Waking Up with Sam Harris - Looking for the Self (26 Minute Meditation)

[@manifest_it_man]

I first listened to this about 4-5 years ago on a bus ride back from university. I was in my first year. What came from this was beyond words. I had what I could only later pin-point as a "satori" or "sotāpanna" experience. An experience of no-self. I was engrossed in the raw stimulation around me and remember that when it subsided, and my mental chatter came back, I had been grinning so hard that my cheeks hurt. It's hard to say for sure how these experiences impact you but as far as I can tell, this experience served as a new foundation from which I built myself. I am forever grateful for this podcast episode and my "self" for taking the time that day to listen with intent. Thank you Sam.

[@kwillo4]

Wow! Sounds cool man. After how many days meditation did you experience this? And did you use help/an app? Any info would be great

[@manifest_it_man]

@@kwillo4 Ive never really had a consistent meditation practice. At the time I was also reading Eckart Tolle and meditating here and there but that is about it.

[@kwillo4]

@@manifest_it_man thanks

[@Luv_brd]

Wow that’s amazing 💜

[@soberanisfam1323]

@@manifest_it_man you still practice meditation?

[@jiraiyajackson4819]

“A mirror is never really the shape it reflects” what a beautiful metaphor

[@pastaboinch]

The way this video ended with no warning or goodbye was so profound and metaphorical. I was notcing everything around me and then noticed the thought of wondering why Sam hadn't spoke in a while. Then I opened my eyes back up and noticed the video had ended and it made me realize this was most likely intentional. That moment helped me reflect on what I was thinking about and continue to notice what I was thinking and feeling long enough for me to want to post this comment. I'm not sure how and why that's so profound to me but it just feels like it is.

[@Psilocin-City]

It definitely was intentional

[@huzur_eh_mehfil]

Exactly, i feel you!

[@bradyedge8613]

