What is freedom? Have you ever answered that question for yourself and with great interest? I have observed widespread false beliefs about freedom that create conflict and suffering for many. This conflict and the resulting suffering take many forms – including oppression, war, compulsory schooling, coercive government, argument, patriotism and divorce. The common thread that binds this conflict is a lack of clarity on what freedom is. Let’s take some time right now and drill into our ideas on freedom and cultivate a clear understanding of what it actually is.
What is freedom? Is it a lack of restriction? Is it the ability to do whatever you want whenever you want? I believe that most people would agree with that. However, there are subtleties there that you may not see. To have the ability to do whatever you want you must be free of all restrictions. That is not possible. At the minimum, you are bound by the restrictions placed on you by reality. For example, you are not free to live for long in the vacuum of space or to put the entire moon in your pocket. You cannot be in two places at once nor can you shrink yourself to the size of a pinhead. If you have no hands, you’re not free to finger paint. Isn’t it obvious that there are rules governing reality that you must work within? In essence, you are always operating under some kind of restriction – you are working within the rules of a system. Clearly freedom doesn’t come from a lack of restriction because there is no such thing as complete lack of restriction.
Does this mean that freedom comes from a minimization of restriction? Is it appropriate to say that freedom arises when there is less restriction placed on you? It seems to me that line of thinking is a trap that leads us away from clear vision on freedom. Let’s consider some examples to be sure. Consider a newborn human baby, for example. A newborn baby has no ability to talk. They cannot form words or communicate concepts until they have matured enough and learned enough to do so. Is a newborn baby less free than an older child with a command of speech? It seems to me that the answer is no. They are both equally free because they make choices based on the restrictions that they are confronted with. Consider a man that loses his sight at the age of 22. Before that age the man had full use of his eyes. Is the man less free because of the new restrictions placed on him from his loss of vision? Of course not…he is just as free as he was before his sight was lost. Just like the newborn, he’s simply subject to new rules and is making choices based on his situation.
It’s clear to me that freedom has nothing to do with the inherent capabilities of the body. Yet, does this also apply to restrictions placed on you by others? Does a government that drafts you into its military against your will reduce your freedom? If something is done to you against your will, are you less free? It seems that most people would answer that with a resounding yes! Still… I can’t help but question whether or not that is true. If you look closely at this, isn’t it the same situation as unwanted changes in your body? The man that loses his sight didn’t desire the situation any more than the person being drafted into military service. Both are simply operating under new rules and are making choices based on their situation.
What does this tell you about freedom? What it tells me is this: Lack of freedom is the violation of an ideal situation that exists only in The Image. Lack of freedom is an illusion created by a conflict of reality and The Image. If you believe you are free then you are free. If you believe you are not free then you are not free. Freedom, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Isn’t this obvious?
If lack of freedom is an illusion of The Image, what does that tell you about freedom? Doesn’t it mean that freedom simply is? Indeed it does... freedom simply is. Freedom is the ability to choose. You always have a choice in every situation. Now, some choices are more desirable than others. For example, you may pay your taxes because you feel that the alternative of jail time is not acceptable. Yet, the value of a choice doesn’t make it vanish. Being coerced into paying taxes is no different than steering around a dangerous obstacle on the freeway. You are always exercising your ability to choose between alternatives based on your current situation.
You are not having the experience of freedom right now because you believe that you are not free. Your focus on The Image of restriction is what keeps you from experiencing your freedom right now. The more you focus on your restrictions, the more you will strive to reduce them. The peculiar thing is that striving to reduce your restrictions will never make you free – the best it can do is increase the menu of alternatives to choose between. In most cases, your focus on restriction simply feeds your discontent.
Do you want to experience your freedom? If so then see clearly that you are already free in this moment now. It is not possible to be more or less free. You are as free now as you ever will be. If you feel that you are not free then you’re not seeing clearly. Indeed, it is your focus on imagined restrictions that keeps you from exercising your freedom. See clearly that you always make choices based on the rules of the system that you believe you are in. If you don’t like the rules that bind you then change them if you can. If you can’t change them then accept them and choose accordingly. What value is there in torturing yourself through conflict with the reality of your situation?
Monday, November 24. 2008
The Illusion of Words
Have you ever considered what words are and how they work? It seems to me that many people have some pretty interesting ideas about words. Some of these ideas are not only interesting, but incredibly dangerous. To communicate properly with words we must fully understand what they are and how they work. If we cannot communicate properly with words then we can be easily misled by the words of others. That is the danger. Let’s take some time right now and dig to the very foundation of our image of words and see if we can’t immunize ourselves from the dangers of words.
What are words? Words are shapes and sounds in reality that we have assigned meaning to in The Image. Words are concepts, ideas and memories. Words are social conventions where we have agreed that certain shapes and sounds mean particular things. Isn’t this obvious? Most of the words we use are not our own creation, but the creation of others. We have been trained to use the words that our society agreed to. Our society’s words have been programmed into us from a very young age. This simple fact is the first aspect of the danger of words. We are so used to using words and so thoroughly accepting of them that we don’t take time to question what they are.
Words are not magical. There are no special powers in the written word or the spoken word. There is no such thing as a “holy word” or an “offensive word”. Similarly, there is no such thing as an “important word” or a “touching word” or the “word of god”. In reality, words are simply shapes and sounds that we have assigned meaning to in The Image. This is the second aspect of the danger of words. When we believe that words are magical or special then we open ourselves to being misled. Think about it… if we believe that a text is filled with magical words then we may believe the words no matter what they say. If we think that someone’s words are divinely inspired then we will assign them great value and may be easily misled.
Words have no built-in meaning. In reality, words are only shapes and sounds that we have assigned meaning to in The Image. This means that we decide what words mean based on our image’s interpretation of them. Give that some awareness and you may see the power of it. Give awareness to the process that takes place in your mind as you read this text. Your eyes perceive the text. The perceived words are identified in your mind by comparing the perception to your memory. It’s almost like you have a dictionary in your mind that you use to translate pictures and sounds into possible meanings. As you identify each word in the text, you build an image of the sentence, paragraph and entire text. This image is your personal interpretation of the words that you have experienced. You interpret the text and decide its meaning. You are not discovering meaning in words; you are deciding and creating meaning in words. This is the third aspect of the danger of words. If we believe that words have built-in meanings then we may get stuck trying to figure out what the words really mean. We will spend hours sifting through important words trying to see the hidden meaning. If someone else comes along and tells us they have discovered a hidden meaning then we will be open to being misled. There is no hidden meaning. There is only the meaning that you give the words.
