Joseph Maynor

I'll give you the advaita vedanta answer. I think realizing that the Self doesn't control ego is key. You have to pull that "I thought" out of what's happening externally (and internally in the mind). Those thoughts and feelings aren't yours. Rest in the Self as your identity. The Self is the detached nondual witness consciousness. The mirror (the Self) doesn't care what's being displayed as its image (Maya/Illusion). Notice when the "I thought" is being applied in a subject-object way, and when it is, bring it back into the Self. The Self is the only I. Let the images on the mirror do what they want and know they can never affect the mirror itself. It's a change in identity -- or more accurately a clarification of identity by removing delusion. Anyway, it's fun to "practice" this. It's a hoot at the very least.

This is a great remaster. This album needed a good remaster.

This is funny and good at the same time. Their version of 'Anesthesia' is really cool and I like 'Phantom Lord' too just as standouts for me.

A thought can either be a meaning or a visualization as in imagination.

Here's the album in a different key and instrumental. Sounds awesome. C instead of E. Sounds darker and more sinister. I like the way Cliff's bass sounds. It's amazing how changing the key can have such a dramatic effect in the sound - you can really hear it in Kirk's guitar solos which sound very different. 'Metal Militia' sounds amazing! ‘Anesthesia’ sounds better to me in this key wow!

Phil inspired me to learn about advaita vedanta deeper and to that I credit his influence.

Released in 1986. This is a good remaster. I can hear things in this version I couldn't hear before. I've always liked and appreciated this album.

Who’s life? I made a video that goes into the finer points of Advaita.

If you can quickly dodge the ads, this is quite good.

I can't say I have a simple answer to your question. I'm not one of those people who think and say confidently that they have found the truth as to these matters. I don't feel that way when I'm really honest with myself. What started the thread to unravel for me is when I first realized I wasn't sure what the self is and secondly when I realized that human being is a construct. I'm not freaked out by it anymore and I can't even say I've definitively found answers to these either and that's ok. I'm ok not knowing too. But I agree it is kinda scary, and we want to know the truth to assuage this feeling of not knowing or not knowing yet. But all answers I've heard on some level don't seem right to me either. It's made me pull back from feeling like I need truth a bit and to wobble the knowing vs./and not knowing duality more gingerly than before. On some level everything is as it always has been for me, so there's nothing to fear. It's just the story now that's at issue, and that doesn't impact my life all the time anyway, only when I'm focused on that. I can shift my focus to other things that then become the central issue for me, like washing my dishes.

If we're talking about advaita vedanta, The Self doesn't control the ego. This is something that I see a lot of people have a hard time consistently grasping in advaita vedanta. It's so tempting to think that the Self is a doer, but that puts you in mind/ego. There's a presumption that the ego should or should not be a certain way, but that again assumes the ego exists and should be controlled by I guess more ego. Really the practice is to realize that the ego is entirely an illusion -- so practice collapses into knowing and knowing collapses into being the Self.

You have to be at the center of your own spiritual model. It lives because you bring it to life. The community originates in you because you keep it alive.

I've always loved this album but felt it needed a remaster. This is a good remaster. Nice and loud!

I think people get stuck in narratives because that forms the social glue that holds their relations together. It gives them common ground to have a reason to relate with others and a safe zone for that. The downside of this is it impedes growth because if you change too much you're no longer speaking the language that holds your tribe together so to speak.

How I'm working on getting over my fear of public speaking.

If you can quickly dodge the ads, these are quite good.

"The Undifferentiated" makes me laugh a little every time I see it used. It's like how can you beat this. It seems like it trumps Consciousness to me.

Best version of this album I've heard. Not sure if this is a remaster or not. I love Tony Iommi's guitar tone on this album. He's got his own style and his own aesthetic, his own cliches too often identifiable in his solos. In other words, he has his own sound as a guitar player and he's identifiable in that way.

1. Meditation (do nothing meditation) 2. Study (my interests shift too) 3. Time alone (being with me/Me) 4. Making time to do things I enjoy (my 12 fulfillment areas) 5. Working on my spirituality (this is my life purpose)

Because advaita vedanta teaches that the ego doesn't exist, talk of integration, shadow, etc. can seem like nonsense to people who are either integrating, reintegrating, or practicing advaita vedanta. They're going to retort that people don't exist too. It doesn't bother me anymore, but I can see why systemically there's an issue here. Integration assumes there's an ego that integrates and develops, or at least can do so; and secondly, that one should value integration work and strive to do it.

@ivankiss The duality between teacher and student is interesting. Sometimes I wonder who we think we're teaching or influencing. Maybe we're talking to ourselves more than anything.

This album got a worthy remaster too. One of my favorite albums. The remaster for this album is next level too. Wow is all I can say.

"Be As You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi" by Sri Ramana Maharshi (Author), David Godman (Compiler). Highly recommend! https://www.amazon.com/Be-As-You-Are-Teachings/dp/0140190627

Your response gets tricky from an advaita vedanta perspective because the ego/mind is that which makes the distinction between subjective and objective. If there is no ego and no people, then the subjective-objective duality is false. The Self doesn't become anything; to become implies change and the Self is changeless. Vivartavada https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivartavada