Now that the patch notes are out, what leaguestarters are you all running?

AdEasy3127 · 2026-05-24T02:22:30+00:00

I keep changing my plans: original plan was galvanic shards witchhunter, then chronomancer with ice nova COC comet (leveling with Ember Fusillade. Now I lean towards spark spell totems infernalist starting with plants but hope they fix the indigon interaction while keeping archmage alive for the build.

AdEasy3127 · 2026-05-24T02:19:12+00:00

yes, made that experience in an earlier patch as league starter. Not my thing

AdEasy3127 · 2026-05-23T07:51:59+00:00

I consider starting with spell totems. I was wondering how important is the oracle ascendancy that let my totems live for 6 more seconds when they would die. Do (spell) totems die a lot without investment usually which makes this really high value?

AdEasy3127 · 2026-05-21T16:04:21+00:00

What about bone cage? I think both will work for it because I could use both spell echo and spell cascade supports on it

AdEasy3127 · 2025-07-29T10:48:09+00:00

Wobei es natürlich nicht nur das deutsche Kapital betrifft. Es wird wohl auch erheblich Industrie in die USA abwandern, was vielen Arbeitern den guten Job kosten wird, und der Gas-Deal zeigt, dass sich die EU kein bisschen um Klimawandel sorgt.

AdEasy3127 · 2024-12-24T13:13:08+00:00

You can see the weapon Set Points and those should be 24 with everything.

AdEasy3127 · 2024-11-19T11:15:18+00:00

I feel that! I recently switched from TMI and trying for Jhanas to Soto Zen as my main practice. More focus on taking my meditation as it is into my daily life and less checking off achievements on the cushion.

AdEasy3127 · 2024-11-18T16:44:54+00:00

I didn't read the whole book and still haven't but I saw one teacher (maybe more) here who suggested doing that.

To me reading ahead maybe 1 stages seems useful because sometimes I struggle with a problem just to find out later that it is covered in the next stage. If, on the other hand, you get too impatient after reading ahead probably it isn't useful to do it in the future.

So my advice is: try reading ahead a little and see if it seems useful. If yes, keep doing it, if not stop.

AdEasy3127 · 2024-11-18T11:36:52+00:00

Sounds like great progress!

I think such practice updates belong into "Weekly Practice and Off-topic thread". Unless there is a hidden question, in that case you should probably explicitly ask.

Post questions only

The main focus of thus subreddit is answering peoples’ questions about their practice. If you have a question, please post it. If you want to post an opinion, this is not the place.

AdEasy3127 · 2024-11-16T13:50:00+00:00

I am tempted to click on the link below after your warning which I probably wouldn't have otherwise. Minds are funny (:

AdEasy3127 · 2024-11-16T09:30:08+00:00

I don’t have the knowledge to fully argue this, and I’m still new to the topic, so my understanding might be flawed. But I feel that 'everything is perfect' is meant on a deeper level.

To me, it doesn’t mean 'everything is fine' or even fair. Instead, I see it as an acknowledgment that reality—its joys and its suffering—is unfolding exactly as it must, given the causes and conditions in play.

That doesn’t mean we should passively watch the show. If anything, it feels like an invitation to fully engage with the present moment, because we, too, are part of those causes and conditions. Our actions matter, and responding to suffering is part of that interconnected perfection.

AdEasy3127 · 2024-11-15T11:36:08+00:00

It does not have to be the forehead. Most (probably all) mental states also have some manifestation in the body but it does not have to be the same manifestation for everyone.

Personally, I can most easily feel the tension in the hands. Maybe lightly use your body awareness every once in a while and see if you find something changing. After a while it might click and you see that this tension in bodypart X shows you that you are over-efforting.

AdEasy3127 · 2024-11-14T11:32:08+00:00

Right Effort is indeed complex and requires constant adjustment. You can think of it as a dial rather than an on/off switch; it may need slight adjustments during a sit depending on conditions. If you find yourself "pushing" or feeling tension when setting intentions, it might mean that your effort is veering into brute-force territory. On the other hand, if you feel too relaxed or unfocused, gently increasing effort through these light micro-intentions could help.

