Two Versions of Self

There’s no denying the self exist, but there are two versions of it. One is the self that thinks it constantly needs, and the other is beyond the thought of needing because it’s beyond the thought of self.

When you ask the question of who is the image in the mirror, do it in the context of who is the one who feels. Naturally the surface answer would be I feel, but who is this I (self) that feels and how about the one that exist beyond the surface of any feeling. This is the self outside the realm of one’s thoughts. Seeing this is all dependent on how settled the mind becomes and it’ll determine if one is aware that beyond the thought of self there is no one there, at least not in the context that self is thought of.

So who is it that feels? Sure the self feels, but it’s just not in the context where one attaches to any of their feelings. The thought of self and the self that exist beyond thought occupy the same form, they just exist totally separate from each other. They are as different as night and day as are the results of how one lives their life. One exist in the realm of attachment (thought). This is the self who most people think they are. The other self needs no label, there is existence, there just isn’t attachment to it. Find the self which brings the most benefit to life, beyond thought and the self without attachment will be revealed. This is the true essence of who you are, that is unless of course your thought of self is who you think you truly are.

Choosing Peace

When one wakes up from the sleep of the Conditioned Mind to notice just how much control it has over you, it is then that the chains that hold you in captivity are slowly removed one link at a time.

It may seem like there are many things that can take you from your peace, but in truth there’s only one. It manifest in many different ways, but it only occurs because of the conditioning in place. This simple fact is what’s mostly missed and it’s missed because it’s not seen. The other day I experienced this first hand as I was driving to work. I noticed a rattle every time I went over a bump in my car. At first this was really annoying me to the point where I pulled over to see what was causing the rattle, I couldn’t find anything. I continued driving and would get annoyed with each rattle. Then it hit me, I was allowing the rattle to take me from my peace. Before this epiphany my conditioning was in control, but once I become aware of this, I had the choice to not be taken from my peace. I didn’t have to replace the rattle with anything, I just had to stay in the present moment.

To me it’s these subtle annoyances that ruin my peace and they’re only in place because it’s the way I’m conditioned. Once the conditioning is seen, this produces the choice to not allow the annoyance controlling energy. It doesn’t stop the rattle, but it does stop attaching to the rattle; this is key in remaining at peace. This is the point missed by most. There are many rattles in life, from the way I write, to Donald Trump, a boss or job, the traffic, and so on, and not one of them has anything to do with taking you from your peace, only the conditioning in place allows that. Hold on to your rattles, and you will if it’s not seen that you don’t have to, but don’t blame the rattle for not being at peace, because that comes strictly from within you and since it comes from within you, only you can choose to not be rattled, one link at a time.

Created Mental Fabrications

The mental fabrications that are created to form an identity of self are actually the very thing that blocks out one from being in the space of their true self.

We hold on to our degrees, roles, wealth, social status, and an array of many other labeled things, and we think this self is who we are. These mental fabrications are nothing more than a story and none of them are truly who one is. Whatever you do in life only matters to the extent in how it allows you to love. An individual’s so called success means little except to the created mental fabrication that labels it’s so. Ok, so you’re a doctor, lawyer, school teacher, psychologist, life coach, athlete, author, spiritual guru, or whatever label you think you need to apply to make you into something, except what is create is only a mental fabrication of you. You are the stillness beneath any label that’s applied regardless of the story that you tell yourself.

If this is seen, space is created that’s allows one to be aware of this and remain in this stillness. There’s so much attachment to the mental fabrications as a label that this space is entered very seldom; matter of fact it’s non existence in most lives. Created mental fabrications are incessant mind noise. This is the never ending attachment to form; an identity to self that begins at birth as soon as one is given a name. There’s nothing inherently wrong with forming this identification until there’s no more space to be your true self, beneath all this nonsense. We spend most of our life unconsciously forming this identification and wrestling with our true self. There’s mostly unawareness of this, that is until there is. Once there is awareness of this space, one will spend as much time as possible here because not to results in creating mental fabrications and being someone who you are not.

Conflict With Oneself

All conflicts are within, they arise from one’s inner questions. Without the practice of discipline, the inner answers won’t be provided so one will have to look externally and blame others.

Nothing causes discontentment unless it’s allowed to. If something can be changed by all means change it, but if it’s being changed because of an inner conflict, it needs to be looked at why there is the conflict to begin with because even if the thing is changed, you will just move on to the next thing that will cause you to become agitated and then in conflict once again.

All conflicts are ego based because they come from the Conditioned Mind. You don’t think this is true? Are you in conflict with what is written here, they are just words. It doesn’t matter if they are agreed with or not, but if they cause conflict that comes from within you, not from the writer or what is written. But oh, how we love to blame others for our own self created conflicts. The only reason this is so is because of the lack of understanding of one’s own mind.

Everything that I have come to understand over the last ten years has arisen from within myself. It has been through the practice of discipline that real answers have arisen directly from my own inner questions. I can’t have anyone else’s answers because the one who questions is the one who has the answers. I do not have your answers because I do not have your questions. So everyone has their own questions to answers. Truth is the same for all beings, but how we come to its understanding is from the questions within ourselves. When one sits in stillness, revealed are answers to our questions, this is when conflicts with oneself and with the world will be no more.

I Attachment

Everyone has been conditioned at some level even if this is adamantly denied. The thing to understand is the more one denies their conditioning, the more the conditioning is in control.

