A Rant Against Morality
By Leo Gura - May 30, 2016 | 114 Comments
How your model of morality is stifling your growth.
Paz says: One of my favourite sounds these days: “heeyyy this is Leo’!! Never fails to put a big smile in my soul or whatever it is that makes me me or/and non-me
Back to business. I had been meaning to tell you for a while, and never found the occasion. Now may be appropriate. Love you man. Every time I see one of your videos, without fail at some point I will say ‘god, I love this guy!!’.
Grateful I came across you a while back, you have played a great part in my awakening/enlightenment process. I thank you Sir.
bryon says: Don’t turn away from this one. It gets very good. Enlightening and very funny towards the middle.
I enjoyed it. I would like to hear more about the ego.
I don’t nead rules i have ethics.
Per Sindrup says: – Best video ever from Leo/Nature.
– It’s simple when you are able to grasp it.
– And life become even more amazing and “simple”
Dave says: amazing Leo.as always.I got my first real sense of being one with reality while listening to this one.It just made so much sense that there really is no separate reality for this person I believed I was.I used to hope that each week that your new video would have the word enlightenment somewhere in the title but it’s so clear that each and ever video you release are all pointing to that very subject.Thank you
Sudeep says: This was truly liberating! A whole bunch of golden fuck’n’ nuggets! Woohoo..thanks a lot Leo. I realise what i’ve been struggling with so far in my life.
Cameron says: Wow, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of this concept.
Most of my life I’ve demonized religion and the closed-mindedness it imbues, citing it as the reason fanaticism is accepted and even held up as a banner for some. With this concept I’ve been able to realize that the issue runs much deeper. This individual egoic moralizing is a much more subtle and nefarious enemy than mere religion.
I’ve been taught (and see that others have mentioned) that it’s important to create and adhere to your own ethical code. So my question to you is: Is having an ethical code so lofty that it ensures the survival of all life, merely another ego-consideration of good/bad, or possibly ego-righteousness and therefore a hindrance to avoid?
Ultimately I know that even the extinction of humanity could be something that “is” and thus is to be accepted. To me it seems that keeping the game of life going as an ethical code is, at least for me, egoless. But I’m wondering if this is more self-deception.
My deepest gratitude to you Leo for pushing yourself and us all to evolve.
Mary says: You said you wanted to get to the point that you won’t be angry at the person who hurt (kill) your family. But why do you want that? I don’t even understand why you think it’s a good thing? I can’t grasp this. Any healthy person would feel anger in this situation. Why do you not want to experience different emotions? Anger, sadness,… they are not bad.
Leo Gura says: Why would I want to suffer when I could not?
But if you enjoy suffering, have at it. Don’t let me stop you.
There’s a paradigm shift here you’re still missing: anger ONLY arises when you lie to yourself.
Be careful about assuming that people around you are healthy.
Mary says: What about sadness?
Leo Gura says: There’s nothing wrong with emotions. You can feel whatever emotions you want.
In a highly conscious person, sadness arises, she’s mindful of it, she basks in it for a bit, and lets is pass away.
It’s important that you don’t mistake anything I’m saying with a suppression of emotions. No! Just the opposite. You feel emotions MORE fully and more accurately. Suppressing an emotion does not release it.
If you do happen to get angry, you feel into it fully. Which again, do not mistake with acting it out. Acting out anger does not release anger.
If you feel into anger fully, it reveals itself to actually be suppressed hurt. So you just sit there and fully feel hurt instead. Anger is an unconscious outward reaction to avoid admitting hurt.
I would relate it to a similar example you quoted in another video (most probably where you are talking about luck) where you pointed out how would you react if someone crashed in your car. Its not at all your mistake, but still you will get pissed off. Leo you rightly quoted there that whatever happened was past. The car accident has already happened, in this case, the family is already killed. What best one can do in the present situation is to control the emotion and let go and accept the reality which has already taken place.
Is this what are you say Leo?
Mary, ……What positive outcomes do my woundedness, pain, and suffering have? Do they add to liberation and growth OR create fear, sense of powerlessness, hate, anger. What happens if we move to the next “clear” moment and create feelings of self love, love of others, gratefulness, cheerfulness, feelings of security, safety, strength,, faith in being, etc. The choices of good feelings are endless in THIS moment regardless of what happened in the last moment. Try it,….it ‘s fun and life altering. “Happy creating.”
Mary says: I even think it’s a part of life’s joy to experience different emotions. Are you suggesting to be emotionless?
Elton says: Just the opposite, moving towards the higher consciousness emotions… What reference are you using to say that a person is healthy or not? Who told you that a healthy person experiences anger? Is that information right or wrong? How do you define whats right and wrong?
OUTCOME. WIN/WIN. PATIENCE.
Marc Solzan says: Your messages are corkscrewing into ultimate truth week by week.
YOU GOT BALLS, my friend. I admire your “no bullshit” approach.
Kha says: I like the part that you says that 50 years ago if you were broad casting this you would get kill or be hang and that is so truth and a lot of spiritual people did get themself kill, some country today still do that.I’m listening to you video but that doesnt mean that I believe everything though. Im just being there listening
Dovi says: Thanks Leo for all you do!
But what is happening, why I am looking for those answers, what power is pushing me without allowing to stop? It feels like the only way to survive is to go and find the answers, to break a walls or to escape from something, it feels like I am breaking my bones! But the answers definitely exist and could be found! What I am looking for?
I am very scared! I am afraid of life. Nothing could be controled, reality can only be accepted, but I don’t want to accept, I want my kids to be safe, I don’t trust the World. Is it that this fear is pushing me, or it is something else?
It isn’t easy!
Leo Gura says: Consciousness is pushing towards consciousness and truth. Fear and self is pushing towards towards the status quo.
Gene says: The bit about the hole in the Pacific reminded me of my country, which is actually a whole in the ocean, hence its name Hol-land. If there is one moralistic place on earth, that inflicted its moral values on the rest of the world, it’s that place. But I guess this statement is a form of moralising as well.
Ser says: you might not need an external rule or morality to not commit a murder cause you simply don’t feel the urge(like most of the people) , but there are people out there who really feel the urge to go kill,rape,rip people and who can stop them? what do we do? just sit there and watch, post the photos on instagram or facebook? if there were no rules and fear of punishment there will be even more terrorists and murderers in the world. And you call it reality, great, but that reality might not like you much when you’re involved into it. When reality hits you in the face you are not that objective anymore. Cause we are human not aliens, we cry and sweat and suffer, we FEEL! you see? if you stop feeling emotions and try to annihilate them, what will you become? a robot? an atm? no one likes to suffer, it just happens to them and accepting pain it is also a reality. You struggle with your feelings as someone is struggling with reality. What is reality after all? You try to control your inner emotions as someone tries to control events. It’s the same shit – it’s reality. You may take it this way – I feel what I feel and I’m ok with that,I SHOULDN’T control it. There are not alternative emotions, no other possibilities. I feel pain cause it happens,if happening is an argument.
Hi, Ser. You are thinking and sharing your true self. That creates beauty in the world and that and self reflection creates purity of heart. Ask with an open mind and intensity of heart and true answers will come. Namaste, ser.
Nishant Rai says: You always talk about getting rid of my Ego. And yes when I practice stuff to get rid of my ego, it really makes me happy and get shit done for me. But I know that getting rid of my complete ego is a difficult task. In this video you talked about the concept of ‘Shadow of Ego’. I was just wondering, that following this ‘Shadow of Ego’ would help me getting rid of my Ego? Is it an intelligent concept of first framing all the things that boost my Ego and then doing exact opposite things? Just wanted to get your opinion on the same.