Take a seat either in a chair or crosslegged on a cushion, and gradually become aware of the sensations of sitting, the feeling of pressure in your back or legs, feel your arms at your sides, and perhaps take a few deep breaths allow gravity to settle you into your seat and now gradually become aware of the process of breathing notice where you feel the breath most distinctly, either at the tip of your nose or in the rising and falling of your abdomen just feel the mere sensations associated with the breath, from the beginning of the inhalation, through the pause between breaths, and follow the exhalation to the end. Simply cover the breath with your awareness. Just feel it however it comes. If it’s shallow that’s fine, if it’s deep that’s fine. Just let it come naturally. See if you can notice the next inhalation from the moment it begins through its full duration, and so too with the exhalation. And the moment you notice you’ve been lost in thought, simply observe the thought itself, whether it’s images or language, notice how it disappears, and immediately come back to the sensations of breathing. And as you do this you can open your awareness to all sensation; there’s nothing magical about the breath. So you can feel sensations in the body, wherever they spontaneously appear; you can listen to sounds in the room. Just notice what you in fact notice in each moment. Simply let your awareness be the space in which each sensation arises: feelings of pressure, movement, the sensation of breathing, sounds, and even thoughts themselves. Everything that you notice is arising in the same space of consciousness: the sensations of your body, the sounds in the room, feelings of fatigue or restlessness - whatever you can feel or sense or perceive is arising in consciousness in this moment. Simply rest as that condition in which sounds and sensations and emotions arise and change and pass away. Take a moment to feel the sensations of your face and head. Perhaps it feels like your awareness is behind your face or in your head. But the feelings of your face and are in awareness in this moment. They are appearing in this same condition. They are appearing in the same place where you are thinking. Your thoughts are not in your head, your awareness or consciousness is not in your head; as a matter of experience, everything is appearing moment by moment in consciousness, and this includes the feeling of having a head, the feeling of being behind your face, looking out at a world that is other than what you are. In fact what you are calling “the world” is appearing in this same space. Take a moment to open your eyes, and notice the apparent change in your experience. Now there is a sphere of light and color that you see. But what has changed? What you see is appearing in the same space where thoughts and emotions and sensations are arising at each moment. Close your eyes again, and stare at the darkness behind your eyelids; your visual field was there all along. Everything you can notice is simply a perturbation of consciousness. As a matter of experience, there is nothing outside of consciousness. Simply rest as that condition in which thoughts and sensations and sights and sounds and moods and emotions arise in each moment. One of the most common experiences we have in life is of thoughts coloring, or seeming to color, consciousness itself: happy thoughts make us happy; sad thoughts make us sad. But there’s actually an illusion here that we are not seeing. The consciousness that is aware, and the consciousness that is aware of sadnesss, is not actually ever taking the form of those moods. Take a moment to recall something that bothers you: a disappointment, or a recent embarassment, some conversation that went terribly. Just resurrect that memory for a moment. Think of what you said or didn’t say, think of what you should have done, what you regret. Whatever it is, feel that mood that arises, as you dwell on this memory. And simply be the space in which it arises. Be like a mirror into which some ugly image has been cast. A mirror is never changed by what it reflect, if you can feel that you never really take the shape of a bad mood. And notice how insubstantial these thoughts are: how is it that a thought, this mirror image or bit of language in the mind ever convinces you that it is what you are? How is it that your experience is ever trimmed down and determined by the next arising image or sentence? And so too with a good thought: think of something that makes you happy. Picture someone you love, picture them being happy. Notice how that begins to brighten the mind. But what is it in you that’s aware of these changes, simply aware, not identical to the next arising thought or mood? Where are you amid all of these changes? As a matter of experience you are not identical to anything you can notice, by the mere fact that you are noticing it, and by the mere fact that it is changing in each moment. None of these things can be what you are. Again the moment you notice that you are lost in thought, that you’ve been thinking without noticing the arising of thought as an appearance in consciousness, simply become aware of the thought itself, the images, the sounds, or apparent sounds in the mind, and then come back to the sensation of breathing, or to sounds, or sensations in the body. Just notice the next appearance, whatever it is. And if you’re feeling sleepy or restless, simply feel those states as a constellation of energy. How is it that you notice that you’re sleepy or restless? There must be some signature. And then become aware of that which is merely feeling the energy of these states. That which is aware of sleepiness is not in fact sleepy. That which is aware of restlessness is not in fact restless. Meditation is simply a means to continually drop back into this state of mere witnessing of everything that arises. Once again you can open your eyes, and notice any apparent change. Does it feel like your experience just got bigger in some way, now all of the sudden the world has come rushing in? But consciousness hasn’t gotten any bigger; you were just as conscious with your eyes closed, and the world you see with open eyes is simply appearing in consciousness. There really is no outside and inside, as a matter of experience. The place you see with open eyes is the same place where you were thinking and feeling. For instance, picture something in front of you, perhaps on the floor. Picture a...candle burning. Now some people can visualize things quite vividly, but even those of us who can’t can still get something there in the space, in the mind’s eye, something superimposed on what we see in front of us. The candle - or any other thought you can visualize - is a thought. It’s a thought that’s now appearing in the midst of what you’re seeing with your open eyes, and what you see with your open eyes is structured in a very real sense by concepts in the mind, by patterns, some of which are genetically determined, some of which are built up by experience, by which we recognize objects and differentiate them in space. See if you can relax as much of this machinery as you can, and just view the world as a single sphere of color and light and shadow. Forget about the objects. Forget about the boundary between objects, and just encounter the raw data of seeing. Just let your awareness go as wide as possible, and see a totality of light and color. Now as you do this, also notice sounds and sensations, feelings in the body. Just let consciousness be a single sphere of experience. Where are you in this condition? Where is the self that answers to the name of “I”? Is there actually a center to this experience? Or is there just experience? See if you can notice the next thought that arises as it arises: where are thoughts coming from? And where do they go? Most of us spend most of our lives thinking that we are the thinker of our thoughts. Where is this thinker? Isn’t there only the next thought that arises? If you look closely, you will begin to see that the feeling of being the thinker, the feeling that you are authoring your thoughts, or that you are identical to them, that is what it is like to be thinking without noticing that you are thinking. That is the condition of not having seen the arising of thought. Just notice the next thought: Think of the Eiffel Tower, now think of a red bus, now remember of the name of the first president of the United States. How could any of these appearances be what you are? You are simply noticing them. They arise in an instant; they pass away in the next. How is it that you ever feel identical to this voice that seems to be in your head? How is it this engine of anxiety and self-criticism keeps turning every hour and day? For the last minute, just allow yourself to begin again. Come back to the mere sensation of breathing, to sounds, to the feelings of pressure and tingling in your body. Just let your awareness to be wide open, and at rest, whatever you notice.

[@yamaart]

brady edge thank you so much!

[@goperzomby6173]

Thank you so much! This transcript is super helpful for a paper I'm writing on meditation.

[@bradyedge8613]

@@goperzomby6173 cool! Essay for school?

[@joseleal1800]

thank u

[@hearts99]

Nice

[@GetMeThere1]

I hope Sam is aware that there is surely a non-trivial group of people like myself who INTENSELY CRAVE more of this stuff from him. The "market" on meditation these days is crammed with crap. Sam has navigated it and (based on that, and on who we all well know he is) is exceptionally well placed to help out those of us who are ardently interested in going further. I'd love to see more of these, further development of "headlessness" stuff from him, and overall, any and all things he can offer regarding practices specifically aimed at achieving the "selflessness" state of consciousness.

