Stick With the Facts

Made up stories that arise from one’s conditioning only take away from life, they don’t add to it. This makes the place where most live a world of make believe where there are no true facts to the stories that are made up.

One of the key things that is a must if one’s spiritual expansion is to be continuous, is for the stories in one’s head to remain at a minimum so one can stick with the facts, this will ensure that one’s life is based in truth. A story is very difficult to create if one uses only facts to live by. I have found factual living is second to none when it comes to the continuous process of understanding one’s own mind. Stories are noise in the head, they provide no benefit whatsoever to life. The stories I’m talking about are of the “he said, she said” variety, or the stories of the would’ve, could’ve, should’ve mind. These stories only take away from life, they don’t add to it, hence this makes one’s growth stagnant and not much good comes from anything that’s stagnant.

Without stories being created by sticking to the facts, life is seen as it is; nothing made up, just the facts. Being with what’s here, is being with the facts that life provides. When one is somewhere else it becomes the delusional story of the Conditioned Mind and it’s unfortunate because this is a fact that’s just not understood by many people. When one doesn’t live their life by what’s factual, one lives their life from their noisy delusional mind, this creates a world of make believe. Why this is unfortunate is because it means the place where you live is dictated by a made up story which doesn’t stick with the facts, thus one’s life is basically a delusion. Not because what happens isn’t real, but because there are just no facts to it.

Transforming Energy of Love

If one’s energy is established from a base of quietness, then love becomes the energy emitted to others. This energy emitted is what makes love the base for others and this is how the energy of love changes the world.

What is established as a base throughout the day determines the direction of one’s energy, and the direction of one’s energy determines their state of being. Except for the times when there’s something that keeps one based in the present moment, most of one’s energy will be spent chasing some past moment or hoping for some future one to bring the things they desire. If one is to be engulfed by love, a needed base of quietness has to be established so the noise in our head doesn’t block it out.

A base which produces quietness needs to be established if love is be our operating energy. There are many bases in the world, but there aren’t many that equate to love. Find one that does, and as quietness is cultivated one’s energy pattern will shift dramatically, but the shift will only occur if the mind is quiet. It’s when the mind is quiet that love arises and the noise stops. Without noise there is an opening to one’s heart of love. If love’s energy is established, this will be the energy emitted to others and love will very likely become their energy. This is just the way the transforming energy of love works.

Wisdom of Acceptance

When life is accepted as it is and you see the wisdom in this, you will react to the changes of life in alignment with Universal Love, not because you want to, but because it’s the only thing in place.

Wisdom isn’t something that’s just bestowed upon a person, it takes a quietness from within to become aware of what is the most beneficial way to react to life occurrences and then taking that knowledge and making it the way your life is lived. To me wisdom is knowledge being brought into alignment with Universal Love so love doesn’t become the way you want to live your life, it becomes the way you naturally live your life. This doesn’t mean everything becomes perfect, it just allows for a solid direction that puts one in harmony with whatever arises. When this occurs and life does its thing, which is constant change, one remains anchored and doesn’t get emotionally controlled by the changes that occur; this is because our wisdom base has been firmly established. Life may never be perfectly as it is wanted, but alas it always is as it is. How can it not be? Whatever it is that’s occurring is perfection because it what’s happening, you may not like it, but that is not life’s imperfection, it’s yours.

When you understand the wisdom of non attachment, you can naturally be with life and all its changes. If you let these changes control you, your reaction to them will not be conducive to your well-being and you will suffer. Acceptance of change is an acceptance of peace. Non acceptance of change is the cause of so many of our dysfunctional emotional reactions and it’s knowing the wisdom of these differences that allows harmony with oneself. When life as it arises is accepted as it is and you see the wisdom of this acceptance, you will react to the changes that occur in life aligned with Universal Love, this doesn’t happen because you want it to, it happens because it’s the only thing in place.

Most Thoughts Are Garbage

If you don’t see the thoughts that hold you in bondage, you won’t see them as garbage, and unfortunately because of the garbage being held onto and cultivated, it is the garbage that you will live by.

Most of, if not all your thoughts are garbage, what arises next should be used as a gauge to see if this is true or not. You may think this is insulting, but that’s only because you’ve probably never investigated if this is true. You may also say who do I think I am to say that, but that thought comes from you. If I said you were a cow, a second thought about being a cow wouldn’t arise, but that’s only because there isn’t attachment. If I said you were stupid and you took it personal, it would mean the association to “I” has kicked in and so will the triggered second thought. What happens with our thoughts that arise is we take ownership of them and we automatically take them to be true, but just because you think it that doesn’t make it true. I see this all the time within myself and with other people. Just because something has been done for fifty years doesn’t mean it’s the most beneficial thing to do. One look at the 12 Step recovery industry exposes this. It’s thought the 12 Step programs provide freedom, but if you just observe some of the thought processes in place, you will see how the thought of needing a program to live life is not freedom. Freedom can only be had without the thought of needing and attaching to something.

This is the reason the body is so important in establishing present moment awareness, it doesn’t take thought to be in this space. This is difficult because of the “I” association to our thoughts and how deeply engrained “I” is, but truly you are not your thoughts. When AA began if the person who started it simply asked the question, why did the thought arise to want to drink alcohol when all that happened was a business deal went sour, things would be much different in the recovery industry. Someone should expose this truth and start something to provide true freedom, oh ya I’m doing that. If you don’t see the thoughts that hold you in bondage, you won’t see they are garbage and unfortunately because of the garbage being held onto and cultivated, it is the garbage that you will live by.

