A Doing Mind

A doing mind is a mind that has preconceived ideas which are based on a sense of self and because it’s conditioned to always be doing, there’s no space created to see what’s truly going on.

As long as the mind is doing and active, it can’t be at peace; at the core of this is one’s sense of self. The sense of self may be the hardest concept to let go of because it’s intertwined with just about every thought one has. It has also been in place since our existence began, but it’s not the sense of sense that’s controlling, it’s the attachment to it. I have a sense of self, how can I not I exist, but the attachment to it has lessened significantly in the last nine years. This has opened the door to what’s in place today, this is not to say I don’t sometimes attach to the sense of self, but never like the first forty nine years of my life.

The last couple of days I’ve had discussions with people about the content of a couple of the articles I posted and I can see why what was written wasn’t grasped, it was because the discussions were directly linked to the attachment to their sense of self. I don’t take a stand that my way is right and this is because it isn’t my way, but when what I write is disagreed with, where does the disagreement come from? I’m not judging anyone here, what I’m stating is factual, the more one is attached to a sense of self the less on sees.

What most people don’t realize is I understand how my mind works because I’ve sat and investigated why I react like I do and why I did the things that I did. Very few truly investigate their mind and this leads to mostly the conditioning in place being in control. This doesn’t make me better than anyone knowing this, but by having an understanding of the lies that I lived by for so many years, this does allow me to not attach to them. I would also have to say therein lies the difference between one being attached to the sense of self or one being free of it. This also creates the difference between not being limited by a self who has a doing mind or one being limited by attachment.

Consistency of Love

The love that draws someone to you is the love that becomes a part of them. The consistency of love is the only true place of refuge where one can be stable by simply being an instrument of love.

It’s very important to be consistent in love so people know there’s a place they can turn to for stability. I know many people read my articles so it’s expected they will be there. I don’t mind and because of what has been revealed to me I’m honored to be used as an instrument and to be there for others. Everyone needs a place where they know they can go and be safe from the unconscious world. It does matter where you go for stability, if you go to a place that’s used as a distraction, it may feel like stability, but it isn’t. If you get lost in something menial, the day will go by because time waits for no one, but if you’re spending the same day in a conscious state of mindfulness, you will become consistent in love and people can then turn to you for stability.

Don’t be concerned with what others who are unconscious say, just be consistent in what you know as love and let no one take away your stability. Be consistent in your love in a world that is mostly based in the ego and this will allow others to be consistent in their love, which is needed for any transformation to occur. The love that draws someone to you is the love that becomes a part of them. Life is an experience and if you’re not learning from it, you most likely have your own mind constructs of what you think it’s about. When you truly see, your constructs are no more as they fall away. This seeing is of love and when you remain there others will also go there as it’s the one place of refuge where one can truly be stable by simply being consistent in love.

Protesting I Am

The only reason something is protested is because one thinks (a story) the present moment isn’t good enough so it needs to be changed to what is deemed as pleasant; the I want, what I want, when I want it mind.

The greatest challenge one has in awaking up is being able to just be with I Am, adding nothing, taking nothing away. If there can be awareness of this even for one second, liberation will follow. There’s no proving oneself in the I Am, the Conditioned Mind will protest this and at first this will be strong and plentiful, but as time goes on and I Am stands unshaken, the protest will lessen as it loses its protesting energy. Something has to be in place to lessen this grip that makes one attach to everything but I Am. This attachment comes in many shapes and forms and they are the norm of what the world offers, but the world is misleading in what it offers. It promises liberation, but it doesn’t make good on it. It may give you all the stuff that it says is needed for liberation, but even if one attains the whole world but loses themselves, they have attained nothing, especially liberation.

Space needs to created between I Am and what’s added to it, the more space there is, the more liberated one will be. It’s simple math, the more one spends time in the space of I Am, the more love there will be in one’s life. Many lives are lived with protesting energy without even realizing it’s occurring. Anytime I Am is added to, true love of the heart is being protested and the Conditioned Mind takes over to make up a story of what needs to be reached for so life can be pleasant. After all the only reason something is protested is because one thinks (a story) the present moment isn’t good enough so it needs to be changed to what is deemed as pleasant; the I want, what I want, when I want it mind. In the space of I Am nothing needs to be added because nothing needs to be different so in this space there’s the understanding I Am is enough.

Your True Self

Without the attachment to labels and stories there’s existence beyond words, this is where one will be free from the bondage of self and without this bondage, one can be your true self.

