Experiencing nonduality means cultivating or creating a state of nondual awareness. These states are tranquil and open, free of judgement and full of possibility. Anyone can experience nonduality, at any time, and in this article we'll explore three ways of doing so. But before we get into the practical methods, it can be helpful to understand nonduality conceptually. What is … [Read more...] about How to Directly Experience Nonduality
Consciousness & Spirituality
How to Have a Mystical Experience: A Research-Based Guide
After reading the last post on this topic, you may be wondering how to have your own mystical experience. That's understandable, as mystical experience is widely considered one of the most profound and meaningful someone can have. Mystical experience is characterized by feelings of self-transcendence and direct connection with the divine, a sense of cosmic unity, … [Read more...] about How to Have a Mystical Experience: A Research-Based Guide
Consciousness and its Contents
No-self calls for an alternative model for conceptualizing reality as a human being. This post outlines what I think is the most accurate model for individualized subjective experience - at least the most accurate I have come across so far. In this model experience consists not of a self and that which is other than self, but rather just two fundamental elements: consciousness … [Read more...] about Consciousness and its Contents
No-Self as Counterintuitive Truth
The lack of a substantive self is the core counterintuitive truth of the human experience. No-self runs counter to our habitual thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, as well as our experiences interacting with one another and the world. Nevertheless, it is true. The sense of being a distinct, independent self - a conscious actor who thinks thoughts, makes decisions, and … [Read more...] about No-Self as Counterintuitive Truth
Come Back to Yourself
The world gets faster and crazier every day. More happens on a monthly, weekly, daily basis than ever before. I know I’m not the only one who feels it. There’s just so much going on. You could spend every waking hour reading news articles and end each day with thousands left to read. New discoveries, new technologies, new facts and opinions about those facts, new projects, … [Read more...] about Come Back to Yourself
Talking Better About No-Self
I first ran into this problem when I told my mom I had tried LSD. She took it surprisingly well, especially as someone who grew up during the peak of 1970s/80s drug war propaganda. But what preceded this admission was a long conversation, walking along the beach, where I tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to convince her that the "self" does not exist. The sense of self … [Read more...] about Talking Better About No-Self
Recreating the Psychedelic Experience in Virtual Reality
For some time now I’ve been interested in the prospect of recreating the psychedelic experience in virtual reality. This has led me to try several "consciousness" based VR experiences, mostly around meditation and most of which were unremarkable. Recently one VR experience stood out, called SoundSelf. SoundSelf involves chanting while the game creates a real-time feedback … [Read more...] about Recreating the Psychedelic Experience in Virtual Reality
Spiritual But Not Religious
What does it mean to be spiritual but not religious? Western religion would make you out as a criminal, having you believe you've done something wrong, right from the get go. You're a miserable sinner in the eyes of the creator of the universe and you've committed an unforgivable cosmic crime... before you were even born. You should feel guilty and ashamed, they say, … [Read more...] about Spiritual But Not Religious
There’s Emotion Trapped in Your Body – Get it OUT!
I woke up at 3AM and punched the wall so hard my hand hurt the next day. I was angry. Furious. But I had no idea why. It happened again the next night, and the next. I'd find myself suddenly awake in middle of the night - groggy, disoriented, and furious. At the time it didn't make sense - it wasn't until later that I made the connection. The first night I woke up feeling … [Read more...] about There’s Emotion Trapped in Your Body – Get it OUT!
Peak Experience, Consciousness and Ego (Ananda Mandala Meditation Pt. 2)
Last week I wrote about an experience I had during a breathing meditation called Ananda Mandala. This experience was one of intense love, gratitude, inner peace and what you could call “bliss” - as well as strong feelings of oneness and an almost complete lack of sense of self. In the first post I described the experience and - since it’s what my rational mind likes to do - … [Read more...] about Peak Experience, Consciousness and Ego (Ananda Mandala Meditation Pt. 2)
Gratitude, Bliss and Oneness with Ananda Mandala Meditation
We’re sitting on cushions in a circle and my mind is going at it - This is interesting - I wonder what will happen? - That girl over there is cute - I heard people cry and scream in these things - What if I throw up or shit myself or something? - That would be bad - Oh look, here comes the teacher - His name is Punnu and he looks the part: Indian, turban-clad and bearded … [Read more...] about Gratitude, Bliss and Oneness with Ananda Mandala Meditation
Fighting the War for Your Psychological Freedom: Drug Policy, Consciousness & Our Future
There is a war on your freedom and sovereignty as a human being - not your physical sovereignty but your sovereignty of mind. A gateway exists in your psyche to certain mental states - states of consciousness - and this gateway belongs to you as much as your hands, feet or eyes. Through the gateway are some of the most profound and integral experiences available to human … [Read more...] about Fighting the War for Your Psychological Freedom: Drug Policy, Consciousness & Our Future
Here are the 5 Levels of Consciousness (As far as I can tell)
This is a thought experiment, a piece of 'mental gymnastics' that I thought of while swimming in the pool yesterday. I thought of the question - What do we mean when we say "high conscious" or "low conscious" - then I thought "Wouldn't it be nice to categorize these things somehow?" So I came up with this sort of progression of 'levels' of consciousness that I wanted to … [Read more...] about Here are the 5 Levels of Consciousness (As far as I can tell)
Playing the Game: How to Reconcile Spirituality and Self-Improvement
Spirituality and self improvement can at first seem incompatible. Spirituality is rooted in the idea that there is no real "self" and that dissolving the ego---or at least trying to look past it and act as if it wasn't there---is the best way to proceed in life. Self improvement, on the other hand, is a constant development of that very self we've just claimed doesn't … [Read more...] about Playing the Game: How to Reconcile Spirituality and Self-Improvement
Imagine That You Have No Head (A Trick to Realize There is No “You”)
This is a interesting trick that I picked up from Sam Harris' book Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion (Amazon). If this works for you (and it may not), it can be a quick and easy route to realizing that there is no 'you'; that there is no separate self inhabiting your consciousness and "experiencing your experience". What do I mean by this? If you're not … [Read more...] about Imagine That You Have No Head (A Trick to Realize There is No “You”)