Since words have no meaning outside of the meaning we give them then it should be clear that words are very easily misinterpreted. They are seemingly designed to be misinterpreted. Different people will create different meanings for the exact same set of words. You’ve seen this happen before, right? Haven’t you ever disagreed with someone over the meaning they have assigned to some words? The biggest barrier to accurately communicating with words is getting to a common ground for what the words mean. I hope that you see that this common ground is quite impossible to reach. My concept of “dog” is very different from yours. My concept of “pizza” is not the same either. For any given word, my concepts, memories and ideas are distinct from yours. As are yours from everyone else’s. Misinterpretation of words is so common that this should be obvious to everyone. Yet, it isn’t. People go through life believing that their interpretations are correct… that it is other people who are mistaken. The secret here is that nobody’s interpretation is correct. They are simply personal interpretations that you either agree with or don’t.
The irony of using words to describe the illusion of words is not lost on me. I see that clearly and find it quite amusing. How does one get across the idea that words are to be distrusted and scrutinized when using words? It’s a dichotomy that I enjoy swimming in a great deal. Please keep in mind that my words are not special. There is no special meaning hidden in these pages. There are only shapes and sounds that you are deciding to assign meaning to. I’m out of the picture on this after the words are written. I hope you create a meaning that helps you break your dependence on the magic and meaning of words.
You don’t want to be misled, do you? If not then see clearly how you interpret words. Be aware of how you read and listen. Be aware of how you speak and write. Watch yourself as you assign meaning to words. Watch yourself as you try to coerce others to assign certain meaning to your words. If you watch this then you will finally see.
Once you see the true value of words then you will understand that each holy text that you hold dear (either religious or political) is a sham…it is an illusion that mesmerizes you and keeps you from your power of conscious belief. When you see this clearly then you have the opportunity to take conscious control over the meaning that you create from words. Right now, you create meaning out of habit, not choice. Now that you see the illusion of words you can choose the meaning that you want instead of searching for a meaning that isn’t there.
What are words? Words are shapes and sounds in reality that we have assigned meaning to in The Image. Words are concepts, ideas and memories. Words are social conventions where we have agreed that certain shapes and sounds mean particular things. Isn’t this obvious? Most of the words we use are not our own creation, but the creation of others. We have been trained to use the words that our society agreed to. Our society’s words have been programmed into us from a very young age. This simple fact is the first aspect of the danger of words. We are so used to using words and so thoroughly accepting of them that we don’t take time to question what they are.
Words are not magical. There are no special powers in the written word or the spoken word. There is no such thing as a “holy word” or an “offensive word”. Similarly, there is no such thing as an “important word” or a “touching word” or the “word of god”. In reality, words are simply shapes and sounds that we have assigned meaning to in The Image. This is the second aspect of the danger of words. When we believe that words are magical or special then we open ourselves to being misled. Think about it… if we believe that a text is filled with magical words then we may believe the words no matter what they say. If we think that someone’s words are divinely inspired then we will assign them great value and may be easily misled.
Words have no built-in meaning. In reality, words are only shapes and sounds that we have assigned meaning to in The Image. This means that we decide what words mean based on our image’s interpretation of them. Give that some awareness and you may see the power of it. Give awareness to the process that takes place in your mind as you read this text. Your eyes perceive the text. The perceived words are identified in your mind by comparing the perception to your memory. It’s almost like you have a dictionary in your mind that you use to translate pictures and sounds into possible meanings. As you identify each word in the text, you build an image of the sentence, paragraph and entire text. This image is your personal interpretation of the words that you have experienced. You interpret the text and decide its meaning. You are not discovering meaning in words; you are deciding and creating meaning in words. This is the third aspect of the danger of words. If we believe that words have built-in meanings then we may get stuck trying to figure out what the words really mean. We will spend hours sifting through important words trying to see the hidden meaning. If someone else comes along and tells us they have discovered a hidden meaning then we will be open to being misled. There is no hidden meaning. There is only the meaning that you give the words.
Since words have no meaning outside of the meaning we give them then it should be clear that words are very easily misinterpreted. They are seemingly designed to be misinterpreted. Different people will create different meanings for the exact same set of words. You’ve seen this happen before, right? Haven’t you ever disagreed with someone over the meaning they have assigned to some words? The biggest barrier to accurately communicating with words is getting to a common ground for what the words mean. I hope that you see that this common ground is quite impossible to reach. My concept of “dog” is very different from yours. My concept of “pizza” is not the same either. For any given word, my concepts, memories and ideas are distinct from yours. As are yours from everyone else’s. Misinterpretation of words is so common that this should be obvious to everyone. Yet, it isn’t. People go through life believing that their interpretations are correct… that it is other people who are mistaken. The secret here is that nobody’s interpretation is correct. They are simply personal interpretations that you either agree with or don’t.
The irony of using words to describe the illusion of words is not lost on me. I see that clearly and find it quite amusing. How does one get across the idea that words are to be distrusted and scrutinized when using words? It’s a dichotomy that I enjoy swimming in a great deal. Please keep in mind that my words are not special. There is no special meaning hidden in these pages. There are only shapes and sounds that you are deciding to assign meaning to. I’m out of the picture on this after the words are written. I hope you create a meaning that helps you break your dependence on the magic and meaning of words.
You don’t want to be misled, do you? If not then see clearly how you interpret words. Be aware of how you read and listen. Be aware of how you speak and write. Watch yourself as you assign meaning to words. Watch yourself as you try to coerce others to assign certain meaning to your words. If you watch this then you will finally see.
Once you see the true value of words then you will understand that each holy text that you hold dear (either religious or political) is a sham…it is an illusion that mesmerizes you and keeps you from your power of conscious belief. When you see this clearly then you have the opportunity to take conscious control over the meaning that you create from words. Right now, you create meaning out of habit, not choice. Now that you see the illusion of words you can choose the meaning that you want instead of searching for a meaning that isn’t there.