If everything that’s done is based in the self doing it than one must keep doing to keep the self whole. But who is this self that needs to be kept whole? This bondage of self is the main attachment that keeps one entrapped to their own created suffering. Sit with this next part and see exactly where is this self that one so adamantly defends. What if you lost your arm would you still exist? How about both arms and legs, now take every function away expect for the mind, let’s just say that remained intact. There is still existence, and even if you lost your mind there would still be existence, you just wouldn’t be aware of it, so what part of your story of this self is you? The limbs, or the story of the loss of them, the mind, or the story of the loss of it; I guess there wouldn’t be a story if there wasn’t a mind.

There’s nothing to pinpoint where the self is that’s conjured up in the mind. This isn’t to say there isn’t a self, but what part of the made up story is really this self that is attached to? What part of it makes you complete or incomplete? In my case is it my role as as husband, father, son, brother and so on? Or is it my job title or my writings? All of these things exist, but they’re only a story and you may ask who are you or anyone for that matter without their story? Without the attachment to labels and stories there’s existence beyond words, this is where one will be free from the bondage of self and without this bondage, one can be your true self.

Underlying Processes in Place

No behavior arises randomly so if the underlying processes in place that determine this aren’t understood, one will blindly live their life as if they were a puppet on a string.

Understanding the processes that are in place is what allows one to understand what’s truly going on in their life. It’s very difficult to decipher what is real and what isn’t, but it’s not all that difficult to understand the underlying processes that make you view life as you do. Mostly we are led around blindly without understanding why and this is the reason most never break free from their Conditioned Mind; as the same energy patterns remain in place. If something has you in its grip, if you don’t understand the process in place that causes this, you will not have the tools or awareness to break free from it. It will mostly fluctuate throughout your life. This unawareness of what’s truly going on makes one pursue things that are not truly beneficial to one’s own well being, and as stated before this is strictly because the process in place isn’t allowing it.

None of our behavior is random, it manifest in the way that it does because it’s what’s in place, you can’t get oranges from an apple tree. Certain Universal Laws are in affect throughout one’s life and regardless if the behavior associated with them is wanted or not, it will arise depending on the underlying process that’s in control. If the process in place makes one see things from any place other than love, this will cause problems. This is exactly why the world is as it is, it’s because the processes in place make people act as they do. Until the processes change that make it this way, one will continue to get apples from the apple tree even though oranges may be better suited.

The Discontent of "I"

It’s very difficult to see the cause of one’s discontents because the Conditioned Mind isn’t understood enough to allow for this insight to be seen, thus one remains entrapped to “l” wanting things different.

Anytime the present moment is wanted different, instantly this causes the one wanting it different to become discontented. Why this discontent happens isn’t because of what’s occurring, it happens because of the delusion that there’s the existence of an “I”, but it’s only the idea of “I” that could ever want anything different and thus be discontented. This is so subtle that it’s missed by most people, even those who claim to be deeply spiritual. Why this is missed is because the Conditioned Mind isn’t understood at the level that allows for this insight to be seen. Many have a practice that’s mind based and so much of what’s in place is from the intellect. True peace can never be fully experienced from the intellect alone, it can assist in getting the mind to settle enough to allow insights to arise without having to make something up, but the mind will have to be minus any story of a so call journey to allow this.

I know the style of my writing annoys some, and it’s because I write matter of factually, but I only write what is seen. I don’t try to make anyone see things as I do, but I know what kept me discontented for most of my life and why it’s not this way today. Wanting the slightest thing that arises in the moment different causes one’s discontent, from a simple hang nail, to wanting me to write differently, to losing a loved one or even wanting a loved one, and although some things will be attached to more than others, the base of the delusional “I” is the common denominator of all discontent. It has nothing to do with what one thinks is causing the discontent, only attachment causes it and “I” is at the core. Very difficult to see because this “I” will tell you you’re not discontented, that the writer of this article doesn’t know you, but if what I wrote wasn’t true, it would just roll off and your “I” wouldn’t give it a second thought. For me I’ve learn the delusional “I” is disguised as my discontents and the only way I’ll ever be free is to let go of “I”.

No True Lack

There is never a lack that isn’t created so there is never a true need to rely on anything from the outside of oneself and until this is seen one’s bondage will remain intact.

Think of this, every time someone goes to a program designed for a specific issue because they believe they are this or that, or a person goes to see a therapist, or they reach for another self help book, or if any other type of outside help is sought, because of the applied label of having a certain problem, all one is doing is reinforcing the attachment to that label and hence they’re keeping themselves in bondage to a label that exist only because they themselves have applied it. Read this very carefully because why this label is being applied will be the difference in breaking free from your bondage or remaining entrapped to it. It’s not that some of the things mentioned don’t have value if needed at certain times in one’s life, but if they’re being held onto as an end to a means, they lose their value as the needing morphs into bondage.