If you think the Conditioned Mind is nonsense that’s your right, but that denial is part of the conditioning. Whatever keeps you attached to I is conditioning. If the conditioning wasn’t there the attachment to I wound be there. This is something that’s real regardless if it’s realized or not. That it’s being pointed out by someone is why it’s denied by some, but that doesn’t mean its not true. One can only see what has been provided, but the Conditioned Mind shouldn’t be discounted just because its not seen, however discounting it is also part of the conditioning . I will not reveal the subtleness of its own self unless there is quietness between one’s ears. Discount this, disagree with it, adamantly say it isn’t so, or who is this guy that thinks he knows me, but understand this too is all part of the conditioning. Stop all the dialog going on in the head and the conditioning will possibly be seen, or not and keep the bondage to I intact.

I is all that stands in the way to a life that is truly happy, joyous, and free. If you don’t think so, who is it that doesn’t think so? Argue with this if you want, but who is arguing? There’s no argument from me here because there’s no I trying to prove this is right. All I’m saying is before this is discounted it should be investigated. I’m just stating what I see. If this can be read and not attached to, then one is free. If not, the bondage to I is in control. It’s not complicated, but it’s very difficult to not allow I to control your thoughts. Thoughts have no power until there is attachment to them, but there can’t be attachment to them unless there is an I. In the space between your thoughts is the non attachment to I, it’s the space where there’s peace, but it’s not because I doesn’t exist there, I will always exist, but it’s just that in this space I isn’t being attached to by the Conditioned Mind.

Peace: A Showcase to Love

The beautiful thing about love is it transforms on its own, it doesn’t take doing. Probably the most misunderstood thing about love is the more that’s done to try and love, the less one truly loves.

We all know the kind of peace the world offers, but that’s not the kind of peace that’s needed for the betterment of humanity. Most get caught in the trap of thinking we would have peace if we had enough of supply and less demand, if we had our health, or the right kind of companionship, and that may be true to some extent, but having those things doesn’t guarantee that we won’t have an agitated mind about something else. As long as we look to people and situations for our peace, we shall fail to find either lasting satisfaction or peace. Universal Peace is a gentle spirit that wells up from the love deep within us. It has no relationship to the state of our situations in any way, although ultimately peace is what settles all our situations.

Material living puts its foundation in the form of possessions. Spiritual living makes use of that which is of the world; it enjoys the form, but its reliance is solely on that which is the substance of that form, or that which has created the form “Love”. Form may seem to be an end to a means, but the only time form ends is when there’s attachment to death. Life and death co exist, as the day form begins it goes in the direction of being one day closer to death. But it’s the existence in between that matters and only in the sense of how we love. The beautiful thing about love is it transforms on its own, it doesn’t take doing, this is probably the most misunderstood thing about love. Love just is and when this is understood one will be transformed.

Thought Filters

It’s not like one can control their thoughts from arising, but we can develop filters so at least they’re not in control. Whatever is the base of these filters is what will be emitted out.

I often talk about developing tools to live by, but what exactly does this mean. It’s easy to see how material tools work and the results they produce. A hammer when used properly will result in a nail being embedded in wood or possibly something else. A tool of eating healthy will produce health with fairly rapid results. Drive a car from point a to point b and lo and behold your destination is reached. Results from using materiel tools are pretty much a given. There’s very little mystery in how they work and the results they’ll produce, but how about the tools where the results aren’t seen right away, the ones that are used to look inward and need to be developed?

What these tools equate to are the filters in which one’s life is viewed. When a water filter, which is a tool, is used in line with a tap water faucet, its function is to remove the impurities of the water. It’s not a tool to make the water taste or look better, although these are the results produced The filter is strictly used to remove the impurities in the water. This is also what tools that assist a person in looking inward provide. A means to remove our conditioned impurities so our heart can open to our innate nature of love.

An air filter, an oil filter, a parental filter on the tv, these are all designed to catch impurities that can do damage, this is also the way the filter of our mind works. Which filter is chosen determines what’s not only received by the individual, but also by the world. The impure thoughts if not filtered properly create damage to ourselves and others, but when a filter is used that catches these, then we are left with results that produce love. This will occur only because the filter that we have in place catches all the impurities that get in the way of keeping this from happening.

Delusional Feelings and Emotions

Stuff happens there’s no denying this, how it affects you is directly related to the feelings and emotions that are attached to. Why this is a problem is because it makes something factual that’s just not real.

Feelings and emotions seem to be a natural part of life, but it’s been my experience that they are not, they’re just conditioned concepts handed down by people who say they’re needed. There are no facts to either of them, there’s attachment that’s for sure and that’s the only reason they exist beyond their initial arising. I’m not saying they won’t arise, especially in situations where loved ones are involved or if something is done that you apply the label of personal to it, but this still doesn’t make either one of them factual, they are still just a story. I was controlled by my emotions and feelings for a very long time and it probably wouldn’t have changed had I stayed the same, but something change me that exposed many of the lies that I took as gospel. I was conditioned to fall into the trap of what others thought life was about and basically this made me a slave to their conditioning as well as my own.

When one awakens to the fact that emotions and feelings are overrated, although as stated they will arise, their control lessens to a large degree because seeing there are no facts associated with them helps one not attach to them. For me the quieter my mind became, the more the conditioned lies were exposed and as they were exposed, this is what allowed me to see the nonsense of my conditioning and to stop attaching to it. Stuff happens there’s no denying this, how it affects you is directly related to the feelings and emotions that are attached to. Why this is a problems is because this makes something factual that’s just not real.

