Art, here are my responses.
1: What is the nature of the self?
The nature of the self is to be like a giant state machine, i.e. an immense sum of prior experiences. We react to something based on how we've been conditioned to react, by our upbringing, or education, the media (i agree that the media plays a HUGE role in who we are, btw), our friends, and every other possible stimuli.
put simply:
External Stimuli + Memory and conditioning are the inputs into the self, and a response is the output.
2: What is the nature of the universe?
The nature of the universe is chance. Chance is our ultimate God, It governs everything that happens, and everthing that ever will happen (somewhat the opposite of the deterministic school of thought)
3: What is the nature of consciousness?
The nature of consciousness is, well, i guess the ability to ask a question such as this.
4: What are states of consciousness?
If we consider ourselves as the sum of prior experiences, then wouldnt our central consciousness change with every breath? So i would say millions upon millions of states of consciousness.
5: How can one explore various states of consciousness?
By living.
6: Can we achieve some personal understanding
of the ultimate philosophical questions?
Yes. Ultimately, Every human comes to terms with these questions. Some choose different paths, and each answer requires a degree of faith, even a answer saying there is no answer.
a. The ontological question: what is real?
Every second that i have existed could be a form of a simulation, or someone elses lucid dream. I think that i am real, but everything around me is completely capable of being an illusion.
b. The epistemological question: how can we know what is real?
I don't think we can. But for some reason we seem to assume that everything is real unless told otherwise. A good example - My mother thinks that most things on the TV are based on absolute real life, and that all of the serials and movies really happened. Why? Perhaps because she was raised in a culture void of television, and the stories told to her as a child were myth and folklore, which were always told as real, i.e. it really happened in the past.
c. The ethical question: What is good?
Good is a relative definition placed upon acts that are viewed as "not bad". I think that good and bad are duals of each other... i.e. you can't have one without the other.
d. The (a)esthetic question: what is beautiful?
Anything. I remember one day, i saw this massive painting of huge dark grey clouds and a tiny little farm on a small patch of green at the bottom... Words don't do it justice, but i was amazed at the beauty of the painting.. i couldnt take my eyes off it.
In terms of other humans, that which we have been raised to see as "beautiful" by the media and our upbringing is what we think of as beautiful.
e. The political question: How should we govern ourselves?
Individually, we should govern ourselves such that we can look back upon our life when we are old and fading away, and be proud of ourselves. A similiar principle may be applied on a larger scale, but... *shrug*
7: What is the nature and purpose of life?
For whatever reason, we exist. The nature of life is the ability to perceive, i think. The purpose of life is to explore these perceptions.
8: What is the significance and meaning of death?
I have no answer to this question until im dead. But i think that ultimately death may be definied as the end of life... something which makes me uncomfortable. I can't imagine not existing, and i don't think many people can, which is why, for many people, this question is typically answered by religion.