Leo Gura: Ego Death & Reality vs. Dream [Part 2]

Leo Gura speaks on consciousness. And we go even deeper...

LINKS MENTIONED:

THANK YOU:
- Jess Palmer
- Sam Thompson

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:18:58 In non-dualism, why do some of the differences actually matter? Ex. Poison vs water.
00:26:14 Why can't we imagine into existence whatever we like?
00:38:55 "Definition of God" is the reverse of the problem
00:52:11 What is "real" vs "imaginary"
01:06:51 Gödel and allowing contradictions -- how does one argue anything?
01:10:36 Fractal nature of reality
01:38:26 Consciousness is "evolving" toward something
01:48:04 Mind uploading
02:10:59 Curt surmises death is the emergent property, not life
02:14:24 Belief vs Perception
02:28:41 Connection between fear and truth
02:50:36 How can God deceive God?
03:12:31 Jungian integration and God realization
03:24:48 Temporality and sin / false
03:53:24 Ego death
04:19:55 Spiritual bypassing
04:22:26 What's the point of God realization if everything is the way it is
04:44:34 [Fakery] Cultivating beauty and the arts / aesthetic taste
04:54:18 [Sam Thompson] Comments on Gödel and epistemology and Chris Langan
04:58:19 Experiencing without language
05:01:13 [Sam Challis] Meditation vs Psychedelics
05:18:42 [Michael Wirth] Leo's thoughts on Ra Material
05:22:24 [Matt Aquino] Problem with Leo's theory
05:37:09 Death penalty
06:05:55 Leo's greatest "vice"
06:10:29 Veganism and porn
06:18:48 [Wordcounterino Kripperino] What is Leo's morning routine?
06:27:08 Leo's advice for Curt and Theories of Everything
06:40:56 [The Seer] Why didn't religious leaders call themselves God if they were God realized?
06:50:13 [Tim R] Leo addresses the entire human race in a one-minute speech
06:50:49 Final word to the audience and to Curt from Leo
07:00:17 Matthew Phillips of Transcend

[DesignTheNewWorld]

Curt is really the best interviewer Leo could have hoped for. Just skeptical enough for sharp questions to arise and just open-minded enough to make room for the answers.

[pantherstealth]

You guys operated this episode with such respectable considerateness and honor. The world needs more like you two.

[nwordjourney]

"“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

[ozeanskyman]

03:11:00 Curt tells Leo what he is sorry for and you can see tears coming in Leo eyes ... two man being able to express emotions on camera is truly humble and amazing, thank you!

[Paakku]

These interviews have been by far the most interesting thing I have listened to on youtube. And that's coming from a youtube addict. I am extremely grateful to be able to hear these conversations. I would give my left nut to know how to have conversations like this. But just listening is more than enough. Lights me up in a strange way in this strange world. Thank you Curt. What you're doing truly matters so much.

[bikeaday]

2:55:42 I always get choked up when Leo chokes up. He explained the crucifixion and it's meaning perfectly. So powerful. Curt felt it too. This is a beautiful moment <3

[andrewbirkett]

You’re a very likeable character, and you’re genuine interest shines through here. Leo is great too.

[crimsonking]

I am extremely grateful to Leo about how much he has helped me improve my life in general and make sense of the experiences I've had on psychedelics in particular. The experiences and insights I gained (in my case from LSD and psilocybin, mostly) are exactly as Leo has described them. When I had my first awakening/mystical experiences I didn't know anything about nonduality and next to nothing about meditation, I was a staunch materialist/atheist, and I hadn't discovered Leo's channel.

So when I first had all these insights, even though they FELT real ("realer" than real actually), even though they made perfect sense during the trip, I wasn't sure if I could take them seriously afterwards. When I read some of the things I wrote down during the trip afterwards I thought "What a whole lot of bollocks! I thought I'd had some amazing insights but this stuff is trivial nonsense!". For example, I wrote down: "Everything is as it is because it has to be this way. It could not be any other way." To my sober mind, this tautology seemed absolutely absurd and nonsensical. Turns out it's exactly right. Other things I wrote down - I am taking these directly from my trip logs: "Nothing exists. I am all alone. There is nobody else. It's all love and all about love. There is only love." / "Like a supercomputer with infinite calculatory power that is executing a program to maximize pleasure/love. Since I am the only thing in existence, and I can do whatever I want, there is nothing better to do than to create the maximum amount of pleasure for myself for all eternity." What Leo did for me first and foremost is show me that I COULD take all of this seriously, that it wasn't all just my brain going into crazy mode, that I could trust my direct experience. Needless to say, this has been invaluable to me.

For me, these experiences are like an orgasm. Once I realize "Oh shit! This is me! It's all me! I cannot die! Everything is alright! I cannot die! Everyone is saved!" this insight sort of cascades into a loop of pleasure. The more I realized that this is literally perfect, that this is the best thing that could possibly be, that it is Heaven, the more pleasure there was. Actually it was scary and even painful, at one point I thought I couldn't take it anymore, like I would die from pure pleasure. I actually wanted it to stop. But it is also such a relief, because all your life you are walking around with this existential dread, you see death looming ahead of you, and finding out that death itself is an illusion and that everything is alright, has been alright and will be alright is so staggeringly incredible it is too good to be true, and hard to stomach. Tears and tears of joy streaming down my face.

