Posts by coastalskipper92

Michael Gonzalez77 said:I totally agree, but I want to expand on that slightly. In this context, those ideas often sound like the classic platitudes you hear flying around everywhere lately. While they are beautiful stories and positive intentions—which are great foundations—they can unfortunately become a slippery slope if taken too literally.

Look, if a person doesn't truly work out for themselves how they are actually practicing this, or fails to realize the actual consequences of their actions (or how that energy returns to them), then what you’re calling "non-doing" isn't literally about doing nothing. It’s actually about a mental 'detachment' from the action itself. That’s what "stopping the fight and letting go" means. It doesn't imply a lack of methodology or effort. If someone wants to act "good" as a universal principle, then that "goodness" is something that is actively developed and experienced by investing all available energy into it. Consciously directing oneself in that direction is actually the primary way we increase our awareness and detach from impressions.
A lot of people say this just because it sounds nice. They imagine their whole lives and everything they do fits this beautiful narrative of "not doing anything" to separate consciousness from impressions. In reality, they are just piling up new experiences and spinning in circles, telling themselves exactly what they want to hear to satisfy the ego.

Effort also stems from awareness, and awareness is built upon Knowledge (Truth).
Working tirelessly and being persistent in what matters—specifically for the sake of uncovering the Self in relation to what words describe—is purely a matter of expressing one's freedom. 🙂
Obviously, you can't act in opposition to your spiritual growth (whatever you want to call it) and still progress. Being passive in all this is also a choice, but even a "passive" path of development requires extreme discipline, a life dedicated to meditation, and guidance.
To think a person is perfect exactly as they are, meaning they don't need to do anything regarding their development, feels to me like an insufficient understanding of latent human nature versus what a person actually manifests as growth (or the lack thereof, which would at least be the start of liberation). But I'm sure that isn't the case with you; perhaps your descriptions just come across that way due to how you choose to express yourself or simply the semantic nuances of our language. That's why I'm mentioning it.

I totally get what you're saying about how you can't force love, just like you can't force Effort—it has to happen naturally. It’s kind of like if someone wants to drive from New York to Los Angeles. They aren't going to make it if they never actually put the car in gear and start driving. But even then, if they hit some heavy traffic or a storm along the way, they won't reach their destination if they decide to just pull over at some scenic rest stop in Nebraska, set up camp, and spend the rest of their lives talking about that distant coast they once dreamed of reaching. I know you realize that nothing just happens out of thin air; everything arises from specific reasons or circumstances. Whether we actually recognize those reasons or not is a whole different conversation.

🙂 Lovely.

Could you please clarify what you meant by the points I highlighted? Semantically, I am completely lost, which forces me into a futile attempt at rationalizing these impressions 🙂. It is quite a long sentence; I don't grasp the concept of "disidentification," nor do I understand what you intended by "in" consciousness—is this referring to the collective?
Help me understand.

And could you explain how one fights, or rather, how one unburdens oneself from these impressions? Did you arrive at this realization on your own? Currently, I am locked in an argument regarding this very thesis—one I reached deep within my own soul—while the opposing impression argues that life consists of beauty and WILL.
They have been stripping me of my will ever since I became aware of how they force me against my own volition, pushing me out of my spiritual circle, my sense of purpose, and my alignment with the will of One.
Everything feels rigged against me when I engage in battle with them. I have armed myself with will and patience, yet it simply isn't enough.

Ryan Wilson2 said:I occasionally feel as though I am brushing against another dimension entirely. If only I could trigger those encounters more intensely, precisely when I choose to.

As for everything else, I find myself becoming a harder, colder person. My faith in humanity has eroded; I’ve become less tolerant, less soft, and far less inclined toward spiritual philosophizing. Nothing in this life is inherently "meant to be"—it is simply what we force it to become. I have grown deeply skeptical of most spiritual practices and movements, as I am convinced most of them operate solely through the placebo effect, mere delusion, or fear—some sort of hardwired psychological mechanism within the brain.

To most self-proclaimed spiritualists, I would simply suggest seeing a licensed psychologist instead. It would save them both time and money, given that the results are functionally identical to anything promised by "spiritual growth."

Wisdom, tolerance, and knowledge are ultimately futile when the world is governed by the law of the jungle.

The only real path to change lies in the physical evolution of the human race into something else entirely—a being liberated from the primal urges of greed, reproduction, and mindless hedonism. Those who claim to have transcended these instincts likely just lack the resources to indulge them, relying on self-delusion or autohypnosis to elevate themselves above the harsh realities of this world. And when all is said and done, people always fall back on the concept of reincarnation just to justify the injustices they've faced.