[@olegkulyak]

You can download his app on iTunes, it’s $15 a month though.

[@Sam-wt9se]

Meditate and chill bro

[@chsdfsbwersdf2568]

I reccomend that you listen to Culadasa. He is the best spiritual teacher that I found. Look for the "Creating the optimal state of mind for Meditation - Culadasa at NYIMC " video. It is a good summary of his core teachings.

[@GetMeThere1]

@@chsdfsbwersdf2568 Thanks for the video suggestion. I found it useful. If you're not aware, a quick search about him provides the..."unfortunate" information that he's been spreading his "dharma seed" (lol) a bit too freely among a group of paid companions. Even so, he seems to have some useful (and authentic) things to say. Personally, I've been engaged in a full-time investigation of these topics since writing my original comment 3 years ago -- an investigation which has included a reasonably fruitful experience with Sam's meditation app (among many other things). The SINGLE external thing I've found most useful has been a book by Jean Klein: "I Am." I highly recommend it to you.

[@chsdfsbwersdf2568]

​@@GetMeThere1 I'm aware. That was an unfortunate event, although he never made public his version of the story. Yes, he does a really good job putting in perspective the spiritual path, what it is, the end goal and what one should look for. He also has a technial manual of meditation called "The Mind Illuminated" directed at developing Samatha/Vipassana that goes into great detail. He was a neuroscientist before, so he mixes it with science, as well. Thanks for the book recommendation.

[@melaniekelly1868]

Wow.....I’ve been meditating for over 30 years now and this is the most clear experience of no self I have ever had. I have been conceptually aware of no self but not experientially aware. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@juanquiros2932]

Melanie Kelly amazing you had that experience, hope you can cultivate the skill further and keep doing it more often

[@shiskeyoffles]

I found Sam Harris and Leo Gura have the best meditations online. Very deep and relaxing

[@kevinpanagopoulos2508]

Yea, the narrative that TMers have pushed saturates everything. This guy brought what buddha discovered into science . Quite possibly buddha thought this same way, but turning it into an ism by opportunists destroyed it.

[@kevinpanagopoulos2508]

I'm still working on having no head

[@thefeelingmethod]

Who is working on having no head :). It’s just another thought appearing...

[@doc2590]

sitting still in presence is not a waste of time. It is abundant life.

[@rusticblue]

“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].“ -John 10:10

[@Kellethorn]

Sam, you may never read this, but you are one of the biggest factors in me leaving Mormonism, and embracing skepticism, and formal logic as the foundational pillars of my life. Thank you. ❤️

[@shelleysmith6667]

Exmo here. Yay!!!!!

[@Sammy-hl9wb]

You may not realize it now, but Christ is the answer

[@hakawaticollective5782]

Congratulations my friend!

[@Kellethorn]

@@Sammy-hl9wb my life is fantastic now without invisible sky fairies dictating what I can/cannot do, thank you very much! Lol

[@kristinaugestad3789]

Sam! Not sure if you will read this, but I want to say a sincere thank you for making the waking up app. Having struggled with anxiety and depression for the last 6 years, therapy in different forms and medications.. no one had told me the truth about thoughts. no one. Until you did. after a week of mediation, I found myself crying of joy when I brushed my teeth, because such a simple and seemingly boring thing I hadn't really experienced in years because I was in my head and didn't know about anything else. You're an amazing teacher, keep up the good work.

[@MrPetso]

Så hyggelig å høre at dette har hjulpet deg, Kristin!

[@sophonax661]

What a beautiful comment, all the best to you and all of these precious present moments yet to come!

[@MV-gt1qu]

This is so helpful for stress and anxiety. Thank you so much.

[@govelasco]

Sam Harris is a white nationalist.

[@b.g.5869]

@@govelasco That's preposterous.

[@007Spadge]

Everytime we think too much, we loose ourselves in the noise. Just experiencing the world as it is gets us in touch closer with ourselves. It's beautiful to just sit and take it all in.

[@queensavethegod]

Thank you Sam. This was a wonderful guided meditation. I can't belive how helpful you can be to me. I can't believe how so much wisdom could come from a single source. I can't believe you're doing this for everyone to enjoy. Thank you for all the work you do and thank you for sharing it with everybody. Thank you.

