Two Absolutes

From the time existence in this form begins change begins, some is glaring and some is very subtle, and it all happens without permission. How this change is adjusted to determines how one lives…

There are some absolutes that will happen in life no matter how much one tries to avoid them. One of these absolutes is the end of existence in this current form. And the other is things will change no matter how much you try to keep them a certain way; both of these absolutes are inevitable. There is no way around these two things. The difference is one happens once and when it occurs it will never be repeated as we know of. The other happens constantly and is repeated over and over. From the time existence in this form begins, change happens. Some is glaring and some is very subtle, and it happens whether you want it to or not.

Each day most of our waking hours are spent trying to arrange the day to our liking, but the only problem with this is most of our day is wasted trying to arrange the day to our liking. This occurs because we’ve been conditioned to believe there is a self that needs things to be different. This conditioning keeps the mind addicted to a self that is in a constant state of agitation. When the mind is agitated, it will use its developed tools, not to quiet the agitation, but to distract from them. The distractions in this case manifest as Conditioned Mind Patterns that are constantly trying to arrange life to satisfy this false self. When this is seen whether change occurs once or constantly, it’s allowed. And this simply occurs because there’s not a self that minds the change that is happening…

Blind Mind State

Life will always be life and it will always be as it is, but you don’t have to be in a blind mind state where you’re not mindful of what’s actually happening…

To be mindful is to be non reactive in the present moment to what is happening while it is happening. Life doesn’t have any specific effect on a person, its effect is directly link to the conditioning the person has in place; this is why one blindly reacts to what happens the way they do. This reactivity is blindly in place for everyone, it just manifest in different ways. The quality of how mindful one is of what’s happening while it’s happening determines the reactivity to it. Before something occurs there’s the space of stillness that it arises from. If you’re already in a blind state of anger when the next thing arises, the reaction is immediately laced with anger. If you’re in a mindfulness state of love or quietness and the same thing takes place, the reactivity to it will be much different. The key here is to pay attention to things that are skillful and conducive to your well being. This is not always easy to see because of the conditioning. Many of our reactions aren’t really skillful or conducive to our well being, but they’re blindly done anyway because that’s what’s in place. Until there’s awareness of this these reactions will be repeated over and over.

You’re always in the present moment whether you’re mindful of it or not. When you’re not mindful, this is when what arises blindly grabs hold of you. It’s one of the reasons the Buddha said “Nothing can harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts” because the unguarded thoughts blindly control you as if you were a puppet on a string. Stillness of each moment is where everything arises from so if you’re in harmony with this, what arises will have less of an effect on you. Life is life and it will always be as it is, but you don’t have to be in a blind mind state where you’re not mindful of what’s actually happening…

Stale Emotions

Nothing from the outside truly controls you regardless of what it is, either real or made up. It’s the stale emotions attaching to what happens that causes them to control…

Staying with the flow of what arises in our daily life has immense value in the process of waking up from the sleep of unawareness. What happens if one’s awareness isn’t expanded upon, the arisen emotions become stale and they control you; they become the master and you the slave. The stale emotions is what causes one to react to life in the way that they do. Nothing from the outside truly controls you either real or made up. It’s the stale emotions attaching to what happens that causes one to behave in a certain manner. When one awakens, the attachment to emotions lessens and their control lessens.

This is how it is with all our emotions, fear becomes crippling when it becomes stale and it takes you over. It’s doesn’t mean things won’t scare you, but it’s doesn’t have to be given the energy that turns it into fear. This applies to any emotion you become attached to. The associated emotion becomes stale and there’s no telling what behavior will arise. I guarantee you it’s not going to be a behavior that has love flowing as its base. Emotions will arise, it’s the way the brain seems to be wired, but our energy doesn’t have to give them more power than they’re worth. We can cry our tears or be fearful of the future. We can dislike that things aren’t going the way we think they should be, but the bottom line is it’s only when the emotions are stale that they’re given the energy to stop the flow of truly living life and cause not only your own suffering, but the suffering of all beings…

Conditionally Controlled

Without recognition of the conditioning that’s formed, you’re blindly controlled by it. It says jump and the only thing you can do is jump, and if you’re really conditioned you’ll 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 conditioned actions. If there is no sitting, there’s very little chance for the mind to settle so it can be observed. As conditioning is formed it becomes second nature, there’s very little observation in this mind activated action. These conditioned actions are different for everyone, but their root is common. All conditioning arises in some way to seek pleasure. It matters little what one uses to fulfill this pleasure seeking conditioning. And because there’s very little awareness of this, it’s in control of you. There needs to be an understanding that your actions become conditioned and are controlled by it. This is what determines whether your actions are wholesome (loving) or unwholesome (selfish). Simply put, loving actions should be cultivated so they become instinctual.

