No True Struggle

The only time one struggles with life is when it’s made to be a struggle. This only occurs when the Conditioned Mind is in control. The mind will settle when the practice of letting go is developed.

Our struggles are neither with life nor with the people in it, so who does that leave one one with, but themselves; this is who the struggle is always with. I’m not saying that some of the things that happen are easy to accept, but the struggle is still within oneself. Sometimes it just doesn’t seem like life is fair, that it shouldn’t be so difficult, but again this struggle is only because of oneself, not because of life. The perceptions of how things are is what causes one to struggle, life is never the struggle, what goes on between one’s ears is where any so called struggles manifest. So there’s a need to allow the mind to be present so it can settle down and focus on what is actually occurring instead of creating a struggle.

It can seem at times as if there’s one thing after another, but there really isn’t, it’s just the Conditioned Mind making up a story. Each moment is independent of itself so it has nothing to do with any other moment unless it’s made so. When this is understood, tools can be developed so this happens less and less. Peace is directly linked to how much control your conditioning has over you, if there wasn’t conditioning you wouldn’t be controlled and there would be total peace. So for me this is my path and I must learn to stay on it and head in the direction of peace. It’s already there, but I need to learn not to allow my Conditioned Mind to block it from my view. The more my view is in the present moment, the more peace there is because the view to peace isn’t being blocked. So although at times it seems as if life is a struggle, the only reason this is so is because It’s allowed to be. It’s up to me to change the conditioning that blocks me from understanding I am already at peace and the key to this is to understand that life really isn’t the struggle that my Conditioned Mind makes it out to be.

A Quiet Mind Understanding

When a mind agitation arises, if it’s to be quieted the cause of why the agitation arose needs to be identified. A mind that’s agitated can’t do this, so it needs to settle if there’s to be quiet.

When it’s understood the so called problems in life are created by your own mind, it’ll also be understood the mind that creates these problems can’t solve them; simply put, a broken mind can’t fix itself. An example would be a person who uses food as a coping mechanism, at first it seems as though it provides the sought after relief, but as time goes by it affects life in a way that it no longer provides relief, it actually becomes the reason why relief is sought. This doesn’t stop the person from using food as a solution even though there are dire consequences; insanity at it’s finest. Food can be substituted with anything, what is used doesn’t really matter, how you get stuck in the agitations of the mind is the point of this.

It’s the Conditioned Mind that keeps a person stuck trying to use the same mind to create and solve problems. I did this for years and today it’s not this way. It’s not that I have a different mind, there’s a different base to process information, so in a sense it is different with the difference being, there’s a lot more quietness instead of the constant agitations. What quietness allows is being in the present moment, living and accepting what life gives me as opposed to being agitated about it. This is the way it has to be if there’s going to be peace in one’s life.

Life may seem to be the way one wants it at times, but it will never stay that way, so the key is to find peace when its not the way you think it should be; doing this without reaching for something for comfort is essential. Understanding that your own mind is creating this nonsense is the first step in establishing a true place of peace. When the origin of the mind agitations are known they can then be eliminated, it will take practice, but the choice is to remain in a mind made agitated state. So it’s vital to understand your own mind if there’s to ever be freedom from the tantalizing agitations. After all it’s not the great secrets of the Universe that are going to bring you peace, peace will only occur with the understanding of why you think in a way that doesn’t allow peace.

Comparative Thinking

The things occurring right now mean very little because nothing inherently causes suffering, but comparing them to a time when life was considered better than it is now is where all suffering arises from.

This article is to expand on yesterday’s post a little more deeply because this subject is so important in the understanding of one’s conditioning. Here’s why wanting things different causes suffering because the moment is being compared to a time when things were the way one thought they should them. The things occurring mean little because nothing inherently causes suffering, but comparing them to a time when life was considered better than it is now is where all suffering arises from. Here are some of the ways that comparative thinking patterns control life, at least for me. Driving home from work during the week there’s usually heavy traffic, I think of a time when there’s wasn’t any traffic and that’s how I want it when there’s traffic. When my wife is in a bad mood, I want her to be in some previous mood when she was more loving. How about when I order a dessert that brought me so much satisfaction last time I had it, I’m thinking of that time, but the dessert this time is just not the same. Here’s one I think everyone goes through, when someone dies I compare that to when they were alive and alive is how I want them.

So much comparing leads to so much suffering. These are but a few, finding you own comparative thinking patterns will take awareness they exist. If this isn’t seen they will remain in control and this control will go on all day; from the very moment one begins their day. The alarm clock goes off and most people instantly think of a time when they could remain a sleep and that’s only the beginning. Maybe it’s chilly in the room and one thinks of a time when the room was warm and that’s how they would prefer it. Please take this serious because this can change the way life is viewed, but that’s only if one thinks they need their view of life to be different, and that’s only if one is comparing their life now to a time when it was considered to be better.

Comparisons Separate

God can be likened to a made up story that arises because one compares life with and without this storied God and because of the way one is conditioned, it’s believed that life would be better with the made up story.

When I compare me to you it instantly separates us, and even when I compare me to me this causes the same separation. There is no you and me unless I compare us just as there isn’t an old me and a new me. Granted nine years ago my thinking shifted dramatically, but I was and will always be the same me. And this is how we are when there isn’t a comparison formed from the Conditioned Mind. Mostly everything that one’s does is a comparison, God is used in this way. God is but a story made up because one compares life with this storied God and without it and because of one’s conditioning one is made to believe by their own mind that life is be better with this story.