[@mettapresentnow]

Sam is one of the people who inspired me to share my mindfulness journey. I started deeply looking into meditation as someone who struggles with a constantly wandering mind since early university days. Some days are easy but most days are incredibly hard to be present constantly, especially as a student. But Sam's podcast and audio on meditation has genuinely helped me become a better person and more importantly actively try to be a mindful person. Especially within a secular discourse. Days are not easy but its the littles steps consistently that count!

[@CCOLee-k3g]

This is the most important piece of media of my life. I will never be able to fully express what it has done for me. I had no idea this was possible. I was just trying to learn some "mindfulness" and my entire outlook on life and consciousness wound up being completely changed. It's a wonderful improvement.

[@TheHealthConscounist]

The power of meditation is incredible, I was feeling very stressed and anxious, probably because I drank alcohol last night and Im feeling hung over and usually when Im hung over I feel more anxious and stressed than usual, and just by meditating for a little bit I already feel much better, more at peace with myself, which has been more useful than Lexapro for me

[@VOICEOFQUEENS]

In the same bout.

[@isaorozco778]

And here I am for my first time... learning from the best and for this opportunity, I’m so grateful.

[@anthonychase7875]

A flood I’ve acceptance and no separation... swimming in light, thank you for the practice of witnessing 🙌🙏🏻💫

[@namelessnick9791]

Wow, from this guided meditation I learned that my thoughts are kind of all over the place. I need to meditate some more often!

[@seaoftraffic]

I find this meditation video one of the best. I have been meditating for 4 years and I always meditated without a guide. But when I meditate without a guide I have to constantly remind myself what I am doing "be conscious of the world", "relax", "let go", "accept" or whatever. And thats not great because my inside voice is part of consciousness. If I don't speak to myself I doze off, forget what I am doing and fall asleep. This video covers everything that is important: non attachment to your emotions, thoughts, outside world, puts me in a zone of pure awareness. So, I am going to meditate with this video 3 times a day for a month (morning, after work, evening), I have already done 4 days. And now I feel like I don't need to meditate anymore, I feel great, but I wont stop and see what happens. I will keep updating.

[@ShatteredWindowpane]

Hey stranger, did you continue meditating like you said you would? I'm curious as to how it's worked out for you. Cheers

[@seaoftra]

@@ShatteredWindowpane I continued to about 20 days. I think it's worth experimenting with listening multiple times, because every time I understood what Sam means more. The reason I stopped was because he is jumping too fast from one concept to another, it would be nice to stay at one concept for about 10 minutes. I jumped to another meditation now, where I just let my mind be as open as possible.

[@hearts99]

How did it go

[@daposevvg]

Try this if you are struggling. Listen to this guid at a park where you can see people and hear activity. Most people have such anxiety sitting alone in a quiet room. I would even suggest headphones at a restaurant for lunch. (But not eating.) But really follow along. Just be around life. We all have programming that makes us feel like we’re in trouble or being punished if we are alone in a room. And therefore now your punishment is needing to meditate and think about your thoughts. It is so much cooler when you hear and see people birds crickets life!

[@patarcher9199]

Wow, I think this video just changed my life

[@smpatwardhan]

That was the best guided meditation I have ever had. Thanks for sharing this.

[@DedicatedSpirit8]

This should to be in schools. No religion or spirituality attached. Just the practice of it... It is essential!

[@windmonk3233]

Wow, that "feeling sleepy" trick was quite an eye opener, never thought there was such a simple workaround for that. Thanks much! 🙏

[@jaxxenriquez9542]

First meditation after a while. Thank you Sam for helping me navigate through my thoughts and ease anxiety. I need you on a daily

[@fcukausername]

one thing i did independently that really helped drive his point home: when he gave a list of objects to think about starting with the eiffel tower, i went back to thinking about the eiffel tower after he got to the final object. i then realized how quickly the thought of the eiffel tower faded away until i consciously brought it back simply as a test. it disappeared instantly when he mentioned the red bus. it really put into perspective how transient all of our thoughts can be.

[@youtubechannel12371]

Really amazing. One of the best meditations I’ve listened to.

[@Tim_Atkinson]

I have schizophrenia, practicing Sam's meditataions.... Along with some psychedelics have helped me come closer to the present moment. Thank you.

[@AnonYmous-kh5rq]

Wtf good luck with psychedelics if you have schizophrenia

[@vodkacannon]

@@AnonYmous-kh5rq damn straight.

[@mojo5093]

Timothy L Atkinson - are you microdosing? when microdoing, if you are microdoing, are you on medication ? how is your progress going? do you still microdose? if so, what psychedelic are you using?

[@brokencirkle]

This is the best guided meditation video I have ever listened to.

