I'm addicted to stimulation.

[Someone here]

Through mindfulness  meditation..I've become aware of many behavioral habits I've developed subconsciously since birth... my Ego is one to be reckoned with... one of these habits is my addiction to stimulation. Allow me to define:

I am unable to be satisfied with the current moment..regardless of what I’m doing. I have this habit of projecting myself into the future in hopes that a different moment in time will provide me more than what the current moment has to offer... and it never stops.

It occurred to me this weekend while enjoying the National Park (one of my absolute passions) that i was still not pleased or at peace while doing something i have come to thoroughly enjoy... Even on the side of the park I  was projecting myself someplace else because i felt "this wasn't good enough"...

These emotions cause me to carry out a bunch of random acts in hopes of satisfying my craving for a new form of stimulation... anything from checking my phone every 5 minutes for social media updates..to ..smoking cigarettes .. TV channel surfing for hours without deciding on a program..etc

My brain always finds a way to become distracted from the current moment and seek a way out of it.

The fact that im aware of this behavior does motivate me to continue to open this new level of consciousness… but I’m hoping someone might have some advice as to how I might correct my issue. Does anyone out there know of an approach to take with meditation to counter this behavior? Or how I can bring the underlying source to attention so i can learn to correct my behavior?

Im tired of always wanting something, of craving stimulation and often not even knowing what it is that I desire. Nothing seems to satisfy the craving... I’m experiencing what the Buddha identified in the 4 noble truths... desire (in many forms) is certainly the cause of my suffering... I just want to overcome it!!

Thoughts welcome..Namaste 🙏 

[Phil]

Suffering is discordant thoughts and is always on behalf of a nonexistent self. 

This reply could easily be interpreted as semantical.

But suffering is discordant thoughts and is always on behalf of a nonexistent self. 

 

 

It is said ‘I’ve become aware’. 

This is the materialist’s paradigm. The self which becomes (aware) doesn’t exist. People are not aware and do not become aware or increase awareness. People is a thought. Thoughts are not aware and do not become aware.

Awareness is aware and does not ‘become more aware’. Awareness is already aware, already infinite, and only awareness is aware.

Awareness is obscured by beliefs. Awareness is unobscured by questioning / inspecting beliefs.   

 

The habits are said to be subconscious, while the emotions are said to be the cause. 

There is no subconscious, emotions are guidance, there is no cause.

The random acts aren’t random. They’re aversion (from emotion / feeling). 

 

The ego is said to be mine, and one to be reckoned with. 

These things are said from the ego’s (illusory, nonexistent) perspective. 

There are discordant thoughts, corresponding emotions, and discord & alignment. There is no separate self (ego). 

 

The hope seems to hinge on a different moment in time. 

That has never been experienced because it doesn’t exist. 

Hope is aversion. It arises from beliefs, believed to be known. 

It’s ‘this isn’t enough / good enough’, believed. 

Question & inspect what’s known to discover it’s what’s believed. 

 

It is said you’re the one which is not pleased, at peace, and which this is not good enough for. That’s the (nonexistent) ego / separate of this self.  

Awareness is infinite and is this. There isn’t a self separate from this, which is assessing this. 

 

It’s said you’re projecting yourself. 

You are yourself. You’re experiencing discordant beliefs, one of them being that you can project yourself. 

If you could project yourself into a ‘better experience’, you would’ve. 

There isn’t another, a better experience… the nature of this experience is Being overlooked. 

 

It’s said ‘for a new form of stimulation’. 

There is no form, you = feeling. 

You are the Greatest feeling there could ever possibly be, believing you are coming from what you are appearing as. 

And that’s not bad, because Goodness is nondual. 

Innocence is overlooked. 

 

It’s said my brain always finds a distraction. 

That belief is a distraction. 

Self can not escape self. 

Consciousness does not know or experience a brain.

This is an assumption based believing thought defines perception (a belief, but believed to be known). 

‘But I’ve seen brains’. Brain is a thought, perception is perception. Thought & perception are awareness appearing.

Perceiver & perceived is a thought narrative. Try finding both in direct experience.  