Instead of being with the suchness of your life, there’s’ always a comparison. Comparing the thinking of years ago to now, comparing ourselves to others, comparing situations of how it is and how it’s wanted, comparing the over weight me and skinnier me, comparing the younger me to the me of today, comparing the world way back when to the way it is now, comparing my beliefs to your beliefs, my God to your God, and so it goes on and on. You see, there’s truly nothing to compare to, but this comparing is so subtle that most people don’t even realize it’s being done. If some discipline isn’t developed so the mind settles to see the suchness of life, the story of comparisons will continue all the way up until the day when it’s time for one to go the next realm, only one will be comparing it to this realm.

Distracted From the Moment

Peace can only be had in the present moment and it will only occur when one isn’t being distracted and using things that keeps them from the awareness of the moment occurring right now.

The reason why it’s so difficult to stay in the present moment is because of all the distractions that we have been conditioned to use which are reinforced daily. Most are used mainly for the fulfillment of pleasure, but others are also used for a variety of reasons. What they all have in common is they’re used as a distraction to keep one from the awareness of the present moment. These distraction range from, food, social media, music, sex, the spiritual path, and many other things. There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of these, but when they’re used as a distraction from what’s occurring right now, they become a hinderance to living life in the most beneficial of ways. I know we all get caught up in many of these distractions, but regardless of what the distractions manifest as, its core and why it arises is the same; the mind has no idea how to just be.

These distractions become a hinderance to one’s well being because it keeps you locked into the distractions grip and if you’re not living in the moment, your living in the delusion of the past and future; it’s a delusion because it’s not what’s occurring right now. I lived this way for forty nine years and it’s no wonder there wasn’t much harmony in my life; I was constantly distracted looking for whatever it was I using to try and quiet this distraction. Peace can only be had in the present moment and it will only occur when one isn’t distracted from the moment occurring right now. Reach for and use anything you want, just understand there will always be a need for the next thing to reach for because that’s just the way our conditioned distractions work.

Exposing the Lie of I

Most people get sidetracked by the lie of I and this is why they don’t realize the prison cell they’re in isn’t locked. When the focus is on the thing that one adheres to, it keeps one in prison.

I is a liar. It makes you believe all kinds of things that just aren’t true. Case in point, are you the name that you were given? Let’s say your given name was different, is that who you would now be? If my name was John instead of Michael I would be a form with an identity of John instead of Michael and then my I would think of itself as John. This is just what I does, it lies, but the reality of any life is everything changes, there really isn’t anything to adhere to and anything that one does adhere to will cause suffering. This adherence to whatever it is one is stuck to becomes the prison with I as the prison guard.

To break free from this prison, one doesn’t need to let go of what they’re adhering to, one needs to only let go of I. You see, the prison cell is always open, the only thing keeping you in prison is the prison guard of I. Most people get sidetracked by the lie of I and this is why they don’t realize their prison cell isn’t locked. When the focus is on the thing that one adheres to, it keeps one in prison. Go beyond the thing being adhered to and see the true adherence is to I, when this is seen I can be let go of. This is when one will experience true freedom because it will be seen I is no longer guarding the prison cell and the door to the cell is open.

Who Struggles But I

Attachment to I makes life delusional and it’s at the core of why one struggles with life, but the struggle isn’t truly with life, it’s with I. There wouldn’t be a struggle if one didn’t attach to I and create a delusional identity.

Life is never the reason why we have struggles, it’s never personal, it just is, but it’s made personal when we attach to I. If there wasn’t this attachment to I, there would never be a struggle. It’s this way with all of life, at least this has been my experience. Life is always happening, but it’s the I attachment that makes it a struggle. The struggle is never because of what happens, it’s always because of I attaching to what happens. Look at this for yourself, can there be a struggle without I? When life is considered a struggle, who is struggling? It’s impossible to struggle without I, so if there isn’t an association with I and I isn’t attached to, what are you left with?

This isn’t as complicated as it my seem, it’s only the attachment to I that’s blocks one from their true self. It’s not that I doesn’t exist, it’s just not in the way it’s perceived. If you were punched by someone it’s felt, but the question is, who feels it? I do, but without I, no one is there to feel. So it’s the I identity that makes us attach to the struggles that cause of our inner turmoil. When the mind becomes still enough to see this, what happens is you stop attaching to I. The disassociation with I is at the core of one’s peace. As long as you are alive you exist, but you don’t have to associate your identity with I, this in turn alleviates the delusion of struggling. After all, who is it that struggles? I do, but without the association to I the struggle would not be. Become very quiet and this will be understood, by who, not I, but by the still small voice within that’s always there; it’s just not heard because of how I is attached to and used to define yourself.

Operating Principles

When one isn’t being controlled by things from the outside, therein lies your freedom, but it isn’t freedom because life is the way that it’s wanted, there’s freedom because you’re with life the way that it is.

The operating principles that control your life makes your life what it is. It doesn’t make life what it is because life just is it never changes, but it makes YOUR life what it is and until the operating principles in place put you in harmony with life, there won’t be any and hence your life will be the way that it is because it’s the way you are making it. It’s actually a beautiful thing when one becomes aware of this because it puts your life in your hands; there’s nothing more that a person could want. When one isn’t being controlled by things from the outside, therein lies your freedom, but it isn’t freedom because life is the way that it’s wanted, there’s freedom because you’re with life with the way that it is.

What happens with the mind that has operating principles not based in love is it gets hijacked by its own conditioning and then you are held hostage by your own mind. I know this sounds crazy, but this is exactly what’s happens and it’s all because of the operating principles based to self serve in one’s life. When the operating principles in place are controlled by a me, me, me mind crazy is the norm or so it seems, but it’s only because of the operating principle. When the operating principles change the craziness subsides. So when you sit and see what the base of your actions are, you just may be able to change them. It will take some time though because of the conditioning in place, but the alternative is to remain the way that you are; being controlled by operating principles that hold you hostage.