One thing I haven't heard Leo talk about though, or maybe this is just what he means by solipsism, is one peculiar aspect of the experience I've had a couple of times. It was the experience of loneliness. Not personal loneliness, but Absolute Loneliness, as the Godhead. It was as if I, as God, were longing for an Other, a friend, a lover, someone else to exist, someone to be with, someone to share my existence with, because there was nobody else. It was like sitting in a blank room all by myself, with this screen in front of me where all the appearances in consciousness happened, and I knew I had been there forever, and I would be there forever, and I would forever be alone. This was accompanied by the sort of feeling you get in your gut when you get a call from someone telling you that a person you loved had died. I even sensed something like - dare I say it - Divine Boredom? But all of these feelings quickly vanished as I realized that all of this wasn't a problem, that I couldn't possibly ask for anything better than this, that this was perfect, and then the waves of pleasure rolled over me again.

Sorry for my disjointed rambling. I just thought I'd share some of my personal experiences on psychedelics. It's so hard to convey in words what is happening because there is so much at once and on so many levels. These "experiences" (even that term is misleading, because there is no distinction between the experience and the experiencer anymore) are so amazing and powerful that it saddens me that most people alive will never get to, um, experience them. I fully support Leo in doubling down on his stance on psychedelics, and I couldn't agree more with Terence McKenna when he said that "Life lived in the absence of the psychedelic experience that primordial shamanism is based on is life trivialized, life denied, life enslaved to the ego."

Thank you both for your amazing work, Leo and Curt. The importance of these ideas being more widely disseminated cannot be overstated. I found this second interview even better than the first one. It seems like you two really clicked and hit your stride in this one.

Finally, just a silly little anecdote but I thought I'd share it nonetheless. I actually didn't play Bioshock Infinite myself, but a friend of mine who was very much into the first two games but not Infinite repeatedly complained about "that stupid little girl" in Infinite that he thought was annoying, unrelatable and pointless, one of the major reasons he didn't like the game. So, good job there, Leo! :D

[Alex.Q]

"You're avoiding your own self when you fear" - Leo Gura <3

[bryanjarrell]

I just finished watching both parts. This was wonderful! I hope both of you make more content like this in the future. I have been watching Leo for years, but I felt like your method of questioning made him go way deeper and also forced him to not be as vague. You both really compliment one another.

[LiliaKardenas]

I am so grateful to individuals like you and Leo for empowering so many people who are feeling like they are a small bolt in the system. As a smaller-scale speaker on those topics, I don't have an opportunity to reach out to so many people, and I am so happy you do. You are like bigger candles that light up smaller candles. Especially the level of respect you express for each other and the audience. I think it's so rare. I try to model it with my close people and clients, and that's how I like to think I am being a benevolent force in the world.

[JeanPereiraOfficial]

This is the best content on YouTube right now. Just finished both episodes, thanks Curt and Leo for this awesome stuff.

[skybellau]

Pt 1 & part 2 are Deeply profound. Best Q & A Ive ever had the privilege of hearing. Astounding that a fellow humanbeing can verbalise this ...AND with joy!? I will never be the same. Thank you both immeasurably.

[tysonq]

I wanted to thank you for this interview. I’ve been watching Leo for about 5 years now and most of the questions and even insecurities you expressed are ones I’ve had. It felt like I was interviewing Leo myself.

[philippeichert]

Curt, you are able to ask just the right questions in the most precise and calibrated way possible. I always had some doubts and objections to some aspects of Leo's teachings but often couldn't articulate them clearly for myself. They were more hunches and intuitions. But you manage to capture what I feel and formulate it perfectly in English. On top of that you are simply a humble, very kind, honest, open minded and lovely human. I appreciate the work you are doing as it not only creates value in itself but also through affecting others like Leo in a positive way, bringing out the best in him (I feel he brings out the best in you as well). Damn I feel so high of of this love rn lmao. Thanks so much Curt.

[catalinmihai]

And the best part of all of this "Leo: You should come and hang out with me sometime" hahaha

[Lobexx]

you've got a gift. the genuine curiosity, open mindedness and compassion don't go unnoticed. keep doing you

[Killane]

This is the second time I have listened to Leo. My first watch of parts 1 and 2 did spark my interest but my ego just kept saying Curt is naive and Leo is arrogant but there is something to what is going on here. So after many months of reading and listening to other perspectives I am back here listening again. This time my ego is my servant. I see so much beauty, honesty, intelligence (both intuitive and intellectual) in the dance of authentic enquiry from Curt and the deep professionally vulnerabie wise perspectives from Leo. Thanks to you both for sharing this incredible discussion

[jacobmorres]

Love your interviews curt. Thanks for the perspectives! I learned a lot :)

[davidsdesk]

Great videos, I've watched both in their entirety. I loved watching Leo in interview format.