Unrest in Place

Although it seems what someone says or does or what occurs in life is the cause of one’s arising unrest, this is not the case. The unrest that arises is already in place, if it wasn’t there’s no way it would arise.

You can only react to life with what you have in place. Something like anger arises because it has been learned, this also goes for fear, greed, hate, and so on. I constantly reacted like this for many many years without any understanding whatsoever and it kept me locked into my unrest without an inkling that the only reason it was occurring was because it was in place. Simply put, when something occurred that I didn’t like, whether it was what someone said or did, or something that happened, my unrest arose without my permission or knowledge as to why I reacted in the way that I did. What arose was whatever my conditioning deemed appropriate. The only reason this happened is because it was already there laying in wait: like a lion waiting to pounce on its unsuspecting prey.

Understanding this is where there is power in knowledge. If why unrest arises isn’t understood, there will be very little true periods where the unrest is not in control. Through awareness of what’s arising, one has something tangible to use to get beyond it. Why most people remain as they are and repeat the same reactions over and over is because of the total unawareness of why it happens. To me this knowledge has immense value because when it’s seen one can truly decipher whether what’s in place is beneficial or not. It is then that a course of action can be developed to change whatever’s in place that’s causing the non beneficial reaction to rear its ugly head.

Noticing Your Thoughts

It is imperative to learn to just be because even if what you do comes from a labeled place of love, this label produces the bondage of an unguarded thought which controls you like any other unguarded thought.

If you can’t watch your own thoughts to decipher which ones are truly beneficial, hold on because you’ll be taken on the roller coaster ride called life. Not that life does anything directly to anyone, but thoughts arise and they determine what kind of ride you will be on. Noticing the unguarded thoughts is essential if one is not be controlled by them. Thoughts are a natural part of life, they will arise. As far as I know there’s no way of controlling what thoughts arise, but I have found that noticing them allows for a split second hesitation that can be used to decipher whether or not the thought is beneficial. And remember, attachment to any thought causes suffering, no matter how one labels it.

I often say the Conditioned Mind is diabolical and unless there’s some awareness of how controlling your thoughts actually are, they will and this has to happen, control you as if you were a puppet on a string. So subtle is this control that even if you are doing things that are labeled as loving, if these thoughts aren’t watched they will eventually control you and bondage is bondage regardless of what label is applied to the thought. This is why the Conditioned Mind is diabolical because of its subtleness in using whatever it can to remain in control. This is also why it’s imperative to learn how to just be because even if what you do comes from a labeled place of love, the bondage this produces is that of an unguarded thought which controls you like any other unguarded thought.

Unknowingly Entrapped

When one is under the control of the Conditioned Mind they behave in ways not because it’s the way that one wants to be, but because it’s the way one has to be.

It was a lack of understanding of what I was truly up against that caused me to remain entrapped to it, and what I was entrapped to was my own mind that was conditioned to self serve. The problem with this type of conditioning is it causes one’s own destruction because the destructiveness is disguised as pleasure. This pleasure is pursued by many to their death. It was pursued by me in this way and I was at it’s mercy. It said to me to use drugs, alcohol, gambling, womanizing, lying, cheating, stealing and so on. This is how the Conditioned Mind is developed except for some who are fortunate enough to see this at a young age.

The way I was conditioned wasn’t the fault of anyone in particular, it happened indirectly by the inner and outer influences of my life which molded me to behave in the ways my conditioning dictated. Not because this is how I wanted to be, but by not understanding this, it was the way I had to be. You cannot behave in any other way except in the way you have been conditioned. Change the conditioning and change your entire existence or not and remain the same. The value of knowing my own mind is in the understanding there was no where else to turn; not to God, support groups, therapy, self help books, positive thinking, and so on. What I learned is when the Conditioned Mind is understood, the world is no longer in control. What I learned was it’s control slowly dissipates as one develops discipline, the mind actually slows down. Once this slowing occurs, the possibilities are endless because there are no longer the distractions that keeps one entrapped to the conditioning. With this solid understanding of what one is truly up against, you are able to develop the discipline so the conditioning eventually falls away.

