The Realm of Spirit

The realm of Spirit is where our true nature manifest. It’s where one connects to all of life and basks in the warmth and sunlight of the Spirit. It is our true home.

Although an awakening is a process of awareness of what blocks the heart from love, the heart will only open and expand each day by the daily mindfulness and sitting practice developed. No longer does the world revolve around my “I” it more so revolves around the “I” of others. Each day is begun with the vision of how I can be a benefit to others and I write and post a daily article to assist in making this a reality. This has been done everyday for roughly the past three years. I bring my awareness into my day to day existence and although some times it’s two steps forward and one step back because the conditioned mind is relentless, the process is a continuation into the expansion of the heart. And with the expansion of the heart comes the expansion of love into my day to day life and the life of others.

This expansion doesn’t take thought, it takes a settled mind. The subtitle of my book “You Are Not Your Thoughts” was chosen for this reason. All created stories are only our attached thoughts, so when I started understanding this “I” was understood and it was the beginning of the end of life as it was once known. This brought me to the realm of the unknown, and this realm is not something that can be manufactured by thought, thought will only block this. This is the realm of Spirit where our true nature manifest, it is where one connects to all of life and basks in the warmth and sunlight of the Spirit. It is our true home, our place of peace that passes all understanding, it is the truth of one’s existence, but it doesn’t need any of what is written here to be because it exist without one single thought.

Seeing From the Heart

When there’s awareness of seeing from the heart instead of the mind and one doesn’t engage in what comes from the mind, it makes for a view of life that is much different than what most people see.

Seeing from the mind is very different than seeing from the heart. The mind has a much different agenda than the heart. Every conflict known to mankind has been because of the mind. Even when Jesus trashed the market place, it was because it was from the mind. And the proof of this was that he didn’t like what was going on. One cannot have conflict from the heart. The heart aches at times and all compassion comes from the heart, but there’s an understanding from the heart that the mind just can’t grasp. Mind seeing is strictly from the way one is conditioned. Heart seeing arises from the space of stillness. I can tell right away when someone comes from their head because there’s attachment with what’s being said. Usually the sentences starts with my, I, me or it will be said, I see what you’re saying, but.

Seeing from the heart doesn’t make me smarter than anyone, all it means is I’ve been granted the ability to see from the heart. It’s difficult to see from the heart because of all the mind based distractions in place. These distractions keeps one entrapped to the reaching of seeing from the mind. Reach, reach, reach, the mind, the mind, the mind, the heart needs so such reaching, it realizes it’s completeness as it is. When one sees from the heart you become more of an observer than a reactor, at least this has been my experience. I have lived a mind based existence for many years, and even today the old conditioning tries to surface, but because of the awareness of understanding the difference, I do not engage in what comes from the mind and this naturally allows seeing from the heart to arise. And when one lives from the heart it makes for a view of life that is much different than what most people see.

Direction of Peace

It’s very easy to see if the direction of your energy is pointing you to behaviors that are truly beneficial to you and humanity by the amount of peace there is in your life.

Certain energy produces more beneficial results than others. This doesn’t mean everything goes your way or life is the way you think it should be, it’s more so just to see if you can remain in your place of peace regardless of what happens. My life is far from being without its trials or exactly the way I think it should be, but I’ve reached a point where I can remain at peace for the most part, regardless of what happens. I may get thrown off by some things for a bit, but there’s an understanding and foundation of where I need to be if there’s to be peace in my life. People can be very trying, circumstances are constantly arising and changing, and sometimes unfortunate things just happen for no rhyme of reason, the main thing is to learn from them and although they may not be handled in a way that’s most beneficial at that time, if you learn something from it, next time they may be.

Life isn’t about doing it perfectly, to me it is about learning from what is done and changing the direction of energy so the same behavior isn’t repeated over and over. When life isn’t the way you want it, learn to move on. Trying to change things to your liking is a waste of energy and this is so even if it is to your liking. It’s always about being at peace regardless of what’s going on so if you’re only at peace when things are the way that you want them, to say the least there will be many conflicts and difficulties in your life. Look deeply into this, not to get down on yourself for the so called unwanted behavior, but to see how it’s this unwanted behavior that takes you from your place of peace.

The Flame of "I"

One’s selfish flame of desire can become a destructive inferno if it’s not known what causes it to ignite. This is the fuel of “I” and it will have to be removed to prevent the selfish flame from igniting.

It can be said that “the world is in flames” and all one needs to do is look around to see how true this is. The cause of why there’s a flame needs to be examined if one isn’t to succumb to their selfish desires, but it’s not the world that needs to be examined, it’s what’s behind one’s own driving energy that needs to be examined. If one’s energy is focused on the flame of greed, hate, self satisfaction, envy, lust, and so on, the energy of a restless mind will be in place and this is what causes a selfish flame. Some flames are raging and some are barely lit, having awareness the flame is there is the key in not only extinguishing it, but removing the conditions that allows the flame to ignite in the first place.

This flame is mostly because of the restless mind (selfish desires) and since this is the fuel of “I” there’s nothing in place to prevent the flame from igniting. Any flame needs certain conditions to ignite and it’s the same way with a mind that’s restless. If these certain conditions aren’t met, the flame can’t ignite. A flame needs fuel (energy) so it’s important to be aware of when the flame ignites to see if it’s going to be given more fuel to grow, or if one has the necessary awareness to remove the conditions that ignite it. You can just extinguish it, but this may not prevent it from reigniting. It’s only when the fuel of “I” (selfish desires) are removed that it will be impossible for one’s flame to ignite.