Not many will see exactly what I’m talking about here, but I’m writing it because it’s what I experienced after many many years of trying to fix an internal lack which was self created, with things from the outside, and I have found the very things that I was using to fill this lack is what kept me in bondage; this was regardless of what was being used. Why I created this lack is what I needed to find out because it didn’t truly exist and since it didn’t truly exist, why was it there? To me if something from the outside is needed to live life, something isn’t right. If I can’t just be with myself without the reliance on something outside of me, I have to ask myself why this so. There is never a lack that isn’t created so there is never a true need to rely on anything from the outside of oneself and until this is seen one’s bondage will remain intact.

Immersed in Belief

When there’s a belief you need something that will provide peace, one is immersed in this thought, and until this is understood, one will remain immersed in the belief (thought) that peace can be reached for.

There will never be peace in life if one is immersed in the belief of finding peace. Peace is something that’s already within everyone, but because of the way our minds are conditioning, we get immersed in the belief that peace is something to find. Unfortunately beliefs are what makes the very thing one is seeking (peace) elusive. Our beliefs are the reason one is constantly reaching for something from the outside and until these beliefs are no more, one will remain immersed to the thoughts that peace is in the next thing reached for. Reaching for drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, success, programs, therapy, self help books and so on is the proof that one is immersed. I can’t stress this enough as these immersed beliefs to your thoughts has to be seen if one is to ever experience true peace.

The thought of being at peace isn’t peace. What has to happen if one is to ever be at peace, there has to be an understanding of what’s blocking your peace. The reason why one is not at peace is the inability to just be. When the need to reach for something arises, the immersed belief begins. This is a conditioned cycle that’s very difficult to break free of. Peace isn’t something that can be grabbed a hold of so it’s in doing less that peace arises. Many get lost (immersed) in trying to find peace, but since it’s something that’s already within, the belief associated with finding it needs to be discarded so you can see it’s there. This isn’t easy to see, I will assist in any way that I can, but understand this isn’t offered to help you find peace, it’s offered so you may possibly uncover the reason why you’re immersed in your belief you are not at peace.

From the Heart

When life is lived from the head, there’s all kinds of self serving agendas and needed results associated with them, but they don’t really enhance life in the way one is looking for, so more agendas are created and more results are needed.

It’s more important why something is done and the energy behind it than the actual doing. Why are you doing what you’re doing? It’s a great question to reflect on. Why do I write an article everyday and post it on over fifty social media sites? I have been told I do it to satisfy my ego and although the Conditioned Mind is tricky, I know this isn’t so. When I first began writing and posting, it started out as the short blurb that are at the beginning of my articles. Someone asked me where I got them from? I answered that they come from within me as I live my daily life, so I was asked if I could write it down and post the article behind the blurb. To be honest I thought it would be a good way to market the message of my book, though my intentions have always been to further expand on sharing the insights that we’re and are revealed to me. I was always ok with if my book was read and put in the bottom draw, then that’s just the way it is. I was not going to allow the gift of writing a book to become a burden to me.

This is the way I view my entire journey, I share from the love that has arisen in my heart and there’s no attachment to any results. I’m clear on what I do and why it’s done, this is freedom. There’s not a need to become anything other than what I am. It’s so important to be clear on this because it will allow what is done to be truly from the flow of the heart. Mostly when life is lived from the head, there’s all kinds of self serving agendas with results placed upon these agendas, but they don’t really enhance one’s life in the way one is looking for, so more agendas are created and more results are needed. Living from the heart doesn’t take that much energy so it’s why when one lives from the heart, it’s mostly from love. Be clear on why what is done is done and if it isn’t from the heart, ask yourself why this isn’t so?

What's Happening Now

There are many people who have good intentions to do what’s loving, but they don’t because they can’t, and this is because unconditional love isn’t in place, conditioned love is.

To be with what’s actually happening now as opposed to a made up story is the difference in being at peace or still looking for it. If the next thing that arises is attached to, this means one is not at peace. This attachment is at the core of the Conditioned Mind. It’s why one has to be always doing something and reaching for the next fix. These fixes come in many forms and it doesn’t matter what it is because it covers over what’s happening now. You see, the Conditioned Mind is subtle in its relentlessness, it never stops because there’s nothing in place to stop it, so it remains in control. It uses many disguises, but the bottom line is if you always have to be doing something (reaching), you are in the conditionings grip and this is so even if what is reached for seems to be beneficial to you. Where does the measurement of what’s beneficial come from? The world, the government, religious leaders, the Bible, etc, I think not, what’s beneficial comes from love alone and it doesn’t need what someone else thinks or says for it to arise.