Beliefs Don't Liberate

Too many people worry about getting to heaven and because of this, life passes you by. A belief isn’t needed to see this, but it will take a mind that’s settled not to make it into one.

At the core of every belief is a self appointed authority that makes it so. This self appointed authority manifest from an inner structure that we create so we can live in the most pleasurable way. We believe in everything we have in place because we ourselves have decided (even though it was probably done unconsciously) that these beliefs will make life better. There’s no other reason to form a belief except for the sole purpose it will provide pleasure in some way. Look into this very carefully to see how this manifest in your life. God, money, material possessions, love, programs, spirituality, social status, enlightenment, and so on, are all formed to provide a fictitious pleasure based in a belief. If this isn’t questioned, the belief will continue its control even though it will not truly provide the pleasure that it’s being created for. It can’t because the nature of any belief is bondage and bondage to anything is suffering, even if it’s not seen as so.

Many call a belief faith, to me they’re basically used in the same manner. I haven’t found one iota of usefulness in having faith or believing in something that would truly benefit my life. I live in the space of what is and since there isn’t anything that needs to be different than the way it is right now, where would a belief be beneficial? This is true liberation to be in the space of not needing. It doesn’t take any effort or a story to be liberated. The reason why so many don’t become liberated is they try to create it by forming a belief about it; if I do this or that, liberation will follow. Too many people worry about getting to heaven and because of this, life passes you by while you are here on earth. It doesn’t take a belief to see this, but it will take a mind that’s settled not to make it into a belief.

Truly Loving Yourself

No one harms you as much as you harm yourself, and it’s done through your own unguarded thoughts. The essence of life is to truly learn to love yourself unconditionally so you can in turn love others.

For forty nine years I did things to myself that I wouldn’t allow anyone to do to me. Not all of these were glaring self destructive actions, some were in the form of very subtle thoughts, but it was harmful none the less. If I truly loved myself, I would have never done this, but I didn’t know any better so the self sabotage behavior was the norm. I’m not talking about lip service love here, I’m talking about genuine unconditional love where there is absolutely no judgement whatsoever. Love is a word that is given more lip service than actual action. You will never truly love your neighbor if you don’t really understand how to love yourself and this is because you can never be anything different than what you are in any given moment.

Everything I do is done because I’ve learned what behaviors are loving and which ones aren’t. I love myself to the point where I don’t want to not only cause harm to me, but I also don’t want to harm you. Although it may seem that I share to help others, it’s only partially so. I share because it reinforces the love I have for myself. This isn’t an ego thing, it’s about learning how we are our own worse enemy, that is until we aren’t. There was no greater harm done to me by anyone than what I did to myself, but in the space of quietness I have learned to stop doing this. To me life isn’t about being good, moral, honest, or any other story that can be made up, it’s one thing and one thing alone, that’s to truly learn to love yourself unconditionally so you can in turn love others.

Peace of What Is

Being sad because a loved one dies is natural. If one could just be with the sadness without tightening up like a closed fist, you would remain open and an I story wouldn’t come into play.

Here is one of the main problems as to why so many people are seeking peace and why it remains elusive. Peace is mostly being sought as a concept through the thought realm, and the thought of peace will never bring about that which is thought to be desired. Only the thought that one isn’t at peace makes one not at peace. You can ask, well if I think I’m at peace then will I be? I say no because it’s as if you are talking yourself into it, it’s like whistling in the dark to keep away the boogeyman. It becomes a distraction more than a real tool of peace. To go deeper, notice the thought I at the center of wanting peace, anything from the desire of I always creates a problem, creating problems is the nature of I. This is because I pushes away the truth of what is and looks for what isn’t. This is what I does, it’s constantly looking for what isn’t in the form of wanting the present moment different. It uses all kinds of concepts that one blindly adheres to in doing this.

Here’s an example using a loved one dying. The sadness that arises from this is truth, but now take grief and watch how it arises strictly from not wanting the person who died to be dead. I will miss them is an I story, this creates tightness as if one closes their fist. Being sad because a loved one dies is natural and if one could just be with the sadness, the fist per se would remain open and an I story wouldn’t come into play, nor would the suffering of grief. Anyone who says grief is a natural process has never truly investigated it at this level, they’re probably only repeating what someone else said. Don’t take my word for this, investigate it for yourself, or not and remain a prisoner to the concepts that I makes up which will always keep you from truly being at peace as it remains only as a thought.