Love Never Expects

The more your expectations are from a self serving base, the more you will be disappointed with the experiences of your life. Love never expects, so when you love, you’re never disappointed.

When something doesn’t happen the way you expect it to and disappointment follows, where does the disappointment come from? Why do we expect things to be certain way instead of being with what actually occurs? You can never truly be disappointed with what occurs if you understand life isn’t personal, it’s just what happens in each moment. You can make it personal, but the real question is why do you make life personal? Life happens regardless of any belief you have or how you think things should be. Sometimes it works out the way you want, but it is more luck than anything else. I mean this in the sense of expectations, not in the sense of being aligned with Universal Energy and having things work out for you. When this occurs it is really because you are cooperating and are in alignment with the Universe, so therefore things are really working out for the Universe, not for your individual expectations. This is the essence of love, not one iota of expectations for your own self serving desires.

For me expectations lead to disappointment because its usually based in some self serving desire, but when this is understood and my head and feet are in the same moment, aligned with Universal Energy, the love that’s in my heart overcomes the selfishness that’s in my head, and there’s less disappointment with things. Not because things work out the way they’re wanted, but because the expectations that they need to be a certain way aren’t there. Without expectation the heart stays connected with the love of the Universe. Life is so different in this realm as opposed to the realm of self serving expectations. Live anyway you choose, but if your life isn’t aligned with Universal Love and you aren’t living accordingly, you can expect to be disappointed more often than not, and that’s one expectation you can expect to occur, without exception.

Love Never Expects

The more your expectations are from a self serving base, the more you will be disappointed with the experiences of your life. Love never expects, so when you love, you’re never disappointed.

When something doesn’t happen the way you expect it to and disappointment follows, where does the disappointment come from? Why do we expect things to be certain way instead of being with what actually occurs? You can never truly be disappointed with what occurs if you understand life isn’t personal, it’s just what happens in each moment. You can make it personal, but the real question is why do you make life personal? Life happens regardless of any belief you have or how you think things should be. Sometimes it works out the way you want, but it is more luck than anything else. I mean this in the sense of expectations, not in the sense of being aligned with Universal Energy and having things work out for you. When this occurs it is really because you are cooperating and are in alignment with the Universe, so therefore things are really working out for the Universe, not for your individual expectations. This is the essence of love, not one iota of expectations for your own self serving desires.

For me expectations lead to disappointment because its usually based in some self serving desire, but when this is understood and my head and feet are in the same moment, aligned with Universal Energy, the love that’s in my heart overcomes the selfishness that’s in my head, and there’s less disappointment with things. Not because things work out the way they’re wanted, but because the expectations that they need to be a certain way aren’t there. Without expectation the heart stays connected with the love of the Universe. Life is so different in this realm as opposed to the realm of self serving expectations. Live anyway you choose, but if your life isn’t aligned with Universal Love and you aren’t living accordingly, you can expect to be disappointed more often than not, and that’s one expectation you can expect to occur, without exception.

The Suffering of Wanting

The attraction to what’s wanted arises from some deep mind pattern and it’s because this isn’t realized that the wanting winds up in control. To the extent of one’s wants is to the extent of one’s suffering.

The process of suffering is something that’s created by our own mind and it’s directly tied into the deep seeded roots of our wanting. To the extent that one wants is to the extent of one’s suffering. Again: To the extent of one’s wants is to the extent of one’s suffering. Sit with that and if you can grasp what that statement means, it can lead directly to liberation. This statement in itself is a doorway, but as a doorway is an opening, it will have to be stepped through to see what is on the other side. You will have to investigate this deeply to see the true implication of wanting. To the extent of one’s wants is to the extent of one’s suffering. This leads to one of my favorite sayings. Until you can accept the red lights in life as you do the green ones, there will be discontent, but understand the discontent is not actually in the red light, it’s in wanting it to be green. This goes with everything that occurs in life. Life is just life, it’s never the happening that causes one to be discontented, it’s always wanting what happens to be in some other way that causes the discontent. This is for everything, be it a person or an occurrence, nothing can harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts.

If you can’t see how this wanting is at the core of your discontent, either sit more to allow the mind to settle or just go with the wanting and remain in your discontent. This wanting is very subtle and it begins as soon as you wake up to start your day. Life is continuous and if it’s looked at in this way instead of breaking it up into segments, there’s less wanting and less trying to arrange things to be a certain way. Holding on to wanting is bondage, and it’s only “I” that wants. It’s never the initial wanting that’s the issue, it’s giving it energy that allows the wanting to take control. Usually the attraction to what’s wanted arises from some deep mind pattern, and it’s because this isn’t realized that the wanting winds up in control. So remember to the extent of one’s wants is to the extent of one’s suffering and if not investigated it will be as if one wants to suffer.

Noise is Considered Normal

The epitome of a noisy mind is it constantly tries to keep you from noticing there’s another way to see things, and as long as the noise is in place, a quiet mind and another way will never be experienced.