Hi, N. True,….. ego cannot be destroyed. It must be transcended, and purified. You are communicating with ego and guiding it. Congratulations, N….that’s a major accomplishment. Ego performs as instructed based upon past conditioning. Continue to reflect and keep a sharp inner eye in order to instruct and guide the ego. You’re on the right path. Good work! You are your creator. Who do you want to BE.
Liz 
Hallie says: Hi Leo,
I’ve been watching your videos over a year now. I am in my mid thirty. Back then I was seeking “happiness” , because I have everything anyone would wish for, but yet I was not happy. I knew it from my gut. I was not satisfied with anything, everything.
I am writing this because this particular video is what I was trying to figure it out the other day, when someone told me that they really want to do this things but morally not right due to certain responsibilities and baggages they carry in life, even tho this things is true to themselves. So I was thinking, is it possible that morals is only the cloak that egos like to wear just so they can, like you said, aggrandized themselves.
But then I was not able to figure it out the part as what happen if there is no morality? Then here comes your video regarding this topic. I am so glad that I take effort to try to understand all your videos. I find it very interesting about my journey of watching your video, at first it was some basic stuff about how to be happy, how to success, how to this and that. But when the enlightenment video arrived, it makes all other video meaningless.
My life seems kind of going backward now. I can see it. I do less things in a day, but I am totally in peace. It feels like I can be anywhere everywhere and still feel happy. I am learning to meditate. But still, there is alot to work on.
Thank you for everything. Wish to see more video of yours.
Hallie.
Kevin says: I get hypocrisy. After all, I hate war, especially war based on lies by my own government. But I also pay taxes knowing full well where the money is going. I’m part of a system that’s doing all the things I don’t like. But claiming that there’s no evil – that a pedophile is doing as he should because he’s doing it – that’s a bridge too far.
Leo Gura says: Hehe, well… I guess because Kevin says so, the entire universe must be wrong. Just to satisfy Kevin. Just so Kevin can be right.
Kevin says: I was trying to make a serious, and I believe completely legitimate point. I appreciate that you did not shy away from the worst possible example of evil while claiming that evil doesn’t really exist. But you have to admit that’s a hell of thing to even attempt to accept. It’s going to take more than saying “the universe did it so it’s ok” to make that bitter pill go down.
Of course, you are under no obligation to satisfy little Kevin’s doubts.
By the way, I love your videos. My Monday workouts are always easier while listening to your latest.
Leo Gura says: Lol!
That you need a good argument to accept reality I find quite repugnant. Frankly it’s uglier to me than sex with children. It’s far more damaging than sex with children, that’s for sure.
Look at what you’re doing! You clearly see that pedophiles exist. And yet you adamantly refuse to acknowledge their validity. As though your existence is somehow superior to a pedophile’s? What self-serving nonsense! No argument in the world can replace consciousness. That’s what’s needed here. Not arguments, but consciousness and desire for truth.
Notice the Kevin-distortion-field at work yet?
Kevin says: Holy crap. I express the possibility that maybe pedophilia is objectively wrong (not non-existent, just wrong) and that very question is uglier than sex with children? Man, that is seriously messed up. If you have a point in there somewhere it’s totally lost in all the defensiveness and attack. I’m sure it’s just my own spiritual immaturity.
Kevin says: And how can what I say be repugnant anyway. Or ugly. Those are judgments. I am a part of the Universe just like anyone. It’s wrong for me to ask if pedophilia is objectively wrong, but pedophilia itself is not wrong. You call me repugnant for a simple – if somewhat challenging – comment, but you won’t judge a pedophile or a Nazi. Holy crap.
Leo Gura says: I didn’t say you were morally wrong. I said that I personally find the lack of tolerance for truth in people to be repugnant. But I accept that it happens. I don’t think the universe is wrong for it. In fact, I understand why it happens.
There is a big difference between what I said, and what you’re saying about pedophiles. The difference is that I am conscious that I expressed a subjective opinion, whereas you are not. I accept that reality should contain people who reject reality. But you do not accept that reality should have pedophiles.
I didn’t attack you. It just seems that way because your mind is being cornered in this process.
Yes, I actually like defending pedophiles and Nazi’s because there is a much bigger issue at stake. Namely false moralizing that people do with respect to them. The people who attack Nazis are EXACTLY the people who would themselves have been Nazis had they been born in early 20th century Germany. The reality is that if you were a Nazi, you would treat yourself in exactly the self-serving manner in which you treat yourself now (that is, you would be totally unconscious to the ego-distortions that are going on inside you, radicalizing you). You would consider Nazism totally legitimate, because you tend to consider ANYTHING that’s YOU to be legitimate! You see that? You define the legitimacy of a thing relative to YOU, not to truth! The Nazi’s were very moral. So moral they had to exterminate millions of Jews in service of their morality.
What created the Nazi’s is not my psychological dynamic, but your psychological dynamic. My dynamic of total openmindedness and truth-at-all-costs cannot ever lead to Nazism. But your dynamic, of adamant demonization of others and self-bias, certainly can. It’s the everyday dynamic that 99% of people defend. It’s the dynamic of prioritizing self-agenda over truth. This dynamic has been responsible for the greatest horrors in history. So in this sense, I claim that it is a graver sin than pedophilia (which, BTW, was legitimately practiced in many cultures). Of course I use the word “sin” here speaking from your position. From my position, there is no sin.
Kevin says: That was a very clever way of weaseling out of what was obviously a very defensive reaction on your part, simply because I dared to suppose that pedophilia might be objectively wrong. You were being subjective calling my attitude repugnant, but you knew it was subjective, so you’re good? I, on the other hand, have no awareness of my subjective opinions, so my attitude leads to Nazism, which isn’t really bad anyway, so why would you position that as negative? (I assume you were knowingly being subjective again.)
I acknowledge that one person’s evil is another person’s heroism. Good and evil are not so simple. Putting aside that my ego is irritated with your ego (yes, your ego), I realize there are no clear “rules” – the main point of your talk.
But I just can’t cross that line that says harming an innocent child without the child’s ability to consent and for no good reason is somehow ok because it happened and that makes it ok. All we have to do is come up with one single example of objective wrong to say that objective wrong exists. Call it self-centered and anti-truth or whatever else you want to claim are my unconscious reasons – worse than pedophelia – subjectively, of course, and with full consciousness on your part, which makes it totally ok for you to do that.
I do appreciate – or rather my ego appreciates and I am fully conscious of this subjectivity – that you toned down the attack language a bit.
Leo Gura says: Sigh…
barry says: u made logical points but kevin killed it when he said u was weasling out of a situation haha
barry says: yall are pretty woke. but i was gonna say pedophilia would be morally wrong on the basis of IQ, not age alone. The risk of psychological trauma being caused to someone who has not been afforded enough time to develop/understand themselves as a being in the cosmos is where the issue truly lies. As adults, whose nature as a species is to protect our young, it would technically be morally right under our laws of the universe to minimize the risk of suffering being inflicted upon our children. Due to our understanding of the level of suffering which may result from sexual abuse, it is perfectly acceptable and universally moral for us to agree on some type of program to minimize the risk of suffering through sexual contact with children. Whether or not the illegalization of pedophilia is the best way is subject to our species as a whole, not the individual. Begin viewing “morality” as a set of unspoken rules which allow multiple beings to live peacefully together.
Bob says: Kevin definitely owned it with that response lol. I understand what you’re saying Leo, but you’re judging Kevin for judging other people, which in your own words is the same mentality that leads to Nazism.
If you truly accept people who reject reality, you would not have argued this point. It’s the reason for the quote, “Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.”
Hopefully you have progressed past the point of subjectivity by now, because the philosophy you’re using leads to disastrous results in the real world. The same thing Jordan Peterson has pointed out, time and time again (I know, you’re a big fan of his): intolerance and oppression disguised as tolerance and compassion.