Conditioned Labeling Process

Seeing what’s truly going on in your life will take an open mind so a past label isn’t instantly applied when something arises. No label is needed for life to be, matter of fact labels restrict life.

If there’s a label instantly applied when something arises in life, it comes from some past conditioning that has a lock on it, just waiting for the opportunity to apply the label. This goes for just about anything that a person is attracted to. Whether it’s something you read, another person, food, music, or whatever, the conditioned label is already there just waiting to be applied. It’s not easy to see this, actually there are very few people that will ever see this and hence it’s why there’s so much conflict in the world. No label is needed for life to be, matter of fact labels are life’s restriction.

Early on when I began using social media to post my articles, I would engage in discussions with people who didn’t agree with what I wrote. It would usually turn into a social media argument with me defending my writings, this was due to the label being applied by all engaged in the discussion. I’ve since learned to not apply a label when someone disagrees with what I write. A very important question I use to defuse my conditioning is, How important is it? This doesn’t usually sit well with the other person’s conditioned labeling process, and since I now know I can’t change how another person sees things, I find coming from a place where no label is applied is so much more conducive for me to remain in a place of peace. After all peace is all I ever wanted in my life, but because of applying a label to everything that arose, peace always eluded me. And just because I’m not agreed with, it doesn’t mean I have to apply a label to appease someone else’s conditioned labeling process. No label, know peace.

Attached Conditioning

Whatever you attach to becomes your bondage. If you don’t stop attaching and create some space to make room in your heart for stillness, you and the world will suffer, but you will suffer the most.

The choice to attach is unconsciously the choice to suffer and because one is unconscious there really isn’t a choice. This is because of the way one’s Conditioned Mind is in control so one’s suffering is inevitable because of the conditioned attachments that are in place. If this is to change you will have to make room in your heart so the attachments are replaced by stillness. There’s no way around this, attach to whatever the conditioning in place selects to use, just understand when that attachment is no more, something else will replace it. Today it’s our president, tomorrow it’s a co worker, or maybe the traffic, and the next day it’s something else, this goes on and on, ad infinitum. This will never change until there is space created in the heart that makes room for stillness and if you attach to one individual and bemoan them, then you don’t truly have the space for a still heart. This is strong language, but true.

One can only be still without the conditioning running the show. This is a truth the Conditioned Mind doesn’t allow to be seen. I can say I have stillness in my heart, but unless there is compassion for all beings this will not be true. I understand this and my responsibility is to not be a part of the attached conditioning. To attach is to suffer regardless of who or what one attaches to because it becomes your bondage and until this is understood you become the very thing that you attach to. This is just a part of the law of energy, you cannot be separate from the energy that is within you. Think about it, how can you? Please look within yourself and stop attaching. Make room in your heart for stillness because if you don’t, you and the world will suffer, but you will suffer the most.

Trouble With the Curve

The mind just loves to make a problem out of what happens in life and until this is seen, it will continue to do so even though nothing is inherently a problem until it’s made into one.

Problems are made by a mind that doesn’t accept what’s occurring right now. It wants what’s happening now to be different and it actually makes you believe if it were different, life would be better; this is the lie of the Conditioned Mind. All is well right now, but because of the conditioning in place, it’s not seen so the mind has to make a problem to have something to do. I always had a tendency to make everything that occurred in my life a problem and although I don’t do this as I once did, there are still times when the initial reaction of wanting to make a problem arises.

It’s like being a minor league baseball player who can’t hit a curve ball, until it’s learned, which may not happen, to hit a curve ball, they will remain in the minors. They will still be playing baseball, but there won’t be contentment because they’re only at the minor league level. Think of life in the same context, there are many curve balls thrown. If one doesn’t learn to deal with them, remaining in the Conditioned Mind minor leagues will be where you live from. You will still be in the game just because you are alive, but you will be stuck in the minors as the curve balls will be a problem because it’s not known how to hit them. And as with any scouting report if you have trouble with the curve, the curve is what you will constantly see. The fact of the matter is this, you will only be discontented that you can’t hit the curve if you want to hit it, when you realize you are in the game for the love of it, not hitting a curve won’t really matter because it isn’t be made into a problem.

Mindfully Complete

Attach to nothing and nothing will be needed. Imagine that, needing nothing and being happy, joyous, and free just because you’re mindful of being complete just as you are.

Without the inner silence, the mindfulness needed not to create the stories will not occur. Even this writing is a story of how not to create stories, but the mindfulness of writing helps to minimize the attachment and thus once it is written it is complete. It is the end of the story or not, depending on how I relate it to my identity. The more I need it for my identity, the more I attach to it and the more of a story is created. No attachment, no needed story, no needed story, no discontentment of what isn’t, so all you are left with is what is, not the story of what is, but the actual reality of what is occurring.

Story, after story, after story. The story of how I feel, or the story of my book, or my life’s story, this is an endless book of stories, until one becomes mindful of the story teller and the story being one in the same. Being with what is instead of a created story will be the most difficult, but it also be the most fulfilling lesson you will ever learn about life. Just be in the silence of what is. Attach nothing and nothing will be needed. Imagine that, needing nothing to be happy, joyous, and free, and understanding that you’re complete just as you are. It’s right there within your grasp, right in front of you, but you will never truly be mindful of it until you realize, it’s not a story that you’re grasping for, it’s what’s already there.

Life as it Is

There will only be peace when there’s acceptance of things being as perfect when they are in disarray as when they are exactly as one wants them; this sums up the path to liberation.