If you’ve never purposely experienced the mind quieting down to the level where it’s noticed, the noise will be what you think is normal. It’s so difficult to go beyond the noise only because the noise isn’t seen as a problem. This is what keeps one entrapped to the conditioning in place which in turn doesn’t allow for any kind of awakening process to take hold. The most prevalent things I used growing up based in a noisy mind were alcohol, drugs, and gambling. At twenty eight years old using these things stopped, but the noise continued in the form of other things that were considered more positive by society. To me, although these things were less destructive in nature, they held me in the same captivity as the drugs, alcohol, and gambling, and it was all because I didn’t realize it was the noisy mind that was the dilemma. What most people don’t realize because a quiet mind is never purposely experienced is the noise isn’t normal, it just seems to be because it’s always been in place.

I’ve been fortunate to experience being ruled by a noisy mind and having a quiet one and to purposely choose the noisy one would be insane because the only thing that comes out of it is suffering. The suffering is not all glaring and destructive, and this is why it’s not readily accepted by most people as being a problem. It’s not until one experiences and notices the mind quieting that the noise can be seen for what it truly is. This is the dilemma of a Conditioned Mind, it keeps the noise in place and makes it out to be normal so one never considers the need to look into this. The epitome of unconsciousness is to not even consider there might be another way to see things. I have a FB friend who says she knows she’s onto something when she reads my articles and her head hurts. It hurts because the noisy mind is trying to keep her from noticing there’s another way to see things, and as long as the noise is in place and held onto, a quiet mind and another way will never be what’s considered normal.

Mind Settling Practice

What’s reinforced is what will remain in place. It’s pretty simple in that regard, but doing things that allows the mind to settle is probably the most difficult process one will undertake in this lifetime.

If you want the mind to settle, what allows this to occur has to be practiced. There are many daily opportunities to practice this, but why the mind is not settled has to be identified. This isn’t as easy as it sounds because of all the conditioning in place. The glaring mind activities that cause the unsettling are seen by some, but the subtle ones mostly go unnoticed. Even the glaring ones that are seen, they too are discounted and justified by most people, it’s why there are so many different religions, political views, spiritual views, and so on, it’s the reason unity on our planet is so scarce. The other day I wrote an article about the seduction of pleasure and how “I” is at the core of this and someone responded that basically to experience pleasure was the reason for existence.

This is a response of an unsettled mind and why this is an issue is because there’s no room for unity in this response because it’s the response of “I”. “I” is always selfish, that’s it’s nature. It’s like the nature of an acorn is be an oak tree, the true nature of something can’t be changed. Our true nature isn’t of “I” and if our true nature isn’t cultivated, it will remain in the background to the more prevalent conditioning of “I”. An acorn will remain in that state until something is done to change it, the true nature of being an oak tree will always be there, but it will remain dormant until conditions change to support its transformation. Reinforce “I” and that’s what will remain in place, cultivate quietness and that’s what will be in place. It’s pretty simple in that regard, but doing things that allows the mind to settle is probably the most difficult process one will undertake in this lifetime.

Projecting Out There

Our view of life is determined by our conditioning. An out there view is what most develop, but it’s a delusion that doesn’t allow what’s here to be seen and if one is living out there it’s impossible to be with what’s here.

Mostly life is seen as a struggle because of the projection that there is something going on out there. That’s how the mind tends to view things. I’ve been on vacation for two weeks and I have to work today, the mind wants to view work as being out there, but it’s not truly out there, that’s only a projection. When anger arises it’s not seen as the process that’s arisen, it’s seen as being out there and as long as it’s out there, it has control over one’s emotions, feelings, reactions, and of course how much suffering there is. It’s not that things don’t happen out there, but viewing it as out there is where it is given control. The kingdom of heaven is within, but most look at it as if it’s a place out there, another projection. As one looks out there, life happens right here and that’s the only view that allows life to be truly lived. Looking right here doesn’t prevent anything from happening, but it does allow for it to pass instead of giving it energy to grow.

All these projections do is keep us from being a part of our true self and it also keeps us locked into the out there energy. This out there energy makes you think you need to do something that will remedy what happens. This is a fallacy that entraps the unconscious mind into beliefs, concepts, ideas, and whatever else is used to that keeps you from what’s here right now. Being with what’s here allows one to be with life in a more direct way. There’s nothing magical here except that it allows one to live now instead of in the projection that life is out there. If out there works for you by all means remain attached to the out there view, but for me out there is a delusion that doesn’t allow what’s here to be seen and if one is living out there it’s impossible to be what’s here.

Seduction of Pleasure

The most important thing to understand about the seduction of pleasure is the less one is attached to “I” the less one will be seduced and it’s because without “I” there’s no one who needs the next pleasure.

The seduction of pleasure is so enticing because it actually feels good and this is why the draw is so powerful. There’s only issue with this because of the impermanent nature of pleasure. It simply will not last, it has no staying power so something else will be needed almost immediately following the attainment of each pleasure. Think about it, with all the pleasures that have been attained throughout your life regardless of what it was, it does not bring the pleasure now that it brought at that time, and most times even if the same exact pleasure is physically repeated, it’s usually not as pleasurable as the first experience. I used so many things as I was seduced by my pleasure seeking conditioning, but it was never lasting, the seduction of the next needed pleasure always arose. This went on all the time, attaining one pleasure after another and never being satisfied.