Wednesday, November 12. 2008
The Movement of Love
The fundamental error that many people make in their search for love is to misunderstand what love is and how it arises in the human heart. Love is not a feeling, it is a movement… it is a process. Because of this movement feelings happen. The feelings that come from the process of love are not all that important—and very difficult to put into words. So, let’s instead focus our awareness on the movement of love. Let’s go deeply into this and see if we can’t come to a new discovery about love together.
What is the movement of love? The movement of love begins when you are in direct contact with reality. Love starts when you watch reality with your awareness. Once you are deeply aware of reality then something strange happens… you begin to understand what you are aware of. When you experience the understanding that comes from awareness then you will love. Watch and you will see. See and you will understand. Understand and you will love. This is the movement of love.
What do I mean by: “Watch and you will see”? I mean that you should be aware of reality. Be aware of what is happening within you and around you. Be aware of what you’re thinking and feeling. See what you are seeing. Hear what you are hearing. Taste what you are tasting. Feel what you are feeling. Get into direct contact with your senses. Most of the time, you’re not in direct contact with reality. You’re focused on the content of your mind… your thoughts, your memories, your hopes and fears. You’re focused on The Image, not reality. To start the movement of love you must get out of The Image and get back to your senses. Withdraw your attention from your thoughts and put it on the sensations in your body and mind. Be aware of your awareness, keep your attention there and you will see. This is the beginning of the movement of love.
What do I mean by: “See and you will understand”? I mean that understanding comes from direct contact with reality. It is automatic. Most people believe that understanding is a product of thought. They believe that to understand something that you must first think about it. This is a false belief. First comes the understanding of a thing then the thoughts about it arise. Even when you seemingly come to understanding through thought, it is your understanding of thoughts that you came to through awareness that make it possible. Thought without understanding is not possible. Understanding without thought is sublime. Being aware of a thing as it is in reality gives you understanding. Not technical understanding, but an intuitive understanding of whatever it is that is in your awareness. Yes, it is intuitive understanding that is the second part of the movement of love.
What do I mean by: “Understand and you will love”? I mean that love comes from your intuitive understanding of reality. When you intuitively understand what is in your awareness then you are filled with love. It is automatic and takes no effort whatsoever. The form that this love takes is unpredictably perfect. It is a feeling that is exactly correct for the given situation that you find yourself in. It can be tender and compassionate or hard and unyielding. It can move you to tears as you drive your car or keep you stoic in the face of atrocity. It can be blissful beyond words or it can be a deep calmness like the ocean depths. It is unpredictable… and if you can predict it then it’s not love that you’re feeling. If you can predict it then you are experiencing a product of The Image and not love at all.
The movement of love begins with awareness of reality. Understanding of reality comes from your awareness of reality. When you understand reality you will love reality and automatically give the perfect response to whatever is before you. Let your awareness of reality drive you, not the cunningness of your thoughts. Use your thoughts as the tools they are, but do not believe them. Use them like a carpenter uses wood and nails, but don’t get caught up in them. Belief in The Image – in your thoughts—is a killer of love. When you do this… when you get into direct contact with reality… then you will finally experience love. It is unavoidable. It is addicting. It is empowering. It is love! Taste this for even a moment and you will never be the same.
Do you need help to achieve this? Practice your awareness. Be aware of when you are aware and when you are not. Pay attention to what is happening. See clearly your thinking and your emotions as they occur. Look at the sky. Listen to the cars and the rain and the frogs and the reality around you. Smell the freshness of the morning air and the staleness of a smoggy evening commute. Touch the soft skin of a loved one or the roughness of sandpaper. Taste the sweetness of chocolate and the bitterness of limes. Watch your thoughts and reactions as you would watch the clouds in the sky. Revel in the pain of your body and the pleasures of your mind. Be in your body! Be in your body! Be in your body! This is the key. Get out of your mind and get back to your senses. If you do this then you will know love as the unavoidable, not the unattainable.
Watch and you will see. See and you will understand. Understand and you will love.
What is the movement of love? The movement of love begins when you are in direct contact with reality. Love starts when you watch reality with your awareness. Once you are deeply aware of reality then something strange happens… you begin to understand what you are aware of. When you experience the understanding that comes from awareness then you will love. Watch and you will see. See and you will understand. Understand and you will love. This is the movement of love.
What do I mean by: “Watch and you will see”? I mean that you should be aware of reality. Be aware of what is happening within you and around you. Be aware of what you’re thinking and feeling. See what you are seeing. Hear what you are hearing. Taste what you are tasting. Feel what you are feeling. Get into direct contact with your senses. Most of the time, you’re not in direct contact with reality. You’re focused on the content of your mind… your thoughts, your memories, your hopes and fears. You’re focused on The Image, not reality. To start the movement of love you must get out of The Image and get back to your senses. Withdraw your attention from your thoughts and put it on the sensations in your body and mind. Be aware of your awareness, keep your attention there and you will see. This is the beginning of the movement of love.
What do I mean by: “See and you will understand”? I mean that understanding comes from direct contact with reality. It is automatic. Most people believe that understanding is a product of thought. They believe that to understand something that you must first think about it. This is a false belief. First comes the understanding of a thing then the thoughts about it arise. Even when you seemingly come to understanding through thought, it is your understanding of thoughts that you came to through awareness that make it possible. Thought without understanding is not possible. Understanding without thought is sublime. Being aware of a thing as it is in reality gives you understanding. Not technical understanding, but an intuitive understanding of whatever it is that is in your awareness. Yes, it is intuitive understanding that is the second part of the movement of love.
What do I mean by: “Understand and you will love”? I mean that love comes from your intuitive understanding of reality. When you intuitively understand what is in your awareness then you are filled with love. It is automatic and takes no effort whatsoever. The form that this love takes is unpredictably perfect. It is a feeling that is exactly correct for the given situation that you find yourself in. It can be tender and compassionate or hard and unyielding. It can move you to tears as you drive your car or keep you stoic in the face of atrocity. It can be blissful beyond words or it can be a deep calmness like the ocean depths. It is unpredictable… and if you can predict it then it’s not love that you’re feeling. If you can predict it then you are experiencing a product of The Image and not love at all.