In order to experience liberation there has to be as much comfort in a diseased body and mind as there is in one that’s healthy. This actually goes for everything because it’s in wanting things a certain way and them not being accepted when they’re not, that causes one to have uneasiness. This is the epitome of the Conditioned Mind, it creates all the uneasiness in one’s life by making up the lie that things need to be different. By all means change what can be changed, but if it’s only an outer change, it still won’t bring the comfort that’s sought. This is where the value of going inward comes in. I write guidelines, but I don’t have answers for others, mostly because I don’t know really know what someone else has gone through. My writings are pointers, the most important thing to see is how life is always as it is and only wanting it different is where uneasiness arise from. Check this for yourself.

I find the good, the bad, and the ugly, all need to be accepted the same, this is a truth in my life so it’s why I share it. If one doesn’t see this, it doesn’t mean it’s not true, it just means you are not there yet. Even though everyone goes through life as it is, how it’s accepted is dependent on where one is in their life. There’s no right or wrong in how things are dealt with because it’s determined by one’s conditioning. I know people get frustrated because I don’t always give the answers that are wanted, but that’s because I can’t. One can only see what’s within them and it’s not always what someone wants to accept. Accepting life as it is goes a long way in becoming liberated from the bondage of self and this acceptance will take seeing a diseased mind and body just as perfect as a healthy one.

Surface Mind Activity

Beneath the surface mind activity there’s nothing but space. This is difficult to see because life isn’t about what you think it is. In fact life is everything you think it isn’t, but it’s not seen because of trying to figure it out on the surface.

Round and round it goes and where it stops nobody knows. This is a perfect example of the mind activity that’s in place for most people. One thought after another, no space, no quietness, just the noise of the world manifesting as thought. If you could just sit back in a space where the noise subsides, there’s a chance to truly see what Jesus and Buddha spoke of. If you think you have an idea of what life is about, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but that’s just noise. There are no answers to what life is about, but the more solid one makes they’re existence, the more one will think they have life figured out. I’m not saying I know what life is about, but I do know what it isn’t about and that it has nothing to do with what is seen on the surface. The more one is controlled by the surface senses, the less life is experienced. Below the mind activity of the senses is the only place where life is truly experienced. You can travel all around the world and make up the story of all the beauty around you, but it’s only a story conjured up to provide surface pleasure and store it as a pleasurable memory. Beneath the surface no story is needed, no pleasure is needed, in fact nothing is needed because this is where true life exist.

Think about it, your entire life is a story until one day you no longer exist in your current form. Every storied experience is taken with you as if they never occurred. They were thought to be needed so you could make sense of your life, but really they mean absolutely nothing because they are all only created from the mind activity of the surface senses. Buddha talked about of delusion, Jesus spoke of not being of this world, what do you think they were talking about? If you remain entrapped to the surface mind activity, you will remain in your suffering. Even those who think they understand this don’t because it’s not something to understand. Beneath the surface mind activity where there’s nothing but space, there’s the possibility of truly seeing what life is about. Why there’s difficulty in seeing this is because life isn’t about anything that you think it is. In fact it’s about everything you think it isn’t and this is because of the trying to figure it out on the surface.

Not Caring For Energy

Life is as difficult as the not caring for something energy makes it and until one learns to be with what happens without applying a label, what happens will continue its onslaught of control.

If you don’t particular care for something that’s happening in your life, not caring for it comes from you and this is regardless of what it is. You may say there are exceptions to this, but feeding what’s happening with not caring for it energy, keeps you entrapped to what you don’t care for. Read this slowly, not caring for energy, keeps you entrapped to what you don’t care for. I’m not saying you go around and ignore some of the travesties that occur, but by understand the label of it being a travesty only comes from within you. Many people state their opinions on what I write and that’s okay, but what’s not understood is I only write what’s within me and one only responds what’s in them. Neither are right or wrong, to me though it’s important to find the truth beneath whatever it is that arises from within me. Regardless of how someone responds to me or what happens in life, to see what arises from within is all that matters.

Liking what’s occurring is the same energy as not caring for it energy. It seems different because of how the mind always wants what’s liked as opposed to what’s not cared for, but it’s the same storied energy, it’s just given a different title. Years ago a so called friend ended our relationship because he didn’t understand his not caring for me writing a book had nothing to do with me. This is how it is with all of life. Even though things will effect you, giving it not caring for energy magnifies its effect. Life is as difficult as the not caring for energy makes it and until one learns to be with what happens without applying a conditioned label, what happens will continue its onslaught of control as if you were a puppet on a string, with the stings being not caring for energy.

Entrapped to Thinking

When there’s a need to reach for something because of a mind agitation, one is entrapped to their thinking. Until this is seen, one will remain entrapped to thinking peace is in the next thing reached for.

One will never find the peace they’re seeking if they’re entrapped to thinking of finding peace. Peace is something that’s already within everyone, but because of the way our minds are conditioned, we get entrapped in our thinking that peace is something outside of us. Unfortunately this entrapment makes the very thing we are seeking (peace) impossible to grasp. This entrapment is the reason one is constantly reaching for something from the outside and until this is seen, one will remain entrapped to thinking that peace is in the next thing reached for. Alcohol, gambling, drugs, sex, social status, programs, therapy, self help books and on and on, this reaching is proof that one is entrapped. Is it not? I can’t stress this enough as this entrapment to your thinking has to be seen if one is to experience true peace in their life.