Truth is Love

The thought of what one thinks truth is isn’t truth. Once one truly awakens to come from a place of love, the only thing left to learn is how to remain in this place.

There’s always a lot of discussion when it comes to the topic of truth. Many hold onto the idea that everyone’s perception is different so everyone has their own truth, but what was revealed to me is there is only one truth, and it isn’t mine, lol. If you are taking a test and you have a question that requires a true or false answer, if the answer to the question is false, but you see it as being true and answer it as so, that doesn’t make your answer correct. You can argue about it, state your opinion on why you answered true, but just because you think it’s true doesn’t mean it is. To know truth requires a quiet mind, the more one holds on to the thought of what truth is, the less actual truth there is.

What has been revealed to me is seeing truth in the context as love, nothing else. What arose when my mind settled was there aren’t different versions of truth, there are different perceptions of it, but that doesn’t make it true. Yes we all see things differently, and we all like to hold onto what we have been conditioned to think truth is, but if we all came from a place of love, we would be falling over each other for a better humanity, not trying to conjure up a made up version of what we think truth is. Once one truly awakens to come from a place of love, the only thing left to learn is how to remain in this place. This place needs no explanation, nor defending, it wells up from deep within and although not everyone will agree with what is written here because of the conditioning in place, if you do you will know this is truth because you will not only be coming from a place of love, you will be set free.

Selfishness Only Harms

To those who can remain silent goes the spoils of the Universe. To those who have to disagree out loud because of holding on to I am right energy, goes the spoils of selfishness.

The base of most conditioning is selfishness, and although there are degrees in how much hold the conditioning has over a person, it causes suffering nonetheless. Not everyone has conditioning to murder, steal, abuse, rape, mug, and so on, but it’s all basically the same energy so even though some behavior is less harmful, this selfish behavior causes harm all the same, just not to the same degree as someone who is totally in the grip of their conditioning. The tighter the hold, the greater the suffering; to oneself and others. This is what’s at the core of I am right energy. Any disagreement is just a conditioned story, it’s not that everyone will be in agreement with everything that happens, but the tighter one holds on to their way being the right one, the more disharmony this causes; this disharmony is with oneself.

One can only see what is seen and that’s ok, but to disagree out loud with someone brings the conditioned energy to a much deeper level than reading or talking about something and not agreeing and just moving on. If there is an evil in the world it would use the disguise of selfishness because that is an energy that can only cause suffering. This is all about the Conditioned Mind not people. Because of the way the Universe is designed we are all connected, but because of I am right energy, it doesn’t allow it to be seen in this way by everyone, this is a direct result of the conditioning in place. To those who can remain silent goes the spoils of the Universe. To those who have to disagree out loud because of holding on to I am right energy, goes the spoils of selfishness.

Attachment to Form

When there’s attachment to form it opens up a doorway that leads to suffering. This doesn’t mean all that life has to offer can’t be enjoyed, it’s just that nothing last so why attach to it.

Many things are used because of the attachment to form, some harmful in nature and some healthy, but if there’s attachment to either, suffering will ensue because it’s simply the nature of attachment. To me I exist to experience all of life and to learn just how to do that is what my life is basically about. For many years I did not live, I existed. Just because you are alive that doesn’t equate to living. Sure if you’re reading this you are alive and you know this because when you look in the mirror you can see a form, but if the form in the mirror is attached to, life becomes so limiting because everything from there on in is given a label. Attachment to form slams the door shut to the unlimited essence of who one truly is; we are not the thoughts we have of ourselves and others are not the thoughts we have of them. There’s so much made up nonsense between our ears and it can all be linked to the attachment to form.

We think in terms that we are our body and mind without investigating if it’s true. We definitely have a body because that can be seen, but the mind, where is the mind? At least the body is form, the mind has no such substance, it isn’t anything at all. But how we allow it to control us is life’s biggest misunderstanding. The mind is what tells you everything, it creates happiness, sadness, anger, joy and so on, why this is a problem is because it’s all based on the attachment to form which can only cause suffering. Even when your mind tells you your life is perfect the same mind just moments later will tell you something needs to be different. If there wasn’t attachment to form this wouldn’t be an issue, but since form is what we manifest as, we attach to it and attachment is the root of all suffering. One day just like that your form will end, it’s inevitable, and the you are attached to it, the more suffering it will cause. The key is to not attach now because non attaching will occur one day without your permission so you might as well let go now and truly live your while you are alive.

Deep Stillness

The depth of our stillness is what determines the depth of our love. Without depth there is just what’s on the surface and this flip flops so easily because of the dependency on things.

The deeper stillness is as our foundation, the more love will be emanated in our life, and obviously the more love we have the more can be given. Also the deeper the stillness, the less our conditioning is in control. Go to the depth not known and go to a place of purity, but this will take a tremendous amount of understanding of why we aren’t in this way already. The transformation that occurs with this understanding from our head to our heart will determine the depth of our love. It’s essential to get to the heart, but without stillness we remain stuck in the head.

I’ve seen this played out first hand in my life and when love comes from the head it benefits no one. It’s the heart of love that’s pure, the head is usually filled with some mind made concept of love; there are many conditions put on this type of love. This is the cause of the flip flopping between the head and heart. The lack of stillness creates a flip flop foundation so our emotions are very easily swayed by things, and the things that sway us are allowed to occur because our emotions are that of an immature child. Why else are we swayed when things don’t go our way? Does not a child act in the same manner? Do not we as adults, act in the same manner of stamping our feet when we don’t get our way?