The movement of love begins with awareness of reality. Understanding of reality comes from your awareness of reality. When you understand reality you will love reality and automatically give the perfect response to whatever is before you. Let your awareness of reality drive you, not the cunningness of your thoughts. Use your thoughts as the tools they are, but do not believe them. Use them like a carpenter uses wood and nails, but don’t get caught up in them. Belief in The Image – in your thoughts—is a killer of love. When you do this… when you get into direct contact with reality… then you will finally experience love. It is unavoidable. It is addicting. It is empowering. It is love! Taste this for even a moment and you will never be the same.
Do you need help to achieve this? Practice your awareness. Be aware of when you are aware and when you are not. Pay attention to what is happening. See clearly your thinking and your emotions as they occur. Look at the sky. Listen to the cars and the rain and the frogs and the reality around you. Smell the freshness of the morning air and the staleness of a smoggy evening commute. Touch the soft skin of a loved one or the roughness of sandpaper. Taste the sweetness of chocolate and the bitterness of limes. Watch your thoughts and reactions as you would watch the clouds in the sky. Revel in the pain of your body and the pleasures of your mind. Be in your body! Be in your body! Be in your body! This is the key. Get out of your mind and get back to your senses. If you do this then you will know love as the unavoidable, not the unattainable.
Watch and you will see. See and you will understand. Understand and you will love.
Tuesday, November 11. 2008
Attachment and Expectations
So many people spend their time seeking happiness from the world outside of them. They look for happiness to come when the world is right… when things are going their way. Of course, because they believe that their happiness only arises when the world is right, they strive to make sure the world meets their expectations. This is how so many people live their lives. They work so hard to make the world meet their demands in order to be happy. Do these seekers of happiness ever find what they are looking for?
Are you one of these people that seek their happiness in this way? If so, have you ever considered how truly fruitless all of your efforts have been? Haven’t you noticed how your seeking of happiness has become a never-ending quest to achieve what you do not have? How many times have you found lasting happiness through making the world meet your expectations? Isn’t it clear to you that each time you find this “happiness” it only lasts as long as the world continues to meet your expectations? This fact alone should give you a clue as to the true nature of happiness.
What is the true nature of happiness? Put simply, happiness is a choice. You choose if you are happy or not in any given situation. What you believe about a thing will determine if you are happy about it or not. Isn’t this obvious? For example, if you hear of a random person being diagnosed with cancer, you might feel sorry for them. Yet, if you learned from your doctor that you had cancer, your reaction would be much different. The important difference between these two situations is only what you believe about them.
The subtlety here is why you make the choice to avoid happiness. Yes, you make that choice often. Every time you’re unhappy it’s because you’ve chosen to be. You keep narrowly avoiding happiness through your choice of belief. What do you believe in so much to keep choosing it over happiness? Expectations and attachment… An expectation is a belief that the world should be a certain way. Attachment is a strong belief that, in order to be happy, your expectations must be met. Your belief in expectations and your attachment to them is so strong that you choose them over your happiness in almost every case.
You literally have hundreds of expectations on those that touch your life. You expect people close to you to act a certain way… or to believe certain things… or to keep their word… or to be kind to you. Are you aware of these expectations? Can you see them clearly in your mind, or do you just see them as “how things need to be”? How did you come to have these expectations? Isn’t it that you were taught most of them by your parents or other authority figures in your life? You may have come to some of these expectations on your own after suffering some great loss or tragedy. In any case, aren’t these expectations learned? And, once something is learned, doesn’t it only have reality in your mind? Belief in an expectation is what gives it power. If you don’t like an expectation because it causes pains then simply believe something else and the pains will stop.
Your attachment to your expectations is another part of the puzzle. It’s not bad enough that we believe in expectations, oh no. We also believe that our expectations must be met or else we cannot be happy. This simple belief drives us to change the world to meet our expectations… it is the core belief that keeps us from our happiness. If you want to be happy then you must come to understand this belief and choose to disbelieve it!
Belief is a choice that we make based on our experience. Our belief in attachment is a choice based on what we’re taught by others. From a very young age, we’re programmed to be happy only when we’re meeting expectations. “Don’t touch that.” “Do your homework.” “Tell the truth.” “Lose some weight.” “Clean your plate.” We’re literally drowned in the expectations laid down by our parents and society. As we experience the unhappy aftermath of not meeting expectations we learn that meeting expectations is the only way to be happy. Is it any wonder we suffer from this neurotic desire to make the world meet our idea about it?
The good news is that this belief in attachment and expectation is totally based on your choice. You can choose not to believe that the world has to be a certain way. Indeed, you can choose to believe that your happiness does not depend on how the world is. How do you do this? First, you must see clearly how your attachment to expectations causes you to be unhappy. Be aware of yourself as you are happy and unhappy and you will see the truth of it.
If you clearly see how your expectations kill your happiness then you will revolt against the belief that powers them. Yes, just by seeing expectations for the killers of happiness they are you may break free of them. But, you must see this for yourself – not as some idea in The Image—but as the reality it is. You must see this firsthand. Then, just as you would brush a newly discovered poisonous scorpion off your shoulder, you will brush away the belief that expectations must be met in order to be happy.
Do you want to be happy? If so, then get to the task of seeing your expectations. Get busy observing your attachment to your expectations. Watch how your expectations ruin your happiness. Understand that attachment is only a belief. Love the new freedom to be happy that you have discovered.
Are you one of these people that seek their happiness in this way? If so, have you ever considered how truly fruitless all of your efforts have been? Haven’t you noticed how your seeking of happiness has become a never-ending quest to achieve what you do not have? How many times have you found lasting happiness through making the world meet your expectations? Isn’t it clear to you that each time you find this “happiness” it only lasts as long as the world continues to meet your expectations? This fact alone should give you a clue as to the true nature of happiness.
What is the true nature of happiness? Put simply, happiness is a choice. You choose if you are happy or not in any given situation. What you believe about a thing will determine if you are happy about it or not. Isn’t this obvious? For example, if you hear of a random person being diagnosed with cancer, you might feel sorry for them. Yet, if you learned from your doctor that you had cancer, your reaction would be much different. The important difference between these two situations is only what you believe about them.