Moritz says: Usually I don’t participate on internet discussions, but this time I really feel like I want to do it. Now I am judging Bob for judging Leo for being judgmental at Kevin. Because, I am not that developed mammal and I feel great about it. Nevertheless I like to do new activities, find out more about myself, learn etc. . Leo replied before over three years, I don’t know if he would do this today in the same manner. However, I can understand him because I am in a stage where I also get in rage when I read closed minded stuff, which actually leads to egotistic mindsets in the world. And then people get egotistically and don’t mind to damage somebody or something by for example living out pedophilia. However, that is the way it goes and how do I know if this is good or bad? I am too stupid for this honestly, because I don’t know where it leads to if somebody gets hurt. And if knew I don’t know how to value this outcome. So I just don’t do it. I feel like I can also understand Kevin, because he reacts out of negative feelings and want’s to stop evil (or wanted to before three years), because he believe that it is. I found out that admitting stuff which seems to be heavy leads to enormous progress. As if I had the feeling that I love Leo, but then he said in his videos that it is only the love of content. And yes that is true. It is somehow inspiring how someone can have the balls to say things directly out of conviction, even with the high probability that many people may not understand and demonize him. Even people do not understand that a pyramid with a spiral inside could be Maslow’s pyramid of needs in combination with spiral dynamics. Perhaps it is the stage blue or blue is only the favorite color of Leo. Maybe I am completely wrong. I don’t know.
Ben says: Even before Leo shot this video, it was pretty clear to me that morality is purely subjective. Like for instance, with the recent terrorist attacks, everyone around me always called the terrorists evil, crazy and what have you. I usually think to myself “I bet the terrorists don’t think of themselves as wrong. Why would I be able to judge them?” Same with pedophiles, rapists, Hitler etc. There is clearly no objective morality. Good and evil are (just like any word) empty symbols. We tend to think they have inherent meaning, but it’s pretty clear they don’t. Someone who doesn’t understand English after all can’t understand the things I wrote here.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with you choosing not to accept this. It’s not your choice after all (no free will you see) Leo here is trying to share the wisdom he found out, as that is his life purpose. There is no need to get so defensive when he challenges you, instead, try to find out why you get so defensive. Why are you so insistent on “objective wrongness”? You can find interesting things there if you search Good luck!
Kevin says: Let’s get past the defensiveness issue. You can go back and re-read the thread and make a judgment on that yourself.
Regarding right and wrong, I completely agree with you to a certain point. In the news, we hear about “terrorists” but, first of all, what is happening in their part of the world? What is America’s role? Weren’t American patriots once considered terrorists by the British? How many Americans know that our own country has prevented democracy from developing in the Middle East? Look into “Operation Ajax”, for example, to see how the US and UK decided that Iran should not progress toward democracy if it means that that we could no longer unfairly exploit their oil to the advantage of western corporations. Instead, we decided that they should have a dictator for several decades. We continue to support oppressive regimes in the area and in other parts of the world. But this is not explored on TV, so to most Americans, it’s an alien concept.
Ok, so yes, we need to get to a place of maturity where we can look at polarization, choosing sides, this guy is right, this guy is wrong, this guy is good, this guy is bad.. and question all that. We also need to look inward. I pay taxes knowing full well that much of the money goes to things that I think are wrong, but apparently I’m unwilling to sacrifice my money and freedom to make the point. We are all part of an earthly system, just as we are all part of the same ultimate reality. I agree with that.
I also agree that free will is questionable at best. If it does exist, it certainly does not exist in this earthy, material realm. It can’t. So, it is probably true that what happens happens and we are all indeed one thing, one energy, one existence, whatever you want to call it.
But having said all that, it is wrong to harm an innocent child, whether a fragment of the universe is doing it or the whole universe is doing it. I can’t say, “Well, if you look at it from the pedophile’s perspective, he doesn’t think it’s wrong.” Sorry, that’s just plain wrong. Even if pain and hurt and fear are products of the mind, can you really say that a poor child should just accept what is happening because, after all, we’re all doing it together as one? No. Put yourself in the mind of that child – the pain, the fear, the guilt, the shame, the confusion – but all of that is ok? No, it is not ok.
If an innocent child was being sexually assaulted before your eyes would you intervene, or would you just keep walking? I think you’d intervene. I think Leo would intervene. I’d intervene. Because it’s wrong and you know it’s wrong.
This is not about Leo, but look at what he says and writes. Just about every other sentence is a moralization or a value judgment of some kind. It’s not a slip every once in a while – it’s the whole thing. Even when responding to my comment, he moralized harshly (excusing himself, because he was conscious of it, apparently). If he didn’t make any value judgments, all of his videos would be just flowers and landscape scenes or something. I don’t blame him or anyone else for this – it’s who we are. So let’s be careful not to accept that right and wrong do not really exist because we think that’s what spiritual people ought to believe. A claim like that requires much, much more than just saying it, then attacking anyone who dares to question it.
Ben says: You don’t intervene in the child getting molested because it’s “wrong”. Wrong is simply a label, even in that case. You (and I) would probably intervene because we have an emotional reaction. This is simply natural. It has nothing to do with anything being wrong. Heat flows from a hot to a cold object. Do you then call temperature differences wrong? (I’m 100% serious btw)
On another note, if you see a lion attacking a child, would you intervene? Is this wrong? Did the man have any more choice than the lion?
There is no way you can intervene with the universe or part of the universe, as everything “you” do is also it. Of course, the ego likes to play up its role I saved the child, right?
Kevin says: I do give you a lot of credit. You managed to challenge the notion of evil without you yourself moralizing in the process. Take a look at most of the comments that claim to agree that evil does not exist and that moralizing is bad (which is already a contradiction). You’ll often find something along the lines of “This or that bad thing in history happened because people were excessively moralizing”. I completely agree with that statement! Very, very much so! However, notice that it points out that bad things did in fact happen in history. If you believe that there’s no such thing as evil then the holocaust is just the same thing, morally speaking, as a walk in the meadow on a cool summer morning. Why would anyone say that moralizing is a bad thing if nothing bad really happens or has ever happened?
Regarding the question about temperature, no, hot temperature flowing to cool is not wrong, but hitting someone in the face with a hot frying pan for no good reason IS wrong.
And about the lion – you changed the scenario. We can probably come up with a million tricky or morally ambiguous scenarios. Should everyone donate a kidney to save a stranger? If you could find a cure for cancer for a million people by killing one innocent person against his will, would you do it? We could go on. (See the “trolley problem” for a classic examination of this.)Again, I completely agree that it’s difficult – and maybe impossible – to come up with a clear set of rules that define what “moral” is. But that doesn’t mean there is no such thing as evil in the world. All we have to do is come up with one scenario that is objectively wrong – not one rule or one general situation – just one specific situation. Like if you walk into a classroom to pick up your six year old child and he is being fondled by the teacher, because that’s how the teacher gets his jollies. We don’t just “label” that as wrong. It IS wrong.
Here’s what I think is happening with all this. Worlds are getting mixed up. If you want to say that the physical world is ultimately illusory, ok, then you can also say that evil is illusory. If you say that children don’t really exist and pedophiles don’t really exist, ok, then you can say that evil does not exist. That’s being consistent. But you can’t say, “Evil does not exist and you shouldn’t moralize because…” (oops!) or “The belief that evil exists, and the moralization that goes with it, has caused all kinds of problems in the world and in your own life because…” (oops!) That’s mixing up worlds. It’s inconsistent and hypocritical, and it’s all over these comments. But to the extent that a pervert really assaults an innocent child, then it’s really, really wrong.
Excessive moralizing is absolutely a serious problem in the world. This is a good and important topic to discuss. But there is a time and a place to moralize, at least here in the physical world.
Leo Gura says: Draw a distinction between bad for ME vs absolutely bad. There is no such thing as absolutely bad. But certainly there is such a thing as bad for ME. Lots of stuff is bad for the ego. But this just shows you the utter groundlessness of traditional morality.