The purity of a child is different than the immature emotions of a child, so learn to go deeper than what the surface supplies you with and you will see a level of maturity not previously known. When this does become known, your life will be much more stable because you won’t be so easily swayed by the nonsense the world provides as a foundation. And with a solid and mature foundation based in stillness which is beyond what happens on the surface, flip flopping ceases and from the love of the heart is how life is lived.

Inner Discontent

The search for peace will never result in peace because the search itself is what keeps one from experiencing peace. Only when the mind settles will the discontent subside and just like that therein lies one’s peace.

Many people are on a spiritual quest to find an answer and for me this was in the form the question why was I so discontented with life. I say was because the discontent is no longer there. For far to many years I didn’t truly understand this discontent and so it was always there as was the searching to quiet it. This searching manifested in many different ways and none were beneficial in living my life in a loving manner. This is because of the way I was conditioned, to self seek (quiet the discontent) which kept the it in place. What a ride this produced, hence there wasn’t much peace in my life. This lasted for forty nine years and then one day through a tiny crack in my ego there arose the possibility of a different view of life, which was revealed to me and gave me some real answers as to the true nature of my inner discontent.

Ten years ago what began as a crack has been expanding ever since. For the most part the discontent for peace is no longer there because it has been replaced with a simple quietness, but when the mind becomes agitated, the discontent does return because of the Conditioned Mind Patterns in place; I’ve learned to see it from the I perspective and not attach to them. Only attachment to I keeps the discontent in place so one has to search instead of there being peace. The search for peace will never result in peace because the search itself is what keeps one from experiencing peace. In this moment right now is where peace resides so there’s no need to search for what already is. It’s only when the mind settles and I is let go of that the inner discontent subsides and lo and behold it is then that one will be at peace.

Temporary Fix

When impermanence is understood the craving for fulfillment is replaced with a satisfaction that whatever happens next doesn’t really matter because one day what happens next will prove just how impermanent everything is.

Death is a part of life as much as life itself is and regardless of any belief, one day this body will cease to support life in the form that it occupies today. We can make up a place spiritually that we are going to go to when we die, but the body is going to become void of life and it will either be cremated, decay in a box six feet below ground or in a vault above ground. If this one truth can be understood than nothing else would truly matter because the impermanence of all things would be known, and once the truth of impermanence is known, life takes on an entirely different dynamic and a mundane view no longer exists.

There’s nothing needed for fulfillment when this dynamic takes hold because one realizes life is already fulfilled. How can it not be with the understanding that all you need you already have because all that you have has no lasting substance to it. If everything is impermanent including life itself nothing will bring fulfillment to life except the understanding that life’s already fulfilled. Everything reached for in life is used as a temporary fix strictly to fulfill some inner craving, this is the reason why one is never truly satisfied. If there wasn’t a craving to be fulfilled, there wouldn’t be a need for a temporary fix. To me this is why impermanence has so much value because when it’s understood, the craving for fulfillment is replaced with a satisfaction that whatever happens next doesn’t matter much because one day whenever that day may be, what’s next will prove just how impermanent life really is.

What's Liked Bondage

There’s no denying the Conditioned Mind is like a pleasure seeking machine, but giving in constantly to doing what’s liked keeps the conditioning in control and thus one in bondage to it.

There was a FB discussion yesterday with a woman who says she occasionally uses drug because she likes the way they make her feel. Sure it feels good, why else do it? It’s not for me to label this as anything, all I know is for me giving in to the barrage of what’s liked thoughts keeps the I Self conditioning in place which keeps one in the bondage and prison to I. It’s one thing to get caught in a flare up of selfish behavior, it’s another thing to consciously even though it’s done unconsciously, keep the self satisfying conditioning in place. The human mind can justify anything and this is a daily occurrence for most, but until this is seen the bondage to I will remain.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with doing something that’s liked, but there are differences and what they are is most are selfish to fill some inner lack, but some arise from a deep place of stillness for the betterment of others. Reaching out for anything to fulfill a self satisfying need is purely selfish and it’s at the core of most things reached for; no matter how good it makes you feel. Someone once told me they enjoyed smoking cigarettes and they probably do, but except for satisfying a selfish desire, what benefit is there to smoking? It’s strictly done to satisfy self. Millions do this all the time with an array of things, alcohol, gambling, food, drugs, sex, helping others and so on, but until it’s seen that if one needs to use something to alter the way that they feel which is always derived from selfishness, the conditioned bondage to self remains in place. Check this for yourself or not, but it’s a truth that won’t be seen as long as the Conditioned Mind is in control and this is because it will justify the selfish reaching in some way.

Life: A Silent Phenomenon

One has to be just as ok with perfect disease as with perfect health for there to be silence. Only when silent will it be seen that everything will work itself out and it’s because there’s no needing anything different.

Just be silent and all will work itself out. To me there’s a silent phenomenon about life that’s hard to put into words, it has to do with how everything will pass regardless of what happens, but the silence is always there. It’s been this way and will continue this way forever. Even if for some reason there was no more Earth, the Universe wouldn’t miss a beat, existence in whatever form would still be. This is what makes life so strange, it just does its thing regardless of what humanity does; humanity is just one part. All the noise, greed, hate, and delusion only mean something to a noisy mind, it means nothing to the Universe. There was a study done on what would happen if humanity became extinct and the result was life on earth would simply go on, just not for man. This silent phenomenon of life is what most of us are searching for, but the reason it’s not revealed is because there’s not enough silent space to experience it.