The subtlety here is why you make the choice to avoid happiness. Yes, you make that choice often. Every time you’re unhappy it’s because you’ve chosen to be. You keep narrowly avoiding happiness through your choice of belief. What do you believe in so much to keep choosing it over happiness? Expectations and attachment… An expectation is a belief that the world should be a certain way. Attachment is a strong belief that, in order to be happy, your expectations must be met. Your belief in expectations and your attachment to them is so strong that you choose them over your happiness in almost every case.
You literally have hundreds of expectations on those that touch your life. You expect people close to you to act a certain way… or to believe certain things… or to keep their word… or to be kind to you. Are you aware of these expectations? Can you see them clearly in your mind, or do you just see them as “how things need to be”? How did you come to have these expectations? Isn’t it that you were taught most of them by your parents or other authority figures in your life? You may have come to some of these expectations on your own after suffering some great loss or tragedy. In any case, aren’t these expectations learned? And, once something is learned, doesn’t it only have reality in your mind? Belief in an expectation is what gives it power. If you don’t like an expectation because it causes pains then simply believe something else and the pains will stop.
Your attachment to your expectations is another part of the puzzle. It’s not bad enough that we believe in expectations, oh no. We also believe that our expectations must be met or else we cannot be happy. This simple belief drives us to change the world to meet our expectations… it is the core belief that keeps us from our happiness. If you want to be happy then you must come to understand this belief and choose to disbelieve it!
Belief is a choice that we make based on our experience. Our belief in attachment is a choice based on what we’re taught by others. From a very young age, we’re programmed to be happy only when we’re meeting expectations. “Don’t touch that.” “Do your homework.” “Tell the truth.” “Lose some weight.” “Clean your plate.” We’re literally drowned in the expectations laid down by our parents and society. As we experience the unhappy aftermath of not meeting expectations we learn that meeting expectations is the only way to be happy. Is it any wonder we suffer from this neurotic desire to make the world meet our idea about it?
The good news is that this belief in attachment and expectation is totally based on your choice. You can choose not to believe that the world has to be a certain way. Indeed, you can choose to believe that your happiness does not depend on how the world is. How do you do this? First, you must see clearly how your attachment to expectations causes you to be unhappy. Be aware of yourself as you are happy and unhappy and you will see the truth of it.
If you clearly see how your expectations kill your happiness then you will revolt against the belief that powers them. Yes, just by seeing expectations for the killers of happiness they are you may break free of them. But, you must see this for yourself – not as some idea in The Image—but as the reality it is. You must see this firsthand. Then, just as you would brush a newly discovered poisonous scorpion off your shoulder, you will brush away the belief that expectations must be met in order to be happy.
Do you want to be happy? If so, then get to the task of seeing your expectations. Get busy observing your attachment to your expectations. Watch how your expectations ruin your happiness. Understand that attachment is only a belief. Love the new freedom to be happy that you have discovered.
Wednesday, November 5. 2008
Strike While the Iron Is Hot
If your house was on fire, what would you do? Surely, as soon as you became aware of the fire, you would call the fire department or grab your fire extinguisher and put out the flames. Wouldn’t your number one goal would be to stop the fire and limit the damage to your property? The desire for immediate action in such a situation seems to be universal. Why is it that this sense of urgency is missing when it comes to putting out the fire of your emotional pain?
When you’re suffering from emotional pain, what do you do? In most cases, don’t you act out to change something in the world to make your pain stop? When you’re confronted with someone that irritates you, don’t you seek to avoid them or change them in some way? When you encounter a situation that frightens you, don’t you try to get away from the source of your fear? When you see something that saddens you, aren’t you sometimes moved to improve the situation and lessen your sadness? The fire of your emotional pain causes you discomfort and so you try to change the world to make the pain stop. This is obvious, isn’t it?
Seeking to change the world in order to put out your emotional fire is like pouring water on your neighbor’s house when your house is burning. It really is that silly… and equally pointless. The mistake that most people make is to confuse the world as the cause of their emotional fire. In truth, your emotional fire is always burning. The world simply provides fuel for the flame that already exists. When you act to change the world, you’re just trying to move the fuel off of the existing flame. If you wish to be free of your emotional fire then you must attack the source of the flame.
What is the source of your emotional flame? It is your comparison of The Image to the world that causes your flame to burn. It is your thinking about the world that causes the flame of emotional pain to burn. If you wish to be free of the fires of emotional pain then you must change what you think about the world. Seeking to change the world doesn’t put out the fire; it merely moves the fuel around. As long as your thoughts about the world are conflicted your emotional fire will always burn.
To see this clearly you must see it directly. Observe how your discontent with the world is always present in your mind. This discontent – this conflict between The Image and reality—is the emotional fire. Watch yourself as you continually find things to be upset about. No matter how the world appears you will find some reason to be upset about it.
The key to putting out this emotional fire is to see it clearly. You wouldn’t try to put out your house fire with your eyes closed, would you? The best way I know of to see the fire is to observe yourself as you are having emotional pain. Your conflicted thoughts about the world are quite clear when you’re in the midst of your emotional pain. Your inner dialogue will tell you exactly why you are creating the pain. Simply being aware of this inner dialogue will help you to see clearly why you are in pain. You must strike while the iron is hot if you want to catch your conflicted thoughts. The longer you wait from the moment of pain to observe your conflict, the harder it is to see.
Your thinking about the world is the emotional flame that causes you so much pain. You compare reality to The Image and dislike what you see. So, you turn up the flame of emotional pain and suffer for it. Do you want to be free of this self-created fire? If so, then you must strike while the iron is hot… you must observe your thinking as you are in pain. Don’t wait until the pain subsides. Watch it while it’s burning you! Once you see the conflict within you then you will understand why you are in pain. Watch and you will see your conflict. See your conflict and you will understand the cause. Understand the cause and you can finally extinguish the flame. Put out the fire of your emotional pain and you will experience freedom from pain and a peace that cannot be disturbed by the world around you.