Morality is a manipulation device. If you want to use it, go ahead, but just realize that it isn’t true in any way. It’s just self-serving, which is fine, but do acknowledge that. It’s when you deny that morality is merely self-serving that you run into trouble. And that’s precisely what most moralists try to do. Because the function of traditional morality is normative. That is, people try to use it to justify why others should change and be different. And when you do that, you are behaving unconsciously. You are lying to yourself and to others. Again, there is nothing wrong with lying. But it does make for an unpleasant life for you. The liar gets burned by his own lies. And so every moralist gets ensnared by his own should-statements.
The only issue here is whether you are conscious enough or not to realize what role morality is actually serving. It is serving ego. Not truth. Without an ego, there is no morality period. It would be pointless. The only reason morality is functional is precisely because it is a lie. That is it’s purpose: to lie.
And this is precisely why you cling to it so tightly. To let go would be to admit you were lying to yourself and to undermine the ego. Of course the ego hates that idea and will fight it with further lies.
Jami says: I agree.. I being enlightened means standing by and doing nothing because it just is. Then forget it. If it all is one, we are still here to play a part in it all. Then i take the part in helping the suffering of children being abused manipulated tortured split into different personalities and then slaughtered why are there blood drains so these people can dance in it and consume it and cannibalism yes this is happening so for you to sit there and say that it’s supposed to be I get that but that does not mean that we shouldn’t do something about it . so the abusers can get some adrenaline in their Satanic rituals. My human response is to do something. We’re here to play a part then let’s play a part of making this place of love. That doesn’t include using children for their consumption. If you do something that physically mentally and emotionally hurts another person you still have to take accountability for it and grow that’s the only place that we will get to all of us and accepting both the good and the bad part of ourselves and if we’re here to play a part to mirror to reflect so others can learn and grow then Play Your Part. But for you to say that because we chose to feel this way that we are wrong and that kind of hypocritical? So if somebody has a different opinion than yours you say that we are too immature to understand isn’t being all one also being all different opinions being one? Not a very loving and accepting place of Oneness and Abyss to be
Jami says: And your symbol for actualized.org is a symbol that is used in pedophilia for boy lover. Just letting you know with all this coming to light in the world you might want to reconsider using now on if that’s not what you intend to promote. Because more people are going to be noticing and they’re not going to be so nice as to ask you about it first. Not saying I believe that’s what you have it there for I have no clue. That’s just FYI
Beatrice Horvath says: crazy that your talking about this now. lately i was thinking about all that in reference to myself. and i had a few talks and nobody really knew what i meant. and i was thinking am i going crazy with this , i was kinda stuck. your gave me the right input to understand it more clear thank you!!! big step in my life!!!!
Dear Leo, Transcendent wishes to you on our never ending—spiral upward journey. Your video on Morality is a challenging, stimulating description (of past masters) on the theme of “isness”/ reality is what it is,…..”To thine ownself be true”, etc……which modern ears do not hear. In each life, every young person who is awakened searches for self actualization and for guidance that they can relate to. Leadership is determined by competence. Your honesty, and efforts are refreshing . Here’s hoping your watchers “see the light” and self-actualize. (Actually DO THE WORK.) Your videos stimulate new thought. Great energy! Thanks! The universe ” gets you” and appreciates you. Namaste, Leo.
My first instinct is that its morality without compassion or empathy that perpetuates the pain cycle, which causes further hurt and suffering. Judgment requires a framework from which to act, when the decision has moral implications, that doesn’t infer that it will always result in negative consequences. Its reasonable to judge an act as evil, but then meet that bad person with love, it just takes compassion and wisdom
Italo says: Hey Leo,
There is no free will, and whatever is, is what should be…right?
What happened in the past is the only thing that should have been. What is happening now as well.
All the things we call “our” “failure” and all “our” “success” isn’t actually “our” neither are failures or success… They are just what had to be..
So, whatever the future will be, is the only future that could ever be. No other.
Got that.
So,
If most of US, are not yet enlightened… and are suffering with all these ego limitations… that TO is the only thing that is supose to be now. Right?
If we suffer with the ilusion in wich we base our lives on.. If we suffer with beeing a hole in the middle of the pacific… That is the only thing that is supose to be right now…
And someday… only some of us will “put the necessary work” to leave this state and actualize ourselves… but only the ones that already would anyways.. independent of anything… There is only one outcome.
The “will” we think is “ours” to develop ourselves or to just quit everything and choose to go back to sleep.. is not “ours” NEITHER is an “option”… it is already determined…
Only the ones who already would become enlightened… will have the “will” to do so… but is not an option… not our decision… if we decide so… it was already to be decided like that…not by us… but by whatever IS.
Is that kind of what it is??
It’s a bit scarry at first… but at the same time it takes a lot of guilt, fear of what will be, anger of what has been… off the shouder…
tks again.
appreciate a lot.
Leo Gura says: Sotra, but don’t turn this into a notion of destiny. Things are unfolding and no one knows which way the future will go. The future is open to unfolding as it will unfold. Which doesn’t mean anything! Do not use this as a justification for anything, like playing victim.
Marc Solzan says: Watched a second time. Just as blown away as the the first. Struck by the HERE-AND-NOWNESS. The Babaramdass-ness. “Be here now.” Also the sense of Old Testament BURNING BUSH speaking to Moses. “I am. My name is I AM.” Yahweh. Yeah, YAHWEH. BE-ING.
NICE….
Matei says: Hi, Leo!
Your insights here are very deep, but I have a question: where did you learn these ideas about transcendent morality? It integrates with what you talk about in other videos, but usually you also reference works about that subject. Here you reference a book, but you add your own arguments against that theory and also completing it.
I am asking this because I’m looking to research this topic more deeply. I grew up a religious person (I know you don’t take kindly to people like me), but my mentor was a very spiritual and open-minded person, with ideas very similar to the transcendent morality you talk about here. He was very different from the usual priest you find in a local church and critical of that system, if you know what I mean – just like you are very different than your local atheist and “rationalist” person (although I consider myself to be rationalist too, have to watch your video about that ). However, he died recently and now I’m trying to find more information and guidance about this topic and so far your ideas are the closest to what I’m looking for…
Could you give more extended reference about this topic? I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!
Leo Gura says: This video is a high level synthesis of many notions. You’re not gonna find that just lying around.
But if you read many of the books on my book list, you’ll start to see the interconnections.
neil byrne says: it was funny when you said ‘someone telling you not to eat meat’ and then pointed at the camera I was like oh he is pointing at me because I keep sending him messages saying dont eat meat ha… if you could see what eating meat looks like through my head you would be amazed, when I see a human eating steak its like seeing a klingon from star trek eating a big bowl of fat white juicy maggots, its so sick ha … I wont annoy you again with telling you to be a vegetarian : )
Christine says: Hi Leo,
Great video. What about shoulds that concern the future, should they also be banned? Ex: should I call this person, erc.
Leo Gura says: Be careful. Sounds like you’re still in the same paradigm of creating more shoulds.
I did NOT tell you to create a new set of “better” shoulds.
Ash says: Hi Leo!
Just wanted to drop in for a bit and say hello to you and everyone here!. Leo, thank you soo much for all you do! I am so grateful for all the hard work you put into your educational,life changing, and inspiring lectures. I came across one of your videos on YouTube several months ago in an attempt to shift my life around for being unhappy with myself and struggling with reality due to many of the reasons you have mentioned in this video. I always look forward to your lectures and enjoy them very much! The content you share is truly amazing and deep. It gets me to think on a very deep level and to be skeptical about my life,habits, the world ,and people around me. I have become very observant of my thoughts, patterns, and behavior as well as those of others (the patterns and behaviors of others that is!). I have a quick question for you, do you have any tips on how to counteract the moralizing habit? If and when I become aware and notice myself doing it, what should I do to stop moralizing as it is happening. What else can I do to change it around and try and eliminate major moralizing in my life overall?