It’s impossible to think your way to peace, but what does have to happen if one is to experience peace, there has to be an understanding of why you’re not at peace; that there isn’t peace is only because of one’s inability to just be. When the need to reach for something arises, the entrapment to thinking begins. This entrapment is a vicious cycle that’s very difficult to break free from. Peace isn’t something attained or achieved so it’s in doing less that peace arises. To many people get lost (entrapped) in trying to find peace, but since it’s something that’s already within you, the entrapped thinking about finding it needs to be discarded so you can see. This is not easy to see, but it’s why I write. Understand though, I don’t write to help anyone find peace, I write so the entrapped thinking can be seen for what it is; the cause of why there isn’t peace.

Not Automatically Right

Thinking because you have done something for a long period of time it automatically makes it the right way is so limiting that one can’t seem to get out of their own way.

Doing something for years doesn’t mean it’s being done in a way that truly benefits yourself and humanity. Something I find amusing is when someone says they’ve been doing something for a certain number of years and they equate that to mean what they are doing is the best and only way of seeing something. I know what I do today is much more beneficial to me and humanity than how I acted years ago, but this is only because my behavior isn’t based in thinking I have to please my self. That doesn’t mean I’m here to save the world, but by coming from a place of not thinking I have to please me, there’s freedom to be a true instrument of love, not a made up one. This is what arises when one is open to be with life as it happens instead of getting locked into a thinking pattern that because something has been done for a long period of time, it’s automatically the best and only way of seeing it.

I remember being on a seminar for work and someone said, but I have been doing it this way for twenty years, he was told, well you’ve been doing it wrong for twenty years. I don’t profess to have the one and only way to love. I share what has been revealed to me as do others, but I’m open enough to not think what I share is automatically the right way. As I’m constantly learning and changing, what I know or at least what I think I know is constantly changing. Hold onto your way and hold on to your limit. It’s rather simple because anything labeled becomes not only a limit to the label, but also one becomes entrapped by it. It’s in not constantly thinking about yourself that one experiences the freedom to love and what blocks this love from arising is thinking because one has done something for a long period of time, it automatically makes it the right way.

Love: The Stepping Stone to Liberation

In the space between our thoughts is where our innate love lies in wait, when one awakens from the thought realm of thinking to see this, the stepping stone to liberation won’t be far behind.

You cannot be free if you don’t love. Again: you cannot be free if you don’t love, so in essence, love is the stepping stone to liberation. To see this is the shift that occurs which allows one to get out of the way of all the preoccupied nonsense that goes on in between your ears, which blocks out love from manifesting in one’s life’s. There are many roads to love, but there is only one road to liberation, if you don’t love you will not experience liberation, it’s that simple. This is because the liberation that is mostly sought is from the selfishness of oneself. You may tell yourself you are free, but If you’re all caught up in your own thoughts, what’s truly going on will be missed, and what it is that’s missed is the true essence of one’s innate love within.

To use love as a stepping stone to liberation, the preoccupations of our thinking have to settle enough to allow this to transpire. Thinking, thinking, thinking, is just the way our conditioning holds us in captivity and keeps us preoccupied with ourselves. Basically we have to lose interest in the process of thinking enough to focus on the deeper process of love being the stepping stone to liberation. I’m not into positive thinking nor affirmations, to me they’re just distraction; one cannot see what’s truly going on if you’re trying to be the little engine who could. In the space between our thoughts is where our innate love lies in wait, and when one awakens from the thought realm of thinking to see this, the stepping stone to liberation won’t be far behind.

Justice is Never Served

Justice is never truly served by wanting to get even or wishing ill will on someone. This is because when this is done, the only justice served is against yourself.

The saying “Justice is served” makes one feel content as if someone has gotten what is deserved. Many people look at karma and use it in a way to provide themselves with some kind of comfort for the injustices done in the world. A popular belief is someone who is mean will eventually get theirs, whether in this life or the next, but looking deeper into this belief, it can be seen how it’s just a story of wanting to get justice to provide yourself with comfort; mean people get rich, prosper and die without any so called “getting their justice”. Suffering is caused by attachment, but many stay ignorant to this fact and thus don’t seem to suffer all that much, but this isn’t about what others do, it’s to see within oneself how the story is created of justices that need to be done to others; these so called justices keep one in bondage to “I”. “I” needs the story that others are no good so it can pat itself on the back for not being like them.

The wheels that you oil are what makes you roll as you does. These are the base of your intentions and they shape your life. Although many things are done out of selfishness, if the heart is in the process of awakening, one can’t be to hard on themselves because the Conditioned Mind Patterns run deep. Have the intentions to love and that will be your justice, whatever other intentions there are, it will just take time to over ride. Life isn’t about being a perfect robot, many will fall short of the intention to love because of the conditioning place, but justice is never served by wanting to get even or wishing ill will on someone because when this is done, the only justice served is against yourself.

Under the Radar

I’m right and you’re wrong energy is the kind of energy that’s mostly in place and it makes for ego charged situations. Simply put, it’s the reason for our current state of affairs.

Not much really means anything when it comes to achieving a certain status in our society, not that there’s anything inherently wrong with this, but it doesn’t equate to anything except to the ego. This energy is what actually makes the ego what it is, it’s this energy that creates the ego. When “I” is embraced, the energy creates an I’m special aura or a look at me persona. But the fact of the matter is, when it’s time to leave this world, is anything achieved taken with you? I’ve learned one very important lesson in my life and that is my life has nothing to do with me, I say this in the sense of what I think life is all about. Life itself doesn’t really care if I’m here or not, I make it important by the story that “I” attaches too and adds something that creates a look at me persona. Celebrity status goes to most people’s head and it really means nothing. Just love and fly under the radar, that’s what gets it done and to me “it” is a level of quietness that doesn’t need a story to be.