Love always arises in what’s happening right now, but it’s only noticed if the mind is settled. Because so few minds are settled, this mostly goes unnoticed. It’s why understanding the Conditioned Mind is paramount in breaking its hold. There are many people who have good intentions to do what’s loving, but they don’t because they can’t as unconditional love isn’t in place, conditioned love is. Even though to love is natural, our conditioning has become so deeply engrained that more nonsense arises than love. There’s one full proof way to know when the conditioning is in control and that’s when it’s noticed one is stuck in an outside view. Looking within is the only way this conditioning will be noticed and that’s only if one is aware of what’s actually happening now.

True Purpose

Only the Conditioned Mind needs to create a purpose for life. In the space of stillness everything just is and it’s clear that the purpose of life is to just live with whatever’s there, without the need to create a purpose.

I have often stated when I began this part of my life nine years ago, it’s was with one thing in mind and that was to find a way to bring peace into my life. It has pretty much remained this way, but it seems to be naturally going to a different more deeper purpose of doing what’s best for humanity. Our stories become our prisons and I carefully watch how the mind, at least mine, wants to make life into some sort of purpose. These created purposes are plentiful, but they’re all just stories and when the mind settles this will be seen. This is what’s happening to me now, I care more for humanity than I do myself, but not in the way where it’s my purpose to save humanity. It’s just what’s there.

What I mean by it’s just what’s there is, I don’t think about what I do, it has become a part of me. It’s just like the first forty nine years of my life were lived to satisfy my I self without much thought of anything else, this was done because that’s what was there. One will do what they do because of what’s in place and until this is realized, a true purpose will never be understood because a created one will always be needed, that’s just the way the Conditioned Mind operates. When the mind quiets no labels need be applied to life, only the Conditioned Mind needs to apply labels and create a purpose. In the space of stillness everything just is and it becomes clear that the purpose of life is to just live with whatever’s there, without the need to create a purpose.

Lingering in the Past

Although what occurs now happens now, when it’s seen through the eyes of the past one isn’t with what is actually occurring. You can’t be present for the present when the past is being used to live now.

Living from past energy patterns isn’t something that jumps out at you, the patterns linger in place waiting for the opportunity to be used. They don’t have to be glaring, nor do past energy patterns always manifest as totally destructive actions, but it is destructive in the way it doesn’t allow you to be with what’s occurring right now, so it takes you away from truly living your given life. You end up living the same life over and over, doing the same thing, getting the same results, basically it’s as if you’re stuck in a rut which only gets deeper each time the lingering past is grabbed and brought into the present. You can’t be present for the present when the past is being used to live now. Much quietness will be needed to see the lingering past and how it’s used.

Our lingering past energy patterns are very subtle and are deeply engrained, noticing this is the first step in one’s liberation from this energy. This energy is so controlling because it’s brought into the present and blocks the ability to live Now. Not many truly live in the moment of what’s actually occurring. Although what occurs now happens now, it seen through the eyes of the past so one isn’t with what is actually happening now. There’s so much past energy and only in one’s awareness of this can the lingering past energy patterns even begin to be broken. Watch the mind and how it constantly uses the past to live Now. How you can tell something is being used from the past is by the label being applied to the present moment because when it’s all said and done, the present moment needs no lingering past to be.

Suitable Tools

Are the tools you have in place truly suitable to allow you to love yourself unconditionally and thus love all beings, with the key word here being all and not just the one’s you deem suitable.

For many years I did things that I considered suitable to my well being, but after forty nine years of doing this I found myself at such a low point that I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to rise up. There was no I think I can chants, no positive thinking, no meditation, no loving myself. There was much confusion and despair, and the insanity of this is my own developed suitable tools brought me to this place. Now I know not many get to this place of total despair so it’s difficult to understood how low I was, but I will say this, I am fortunate beyond words and I will tell you why. When I was twenty eight years old there were ten of us still hanging in a bar in Newark, all of us using alcohol as a suitable tool, we were considered the hanger oner’s. Out of those ten individuals eight of them are dead, what’s tragic about this is, the tools that each of us deemed suitable to live life in this way were the cause of the deaths. Think about how insane this is and how often this is repeated today; insanity to say the least.

When I look back at what I thought were suitable tools to live by, I see nothing but this insanity. I alone although not intentional, caused all my own suffering. Now you may not think this applies to you, but every negative thought one ever has comes from within yourself. It may have been put there by some outer influence, but it was attached to by you and you saw it as suitable to give it energy to manifest. I’m not a big negative/positive person, my experience has been more in line with quietness as the most suitable tool to live by, but it wasn’t always this way. To me the question to ask yourself if you can muster the courage to do so is, are you willing to truly face yourself to see if the tools you have in place are suitable to allow you to love yourself unconditionally and thus love all beings, with the key word being all, not just the one’s that are deemed suitable.

Aware of Your Own Presence

The value of truly knowing who you are is priceless because it allows the mind to settle instead of needing some story pretending to be this loving, spiritual, head in the clouds person.