When you’re suffering from emotional pain, what do you do? In most cases, don’t you act out to change something in the world to make your pain stop? When you’re confronted with someone that irritates you, don’t you seek to avoid them or change them in some way? When you encounter a situation that frightens you, don’t you try to get away from the source of your fear? When you see something that saddens you, aren’t you sometimes moved to improve the situation and lessen your sadness? The fire of your emotional pain causes you discomfort and so you try to change the world to make the pain stop. This is obvious, isn’t it?
Seeking to change the world in order to put out your emotional fire is like pouring water on your neighbor’s house when your house is burning. It really is that silly… and equally pointless. The mistake that most people make is to confuse the world as the cause of their emotional fire. In truth, your emotional fire is always burning. The world simply provides fuel for the flame that already exists. When you act to change the world, you’re just trying to move the fuel off of the existing flame. If you wish to be free of your emotional fire then you must attack the source of the flame.
What is the source of your emotional flame? It is your comparison of The Image to the world that causes your flame to burn. It is your thinking about the world that causes the flame of emotional pain to burn. If you wish to be free of the fires of emotional pain then you must change what you think about the world. Seeking to change the world doesn’t put out the fire; it merely moves the fuel around. As long as your thoughts about the world are conflicted your emotional fire will always burn.
To see this clearly you must see it directly. Observe how your discontent with the world is always present in your mind. This discontent – this conflict between The Image and reality—is the emotional fire. Watch yourself as you continually find things to be upset about. No matter how the world appears you will find some reason to be upset about it.
The key to putting out this emotional fire is to see it clearly. You wouldn’t try to put out your house fire with your eyes closed, would you? The best way I know of to see the fire is to observe yourself as you are having emotional pain. Your conflicted thoughts about the world are quite clear when you’re in the midst of your emotional pain. Your inner dialogue will tell you exactly why you are creating the pain. Simply being aware of this inner dialogue will help you to see clearly why you are in pain. You must strike while the iron is hot if you want to catch your conflicted thoughts. The longer you wait from the moment of pain to observe your conflict, the harder it is to see.
Your thinking about the world is the emotional flame that causes you so much pain. You compare reality to The Image and dislike what you see. So, you turn up the flame of emotional pain and suffer for it. Do you want to be free of this self-created fire? If so, then you must strike while the iron is hot… you must observe your thinking as you are in pain. Don’t wait until the pain subsides. Watch it while it’s burning you! Once you see the conflict within you then you will understand why you are in pain. Watch and you will see your conflict. See your conflict and you will understand the cause. Understand the cause and you can finally extinguish the flame. Put out the fire of your emotional pain and you will experience freedom from pain and a peace that cannot be disturbed by the world around you.
Monday, November 3. 2008
The Desire for Change
Why is it that throughout the world, people find themselves in life situations that they dislike but they seem powerless to do anything about? People all over the world are stuck in relationships that make them miserable. These relationships are with other people and also things. Some people are miserable with their marriage. Some people are miserable with their job. Some people are miserable with their religion. Some people are miserable with themselves. Why is this happening? Why can’t people free themselves from their misery in relationship?
It seems to me that the mistake these sufferers of misery make is to confuse the cause of their misery. They are miserable and believe that their misery is caused by things outside of themselves. What they don’t see clearly is how misery is caused by them and their thinking. External reality has nothing to do with misery. This is the fundamental error.
What happens when you act out of confusion? In such a state, aren’t your actions also confused? When people act to try and solve their misery, they seldom achieve their goal because their actions are confused. When your action comes from the idea that the world outside of you is wrong then you will strive to make the world meet your ideas of “rightness”. Such world-changing actions rarely, if ever, solve the fundamental cause of misery. Such actions may offer temporary relief from the symptoms of misery, but misery will visit again in time.
If you’re miserable in your marriage then you may strive to make your partner stop doing whatever it is they are doing that makes you miserable. Perhaps it’s their nagging that makes you miserable. Or, perhaps it’s their lack of attention that makes you miserable. It may even be that you just don’t love them anymore and so you feel miserable just by staying with them. Leaving the marriage is one way to solve the misery but the solution is temporary. Perhaps you get married again and find the same faults and problems in your next partner. Perhaps you stay unmarried and miss the company of a life partner. Isn’t it clear that the misery will visit you again no matter how you try to fix your marriage? Misery in marriage has nothing to do with your partner… it has everything to do with your thinking about your partner.
If you are miserable in your job then you may strive for better working conditions or fairer treatment or better pay. You may even quit and look for a better job that doesn’t have all of the problems that your old job did. When you do this, don’t you notice similar misery with your next job? Given enough time, after the excitement of a new job wears off, the same miserable feelings will creep up on you again. You’ll start seeing faults in your workplace that give you reason to complain and feel bad again. So the cycle repeats itself. Isn’t it clear that the misery will visit you again no matter how you try to fix your job? Misery in the workplace has nothing to do with your job… it has everything to do with your thinking about your job.
If you are miserable in your life then you may strive to better yourself in some way. Perhaps you’ll give up smoking or start a new diet. You may exercise more or read a self-help book. You might talk to a therapist or change careers. You may even buy a new game or watch a movie or get high to avoid the misery. Regardless of what you do to change the miserable conditions of your life, don’t you see that they are temporary fixes? Don’t you see that misery will visit you again no matter how you try to fix your life? Misery in life has nothing to do with life… it has everything to do with your thinking about your life.
People have a desire for change but, because that desire is confused, it only leads to more misery. Changing the outside world to meet your desire is not the way out of misery. No matter what you do to the world outside of you, the misery will return. You know the truth of this… just look at your own life of misery. How many times have you strived to change the outside world because of your misery? How many times have you succeeded in freeing yourself from misery this way? Sure, for a short time your action relieves the symptoms. But, like the effects of a drug, the relief is only temporary. And, like the effects of a drug, you become more resistant to the symptom relief the more you use it. The longer you rely on changing the external world to stop your misery the more misery you will find. It’s a never-ending cycle of pain and misery that will never bring you happiness.