[@jk.9300]

I’m crying over the beauty of this experience

[@antonirabkowski6508]

One of the best guided meditations i’ve ever done

[@lolololololol8639]

I have never ever experienced something like that, the pure thing of just be in space , not feeling the body. The gap between thoughts expand. Amazing

[@tonechild5929]

I started meditation to escape the experience, only to put a spotlight on it and see it for what it really is: a stream of thoughts and feelings that come and go.

[@BenetbenetLive]

Feelings and thoughts but if you notice them, you can let them go.

[@alifheart34]

Lots of love and blessings to you dear teacher ❤️

[@dominicJbalconi]

I once lost complete sensation of my body during this meditation and realized that this is where the depiction of floating monks comes from

[@ahmettasdemir9550]

I participated to this meditation for the first time and it helped. Thanks

[@sunterry]

This is my first day ever meditating. And this was my third guided mediation. I got some very heavy news recently that I've been obsessing over. Now after finishing this session I feel so relieved from anxiety that I want to cry. Thank you so much! I have to make meditation a daily practice.

[@emy9272]

Did you do it every day?

[@dazzaondmic]

I think my mind is especially rigid and cannot yet let go. However, I feel grateful that I have the rest of my life to get this insight and yet it is available for me to get at any moment.

[@shader5410]

The only problem with meditation is the meditator and you encapsulated that perfectly. Just do it now and don't postpone it to the future.

[@Lasair517]

it took quite a while before I noticed that the video had ended, at least twenty minutes. It was quite an experience to me, I have had this kind of state of emotion before, but only once and very brief due to excitement over it. I feel like all experience have been unified in consciousness, like everything have blurred into each other and gently pressed down.

[@Jaypact1]

Yeah, it's like after thinking things that arise in our day to day consciousness leaves our thoughts disorganised and through meditation we can repack them into the place they belong.

[@Lasair517]

JayDub I think it might be especially true in my case, I suffer from a couple of mental disorders, social anxiety and major depression disorder. I'm constantly consumed by a monologue in my head that goes on about all sorts of illogical thoughts that make me feel depressed. Even though I'm the voice of reason in my head, I can't reason myself out of the feelings. I try to meditate every evening, but sometimes it's just impossible as I am having a panic attack.

[@Blessings2_U]

You are amazing. This is amazing. Thank you so much❤️

[@raymond3035]

So thankful for this against what I call the worst ugliest event yesterday

[@Schrodinger_]

Any time I'm told to "be aware of my thoughts" I start thinking of those thoughts, and then thinking of those, and I get trapped in an infinite recursion. Every time I try to think of a thought I'm having, it automatically becomes a new thought, and you're no longer having the thought you're now trying to think about. It makes me think that it's impossible to ever be aware of your thoughts.

[@MrCmon113]

True, I find it quite impossible to observe my thoughts. Also some thoughts just vanish, but then reappear immediately.

[@bobjach7806]

Same

[@WoWisMagic]

Start by practicing daily!

[@jontreeatreeify]

Shine the spotlight of pure awareness, which is who you truly are, on the thought and simply observe them. Don't take action, shine the light and observe and then be aware that this is also a concept that can be observed. Observe your observations until you are in a state of pure awareness. The more you exercise this muscle through practice and routine, the easier this becomes and you will find this is the most important thing you have ever learned. Each and every thought/emotion/sensation is a child in a line of infinite children, approaching you one by one, screaming for attention. Instead of becoming mesmerized, infatuated with its claims, attaching yourself to it, simply give it a hug and a kiss, a high five, perhaps a sly smile and observe its reaction. You will find if you choose to not be taken in and carried away, as many thoughts carry people away for unnecessary lengths of time, they simply disappear. When they return, simply repeat the process. With enough of this practice you are in complete control of what you pay attention to and how you spend your time.

[@AssailantLF]

I've had the infinite recursion of awareness of the current thought as you describe, but it's not difficult to realize how unproductive it is after a few seconds. I view the "awareness recursion" scenario as its own kind of distracting thought, so I consciously let it go rather than pursuing it like a computer stuck in a loop.

[@patarcher9199]

“A mirror is never really the shape it reflects.”