Don't Know Mind

In this life everything is impermanent, if you’re stuck in a “need to know mind” the door to true freedom will never be experienced because there’ll always be the thought that there’s something more to know.

Every belief arises from a thought that makes it arise and until it’s questioned to see if it has validity, it will continue its control. In the space of a “Don’t Know Mind” is where each moment can be seen anew without it being a concept or belief from some deeply engrained Conditioned Mind Pattern from the past. These are the blocks to truly living the life one is given. The Conditioned Mind constantly draws on the past and brings it into Now. This is because the mind has been conditioned with the need to know. This is one of the reasons programs, therapy, self help books, and whatever else are grasped for, even though they have a very low success rate. If something has a very low success rate, why would you rely on it? I’ll tell you why, it’s because the mind tells you at least it’s something you can knowingly hold onto. Case in point, 12 Step programs and rehabs have a very low success rate, yet they are constantly used. To me this makes no sense to hold on to something with a low success rate. Same thing with therapy, 3 years, 5 years, you will know all about yourself, but after that time you are still in bondage.

The “Don’t Know Mind” opens a door into the vast space of emptiness and it can’t be understood because it’s not what’s being looking for; what is mostly looked for is something that can be known, this way it can be attached to. Stop all the nonsense that you think you need to know about and start investigating what you have in place that keeps you from understanding, there’s nothing to know. Oh how the noise in the head keeps the noise of the “Need to Know Mind” in place. In this life everything will pass because everything is impermanent, but if you’re stuck in a mind that needs to know, the opening of the door to true freedom will never be experienced because there will always be the thought that there’s something more to know and needed to rely on.

Feelings Just Are

Feelings are a given, they’ll always be there. To feel is human, but taking them to the next level to form concepts is when attachment arises as a belief the feeling needs to be different.

If it’s not learned to just be with the feeling that arises, it will control you. This is because of the conditioning of a mind that wants to push the feeling away and change it. How this works is, let’s say someone walks up to you and says something that you don’t particularly care for, immediately there’s attachment as there’s the feeling of not caring for what was said. And where there’s attachment, there’s the tendency to react the way you always react when someone says something that’s not cared for. This is done again and again because of the conditioning in place. Someone says something you don’t care for and you wind up saying something back to them. What you do is take their dissatisfaction and make it your own and then you throw your dissatisfaction back at them. Now basically you are at war.

Feeling aren’t right or wrong, there’s very little facts as to why they arise. The main thing is to allow their energy to remain free flowing so it doesn’t get bottled up and form a conditioned concept. These concepts are formed by attachment to mind patterns that change a simple feeling into a story; the story being the feeling needs to be changed. It’s not true the feeling needs to be changed, but that’s what the conditioned energy does, it makes you believe a feeling is unpleasant and a pleasant one would be better. This is energy that wants to push away when feelings arise because it doesn’t understand they aren’t right or wrong, they are just what’s there and you don’t have to attach to them.

Conditioned Appearance

Life happens, but it’s our own mind through the thought process in place that makes it what it is. Our mind creates our entire world through the possessiveness of thought.

There are things we would rather not happen, but they do, and they have to be accepted or there will never be peace in one’s life. At least to where one can be with what is happening instead of getting bogged down in wanting it different. Although the small stuff can seem difficult, the life altering things can seem devastating if there isn’t an awareness of how it’s one’s Conditioned Mind that makes this so. Loss of loved ones, homes destroyed; along with all our possessions and memories, accidents, illnesses, these are just some of the occurrences that can alter our state if they’re not accepted for what they are, and what they are is nothing but a thought.

Life occurs and through thought it appears as the mind makes it appear. There is nothing to life except what the Conditioned Mind makes it out to be. Our own mind uses thought to create an entire existence that is only real to our own mind. The more life is lived in this manner, the more difficult it is to accept life’s daily occurrences. This lack of acceptance is only because of a lack of understanding of one’s own mind. It’s one’s own mind that creates the appearance that life has difficulties and this happens because one is entrapped to the thought that everything is as it appears, but only because it has been conditioned to do so.