Our Heart of Love

Our human form is the vessel used to experience life so we should never deny our humanness, but non attachment to it is the key if one is to truly experience living from our heart of love.

When life begins, there aren’t any blocks developed to our heart of love. Slowly though as we age we develop these blocks to our heart of love by forming an identity of a human self. This is our vessel to experience life so we should never deny our humanness, but non attachment to it is key to truly experiencing our heart of love. The more thought that’s applied to our humanness, the less in touch we are with our true essence of love. So what exactly are these blocks and where do they originate from? It would be easy to say “that’s just the way I am” but no one is just the way they are, we become what we are influenced and conditioned to become. It’s very nice to say things like our true essence is to love, but with all the tragic behavior that goes on, it’s really difficult to see our true essence as anything but insanity.

Everyone goes around forcing their will on whomever they come in contact with and they call it love, but a heart of love never forces anything, it doesn’t need to. The conditioning to the identity of self goes very deep and why this is so is because it’s the foundation of most existences. It’s why people reach outside themselves for fulfillment; all to satisfy one’s self. This is the only block one will encounter to their heart of love and until there’s awareness of this, one will never truly understand their heart of love. I’m not saying people don’t love, but there’s a lot of selfish attachment to the way most people love and until the mind settles so one lives from the heart, the conditioned mind will remain in control and living from a heart of love will be fleeting at best. So sit and be still and you just may see how it’s only in the moment that your heart of love can be.

The Quest to Become

So much of life is unconsciously spent trying to become something that we already are, but this isn’t seen because the need to become something is so strong that it blocks one from seeing I Am.

It’s funny because people think I have answers, I really don’t have answers, mine or anyone else’s, but I do know how to write an article that poses questions so one can find their own answers. That’s all one can do is point others to look within. My entire life was spent trying to become something, I’m not really sure what that was, but I spent an awful lot of time doing it. I was always on the go becoming, doing things along the way that solidified this becoming, but as I stated I don’t really know what that was. It took me fifty years to find out I Am already what I wanted to become. It was a shift that allowed me to stop trying to become something and just be. No more chasing or searching and all because I Am was realized; this is the place of true freedom, at least for me. So much time was unconsciously spent becoming what I already am, but it wasn’t seen because the need to become something was blocking it from being seen.

The perfect example of this is a dog chasing its tail. The dog chasing its tail doesn’t realize it’s his own tail that he’s chasing. I wonder what would happen if he caught it, lol. I’m sure it would hurt, but would it hurt as much as constantly chasing something you are never going to catch? Going round and round, but not really getting anywhere. If the dog did catch it’s own tail, it would probably hurt, but at least it would realize what it was doing and it would probably stop doing it. In a way this is what happens when one awakens, they stop trying to become so they stop chasing their own tail. With most people there’s some pain associated with this stopping, as it is with the dog catching it’s own tail, but this is what makes one realize it’s their own tail that’s being chased. When this realization occurs the becoming stops, what then arises is one’s I Am and it’s in the I Am that one realizes they are already all that they can and will ever become.

Stirring the Pond

Do whatever you think you need to do, but any doing is actually an undoing because it keeps the mind in a state of agitation, and as long as one is stirring up the pond by doing, the view will never be clear.

It may be better if you did less in your life if what you are doing is stirring the pond; it’s only when the mud at the bottom is settled that the water is clear. So it is with the mind, when it gets stirred up, it becomes cloudy and it’s very difficult to see clearly what’s really happening. This stirring can be identified as what you think you need to make you complete; you see, when the pond is settled the water (mind) is clear. When the mind becomes agitated it becomes murky and all kinds of stories are created about what’s needed to make you complete. Reading another book may be used, another 12 step meeting, another person to help, losing another pound, more money, and on an on. So many things are used to stir up the pond (mind) and the truth is none of them are truly needed because you are complete as you will ever be right now. In the clarity of a settled mind is our completeness.

Stories are created to stir up the so called pond and it’s because of the conditioning that’s in place. Clarity will never be as long as one thinks there is something needed to do that will make one complete. Doing only keeps the water (mind) from settling and the more one does the less clear things are. Do whatever you think you need to do, but understand there will never be clarity until there’s no need to do anything. Be the light, be the instrument to spread love, be whatever you want, but this doing is actually an undoing because it keeps the mind in a state of agitation, and as long as one is stirring up the pond by doing, the view will never be clear.

Unguarded Thinking

The base of the thinking that one attaches to can be cultivated to be of love. There’s not much one can do about the first thought that pops in, but with practice discipline can be developed to watch one’s unguarded thinking.

There are as many different views of life as there are people in the world and no one view is entirely right or wrong. We each have a unique way of perceiving and interpreting life and the base of what is perceived and interpreted is where our differences come from. This is where we create our delusional separation from each other and this is when conflicts ensue, but the conflict isn’t truly with others it’s with our own thinking. If we all viewed life the same, from the base of love, it would be the base of our existence and there would never a conflict with anyone including ourselves. Our true essence is Universally based in love, but then comes each individual’s perception and interpretation, this is where the break down occurs because the mind isn’t taught the discipline to watch our unguarded thinking as we are growing up. Our thinking usually runs amok trying to satisfy pleasures and desires that are created by an undisciplined mind. Our unguarded thinking is the greatest block to loving ourselves and all beings.