Thanks very much,
Ash
Leo Gura says: Mostly just be mindful of when you “should” on yourself or others. And be extra mindful not to should on yourself for shoulding on yourself.
joe e says: I understand morality and God isnt on the top 10 hits now days but im balls deep in it at this point and feel it would be selfish to not share. If things arnt going your way or something just kind of seems off i want to share a couple prayers with you (bear with me athiests agnostics and all you “scientific” guys haha this is good stuff)
If you feel you have been attacked here is a prayer for protection. I would say it out loud, in your head is just as good but ya gotta mean it
“In the name of Jesus Christ, by the power of his cross and blood, i bind the spirits and powers and forces of the earth, the underground, the air, the water, the fire, the netherworld, and the satanic forces of nature.
I rebuke any curses, hexes, or spells sent against me and send them directly to Jesus to deal with them accordingly. Jesus bless our enemies by sending them the Holy Spirit to lead them to repentance. Heavenly father Yawheh forgive them and have mercy on them for they know not what they do.”
ahhhh feels gooood doesn’t it?
If you have intentionally or unintentionally been involved in the occult and didnt get what you paid for:
“Satan i say to you in the name of Jesus Christ release me from any hold you have had. I take back any territory i may have given you in the name of Jesus Christ. Release me and my family from any hold you have had. I take back any territory i have given you in the name of Jesus. I claim the protection of the blood of Jesus Over my mind, body and spirit. I close the door to you Satan never to be opened again!”
That should do the trick….that new found freedom!! feels to good to go back
joe e says: Leo (if you even read these) i know your site isnt christian based and its akward when i talk about God anywhere…im pretty use to it by now. Hope you dont mind but i just want to offer a quick blessing then i will be out of your hair for good.
Lord i am in mysterious awe of your love i cannot make sense of it. Thank you for the age we live in, one where we can reach the world in the comfort of our own home. Thank you for actualized.org and the positive message and healing it has brought to so many people. Shine down your blessing on it Lord, let is see exponential growth not manageable by one man. May it gain views in the range of Gangnam style may its positive messege be brought to the nations of the world and translated into different languages. May it help bring healing to the individual as well as the family unit. Through it raise up a generation of thinkers, philosophers, preachers, teachers, community activists, politicians and businessmen. Through it help heal the nations and spur the growth of a new age. Bless Leo Lord for you do not judge our outer appearance like the people of this world, but our hearts. May the fruits of his labor be ecstatically overbearing; for you bless the ones who bless other, your favor is on those who have a heart for the broken and poor in spirit. Lets us never forget your undying love Lord. Thy kingdom come thy will be done. In Jesus name i pray.
and im out have a good night everyone
William says: When Leo talks about the shadow and integration he is citing Carl Jung. The shadow archetype of the collective unconscious and the process of integration which Jung talked about. I recommend checking his theories out he was a student of Freud.
Manuel Ponciano says: Dear Leo, hi I’m a fan and I’ve watched all your videos. I have a question: why is it that in real time, you seem to be inside your head looking out, but when I think of the past, recall and visualised events of my past memory, I seem to be outside of myself watching myself! It’s like watching a movie of which I’m the main character. I’ve only noticed this after I watched your video about enlightenments, perhaps in our memory, were all like this or maybe it’s just me. Hoping for your kind reply and thank you.
Arwel Ponciano.
Leo Gura says: You’re actually NOT inside your head. That’s an illusion. You are actually outside looking in, so-to-speak. Or more accurately, you’re spacious being.
But that takes a lot of work to grasp. It totally blows your socks off when you grasp it.
ndf says: Hey Leo!!! Thanks for sharing all your hard work you’ve done with us. Wow, extremely strong video and eye opening. Hits on several aspects I’ve been struggling with for awhile and never thought about before. Important enough to put these principles into the forefront -daily- on the road of development. My question relates to what you said, the hypothetical statement about someone killing your family, and even the people who terrorize. What is your opinion about laws? Should our society still have laws? Should people who kill, rape, terrorize… etc, be brought to justice by society? Hmmm, but is that in itself a form of judgement? Thanks in advance Leo! Always look forward to your latest vids in my inbox. -nic
Leo Gura says: Sounds like you’ve got a whole lot of shoulding going on.
The reality is that society has laws, and they are useful for maintaining order.
Billions of people have been killed in the name of which laws society “should” have.
ndf says: aaah yes, of course! And, damn my shoulds. I’ve got work to do.
Mihai says: Hi, Leo! Have been watching yours vids not for long, but somehow today i’ve got into the comment section and keeeept scrolling and reading for a while. I found a question that relates to mine and i’ll start from there (the thoughts exchange between you and ndf by the name). So, implying that if it is, there should be and vice-versa, that there isn’t such a thing as absolute bad, just bad for me (the ego to be more precise), our minds tricks us in many ways and a lot more…
I get to the point: is there a correlation between what’s happening in the world and what we feel has to be done (different), hmm, wait, that’s the result of the cumulative ‘lessons’ that made me who I am today and I’m viewing it from a personal angle, my upbringings and ideas that govern what i want to change. Even though, let’s say this is what I do, i want to make a change based on my own ideas that may be flawed, but they help people (some people at least), like a charitable hospital – ok, this may make some other guys furios, like the private hospitals because they charge money and they don’t want me on the market…i dunno if market is the right word here.
Nevertheless, I’m keeping my statement thinking that you are doing something extraordinary here, inspire other people to question themselves and ofc, self actualize. So, it’s not like i need a justification if i’m doing the right thing – saw another video of yours about how we don’t need the fucking approval of others for what we do. It’s not like Hitler would have asked the Jews ‘hey, i wanna burn you extinct. you ok with that?’ or ‘I’m gonna give you all my reasons why i’ll do that and they are perfectly legit’ (for him).
So, trying to answer my own question now, we need no justification for our actions, what we should do, we do and by this i feel that no law should…but i don’t make the law, and it’s not my job to question it, is it? damn… Ok, throwing smth in, based on the 2nd imperative of Kant, we are not to do to another(man, animal, etc) what we know we would not like to be done to ourselves, is this a way to go about it?
Now, putting myself together and formulate that q:…is damn hard not to use a should in this, so it means i should do it as i please. I see all these things, poverty, disease, hunger, etc. (another short q, are they bad by default or they vary in our eyes?). Go: How do I know that I am not flawed when wanting to do/achieve something in spite of the fact that I am a result of a lot of experiences. Even if I am constantly evolving, (this damn) should I just care about my own actualization and not try to impact the world? I see poverty and hunger and i want to change it. Is this by selfish reasons, it is just the way i feel and means nothing, neither right or wrong?
I got a bit confused in my own words. I’ll be grateful if you’ll throw an eye on my tangled thoughts. Keep up the hard work. thanks!
Mihai says: Alright, I think i got my answer watching the continuation episode How To Stop Moralizing – Removing The SHOULDs From Your Life: Following my desires (genuine desires). Though i’d like to hear your thought on the 1st crappy comment that i wrote to you. Cheers!