One of the greatest gifts I’ve been given is to be aware of my own presence, what I mean by this is to be aware of who I am and not try to be something I am not. Early on after my book came out, I was promoting it and thinking of ways to gets its message to people. Just by the fact that I wrote a book, I knew I had a valuable message to share about how my view of life changed. Shortly afterwards I started writing and posting my articles on social media sites, mostly Facebook, but some other sites as well. I was contacted by a site “Inspire Me Today” to write articles for them, I thought this was a great way to get my book and it’s message some exposure. After about six articles the head of the site said people were complaining my articles were like teachings and asked if I could make them more inspirational. I did think about it for a minute, but decided I will never compromise the message that was revealed to me for anything and I will never try to be anything that I’m not, I told her I could not change my style. I did not write another article for them.

It was an important stance for me then and it’s just as important now. The value of knowing who you are is priceless because it allows the mind to settle instead of needing some story. I don’t pretend to be this loving, spiritual, head in the clouds person. If there was such a thing as a spiritual labors union, I would be the head of it; I often say I walk a blue collared spiritual path. I understand many things, but my feet are always planted in the present moment so if it’s not happening now, it doesn’t really matter all that much to me. I’ve learned early on not to live between my ears and try to be something that I’m not. What this has allowed me to do is to not have one iota of conflicting energy within myself and in the process just be at peace with who I am. Not everyone agrees with my style of writing or what I write, but at the end of the day, it is me alone who I am with and I’m grateful I’m aware of my own presence.

Reaching to be Fulfilled

Until why there’s a need to reach for something to be fulfilled is understood, one will remain a prisoner to the reaching and will always be looking for the next whatever for fulfillment.

What I see that’s missed the most in my writings is the understanding of how all reaching is the same regardless of what is being reached for. The reaching itself is all the same bondage and make no mistake your bondage is your prison. There are so many things reached for, from ayahuasca, to Heroin, a Hersey chocolate kiss, love, God, and it’s this reaching that needs to be looked at. Nobody just reaches for something, something arises from within that tells you there’s a lack that needs to be filled so let’s go and reach for something. This is where the misunderstanding occurs. Because one thinks reaching for ayahuasca is different than reaching for Heroin, and granted the results are different, the true nature of the reaching isn’t identified, so you remain the same even though the things being used are different. It easier to justify when you are reaching to help others than reaching for Heroin, but it’s still reaching so an inner lack is still in need of being fulfilled. Out of everything I write, identifying why there’s a need to reach is at its core. It’s what was revealed to me as being the core of all my problems, with being self centered as the reachings supportive energy.

I know this is difficult to grasp and many will say this guys crazy, how can reaching for God be the same as reaching for a drink of alcohol, or how can reaching for ayahuasca be the same as reaching for Heroin, but it is and it all arises from the inability to truly be present for what’s happening right now. If there’s lack, this will be reinforced by one’s need to reach and if this isn’t grasped, you’ll remain in your prison. Byron Katie just released a new book, watch all the reaching that will be going on. She wrote a book on how to be free, but she will be doing the opposite of what the book says by having many reach for her book, this only reinforces one’s bondage. Understanding this is difficult, but it’s why I don’t push to develop a program, or I won’t become a life coach, to me it’s all nonsense. I will help anyone look within to find their own inner beauty and the only thing needed to do this is to learn to live with what’s occurring now. This is all anything should point to, but because why there’s a need to reach isn’t understood, one remains a prisoner to it and keeps reaching for the next whatever.

A Clear Direction

Our answers are always within, one just needs to make sure the tools that are being used are heading you in a direction that is the most beneficial to your life.

Looking back I can see I had a definite purpose in the direction I wanted my life to go when I begin the study of my own mind. There weren’t any lofty goals to achieve anything or some great state of mind to make my life about something in particular, all I wanted was to find the peace that eluded me for most of my life. This is still my direction today, but just because one is on a so called spiritual path, it doesn’t mean what you’re doing is beneficial to you. I did things for years that I was told were right and it turned out not to be so beneficial for me; these things actually keep me in bondage. I won’t go into details, but what I do today is beneficial and how I know this is because I’m at peace and don’t have a real desire for anything else. I have passion in my heart for things, but not an aching because I need this moment to be different. I’m not looking for anything, that’s how you will know if what you’re doing is healthy for you.

You may want to be the most spiritual person in your circle, you may be reading all the books, quoting all the right people, and putting all your energy into your practice, but the question is can you stop it all and still be at peace. If not what you’re doing is only being used as a distraction. I was distracted for forty nine years, so I know what I’m talking about. Try another book, a program, therapy, another pill, working out, meditation, and whatnot, but when the tasks is complete and you are living your daily life, if you’re not at peace, what you’re doing isn’t working. All things are pointers, but where the misdirection is in thinking the pointers are the answers. The answers are always within, you just need to make sure that the tools you’re using are heading you in that direction that is the most beneficial.