Nothing Personal

There are different ways to handle things as they arise in life, but the key to not being controlled by them is to understand why and who is it that's being controlled.

As life happens, the way the happenings are handled depends on how one relates themselves to what happens. One way and the most usually, is to make the self so personal that it's attached to as if what's happening is happening to you. This is very constricting and creates much suffering because it's made as if there's a fault as to why it happened. This is when the would've, should've, could've mind takes over. That there's a you who things happen to is the conventional way of seeing not only yourself, but also what happens. Nothing truly happens to you, things do happen, but nothing directly happens to you unless there's a you who attaches to it. I'm not saying ignore what happens, but without the attachment to "I" things that happen are allowed to be as they are without the mind creating suffering. This is not how most people handle things. The conventional thought is there has to be an emotional tie to what happens, but what's not understood is you don't have to suffer. This isn't seen because of the attachment to a self that only exist in the mind.

No one has to suffer through life, but if the herd mentality is blindly followed, than suffering will be the norm. The last few days have allowed me to go deeper within to see how our own suffering is created by holding onto a self that's been programmed by the conditioning of what is considered normal. If you can't change what occurred why replay it over and over? Replaying it doesn't change it, but it does cause it to remain stagnant and create a Conditioned Mind Pattern that doesn't allow one to see there really isn't a you to hold onto anything. If you don't think this is true, where is this self that is so adamantly held onto? I am blessed by the many friends and support I have on Facebook. I will just say this, I am the same today as I was before this mouth thing happened and it's because without the attachment to self, although what happened happened, it didn't happen to me. And so to me nothing has changed and it's not because it's being ignore, it's because there's no attachment to a self to make it personal.

Perception Isn't Truth

One can only see things as they are revealed and although it can’t be any other way, don’t kid yourself, this doesn’t mean it’s truth that’s seen, it just means it’s the way you see things.

Unless one truly investigates themselves to the point where they see their lies (delusion), truth will continue to be something made up. Knowing this makes it difficult responding to some of the responses to my articles as many don’t come from a place of stillness (truth), they respond from the noise of the Conditioned Mind. I don’t say this because I know everything, matter of fact I know very little, but what I do know doesn’t seem to be comprehended by some. I know this simply by the responses there are to some of my articles. This isn’t a popularity contest and what people think of me is not a concern; planting seeds of truth is all that matters. I’ve been removed from many groups because my post are misinterpreted as me stating my truth, but I never profess to know what truth is, I only talk about what remains after the lies are exposed.

The other day someone wrote there are seven billion truths in the world because there are roughly seven billion people, but this is the major issue with humanity, everyone perceives things their way and because of their conditioning it’s thought to be truth; there’s only one truth and no it’s not mine. Just because you think it, see it, or someone else writes it and you attach to it and believe it, means nothing. Truth can’t really be known, but one can see the lies in place. When this happens truth isn’t needed because it naturally arises; no individual story necessary. Whenever I write about emotions, forgiveness, hope, and so on, it always stirs up the conditioning in others because it exposes the normal lies. I will never waver from what has been revealed to because I can’t. Popularity is not what I seek, selling books is not what I seek, matter of fact there’s nothing sought because I know there’s only one truth and when seven billion people stop making up their own, just maybe there will be peace on earth.

Projecting Energy

The projection you have for something is the projection you have for yourself. Without a settled mind this will not be seen so projecting will continue to be the controlling energy in place.

There will be many unpleasant things that occur in life, but they’re considered unpleasant only because that’s how they’re projected and this is where suffering arises from. This projecting process is at our core, but without it the creation that there’s a you who doesn’t like what’s happening would never arise. Also without the unpleasant attached projection, one wouldn’t need for things to be different so there wouldn’t be a need to try and make things pleasant; after all projecting to make life pleasant is how life is mostly lived. Always wanting life pleasant is why so many are in a constant state of discontentment, it has nothing to do with what’s going on out there, it has everything to do what’s going on inside. Nothing can cause discontentment unless it’s allowed and it’s only allowed because it’s not known how not to project it.