Do you want to free yourself from misery? If so, then see clearly how misery is caused by your thinking. See clearly how your belief in The Image over reality gives birth to your misery. Reality is here now, in your senses, and you’re focusing on The Image of your marriage or your job or your life. Do you want to be free of misery once and for all? If you truly desire this then you must turn your desire inward and become aware. Your desire for change is confused and misdirected toward those things that, even if you change them, won’t bring you a moment of freedom from misery.
Misery is caused by your belief in The Image over reality. Observe this in your own life and you will see. Watch and you will see. See and you will understand. Understand and you will finally be free of misery and filled to the brim with love of life – whatever your situation is.
It seems to me that the mistake these sufferers of misery make is to confuse the cause of their misery. They are miserable and believe that their misery is caused by things outside of themselves. What they don’t see clearly is how misery is caused by them and their thinking. External reality has nothing to do with misery. This is the fundamental error.
What happens when you act out of confusion? In such a state, aren’t your actions also confused? When people act to try and solve their misery, they seldom achieve their goal because their actions are confused. When your action comes from the idea that the world outside of you is wrong then you will strive to make the world meet your ideas of “rightness”. Such world-changing actions rarely, if ever, solve the fundamental cause of misery. Such actions may offer temporary relief from the symptoms of misery, but misery will visit again in time.
If you’re miserable in your marriage then you may strive to make your partner stop doing whatever it is they are doing that makes you miserable. Perhaps it’s their nagging that makes you miserable. Or, perhaps it’s their lack of attention that makes you miserable. It may even be that you just don’t love them anymore and so you feel miserable just by staying with them. Leaving the marriage is one way to solve the misery but the solution is temporary. Perhaps you get married again and find the same faults and problems in your next partner. Perhaps you stay unmarried and miss the company of a life partner. Isn’t it clear that the misery will visit you again no matter how you try to fix your marriage? Misery in marriage has nothing to do with your partner… it has everything to do with your thinking about your partner.
If you are miserable in your job then you may strive for better working conditions or fairer treatment or better pay. You may even quit and look for a better job that doesn’t have all of the problems that your old job did. When you do this, don’t you notice similar misery with your next job? Given enough time, after the excitement of a new job wears off, the same miserable feelings will creep up on you again. You’ll start seeing faults in your workplace that give you reason to complain and feel bad again. So the cycle repeats itself. Isn’t it clear that the misery will visit you again no matter how you try to fix your job? Misery in the workplace has nothing to do with your job… it has everything to do with your thinking about your job.
If you are miserable in your life then you may strive to better yourself in some way. Perhaps you’ll give up smoking or start a new diet. You may exercise more or read a self-help book. You might talk to a therapist or change careers. You may even buy a new game or watch a movie or get high to avoid the misery. Regardless of what you do to change the miserable conditions of your life, don’t you see that they are temporary fixes? Don’t you see that misery will visit you again no matter how you try to fix your life? Misery in life has nothing to do with life… it has everything to do with your thinking about your life.
People have a desire for change but, because that desire is confused, it only leads to more misery. Changing the outside world to meet your desire is not the way out of misery. No matter what you do to the world outside of you, the misery will return. You know the truth of this… just look at your own life of misery. How many times have you strived to change the outside world because of your misery? How many times have you succeeded in freeing yourself from misery this way? Sure, for a short time your action relieves the symptoms. But, like the effects of a drug, the relief is only temporary. And, like the effects of a drug, you become more resistant to the symptom relief the more you use it. The longer you rely on changing the external world to stop your misery the more misery you will find. It’s a never-ending cycle of pain and misery that will never bring you happiness.
Do you want to free yourself from misery? If so, then see clearly how misery is caused by your thinking. See clearly how your belief in The Image over reality gives birth to your misery. Reality is here now, in your senses, and you’re focusing on The Image of your marriage or your job or your life. Do you want to be free of misery once and for all? If you truly desire this then you must turn your desire inward and become aware. Your desire for change is confused and misdirected toward those things that, even if you change them, won’t bring you a moment of freedom from misery.
Misery is caused by your belief in The Image over reality. Observe this in your own life and you will see. Watch and you will see. See and you will understand. Understand and you will finally be free of misery and filled to the brim with love of life – whatever your situation is.
Saturday, November 1. 2008
The Illusion of Enlightenment
Many people in the world see spiritual enlightenment as an important goal to achieve during their lifetime. These people read books; visit with gurus, practice meditation and follow practices prescribed by their spiritual leaders in the hope that they too will achieve the state of being called “enlightenment”. Perhaps you too are one of the people that seek this thing called enlightenment. Let’s dig into this thing called enlightenment and see if we can enlighten ourselves as to what it is and what it means.
What is enlightenment? If one is to seek a thing then one must know what it is they are seeking. Isn’t that obvious? So, what is enlightenment? Is it a state of continual bliss where all of your problems melt away? Is it a freedom from immaturity? Is it an understanding that transcends all knowledge? Is it clear vision? I imagine that if I asked 100 people what enlightenment is I would receive dozens of different answers. Most people would simply regurgitate what they’ve heard about enlightenment from others. This is because, for most people, enlightenment is something that has not been experienced… and so they rely on the descriptions of others.
Do you see the fundamental problem with that? If you are seeking something based on what others are telling you then how will you know when you find it? For one thing, how do you know that those who are describing enlightenment have actually found it? They may have found something wonderful and are trying to share it with you—I can certainly understand that point of view since I’m trying to share something wonderful that I have found with you. Yet, if someone says to you “I’m enlightened and here’s how you can be enlightened too”, how can you be sure that they’re speaking from direct experience? I would hope, by now, that you would see clearly that you cannot be sure. Isn’t it clear that you’re taking it on faith and belief alone? You’ve read something or heard something or seen something that you take as the truth. The Image is telling you that this person has achieved something that you have not and you want to achieve it too. The description of this “something wonderful” becomes a goal for you to achieve. The problem is that once you take on this goal you’ve made it quite impossible to achieve the goal.
