In 2016, I began my meditation journey. I had recently started experimenting with psychedelics, which left me with many unanswered questions. After finishing high school, I decided to backpack through Australia and explore the meaning of life. While on my journey, I stumbled upon a copy of Waking Up, a fantastic secular introduction to spirituality and meditation.
From December 22 - March 23 I completed the r/StreamEntry course (see next section), which has been a great way to recharge my practice and finally build a consistent meditation practice.
Starting in March 23, I embarked on a quest to unlock the Jhanas.
https://twitter.com/thorgexyz/status/1574537658927177729
I can highly recommend the r/streamentry subreddit, which is a secular community that aims to achieve enlighment (the total end of all suffering).
Stream entry is a term from Theravada Buddhism that refers to the first of the Four Stages of Enlightenment.
They wrote a comprehensive but concise 12-week beginner course, which a great starting point for getting into meditation.
“A place for discussion related to the practice of meditation and other techniques aimed at developing concentration, increasing the power of conscious awareness, and producing insight leading to awakening. Those here understand Awakening to be a practical and attainable goal that can be approached via many paths. Although this goal is explained most thoroughly in the Buddhist traditions, it can be understood in entirely secular, non-religious terms.”
https://twitter.com/nickcammarata/status/1619881016843460610
Waking Up - A New Operating System for Your Mind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGIjJ1yohHs
Qualia Mastery - Building Your Toolkit for Navigating the State-Space of Consciousness
https://www.redditmedia.com/r/streamentry/comments/ll8xja/jhana_what_do_you_do_once_youre_in_jhana/gnof7s8/?depth=1&showmore=false&embed=true&showmedia=false