🙂 😛

Yes! Thank you, God, for ensuring I am no longer alone in this "dark night of the soul."🙂
The results are tangible, at long last.

Ryan Wilson2 said:I occasionally feel as though I am brushing against another dimension entirely. If only I could trigger those encounters more intensely, precisely when I choose to.

As for everything else, I find myself becoming a harder, colder person. My faith in humanity has eroded; I’ve become less tolerant, less soft, and far less inclined toward spiritual philosophizing. Nothing in this life is inherently "meant to be"—it is simply what we force it to become. I have grown deeply skeptical of most spiritual practices and movements, as I am convinced most of them operate solely through the placebo effect, mere delusion, or fear—some sort of hardwired psychological mechanism within the brain.

To most self-proclaimed spiritualists, I would simply suggest seeing a licensed psychologist instead. It would save them both time and money, given that the results are functionally identical to anything promised by "spiritual growth."

Wisdom, tolerance, and knowledge are ultimately futile when the world is governed by the law of the jungle.

The only real path to change lies in the physical evolution of the human race into something else entirely—a being liberated from the primal urges of greed, reproduction, and mindless hedonism. Those who claim to have transcended these instincts likely just lack the resources to indulge them, relying on self-delusion or autohypnosis to elevate themselves above the harsh realities of this world. And when all is said and done, people always fall back on the concept of reincarnation just to justify the injustices they've faced.

Physical—in what sense do you mean that?

wearyowl29 said:I think I found myself hidden somewhere in these lines:

I live within circles that expand,
longing to encompass more with every turn.
I might never reach that final,
ultimate ring, but I’m giving it my all.

I circle and circle around God,
that ancient tower, for thousands of years,
and I still don't know if I am the falcon or the whirlwind,
or perhaps just a great song of this world.

(Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Robert Frost)

So... I live in expanding circles...🙂🙂🙂
Man, I am stuck in a total loop!

🙂

Nothing more to say. 🙂

Benjamin Taylor6 said:Expanding circles?

It really ought to be circles that contract. That with every revolution around God, you get closer to Him.
Not further away.

Ought to not so much?

One thing I know for certain, one thing I've realized: the more you strive to be close to God, the further away He seems to become.

rapidbear65 said:Everything in nature reflects our own human traits. If you really look at the world around you, you'll find yourself reflected somewhere in it... rapidbear65, the greatest thinker of the 21st century... ;-)! What do I love? Everything!

Bravo. Practical advice. Thank you, rapidbear65!

mistygull16 said:I feel like, first off, we just gotta be honest with ourselves. Only then can we even talk about being truly good people. 🤷

Or, even better... maybe we should start noticing how we react to things, and then figure out the weird little subconscious gears that drive those reactions in the first place.

Could we have a bit more explanation regarding the simplicity hidden between these points and parallels 🙂?

mistygull16 said:I get the feeling a good chunk of you guys are deep into some kind of spiritual journey or self-improvement grind... and honestly, I'm curious—what’s actually happening on your end? Like, what are the real results of all this work?

I know it's hard to pin down specifics, but I bet there's still an answer somewhere in there.

I’m also interested in the heavy stuff, like if anyone here has actually hit that "dark night of the soul" phase.

But hey, obviously feel free to lean more into the wins and the positive shifts too.

If you can, try to give me something a bit more... I don't know, unique? Let's skip the cliché stuff about having a "peaceful mind" and all that blah blah blah.😉

A wonderful topic; thank you for the creativity. Amidst all these intense arguments over who is more enlightened...

Results? Well, there aren't any results. At least, not the kind I was hoping for. It’s more like a silencing of my craving for results—a zooming in on the peace and love already within a person, even though my restless heart keeps searching for fulfillment in places where none exists.

In a way, that answers your question about the "dark night of the soul." It is, essentially, the training ground for enlightenment. That makes it nearly impossible to write about (perhaps like Buddha's pain when he realized the nature of the world and turned that realization to his advantage, or Jesus's time in the tomb/hell and his subsequent departure from it).

Positive? A diminished craving for "positivity" and a quieting of the ego.

mistygull16 said:In my case, I’ve noticed this weird extra sensitivity to the weather. It sounds strange, but I basically experience heaven and hell through the shifting seasons and the atmosphere outside.