 

It’s said, the fact that I’m aware of this motivates me to continue to open this new level of consciousness. 

(Only) awareness is aware. The one that is motivated and knows there are levels of consciousness is the ego (nonexistent). It’s thoughts / beliefs, believed to be a separate self known. 

Awareness is synonymous with consciousness. 

Motive is synonymous with ego, aversion and suppression. My, motive & motivation are a veiling thought loop about separation. 

Inspiration is synonymous with awareness & consciousness. In spirit ing. No separation. 

The difference is seeking (good or better) feeling from experience vs allowing the actual Goodness that you are. 

Law of Inspired Action. 

 

Levels of consciousness is seeking, aversion indicative of the suppression via ‘knowing’ / mistaken identity as ‘the knower’ (actually thought / beliefs). The ‘next level of consciousness’ is the same as ‘a better moment than This’ and seeking feeling in experience. 

Only the separate self (nonexistent) which is (is believed to be) outside of and above consciousness knows (belief, the ‘devil’) something such as levels is known about (infinite) consciousness. It a way to delude one is better than / above. Vanity of finite mind / ‘what I know’ which ‘you’ don’t. 

Consciousness is believing there are levels of itself and that it will be better when it gets to a higher level of itself, while it is already it’s-infinite-self. 

(It’s ok to laugh about This)

Thought & perception, (experience, creation) are the appearance of infinite consciousness. What’s believed to be levels of consciousness is already infinite consciousness. 

The… your infinitude is always readily discernible by feeling inward and looking for edges, and therein form, or a beginning or ending of sensation. “Sensation” only points to checking in direct experience. 

Also via meditation, feeling breathing in the stomach. Thoughts / beliefs aren’t experienced when focus is on feeling breathing in the stomach. If thoughts are experienced, return focus (effortlessly) to feeling (breathing in the stomach). If emotional difficulty is experienced, express whatever is arising without judgement using a journal. Any creative expression is an outlet for expression as well. 

 

Correct means aligned or alignment. Somewhere down the line ‘correct’ was hijacked by ego and is now believed to imply duality (right & wrong). 

There is nothing wrong with you and you aren’t doing anything wrong. In that sense, there isn’t anything to correct. What’s wanted is change and you’re in luck because all there is to experience is apparent change. 

 

Alignment is ‘bringing the underlying source’. 

When a thought or belief is discordant, acknowledge the emotion felt and allow the readily available abundantly loving & selfless wisdom from within yourself. 

Aliveness is synonymous with awareness & consciousness. 

 

Some thing isn’t what’s wanted. That’s seeking. Seeking is always for ‘a thing’, because ‘I am a thing / object’.

Nothing is wanted. Change is wanted. Some thing is not craved, you aren’t a ‘thing’, that’s ego, duality, thoughts, “me” and ‘thing’ craved. Only nothing will do. 

Nothing’s already happening. Nothing is apparent change. Thoughts are arising about a self, which is separate of or other than no thing / nothing. 

Where exactly is that self?

 

Desire is the cause of suffering in the sense that it is believed there is my desire(s). The implied separation feels discordant because the thought doesn’t jive with the actuality. The belief is that there is knowing, and therein that thought defines perception, and this belief is assumed to be known. Look at the body, the room, the stuff. You don’t know what any of ‘that’ is, you believe you do. All desire is the desire to recognize nothing. ‘That’ is nothing, happening. 

That desire is a thing, and that you are a thing, and that you can overcome desire is ego. A thought narrative about separation & a separate self. (Suffering is ‘in’ the thoughts)

Question / inspect what it is. Overcoming is aversion. Overcoming reinforces the narration of a separate self, separate from X, overcoming X. 

 

 

 

As a concession to a doer doing paradigm, what’s wanted ultimately is nothing and what’s wanted experientially is change. So don’t attempt to stop / quit / not do something, as that will not ‘fit’ in the doer (the doer must do) paradigm. Instead do something else when you would have other wise done what you desire to no longer do. Experience is already changing, all you’re ‘doing’ is allowing the change desired. Don’t ‘counter’ experience, allow the wanted change. 