If there isn’t any sitting to allow the mind to settle, an understanding of this will be difficult. Observing the conditioned patterns will not be recognized. Without recognition of this conditioning you’re blindly controlled by it. It says jump and the only thing you can do is ask how high. This is why things are done without hesitation that aren’t in your best interest. Without the ability to observe the thoughts that arise, one is like a puppet on a string. If nothing is in place to allow the mind to settle, the Conditioned Mind puppeteer will continue to control you and you’ll blindly and without hesitation do things that aren’t in your best interest or in the interest of others…

Gap of Loneliness

When the mind settles the need to reach for something lessens. In the process the gap of loneliness disappears and it’s simply because an “I” story of a gap isn’t being created…

The gap of loneliness seems to get wider as one ages, but it doesn’t really, what happens is there are just less distractions so “I” takes more of a hold. The natural process of life seems to be to stay busy trying to figure things out and regardless of what exactly the figuring out manifest as, it certainly creates a lot of distractions. There are periods in between the busyness where a person has some idle time and probably feels the hole of loneliness, but it doesn’t usually last very long because the busyness of trying to figure out life returns. This busyness last most of one’s life, but there does come a time that the natural process of being busy lessens. At this stage many people experience a loneliness that hasn’t been noticed before so it will either be addressed by looking inward or one will get busy again trying to figure out how to fill the gap.

Eventually the busyness will end for whatever reason, but unfortunately for most people without the busyness the gap of loneliness rears its ugly head. Many elderly people struggle to fill this gap, but it’s so difficult because there just isn’t a lot going on. Kids are grown, retirement, house paid off, more time behind you than what’s left, and the list goes on. I was this way for many years, using distraction after distraction. There were very brief periods of not needing to reach, but these periods were far and few in between. That is until fifteenth years ago when I hit an emotional bottom. I began sitting and simply looking inward which allowed me to see the distractions of my “I” needing to attach to a story. As I sat the mind settled and thus the “I” needing to reach for something lessened. In the process the gap of loneliness disappeared and it was simply because an “I” story of a gap wasn’t being created…

Caught Up in Reaching

When you get caught up in the need to reach for something to provide peace, you become this thoughts prisoner if it’s not understood peace isn’t in the next thing reached for…

You’ll never find peace if you’re caught up in the thought of finding peace. Peace is something that’s already within you, but because of the way the mind is wired, you get caught up in your thoughts that peace is something to find. Unfortunately being caught up makes the very thing you are seeking (peace) elusive. Being caught up is the reason you’re constantly reaching for something from the outside. Until this is understood you’ll remain caught up in the thoughts that peace is in the next thing reached for. Drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, success, programs, therapy, self help books and on and on, this reaching is proof that you’re caught up. Can you see this? I can’t stress this enough as being caught up to your thoughts has to be seen if you’re to truly experience peace in their life.

No one thinks their way to peace, but what does have to happen if one is to be at peace is there has to be an understanding of why you’re not at peace. The proof that you are not at peace is in your inability to not reach. When the need to reach for something arises, being caught up begins. Being caught up is a vicious cycle that’s very difficult to break free from. Peace isn’t something attained or achieved so it’s in doing less that peace arises. To many people get lost (caught up) in trying to find peace, but since it’s something that’s already within you, the caught up thoughts about finding it need to be discarded so you can see. I don’t make light that this is easy to see, but I do offer my assistance in any way that I can. Understand though, this isn’t offered to help you find peace, it’s offered so you may possibly uncover the reason why you’re not at peace…

Changing the Program

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

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

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

Exist to Love

Love emanates as behavior and can be measured by the way people treat one another. It’s difficult, maybe even impossible to act selfishly or self serving when your existence is based in love…

Growing up, although there was love all around me I never understood it. I didn’t know how to love myself or others. I would always behave in ways that was destructive to my own well being. Some of this was learned and some of it just seemed like it was from within myself. The problem with this is if I didn’t act it ways that showed love to myself how in the world was I going to show love to others. And without love as the base of any life it makes it very difficult to live life to the fullest.