Another thing—which I honestly think is a byproduct of all the spiritual heavy lifting I've been doing—is this growing addiction to beauty. My taste has become so hyper-sensitized that, frankly, the US feels like a pretty ugly planet sometimes. Sure, there’s some stunning natural scenery when the weather hits just right, but otherwise, the ugliness just adds to my stress.

I once had this experience—kind of an intro to what I call "freedom from the mind"—while sitting in padmasana, or the lotus position. It wasn't even my first time; it happened after years of grinding through practice. It was just a brief glimpse into what I’ve dubbed the "lotus state." I call it that because of the whole symbolism, you know? A flower rising out of the mud to bloom above it all... which is exactly how it felt while I was working through lotus and a few other poses.

Nowadays, I’m pretty convinced my intuition is always spot on. Whenever I see someone putting on a fake spiritual act, I immediately get hit with this wave of cynicism. I can tell the real deal from the total frauds, and I'm definitely not letting anyone sell me a bridge anymore.

I’m tolerant of any path, really. If someone's soul feels like it needs to walk a certain way, I’m all for it. But if I feel like they've outgrown a particular stage, I give myself permission to point things out.

I sign my name to that entirely.

I still count this as one of those "negative consequences"; I am still adjusting. People constantly try to fill my head with things like, "How on earth can you find the country so ugly? Have you been to other planets to make such a claim?!"
As if it were my intention to say anything at all. 😉
🙂 😵 😵 😉

Susan Price30 said:Messiah complex! 😍

truth in a world full of lies
😍

dustyraven26 said:People often claim they are free simply because they have options, yet they simultaneously strive for a sense of spontaneity where those very choices vanish. 😕
I maintain that:

True freedom is spontaneous action without the need for choice, rooted in a direct realization of the situation, here and now.

Lest it seems I am drifting from the core subject:
Deception relies on choice—specifically, the choice of how we wish to present ourselves to ourselves and the world. In spontaneity, there is no room for lies.

wow... mind-blowing.

But perhaps one could expand on this slightly...? Specifically, that first sentence:
"Yes, people frequently claim they are free because they have choices,
yet simultaneously they crave a spontaneity where no choice exists."
=in spontaneity, there are still choices.

Hmm... though, perhaps it is better not to dwell on it too deeply. ☕

Edward Flores4 said:Sure thing... though "reason" feels like a bit of a clunky way to put it... I’d probably lean toward saying "mind" instead... but hey, you know what I mean!

Since everything we actually perceive exists within our own minds as an interpretation of some sort of "external signal"—and considering the "self" is really just another part of that very same interpretation—there isn't actually any real distinction between the "observer" and the "observed." That whole construct we call the "I" is really just a linguistic shortcut to make communicating with others easier. But if you try to actually point a finger at that "self"... there’s honestly nothing there. 🙂

I'm in the same boat. But my thoughts don't end there, so I find myself needing a bit of guidance here.

You see, you have this knack for drawing lines between how words are actually used versus their more colloquial, often misused, definitions. I'm struggling to grasp these nuances in English... the distinctions between mind, reason, and sense...?

"all in my mind"... "I don't mind"... "to lose one's mind"...

And then there's "reason"... does that just mean logic?

(The distinctions feel quite slippery to me)

Ethan Johnson said:Anyone here actually self-aware enough to have a sense of their own "Self"? I’d love to hear a few thoughts from you guys. Once you start digging into your "Self," this weird phenomenon happens where the "Self" starts observing "itself." We basically have to step into the shoes of the thinker—but can the thinker actually know who they are? It's kind of like asking if a knife can cut itself, right?

This whole thing actually popped up from that other thread about "being what you are." But here, I really want to figure out if we can even talk about our "Self" in any meaningful way. Are we just a collection of our thoughts—those random ideas floating through our heads? Probably not, since thoughts just drift in and out whenever they feel like it. So, are we our bodies? Nah, because our bodies are constantly shifting, cells are swapping out, and we're all just getting older. So... what the hell is the "Self" actually?

A beautifully phrased question.. 👍 you've essentially answered it all right there.

"One who is self-aware = one who possesses their own 'Self'"—but there is no "us," there is only him. Self-awareness is merely a tiny fraction of consciousness.
The thinker doesn't necessarily need to know himself; he just needs to think alongside himself, fulfilling his function, which is simply to live. And he doesn't even have to be a "thinker" if he finds thinking unpleasant. He could be anything else, provided it's something he genuinely enjoys.

Negative options... history just keeps repeating itself, doesn't it? We only seem to deal with things once they stop being an issue for us personally.