[@DCRivs]

Dear Sam, You are a remarkable man and we are very lucky to have you in this life time. I'm learning a lot from you at a very rough time in my life. Glad to have found your channel. Let's turn this ship around together. Thank you

[@Chevalier_de_Pas]

But Sam doesn't exist. What is the intrinsic value of someone who doesn't exist. I really can't see how "discovering" that there isn't self (the interpretation of an experience isn't a fact) is helpful. Things become less valuable, people become robots, without depth. It can lead to existential crisis. And Sam Harris' view is not even mystical, but neurocentric, so it only leads to nihilism (unless you lose your 'self' 24/7)

[@rodneypaterson7072]

"The Mindful Way Through Depression Freeing Yourself From Chronic Unhappiness' Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zigal Segal, and Jon Kabat-Zinn, With disc, Narrated by Jon Kabat- Zinn, 1introduction 3:01 2 Body scan 29:02 3 Mindful Standing Yoga 10:58 4 Mindfulness of the breath 10:38 5mindfulness of the breath and body 9:24 6 Mindfulness of sounds and thoughts 10:34 7 the breathing space 3:48.

[@amithbinesh1723]

Thank you Sam!

[@_Information_]

I highly recommend listening to this at 0.75 speed. Much calmer pace.

[@thebriggsboy4225]

Thank you for making this public Sam Harris. This is exactly what I want, especially moving forward with the new year. Happy New Year!

[@jacobsmith7818]

Everyone in my life is my spiritual teacher

[@MrCmon113]

So far these only make me frustrated about what I have not done. But I see the beginnings of awareness. My thoughts and feelings are hard to observe, they just vanish and reappear.

[@jontreeatreeify]

It's good that your thoughts and feelings are simply vanishing and reappearing. Simply observe this. Also observe where you're observing from. Who is the observer? Do this until you are simply aware, without concept.

[@daviddavtyan6585]

I literally had the same feeling that i had when I smoked weed(Sativa) for the first time, thank you so much, Sam

[@tjgadner8896]

What?😂 weed ≠ sativa

[@DaveSmith-mv8ex]

@@tjgadner8896 en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_sativa

[@johnsheldon8098]

The words "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain" went through my mind while listening to this.

[@John-nb7bw]

exactly, sam harris is trying to hypnotize us into trusting the illuminati!

[@96moliveira]

Thank you very much for this.

[@f1r3fox235]

Wow thank you Sam! You actually managed to recreate my ego loss experiences i had with psychedelics "just" with meditation! I started to meditate by myself regularly recently, but this guided meditation experience was very intense and good, thx ^^

[@pedroramirez45]

can you explain your ego loss experience

[@f1r3fox235]

@@pedroramirez45 Hey! Well it was quite some time ago now, so I don't remember the details anymore. It definitely wasn't a very overwhelming experience like on psychedelics though. On psychedelics my entire personality disassembled into it's individual parts, so that I did not experience myself as a whole self, but rather a phenomenon which results from the interactions of those parts. And I realized, that my "self" is just a thought construct in the same sense that a garden does not exist but only a set of plants which we group together in our minds and call a garden. Well on the meditation I commented about, it was a little bit different. I just separated from my inner voice and calmed it down enough, so that I no longer had the feeling of identifying myself with it. This essentially is the same thing, but on a "lower" level. I also were so much in the now, that I experienced my perceptions as part of myself and therefore felt more connected to my surroundings. So I no longer experienced myself as the center of everything. But I came to the conclusion, after I stopped experimenting with substances, that although meditation feels less intense or impactful, it actually is more powerful. This is because psychedelics and similar drugs can induce very misleading visions that will actually drag you away from reality. So they can "enlighten" you, or teach you important things about yourself, but they can also do the opposite and mislead you. It takes quite some introspection and rational thinking to distinguish those things and in the end the insights came from yourself and not the drug, which was more like an inspiration for the insight. I hope, that was was the answer you hoped for, if not, feel free to ask again ;)

[@Rithmy]

@@f1r3fox235 Thanks for the explaination For me it feels like meditation is the slow and steady way while drugs are the fast and unsteady ones. Sometimes i like walking a more dangerous , thrilling path. I heard once that someone described psychedelics as "forced meditativ states"

[@OOOOO0KKKKKKKK]

@@Rithmy that's what I like about psychedelics, they are the only drugs that don't make me forget my life, they make me to want to live to the fullest

[@mariat4191]

Thank you!

[@tiberium87]

Thank you for this Sam.

[@pedroramirez45]

thank you so much

[@Dman2785]

Thank you sam

[@andreiioneci7078]

Thanks! It helps a lot!

[@uchennaokafor356]

It really helps my mental health

[@kausa9113]

Thanks for guiding the mind through a wonderful practice. A constructive feedback- viewers would feel more included if the questions asked to reflect upon tend to be more general. In particular, people might not know who the first president of America is. Thank you for your work!

[@delcamino1736]

Wow! This was time well spent ❤

[@Anastasia12344]

(Me paying attention to my breathing) My breathing with crossed arms: “well I’m not doing it now”

[@lolololololol8639]

That’s was amazing thank you!

