My experiences

[raushan]

One thing I see is very funny in the modern world. There are people whose sole job is to create content. It may be on YouTube or Twitter or on a blog. In fact, they are rich also by using these mediums. Some of them write on meditation, Buddism, Stoicism, Self Improvement. There are so many. They have so many followers. They produce content consistently even if they are absolute garbage.

They write anything which doesn't make sense. But most of the people are sure stupid and Idiot there is no doubt about that. Otherwise, that kind of writer or Youtubers would never have gotten famous.

There are so many popular Ted talks with absolutely no value. In fact, if someone tries to follow these their life will become absolutely hell. I have been the victim of these things. Only people who are getting benefits from these are the people who are producing the content. He knows he will write any garbage and people will consume it.

They have no original idea or creativity. They read a bunch of books, biographies other nice books, and make a video. I have been seeing this idea at many places on the internet that in the modern world there are so many contents to consume. We have to be faster. There are literally so many books and contents and the podcast. But are they worth consuming? Even if they are on the bestseller list.

SO many information on everything. People are writing a whole research papers on courage and all those nonsense.

Essential information, the core information is always limited. It's always very little. All those extra information is just noise and the garbage.

I have to admit I do feel jealous of them when I see they have made money by just creating the garbage. But still, I abhor imitating them.

The only way to verify things of value which are in Science and Technology. There you can't throw the random bullshit.

[Matthew]

We're living in a "Plastic Fantastic" society: image over substance is the rule, whether that be content makers, corporations or governments. Society is full of lies and charlatans at every level.

This includes the fake plastic prophets of New Age awakening: grifters who, as you point out, read a few books, do a bit of hatha yoga, then start creaming it in with the gullible

I can understand a fleeting jealously at their outward 'success' yet the reality is that are running away from the emptiness inside of them, because it's frightening to swim against the tide and embrace it.

The most important information about reality is accessed through taking charge of your mind, deconditioning it from previous experience, developing insight, and seeing things as they really are.

Science is attractive in its method and supposed certainty, yet it's just another story. Ask any scientist who is honest and they'll tell you science doesn't have any definitive answers to any of the big questions about life. Not one. Physics? Utterly incomplete science. Consciousness? They don't have a clue. They have some maps, and some of these maps help us with technological solutions on the relative level, but on the absolute level science has no answers. Not only that, but it denies any validity to inner experience - and that is the teacher on the path.

[raushan]

We're living in a "Plastic Fantastic" society: image over substance is the rule, whether that be content makers, corporations or governments. Society is full of lies and charlatans at every level.

This includes the fake plastic prophets of New Age awakening: grifters who, as you point out, read a few books, do a bit of hatha yoga, then start creaming it in with the gullible

I can understand a fleeting jealously at their outward 'success' yet the reality is that are running away from the emptiness inside of them, because it's frightening to swim against the tide and embrace it.

The most important information about reality is accessed through taking charge of your mind, deconditioning it from previous experience, developing insight, and seeing things as they really are.

Completely agree with you with whatever you said above.

[Monica]

The most important information about reality is accessed through taking charge of your mind, deconditioning it from previous experience, developing insight, and seeing things as they really are.

This, and another comment about how little information is relevant, made in the first post in this thread, resonated with me.

I used to "buy" a lot of the empty content. I used to believe that listening to another talk, or reading another meditation book, or sometimes buying the book, to read someday, would take me closer to enlightenment. I am learning now that the desire to possess these things, regardless of the excuse I pin to them, is just another manifestation of my attachment. I am now working on letting these things go. I used to feel exhausted and overwhelmed by my "to-do" list or my reading list. It feels good to know I don't have to have a reading list, and I don't have to take another course.

Sill working on it, however. I am a work in progress.

Blessings to all.

[raushan]

Hi Monica,

I guess this is a great milestone to realize that reading more books and watching all the videos and content is more of a hindrance in the path. We find truth when we realize we don't know anything. Accumulating knowledge prevents us from finding the truth.

[Dhamma]

Hi Monica,

I guess this is a great milestone to realize that reading more books and watching all the videos and content is more of a hindrance in the path. We find truth when we realize we don't know anything. Accumulating knowledge prevents us from finding the truth.

I sort of agree, dear friend.

A Qingong Master once said that it's what you know from discovery - not what you can put into words, or learn from others. That said, it is still important to learn and study to put you on the right path, but it's what you discover that ultimately frees you.

[raushan]

Yes i agree. Sometimes pointers are helpful.

[Matthew]

I used to "buy" a lot of the empty content. I used to believe that listening to another talk, or reading another meditation book, or sometimes buying the book, to read someday, would take me closer to enlightenment. I am learning now that the desire to possess these things, regardless of the excuse I pin to them, is just another manifestation of my attachment.

There's a balance to be struck between hearing or reading the Dhamma, and understanding it personally through experience and practice: embodiment of the truths in the teachings.

There's benefit in hearing/reading the Dhamma up to the point where you have to explore it personally and verify the truth through your own experience.

There's little point filling your head with more and more ideas without verifying them through personal experience - if you follow the path intellectually yet not experientially then you risk building yet another layer of ego around 'ideas of Dhamma' rather than stripping away layers of ego through putting Dhamma into practice: on and off the cushion.

[TahManifester]

Hi everyone.

So, in my experiences, I have found that (despite popular belief) you don't have to close your eyes to achieve deep meditation. I have been able to achieve very deep meditations with my eyes open, using focus points. The points of focus can be different things (dots, a symbol, a candle flame, etc). It just has to be stationary and non-distracting.

During these meditation sessions, I have felt renewed, clear, awakened, my eyesight seems to temporarily improve, I get an intense sensation in the pineal gland area of my head, and so on. It has been very effective for me to do it that way.

[Dhamma]

Hi everyone.

So, in my experiences, I have found that (despite popular belief) you don't have to close your eyes to achieve deep meditation. I have been able to achieve very deep meditations with my eyes open, using focus points. The points of focus can be different things (dots, a symbol, a candle flame, etc). It just has to be stationary and non-distracting.

During these meditation sessions, I have felt renewed, clear, awakened, my eyesight seems to temporarily improve, I get an intense sensation in the pineal gland area of my head, and so on. It has been very effective for me to do it that way.

Dear TahManifester,

Meditation can certainly be done keeping your eyes open. In the Zen tradition, they always have their eyes at least half-open.  In the other Buddhist traditions, they sometimes focus on candle flames, colors, ,etc, just as you said above. There are other yogic schools that also do meditation with eyes open.


Peace and enlightenment, dear friend.