Anything added to life doesn’t really enhance it in any way. Being under the radar is so much more beneficial to what energy is being put out to the world. So much of the ego energy is reinforced by the things in place and it’s why the world is as it is. The ego can’t exist without a certain energy that feeds it. Without awareness of this, just by the design of idolizing which humanity has in place, the egos energy is constantly reinforced. I’m right and you are wrong energy is the kind of energy that’s mostly in place and it makes for ego charged situations. There’s no harmony when the ego energy is running the show and simply put without harmony we have our present state of affairs.

Moment of Contact

The moment of contact with life simply occurs because one is alive. As a matter of fact, it even occurs when one isn’t alive, there just isn’t awareness the moment of contact is happening.

Because of the way one is conditioned, each moment of contact with life is put into a category of pleasant and unpleasant, there are also times it seems the moment of contact is neither. The only reason anyone has an issue with life is because it’s desirable to have each moment of contact pleasant, but this is impossible because life isn’t designed in this way. Not that life does anything to anyone, but things do happen that can be considered downright nasty. Case in point, the on going recent events with my mouth, I can attach that the process going on as unpleasant, but it wouldn’t change what’s happening, it would only change the degree of suffering; the suffering would be a direct result of attaching to wanting it different. This doesn’t mean I like what’s happening, but I can be in a state of it being unpleasant and not attach the label to it.

Life just rolls along, it stops for nothing. The moment of contact is one continuous motion. It may seem like individual happenings, but that’s only because of the way we have been conditioned to use time and break life up into segments. The unpleasant is constantly pushed away to try and make room for the pleasant as if when one decides it’s pleasant, it makes life perfect. But for there not to be suffering, life has to be deemed as perfect with what’s happening right now, only because that’s what’s there. The Conditioned Mind wants life pleasant all the time and until one can be with the unpleasant the same as the pleasant, there will be self created suffering. This is because one will be always trying to arrange the moment of contact the way they think it should be (pleasant) and not be with what’s actually happening.

A Mother Loves Naturally

A mother’s love is special because of the bond she has with her children that is formed naturally. This is unconditional love beyond what words can describe. It’s a love formed because mom and the child are one.

A mother’s love is something that can be seen, it needs no words. It’s a love that’s forever binding regardless of what happens. Watching a mother care for her child is so beautiful and this isn’t limited to humans. Mom loves from instincts, it’s love that occurs naturally from the Universe. Watching a mother take care of her child is the love that everyone should have for each other. This love is the same love that the Universe has for each and everyone of us. A mother loves all her children the same as the Universe loves us all the same. Mom doesn’t see color and never puts conditions on her love, she just loves. If we are to survive as a species we will need to go beyond the limits of the mind and see how to love unconditionally. We’ll need to observe how a mother loves and mimic that with all humanity.

A mother’s love never wavers, there may be disappointment in her heart at times, but that’s only because she wants what’s best and it’s the love in her heart crying out. Mankind is on a course of self destructing and it’s because of the lack of love in their heart. If it’s not seen how the Universe is our mother and we are all brothers and sisters, our separation will be the end of us. Mom is always there for us as is the Universe, but unfortunately we are given enough rope to hang ourselves and that’s exactly what we as a species are doing. Watch a mother give birth and see the sparkle in her eyes, it’s the same sparkle that the Universe has for all humanity. This sparkle arises because there’s no thought of herself, the child born is just an extension of herself; they are as one. Only when we all see each other in the same way will we as a species turn our attention to loving each other unconditionally, seeing the sparkle of oneness in each other’s eyes.

Reflective Thoughts

The simple word “no” can be used to cut off attaching energy to a thought. In this is the infinite possibility of peace, but it will only occur when a thought is seen for its insignificance.

Thoughts will arise, that’s a given, but reflecting on them instead of applying a label is the difference in learning from them or allowing them to control. Why was I born, what is my purpose, what is God, these are simply thoughts, attaching your story to them changes their dynamics from reflective energy to becoming agitated by them and applying energy needed to search or reach for an answer. When something is unknown, the mind will make up answers, these made up answers are the base of how most lives are lived. We are bombarded by a barrage of daily thoughts, many arise, go away, and come back throughout the day. Not every thought is attached to, it’s the ones that are that cause issue; most just come in and leave, only to return.

Reflection is a valuable tool in developing the awareness to just see a thought arise and not give any credence to it. That is arises means nothing, what is done with it after it arises means everything. If a thought arises about something that happened in the past, it doesn’t have to be given attaching energy. It can be simply reflected upon and seen as a thought, nothing more. The Conditioned Mind is designed to make a story out of it, but with discipline this can be seen and the simple word “no” can be used to cut off any attaching energy. In the simple word of “no” is the infinite possibility of peace, but it will only occur when a thought is seen for its insignificance, that is unless it’s attached to, than all bets are off.

Mind Lies

When truth is revealed, no longer does one listen to the mind because it’s understood, you shouldn’t believe everything your mind tells you because it just isn’t true.

