@Leo Gura

Do you find it important to remain still during self-inquiry?

For sure, stillness helps to acquire some focus - but it also feels like the self-inquiry then turns into some SDS meditation

It doesn't really matter in the end. You could self-inquire while walking outside or peeing or cooking.

But if you're a newbie, or doing some really deep inquiry, you'll want to just sit and be in total focus. Don't force SDS. It will come about naturally as you focus a lot. You'll get a sense when a movement is disruptive, and sometimes when it isn't.

Like if I get a nasty itch on my face while inquiring, I'll scratch it, just so I don't have it in my way. Then again, sometimes the inquiry is so deep that even a nasty itch doesn't bother me. When self-inquiring, my attention goes on the inquiry, not on formal meditation postures or any other external ritual.

[Guest username]

@Leo Gura I'm pretty terrible at managing sexual energy-- I think it may be simply due to having a lot of it. I've been that guy who needs to ejaculate ten times a day (no exaggeration; I used to think it was normal) for several years, with some  rare intermittent periods of low drive, and I haven't managed to really master it. Through mindfulness and practicing awareness, I've managed to become less compulsive about it and I don't really use it to escape negative emotions as much, also my mind isn't as much a slave to sexual thoughts, but the physiological part of it is still pretty distracting, and I think it may be harming my practice.

I'm not sure how much you know about semen retention and sexual energy in yoga, but I haven't come across any really solid advice for people who have super high sex drives. Subjectively speaking, I feel my need to ejaculate causes my energies to be very chaotic and rajastic, or when satiated, tamasic. I'm trying to become more sattvic and serene. 

I'm not sure conquering my need to ejaculate would help with that goal or if I'd only be harming my health. I've tried retention for a few days on several occasions only to fail because the impulse was too strong. 

[Leo Gura]

@username It's definitely an issue. A few times a week is okay, more or less. But not daily. That's way too much. Even twice a week can be problematic if you're trying to build up Kundalini.

I'm not sure how old you are.

But in the end, I think you just gotta overpower it with higher wisdom. The cravings should subside after a few weeks of no fap. If that's possible for you, then that's your karma, and you'll have to burn through it (by jerking off 10 times a day, or whatever). And you will of course pay the price for that.

What I see in people who are spiritually-inclined, is that their desire for Truth and wisdom is just much stronger than their desire for sex. They can still desire sex A LOT, but they are able to keep it in their pants.

If you value sex over Truth, that's gonna be a real uphill battle.

A strong meditation or yoga practice will definitely make you hornier. And constantly blowing your load is a misuse of that energy.

There are techniques for semen retention. But if you're jerking off 10 times a day, you've got a more basic compulsion problem. Your dick should be bleeding at that point. My testosterone level is quite good, and I never needed to jerk off that much.

[Guest username]

@Leo Gura I'm 21.

 

I've definitely never bled, but friction rashes have been a frequent problem.  And thanks, I'm definitely working on making Truth my number one priority no matter what. I'm just struggling and guess I need to power through. Sex is definitely not a higher priority for me than Truth.

I didn't know much about proper use of energies and often fail by rationalizing to myself that my body simply had abnormal needs. I'll definitely just stop that for sure and learn to not give into the sensations.

I meditate and self-inquire many hours a day now, but I'm still new to this level of practice, and sometimes the stuff that comes up is very sudden and overpowering. It will be like calm waters for hours at a time, then BOOM. I'm in a hurricane, whether it be something emotional or a physical impulse.

I've gotten really good at not being too affected by thought patterns, but my struggle at dealing with physical sensations has been tougher. I might just need more brute discipline instead of more clever practices.

 

 

Edit: I've also noticed a lot of stranger compulsions too, recently. The other night I got no sleep and twirled my toothbrush around my room pretending I was Jedi for hours, unconsciously. 

 

I know this may all sound strange, but I promise I'm not trolling.

Edited July 1, 2017 by username

[Afonso]

As I do more and more Self-Inquiry I notice that "Me" is always some tension in the torso. And these tensions dissolve as I focus on them and morph into other tensions. Do I reach a point where there are no tensions left? Because I have been with these tensions for months and months and there are always more tensions to investigate and dissolve.

[Leo Gura]

@Afonso No, that tension is a sensation/experience. But the True Self is beyond all that.

Are you a tension? Is that what you're saying you are existentially? A tension??

So a tension has a body? A tension is thinking? A tension perceives life? A tension experiences emotions? A tension is reading this sentence right now?

Cause that's what you're basically saying: I AM A TENSION.

Rather silly, when you inquiry into it a bit, no?

The point is not that the tension needs to disappear. The point is, why are you identifying with it? You might as well be identifying with a coffee table. Doesn't the coffee table in your living room need to disappear before you realize it isn't you?

[Afonso]

@Leo Gura Good point. But how do I stop identifying with these tensions? It's not like I can press a button and "desidentify". The only way I can do that is by focusing on the tension that comes to my awareness when I feel "myself". By focusing on it like a laser point it dissolves OR another tension takes place.

I'm not able to do

bool IdentifyWithAllTensions = false;

What's the solution?

Edited July 5, 2017 by Afonso