To live in this silence is where everything works out, not because it’s the way you want it to be, but because it’s the way it is. The value of being silent isn’t given enough attention by the individual or the collective in today’s society. Life is mostly looked at as a doing (noise) and this is constantly reinforced. Most people don’t have the tools to be silent so it’s fleeting at best. When of the mind the mind causes suffering. If silent on can not suffer because there’s no mind agitations causing it. One has to be just as ok with perfect disease as with perfect health for there to be silence. Only when silent will it be seen that everything will work itself out and that’s because there’s no wanting anything different.

Loving Energy Heals

The only way loving energy can be emitted out into the world is by allowing the silence of the Universe to play the instrument without one putting their conditioned selfish spin on it.

Selfish energy harms, loving energy heals. It really is as simple as this statement, but recognizing the difference of the two is what’s tricky. You would think the differences would be obvious, and they may be if you’re truly awake, but that’s not the case because of the unawareness of most of just what a Conditioned Mind is. I know one can only see what is within, but very few have the willingness to look within to truly see what truth is; a story of truth is not truth. I love when someone says “we all have our own perception of truth” but what’s not understood is that’s the problem because there’s only one truth and this makes everyone have some kind of selfish agenda, even if it’s not seen in this way; the Conditioned Mind is diabolical. That’s where those who truly see differ as there’s no agenda attached to what is done. Very few people actually see how much selfish energy is in place and how much harm is really caused. It has been my experience that all arises from stillness and it doesn’t need my spin put on it.

A true instrument will simple do what’s in front of you. That’s the only time an instrument can be truly played; in the Now. If you want to be a true instrument, the Universe will have to do the playing. Even those attempting to put loving energy out into the world don’t see how that’s just a story. Very few truly see this. How one will know they’re stuck in this space is since everything arises from silence if one attaches a label associated with noise to the silence, they, not the Universe becomes the player of the instrument and this makes the instrument out of tune. The only way loving energy can be emitted out into the world is by allowing the silence of the Universe to play the instrument without one putting their conditioned selfish spin on it. It will be then that loving energy heals and selfish energy simply falls away.

Conceptual Living

Life isn’t a competition to be more spiritual than someone else, it’s simply to find that place within which doesn’t require a story or concept to be at peace and to remain there as much as possible.

If life is lived between the distinction of it being good or bad, whichever one is chosen they are really one in the same. Granted the outer behavior will be different, but the inner energy will be the same because both good and bad are a made up concept of the way one thinks life should be. Of course the Conditioned Mind loves the good and wants to push away what it considers as bad. Concepts lead to problems because they’re made up. It’s the reason I write as I do and why my writings are based in finding a true place within that doesn’t require a story or concept for there to be peace in your life. If you’re not at peace right now, ask yourself why. What do you think it would take to be at peace? More knowledge of spirituality, more money, better health, better job, better spouse, and the list goes on. The truth is nothing on the outside will make the inside better because why you think the inside needs to be better is an inside job which will only get better when it’s realized it’s already as good as it’s going to get.

Life isn’t a competition of who knows more about spirituality or who has more stuff, to me the only thing that matters is if I’m in my place within that doesn’t required a made up concept and story. Nothing else and I truly mean this, nothing else matters. To me life isn’t about anything, nor does it have to be. When the need arises to make it about something, instantly one is pulled from their place within and with it goes their peace. I know the Universe has done for me what I could never have done for myself, but it’s not a competition to be more spiritual than anyone else, it’s simply to find that place within which doesn’t require a story or concept to be peace and to remain there as much as possible.

Form or Freedom

Unconsciousness is ignorance and although there’s no bliss in being ignorant, there is a certain innocence in not knowing what you don’t know. Until what you don’t know becomes known you just won’t know.

Everything arises from the stillness of life, but it’s at that exact time that there will either be attachment to form or there will be freedom from it. This is the dilemma of life or at least it is for the one who see this. If it’s not seen you will just go on your merry way attached to form because there won’t be the awareness to not attach to it. You would think this would be a dilemma if it wasn’t seen, but since you don’t know what you don’t know, there’s no dilemma, at least to the one who doesn’t know. Unconsciousness is ignorance and although there’s no bliss in being ignorant, there is a certain innocence in not knowing what you don’t know. I suffered for years not knowing what I didn’t know, but now the suffering is so much less because of the awareness of what causes suffering.

Even though there’s so much more awareness of suffering, not only mine, but the suffering of others, I prefer this way as opposed to living in ignorance because it is in this exact moment that I am free. If you know the cause of something, it can be changed. If you just know there’s something causing you to suffer, but are not sure what it is, the suffering will most likely continue in one form or another. Know your own mind and don’t concern yourself with anything else. Break the chains to the attachment to form and you will know freedom. Or not and remain in bondage to the very thing that causes you to suffer. Everything arises from stillness, it’s at that time that there will either be attachment to form or there will be freedom from it.

False Self Addiction

If it wasn’t for the attachment to a false self that creates bondage, addiction would be non existent because the craving of a self needing life to be in some other way would never occur.

Each day most of our waking hours are spent trying to arrange the day to our liking, the only problem with this is most of our day is wasted trying to arrange the day to our liking. This occurs because we have been conditioned to believe there is a self that needs things to be different. This conditioning keeps the mind addicted to this self which creates a constant state of agitation, and when the mind is agitated it will use whatever tools it has developed. Not so much to quiet the agitation, but more so to distract from it. The distractions in this case manifest as Conditioned Mind Patterns that are constantly trying to arrange life by using whatever it deems necessary to satisfy this false self.