Wylde says: Hey Leo,
For the first time I think I may not agree 100% with the overall sentiment of this video. I have given this a lot of thought, I watch heaps of your video’s and I think that this is the only time I find myself at odds with some aspects of what you say. I absolutely and whole heartedly agree with the absurdity/hypocrisy of judging others by ones own moral standards, and I am not religious in anyway, nor completely rationalist either. I understand that good and evil are simply constructs of ones own mind/thoughts or perhaps some other religious or idealogical edict that one subscribes to. I also get that in reality these labels are subjective per individual i.e. what one person/group thinks is good, another may think is evil. However where I am at odds is that I think that as humans – intelligent beings at a far greater evolved state than any other animal on earth (at least by what we know at this time, the standards that we compare ourselves too and general observation) surely we must accept that some things in life are just plain wrong – regardless of any ‘good or evil’ framework. There are so many things, child abuse, female genital mutilation/circumcision for religious reasons, domestic violence, rape, murder etc that are just plain wrong – as humans, as an evolved, sophisticated beings – surely we can accept that regardless of ones moralistic standpoint, that these events are just wrong – I can’t think of any other word to describe them other than evil, malicious, nefarious etc – this does not mean that I do not accept that they happen, I certainly accept that this is real – but I hold myself, as a partially self-actualised being (still on the journey like you are) higher than these actions, from a humanity-based standpoint I regard these things as wrong, evil. I do not expect others to subscribe to my viewpoint, or berate those that don’t – but I prob wouldn’t like to be around people who didn’t think that these things were wrong.
With the greatest respect Leo (and I admit I may have misunderstood some of the underlying principles in this video) but it seems to me that you are saying that one mustn’t view things as right or wrong/good or evil because its all just our thoughts, culture, laws or religion that put this descriptor behind what is in fact reality – and logically this is true, but it doesn’t make it ok – some things are wrong because they are just wrong, they are plain evil – its just a fact – if we choose to not acknowledge this, as I see it, it makes is indifferent and thus no better than lesser developed life-forms. I see the relationship between humanity, its evolution to date, and morality as closely linked- however this does not mean that I do not accept reality.
Thanks for the video though – it certainly got me thinking. As always I find your videos engaging, thought provoking, and for the first time in this case, a little different/averse to my thoughts on the matter – however I still respect your viewpoint.
Wylde
Leo Gura says: Well, if you don’t want to be conscious of the fact that YOU are the one who’s literally creating the notion of “evil”, then what can I tell you?
This takes some serious emotional maturity and a commitment to truth.
You aren’t ready for that yet. You aren’t ready to take responsibility for the fact that all the evil in the world is created by your mind.
It doesn’t make sense to you because you actually believe that you are a limited fragment of reality. So when I tell you something like, pick the most evil person in the world you can think of, and that person is LITERALLY YOU! You cannot fathom that. You think I’m kidding. But I’m being totally serious. That’s how backwards your paradigm of reality is.
Wylde says: With respect I disagree at this time – however accept that in time, I may change my mind after some deeper thought and more time grapple these concepts. I am conscious of the fact that I create the notion of evil – in much the same way that I/my mind creates the notion of good. Maybe there is something that I am not getting – I get that things just are, they are the way they should be because they are – this is reality – but I still feel that some things are just wrong – because they just are, not because I decide to label them as right or wrong – just because they are – I can’t rationalise this, not everything can be rationalised i think – I in fact would argue that it takes a mature level of emotional maturity to recognise that good and evil are just constructs of the mind – and accept reality as it is, but still recognise ‘right from wrong’.
Perhaps its the frame that I put around events – rather than good or evil – I see things as right and wrong – I do not judge or get grandiose or say people ‘should’ etc, I do not expect people to be or behave a certain way, that’s silly – and outside my control. I just feel that there is a concept of right and wrong that transcends the mind – based on our humanity. I accept that ”shit happens” sometimes, earthquakes, accidents etc – and they are tragic – but not wrong etc – but I am strictly talking in the realm of humans and morals.
Perhaps you are right and I am not yet emotionally mature enough. I am struggling with this, I am trying to understand where you are coming from, but can’t at this time, maybe I’ll listen to the video again more closely.
If the concept of evil is non-existent, how then can I be the most evil person?
Leo Gura says: Look Mom! Look! I’m a space pirate!
Arrrrgghh… matey!
Arrrrghhhhh…
Look Mom! Look! I’m a REAL space pirate!
Arrrrrrghhh….
Mom? If space priates aren’t real, how come I can be one?
Olga says: Hi Leo, you yourself use a lot of shoulds in your videos, like you should meditate on a daily basis or you should do affirmations, etc, how about being free from those and still get the result in life? Thanks, Olga
Leo Gura says: Yes I do. Part of it is because “should” is so common in our language and mode of speaking that it’s hard to avoid the word itself. Part of it is also because I have not mastered what I’m teaching you. This stuff takes decades to master.
Yann says: Which leads to the crucial question of laziness. You certainely don’t like laziness, do you ? Your energy transformed your life, didn’t it ? But it was not spontaneous, I believe. It was triggered by a “should”. You also said that young people need to build their life while in college instead of having fun. But this requires willingness. An willingness is a based on a “should”. Is the universe lazy or not ?
Galyna says: Leo,
You can not imagine how lonely I feel, just because the majority of people are not willing to accept this Truth. Knowing and practicing it, doing introspection, but still have to pretend and hide my views inside.
I have to react on people accordingly, taking into consideration their willingness to accept my behavior and words, their level of readiness. So sad that there are only a few mature people out there. You always have to hide that part of yourself.
Leo Gura says: Using shoulds and morals to motivate yourself IS the reason you’re lazy.
That’s negative motivation.
I am mostly motivated by desire, not by obligation.
Leo Gura says: You don’t have to hide anything.
Check yourself on that.
Yann says: But the kids, Leo, the kids ! If you don’t teach them morality, it’s just survival of the fittest. They go and bully anyone different. Playground reality. So I would say: first: learn morality. Second: go beyond morality.
Leo Gura says: 1) Your kids do that already.
2) How little you think of your kids if you feel you have to moralize to them.
3) You’re making your kids neurotics for life.
John doe says: Dear Leo,Couldnt you force someone to be enlighted by taking out the piece of their brain that deals with the self?
Leo Gura says: Maybe, if there is such a part. More likely you would just make them retarded.
Brett Miller says: Leo — 5 stars!! I learned vastly from this. Tnx!
Wylde says: I got/get it. Now I understand why morality is actually just a humanistic concept. There is no right or wrong – there just is. The wrapper our minds choose to put around people/events is resultant of the ego, our biases and our filters. And because we choose to place a label on things as right/wrong/good/evil doesn’t mean anything other than us refusing to accept that these things are meant to be, and will always be because this is reality. The danger in labelling things good or bad is that it is absolutely subjective, self-righteous and even a little arrogant. Who is anybody to say that that reality is right or wrong or that because I deem it wrong it is. The facts are that adopting this mindset and applying a moralistic filter to reality on ones mind is dangerous – it distorts reality – because as I think was mentioned earlier, even Hitler thought that what he was doing was morally right – its the framework of thought of right/wrong that is dangerous because it can/has been used though out history to justify many horrific things, and probably a few positive things too – either way the concept itself is dangerous. Reality just is – no right, no wrong – however as we are part of reality, if we see something that we do not like, we can take action – if I see a child or anyone being harmed/abused, I will take action to protect that child and may use the laws/police to assist in correcting/preventing a situation that falls outside of the legal framework/society that we live in – we are all able to manipulate/change most situations that we do not like by taking action- for example within the laws of society I can make a citizens arrest. I choose to live and follow/subscribe to the laws of the country I live in – and I may choose to take action if I see crime etc. So taking action is ok – as long as I recognise that I took action to alter the reality as I saw it and to ensure alignment with the law- and I remove any notion of good/evil of the situation out of my mind – this is not relevant – this is not why I took action – my thoughts of good/evil are not relevant, they are just my thoughts, not reality. The situation was neither good nor evil, it just was but because I decided that I would prefer reality to be a different way (because I find a situation undesirable) I chose to correct it. No judgement, no morals, just action. So taking action in any situation to change a situation to possibly bring about a different reality is perfectly ok – it isn’t right or wrong either, it just is, and the reality will be the consequences that arise from taking this action. One must be aware of that aspect as well. Actions have consequences – those consequences are neither good nor evil – they just are.