I’ve come to understand this seduction of pleasure as the main reason people start using and become addicted to alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex, money, tobacco products and an array of other things. If pleasure wasn’t sought, nothing would be reached for so there would never be an addiction nor an issue, but unfortunately the seduction of pleasure has its way with people. It’s deeply engrained in the subconscious and has been in place since our existence began. I know this seduction of pleasure is what was controlling me for forty nine years and it was directly associated with “I”. Without “I” no one is there to be seduced. Even with this understanding the seduction of pleasure doesn’t just disappear, but it does subside somewhat. To me the most important thing to understand about this is, the less one is attached to “I” the less one will be seduced and it’s because without “I” there’s no one who needs the next pleasure.

Amuse Ourselves to Death

One who constantly needs to grasp for things to provide amusement is blocked out from what life truly has to offer, which is to be with what’s here right now instead of constantly needing to amuse ourselves to death.
What I mean by the title of this article is we become so fixated at amusing ourselves with outside activity that our death arises in the form of not truly living life. Probably 99% of our time is spent providing ourselves with some form of amusement; to me anything that is reached for gets the label amusement attached to it. From the morning cup of coffee, or giving up caffeine and not having coffee, both are used to provide the amusement that life being a certain way makes it better. If this was true everyone would be the same because it would be known what the best way is, but this isn’t true so we all amuse ourselves that our way is the best. If we didn’t amuse ourselves with this thought, we wouldn’t do what we do. We are our own worse enemy. There’s nothing outside of us that does the harm to us that we do to ourselves, the real issue with this is it’s done to where we amuse ourselves to the point where life isn’t truly lived. We are always seeking to be amused in one way or another.

In our leisure time we are constantly amusing ourselves with things that are considered pleasurable. Food is a main source that we use for our amusement, vacation is another. Watching or going to sporting events, watching tv or going to the movies are also used. Then there’s alcohol, drugs, gambling, porn, sex, using tobacco products, golfing obsessively, the spiritual path, and so on. These are just some of the mindless activities that are reached for to amuse ourselves to death. Look at the past and reflect upon all the things used that provided amusement, where are they? They only exist in the mind. One who constantly needs to grasp for things to provide amusement is blocked out from what life truly has to offer, which is to be with what’s here right now instead of constantly needing to amuse ourselves to death.

Habitual Thought of Self

When a thought arises and it becomes a repetitive activity (habit), it’s not because one is diseased in some way, it’s because one is attached to a false self that thinks it needs the thing being used.

All habits begin mentally as a thought and at their core is a self that takes it to the physical level. Basically nothing is done that isn’t entangled with one’s construct of self in some way and this is especially true when it comes to forming a habit. Without this construct of self, no habit would or could be formed, but very very few people have the insight to see this. Most think the habit is the physical activity of whatever is used, but nothing is further from the truth. The habit is to a false self that has lack at its core. This false self creates lack and this causes the habit to be formed. If the way self is perceived wasn’t attached to, no habit would be formed. There’s no such thing as an addicted personality, there’s only a lack of understanding of how the self is held onto as a concept to form repetitive attached behavior trying to satisfy one’s self.

Without the attachment to self, no habit would or could be formed. Sit with this and see when a thought arises what makes it become a repetitive activity. There has to be a cause that makes one do something over and over without much thought. It’s not the reason society dictates it is, and it’s definitely not because one is diseased in some way. I abused drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, and many other things and except for having a physical allergy to alcohol, the abuses were because of not understanding that all I was doing was trying to fill an inner lack that was created by attaching to a perceived sense of self that wasn’t true. I was living the lie of “I” which needs things constantly to fill its lack. One only thinks they need the things they use over and over, but if there wasn’t the perception of self, no habit would be formed because there would be nobody there to attach to the thought that something is needed that makes one the false self they think they are.

Habitually Controlled

Without recognition of the habits that are formed, one is blindly controlled by them. They say jump and the only thing you can do is jump, and if you are really attached, you will ask how high.

If you want to understand your mind you will need to sit down and observe it. Whatever you think and ponder upon, that is what becomes the inclination of the mind and hence this is what becomes your habitual actions. If there is no sitting, there’s very little chance for the mind to settle so it can be observed. As a habit is formed it becomes second nature, there’s very little observation in this mind activated action. These habitual actions are different for everyone, but they are common at their root. They all arise in some way from the habit to seek pleasure. It matters little what one uses to fulfill this pleasure seeking habit and because there’s very little awareness of this, it’s in control of you. There needs to be an understanding that our actions become habitual and are conditioned by how we think. This is what determines whether our actions are wholesome (loving) or unwholesome (selfish). Simply put, loving actions should be cultivated so they become habitual.

If there isn’t any sitting to allow the mind to settle, an understanding of it will be difficult and so observing the habitual conditioned patterns will not be recognized. Without recognition of these habits, one is blindly controlled by them. They say jump and the only thing you can do is jump, and depending how attached you are, you may even ask how high. This is why we do things that aren’t in our best interest without hesitation. Without the ability to observe the thoughts that arise, one is like a puppet on a string. Sitting allows the mind to settle so there can be an observation of this and one by one the strings can be cut. If nothing is in place to allow this settling, the Conditioned Mind puppeteer will continue to control and you will blindly and without hesitation do things that aren’t in your best interest or what’s best for others.

True Refuge

True refuge will never be found in outer things regardless of what the thing is one is using to take refuge in. What’s unfortunate about this is, most people use outer things for their refuge.