Respect your parents, and maybe you'll actually get some longevity and peace here on this earth.😍

Oh sure, you all are just absolutely wonderful. Truly.😉

It’s difficult to define or even pin down what is being discussed here, though I suspect it might be

Chris Lopez59 said:It’s all about being oriented toward others, you know? You start to spot those people who genuinely strive to do good, the ones who step up to help just because they can, rather than out of some desperate need for validation. Real goodness comes from the person who makes themselves available to everyone else while simultaneously letting go of their own ego

mercy.

As for living righteously—or perhaps according to one God—that is an entirely different matter..

One can live for others, not because it was a conscious choice, yet still find people perceiving them as an egocentrist..
If your only desire is for them to have freedom, just as you do..

rather than simply handing them a bag of groceries.. which apparently makes you Satan😍

Some are meant to be merciful, others are meant to be this way or that.. but in any case, the BEST THEY CAN BE.. and that should align with their true nature, since everyone is unique..

When things are measured by those rigid "moral rules".. well, that is how most people operate, and it is pure conformism.. those "good" people end up being alienated from one another..

Dreadful.
I feel unwell just thinking about it..

To simply be who you are and encourage another to be who they are—both of you becoming the best versions of yourselves.. in accordance with that inner freedom... that is more than enough morality😉

I'm telling you, my notifications showed two unread messages at the top. Since I have that pop-up option enabled, I clicked "yes"... only to find some random username had sent me something completely irrelevant.

But then it just redirected me straight to my inbox where absolutely nothing was new... and yet, here we are, and it’s still claiming I have two unread messages.

It seems to be there every single time I log on..

Today was particularly strange; I actually got a notification—one of those pop-ups—from some unknown username.. I clicked it, thinking I’d finally see what it was, but the message just vanished into thin air.. yet, somehow, that second one is still hanging around right where it started.

Is anyone else running into this?

It shows me two unread messages, but then I head over to my inbox... and they're just gone.

Someone’s whining because they got handed their walking papers... yet the very person slated to step into that vacant role could genuinely feel a sense of genuine CONDOLENCES driven by a heavy conscience...

It seems if you don't suffer from a guilty conscience—even if you haven't actually done anything wrong—you're immediately branded a sociopath or the devil himself by those around you.
Because, apparently, being "humane" means offering endless condolences and all that nonsense...
But really, ☕

I’ve always felt that our capacity for empathy toward others is just a reflection of how we handle it within ourselves.

If we aren't even willing to show ourselves a little grace, how on earth can we expect to extend it to anyone else?

Labor unions?!
That’s what I’d call this thread.
It isn't really about some pure, selfless altruism... because when you offer solidarity, don't you naturally expect it back?

Take the egoist, for instance. They harbor this desperate ambition to hold a specific title—say, a surgeon or an architect—despite lacking the actual credentials. Their strategy? They expect everyone else to pave the way for them, even while they claim they're willing to lend a hand.
Then you have the individual who actually *is* that professional through and through. They aren't looking for a helping hand to get there, nor are they interested in offering one. Is it because they fear competition? Not quite. It’s more that they believe such a role should be reserved exclusively for those whose very identity is defined by it.

There are several distinct varieties of empathy...

I suspect the widest chasm exists between those operating from a place of ego—those who mistakenly believe their "mercy" is true compassion—and those whose empathy isn't driven by self-interest at all, even if they aren't particularly soft-hearted either.

Hard to believe... though I suppose I can 🙂

I was actually thinking about digging into this exact topic just yesterday.

Personally, I find it quite distasteful when people parade their empathy around. The whole "I am such a good person" routine. They act as if they’ve earned a badge of virtue simply because they helped someone out—usually just to secure some future support or to quiet their own conscience regarding views that are fundamentally different from the norm.

And then, naturally, if you don't perform that same level of empathy, you're branded the villain while they ascend to sainthood.

It's curious, isn't it? Truly accomplished individuals sometimes lack empathy, quite simply because they lack it for themselves. They aren't interested in playing the victim.

When I use the word empathy here, I'm referring specifically to pity.

That's why I found the post above rather compelling—the idea that empathy doesn't have to be synonymous with pity, but can simply be an understanding of feelings.

There should be a maxim for it, perhaps something like: I don't wish for evil to cease in this world; I wish for people to understand why it existed in the first place.
I think that captures it well. Pity isn't really empathy at all.

😈

The urge to vomit takes hold of my supervisor, my manager, and even my director whenever I stumble upon these fascinating debates.

Neither sane nor mad: cleanse yourselves internally for COMMUNION.

😳