 

 

Establish what is unwanted. Write a list. Habits, behaviors, substances, etc. 

Step away. Go for a walk. 

 

Then write the opposites. 

Then write more specific opposites. 

For example, ‘health’. Write 5 aspects of that. Why is health wanted? What will you do with it? 

 

Then write what’s wanted on the dreamboard, and on a calendar. 

Now you have a list of the other things you’re going to do instead of the old. 

If you stumble, don’t highlight / emphasize it. It’s a reinforcing of a separate self (thoughts believed).

Don’t ‘beat up on yourself’. Reemphasize that you are allowing the change. Feel the alignment of that each and every time you focus on it.  

 

What’s really wanted is the change in orientation. So don’t minimize that. For example, if you were to go buy a vaporizer instead of another pack of cigarettes notice and fully allow the great feeling of alignment as you do. Focus on ‘I’m doing this for my health, for me’. The entire day, focus on ‘this is the day I make this change’ and allow the goodness, the Great feeling. That’s the most relevant aspect. Not for what people think, not because of how much cheaper it is, not to avoid unwanted  - do it for you. Ideally, for no reason whatsoever. Just for you, for how alignment feels. 

 

Also… add something to that wanted list & dreamboard that contributes to society. Could be a job, a product, charity or simply unwarranted kindness. Anything. It’s most connective and allowing of the true nature. 

[Someone here]

42 minutes ago, Phil said:

Suffering is discordant thoughts and is always on behalf of a nonexistent self. 

This reply could easily be interpreted as semantical.

But suffering is discordant thoughts and is always on behalf of a nonexistent self. 

 

 

It is said ‘I’ve become aware’. 

This is the materialist’s paradigm. The self which becomes (aware) doesn’t exist. People are not aware and do not become aware or increase awareness. People is a thought. Thoughts are not aware and do not become aware.

Awareness is aware and does not ‘become more aware’. Awareness is already aware, already infinite, and only awareness is aware.

Awareness is obscured by beliefs. Awareness is unobscured by questioning / inspecting beliefs.   

 

The habits are said to be subconscious, while the emotions are said to be the cause. 

There is no subconscious, emotions are guidance, there is no cause.

The random acts aren’t random. They’re aversion (from emotion / feeling). 

 

The ego is said to be mine, and one to be reckoned with. 

These things are said from the ego’s (illusory, nonexistent) perspective. 

There are discordant thoughts, corresponding emotions, and discord & alignment. There is no separate self (ego). 

 

The hope seems to hinge on a different moment in time. 

That has never been experienced because it doesn’t exist. 

Hope is aversion. It arises from beliefs, believed to be known. 

Question & inspect what’s known to discover it’s what’s believed. 

 

It is said you’re the one which is not pleased, at peace, and which this is not good enough for. That’s the (nonexistent) ego / separate of this self.  

Awareness is infinite and is this. There isn’t a self separate from this, which is assessing this. 

 

It’s said you’re projecting yourself. 

You are yourself. You’re experiencing discordant beliefs, one of them being that you can project yourself. 

 

It’s said ‘for a new form of stimulation’. 

There is no form, you = feeling. 

You are the Greatest feeling there could ever possibly be, believing you are coming from what you are appearing as. 

And that’s not bad, because Goodness is nondual. 

 

It’s said my brain always finds a distraction. 

That belief is a distraction. 

Self can not escape self. 

Consciousness does not know or experience a brain. This is an assumption based believing thought defines perception (belief, but believed to be known). 

‘But I’ve seen brains’. Brain is a thought, perception is perception. Thought & perception are awareness appearing. 

 

It’s said, the fact that I’m aware of this motivates me to continue to open this new level of consciousness. 

(Only) awareness is aware. The one that is motivated and knows there are levels of consciousness is the ego (nonexistent). It’s thoughts / beliefs, believed to be known. 

Awareness is synonymous with consciousness. 

Motive is synonymous with ego, aversion and suppression. My, motive & motivation are a veiling thought loop about separation. 

Inspiration is synonymous with awareness & consciousness. In spirit ing. No separation. 

The difference is seeking (good or better) feeling from experience vs allowing the actual Goodness that you are. 

