"Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are"
- Defining Contemplation : Contemplation is described as an essential process for sages to reach the core of reality by pondering thoughtfully on a subject with focus, without biases, and from a ground zero perspective.
- Importance of "What is it?" question : The question "What is it?" is a crucial contemplative tool that prompts deep exploration into the nature of any subject, object, or concept by replacing "it" with the subject of inquiry.
- Versatility of "What is it?" : This simple yet powerful question can be applied to countless topics ranging from personal to existential, including love, success, emotions, science, society, art, and more, illustrating the vast potential of contemplation.
- Misconceptions about Contemplation : Common misconceptions about contemplation include confusing it with hearsay, fantasy, or passive thinking. Real contemplation requires active, focused inquiry starting from a base of not knowing.
- Contemplation Process : To contemplate effectively, one selects a question of genuine interest, sets aside uninterrupted time, and actively ponders on the question, probing its essence for a substantial period.
- Existential and Prospective Understanding of Contemplation : While some may view contemplation as a mundane intellectual exercise, it also has deep spiritual and mystical dimensions, possibly leading to mystical states of awareness and existential insights.
- Practical Examples of Contemplation : A broad range of examples is given to showcase the different areas where one can use the question "What is it?" such as understanding color, happiness, society, art, and even the act of contemplating itself.
- Steps of Contemplation : To start contemplation, choose an intellectually stimulating question that genuinely piques curiosity, like "What is art?" The process involves deeply questioning and probing the topic from different perspectives.
- Personal Motivation in Contemplation : It's crucial to have a real interest or personal stake in the question being contemplated, as genuine curiosity drives a more profound inquiry into the subject matter, leading to better insights.
- Questions for Deeper Understanding : During contemplation, a series of guiding questions are used to dive into the subject: "What is it?" "What is its true nature?" "How did it come into being?" "What are its elements?" "What allows it to exist?" "What is its purpose?" "What is its substance?" "Is it physical or conceptual?" "What is its significance?"
- Historical Context in Contemplation : While studying the history of a topic can provide background knowledge, it is important to move beyond historical facts to contemplate the essence and underlying components that allow something like art to exist.
- Intellectual vs. Experiential Understanding : Contemplation aims to move beyond intellectual understanding to reach experiential, 'being-level' insights. This involves transcending the mind to merge the contemplator with the subject matter.
- Contemplation vs. Other Practices : Contemplation is differentiated from meditation, self-inquiry, and concentration. Meditation is about relaxing the mind without a goal, self-inquiry is about understanding the self to achieve enlightenment, and concentration is focused attention without intellectual inquiry.
- Personal and Existential Levels of Contemplation : Contemplation ranges from personal-level inquiries, like life goals, to existential questions such as the nature of life or existence itself. Both levels of contemplation are of value for personal development.
- Significance of Curiosity in Contemplation : Seeking profound understanding requires continuous and curious questioning, even within familiar subjects such as art. Beliefs and ideas absorbed from culture may not reflect the true essence until individually contemplated.
- Distinct Levels of Insights Through Contemplation : Insights can emerge at the thought level, which is intellectual, or at the being level, which is spiritual and mystical, transcending intellect and leading to a deep existential understanding.
- Contemplation at Intellectual vs. Being Level : Deep contemplation involves breaking through the intellectual level to the being level, a rare and profound experience that requires hundreds of hours of focused effort, typically achieved in spiritual practices or the pursuit of enlightenment.
- The Challenges of Deep Contemplation : Achieving deep contemplation is challenging—it is not accomplished by sporadic or brief periods of thought but requires intense, dedicated practice, significantly contributing to its rarity.
- Contemplation vs. Speculation and Theorizing : Genuine contemplation must be differentiated from mere speculation or theorizing, which can lead to delusion. It requires self-honesty and the avoidance of creating justifications for one's ego.
- Avoiding Preconceived Notions : Being cautious not to project personal biases and preconceived notions onto the object of contemplation is critical for achieving true contemplative insight.
- Wisdom Through Contemplation : The deepest wisdom and spiritual insights are garnered not from science or idle theory but from rigorous and precise contemplation, which is a time-intensive endeavor involving hundreds to thousands of hours.
- Everyday Contemplation Benefits : Contemplating everyday concepts like anger, happiness, and relationships can significantly benefit one's life, although the deepest insights require a strong ability to focus for extended periods.
- Focus and Open-mindedness for Contemplation : To penetrate the being level of understanding, an individual needs a highly cultivated ability to focus and a radical degree of open-mindedness, which may initially be beyond comprehension and recognizably valuable only after significant trial and error.
- Existing Paradigms and Contemplation : Existing paradigms can limit the mind's imagination, preventing the reception of the most profound transcendental insights. These paradigms can only be overcome through deep and relentless contemplation.
- Continuous Exploration : Questions like "What is art?" warrant continuous contemplation, and initial answers are often superficial or incorrect. Understanding deepens with further contemplation, experience, concentration ability, and practices like meditation or self-inquiry.
- Contemplation vs. Researching Answers : The essence of contemplation lies in coming to conclusions independently, without reliance on external answers, as true understanding and ownership of insights come from the process itself.
- Contemplation for Personal Transformation : Contemplation is transformative, changing one's relationship to life and its aspects. By cutting through life's illusions, it assists in aligning oneself with truth and eliminating ignorance, the source of many life problems.
- Genuine insights through contemplation : Contemplating deeply on questions in life leads to insights that cannot be gleaned from books or second-hand knowledge, demonstrating the limitations of purely academic or external learning.
- Ignorance as the fundamental problem : Leo emphasizes that ignorance is the root cause of life's problems, including depression, anger, relationship issues, and understanding oneself and reality. Contemplation acts as a tool to penetrate life's illusions and magic show, revealing underlying truths.
- Contemplation as intellectual research : Leo likens contemplation to a form of intellectual research that relies on personal mental faculties rather than collecting information from external databases or sources.
- Improved life through contemplation : There's a direct correlation between the quality of life and the frequency and depth of contemplation. Effective contemplation can lead to a clearer understanding of truth, which aligns one's actions with knowledge.
- Adopting a contemplative lifestyle : To contemplate effectively, Leo suggests lifestyle changes, such as avoiding distractions like video games, porn, and overwhelming work hours. Recommends watching his episode on 'Lifestyle Minimalism' to learn about creating room for contemplation.
- Contemplation exercise assignment : Leo provides a practical assignment to demonstrate the power of contemplation by contemplating the question "What is relationship?" for a week. This is to be reminded by wearing a wristband and thinking about relationships, especially during interaction with others.
- Commitment to personal growth : Leo calls for a lifelong commitment to growth through contemplation and applying the learned concepts. He promises transformative content, focusing on foundational existential topics and expressing the importance of embodiment over theoretical understanding.
- Systematic weeding of ignorance : Consistent self-improvement and contemplation are portrayed as enjoyable yet challenging tasks. Leo shares his personal experience of enhancing his life through self-contemplation and emphasizes the momentum that builds over time for greater rewards.
- Continuous learning for transformation : Encourages signing up for his newsletter and committing to watching his videos. Leo assures that implementing even half of his teachings will lead to significant life changes, aiming to cover deep existential topics not commonly found in self-help material.