Don’t believe everything your mind tells you because it will tell you things that just aren’t true. It will tell you the past is real yet the only place the past exist is in the mind. It will tell you to fear, yet the only thing you have to fear is fear itself. It will tell you to hold onto the belief of a self that’s a solid entity, but the form that’s being occupied needs no such attachment to exist, as it is always changing in a constant state of flux. It will tell you I think therefore I am, but thinking has nothing to do with I am. It will make up beliefs that everything desired on the outside is needed, but if none of those desires come to pass, nothing happens. Even if they do get fulfilled, the satisfaction is fleeting at best. Then there’s the thing the mind calls ego, this is like the bogeyman under the bed, it exist until one looks under the bed. There’s also not a need to get rid of it because it never existed, except in the mind.

There’s the image in the mirror who was given a name for identification purposes, we think we are that name. If the name is different we think we are someone else, but that’s only to the mind because the form remains the same. There will be many lies held onto that just aren’t true, but unfortunately the more they are attached to, the truer they seem. To truly be free, the lies will have to be exposed, this doesn’t mean you find out you don’t exist, you find out you just don’t exist in the way your mind tells you. When this truth is revealed, no longer does one listen to the mind because it’s understood, you shouldn’t believe everything your mind tells you because it just isn’t true.

Programmed to......

If anything is ever going to change in our world, the programming in place will have to change. This will only happen when it’s seen the programming isn’t providing the most beneficial results.

An operating system is programmed to do certain things and it will do just that, whether one wants it to or not; it has to do what its been programmed to do. Our mind becomes programmed in the same way and unless the operating system is changed or at least upgraded to some degree, it will remain as originally programmed. It’s imperative to understand this so first the programming in place can be identified and second so the programming that may not be serving you in the most beneficial way, can be changed. The programming that ran my life for many years was a self serving one and after a long period of time (forty nine years to be exact), I realized the programming was not really benefitting me or anyone else for that matter. This realization is the beginning stages for the possibility of the programming to change. This will take some effort because of how engrained the programming is, but the effort is more of an awareness than an actual exertion.

Once one becomes aware there may be another program so to speak to live by, the process of changing it has started. This is difficult because part of the original programming is to hold onto the familiar even if it’s not providing much benefit. It’s how the dog chasing its tail syndrome remains in place; even at the point of its own destruction. It has many tools and influences to do this, some inner, some outer, it’s just part of the programming. This is why when a person acts in a particular way, they are more accountable than responsible for what they do. If anything is ever going to change in our world, the programming in place will have to change. This will only happen when it’s seen the programming although doing what it was designed to do, isn’t providing the most beneficial results.

Hearing Life's Moments

There’s no way one will ever fully understand life conceptually so answers are made up, but in the space of silence one hears what the moments of life have to say and answers aren’t needed.

Listening to the moment as it occurs allows for harmony with life so what’s not of the mind can arise; thought blocks this harmony. The silence is always there, but it’s not always heard because of the noise between one’s ears. We are mostly programmed to live visually without taking much time to truly see and this is because we don’t hear. This visual living is why one gets pulled around by the outer because hearing the silence underneath the visual hasn’t been developed. There’s no way one can fully understand life conceptually so answers are made up, but in the space of silence one hears what the moments of life have to say and answers aren’t needed. Listen to this silence and hear what life is saying. Develop a listening meditation where you just sit with the sounds of the moment. Add nothing, take nothing away, just sit, listen, be with what arises.

Listening to life’s moments is so different than being drawn in by the visual view. This is because through the visual a label of like or dislike is instantly applied and attachment follows to the point where it gains control. As this occurs the silence of the moment is missed. This is the beginning of how our stories are created, it’s because the space of each moment will be filled with something and it will either be a story or silence. Learning to hear what occurs in each moment is a skill few develop and until it becomes primary in the way life is viewed, the visual will continue to keep one in bondage to the senses as the outer control doesn’t allow life to be heard.

A Storied Truth

Until one can be with things as they are without needing them in a way that provides comfort, a made up version of truth will continue its control and unfortunately so will the suffering this causes.

Even thought a thought pops into your head, that doesn’t mean it’s associated with truth. It may be associated with what is thought to be truth, but upon further investigation it’s probably just a made up story providing you with some comfort of the way you think things should be. Don’t we use the story of helping others in this way, it’s really used to kind of pat ourselves on the back because we make up the story that helping others is good, and we get comfort out of anything labeled as good. We use God the same way, it’s strictly used to provide comfort, nothing more; like there’s really something that our there that cares what you do. All these made up stories block one from really seeing what the truth is. Truth as it is with love needs no story, and if a story is being used to formulate what truth is thought to be, I guarantee you it’s not truth, it’s only your story.

Truth is not something to know. It can’t be defined correctly with words because it’s only seen when the mind is settled. When you judge someone regardless of what they do, you are applying a version of truth of how you think they should be acting. This is the same with life situations, and these judgements are only there to provide yourself with the comfort of the way you think things should be. Life and the people in it are always as it is and until one can just be with the way things are, instead of always wanting them in a way that provides comfort, truth will never be experienced. Thus your made up version of truth will continue its control and unfortunately so will the suffering that this causes.

Matured Stability

Acceptance of the way things are goes a long way in providing oneself with the stability that provides the maturity of not needing to reach for a pacifier in whatever form it takes on.

Seeking self satisfaction is a sign of immaturity. It’s the I want, what I want, when I want it syndrome. Self seeking is directly linked to one’s level of maturity and if you don’t think this is so, what’s the difference in what you use now as opposed to the pacifier or bottle that was used as an infant? Only the object has changed, the same reaching is in effect. Stop and see the baby in place who doesn’t like what’s being written here. So your feelings may be hurt, who cares if this article allows you to see the truth needed to act in a mature manner. And how you will know immaturity is in place is by how you have to reach for things. This takes on many many forms and unless the mind is very settled, immaturity and reaching which go hand and hand, and the reaching will remain.