The dictionary definition of refuge is a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble, so unless one finds a true place of refuge, the pursuit for it will never end. This means one will always be chasing it and in danger or trouble. I would have to say this is dead on accurate and if you look around or turn on the news, it would be hard to argue this. Many pursue a false refuge and aren’t truly at peace until the day life in this form ends. True refuge will never be found in things regardless of what one is using to take refuge in, unfortunately reaching out for things is where most people look for it. This is not to say there’s anything wrong in things, especially if they’re healthy for you, but just understand regardless of what it is, the thing won’t provide the refuge that it’s being used for.

One’s true place of refuge is in between the constant thought stream that’s in place. There’s a little sliver of space between each thought that isn’t noticed because the mind isn’t settled. It’s as if the mind is a pond and the mud on the bottom is constantly being kicked up. As long as the kicking occurs, the water will remain cloudy, but oh how clear the pond naturally becomes when the kicking stops. This space is the only true refuge. It’s awareness aware of awareness. It doesn’t take one single thought to be in this space, as a matter of fact, thought is the greatest hindrance to being in one’s true space of refuge. It’s unfortunate because as long as one thinks about it, the mind will remain cloudy and one will be unable to see clearly and take true refuge in the space between one’s thoughts.

Mind Agitated Responses

Although it seems outside circumstances are the cause of one’s mind agitations, this is not the case. The agitations that arise are already in place, if they weren’t there’s no way they could arise.

You can only respond to the circumstances of life with what you have in place. Something like fear arises because it has been taught, this also goes for anger, greed, hate, and so on. I know for me most of my responses to the circumstances of life were from the core of”I”. Without this understanding, it kept me locked into a mind agitation and ignorant of the fact that the only reason this occurred was because it was already in place. Simply put, when there was a circumstance that occurred which I didn’t like, whether it was what someone said or did, or something that happened, a mind agitation arose without my permission or knowledge and because of “I” the response was accordingly. What arose was whatever my conditioning deemed appropriate and the only reason this happened was because it was already there; latent, laying in wait.

Understanding this is where knowledge has power. If why a mind agitation arises isn’t understood, there’ll be very little true periods where the agitations are not in control. Through awareness of what arises, one has something that can be seen to get beyond it. Why most people remain as they are and repeat the same responses over and over is because of the total unawareness of why it occurs. To me this knowledge has immense value because when it’s seen, not only can one decipher whether what’s in place is beneficial or not, but discipline can also be developed to change whatever conditioning is in place that’s causing non beneficial responses.

Effect Happens

As long as the effect of whatever cause there is is in place and it’s wanted to be different, it will seem as though life is the one doing to you what you are basically doing to yourself.

Life can only be as it is. It doesn’t label what happens as good or bad, as a matter of fact it doesn’t really care what happens. Mostly what happens is because of cause and effect. If you hit a golf ball with a driver and the face is open, the ball will have a slicing trajectory, there’s no way around this. The slice is the effect of the cause, the face being open. Life just happens this way, run over a nail while driving and there’s a good chance of it puncturing your tire and it going flat. Life doesn’t do this, it’s just something that happens because the conditioning is right for it to happen. Smoke and use tobacco products and the effect this has on a person’s health can be life threatening; at the very least it will hold you in bondage. This isn’t life doing anything, it’s effect is just what’s in place. You can’t put water in your cars gas tank without it effecting how the car runs. So the key to one’s existence is understanding how cause and effect operate and learning how to do things that have an effect that is the most beneficial.

Things will always happen that are beyond one’s control, but it doesn’t have to be taken personally to make it as if life is doing it to you. This is all tied into the attachment one has with the thought of the effects that occur. Make the golf shot or flat tire a problem and it will be one. Or understand that things are as they are regardless if you had a hand in the effect or not and allow it to be. Most of one’s struggled arise not because of what happens, but because what happens is given the label of wanting it different. As long as the effect of whatever cause there is is in place and it’s wanted to be different, it will seem as though life is the one doing to you what you are basically doing to yourself.

Human Clinging

Our human condition is what the Universe uses so our existence can manifest. It shouldn’t be denied or ignored (clung to) because if it is, there will be much suffering as our true essence is missed.

The base of a spiritual life is to embrace our humanness and see it for what it is, so one can learn how not to cling to the things that cause suffering. Why do we cling to things that may seem to be beneficial, but upon further review cause suffering? This all starts with one thought and ends up as whatever one clings to. Notice any thought that pops up, there’s not much of a problem with it initially, but if you don’t have awareness of this, clinging will arise along with the suffering it causes. This is what happens when there’s a thought and one clings to it, but understand the thought itself isn’t an issue.

Thoughts aren’t right or wrong, they’re just thoughts. When you cling to them, it reinforces the conditioning and blocks one from being in touch with their spiritual essence. Therein lies the issue because when one is driven by their human conditioning, you will only look for answers and satisfaction in human solutions, which don’t have a long term satisfaction rate. To cling is human and one will cling that’s a given, but if human solutions are what one clings to, there will be much suffering. What it really comes down to is although our essence is spiritual, our human condition is what’s used to experience existence. This shouldn’t be denied or ignored because if it is, there will be suffering because one is clinging to a false self instead of the true essence of what is.

Results of Actions

In the space of stillness everything arises and unless one remains in the stillness, the energy of wanting it different will arise and the ensuing result will be because of the action in place.