Leo Gura says: Yup!
Conny says: Hey Leo, I love your video and it really got me thinking. Now I am having difficulties because I am asking myself “What should I do in order not to should myself and others” So this is just another way of shoulding myself. Is there a way to break out of this cycle? What should I do (HELP) in order to break out of this cycle? Lol, I hope you understand my question
Leo Gura says: Just be mindful of every should as it raises, and don’t necessarily do anything about it. Just observe it with awareness.
My next video will address this.
Adam says: Leo ,
Recently I try my best to learn english ,and you know ,It is not so easy to master a lauguage very well ,and I have noticed that you had said some information about the attitude to the non-enlish spoken people ,and I still want to do the request ,because the content you have been making are really very awesome ,very amazing .Thank you again .
ADAM
Adam says: Leo ,
Thank you very much for the videos ,and I have a request :could you make the text version again ,reallly want to know the all the details and do not want to miss any details .That is very hard to find some resourse like yours to do enlightenment in china .So thank you very much and please consider this request .
ADAM
TheSkip says: “because it is, that’s how it should be” – is a dogma also…
watch out for that
It has a big missing part, explaining the “why”.
Tia says: I have to say that at first I had a lot of resistance to a lot of what you were saying. I thought about it all week and the more I contemplated it, the more I started to accept it. Still, I had some dissonance. But then, after I heard this weeks episode about should statements, I have to say that it has changed my whole paradigm of thought. I really do feel more liberated, but not like by doing what is right. I am less angry and I have little expectation of other people or the world. I must admit I was ready to give up on you at first but I’m really glad I stuck with it. For anyone else having resistance, its worth it to trust the process.
Much gratitude.
I am literally in so much awe of you. These are the answers I have been searching for my whole life. My father is from the Middle East so I grew up with a lot of moralizing. I did the exact opposite of what I was told to do. I have been observing my own behavior over the last while and I basically think like this, judgement, judgement, judgement, moralization, observation, judgement judgement moralizationx20 and so on. That’s why this is a little bit difficult for me but I am fully on board with everything you are saying…….I’m not going to be one of the ones saying ‘BUT LEO’ those people are fighting their own reality(judgement oops) By the way if you fly to Europe my friends and I will rub oil on you that can be a reality. I also have a fantasy that I could shrink you put you in my pocket and just refer to you when I need to. That would be my selfish ego at play. Anyway on a more serious note, I think I need to do more towards my self development can you suggest a book for me to start with? Honestly very slowly I can already see positive change just by being more aware of myself. I am so determined to correct years of chaos, you have decoded so much don’t even know how to thank you
Brandon says: I literally got pages of notes from this one video
Lin says: Dear Brother Leo,
I have changed and am transformed as a person since I have found you. I have waited and listened to all of your video as soon as the video came out. I thank you for helping me to grow!
I am 50 years old and is glad to be a student of yours!
Thank you.
Martin says: Leo, if we just accept what is real and surrender to reality, how does anything change? We don’t kill people because we ourselves don’t want to be killed. We don’t lie because we don’t want to be lied to. We don’t do or say certain things because we don’t want them done or said to us. The GOLDEN rule my friend, “do unto others.” These rules are put in place to better society, not to make it worse. Shit, if I see someone getting raped, am I to just say to myself, “whoops, someone’s gettin’ raped, oh well, it’s reality, better let it happen cuz that IS what SHOULD be. FUCK NO!! my friend, FUCK NO!!!!! You are saying that everyone who has ever died is a sacrifice for the betterment of the world of tomorrow, or “they were SUPPOSED to die.” What you have been spewing here for an hour and a bit is to turn people into mindless observers who do nothing for the betterment of society. Maybe I am not fully grasping the concepts of transcendental morality or maybe it’s just that what you are saying is fucking insane. Why do we have police? Why not get rid of all laws, all police, all rules and let everyone run wild. No right or wrong, just have everyone do whatever the fuck they want. Let’s see what kind of “society” that will be.
Leo Gura says: To grasp transcendent morality requires a certain level of emotional and cognitive maturity.
The reason you don’t kill people is NOT because of some golden rule or morality of any kind. That is all egoic rationalizations which are unnecessary and actually false.
Martin says: So why don’t we kill people?
Leo Gura says: Because you’re not moved to.
Aggelos says: So what you say is that what ever is happened you must be happy and love everything, so if something happens thats not good for you lets say someone hurts you, you dont do anything you just love it?you dont act?
And if you want to stop something like smoking and you say to yourself I shouldn’t smoking this means you keep smoking?just because you said you shouldn’t. You will say:dont say I shouldn’t, just stop it. If you say I shouldn’t, you want it so do whatever you want. But then someone who wants to stop smoking he will keep smoking, because when you want to stop something like this you want it and you dont want it.
John Black says: Leo,
I love your website however I wish to offer an alternative view – if we truly want to understand how to dismantle compulsory moralism then we need only look at those people brave enough to sacrifice themselves in this cause. The truth is found at the flashpoint – the point where a moralistic society feels truly challenged & fearful. The idea that we accept rapists etc. is a fearful ego’s rationalisation for doing nothing & for accepting the learned helplessness that a moralistic & authoritarian culture wants you to feel. The fearful ego has played a HUGE trick on us – and sold us the promising idea of comfort, lack of individual responsibility to change our environment (the world we live in), good feelings from some vacuous pursuit while others suffer nearby etc. and wrapped it up in an envelope the fearful ego has called “transcendence”. If we want to undo compulsory morality & it’s consequences we need to understand the works of Wilhelm Reich. No one had the balls this man had. He identified the TRUE means to undo moralism & authoritarianism – & died in prison for his efforts. In a non-moralistic reality the reason we do & don’t do things is because of the feeling it generates (towards pleasure & away from pain) & the natural consequences – so I don’t attack the alpha male gorilla because I’m not a strong enough to challenge him yet & I’ll be killed. I don’t kill my kids because like every other parent in the animal kingdom – they are the one reason I’m here – they give me warm feelings of pleasure – and I’d kill or be killed defending them – it’s innate. These are natural phenomena & consequences. It is only humans that meditate and that form the idea we are something better than mere animals & that we have a monopoly on finding our way to true enlightenment – this is the Ego aggrandizing itself. Our humanity is found in our innate feelings (under neurotic emotions & fears) – & not disappearing up into our heads & rationalising away things in our environment that cause us discomfort. Genuine (non-neurotic) discomfort isn’t there to observe or “witness” – it’s there to get us off our backsides & do something about the “reality” that is causing distress, to correctly harness the powers of our problem-solving Ego to remove the cause of distress. Of course, actually believing you can change the world & then setting out to do so – thereby actually changing reality – is reserved only for those that don’t sit on their backsides. Therefore I can be completely healthy because I acknowledge our society is the way it is – but I can be more healthy because I employ my healthy Ego (free from neurotic fears & rationalisations) & I choose to go challenge my environment & wider environment (existing reality) so my kids live in a better world. That’s adaptive – that’s nature.
Maha says: amazing!!
Noah says: Leo, moral relativism is against natural law. One cannot abdicate personal responsibility without karmic repercussions. That’s natural law. You cannot create a right and you cannot take a right away, a right simply exists governed by natural law a right is the golden rule. If it brings purposeless harm to another living being; it is not a right. If it does not harm a living being, it is a right..simple. Then there is the sacred feminine principle of nonaggression and the sacred masculine principle of self-defense. Self defense is not violence. Violence is unwarranted and is not a right.
I believe you and many of your listeners have a long way to go as well as I on this issue of morality, but it exists and is not given by man is given by nature.