Enlightenment has become a goal for so many people. It’s a goal that has been sought by millions of people for a very long time. People try to achieve what has only been described to them through the words of others. They have not experienced enlightenment so they cannot know when they’re having the experience. So, these seekers go through life looking for something they cannot recognize even if they find it. They meditate and cannot find it. They pray and cannot find it. They study and cannot find it. They contemplate and cannot find it. Do you see how it is the seeking of something described that is causing enlightenment never to be found? Seekers of enlightenment are looking for something that they only have a concept of. They have a concept built in The Image… not a memory from their own experience, but a concept from the words of others. Not seeing this, the seekers keep looking for something that cannot be found through comparison to the words and concepts of others. Not knowing this, the seekers are looking for an illusion of enlightenment – not enlightenment itself. Is it any wonder that so few seekers become finders?
Did you know that you’re having the experience of enlightenment right now? The only thing keeping you from recognizing the experience is The Image of enlightenment you have in your mind. You keep having the experience but you do not recognize it because you hold on so tightly to your concept of enlightenment. You’re looking for hot when the actual experience is cold. You’re looking for sweet when the actual experience is sour. You’re looking for happiness when the actual experience is sadness. Once again, you’ve confused The Image with reality and cannot see what is actually happening within and around you. You are enlightened right now but you haven’t realized it yet.
Look at it this way: If someone came to you and said that chocolate tastes like mustard, would you believe them? Of course not… If you have tasted both chocolate and mustard then you would see immediately the foolishness of the claim. Yet, when someone comes to you and describes something that you have not experienced then be careful! If you take their description to heart then you will be unable to recognize what they’ve described when you come upon it. Believing the description of something that you have not experienced taints your future experience. Imagine that you have tasted chocolate and not mustard. If you believed the description of mustard tasting like chocolate then you would have a very clear expectation in your mind. In this state of belief, if you came across mustard and tasted it, you’d never recognize it as mustard because you’re expecting chocolate! That’s the issue. You’re expecting chocolate when enlightenment is actually mustard.
Do you want to see enlightenment for what it really is? If so then you must drop all your ideas about enlightenment. You must discard all of your formulas and concepts about enlightenment. How can you do that? See clearly that your ideas about enlightenment are the barrier that stops you from seeing enlightenment. Look unflinchingly at how accepting a description as truth taints your future experience. Be willing to see for yourself the actuality of enlightenment in this moment now and you will see it. Enlightenment isn’t to be found by comparing reality to what others have told you. Don’t confuse your illusion of enlightenment with enlightenment itself. Do you want to see enlightenment as it really is? If so then see reality as it really is and enlightenment will be upon you.
What is enlightenment? If one is to seek a thing then one must know what it is they are seeking. Isn’t that obvious? So, what is enlightenment? Is it a state of continual bliss where all of your problems melt away? Is it a freedom from immaturity? Is it an understanding that transcends all knowledge? Is it clear vision? I imagine that if I asked 100 people what enlightenment is I would receive dozens of different answers. Most people would simply regurgitate what they’ve heard about enlightenment from others. This is because, for most people, enlightenment is something that has not been experienced… and so they rely on the descriptions of others.
Do you see the fundamental problem with that? If you are seeking something based on what others are telling you then how will you know when you find it? For one thing, how do you know that those who are describing enlightenment have actually found it? They may have found something wonderful and are trying to share it with you—I can certainly understand that point of view since I’m trying to share something wonderful that I have found with you. Yet, if someone says to you “I’m enlightened and here’s how you can be enlightened too”, how can you be sure that they’re speaking from direct experience? I would hope, by now, that you would see clearly that you cannot be sure. Isn’t it clear that you’re taking it on faith and belief alone? You’ve read something or heard something or seen something that you take as the truth. The Image is telling you that this person has achieved something that you have not and you want to achieve it too. The description of this “something wonderful” becomes a goal for you to achieve. The problem is that once you take on this goal you’ve made it quite impossible to achieve the goal.
Enlightenment has become a goal for so many people. It’s a goal that has been sought by millions of people for a very long time. People try to achieve what has only been described to them through the words of others. They have not experienced enlightenment so they cannot know when they’re having the experience. So, these seekers go through life looking for something they cannot recognize even if they find it. They meditate and cannot find it. They pray and cannot find it. They study and cannot find it. They contemplate and cannot find it. Do you see how it is the seeking of something described that is causing enlightenment never to be found? Seekers of enlightenment are looking for something that they only have a concept of. They have a concept built in The Image… not a memory from their own experience, but a concept from the words of others. Not seeing this, the seekers keep looking for something that cannot be found through comparison to the words and concepts of others. Not knowing this, the seekers are looking for an illusion of enlightenment – not enlightenment itself. Is it any wonder that so few seekers become finders?
Did you know that you’re having the experience of enlightenment right now? The only thing keeping you from recognizing the experience is The Image of enlightenment you have in your mind. You keep having the experience but you do not recognize it because you hold on so tightly to your concept of enlightenment. You’re looking for hot when the actual experience is cold. You’re looking for sweet when the actual experience is sour. You’re looking for happiness when the actual experience is sadness. Once again, you’ve confused The Image with reality and cannot see what is actually happening within and around you. You are enlightened right now but you haven’t realized it yet.
Look at it this way: If someone came to you and said that chocolate tastes like mustard, would you believe them? Of course not… If you have tasted both chocolate and mustard then you would see immediately the foolishness of the claim. Yet, when someone comes to you and describes something that you have not experienced then be careful! If you take their description to heart then you will be unable to recognize what they’ve described when you come upon it. Believing the description of something that you have not experienced taints your future experience. Imagine that you have tasted chocolate and not mustard. If you believed the description of mustard tasting like chocolate then you would have a very clear expectation in your mind. In this state of belief, if you came across mustard and tasted it, you’d never recognize it as mustard because you’re expecting chocolate! That’s the issue. You’re expecting chocolate when enlightenment is actually mustard.
Do you want to see enlightenment for what it really is? If so then you must drop all your ideas about enlightenment. You must discard all of your formulas and concepts about enlightenment. How can you do that? See clearly that your ideas about enlightenment are the barrier that stops you from seeing enlightenment. Look unflinchingly at how accepting a description as truth taints your future experience. Be willing to see for yourself the actuality of enlightenment in this moment now and you will see it. Enlightenment isn’t to be found by comparing reality to what others have told you. Don’t confuse your illusion of enlightenment with enlightenment itself. Do you want to see enlightenment as it really is? If so then see reality as it really is and enlightenment will be upon you.