Self Attached Emotions

Emotions can’t rule you if a self isn’t created. This concept of self is the operating system behind our emotions, so when this self isn’t reacting to the outside circumstances of life, there is peace.

Emotions are something that most people don’t give much thought to, the experts with their degrees will say they’re needed and many go along with this without investigating if it’s true, but I say the hell with the experts and their degrees because if I followed the nonsense that is spewed from the arrogance of their degrees, I would be dead. The turning point in learning about emotion was seeing how although they may manifest in different ways, they all arise from the core of I. What was revealed to me is that there’s a created self that gets tied into our emotions in many ways. The concept of this sense of self is the operating system behind our emotions. These emotions are tied into how we see ourselves, for instance guilt arises when we do something we consider bad or wrong. Anger arises when this self is hurt in some way. Fear arises when our self is threatened. Sadness arises when there’s disappointment. All these emotions arise because of very different circumstances, this is as far as most people get when it comes to understanding emotions.

The way I investigated emotions is not in how they were different, but what they all had in common, this was where my focus centered. What this led me to see was there’s one common source of every emotion and that source is the created self. Emotions can’t rule you if a self isn’t created. Please investigate this for yourself if it’s true or not, don’t listen to anyone and their view, develop your own. I said earlier that my emotions would have killed me because I had a tendency when reacting to things emotionally, to use things that were self destructive. It’s not this way today because I’ve learned somewhat (nobody’s perfect) not to attach to a self that gives my emotions life and when there’s not this self reacting to the outside circumstances of life, there’s much more equanimity to remain at peace and not do something that’s self destructive.

True Happiness

The happiness which most seek is always contingent on something from the outside, if this or that happens then I’ll be happy, but true happiness is from within and doesn’t need anything to be.

Thinking about being happy isn’t the same as allowing happiness to arise just because that’s what’s there. This seems to be difficult to grasp and it’s because one can’t think their way to true happiness. Stories can be made up that makes it seem as though one is happy, but it never last. The happiness most seek is contingent on something, if this or that happens then I’ll be happy, but this is another lie of the Conditioned Mind, and there are many. All kinds of examples can be used, if I win the Super Bowl pool, job promotions, snow day off from school, children getting A’s in school, new car, you can add your own happiness provider to the list. The point is, this list is endless and whatever it is that one attain I guarantee you the happiness it brings for that moment will not last. The other day the media was interviewing Bill Belichick, the Super Bowl winning coach for the New England Patriots, they asked him how he felt about winning the Super Bowl, he answered “nice, but all the other teams are five weeks ahead of our team for next year.” This illustrates just how fleeting the happiness is that’s contingent on something for it to be.

The happiness I mentioned in the beginning of the article which arises because it’s what’s there, is not contingent on anything, therefore it is true happiness; I would put it right along side the peace that passes all understanding. I experience both of these everyday for most of the day and it wells up from within me. I don’t make it happen, but I am aware of my thinking which is a direct hinderance to true happiness and this is because you can’t think your way to happiness, you can only think your way to a surface happiness which is contingent on something from outside yourself. The key to true happiness is not needing right now different. I know this is difficult especially when things don’t go your way, but the alternative is to want things different and keep searching for a happiness that will probably remain elusive until the day you leave this world.

Clarified Intentions

When one’s intentions are aligned with Universal Love, there is love for all beings, not because it’s wanted, but because this is the way love rolls when one’s intentions are aligned with Universal Love.

Having a clear vision on your intentions is worth more than all the books combined on what it means to be spiritual, and why this is so is because your clarified intentions are yours and the content of any book is someone else’s. Someone else’s idea of you will never be you, no matter if their way is copied exactly, this is why many remain in the struggle because they’re trying to be someone else’s idea of who they should be. You can use books, methods, and whatnot as a tool, but the deep underling intentions of why you do what you do will need to be reflected upon to see if the results of your efforts are aligned with love, not a story of love, but the love that arises not from the effort, but from one’s inner alignment. This is where effort is meaningless if it’s not aligned with Universal Love. Only the right intentions will do this.

There are as many books as there are people practicing, but everyone who reads a book and practices doesn’t necessarily wake up. Why do you think this is so? It’s because the intentions aren’t of the necessary energy to allows the alignment to a loving heart. True intentions need to be seen if there is to be harmony with all beings. This doesn’t mean a person won’t harm you or animals and insects won’t bite you, but it is less likely you will put yourself in that type of situations with having the intentions of a loving heart. In the space of stillness one learns to see their true intentions and in the process have those intentions aligned with Universal Love. When this occurs one will love all beings, not because you want to, but because this is the way love rolls when one’s intentions are aligned with Universal Love.

