I noticed that when I think about others, I'm only interacting with my thoughts about others. That's how far our relationships go. Yet there is a different way of connecting with others: I notice they are 'in the same place' where I am. It is the same formless seat of our being, unchanged and unlocated. In that seat, we are identical. What follows is an appreciation of this sameness, which I want to call Love. All I can do from that position is simply be That which dreams both of us. So I got curious: is this love? What is love in your experience?

I’ve been noticing something slightly disturbing about spiritual teachings. For any teaching to survive, it has to attract people. And to attract people, it almost always has to offer some kind of “goodie”. Freedom from suffering.A better life.Authenticity.Peace.Enlightenment. Something the ego wants. Because if a teacher simply stood up and said: “Let’s pursue truth for its own sake, even if it destroys everything you believe and gives you nothing in return.” Almost nobody would show up. So teachings package truth with incentives. Even teachers who deeply care about truth still have to do this. Take Peter Ralston as an example and this community. This work clearly points toward something very serious. But notice how the entry points are things like improving your life, ending suffering, authentic experience, workshops, courses, books, etc. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s probably unavoidable. It just reveals something about us as humans. Most people don’t come for truth. They come for something they want. And maybe, if they stay long enough, truth sneaks in. Which brings me to the funny part: Even writing this post… I can see the same mechanism in myself. Part of me genuinely wants to explore this dynamic. And another part of me hopes people resonate, like it, comment on it… so I can collect enough points to reach Level 2 in this community. So even this reflection isn’t free from the same incentive structure. Which makes me wonder: Is it actually possible to communicate truth without any incentive attached to it at all? Or is some level of “goodie” always part of the game? -Talat

One of our members is also active on YouTube in Ukraine. I imagine nothing grounds consciousness work like doing it in a war zone. @Lilia Hrabar you are badass. Keep up the good work and stay safe!

Just being very honest here, in noticing my motivations, and my "deeper thoughts," on a very "down-low" level, what I've got going on is some sort of activity of "needing" to be "the best" in some kind of way. Status attainment somehow. Now, I know this isn't unique to me, and it seems pretty glaringly obvious in a lot of people's cases, but why is it there?? What does it contribute? How come so much of my self-mind activity and so much of what I do ends up giving energy to this? Because let's say it straight right now. For most of us, actual physical survival, ergo not dying, isn't something we have to think about almost EVER. We've got food shelter water this and that to take care of us. Even if it fell apart a bit we most likely wouldn't die. Yet SO much of our energy and attention is being given somewhere else! Where is our attention going? What is it we're doing? Is that what keeps us from being free and happy? I don't know, but I would appreciate some guided thoughts on the matter as I really want to bang a hammer over the head of this issue. It is so much of like, my entire experience! From impulse to emotions, to... Who knows what else. It's just so central to my experience. I even find, when it comes to dedicating my life force to something, if it doesn't gain me status, "is it worth it?" Or some such. I guess all this really feeds into the question, for me, what actually is a Self? What is it's Goal or Purpose?

I just want to express my deep gratitude to everybody I met and got to know yesterday in the Ending Suffering workshop. I had an insight into the nature of thought - it’s an Activity, and it’s made up!!! I’ve heard that a million times, and yesterday, I got that for myself. So now I’m exploring what this new freedom entails, and I’m so excited. The way everybody communicated, and the spirit of the work were strikingly different from any other setting I have experienced. Special thanks to @Brendan Lea for your skilful facilitation and the team for making it possible. I feel so proud to be part of this.