Our unguarded thinking is why we become are our own worse enemy. If all we had was thinking based in love, conflicts with ourselves would be non existent and if we have no conflict with ourselves we wouldn’t have any conflict with others. No one can harm you as much as you can harm yourself, but when the mind settles and get quiets one becomes aware of this. Once a person becomes aware of their unguarded thinking, they stop being their own worse enemy. They can then begin to think of loving themselves the way the Universe intended, and in the process love all beings.

United We Change

When we get in touch with our inner place of peace, it’s beautiful because there’s an understanding that the gift of love of our existence which we are freely given, is the gift of love that we give.

Although we are individuals, our journey is not one of individuality. It’s a journey where we are all affected by what an individual does and we all have our part that we’re accountable for. Who we’re accountable to is not only ourselves, but to the entire Universe. No one causes our suffering more than our own hands, or our own mind. We need to understand just what we mean to each other if we are ever going to get along. When we get in touch with our inner place of peace, it’s beautiful because the gift of love that we’re given becomes the gift of love that we give. This is the essence of each individual journey and when this is understood we will live in harmony more and more with each other and we will know in our heart that our survival as individuals depends on our unity. Until this happens many individuals will continue to think they’re on an individual journey and will make decisions based on fulfilling an individual agenda.

This is a heart breaking truth of existence. Who can claim they’re an individual who isn’t dependent on someone for something? From the food we eat, to the clothes that we where, to every object we touch, it comes into our possession by someone else placing it there. We are so dependent on each other in the material realm that we lose sight of the base of our true connection and that is through our manifestation of Universal Love. This is the energy from where all life is formed. Not one person comes into existence any different. This is Universal truth, not for some, but for all. How can one think because they have an abundance of possessions that it makes them more important than someone else. This is very very sad, because it separates people, it doesn’t unite, and it’s the true cause of society issues. No society can function properly without total unity and the real sadness in this is we all have a part in making it this way, consciously or unconsciously. We cannot blame the sad state of world on anyone but ourselves, because not too many of us can cast the first stone. United we must become if we want change and that change has to start with the individual. Point all the fingers you want, but it will only be in our love for others that we will love ourselves. It will only be in the love for ourselves that we will have unity with our fellows and it will only be in our unity with our fellows that our world will change.

The Phenomenon of the Moment

The phenomenon of each moment is unique unto itself, it just doesn’t seem this way because one doesn’t truly hear the sounds of the moment, they just hear the noise of what’s going on between their ears.

Just be aware of what arises from the silence and how it just as quickly returns to the silence. Don’t label it as anything, just watch it arise and dissipate. Don’t attach to it, just watch, a sound arises now it’s there and then it sinks into the incoming moment. The same thing with a sensation, watch it arise, be with it and watch how it returns from whence it came. Imagine you are on the beach, just sitting listening to the sound of a wave arising from the silence, breaking on the shore and then it’s gone, over and over. Occasionally the sound of a seagull will arise as will people passing by and talking. The lifeguards blowing their whistles, the sound arises and returns to the silence. A helicopter passes by, sound after sound arising and returning from whence it came. These sounds are stored in our subconscious and given labels, breaking wave, seagull, talking, helicopter, whistle and so on, but they all arise from the silence of the phenomenon known as the moment. They can only arise from here.

These are what becomes our memories, but the moment when something arises will never happen again. Because we label everything it seems as though history repeats itself, but it doesn’t really, it only seems that way because of the attachment and label given to something; once a moment passes it’s gone forever. Why our behaviors are repeated over and over is because of attachment, but the phenomenon of the moment is always unique unto itself, it just doesn’t seem this way because one doesn’t truly hear the sounds of the moment, they just hear the noise of what’s going on between their ears.

Divided We Fall

United we stand, divided we fall, and although in America we are called the United States if it’s not seen that we are all part of the same race, the human one, it will be divided we stand, divided we fall.

Until it is seen by ALL races that there is only one race, the human one, nothing will change. There is much wrong with the world and at the core is the lack of love and respect for each other, regardless of race or gender for that matter. This is a very deep issue in our society and until people look at each other through the eyes of love, the ego will continue to cause us to be separated by our differences. The nonsense of the Conditioned Mind goes far deeper than the surface stuff of not standing for the USA National Anthem. Stand, kneel, sit, lay down if you want, but this disrespect shown is for yourself. It’s called the UNITED States, but where’s the unity in any protest? The very act of protesting keeps the separation in place, it divides it doesn’t unite and because of this, humanity will remain as it is because of the lack of love at its core.

This isn’t isolated as just being an American issue, it’s a humanity issue. The ego separates, love unites and until we see each other through the eyes of love and see we are all a part of one race, the human one, regardless of the protests, things will remain as they are because we will continue to do things that separate, not unite. There are so many ways to do things quietly that provides unity, but the more one draws attention on themselves, the more one’s controlling energy is from the ego. Nothing is helped by protesting because it’s showboating from the ego and not from the energy of love. Only in quietness does love arise and until this is seen neither America nor the world will ever be united.

Surface Concepts

When one can only see and attach to what’s on the surface, therein lies the root to all suffering. It’s in letting go of surface concepts that one will see there are many parts to the whole, this reveals the emptiness of all things.

When we stay on the surface level of existence, life becomes conceptual and although we all experience life in the human form, it is why it’s seen differently by everyone, except by those who don’t see it through a concept, this state is of emptiness which needs no concept, yet existence still is. Everything is a constellation of parts that make up the whole, so nothing is truly what a concept makes it out to be because it’s only seen and categorized as the whole. When one looks at a tree and applies the concept “tree” the surface parts the trunk, limbs, branches, and leaves meld into one and the true nature of the tree is lost. If you can see this with the tree, you can see it with everything, including yourself. Without a concept of you where is the you and that’s just the surface you I’m asking about, most don’t even think about what parts of you are on the inside.