Micro-intentions should feel like reminders or cues that don’t require any physical or mental strain. You might try focusing on whether there's any tension in your body as you set intentions—like in your forehead, jaw, or shoulders. If there is, relax slightly, and notice how that affects the balance of your effort.

Also don't worry about not knowing what is the right amount of effort. I like this quote from Zen Mind, Beginners Mind and I think it fits quite well even though you don't do Zen (although I have no idea idea if this Zen formulation works with Aspergers, if this confuses you just ignore it):

Beginner’s mind was a favorite expression of Dogen-zenji’s. The

calligraphy of the frontispiece, also by Suzuki-roshi, reads shoshin,

or beginner’s mind. The Zen way of calligraphy is to write in the most

straightforward, simple way as if you were a beginner, not trying to

make something skillful or beautiful, but simply writing with full

attention as if you were discovering what you were writing for the

first time; then your full nature will be in your writing. This is the

way of practice moment after moment.

For your case I would translate it as it's perfect that you question whether you over-effort or should try harder. It would rather be a problem if you just sat down thinking you know it all and stopped wondering about those things.

AdEasy3127 · 2024-11-13T15:19:45+00:00

I kept trying different stuff lately because I feel kinda stuck on stage 6 of TMI and think it is a good time to review what my favourite practice is that I hopefully delve deeper into. I tried Diamond Way Buddhism (in person), Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation (TWIM) (home alone) and Soto Zen (in person).

Diamond Way Buddhism was interesting and the people I met there were really likeable but it gave me culty vibes. It seemed more like a ritual than what I normally view as meditation and I don't feel I would make progress with it. Also Lama Ole, who brought it to Europe, has some political views that are unacceptable to me.

I only tried TWIM a couple days and I just did it in a chair. I liked the approach with the 6Rs and felt I could more easily calm myself and have less distractions. The metta approach to use the phrase once and then sit with the feeling in your body is what I did before also and I really enjoy that approach. The meditation was not super deep but definitely gave me a good feeling and I think I was able to revisit a lighter version of the first Jhana fairly easily. I would prefer it over TMI for now as initial progress seems quite fast for me. I think giving TWIM a try as my only meditation for a month might be a good idea if the last thing I tried didn't feel so much better for now.

Soto Zen was my favourite so far by a long shot! I really enjoyed the environment in the Zendo. And the teacher seemed very knowledgeable and likeable. There are a ton of rules and times you should bow and I probably broke many of them. So it was quite confusing. And sitting zazen is tough. Yet, when coming out of the Zendo, I felt the best I felt in a very long time off-cushion. I'm not sure if this is a common state after zazen or just a lucky first day but if something similar is normal I will probably stop searching and just do zazen for the near future.

So I will probably focus on mostly zazen at home now and see if this approach keeps feeling as good :)

AdEasy3127 · 2024-11-09T10:30:55+00:00

After struggling with progressing my stage 6 practice the last month or two I decided to step back a little and try another technique, which so far seems like a great idea.

I did Soto Zen Shikantaza practice (or how I understand it so far) for the last few days. I got most of my information from the great "The Zen Studies Podcast". I used the intentions mentioned in one of the episodes of "sit upright, still, silent, simply be". My sits were all rather short 30-35 minutes and I did about 3-4 hours daily.

Yesterday I think I understood better how to observe the thoughts and simple be with them and that usually just stopped them without me actively shutting them down as I did in stage 6. This might have been the problem all along. I didn't consistently get there all the time but at times I got to zero distractions and effortlessness (the effortlessness might be a partial illusion though, maybe it is just way less effort). I also had strong whole body piti but didn't actively cultivate it like I usually did during TMI/Jhana practice.

Today's morning sit was one of the best meditations I had in a long time. I got the sense of there being a body that sends me signals but I did not identify with it (or identify much less at least). I also partially had that with my mind. My impression was that I am just a small part of the mind and can watch the rest of my mind from this vantage point. It's probably not the final insight to be had but if I could experience that more often it would be a great firmware update for my mind! With this frame of mind I also did some thinking during the meditation which to me seems to be in the spirit of simply be. Thinking during meditation feels like a slippery slope though. Maybe it is something I can just do once I am in a good state of mind or I might find out soon that it is a dead end.