Acting your age (maturing) will only occur when seeking self satisfaction ceases. Judging is immature, jealousy also is. Greed, hate, and wanting life different (delusion) is immature. Relying on a program is immature, it’s no different than reaching for pacifier to provide comfort. Matter of fact anything that’s reached for is a sign of immaturity because it all falls under the guise of a pacifier. One is mature when nothing in life needs to be different or reached for and this is even if some of the things one does are not totally mature. Acceptance of the way things are goes a long way in providing oneself and humanity with the stability that provides the maturity of not needing to reach for a pacifier in whatever form it takes on.

Conditioned Development

As we grow up we develop in a way that the conditions in place allow for the development to be as it is. Simply put, if our development was based in loved, humanity would be much different.

As I look back, I see how many of the Conditioned Mind Patterns I developed were just a part of what was there growing up, nothing particularly right or wrong in this, especially because there wasn’t much that could have been done differently. It’s very difficult to act in a loving manner if that’s not what’s in place as one grows up. Some things are learned naturally, but everything takes some kind of practice. If you’re learning how to catch a baseball, at first it’s probably awkward with no knowledge as to the best way to do it, but the more you do it the more natural it becomes. This is a good thing if what you’re learning is based in love, but part of the problem is when what’s developed isn’t based in love because unfortunately it too becomes natural; this is why it’s so hard to change. I knew what was right (loving) and what was wrong (selfish) growing up, but doing what was loving was not what was developed so being selfish was natural to me and there wasn’t anybody who could tell me different because that’s all I knew.

To say the least, this selfish development caused much suffering because with this conditioning in place, there wasn’t any room for much else to be seen. This is the merry go round most people are unknowingly on and it’s a direct result of why humanity is the way it is. If we all grew up with our development based in loved, humanity would be much different, it’s that simple. I know this because nine years ago I began developing a different base (one of love) and lo and behold things began changing. It doesn’t mean it’s always this way, but just as it is with learning to catch a baseball, it takes practice, and in this case it’s done so the loving behavior becomes as natural as the earlier development of being selfish was.

Free Will to Love

A person can only do what the conditioning in place dictates them to do and although it’s looked at as having free will, without investigating if what you are doing is coming from love, there’s nothing free about it.

Acting unloving affects no one more than the one acting in an unloving manner. On the surface some are severely affected by unloving actions, but the long lasting affect of an unloving action goes deeply into the soul of the one committing it. The lack of this love is prevalent all around, at the water cooler at work, in the news, on the road, at home and it all has more to do with someone not getting their way through their conditioning in place and thus acting accordingly. This is what’s thought to be free will, but there’s nothing free about it because this behavior keeps one in bondage. To awaken is to go in the direction of love, when this is done one is truly exerting their free will. This doesn’t mean you will be perfect and love all the time, but it will be the direction you will want to go in all the time.

Nothing else can truly be called free will because there’s never a choice until there is. What I mean by this is for forty nine years I was in bondage to a self serving will and there was absolutely nothing free associated with it. I was told to jump and I did the only thing I could do and that was to jump. For me I stopped drinking alcohol at the age of twenty eight and thought this was a choice, but the only thing that happened was the self serving will was substituted for something different. Bondage is bondage regardless of what has a hold of you. It wasn’t until there was awareness of this that the self serving will slowing began its transformation to go in the direction of love and thus free will. You cannot be self serving and be free, you can tell yourself you have free will, but the only way one’s will will truly be free is if it comes from a place of love.

The Idea of Self

Nothing is the whole of anything unless it is labeled as so and who does this labeling, but the idea of an I that only exist to form the delusional concept of self.

The idea of self has kept you wandering helplessly for possibly countless lifetimes. The idea has done this, the concept of self is not the self, not the mind, not I, nor does it truly have anything to do with you. It’s just an idea that keeps you entrapped to “there’s a self” story. It’s always the story itself that keeps you entrapped and although it may seem as though what’s being used to create the story keeps you entrapped, it is not. It can’t be, because there’s no substance to a story and this is because it’s of the mind and there’s nothing solid when it’s from the mind; it’s as fleeting as yesterday’s dream. If it’s about something that happened, that means you are bringing the past into the present and this creates a delusional mindset. If you’re bringing the future into the present, again you’re creating a delusional mindset by not being with what’s actually happening.

This is what happens when the idea of self is put forth as the driving energy behind how one lives. If everything done is derived from self, than life will be delusional because the self is delusional; self is an idea, it’s made up. It’s not that there isn’t existence, but unless you can truly see where this self is, it has to cause problems if it’s attached to you. What I mean by this is if you take the idea away of what you think your self is, what’s left? You have been labeled (named) for identification purposes and all the other labels just fall in line, son, daughter, brother, sister, and so on. Without an applied label where is the self? You have a body, but you are not the body. Nothing is the whole of anything unless it is labeled as so, and who does this labeling, but the idea of an I that only exist to form the delusional concept of self.

A Hollow Shell

Everyone begins existence complete, it’s just that not many realize it so this produces a need to reach for it. Most people have a sense of lack in their lives so the reaching seems natural, but it’s not.