There is much freedom in seeing this because it allows for the emptiness of all things to be revealed. And when one sees there’s nothing to hold on to no matter what, one is free. You give something that keeps track of time a concept that it’s a watch, there are so many parts to it, but which part is truly the watch. Concepts will keep you marred in ignorance because they will block out seeing the true nature of emptiness in all things, you will only see the whole. When this happens one can only see and attach to what’s on the surface and therein lies the root to all suffering. It’s in letting go of surface concepts that one will see there are many parts to the whole which when seen reveals the emptiness of all things.

Addicted to Thinking

Notice how much you think about yourself and you just may be able to settle in a place where your emotions aren’t in control and hopefully you’ll come to realize life isn’t really about you, you just think it is.

As long as one is alive life happens, actually life happens even if one isn’t alive there just isn’t awareness of it. So life isn’t really about what happens as much as it’s about how much one relates their thinking about what happens. This is where one’s conditioning steps in and determines the relation to what happens next. It can be of love, it can be of hate, but for most it teeters between the two to a large degree. Very few go to the extreme of either one of these emotions so the results for most humans are balanced. When these emotions do hit an extreme level the results are very noticeable and this is all contingent how much one is conditioned to think about themselves, this thinking is what manifest as emotions. If you had love as the main influence in your life, obviously you will love more than a person who had hate as their influence. This all arises from inside the individual so if you truly notice the base of your actions you may be able to alter those actions, but besides relying on divine intervention which will probably not occur, it will take some practice to allow the mind to settle so this is noticed.

The true addictions in society is thinking and when you are the main subject of that thinking, it makes one’s existence very irrational. Now multiply that by billions of people and hence you have the world we live in; billions of people constantly thinking about themselves strictly for personal gain. There’s no one to blame for this because it arises from within each of us. From the mass murderer to the person who is a people pleaser, it’s the thinking mind that causes extreme emotions and everything else in between. So sit often with the intention of developing the ability to notice how much you think about yourself and you just may be able to settle in a place where your emotions aren’t in control and hopefully you’ll come to realize life isn’t really about you, you just think it is.

Embracing the Moment

There are choices in every moment that occur in life and it solely puts your life in your hands. It has nothing to do with your circumstances, but if you don’t have awareness of this, you will continue to push life away as situations arise.

Being all inclusive to what occurs in your life (embracing the moment) is living life as it unfolds without excluding any part of it. It’s easy to push away what’s not wanted, but to include everything even though it may not be beneficial or wanted is truly living. If something wants to be excluded find out what it is and why it’s being pushed away. Obviously on the surface it would look as though it’s just not liked, but if it’s what’s occurring, what good is it doing in pushing it away and not liking it. This becomes a defense mechanism that keeps one from truly enjoying life. If one only enjoys life when things happening are liked, there will be much suffering because of the nature of the fluctuations of things. If you go on a vacation to a beach resort and it’s cloudy and rainy and you expected it to be sunny, therein lies your suffering; if it’s sunny everything is great. This is but one example, I’m sure you can find your own that fits your current life.

In the situation described, why it causes suffering is because what’s there is being pushed away, maybe not even consciously, but it’s not wanted so it causes a mind state of agitation. The thing about this is it’s totally out of your control, there’s nothing you can do to change this situation as it is, meaning you can’t change the weather. Well you could do a Sun Dance, but I doubt that will work, so you will either be with life as it is or you will continue to push it away by wanting it different. These are our choices in every moment that occurs in life and it solely puts your life in your hands. It has nothing to do with anyone else or your circumstances, but if you don’t have awareness of this you will continue to push life away as unwanted situations arise, until one day there will be nothing to push away because life in this form will be no more.

The Operative Principle of Love

Making love the operative principle in your life is done by going back to the time when you were a child, thus returning to your natural state of love before becoming conditioned by the world.
One cannot truly love unless there’s awareness of love as the operative principle of the heart and love can’t be an operative principle of the heart unless one turns back the clock and goes back to a time and undoes the things that have been developed that doesn’t make this so. This isn’t to tell anyone how to live their life or what the purpose of it is, but I read something the other day that really hit me as being so far from the truth, at least to me, that I had to share on it. What someone said was “being loving is not natural for human beings and we have to work hard at it.”

Now this is someone’s experience and an experience isn’t right or wrong, but this hasn’t been my experience. My experience is that love has always been and will always be in my heart, it was just blocked out by the way my mind became conditioned. Here is an example of this, just substitute the Conditioned Mind with a polluted body of water. When you take a body of water that’s been polluted and you want to return it to its natural state, all that needs to be done is to remove the pollutants. If something is added to the water it becomes what it isn’t or never was, so one needs to only remove the pollutants to return it to its natural state. To me this is what was meant when it was written that Jesus said “Truly I tell you, unless you become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” So unless love becomes the operative principle of the heart, heaven on earth or possibly when one passes on will never be experienced. How can it be with the way the mind has been conditioned to block out our true nature to love?

The practice of discipline and concentration is important because it allows the mind to settle so the mind pollutants are removed and our natural state of love becomes the operative principle of our heart. Love is already in our heart, but our polluted Conditioned Mind blocks far to many from seeing this. It does seem like it’s going to take hard work to return to our natural state, but only because its been a long time since we were little children. By practicing discipline and concentration all we are doing is removing our mind pollutants which allows the mind to settle so the principle of our natural state of love becomes operative. We aren’t becoming something that we aren’t, we are returning to our natural state of love and are allowing the love that is already in our heart to become the operative principle to live by.