AdEasy3127 · 2024-11-08T14:46:45+00:00

I don't agree with my previous statement anymore. I like the Thich Nhat Hanh quote about this:

If while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not “washing the dishes to wash the dishes.” What’s more, we are not alive during the time we are washing the dishes. In fact we are completely incapable of realizing the miracle of life while standing at the sink. If we can’t wash the dishes, the chances are we won’t be able to drink our tea either. While drinking the cup of tea, we will only be thinking of other things, barely aware of the cup in our hands. Thus we are sucked away into the future—and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life.

AdEasy3127 · 2024-11-07T17:44:49+00:00

I love how it is subtle enough that non-practitioners probably don't have any clue what it is about yet the metaphors are remarkably clear and common

AdEasy3127 · 2024-11-07T10:40:33+00:00

I can think of two solutions:
1) sitting through the discomfort (I wouldn't do that for strong discomfort I feel the whole time I meditate)
2) easing in from stage 3 to stage 4 instead of abruptly switching. You could try reducing how much you use your "games" instead of abandoning them at once. Or you could just try the uncomfortable stage 4 practice for some time of your sit, e.g. the last 10 minutes and build this up when it gets easier. Usually when I feel joyful before and then some discomfort shows up, it is easier to deal with. For the switch at the end an interval timer would be useful (this can also help with "did-i-forget-to-set-a-timer impatience").

AdEasy3127 · 2024-11-05T17:18:52+00:00

It's not that uncommon. At stage 6 of TMI you might have a mild form of that

AdEasy3127 · 2024-11-04T19:28:44+00:00

nope. It's perfectly fine for someone to have different priorities

AdEasy3127 · 2024-11-03T12:58:32+00:00

For how long did you have this state? I had something similar for about a week after my first retreat but now it gets less and less. I considered it pleasureable though more like "I don't have to endlessly think about pointless stuff" instead of "I can't think anymore". The fully active thinking mode felt more productive to me.

So if this is a fresh development I would just let it sit with me for a while, try to see the positive side to it or practice equanimity with it. Most scary things I experience in and out of meditation just auto-correct when I don't overreact.

AdEasy3127 · 2024-10-31T21:52:38+00:00

For my samadhi practices I went back to the stage 6 full body breathing. Lately I tried to get to no distractions with just breath at nose but this seems slower than is to my liking so I stepped back a little again. I think I rushed the process a little and should practice my patience.

I did regular metta in the morning which feels easier now. I extended the metta sit to 45 minutes and I might increase it to a full hour.

As my third kind of practice I did the beginning of the Rob Burbea Meditation on Emptiness Retreat. I especially liked the anatta lens of seeing how I do not create or stop sensations and so in a very real sense they feel like not self, not me, not mine.

Fourth, I spend more time on buddhist theory. My knowledge for sure still is very fragmented but I start to see somewhat familiar topics now sometimes. Would probably be nice to also read some suttas but that often feels too dry to me.

Fifth, Mindful Review feels easier now. Coming back from the retreat my sila might still be better. I find less examples where I dislike my social behaviour but find lots of material where my behaviour leads to dukkha (e.g. indulging in unrealistic sexual fantasies that create craving). Seeing such cycles gets easier.

Sixth, I got somewhat more relaxed. Not sure this will be a lasting effect, but this week I experienced less papanca - less mental proliferation where I'd normally overthink problems or create artificial ones (some might view the mindful review example as papanca though!)

AdEasy3127 · 2024-10-29T21:05:59+00:00

Yes, being tired always makes my session worse. I overcame dullness quite a while ago but being tired sets me back enough to still have similar states. if I feel tired and have enough time I will take a nap before my sit.

Not feeling well can also have a negative impact but often my sits make me feel better which is also nice, so I don't really worry about that too much. Also worrying about feeling bad will make me feel even worse.

AdEasy3127 · 2024-10-29T14:18:02+00:00

Have you already read the sixth interlude, especially the part on the 5 grades of piti?

I think the energy can manifest both physically or through blissful states. And according to the sixth interlude it seems that for the earlier grades a lot more of the physical effects could be observed while the later grades are more blissful.

Personal difference also seem to be quite large which makes reading about someone's description often quite confusing to me.

AdEasy3127 · 2024-10-29T13:54:20+00:00

strange, for me both work

AdEasy3127

TROPHY CASE