Results always manifest as a direct response of one’s actions, and how those results manifest is determined by the base of those actions. This doesn’t stop anything from happening in your life as far as old age, sickness, and death, but what it does do is it ensures and reinforces what’s in place in you. No one else controls what manifests from within you. Your discontentment is yours alone, it’s not life’s or your in-laws, a boss, co worker, Donald Trump, the Republicans or the Democratic’s, Isis, my writings, or anything else, it’s simply having your actions and results in sync with each other; actions and results will always be in sync. Discontentment only arises when one wants things different and wanting something different creates suffering because the Conditioned Mind is in control.

You can put any spin you want on life, but the bottom line is always the same, if one wants the present moment different, there will be a discontented energy that’s in control. From being diagnosed with an illness, to breaking a finger nail, when the following action is from the discontented energy of not wanting it to be, the results can only be from the same energy. It will take a very settled mind to see how the results of one’s life are directly linked to the energy of one’s actions. I’m not saying be the little engine who could, what I am saying is in the space of stillness everything arises and unless one remains in the stillness, the energy of wanting it different will arise and the ensuing results will be because of the actions in place.

Present Moment Alignment

One is aligned with life when there is alignment with the present moment. When one is pulled out of alignment with the present moment, it is then that the nonsense of the childish mind begins.

Spirituality isn’t magical, it’s life. If we are alive, we are spiritual. Whether we are aware of this or not, it doesn’t take away from the fact that we are spiritual in nature. Lets take a practical approach to our spirituality so we can narrow down our blocks to this awareness. Take a look at one of the most common realities of life; everything that happens does so in the present moment. This is the most common reality of life, but why is it so hard to live in this moment? We hear it all the time ” live in the now, all we have is now, be present” yet it is so hard to remain present. Why?

What I have found to be the one thing that makes living in the present moment so difficult, is our inability in keeping the mind aligned with it. So many things pull us out of alignment which makes one prone to whatever childish conditioning is in place. This conditioning is different for everyone, but the nature of this childish misalignment is the same. If this misalignment doesn’t occur, the opening to be controlled by our childish Conditioned Mind will not occur. This misalignment is so subtle, but this is what makes it so difficult to be aware of it. The point of this is to show the mind will not stay aligned to the present moment without practice. It’s only because of the way it has been developed that the misalignment occurs, but understand it will not align on its own. The mind will have to be redeveloped. This is when one becomes aware of their spiritual nature because when the mind remains in alignment with the present moment, one is aligned with life. If you can develop the awareness of what takes you out of alignment with the present moment, you will discover the secret of what takes you out of alignment with life and the childish mind will simply fall away.

Noticing Your Thoughts

Notice how the same thoughts arise over and over and you just may be able to settle in a place where they aren’t in control. You may also realize these repetitive thoughts don’t really provide much of a benefit.

As long as you’re alive you will have thoughts so thoughts aren’t really about what happens as much as it’s about how much one relates their thoughts to what happens. This is where one’s conditioning steps in and determines the relation to the next thought. Thoughts can arise from love, or from aversion, but for most they teeter between the two. Very few go to the oomph degree of either one of these so the results for most are constantly teetering between the two. When one’s thoughts do hit the level of one of these, the results are contingent on how much one is conditioned; these thoughts are what manifest as the emotions that take you for a ride. If you have love as the main influence in your life, obviously your thoughts will be of love more than a person who has aversion as their influence. This all arises from the individual, so if you’re able to notice the base of your thoughts, you may be able to alter your actions to a degree instead of relying on divine intervention, which will probably not occur. It will take practice to allow the mind to settle so the base of one’s thoughts can be noticed.

The real addictions in our society is to our thoughts and when I is the main subject, it makes one’s existence very irrational. Now multiply that by billions of people and hence you have the world we live in; billions of people constantly having thoughts about themselves strictly for their own personal gain. There’s no one to really blame for this, it just seems as though it arises from what’s in place. From the serial killer, to the person who does volunteer work, it’s the thoughts that causes our emotional twist and everything else in between. So sit often with the intention of developing the ability to notice how much your thoughts are stuck on I and you just may be able to settle in a place where the mind quiets and hopefully you’ll come to realize life isn’t really about anything, you just have thoughts that it is.

A Compassed Direction

A compass is a tool that points in a direction, but it doesn’t tell you what’s up ahead. It will guide you to go in the right direction, which is all one truly needs instead of relying on someone else’s map.

I know many tend to look to a map, a path, or some kind of method as a way to quieting their inner discontentment and finding peace, but to me there is no map, path, or method, to get you to a place of peace because these are someone else’s. The only true tool to be used can be described as a compass, it points you in a direction, but it doesn’t tell you much else. It doesn’t tell you the terrain, or where the detours are that may be encountered, it just points you in a direction. There are so many variables that can’t be accounted for with someone else’s way, this is why following someone else is really useless. This is also why programs don’t really work, you may think they work because some behaviors have changed, but you’re kidding yourself. You are really doing yourself an injustice if you follow someone’s way because you’re not being true to yourself. How can you be if you’re using someone else’s map to discover what’s in you?

