Learning = Observation

• The Essence of Learning: Leo Gura asserts that learning is at the core of life and is central to everything that we aspire to achieve. Personal growth, business success, relationships, spiritual fulfillment – all rely on the process of continued learning.
• Observation as a Learning Tool: Observing, for Leo, is the path to the most profound learning. It is a simple, but often overlooked concept where one looks at any object, without any preconceived agenda, over a long, focused period of time.
• Observation is Not: Leo clarifies that engaging in activities such as reading, thinking, memorizing, watching videos, doing or taking action, daydreaming, or changing behavior does not equate to the form of observation he refers to. These are other forms of cognitive activity opposed to pure, unadulterated observation.
• Observation in Praxis: Leo acknowledges that habitual biases and the inclination to fall into the above-mentioned activities hinder true observation. For example, the mind often rationalizes that observing might be a waste of time that could be better spent in active thought or action.
• Observation as a Rare Practice: Leo presents the rarity of this practice by questioning the viewer - asking when they last truly observed an object for an extended time without any agenda. Doing this can reveal great profundity that often comes from observation.
• Leonardo da Vinci - Master Observer: Leo draws attention to Leonardo da Vinci, explaining that the essence of his genius was his remarkable ability to observe. He believes Da Vinci’s success across various fields, from art to military machinery, was due to his keen observational skills.
• Observation as an Innate Human Ability: Leo speaks about his own experiences with observation, identifying it as a 'superpower' and 'magic.' He believes it is a primordial quality of awareness, facilitating spontaneous insights and interconnections – the basis for all human intelligence and creativity.
• Continued Observation Unveils More: Leo points out that the magic of observation fully manifests when one patiently observes an object for a lengthy period, without placing demands on the process or expecting immediate returns. By doing this, he claims that what may initially seem unremarkable can become a source of new distinctions and insights.
• Observation Leading to Unmediated Access to Reality: Leo Gura says that by observing an object for an extended period you can gain new insights and make interconnections, stretching your creativity. These observations can also give you an unmediated view of reality, which is a rare experience as we often project our own biases, emotions, desires, and meanings onto the things we observe. By breaking through our cultural preconceptions, we can truly understand the essence of an object.
• Overcoming Self-Biased Perception Through Observation: Leo emphasizes that observation helps to overcome self-biased perceptions. We tend to view everything in relation to our own egos, fears, desires, and goals. By observing without any personal agenda, we can transcend this bias to perceive objects and reality as they really are.
• Observation as the Foundation of Science and Personal Growth: Leo states that the essence of science, and its superiority over superstition and religion, lies in empiricism - the ability to accurately perceive reality. He argues we should take empiricism to a deeper level by minimising the reliance on concepts, models, language, logic, and the "monkey mind", and simply focus on observation. Not only is this fundamental to great scientific work, he says, it can also have profound impacts on personal growth.
• Observation as a Rare Practice in Society: According to Leo, observation is rare in today's society due to its counterintuitive nature, the extensive focus, patience, and ability to overcome boredom it demands, and the lack of immediate payoff. Additionally, our culture and education systems reinforce the values of knowing, thinking, and acting, rather than unbiased observing.
• Developing Observation Skills: Leo suggests developing observation skills by patiently and without any specific agenda, observing an object while staying alert yet relaxed. He advises practicing this daily, but doesn’t see the need for setting specific time frames; integrating it into daily activities can be just as effective. He clarifies that this practice is different from meditation, as observation focuses solely on the object, without mental distractions.
• Understanding the distinction between observation and meditation: Leo argues that meditation often carries a lot of spiritual baggage, from seeking enlightenment to relaxation, which can interfere with pure observation. Even beneficial techniques, like mindfulness meditation with labeling or the pauses on a retreat, can sometimes impede pure observation. While they help train observation abilities they can also become self-serving, causing more reflexivity than objective observation.
• Practicing observation over meditation: Leo advises to perhaps rethink meditation as observation in order to eschew any interference from ritualistic techniques. He also suggests engaging in traditional observation by spending time with simple objects like pens or leaves, and observing them, to allow for observational skills to develop naturally.
• Approaching spiritual practices from different angles: Leo argues that spiritual practices like meditation or self-inquiry can become richer and deeper by experimenting with different methods of approaching them. While this could risk dilution of focus, the use of different techniques can be great for developing a well-rounded understanding of the practice. He suggests a hybrid approach that includes a general broad observation phase followed by a focused, concentrated period on a singular technique.
• The magic of just observing: Leo points out that just by observing an object or self, an awareness and deeper understanding starts to kick in. He argues this awareness can have impressive results when applied to individual life problems, essentially solving them through heightened awareness.
• Things to observe for finding self-awareness: Leo suggests observing self-deception, self bias, emotions, physical objects like stationery or leaves, nature, and other people. Observing the interaction with other people, especially without judgement; observing society, culture, ideology, beliefs systems both personally and in others; and observing things like tribalism and evil without passing judgement.
• Observation vs. Behavior Change: Leo clarifies that learning through behavior change and learning through observation are different perspectives that work together. While being a more outward change, behavior change ensures that lessons are learned, observation creates an inward change that shapes thinking and thus affecting behavior in the long run.
• Cultivating the ability to observe: Leo argues it's an essential trait to becoming an exceptional human being. The skill of astute observation has marked many great influencers throughout history: the sages, saints, yogis, mystics, geniuses, etc.
• Ultimate test of observation - Seeing Nothingness: Leo postulates that the greatest test of one’s observational skill is being able to see nothingness. To this end, he references Leonardo Da Vinci’s impressive observation abilities and how he could see ‘nothingness’, advising the viewers to follow his lead in developing advanced observational abilities.