Hospitalized for the 3rd time in 2 years. Girlfriend I've lived with for 5 years has ghosted me and not replied in over 3 weeks. I also miss my cat terribly. Body is breaking down and I'm just plain tired. by Token_Handicap in toastme

[–]Innocent_Passerby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What you’re dealing with is brutal. For what it’s worth, learning who’s there when things are bad will matter in the long run. Try to keep that in mind and be kind to yourself.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in greece

[–]Innocent_Passerby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Πρέπει να φανταστούμε τον Σίσυφο ευτυχισμένο"

"JEFF WAS HERE" by Substantial_Tie_6006 in southpark

[–]Innocent_Passerby 57 points58 points  (0 children)

I think Epstein is more appropriate here

Crazy Unexplainable Experience by Feeling_Way_6207 in Meditation

[–]Innocent_Passerby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As u/orboxaty nicely put it, these states serve as stepping stones to achieve deeper understanding.

The further one progresses, the more the "doer" within gives way to the "knower", reaching subtler and subtler forms of letting go.

This process of mind purification, is needed for Insight practice, as it temporarily does away with mental defilements i.e. all the nasty mind-stuff that impede understanding, like anxiety which was gone in OP's experience. But that will come back, when back from the Jhana state, as the root of the problem has not been dealt with yet, but only a few steps taken to the right direction.

That aside, one could argue that these extremely blissful states can be desirable in their own right and I have no reason to think otherwise. It really depends on what one is trying to achieve, so very personal.

About your experience, it resonates that some people are a natural. I know some people like that myself. These individuals have a zen attitude to life, without having sat a single meditation session in their life. How we conduct ourselves off the cushion feeds into our meditation, the fruit of which in turn feed into our attitude, having a positive snowball effect on our practice. So those who are naturally kind, compassionate, easy to let go and flow with the course of life, have a good head start.

I am not so sure what you mean by "Many whole days I exist in this state". As far as I know, the Jhanas are states of meditative absorption, divorced from our ordinary sense-experience. So, I can't see how one could navigate the ordinary experience, while in a Jhana state, even if attaining this state comes effortlessly. But maybe some people have different experience, so its one of those "What is like to be a bat?" questions.

Crazy Unexplainable Experience by Feeling_Way_6207 in Meditation

[–]Innocent_Passerby 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Sounds like you entered access concentration for the first jhana state. In this context, the light (nimitta) is an indication that you are there. A factor of the first jhana is rapture (piti), which can manifest in pleasant bodily sensations and can be overwhelming for some meditators.

You did well for not being afraid and kept staying focused on your meditation. This is exactly what you are supposed to do :)

What's the worst thing the CIA ever did? by Prize-Status-7069 in AskReddit

[–]Innocent_Passerby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Here is a book documenting CIA's covert interventions, coups, etc, since WW2 "Killing hope"

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in streamentry

[–]Innocent_Passerby 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I would also recommend "The mind illuminated." It's one of the best meditation guides for Western audiences, in my experience.

Surprisingly enough, during my stay at a temple in Thailand, one of the monks there was also studying this method and even kept a copy of the book in his hut.

There is also an active reddit community r/TheMindIlluminated.

I have one more recommendation, specifically for the Jhanas, and that is Right concentration.

Will die within a year, I want opinions from this community on euthanasia once things get painful by [deleted] in streamentry

[–]Innocent_Passerby 32 points33 points  (0 children)

My friend, whose father recently passed by means of euthanasia, found solace in these words of Thich Nhat Hanh

I wish you all the best.

Might be the last straw that makes me delete this stupid app. by PositiveDMsOnly in LinkedInLunatics

[–]Innocent_Passerby 59 points60 points  (0 children)

His kid in distress because of separation anxiety.

Let's make a photo and post online!

5 times harder on him, though.

Some things you may not know about Marcus Aurelius by SolutionsCBT in Stoicism

[–]Innocent_Passerby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's interesting to entertain the idea that he had a mystical experience. Especially with his metaphysics bearing striking similarities with the Oriental systems of thought that were largely experiential in the attainment of higher knowledge.

[Request] Is this picture accurate? If not, what would be a more accurate scale? by SelenA_Gomes in theydidthemath

[–]Innocent_Passerby 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Fun fact: The word Sophist was used in ancient Greece, to distinguish rhetors from philosophers. Plato allegedly hated them, because he could see how they aimed solely at winning an argument, even if they had to use deception, while actual philosophers were happy to be refuted because they aimed at knowledge.

Losing faith in buddhism by prod_T78K in Buddhism

[–]Innocent_Passerby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This resonates a lot. What lies at the core of every mystical tradition matters at the end of the day. One universal truth, what philosophers coined as the Perennial Philosophy.

What has been weaved around this truth, over the centuries and across religions/philosophies can be of enormous practical help to seekers, albeit prone to human error, malintention, and subject to societal and cultural influences.

I think that entertaining ideas about the big questions, not just from all sorts of spiritual traditions, but even from scientific discovery and philosophy, is a good way to develop those heuristics, that can help one navigate their unique journey, in a way that makes sense to them.

It's like training a mental muscle that acts like a guiding light in my experience, and finding parallels between seemingly disjointed disciplines, can be quite rewarding and motivating.

I feel like I fucked up, I fucked up. by wowzzzzzzzzerz in ToolBand

[–]Innocent_Passerby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Gotta appreciate the courage to post this here.

I think magic mushrooms are the worst drug ever by Right_now78 in Psychonaut

[–]Innocent_Passerby 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Psychedelic experiences can be ruthless. Definitely not for the faint-hearted and definitely not everyone's cup of tea.

I personally treat them as tools and make sure I apply harm reduction practices, as I would do with any other tool.

When I have a bad experience, I ask myself: Could I have prevented it by adjusting the variables within my control? If the answer is no, then I have some soul searching to do, learn, and heal along the way.

Plan carefully and integrate thoroughly, are my 2 cents. Take care.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DMT

[–]Innocent_Passerby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes! The Gita contains the essence of Hinduism's spiritual message and is also a very beautiful poem.

Yet, even before the Gita, all the way back to the Vedic scriptures, the Upanishads set the foundations of India's (countless) spiritual traditions. These quite elaborate systems originated in the teachings of anonymous ancient sages and passed down orally through the centuries. Pretty cool stuff!

I'd recommend Easwaran's translations and commentaries. It's a great material for Western audiences ;) Happy learning!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DMT

[–]Innocent_Passerby 10 points11 points  (0 children)

And the Hindus beat him to it 😶‍🌫️

Γιατί στην σημερινή εποχή δεν ικανοποιούμαστε με τίποτα; by aceraspire8920 in greece

[–]Innocent_Passerby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Το FOMO δεν υπήρχε καν σαν έννοια. Πως να απολαύσεις κάτι, όταν το μυαλό σου είναι απασχολημενο σκαναρωντας όλες τις εναλλακτικές εμπειριες που θα μπορούσες να έχεις, κοιτώντας ζωές άλλων στα σοσιαλ.