[@metamememachine7914]

I use this to push my limits at the gym!!

[@leticiapalomimo6704]

So relax. THANKS.

[@ThomasCorfield]

Meditation has become far easier ever since my ex-wife kicked my ego to death.

[@koberburwa]

That's your ego telling you it's kicked to death. When you feel pain in your ego, it means it's presence is large

[@ankanghoshal6545]

I saw your comment a few months ago when I was single and remembered it now that I am going to be in a relationship, you have no idea how lucky you are..

[@xkcddestroyer9582]

Haaa I see what you did there

[@cian3853]

Thanks Sam.

[@wiloinestroza3041]

the greatest showman

[@OBIrish]

Thank you

[@ecstasy6191]

“Where is the self that answers to the name of I?” -You had me there Sam Harris!

[@anujkishor]

No joke I had the same exact thought as I heard it!

[@Andy_Stoke]

It's behind you!

[@huzaifbhat7838]

The most heavy experience my consciousness has ever come into contact with. Till now...

[@UltrafiAV]

The “self” is an illusion. A very persistent and very convincing illusion.

[@BenetbenetLive]

Am I right in that the loss of self is the realization that the story you tell yourself is absent when paying attention? Or is it a "one with the universe" type experience?

[@molh394]

Before enlightenment, he was a strong, staunch atheist. After enlightenment, he is still one of the most prominent and outspoken atheists ever. And yet.

[@ironsmith9769]

i watched this at 2x speed. it didn't help me meditate any faster.

[@wotm8870]

@Kolya-The-Vodka-Guzzler headspace is his app tho..

[@brousi]

@@wotm8870 Headspace is not by Sam Harris. That's Waking Up.

[@brousi]

@Kolya-The-Vodka-Guzzler I actually much prefer Waking Up to Headspace. but actually, reading your comment, what immediately grabbed my attention was the degree of animosity and frustration you've managed to convey. Who pissed in your cereal?

[@JonahSA]

HHAHAAHA

[@jerrybrown6460]

I hope youre joking m8

[@russiandancer83]

That put me to sleep. I was trying to convince me that I am just noticing being sleepy and then boom I became it 😂

[@quaek6473]

This gives me a weird feeling when I begin thinking about the outside world and my own feeling of having a body is my experience that is within the same space as my thoughts and emotion, it is quite an uncomfortable feeling in a way that I can't really explain.

[@pedroramirez45]

muchas gracias

[@JoachimIsalaDun]

Really, this is very interesting stuff. It does not make me comfortable in the least but instead very very anxious and nauseous. I feel like I am very vulnerable and exposed when focussing on my awareness and at the same time very claustrophobic inside the constant stream of “raw data” as Sam calls it.

[@JoachimIsalaDun]

It also makes me feel free and disconnected from the earthly burdens.

[@robmaric]

lowvoltage typically if you keep it up this phase passes and you start to be comfortable

[@sophonax661]

@@JoachimIsalaDun You can take these feelings of claustrophobia and vulnerability as appearances within consciousness as well. Try to look for the one who is feeling them. Try to look what happens to them as soon as you focus on them.

[@JeffZuccMusk]

@@sophonax661 Hey I never understand what Sam means when he says "Look where the thoughts go" I can't see where they go. They dissappear somewhere I guess.

[@sophonax661]

@@JeffZuccMusk Yes. They appear and disappear like everything else does. That's the point of mindfulness meditation: realizing that everything appears on its own, sights, sounds, thoughts, you actually do nothing of them, they just appear.

[@СтаскаХрюкин]

Awesome feeling

[@perikliskarachristos8869]

This is where it starts

[@dreamsaresharedhere_]

I wish I could tap into what you're talking about. Intellectually I get it. Of course I am not my thoughts. But yet they get me every time. When I meditate I am in a lot of pain. I try to just be aware of the sensations as they are, but they get me every time. When I try and visualize or 'remember a time when' I think too hard and never seem to really get there. Am I like broken or something? I feel frustrated. I've been meditating for 6 years because I believe in it. But it only gets more difficult. I feel like I've attached myself to the practice. It became about success and failure. I feel stunted. It sucks

[@hearts99]

How is it going today?

[@BenetbenetLive]

Is loosing the self something that happens everytime you remember to look? until you remember to look again? Like realizing that the nature of paying attention removes the story about who you are? Like a oh cool, I can do this neat trick, very insightful moment. Or is it a earth shattering experience that changes everything?