Law of Inspired Action. 

 

Levels of consciousness is seeking, aversion indicative of the suppression of knowing (actually beliefs). The ‘next level of consciousness’ is the same as ‘a better moment than This’ and seeking feeling in experience. 

Only the separate self (nonexistent) which is (is believed to be) outside of and above consciousness knows (belief) something such as levels is known about (infinite) consciousness. 

Consciousness is believing there are levels of itself and that it will be better when it gets to a higher level of itself, while it is already infinite. 

Thought & perception, (experience, creation) are the appearance of infinite consciousness. What’s believed to be levels of consciousness is already ‘also’ infinite consciousness. 

The, your infinitude is always readily discernible by feeling inward and looking for edges, and therein form, or a beginning or ending of sensation. “Sensation” only points to checking in direct experience. 

Also via meditation, feeling breathing in the stomach. Thoughts / beliefs aren’t experienced. If thoughts are experienced, return attention to feeling (breathing in the stomach). If emotional difficulty is experienced, express whatever is arising without judgement using a journal. Any creative expression is effective as well. 

 

Correct means aligned or alignment. Somewhere down the line ‘correct’ was hijacked by ego and is now believed to imply duality (right & wrong). 

There is nothing wrong with you and you aren’t doing anything wrong. In that sense, there isn’t anything to correct. What’s wanted is change and you’re in luck because all there is to experience is apparent change. 

 

Alignment is ‘bringing the underlying source’. 

When a thought or belief is discordant, acknowledge the emotion felt and extract the readily available abundantly loving & selfless wisdom from within yourself. 

Aliveness is synonymous with awareness & consciousness. 

 

Some thing isn’t what’s wanted. That’s also seeking. Nothing is wanted. Change is wanted. Some thing is not craved, that’s ego. Only nothing will do. 

Nothing’s already happening. Nothing is apparent change. Thoughts are arising about a self, which is separate of or other than no thing / nothing. 

 

Desire is the cause of suffering in the sense that it is believed there is my desire(s). The belief is that there is knowing / that thought defines perception. Look at the body, the room, the stuff. You don’t know what any of that is, you believe you do. All desire is the desire to recognize nothing. ‘That’ is nothing, happening. 

That desire is a thing, and that you are a thing, and that you can overcome desire is ego. 

Question / inspect what it is. Overcoming is aversion. 

 

 

 

As a concession to a doer doing paradigm, what’s wanted ultimately is nothing and what’s wanted experientially is change. So don’t attempt to stop / quit / not do something, as that will not ‘fit’ in the doer (the doer must do) paradigm. Instead do something else when you would have other wise done what you desire to no longer do. Experience is already changing, all you’re ‘doing’ is allowing the change desired. Don’t ‘counter’ experience, allow the change. 

 

Establish what is unwanted. Write a list. Habits, behaviors, substances, etc. 

Step away. Go for a walk. 

Then write the opposites. 

Then write more specific opposites. 

Then write what’s wanted on the dreamboard, and on a calendar. 

Now you have a list of the other things you’re going to do instead of the old. 

If you stumble, don’t highlight it. Don’t ‘beat up on yourself’. Reemphasize that you are allowing the change. Feel the alignment of that each and every time you focus on it.  

 

What’s really wanted is the change in orientation. So don’t minimize that. For example, if you were to go buy a vaporizer instead of another pack of cigarettes notice and allow the great feeling of alignment as you do. Focus on ‘I’m doing this for my health, for me’. The entire day, focus on ‘this is the day I make this change’ and allow the goodness, the Great feeling. That’s the most relevant aspect. Not for what people think, not because of how much cheaper it is - do it for you. Ideally, for no reason whatsoever. Just for you, for how alignment feels. 

 

Also… add something to that wanted list & dreamboard that contributes to society. Could be a job, a product, charity. Anything. It’s most connective and allowing of the true nature. 

Wow.! Top -notch as always.  I will read this through every time I feel like that again. 

Thanks Phil 😊. 

I truly desire to talk to you one day .