It’s often said that love is the true nature of life, but that doesn’t mean it will be the base of every life. Look at what some people are doing today. Ask their victims family if love is their true nature. Most people have some degree of selfishness, but not to the degree of evil. I was very selfish, and most of my decisions made were to satisfy myself, but it’s not this way today because I learned the valuable lesson of what it means to love thy neighbor as thy self; I truly don’t want to hurt anyone today. Love emanates as behavior and it can be measured by the way people treat each other. It’s hard to act selfishly or self serving if the base of one’s life is to love…

Worldly Trappings

The ways to be drawn in by the world are endless, but understand the draw comes from your own mind and even though your conditioning provides the triggers, you alone attach to them…

If you’re practicing to live a spiritual life but you don’t know your own mind, it’s like going to the gym, but not making much of an effort to work out. Your results will be non existent. If you don’t notice your attachments, the whole point of any practice is missed. This is because of the draw of the outside world, which makes looking inward difficult. There are so many things in place that prevent looking inward from happening, and if it doesn’t happen you’ll remain in bondage to the worlds trappings. Trapping are all they are because when there’s even the slightest of an opening to allow what’s within to be seen, your expansion begins.

The draw of the world is very enticing, if it wasn’t the percentage of conscious and unconscious beings would be reversed. But it’s not this way because the draw of the world is in control. This draw is only real to a degree. There’s no denying it’s there, but it’s in control because there’s a fictitious belief that it’s needed. We alone are the creators of this and if one doesn’t become familiar with their own mind, the worlds draw will continue its control, sadly there’s really no way around this…

Inward Oasis

Life doesn’t make life a struggle. A distorted view of trying to find peace outside yourself is what creates a struggle. When an inward view is primary, one will realize the world is their oasis…

Everyone has the ability to awaken to their higher self, but it’s contingent on the amount of noise that one is attached to. Obviously the more noise, the less chance one has to become aware there is a higher self. This is just my understanding of a higher self: when a person understands the impermanence of all material objects including life itself it allows another dimension to become the view of life. It isn’t a special or magical view, it’s a clear view that isn’t blocked by Conditioned Mind distractions.

Most of us because of our conditioning have developed the view of the material world. It’s not right or wrong, it’s just the way it is; if you are content with this so be it. But what if you’re not content, what then? The only place I have found is to go inward. There isn’t anything out there that will give answers. The higher self is the discovery of your true self; an inner projection of love. When it‘s said that we were created in the image of God, visualize yourself as an image of love. Spreading love wherever you go. Loving whoever you contact with an understanding wherever you stand is an oasis and love is the nature of the land. This view can be for anyone not just a select few. So our entire planet is an oasis and it should be treated as such, but that will only occur when one looks inward…

Worldly Sanctuary

When you find your peace within, you realize you are on sacred ground. As this is realized the world becomes your sanctuary because it’s where you live…

Our higher self is the stillness beneath the noise, this isn’t noticed until there is stillness that allows for this. If you’re not still, there will only be noise, the higher self will never come into being. This is not to say there has to be complete stillness. This may or may not ever occur, but there has to be enough stillness to allow the higher self to emerge. Stillness is in everyone, but the noise of the world makes it inaccessible. It’s why the noise of the world is the noise of world because so many are in the grip of it and have it as their primary view of life.

As long as people which is what makes up the world, view life in this way, one will never evolve to their higher self, hence nor will the world. If there is ever to be peace individually and worldly we must evolve to the level where stillness is the primary way life is viewed. When our peace emerges it becomes a projection to a world that is a holy sanctuary. It’s the world we live in so if it isn’t our sanctuary then we don’t have one. After all, is this not what our struggle with oneself is? We are looking for a sanctuary that is already there, but we are looking for it from a view that doesn’t allow it to be seen. Find the tools that allow for the primary view to be of stillness and you will find what you have always been looking for. And when you find this, you will realize you are on sacred ground because it’s the sanctuary of the world you live in…

Conditioned Past

Because of the conditioning in place the past is held onto which forms an identity that may show where you have been, but it doesn’t have to dictate where you are going…

Conditioning only shows where one has been, but it doesn’t have to dictate where you are going. We all have a past and there’s plenty of things that have happened that will leave some kind of trace energy pattern. But when you awaken to how this energy holds you in bondage to it, for the millisecond that this is seen it’s as though it’s a lifetime. This is because in that millisecond, one’s entire existence becomes different. This is why it’s so important to understand the conditioning that has taken place over the years because without this understanding it will be impossible to change the conditioning that’s creating your bondage. “The only way one’s life will ever change is when the conditioning that makes it so changes”

The Conditioned Mind creates entire identities and attaches to the form that exist as the body. This is influenced mostly by things from outside oneself. Without this created identity the body still exist, just not in the way the Conditioned Mind creates it. This is the difference in being free or being held in captivity to the conditioning of the past. And although the conditioning is there and should be used for reflective purposes, it will control life as if you were a puppet on a string. Until the Conditioned Mind is understood for what it truly is, its trace energy patterns will create attachment to the past that creates a false identity. This conditioning will show where you have been, but it doesn’t have to dictate where you are going…

Focused Energy

Focused energy determines how you live. If that energy is constantly focused towards yourself, you will be selfish. If you possess the whole world, but aren’t free from self, you’ll remain stuck in a self created prison.