Constantly reaching for things on the outside keeps one in the grip of the need to reach because it’s as though it creates a hollow shell. The reason why reaching is done is to try and fill the hollowness, but the reaching for things on the outsides keeps the reaching in place, thus the hollowness remains; the dog chasing its tail syndrome. Only by looking inward does the hollowness begin to be filled, but what really happens is it simply collapses because the outside hold weakens. Years of conditioning makes the hollow shell almost impossible to crack and it’s unfortunate because many never get beyond the hollowness. I did say almost impossible because the slightest turning inward is all that’s needed. Once looking outside ceases because the lies are exposed, looking inward becomes the technique of choice and it has a snow ball rolling down a hill effect; it just naturally picks up momentum.

Outside reaching is used as a protection technique so one doesn’t have to go inward. The greatest lie that we tell ourselves and constantly reinforce it is, we need something to be complete, but there’s nothing further from the truth. Everyone begins existence complete, it’s just that not many really know this, hence the need to reach for it. Most people have a sense of lack in their lives so the reaching seems natural, but it’s not. We’re not meant to be hollow and it’s only so because of the conditioning we develop. Once the slightest crack occurs, everything changes because the inward view reveals truth and although we live a lie for most of our lives, when truth is revealed the hollowness implodes as the truth sets you free.

What's Your Story

To not create stories one has to not mind what happens. When one wants things to be different, your power is transferred to whatever it is that’s wanted different and hence a story is created.

If you don’t see the story that you live your life by, you become it and it takes you on the ride of whatever the story is. There’s the story of not feeling well, or of something that happened in the past. There’s the story of your favorite team playing or work. How about the family story, or the story of just wanting things different. The stories shape your life because of attachment, not because of what happens. These attached stories are where emotions arise from, they’re where fear, discontent, and anger form and gain their power. This is what attachment does, it takes the power away from you and hands it over to the attachment. Without attachment you have the power of how what happens in your life affects you, not so when there’s attachment. You cannot relinquish control without attaching a story to what happens.

This is how it works, throughout the day if there’s not some sort of technique in place to remain present, the story begins and your power gets transferred to attachment. It doesn’t matter what the story is, that you have transferred your power to an outside source is what matters. It’s outside because now objects, people, and circumstances control you and here’s the kicker, you alone have done this. So how do you not do this? The first thing is to understand what’s written here so you see what you’re doing. As summer approaches think of this, you may not be able to get rid of all the dandelions on your lawn, but if you learn to not mind them, they won’t be a problem. Basically what has to be done in order not to create stories is, not mind what happens. If you want things to be different, your power will be transferred to whatever it is that’s wanted different. So watch your stories, don’t mind what happens and even though you may have a lawn full of dandelions, it won’t matter to you all that much.

Who You Aren't

Learn to let what happens to remain where it occurs. Once something is done it is done, there’s no need to create a burden out of it, that is unless who you think you are needs to do so.

Learn to never hold onto the conditioning that arises which makes you act and feel a certain way. Who you think you are is not who you truly are nor is it who someone else thinks you are, so why make it so? This is a very valuable lesson to learn in this process of life, if one is to truly experience peace. We get so caught up in the nonsense of the Conditioned Mind that instead of being able to remain present and not attach to our conditioning, we actually give it the energy needed for it to remain in place and block out the underlying peace that’s available. Peace is always there, but it’s blocked out by Conditioned Mind energy that we ourselves allow. You may not always act in a manner that you or anyone else deems appropriate for a given circumstance, but it’s never who you are so there’s reason to hold on to it and make it so. Non attachment to who you think you are has to be the energy one is leaning on if there’s to be any semblance of peace.

Why is non attachment so critical? It’s because there’s so much non loving reactions due to the conditioning in place, that if there’s attachment you will keep going round and round in its circle. You do something, it’s attached to as being who you are, so now it’s labeled accordingly and hence there’s no peace. This is attachment energy and there’s no peace here because the energy creates bondage to who you only think you are; not who you truly are. Learn to let what happens to remain where it occurs. Once something is done it is done, there’s no need to create a burden out of it, that is unless who you think you are needs to do so.

One or the Other

It’s very simple to understand the mind, it can be broken down into two mind states, wholesome and unwholesome and everyone who is alive will be guided by one or the other.

There’s a lot of stuff (thinking) that goes on between the ears that determines what mind state one will be guided by and when broken down, you will be guided by one or the other. To me everything that happens is the result of something else, so the results of living in a state of wholesomeness or unwholesomeness are vastly different. This isn’t to apply a label that one is right and one is wrong, but if investigated it can be seen how wholesomeness produces results more in line with love, kindness, peace, harmony, joy, and unwholesomeness puts one more in line with results of anger, greed, hate, unhappiness, and discontent. I had an unwholesome mind for many years and this resulted in much suffering in the form of feeling isolated and alone most of the time. As a result of this, I used many different things to try and not feel this way, but to no avail because not matter what, the isolation would always return.

Nine years ago I begin understanding the different results of these two mind states and began developing certain things that put me more in line with a wholesome mind. An unwholesome mind is selfish in nature and produces selfish results, desirable results if you’re based in the material world. A wholesome mind has no selfishness to it and the results are accordingly. This doesn’t mean that the unwholesome conditioning is gone for good, but it has lessened to a large degree and hence there is literally no more isolation, or hate in me. If the difference of these two mind states aren’t seen, it seems the unwholesome state controls more. I would say it’s because of the influences of the material world that make this so. Even though by being alive you are part of the world, when you finally wake up, what’s seen is you don’t have to allow the selfish collective mind state of the worlds unwholesomeness to control you.