Recognizing the Cause

Nothing is done or held onto without an underling cause and if that cause isn’t recognized, one will unconsciously succumb to it and it’s conditioning as if they were a dog on a leash.

When some feeling or emotion arises, something causes it, learn to see the cause of the emotion arising and the feelings that go along with the cause. Whatever arises has a cause, the reason for that cause and the sensation of it needs to be understood if one isn’t to be blindly drawn in and controlled by it. Nothing is held onto without an underling cause and if that cause isn’t recognized, one will unconsciously succumb to the cause as if they were a dog on a leash. Why people don’t see how this holds them in captivity is because many of the things that are being held onto are used to make one’s identity and also the holding is done because your conditioning tells you what you are holding onto is needed. When the cause of what arises is understood or at least noticed, there arises an awareness of what one thinks they need to hold onto. When this occurs there’s the possibility it will fall away and in the process your made up story falls away.

As stated before, why it’s so difficult to see this is because what’s being held onto is thought to be bringing you pleasure, and it probably is in some way, but it’s not true pleasure because no object has the capability of providing true pleasure; one is easily deluded by this. Whether it’s a partner, program, sports team, work, social status, self help, working out, yoga, or whatever is being held onto, if the cause of why one thinks they need something to feel good (pleasure) isn’t realized, the object becomes one’s prison cell and this is regardless of what’s used. So if the cause of why something arises and is held onto isn’t recognized, you might as well keep the dog collar on because when your conditioning says it’s time for a walk, you will have to go because of the conditioning in place.

Emotions of Me, Myself, and I

Separate I from your emotions and separate from the pull the emotions have over you. When this happens all you will be left with is peace because the emotions of your me, myself, and I mind isn’t in control.

Emotions aren’t right or wrong as much as they are signals to get in touch with what’s going on. At their core all emotions are based in a concept which strictly involves the me, myself, and I mind. I’m not suggesting that emotions are needed or aren’t needed, I’m just stating the experience I had with emotions is they were never much of a benefit to me or anyone around me and because of the me, myself, and I mind, they were in total control of my life. It will take much sitting and discipline to see the true nature of one’s emotions and the suffering they cause when they’re attached to. This isn’t to say today I’m emotionless, it just that they don’t have the control over me they once had.

Emotions will arise that’s a given, they’re a part of our human conditioning, but that’s not the issue, it’s how they’re allowed to control and dictate one’s state of being that the issue. Here’s an example of the emotion of anger; anger will arise and if it’s attached to, the results will cause some form of harm. So the key is to not ignore the anger, but to see how it arises from I (who’s angry?) and not attach to it. In this way the anger is there, but it’s not controlling. All emotions can be viewed in this manner because what they have in common is they all arise from I. Anger, fear, sadness, joy, disgust, love, and so on, look and see how without I although the emotions are there, they cannot control you. Separate I from the emotion and separate from the pull the emotions have over you and when this happens all you will be left with is peace and this is because the me, myself, and I mind isn’t in control.

Love Attracts Naturally

Like energy attracts and opposite energy repels naturally so if you have love in your heart, others will be drawn to you naturally because when one comes from a place of unconditional love, there’s no conflict within.

I’ve noticed in my journey when someone is in my life that it’s not exactly coming from a place of love, they are removed without me doing anything. Although it’s not for me to judge anyone to say they’re not coming from a place of love, I do understand the Conditioned Mind enough to understand what isn’t love. I truly would rather not be associated with anyone who acts in non loving ways, this energy isn’t a benefit to anyone, especially the one who is acting in such a way. People use God to justify acting in this way, even those who talk love with their lips, show non loving behavior in their actions. I ask how can a loving God be non loving? People quote the bible and think it’s love, I say what does your heart say, that’s where I look. Anyone can quote and twist scripture to fit into a conditioned view, but love has no view, it just loves. If you truly want to judge, start with your own heart and leave it at that. Unless one is raised to love, you will have your hands full investigating yourself, and judging anyone else is just wasting energy.

Please look at the log in your own eye and not the speck in someone else’s. It’s so easy to judge others, but I say hold fast to love if you truly want things to change in your life, but it won’t be others changing, it will be you. One can not be all things to all people, but one can love all people and that’s all that matters. Like energy attracts and opposite energy repels naturally so if you have love in your heart, others will naturally be drawn to you, not because of some belief or saying from the bible, but because when one comes from a place of unconditional love there’s never a conflict with oneself so there’s never a conflict with others.

The World's Energy

The world’s energy is from the thought realm which attaches one to the world. As long as one is controlled by the world, love can’t be the operative energy of life regardless of the beliefs or concepts being held onto.

The more this world and its ways are held onto, the less love there will be as the operative energy in one’s life. This is why we as a society are in our current state and until this is realized individually and as a whole, things will remain the same. I know this was factual in my own life, but that was until I learned why I acted in the ways that I did. I never understood resentment, greed, hate, jealousy, or the outright deluded view of life that I had. I couldn’t see the love that was in my heart because of all the conditioning that was in place. This blocked me from the magnificence that life had to offer and as long as the things of this world were held onto, this magnificence was never going to be seen.