Being free from the prison of self requires focusing your energy away from self serving thoughts. When the mind gets focused on these thoughts there’s a freedom that allows the mind needs to become unstuck. What makes it get stuck is energy that’s mostly focused on satisfying self in some way. Focusing on the sensation of mind, body, and mental formations helps to alleviate the bondage of self. This is a direct path to how one becomes free from suffering. You can only be free when the focus is on what allows freedom, but it’s tricky because to master this takes constant vigilance. It will be your directed focus that determines the extent of freedom and that will be the determining factor how your life is lived.

Freedom from suffering is not pain free, it’s learning to be with the pain that arises. You cannot hide from what’s happening, you can only focus on something that anchors you in the Now. To no longer have your focus on self is where the path of liberation leads to. How this is done is by simply not focusing on self and focusing on what will set you free. The self is there and it has been given a name. It has so many other different labels attached to it, but it’s a prison because of the mere fact of attachment. Freedom occurs when there’s an understanding of the lies of self, not in creating concepts or beliefs. Where your energy is focused determines how you live. If that energy is constantly focused towards self, you will be selfish. If you possess the whole world, but aren’t liberated from self, you’ll remain stuck in your self created prison…

Excluding Now

The tool of excluding Now to cope with life is why life is seemingly full of problems, but what arises doesn’t cause the problems, it’s excluding Now that does it…

Nothing needs to be dismissed for one to be free. Freedom can not be found by excluding anything. Excluding something would be likened to getting rid of something, but truly getting rid of something will only happen when it’s dealt. If it’s not it will never go away. When it’s dealt with it won’t have to be excluded because it will naturally fall away. This is how one has to approach each moment if freedom is to be experienced. The way we develop the tool of excluding Now to cope with life as it arises is why there’s problems, whatever it is that arises doesn’t truly cause a problem. Granted it may be something that really hurts and has no benefit whatsoever, like the death of a loved one. But if it’s not dealt with in a way that it’s not excluded or a made up story is used, the energy of the situation will get stored and remain hidden until it’s time to rise up again. This is why the same thoughts are repeated over and over automatically; they have to repeat because of their trace energy in place.

Awareness that this is happening can allow you to be with what arises and not exclude it. The only reason something is excluded is because it’s not wanted. But you see this excluding is the same energy as grasping, it’s just used differently. Excluding Now is attachment to not wanting it and grasping is attachment to wanting it, different action but the same attachment. This is very subtle to see and it will only be noticed when you’re with the moment as it arises. So regardless if life is labeled good or bad, it’s all the same attachment, and the only the thing the applied label does is determine if one reaches for something or excludes it…

Closed Minded View

There’s not much life in something that’s closed, this is what happens when one’s free flowing energy is cut off by a closed minded view; the closing causes one to suffer…

A closed view is what causes one to get locked into only seeing things from the side of suffering. It matters little what that closed view is, as it’s the rigidness of being in a closed mode that doesn’t allow free flowing energy. The is what happens when a story is created and it becomes the closed view of what life is about in any particular moment. This becomes deeply ingrained as one becomes emotionally tied into whatever it is that’s being focused on. It’s very difficult to not attach to something that is held dear to our hearts, such as our children, spouse, parents, relatives, friends and so on. But you can have compassion, passion, and genuine love for something without attaching to it and being closed minded.

To me being closed minded is the normal view of most people and it’s why many suffer unnecessarily. I’ve noticed this occurring in so many lives and I can see the suffering it’s causing. Unfortunately those in the midst of this closed view cannot see it. Nor can one pull themselves out of it until the closed view is seen as the cause of their suffering. The closed view doesn’t allow the openness needed to be free from attachment and since attachment is the root of suffering, suffering is inevitable. The tighter the grip of something the more one becomes closed minded and the less free flowing energy there is in one’s life. There’s not much life in something that’s closed, this is what happens when one’s free flowing energy is cut off by a closed minded view; the closing causes one to suffer…