[Phil]

@Someone here

🙂

I’m easy to reach.

https://community.actualityofbeing.com/events/

 

Love to hear how it goes. 

 

[Daniel]

The first step to overcoming an issue is to become conscious of it, and you've done that - I know it can seem hugely frustrating when you do start to become aware of these sorts of issues, but it's actually a huge step in the right direction.

 

On the subject of addiction specifically, I'm reminded of a quote by the spiritual teacher Amoda Maa Jeevan:

 

Quote

Have you noticed how the times you're tempted to reach out for something you think you need are the times you're not wanting to stop and face your discomfort?

 

Addictions are coping mechanisms, they're conditioned and often deeply-ingrained patterns of behaviour through which we're trying to avoid some unsettling or painful thought or feeling. So the next time you notice yourself slipping into an addictive pattern, ask yourself, what thought and/or feeling am I avoiding right now? Notice what's going on inside you at that moment, become intimate with your visceral experience, notice where you might be feeling tightness and tension, and let those parts relax and breathe. Maybe you notice the arising of certain emotions as you do this, which would be completely normal, so again, just notice, and allow.

[Phil]

@Someone here

Today just allow the thought(s) to come to mind as to what you’re going to do instead of. 

Don’t even attempt to do it yet. 

Just relish in how good the thought that you’re going to feels. 

Allow momentum (the underlying). 🤍

 

If challenging emotions arise - don’t dwell & story tell… digress, and express. 

Open a blank word / Pages doc, and type the thoughts.

Then delete it.

 

”Anger is a gift”.

- Zach De La Rocha

 

 

What @Daniel🙏🏼 said about noticing the tension, tightness, stress, contraction in the body is uber insightful. A correlation is noticeable in that a discordant thought and a contraction in the body arise simultaneously. Like a clue that points to the whole of experience, that you indeed are the creator of your reality. The discord and contraction aren’t per se ‘in’ a body nor two separate events. The entire reality / whole of experience contracts. Relax. Allow. Enjoy. 

[Someone here]

@Daniel @Phil thanks for the advice.  I just want to say or describe how am I feeling..that might help by expression.

That's how it feels to me anyways. As of this moment I have 0 interest in anything. relatives kept trying to tell me about how excited they are about different TV shows or their political opinions..whatever. I don't even enjoy watching TV anymore and politics are a worthless conversation from my point of view. Anyways.. is that how non-depressed people are? Every new TV show that comes out about stopping crimes or whatever is actually something to get excited about?

I keep thinking maybe i was born on the wrong planet 😆 lol

I just cant feel like doing ANYTHING. I got a computer a while ago and currently it is the only thing holding my interest because I have the entire internet. I havent even eaten today yet.

What is the root cause of boredom and melancholic mood ?

Thanks again  🙏 

[Phil]

@Someone here

That’s like saying there are depressed and non-depressed corks. All corks are inherently buoyant… which is why depression feels as it does. But there’s nothing wrong at all with depression. It’s perfectly natural. Think of the market; recession / depression, trough, expansion, peak, repeat. It’s the nature of a vibrational universe. Depression’s rough but the silver lining is it’s the evidence of inevitable expansion and peak.

 

51 minutes ago, Someone here said:

What is the root cause of boredom and melancholic mood ?

51 minutes ago, Someone here said:

how excited they are

51 minutes ago, Someone here said:

worthless

Emotion has a root source but not a root cause per se. The source & the inherent excitement of can be veiled by knowing. The pillars of knowing are meaning, purpose, value and worth. These interpretations / beliefs cover up or veil otherwise natural curiosity, innocence, wonder, interest and excitement. The true (infinite) nature. 

 

Let thinking about doing go. Allow thoughts of wanted. Allow momentum, the underlying as you said. 

 

Fasting or semi fasting is also natural and beneficial bodily, mental and spiritually. I wouldn’t be concerned about not eating for a day. The body knows best. 

 

Expression’s the way to go. Emptying. 👍🏼 

[Daniel]

@Someone here I completely get where you're coming from about not having interest in anything, I've been in that mindset myself many times. Maybe you just need to sit and ponder what's truly important to you, what your deepest desire is.