The block to life’s magnificence is also a block to our own magnificence. Our magnificence doesn’t manifest as a story about certain beliefs and concepts, it arises from the silence within. It’s such a shame that this isn’t understood by the masses because life would be so much different, we would be falling over each other in love instead of harming each other in the name of religion or whatever else is believed to be right. There’s so much resentment and hate carried around and although it’s directed to the outside it arises from within so it’s one’s own energy. This energy causes much harm to others, but it causes the most damage to the one who it comes from. This is what’s missed and not understood. This energy is from the thought realm which attaches one to the world and as long as one is controlled by the world, love can’t be the operative energy of life regardless of the beliefs or concepts being held onto.

If You Think It So It Is

If you think it so it is and this is because the thought arises from the same energy that the action would be and this energy being based in self centeredness makes the thought and action one in the same.

There’s a verse in the bible that says something like “If you think it so it is” This isn’t an issue when the first thought comes in because there’s not much one can do about that, but it does become an issue when the thought is given energy for it to come alive and this is even if the thought is never acted on. This occurs because of one’s self centeredness and this is why it’s an issue, it blocks one from their own innate love. Here’s an example: It’s not wrong to look at a woman, or to find her attractive. It’s not wrong to think of a man as handsome, but if a married man or woman goes farther and starts fantasizing about kissing or having sex with someone other than his or her spouse, then he or she has taken the thought to the level where it now becomes one’s bondage and blocks out the love of from one’s own heart. This is when an issue would arise.

This issue doesn’t occur when the thought, emotion, or passion arises, but if those thoughts aren’t resisted then issue occurs because we give in to the emotion, thought, or passion by dwelling on it, and this is only the thought, not an action. If the action of the thought is acted on, the bondage goes to an entirely different level with much more dire consequences. But it all starts with a single thought and if the thought isn’t given energy, an action cannot occur. This is true with any thought, whether it’s anger, lust, greed, and so on, if there isn’t bondage to the self centered base, there wouldn’t be further attachment to the incoming thought and if you don’t think it, it cannot be so.

Conditioned Mind Activity

Peace is naturally within everyone, but because of the way a person is conditioned the mind is in a constant state of some activity and this is why one’s natural state of peace isn’t noticed.

Thinking is an activity of the mind and regardless of what the thoughts are, it takes one from the minds place of non activity and thus peace. There’s nothing that can be done to prevent this from happening, but one can become aware of it; the reason nothing can be done is because anything that’s done becomes a mind activity. Notice when the mind is in a state of peace and what takes you from this state. There are so many activities of the mind that takes away one’s peace that the list is endless, but it wouldn’t matter if there was only one activity on the list, as long as one is in unaware of the activity it will take you from your place of peace.

To notice this activity is a very simple practice, just watch the activity, nothing more. I’m sure you’ll be amazed at how much activity and how little non activity there is. Watch when an itch arises and how the mind activity now becomes to scratch the itch. Can you notice this and not scratch? This is something simple to start with and when you become aware of this you can watch other mind activities as they arise. The key is not to say to yourself “I’m not going to scratch” it’s to just be with the itch and watch it. Most times the itch will simply go away. This is how it is with most mind activities, but it will take some practice (just watching) for the awareness of this to take hold because of the conditioned thinking that’s in place. Just watch the conditioned mind activity, don’t do anything but watch it, thought in, thought out, thought in, thought out, and ever so slowly the activity will lessen and in the process there will be more peace (naturally). Simple yes, but don’t make it something that needs to be done or it will just become another conditioned mind activity.

Becoming the Dash

Making up a story about life has no benefit to it because regardless of what the story is, one day it will end and the only thing left will be the dash between the day life in this form began and the day it ends.

Everyone regardless of who you are will sooner or later have a born date and death date separated by a dash and that dash represents your life, regardless if it’s a week or a hundred years long. It doesn’t matter much whether you accomplish great things (to the ego it does) or if you live a quiet uneventful life, you will become the dash and be equal to all the other dashes that came before you.

The other day I attended the wake of my ninety eight year old uncle who passed away and although ninety eight seems as though it was a long life, for him it’s over and his life is now represented by a dash. My uncle was a good man and this isn’t to diminish anything he accomplished in his life, but what does any of it really matter. He is the same now as all those who came before, regardless of the life he lived, good, bad, or indifferent. The point of this is to show how no matter what, we will all become the dash one day. So what are you holding onto that you think is so important?

What story are you telling yourself? It doesn’t really matter because it will change many times throughout your lifetime and at the end the only thing with any significance is the stories that others have about you. And these only matter to a degree as they’ll only last until the last person who knows you also dies. This isn’t to say there’s no purpose to life, I just don’t know what it is. I don’t see how making up a story is beneficial because regardless of what story is held onto, sooner or later it will end and the story of becoming the dash is the only one that will remain and this is regardless of the way one’s life was lived. So remember live now and forever hold your peace or at least until it’s time to join all the other dashes that came before you.

Facing Yourself

The only obstacle one has to truly being free is themselves and until you face yourself, true freedom is something that will always be out there in the next book, program, good deed, relationship, pill, drink, self help method or whatever else is reached for.

Consider life as water and emotions as a flood, if you’re on low ground you will be overcome by the flood waters (emotions), but if you’re on high ground the same flood water will come, but the way it affects you will have a much different outcome. This is what happens when a person faces themselves, you are naturally put on higher ground which builds up a defense against your emotional flood water. Without facing yourself there will be no defense against the flood water because you will be stuck on lower ground and on lower ground when the flood water arises, some form of destruction will be the result and the severity of the flood (emotional attachment) determines the destruction.