The compass is the only tool necessary in your journey because it will get you going in the right direction, but it will not tell you much else. Nine years ago I read many books in a two year period and I came to the conclusion that although they said things their own way, they all pointed in the same direction, inward. My awakening was in the form of a direction, so when my journey began, all I knew was where I was heading, the rest has been an adventure. I have no destination, nor is one needed, but I always have my compass so when the terrain gets rough or there’s a unsuspecting detour, it may seem as though I’m off course, but I’m not. Matter of fact I’m never off course because it’s my journey so how can I be off course when it’s my course I’m on. Also I have my compass and that allows me to always go in a direction that’s true to myself. After all it is my journey so why would I want to use someone else’s map!

Benefitting Others

Loving is the way one reacts to others when their own life is based in love. This doesn’t mean others will return the favor, but the more you love, the less you will react to others in non loving ways.

It’s so easy to feel connected to others when they do what you think they should be doing, but how connected do you feel when they don’t? Our connection to others should never waver regardless of how they respond, but because of our Conditioned Mind, most people have a tendency to think they’re more connected when others are doing what they want. Our connection to others shouldn’t be contingent on the way they act because this will make our unity very unstable. To be controlled by the behavior of others is to be controlled by your own conditioning, which makes one react as if they are a puppet on a string. This can only occur if we ourselves unconsciously allow it; no one would consciously allow this control. If one is conditioned differently the reactions to others would be different.

One way to break the hold of being a puppet on a string is to become aware if the way you react to others is beneficial or not. When there’s awareness of this, it’s your obligation to cultivate it so you can be a benefit to others, but if our reactions aren’t a benefit to others, it’s up to you to change it. Reacting a certain way will not change just because you want it to and although many people have an inkling their reactions aren’t much of a benefit to anyone even themselves, they still react the same. Why do you think this is? It has to do with what conditioning is at the core of our being, if love isn’t at our core, our reactions will be hard pressed to be of love. When there’s awareness of this, there’s a certain responsibility because it’s love that changes the world. With this awareness, there’s an obligation to cultivate love so it’s at the core of our reactions. When this is done, one becomes the change this world so desperately needs because all one can do is love. It’s fairly simple, if love is in place, one’s reactions to others will be of love, if it isn’t, one’s reactions to others will be based to satisfy self, and simply put that benefits no one, not even yourself.

Natural Laws

Natural Laws puts one in harmony with life, so take heed and understand life really never does anything to you, but if you break the law it will be unnatural and it will certainly seem like it does.

Natural Laws are in place that put one in harmony with life and they’re also in place to offer protection against certain behavior. These laws when adhered to within their boundaries, allow for life to be lived to the fullest, but the mind has to be opened and free flowing for the adherence to these laws to take place. There are also man made laws that align to these natural laws, but many of them are broken which blocks the natural laws from being as beneficial as they could be. The more one adheres to selfish behaviors, the less chance there is to be in harmony with the natural laws. When things are used and abused to satisfy self, this blocks life from being natural. The animal realm adheres to natural laws and because of this there’s perfect balance. Unfortunately the human conditioning relies to much on the intellect and not enough on what naturally occurs.

Life will mostly be lived in one of two ways, acting in ways that allows alignment to our natural laws or not. A quiet mind can see this to a degree and slowly stops doing the things that block the natural laws from being adhered to. As long as one is alive, life will be lived, but in what way determines one’s actions and consequences. Go thirty five mph in a twenty five mph zone and regardless if you get a speeding ticket or not, you will be out of harmony with the law in place. So take heed and understand life really never does anything to you, but if you break the law it will be unnatural and it will certainly seem like it does.

Addiction: The Disease Fallacy

Wanting to change the way that you feel goes on in just about every moment of everyday in people’s lives. The things used are only addressed in the way they affect one’s life.

I know main stream society says addiction is a disease, but it isn’t contagious, so how is wanting to use something to change the way that you feel a disease? Everyone does this, it’s just that different things are used. Being addicted to using an assortment of things, the gym, programs, food, money, power, sports teams, work, the spiritual path, and so on is no different than being addicted to alcohol, drugs, sex, or gambling. The consequences may be different, but the bondage is the same. Years ago 1935 to be exact, a man who used alcohol for most of his life to change the way that he felt, stopped drinking for six months. Once he took alcohol into his system, it set off an allergy that caused a reaction which couldn’t be controlled, much like someone who is allergic to peanuts. One day he went to Akron, Ohio on a business deal which didn’t go his way. Because he didn’t like how this made him feel, he wanted to go back to using his pacifier of alcohol to change this. He initially stopped drinking alcohol by creating the distraction of helping others, so this is what he reverted to. Now there’s nothing wrong in helping others, but if you don’t understand why you need to change the way that you feel, you will keep needing to reach for a pacifier, in this case helping others. This means you will always need the suffering of others to appease yourself. And this is a disease in what way?

Grow up, that’s what I say. Stop needing a crutch to live life and face what arises as it arises and stop reaching for a pacifier to change the way that you feel. Feelings aren’t factual, they become real to the individual in the way they’re used to create a story. Change the story, change the feeling, but this will only distract you from the truth that all you’re doing is reaching for something to change the way that you feel. When the story that addiction is a disease is truly investigated, it will be seen only as a story. There’s nothing factual in wanting to change the way that you feel, except that there’s a created story of needing to reach for something and saying this is a disease. It may fit nicely into the story of main stream society, but there’s no actual truth to it because it’s only a story being used because life isn’t the way that you want it.