Stuck in the Familiar

We repeat the same mistakes over and over and we constantly respond to the same triggers because we react out of the habit of what’s familiar, and this is done without even realizing it.

Why is it so difficult to awaken? There are many reason for this, but to me the one that sticks out the most is how the Conditioned Mind holds onto what’s familiar even if it’s causing extreme pain. When I was twenty five my oldest brother passed away from an addiction related incident, this forced me (not of my own accord) to look at my alcohol and drug use. His death opened my eyes to a degree, but even though my life was a mess, it didn’t mean I was willing to dive in the unfamiliar without my pacifiers to cope with life, and this was with full knowledge that alcohol and drugs were the cause of my problems. It took another two years before a decision was made that I had enough, but even though I was going into unfamiliar territory I figured it had to be better than the way I was living.

The reason it took two years was because although I was in extreme emotional pain, my conditioning led me to believe facing the unknown was to scary and the familiar was the way to go; the lies of the Conditioned Mind run deep. This is why we repeat the same mistakes over and over and it’s also why we constantly react to the same triggers, we react out of habit without even realizing it. The conditioning in place dictates what to do and it’s obeyed without question, and here’s the real irony in all of this, people actually believe they have free will and they have a choice, but the only thing one can do is submit to what’s familiar because that’s what’s in place. Once there’s awareness of this, succumbing to the familiar can be stopped and the choice to live life freely becomes a possibility along with the free will to not give in to the Conditioned Mind.

Conventional Comparisons

The main reason why one’s existence is so problematic is because of the way we compare our current self to our previous self and to the self of others. This blocks the ability to see our completeness as we are.

Comparisons have no inherent value to them in and of themselves, they are just used as a mind construct to keep itself busy. Our minds mostly live in the conventional world of comparisons and this is why one has problems. Without these conventional comparisons the suchness of life would be experienced instead of all the nonsense that comparisons create. We’ll use containers of water to show how this works. Let’s say there’s a 16oz. bottle of water on a counter, it’s just there, no label is needed for it to exist, now put a gallon of water next to the 16oz. bottle and the gallon is now labeled as bigger. Put a 5 gallon jug next to both and see the label change. Now take away both the gallon and 16oz bottle and away goes the label of the 5 gallon jug as being the biggest, it exist in exactly the same way, with or without the comparisons. The main reason why our existence is so problematic is because of the way we compare our current self to our previous self and to the self of others.

There’s one reasons why someone says they are on a path to become more spiritual, it’s because there’s a comparison to someone else’s idea of what a spiritual path is or one’s old self, this gives the comparison thought energy, but it’s just not true, inherently you exist without needing any comparisons. When the 5 gallon water jug is sitting alone, it exist as it is, there’s nothing to compare it to. This is our true nature, if this isn’t understood you will need, a program, a method, a path, a substance, or something else to reach for because you will be comparing yourself to something which blocks you from seeing how it’s only your comparisons that cause you problems. To see this is to see the suchness of your very being, your completeness as you are, which needs no comparison to be.

Cultivating Loving Energy

Cultivate love and you will naturally love, cultivate an “it’s all about me” mind and that’s the exact energy you’ll put out and live by; wherever you go goes your energy.

Even though our innate nature is to love, because of the way most individuals are conditioned, it’s not the default setting of our minds, at least this is how it was for me. I’m not saying I walked around hating, love would arise occasionally, but it wasn’t there naturally. To me it’s not a love hate thing, it’s more so a quietness, self centered thing. It’s very difficult to love when most of the thoughts I had were focused on myself, but as I said it doesn’t mean today I walk around with the thought that I have to love everybody, what does happen though is when the mind gets unstuck, love naturally arises. There are certain energies that need to be cultivated for love to naturally arise, if there’s no cultivation for this to happen, there will be very little natural love because it will be blocked by one’s conditioning.

Think of it as cutting your finger, the cut will heal naturally, but if it isn’t kept clean and and ointment isn’t put on it, it will get probably get infected, and depending on one’s body to resist infection, it can turn into something serious. This is basically how hate arises as one becomes so conditioned that the natural ability to love (heal) gets buried so far down it very seldom arises, if at all. Very few people hate all the time, most just fluctuate between quietness and selfishness, but as with the cuts ability to heal naturally, the more one does things that cultivates healing, the more the natural process of healing occurs. Cultivate love and you will naturally love, cultivate an “its all about me” mind and that’s the exact energy you will put out and live by. Understand these differences and allow love (healing) to naturally take place, or not and risk the possibility of living with an infected (conditioned) mind.