The flood water only affects what’s on lower ground, and our lower nature manifest as emotional attachments. The destructiveness of this attachment is determined by what is reached for, drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, food, and so on. Although not everything reached for is destructive, some have much more destructive potential than others. If one doesn’t face themselves there won’t be awareness of either the destructive or the subtle things reached for. To me, the key is facing yourself because it puts you on higher ground so when the flood water comes it has less affect on you. This is the value of facing and understanding yourself, it allows you to not be flooded emotionally by circumstances that occur. Although the flood water will arise, because you are on higher ground you aren’t affected like the person who’s stuck on lower ground and is reaching out there for a life preserver, in whatever form that may be.

To Cling is to Suffer

A mind that’s free of expectations is a mind that doesn’t cling and without the velcro effects of clinging it’s impossible to suffer. So the dilemma is to cling or not to cling and this makes one’s suffering a choice.

Let go and be free or hold on and suffer, that is our dilemma. Expect things a certain way and when they aren’t in that way, the next step in the process is the reaction to the different results of what’s expected. Peace or suffering, that’s always the choice. If we cling to results and they’re different than expected, it creates suffering and we are the one’s creating it because we are the one’s clinging to our expectations. Disappointment is only unpleasant because clinging to wanting things a certain way makes it so.

When we expect, we attach labels and when we attach labels, we cling. This is how our mind develops the velcro effect of clinging. Even if the expectations work out the way we think they should be, we’re still clinging, but we don’t notice it as a problem because it’s the way that we want it. So the velcro effect of our mind clings to everything that is labeled and since it labels everything, we cling to everything, but we mostly focus on and notice the things that don’t go our way.

The only way to be free of this velcro effect is to not label things. The labeling process of our mind produces clinging, the letting go process through non-judgement produces freedom. It’s a choice that needs to be cultivated so our moment to moment expectations don’t cause our own suffering. Life is one continuous expectation after another, but we have been conditioned to think it’s only the disappointments that effect our velcro mind. We are mostly unaware of this moment to moment labeling process that produces clinging. When the mind quiets enough to understand this, the labeling process will lessen, and so will our expectations. This results in a mind that’s free of expectations and the clinging effects it has on the velcro mind. Without the velcro effects it is impossible to suffer, so the dilemma is to cling or not to cling and this makes one’s suffering a choice.

Labeled Distractions

Regardless of what it is, once something is labeled it becomes a distraction to one’s mind state of peace. Without a label the mind remains open and more and more truth is revealed, truth that sets one free.

The other day when I woke up, it seemed I was in an annoyed mind state, I had a few things that had to be done as soon as I woke up, but this isn’t anything out of the ordinary. Being in this annoyed state made it seem as though everything was annoying me, but I’ve learned that this mind state is temporary and it arises as a distraction to my state of peace. I had to take a look to see why everything was annoying to me, some will say to just be with the annoyance and watch it dissipate, but to me I take it a step further because I can and I’ve learned that the annoyance will return stronger if the root of it isn’t exposed; knowing what the root of my annoyances are has been my saving grace. On this morning these annoyances had nothing to do with anything in particular, nothing was going on for me to be annoyed. I didn’t have time to sit because I had an appointment so I begin a mindfulness practice of watching how each annoyance that arose was directly linked to I. It arose, it was acknowledged that I was at the root and quietly I was saying “don’t attach” and boom just like the annoyances that arose were gone. This is the value of understanding your own mind.

You can just be with the annoyance and over time it may dissipate, but it will take longer and it will return because understanding why it arose won’t be known. This isn’t to say that just remaining with what arises doesn’t produce results, but to me if one knows why something arises there’s less chance of attaching to it and it returning. This is tried and true, but unless it’s seen it’s very unlikely it will be understood. At times what I write about is questioned because it’s not seen by someone, but something should never be discounted just because it hasn’t been experienced. Keeping an open mind is vital in the expansion of truth in one’s life. The moment something is dismissed without it being investigated, it becomes a limit. Near Death Experiences, reincarnation, states of extreme bliss, seeing or hearing Angels, to name a few, although I haven’t experienced these I refuse to discount them because I just don’t know. Regardless of what it is, once something is labeled it becomes a distraction to one’s mind state of peace, so without a label the mind remains open and more and more truth is revealed and truth is what sets one free.

Gossiping Energy

The small self (ego) gossips because there’s lack within, this creates the need to feel superior. So when a person gossips it’s only to subconsciously fill this lack and make themselves feel superior to the person being gossiped about.

The reason why gossiping is so damaging is because of the energy emitted when it’s being done. Gossiping energy arises from one’s own lack of self worth and it engulfs all the gossipers with this lack energy. It doesn’t affect the one who is being gossiped about because for the most part they’re probably unaware it’s being done. Gossiping is also very damaging because it involves multiple people, it’s like the energy of a riot, neither can occur with just one person. Once a person starts gossiping and another person unconsciously attaches to it, it will continue to grow depending on who’s in the room and how unconscious (lacking) they are. It will only be attached to by those who have lack because it’s done to fill the lacks void. Even if the gossiping about another person is warranted to a degree, who is perfect enough to cast the first stone? All humans are fallible and act selfishly at times and that’s mainly the energy of those who gossip.

The small self (ego) gossips because it needs to feel superior to others, so when I talk about you it’s only to subconsciously make myself feel more superior than you. After all gossip is never or hardly never about something good, it’s mostly about something negative. Gossiping is what happens when there’s idle time and not much is going on. It’s difficult not to be pulled into gossips energy because there’s not many people who don’t like to feel superior than another person. Gossip is shallow and unless there’s truly an understanding that you are complete just the way you are and there’s no need to talk about anyone else, one will continue to harm themselves by talking about others and keeping the selfish energy of gossiping in place.