April says: I agree, Leo has a long way to go, in his comments he comes off a tad arrogant. And his logo is the symbol for pedophiles who love little boys. No wonder he’s defending them
April says: Your logo is the symbol for “boylover” pedophiles….. And you’re saying being a pedophile is natural and “should” be accepted. Huh?. Children can’t push aside their instinctive emotions that they’re both with. Like you, all mighty, all knowing Leo. A little boy doesn’t have the capacity to accept and understand why a grown man is touching his private parts. That’s 100% manipulation. Children don’t enjoy sex, because they don’t know what it is. Unless they are told to enjoy it by an authority figure, who thinks they know everything, and the child believes it. Their brain isn’t fully developed yet. No child would be “moved” to have sex or preform sex acts on an adult unless persuaded to do so
Rennie says: This is funny because on one hand: Leo says good and bad don’t exist in reality. Good and bad are conceptual labels that your own mind wraps around things happening in the world, and those labels invariably serve the ego and the egoistic constructs of morality. All moralities are a form of a lie, because they miscontstrue reality in the image of the ego.
On the other hand, he makes long videos on self-improvement, reads hundreds of books on the topic, and takes it upon himself to berate and belittle people who don’t understand his transcendent philosophy. To me, that sounds like someone who is really on a massive ego trip and not actually destroying their own ego at all. He obviously thinks that “actualization” and pursuing spiritual enlightenment is good and that being an ego-driven, sheep-like, consumerist whore is a bad thing. He also wears black instead of red or yellow, shaves his head instead of letting patches grow, sometimes has a gotee and sometimes doesn’t, makes funny faces for his thumbnails, etc. I’m assuming he does all this because on some level he has preferences, thinks certain things will go over better than others, and sometimes is very very serious about how he (and we) SHOULD or SHOULD NOT BE.
Doesn’t sound like someone you’ll wanna be taking too seriously.
Krishnamurti was like this too, lording his “lack-of-ego” over people and getting away with all kinds of shenanigans because he believed he was above it all. But believing that you are above it, or wiser, or chosen, or more right aka the belief that puts you on unequal footing like that is also the expression of the ego! In fact, it’s the most classic representation of it!
Question: How do you know you want enlightenment if you aren’t enlightened already? What makes you or Leo or anyone think it’s worthwhile to be enlightened, or what proof does anyone have that it’s a good thing? How do you know you want something if you don’t know anything about it? That desire is an expression of insecurity, and the need to feel secure is an ego-based survival mechanism. It comes down to the “the grass is always greener on the other side of the ego”.
Also, the desire to destroy morality is also an ego-based desire. How? If all morality is a “lie”, as Leo puts it, then you’d have to at least classify a lie as bad so that you could say moral relativism is good. In other words, you can’t rant against morality being bad — because that perspective is just another form of morality. If I really had no sense of morals, I wouldn’t be interested in defending the position that morality is opposed to self-actualization. In fact, it would be meaningless to even talk about it. Moral relativism is just another kind of morality, and people trying to push it have to use language that makes it sound like they are coming at it from outside morality itself.
But there’s no such thing as being outside morality. There is no such thing as enlightenment; the most enlightened thing you can realize is that enlightenment means realizing you’ll never be enlightened. Also, you can’t separate yourself from your ego or act apart from it; and as long as that is true automatic preferential thought will give rise to moralities. You have to embrace the ego to become liberated from it. You can’t beat it but you can join it. That’s join the id to the ego, aka yoga.
I like this guy’s videos in general. A lot of great motivational advice. But he’s gotta come off it a bit. He’s so wrapped up in his own ivory tower bullshit that he can’t see the foundations of it all crumbling underneath him. I guess as long as you, his audience, don’t see it either, he can make a buck and you can feel better about yourself for a few hours.
And yeah that symbol combined with his words above pretty much prove he is a pedophile! Not there’s anything wrong with that, right Leo?
Alex says: Interesting Leo. I think I can understand when I relate it to anger to myself more.
I remember when I was younger, I was demonizing every small sin I had. From things like showing frustration to people I’m impatient with and hating on myself for being lazy and inattentive at times. I was painfully hiding suppressed anger at people to the point of depression.
That was until I came across CBT and its mention of questioning shoulds. It recommended changing shoulds as I “can” do this. “I want this,” rather than should it.
So I made my rules more relaxed. More guidelines than rigid iron fisted rules. More playful. More easygoing. More forgiving somehow. I didn’t see my uncontrolled anger at people as “cruel” or “tactless”. But strangely enough, it allowed ironically a greater patience with myself and others. Yet also a greater feeling of love and acceptance with others and myself. I didn’t believe those people who said you had to feel guilty to change things. That just seemed to make it rise to unhealthy levels.
I’m certainly not perfect. I still get irritated at times, but it’s much much much better.
Leo, you put into words the reason for a success I couldn’t describe and I didn’t quite understand how radical this change was until now. Thank you.
Amir Ika says: You guys are actually going back and forth with this guy? Having sex with anyone who can’t consent is wrong. Mentally ill, children and elderly all fall into this category. It’s WRONG! Stop giving his website the clicks he’s clearly either playing with you for website traffic or an actual freak. You’re a life coach? And your symbol has uncanny resemblance to pedo symbolism. Hm.
Lol says: We should holocaust pedophiles.
Karthiksuryavamsiv says: Hey leo please provide subtitles
Jim says: Leo… would another word for “mechanicalness” in this context be like… perscriptiveness… not like in the medical sense but like in the formulaic sense of “having” or laying down some arbitrary sense of moralism… i just kinda am askin to tryin in digest what u sayin about moralizing
Damiano says: Hi Leo! Thanks a lot for your ideas. I think they are really fantastic and life saving. I have one question about this video concerning morality. I think it’s extremely powerful but there is one thing I don’t understand. In my every day life many times I think: ‘next time this thing happens to me, I will behave in a different way because I think things would be better if I will behave in this way in the future’. I accept that life now is at it is, but in the next future I think I will behave differently in order to try to apply my ideas to life. This concept is different, I think, from conventional morality because I accept reality without judging and then trying to do my best. The fact is that in life there are tons of things in which I would try to apply my energy and time because I think that things could be better even though I know that reality now is as it is and that’s ok. This is a sort of ghandi’s non violence maybe. The fact is that if I put my energy in all sorts of things that could be different in order to change the world in a place with less pollution, criminality, ecc… I don’t give energy to the things I really love doing as studying, having fun, playing sports, being with my girlfriend and friends, ecc… but if I don’t do those things the world will simply stay as it is, which is ok, but with more pollution, criminality, ecc.. than the world that could be if I put my efforts in those things. The fact is that if I put my energy in caring too much about others, ecc.. I feel I will become more and more neurotic. Could you give me a hint in escaping this mental trap? Thank you very much
Max Gron says: Given that I’m following my desires, I’m following a moral code of subduing my appetites, controlling my temper, refining my emotions, and increasing my knowledge. I suppose I need none of that, to follow no rules, being amoral.
Max Gron says: Why can’t actualized members give a shit what I believe? People are supposed to hear things and not be stuck in their own interpretation, but nobody cares, the people here are weirdos who don’t think like you, I say absolutely not, I should be perhaps as weird as them, not the other way round. They’re too belief-based, acting like I’m not good and not an expert with everything I do. I can tell you what I am: I’m a philosopher, I think everything about you, even me, is based on a history of thinking of the truth and acceptable discourse, even though there’s no such thing as acceptable discourse and to avoid paradox you think acceptance exists,what a load of shit, nobody accepted me for what I am, people are so inclined towards evil reality that their dangerous advice is toxic, it’s all about the facts of life with people. Worthy of despisement I’m not even going to begin despising people here, your linguistics is the destruction of other people’s perspective and as for people disagreeing it’s done in a neurotic way by toxic haters of everyone, I can’t even be proud of something, reality has no love, no justice and no meaning.