Hear What Life is Saying

If things aren’t done that put you in cooperation with life, it will be impossible to hear what life has to say. For this to change it’s imperative to learn about one’s own mind which will go a long way in allowing one to hear what life is saying.

Just observe how the mind justifies all that it does. It has never been trained to be still so it creates most of our problems just so it has something to do. It says to do something and turns around and questions why it was done. It should be treated as a separate entity as if it’s one’s enemy, because upon further review it will be seen that it is, but it’s not the mind that’s truly the enemy, it’s the way it has been conditioned, that’s the true enemy.

This conditioning blocks the true nature of the mind from arising. It’s only conditioned to be this way because of all the surrounding influences, but it is we ourselves (unconsciously) who put these habitual mind patterns in place. Learning about one’s own mind is a way to undo what we ourselves have done. This learning of one’s mind is not about the great secrets of the Universe becoming known, it’s more so about getting an understanding of why the things that are done don’t put one in cooperation to hear what life has to say. When this is understood, why one responds to things a certain things will be known, after all if one doesn’t do the things in their life that allow cooperation with it, one will never hear what life has to say.

Understanding Change

Don’t hold onto anything and apply a label to it as being the way it has to be, because regardless of what it is it will change and if you don’t accept that, the ability to truly live your life will not happen.

Everything changes, that’s a given. I know a lot of people likes to focus on being the light and love, but those things arise naturally when there’s an understanding of the nature of change. The more one investigates how life works, the more it will be lived in the reality of what is instead of a made up story. If you are alive today you will experience aging, sickness, and death, your own and those you love. There’s no getting around this, and although these are mostly pushed away by people and not given much thought, they are a spring board to freedom from the bondage they have on you. Just think about it, if these things were faced to the the point where there wasn’t fear attachment associated with them, one would be totally free to be with life as it is without any story whatsoever being needed. The problem with the way these things are taught to deal with, is the exact opposite of how they need to be dealt with so they don’t take away one iota of living energy. Bondage to a story is a self created prison.

There was a man who I once worked with years ago that would tell me he had one fear which was dying from cancer. We’ll unfortunately that’s exactly what happened to him, but not only did he die from cancer, it consumed him while he was living and took away his ability to truly live while he was alive. That’s the true effect of being in bondage to something, it takes away the ability to truly live. It’s not the actually thing that does this, it’s the story created that blocks the ability to truly be free. The main thing here is to not hold onto anything and apply a label to it as being the way it has to be, because I can guarantee you this, regardless of what it is it will change and if you don’t accept that, the ability to truly live life will not happen.

A State of Attention

Everything arises from a state of silence, but not everything’s heard from a state of attention. Freedom from the known can happen, but only when it’s learned how to truly listen from a state of attention.

It matters little what one hears, but how one listens does matter in the sense if it comes from a state of attention. There’s all kinds of noise around us most of the time, but what’s mostly heard is labeled from our impulses and opinions. Freedom from the known can happen, but only when it’s learned how to truly listen, and one can only listen when one is in a state of attention. This is when one can truly hear. This state of attention arises from silence, there’s nothing to think about in a state of attention. A dog barking, a car beeping its horn, a helicopter, a waterfall, the ocean, all sounds can be heard and as with any sound, they can annoy you or the can anchor you in the present moment. There’s so much noise that goes on in one’s head, but it has nothing to do with the sounds that are heard.

Everything arises from a state of silence, but not everything’s heard from a state of attention. As I was sitting in my backyard the other day, listening to the water sprinkler in my pool, (my serene opinion) the neighbors son came out to play basketball in his yard, he also preceded to play his music very loud to where my opinionated serenity was disturbed. I immediately took a deep breath and realized that although I was enjoying listening to my pool sprinkler, I wasn’t in a state of attention. If I was when the sound changed to what arose from the silence, in this case my neighbors music,I wouldn’t have been disturbed. One deep breath showed me this, and it allowed me to be in a state of attention to the sounds that were there in the present moment instead of the mind agitations of my impulses and opinions.

Leaning Support

Grasping gives an arising event control, leaning into it puts the control basically in your hands, not with what occurs, but with how it affects you. Leaning allows life support.

Leaning into what happens in the present moment doesn’t result in an “oh well that’s just the way it is” attitude, the leaning allows freedom to be with it whole heartedly. It’s in our judgements of the present moment that causes resistive energy that wants the moment different and because of the Conditioned Mind, it wants every one of those moments to be pleasurable. There’s no leaning in this, it’s a straight up stand for wanting the moment to be a certain way. One of the biggest misunderstandings of what it means to be spiritual is that it’s linear and it’s takes you to something better. Granted it takes you to something different, but not something necessarily better. It will drag you through the mud so to speak until it’s learned to not to be dragged, but this doesn’t change what happens, it only changes how what happens is dealt with.

Look at it as if the mind is a flame from a candle, when there’s a breeze, the flame will flicker, this is what a mind agitation is like. Without a breeze the flame is still and so it is with a mind that doesn’t want anything different. There’s no agitation in this space so it’s basically just leaning on what’s happening instead of giving it unnecessary energy to cause some kind of conditioned havoc. Each moment will arise and depending on the view, it can be leaned on or grasped. Grasping gives the arising event control, leaning puts the control basically in your hands, not with what occurs, but with how it affects you. Leaning allows support, grasping doesn’t, as it’s in the leaning itself where life becomes our support.