If it wasn’t for the need to satisfy a false self, these cravings to want life to be in some other way which are caused by one’s own mind, wouldn’t exist. This agitation is the cause of the constant rearranging of life and it’s because of the false self needing life to be a certain way, but something would exist without the addiction to a this false self and that would be peace. The peace of just being because the addiction to the false self wouldn’t exist. If you don’t think this is true, it’s probably because of the addiction to the false self that’s not allowing your mind to settle so you can be aware of the peace that passes all understanding and go beyond the cravings brought on by the false self wanting things to be in some other way. Until this changes, nothing changes.

Addicted to Needing

Until it’s understood there’s never a true need to change the way that you feel, addiction will remain at the level of epidemic proportion because needing the present moment different will be all that one thinks about.

There are many things used that are put in the category of what addiction is, but what’s not understood about this is none of them have anything to do with addiction. I know not many people see this, but until they do, addiction will remain at the level of epidemic proportion. Why I say this is because what’s not addressed by the so called addiction experts is why a person needs to alter the way that they feel. That’s what’s at the root of addiction; the need to reach for something to fulfill a feeling of lack. That’s the true addiction, not the thing being reached for. If the feeling of needing to alter one’s current mind state was understood, then one could choose not to do it, but since it’s not understood, the reaching must commence once the feeling of needing to alter your current mind state arises. The true addiction is in the thought of needing the present moment different. If needing the present moment different was not the case, reaching for something would never occur. I know they are two parts to this, mental and physical, but the physical is only a secondary reaction to the mental. Before anything is reached for and actually used physically, the mental has to take a firm position that the thing is needed.

Nobody abuses drugs, takes a drink of alcohol, gambles, or gives into any desire without there being a need to fill a desire. Without having the thought of a desire one would be free of any addiction. You see it’s our thoughts that cause the actual problem; the fixated attention on a substance is secondary. If the addiction epidemic is ever going to stop, there will have to be a change of focus on to why there’s an epidemic in the first place. It’s because there’s a thinking epidemic in the world and it’s why the world is in such disarray. So much that’s done in our society reinforces this conditioned thinking that it keeps one reaching outside themselves to change the way that they feel. Until one understands there’s never a true need to change the way that you feel, addiction will remain at the level of epidemic proportion because the need to want the present moment different will be at the core of what one thinks about.

Present Moment Distractions

To be present in the moment is to be with what’s occurring at this exact time. A distraction will arise when the mind becomes agitated because discipline was never developed to be in the moment.

Some say there isn’t a choice to be made as to whether there’s discipline that allows for peace, but I have found this not to be so. Yesterday I was at the doctors office, I was filling out paperwork, the place was packed with over twenty five people who were there before me. It was moving very slow as I was there for over an hour. As I was waiting I was just watching all the distractions my mind was creating to divert from the moment, “This is ridiculous, I’ll come back another day, let me check my phone, let’s see what’s happening on FB, call someone, blaming the Doctors office for being incompetent, it certainly seems the longer one waits, the more the Conditioned Mind nonsense commences, but this nonsense only takes hold if one is unaware of it.

This is where the developed practice of discipline comes into play with the possibility of putting it into place instead of giving in to the mind agitations and being annoyed. Discipline has to be developed to keep one is the present moment, that is unless one is totally unaware of the present moment. This goes for everything, whether it’s traffic or the line in a store that causes the mind to become agitated, it only grabs you if there isn’t awareness of it, so instead of being in the nonsense, I can still be at peace even though the mind wants things otherwise.

Now granted this agitation initially arises on its own, but this is where the awareness of it comes in. Once it arises only with the necessary awareness will one be able to truly be with the agitated moment, which can then be replace with the discipline that has been developed. I was watching most of the people being distracted so they didn’t have to be in the moment. Since in each moment we can only have one thought at a time, the level of discipline developed determines if your thoughts grab you, and that’s what determines if you are free or if you are a puppet on a string.

Mask of Addiction

Remove the mask of addiction the Conditioned Mind uses and see yourself as the beautiful creation that you truly are. We’re all from the same Universe that accepts us just as we are.

After a time when someone isn’t physically addicted to something, the thing that makes one return to the reaching is the Conditioned Mind. There’s nothing physical that makes this occur. It’s called a relapse when this return occurs, but it’s not really a relapse, it occurs because the conditioning that makes a person need to reach for something in the first place is still in place. One may not even want to reach for the thing, but there isn’t much of a choice. A person can only do what they’re conditioned to do so when the conditioning changes to not have the need to reach outside yourself for fulfillment, one’s addiction will be no more.

If this is contingent on anything but the freedom from the bondage of a self that needs to reach, something else will be used as a substitute. Quietness needs to be developed to take away all substitutions, if not the reaching will continue; this is the mask of addiction. A mask is all that’s really ever developed because it shifts the dependency from one thing onto something else. Freedom can only be had when one is free of all masks. To be truly free there has to be freedom of all dependencies and you must be able to be with yourself (without a mask) just as you are, without the need to reach for anything to make you feel different. Remove the mask of the Conditioned Mind and see yourself as you truly are; a beautiful creation of the Universe that loves you just the way you are. The question is do you or do you wear a mask?

Truth is Love

In quietness all truth is revealed, not because it comes from a book or a conjured up conditioned thought, it’s revealed because it comes from love. Know the truth and be set free.