[@tomasemilio]

Thanks

[@impassible73]

For sure we can wonder if being the thinker of our thoughts is a lack of self awareness, but for me, daily, our consciousness acts and moves our body in the real world and decide actions that are real. Nevertheless, our state of mind is mainly influenced by 1) the awareness of our environment, of course, that create thoughts and feelings permanently, but also 2) by our unconsciousness which process constantly every thoughts and feelings (nerve stimuli and neuromediators) that arrive to its region. So self awareness is precisely being aware that we receive both environmental and internal stimuli which shape our consciousness and can often separate our state of mind from our neutral and acting position as a unique and complete thinker/brain. So I do agree that it is important to separate the mirror that our mind is, from the true ''self'' who is the dynamic consciousness that animates our existence, and finally defines us.

[@Hinduseeks]

Is the awareness of a thought a thought itself?

[@quaek6473]

Probably, but as long as you know your thinking, you are aware

[@pedroramirez45]

gracias

[@OnekamaProducts]

Mute your minds voice. Forget all language. Exist. Feel your feelings and dont put a definition that vaguely summarizes the actuality of it’s presence. Pretend you are that new born baby experiencing everything with the virginity of innocence. Smile, laugh, cry, yell, or scream, there is no judgement of right or wrong. You are amazing (this word doesn’t come close to the actual beauty of your being). LOVE, MW

[@danchisholm1]

I love and deeply respect sam and his teachings. however I do find this particular meditation to make me constantly be *thinking* rather than being in the moment, being meditative. I look at this one as more of a lesson than a meditation.

[@tinfoilhatlover3660]

Wanna be in the moment instently....play animsl.crosdibg new horizon.... just try it

[@b.g.5869]

There seem to be 5 types of meditators: 1. Those that just can't do it, know they can't do it, and don't claim they do. 2. Those that can't do it, know they can't do it, but say that they can and do (there a lot of these). 3. Those that can't do it, but think they do. 4. Those that can do it but don't realize they're doing it. 5. Those that can do it and know they can do it. There are some meditators who, if several people around them made some preposterous claim such as "If you do such and such you will actually float!" they would immediately say "Totally! I do that all the time!" I definitely can't do it. Concentrate on your breathing? Wrap your awareness around your thoughts? It actually makes me tense up. It's too unnatural. It's like trying to fall asleep when you're not tired.

[@seaoftraffic]

The mind is very weird, so it's almost impossible to see what is really going on. If you tense up, notice the tension. Yes, meditation is unnatural, you are basically starving your "Default mode network" of your brain to ease suffering. Because you have consciousness you are able to starve it down. Nature doesn't want you to be happy, it wants you to worry, compare yourself to others, feel fear and fight for the best chances to reproduce. Everybody can do meditation, you have meditated before and didn't knew you were meditating. Almost anything can be meditation, listening to music, listening and laughing to a comic performing, or enjoying the nature, anything that makes you get into the zone of awareness is meditation.

[@dosto-evsky]

Hi Sam, i've noticed this is no longer in your Making Sense Podcast.... is there another way to access this and the shorter version in podcast form as it was?

[@tjgadner8896]

Just search Sam Harris guided meditation there’s an eight minute one as well

[@xxlorg6825]

the meditation is amazing!! 🙏💖😊 but it has a bug currently the video is always stopping inbetween and very often frozen. still ... after one month the same issue :(

[@thehallwayceiling]

It's rather disappointing that this is one of your least viewed videos, Sam. : (

[@Guedingen]

+Greg D'Orazio Astonishinjg, isn't it?

[@saueruga]

There are a few other versions floating around on KZbin with 300,000 and 130,000 views. Dang pirates.

[@IgnacioAguilarToledo]

I don't think it is anymore with its 100000 views

[@beyonderaatrox1670]

Far from that now haha

[@TheHealthConscounist]

Not anymore

[@csquared4538]

I got really uncomfortable yet happy when trying this. I started giggling but there was this tickle in my chest that was uncomfortable to the point I had to turn if off for a minute.

[@tjgadner8896]

That’s interestibg

[@nashfoster-phoenix2808]

love you sam

[@pranavbiraris3426]

Never try to practice witnessing the experience by mind. awareness is choicelessly aware at all the times

[@jacobsmith7818]

Brilliant

[@coldsampat3972]

At 17:30 he instructs us to open the eyes, then doesn’t ask us to close the eyes again. Are the eyes supposed to remain open for the rest of the session then.

[@John-nb7bw]

start out close, open, close, rest of sesh open

[@antonemilia4484]

You don't have to look for the self, you just have to deflate it.

[@Chevalier_de_Pas]

But he says that there is no "self"...