Mental Relations - Part Two

One who always needs things different is one who is always discontented and why one is always discontented is because one always needs things different; the dog chasing its tail syndrome.

I knew yesterday’s article was going to bring up some conditioning in people because it didn’t fall in line with the way societies experts sees things, but I don’t really care about that. At the core of the mental relations I wrote about yesterday is pleasure and it’s this constant pleasure seeking that keeps all the conditioned nonsense in place. Someone asked me if these mental relations in place were the cause of OCD, from my experience I would have to say yes; the Conditioned Mind is the cause of many mind based disorders. If OCD conditioning wasn’t in place there wouldn’t be a need to have things a certain way. I’m no expert in the sense of understanding how the brain works, but I understand the mind, mine in particular, and that’s the difference in how the experts see mind based disorders. The pleasure seeking of needing things a certain way is at the core of so many mind based disorders. I’m using my own experience as the base of where I get my facts from.

I use to cry out to God for help, but the bottom line was I only cried out because I wanted things different. I don’t even come close to doing this today because I’m ok with the way things are and I have found the God I was crying out to doesn’t exist in the way it was being used. The constant pleasure seeking of wanting things my way has ceased, and it’s because I don’t mind what happens today and therein lies my peace. One who always needs things different is one who is always discontented and why one is always discontented is because one always needs things different; the dog chasing its tail syndrome. The pleasure seeking will subside when the attachment to mental relations are let go of, but until that time one will always be looking for the pleasures the mental relations makes you think you need.

Mental Relations

A mental relation reaching for God is no different than a mental relation reaching for Heroin, and although these will produce much different outer results, the same inner bondage remains in place.

Mental relations to what’s occurring determines the energy you will live by and this is because the mental relations are tied into your emotions, which is what gives them life. It’s never truly about what’s occurring, it’s always the mental relation to it that determines what one will do next. Using the example of food shows how prevalent this is. Food is needed to live, but how about dessert, see how the mental relation to dessert makes the emotion of delight arise. Nothing inherently has any substance to it, if we didn’t have tastebuds our eating habits would be very different and this would be because the mental relation to pleasure wouldn’t arise and manifest in the need to be satisfied by food or dessert. Without tastebuds we would eat when we were hungry, not to say that we don’t now, but I know in my case food and especially dessert is mostly used for the fulfillment of pleasure. I don’t eat food that I don’t like and I definitely only eat dessert for pleasure. The mental relation we have to things determines how strong their grip is.

Look at some of the most glaring labeled addictions in our society and see why many don’t break free from their hold. The mental relation to anything being used as a coping mechanism runs deep, but what’s not understood is the less glaring one’s have the same mental relations as the one’s that wreck havoc and even kill. One uses programs to break free from the mental relation to something, only to substitute it for another mental relation in the form of a program, and although the outer results are different, the same bondage to a mental relation remains in place. A mental relation to God is no different than a mental relation to Heroin, again different outer results, but the same inner bondage exist. Until this is understood, the mental relation to whatever thing the Conditioned Mind uses, will keep one in bondage to whatever is being used.

Blind Insanity

Stand up for all your causes, do whatever it is you think is needed to do, just don’t attach to it and watch how your triggers dissipate along with the insane thoughts that you’re not part of all this insanity.

Many think what happens in life is the cause of their anger, but what’s not understood is the anger is already in place, it’s just being triggered by whatever’s occurring. There’s so much underlining conditioning in people that it keeps them from understanding their own mind, and if you don’t understand your own mind it will control you insanely. I know people don’t think they’re insane and take offense to being called so, but this is the exact energy that’s being projected out without an inkling it’s being done; one is blind to their own insanity. You may be abruptly responding right now to this by thinking, who do I think I am to label someone insane, I should look at myself, but I do look at myself and that’s where I first discovered just how insane all of humanity is, myself included; just watch the news. Anytime someone gets angry, they’re causing their own suffering, yet it’s done all the time, but that’s only part of it, what’s really insane is it isn’t truly known why there’s anger. Stories are made up why there is, but that doesn’t mean they’re true.

There are many justified causes for anger, but they’re all just part of the insanity, that it’s not realized is why it’s insane. The list of attachments that are blindly held onto is endless and it keeps the insanity in place. Very few will really get what this article is about, it’s easier to say the writer doesn’t know what he’s talking about then to truly look at this. The only way sanity will return and anger won’t be triggered is if it’s understood. Look around and see how attachment is the leading cause of all this insanity. Is it not? When one wakes up you can pull away from this insanity, which remains in control if waking up doesn’t occur. Stand up for all your causes, do whatever it is you think you need to do, just don’t attach to it and watch how your triggers dissipate along with the insane thoughts that you’re not part of all this insanity.