There is no other purpose to our existence, but to be an expression of love. It’s not to be anything else; love is who we are. One can make up a story of love to be some belief conjured up by the Conditioned Mind, but this isn’t loves energy, it’s yours. We are love and the base of our existence can’t be changed. It’s like an apple seed, it will always produce apples, and no matter what you do with the apple after it grows and ripens, its nature is always that of an apple. Whether its mixed with other fruit, crushed to make apple sauce, blended into a shake, used to make a pie, or just eaten, its nature doesn’t change, so it is with us regardless of what story we make up. It’s only the way the mind has been developed that makes us do anything that doesn’t have love as its base.

When the mind becomes quiet and the noise subsides, there’s a peace that comes over you that passes all understanding. In this peace there’s the realization that life is a manifestation of love and any thought that isn’t in alignment with this is only there because of the Conditioned Mind. One is always of love, one cannot not be, but the awareness of this is mostly blocked. Learn to remove the blocks and be in alignment with love so can be the instrument to plant seeds of love wherever you go. Be very still so you can be sure they’re the seeds of love that are being planted and not self serving seeds. An interpretation of love is not loves interpretation of love. In quietness all truth is revealed, but not because it comes from a book or a conjured up Conditioned Mind thought, it’s revealed because it comes from love and that’s the truth.

Perfect Imperfections

Accepting the imperfections of yourself is just as important as accepting yourself when you’re acting in a loving manner. The key is to remain with loving energy regardless of what happens.

Loving and accepting yourself as is and not using a sledge hammer to beat yourself up when there are reactions to situations that aren’t based in love, is probably one of the most difficult lessons I’ve learned in the last ten years. I’ve never claimed to be anything but human and I seem to prove it everyday, but it’s of paramount importance that I remember this because my human conditioning has deeply engrained triggers that are less than favorable. This isn’t to just discount unloving behavior by saying it is what it is, but waking up and coming from a place of love to me has been a slow process. In some ares the change has been profound and in other areas not so much. It pains me when I act in the selfish manner that was always in place prior to ten years ago, but now there are mostly momentary flare ups of selfish behavior instead of being the norm. It’s so important to recognize this because if you don’t, the selfish conditioned energy remains and gains a stronger foothold to repeat its engrained patterns.

Unloving behavior hurts, but it doesn’t only hurt you it hurts others as well. This is when it gets touchy because if you don’t accept what has been done, the past energy is than in control of the present along with selfish energy. Accepting the imperfections of yourself is just as important as accepting yourself when you’re acting in a loving manner. The key here is to remain with loving energy regardless of what happens, not easy, but the alternative is to be with energy that’s not conducive to love and this doesn’t benefit anyone. People may be hurt by you because of the engrained Conditioned Mind Patterns in place, but how long it affects them is part of their conditioning. If things are to ever change, love has to be the energy in place regardless of how unloving one may act as the imperfections have to be accepted as if they were perfect.

Only One Truth

Truth is not something that’s created to make life fit nicely into a mind made story of the way one thinks life should be. Truth is already in place and it doesn’t need a story to make it so.

Although awakening is a process of becoming aware of what blocks the heart from love, to me it only opens and expands each day by developing a daily mindfulness and sitting practice. Because of this, no longer does the world revolve around my “I” it more so revolves around the “I” of others. Each day I bring a vision of how I can be a benefit to others by writing and posting a daily article, this has been done everyday for the past three plus years. There is awareness into my day to day existence and although there are some mishaps because the conditioned mind is relentless, the process is a continuation into the expansion of truth; with this expansion of truth 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 of truth are only our attached thoughts. When this was understood “I” was understood and it was the beginning of the end of the life of lies that I lived. This brought me to the realm of the unknown (truth), and this realm is not something that can brought about by thought. Thought will only block truth. Stillness is where the realm of the Spirit and our true nature manifest, it is where one connects to all of life and feels the warmth and truth of the Sunlight of the Spirit. It is our home, our place of peace that’s passes all understanding, it is the truth of one’s existence. This needs no story to be, one only needs to stop thinking to allow truth to arise.

Taking on God's Role

The Universe does its thing without any help whatsoever from humans. Until this is seen, one will judge and the role of God will be taken on. It’s in one’s judgements that they are judged.

Every time a judgement is made that something is right or wrong or it needs to be a certain way, it’s as though the role of God is taken on. I use the word God here in the sense of energy, not as an almighty power. Our finite minds like to think we know what’s best not only for ourselves, but also for others. We really don’t though because there is so much that goes on that’s unknown. Of course the story that you know can be made up and this is when the role of God is taken on. Not judging is difficult because of the harm humans do to each other, but when a judgement is made it blocks love from being present in one’s life. There are many tragic events that occur throughout life, some natural, some from human behavior, the thing to do if there’s to be constant loving energy is to not look for a reason as to why things happen. There really isn’t any rhyme or reason as to why most things happen, but to the Conditioned Mind this isn’t acceptable so it needs answers; mostly they are made up.

You think you know what’s going on, you breathe, bleed, heal, and many other things that just occur and it has nothing to do with any doing on your part. There have been many wars and tragic events throughout history and although the exact reason as to why they occur isn’t known, playing God and making up some story just blocks the love in your heart. When you judge something in the Universe as being out of place, you take on the role of God and you emit the exact energy you are against. The Universe does its thing without any help whatsoever from humans. Until this is seen, one will judge and the role of God will be taken on. It’s in one’s judgements that they are judged.

Simply Love

If you truly love there will be much compassion and that’s the energy that may someday change the world, but wanting it different just reinforces the judging energy that’s controlling the world.

Heart breaking and yet if one attaches to what happened in Las Vegas, the energy of the individual who did this remains in place and basically the unconsciousness wins. Unfortunately the world is mostly unconscious and many more things like what happened in Las Vegas are going to occur; just look at the violence of how history repeats itself. The unconscious energy causes so much destruction because that’s it’s nature. To me it’s inevitable that these things happen because of the unconsciousness that’s in place. It pains me to see this because it doesn’t accomplish anything, it just causes suffering. This is real to the extent that it’s happening, but we’re living in delusional times where any true sense of reality is simply missed because of all the nonsense that’s in plaice. From the entertainment industry, to our schools, the food industry, and so on, the tools in place are keeping the unconscious energy as the primary energy that we live by. To come from a place of purity is not the norm. It will only be a matter of time before a nuclear weapon is launch somewhere. This doesn’t mean you don’t love and do everything you can to spread it, but the unconscious energy is winning the battle and even though love does make progress, the unconsciousness of individuals causes so much harm that it’s hard to see.

This is why I do what I do, but there are even tools in place to prevent the message of love from being spread. Social media, FB especially controls what’s put out, as I have recently been blocked from posting in groups, I only post in groups that ask me to, but to no avail. The news media as the entire entertainment industry is also controlled and ruled by unconscious energy, as is world wide politics. There’s much to overcome if loving energy is to ever become humanities primary energy. The key is to not attach any emotional behavior to the unconscious acts that are done. If you truly love there will be much compassion and that’s the energy that may someday change the world, but for now one has to be ok with the way things are because wanting it different just reinforces the judging energy that’s controlling the world.

Judging Energy

Understanding conditioned behavior for what it is doesn’t condone unloving behavior nor does it exalt loving behavior, it just allows one to see that a person can only act as the conditioning in place allows.

It’s pivotal to one’s peace of mind to not judge the conditioned behavior of not only individuals, but also of oneself. If one is to ever be at peace there can’t be judgement of how someone behaves. This instantly causes separation because it puts up a barrier between the one who’s judged and the one who is doing the judging. Judging emanates an energy that makes a me and a you, without this judging energy one is in unity with themselves and with others. I know this isn’t easy to accept, but people can only do what their conditioning tells them to do and although the consequences of one’s behavior will be drastically different, judging anyone causes separation from oneself and thus from all humanity; non judgmental unites, judging separates.

Seeing the conditioning for what it is doesn’t condone unloving behavior nor does it exalt loving behavior, it just allows one the understanding that everyone does what they’re conditioned to do. In this understanding there is a peace that passes all understanding and it’s because there’s no judging energy to cause separation. There can’t be because in this space of not judging and just seeing the conditioning for what it is, it’s not being assigned to anyone in particular, it’s just being seen as the conditioning in place and regardless if there’s loving or unloving behavior, it’s just conditioning, nothing more, nothing less.

Thought Created Suffering

You cannot suffer without the thought of suffering. Again: You cannot suffer without the thought of suffering. See the truth in this simple yet profound statement.

You do become your thoughts to the degree of the energy they are given even though you are not your thoughts. Why it’s so difficult to see the real issue with one’s own thoughts is because the suffering is very subtle and is probably not even considered as suffering. Here are a few example of just how subtle the suffering is. Just casually being at the supermarket and looking for the shortest line is a form of suffering. Changing lanes while driving because it’s deemed the person in front of you isn’t driving to your liking is suffering. Wanting someone else instead of the person in a certain political office causes suffering. These along with any other thought of thinking something should be different creates suffering. If the thought wasn’t there, the suffering wouldn’t be there. You can make the spiritual life about anything you want, God, charkas, loving energy, unity, Universal Love, and so on, but the bottom line is a thought about anything doesn’t make it true, it just makes it your story.

This is why I wrote “You cannot suffer without the thought of suffering” there is no suffering without the thought to make it happen. This doesn’t mean things don’t happen that you would prefer didn’t, but the thing itself cannot cause suffering unless a thought is attached to it that reinforces the suffering. Very subtle is this attachment, but so prevalent is the suffering this causes. This shouldn’t be taken lightly, it’s the fundamental principle of all suffering and unless it’s understood, the subtleness will continue to keep you blind to its subtleness and the suffering that is truly going on.

Presence of Stillness

The degree of stillness which will be experienced can be measured by the extent to which one relinquishes their dependency on the external world of form and places trust and confidence in stillness.

At first, you may not understand why practicing ceaselessly to develop stillness has anything to do with your being happy, successful, or healthy. You may not even be able to see what connection stillness has with the mundane affairs of life. You will only discover this through your own experience because regardless of any information one may offer to you as to what their discoveries have been, or the thousands of lives that have had so called spiritual experiences, you will not be convinced until you yourself have had the actual experience. Every person who has known dissatisfaction, incompleteness, and frustration will someday learn that there is only one missing link in his entire chain of harmonious living and that is the presence of stillness; consciously, daily, and hourly.

The secret of harmonious living is the development of stillness which is spiritual consciousness. In that consciousness, fear and anxiety disappear, and life becomes meaningful with fulfillment at its core. The degree of stillness or if you like spiritual consciousness which will be experienced can be measured by the extent to which one relinquishes their dependency on the external world of form and places trust and confidence in stillness. It stillness we can overcome every obstacle and it is in the presence of stillness that these obstacles simply fall away.