Because of the conditioning in place most people will just go along with what society and the so called experts have to say. To much is taken as the norm without looking to see the underlying truth and this is why there is so much projecting. The projection you have for something or someone is the projection you have for yourself. Without a settled mind this will not be seen so the projecting energy will continue to be the controlling energy in place. Projection breeds projection always, and suffering leads to suffering always. To me suffering isn’t necessary, and in the present moment I have found it doesn’t truly exist, not because unpleasant things don’t happen, but because they just aren’t projected as so.

Conditioning in Place

If there isn't some semblance of quietness in one's life, the Conditioned Mind will run the show, and as subtle as it may be, a mind conditioned to suffer will always do so because it's what's in place.

At times it seems all I write about is suffering, but there's so much value in its understanding and if the root cause of it isn't understood, one will never get beyond it; it will be virtually impossible. This understanding is what has led to my waking up from the sleep that kept me entrapped to causing my own suffering; not intentional, but I suffered nonetheless. This has to be understood in order to alleviate the mechanisms in place that cause it. Suffering is caused by a conditioned mind state and unless this conditioning ceases to exist, the results of the conditioning in place have to follow. It would be like not changing the oil in your car, eventually the engine will fail. Every effect is because something causes it and this occurs whether the cause is understood or not.

I can't emphasis the importance of learning what the Conditioned Mind is enough, it's truly life altering, but only if it's deeply understood. One's life cannot be anything but what the conditioning in place dictates it to be. This one line encompasses all of life. Every life is made to be what it is, but it's never enough, this is why sitting is necessary to allow the mind to settle. If there isn't some semblance of quietness in one's life, the Conditioned Mind will run the show and although life will be lived because you are alive, it will mostly be so in a state of suffering. And as subtle as it may be, a mind conditioned to suffer will always do so because it's what's in place. Change the conditioning, change what's in place.

A Fixed View

There's not much life in something that's stagnant and this is what happens when one's free flowing energy is cut off by a fixed view; the fixation causes one to suffer.

A fixed view on something is what causes one to get locked into only seeing things from the side of suffering. It matters little what that fixed view is, as it's the rigidness of being in a fixed mode that doesn't allow free flowing energy. The is what happens when a story is created and it becomes the fixed view of what life is about in any particular moment. This becomes deeply engrained hence deeply fixed as one becomes more and more 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 luland being fixated on it.

To me this fixed view 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 fixed view cannot see it, nor can one pull themselves out of it until the fixed view is seen as the cause of their suffering. The fixed viewed doesn't allow the openness needed to be free from attachment and since attachment is the root of suffering, suffering ensues. The tighter the grip of something, the more one becomes fixated on it and the less free flowing energy there is in one's life. There's not much life in something that's stagnant and this is exactly what happens when one's free flowing energy is cut off; the fixed view controls life and causes one to suffer.

Movement of the Moment

Life is constant movement, it never stops. If the movement of the moment is noticed, it will allow much more understanding of one’s life than if one is blindly controlled by past habitual mind patterns.

If the movement of the moment isn’t seen, that’s when the habitual conditioned patterns from the past take over; it’s just the process in place. You can be in a state where you are happy and out of nowhere arises something that triggers one of you past habitual patterns. Depending on what arises is based in, that will determine if you are still happy after it’s attached to. This is how it works, we’re pulled around by patterns and the movement of the moment is unnoticed so it’s controlling energy attaches to what pattern is associated with the movement. This is where everything arises from, feelings, emotions, sensations, and whatnot, hence the puppet on a string syndrome takes hold if the movement of the moment isn’t noticed. Think about this, you can’t have any feeling or emotional swing without attachment to the movement of the moment, most people don’t really have any inkling of this and because of that, very few truly live life. I don’t say this in jest, I’m no different, although I probably notice this a little more nowadays.

Here’s something to do to possibly understand the movement of the moment a little better. Make a commitment to sit for a certain time, say thirty seconds, keep it real. In those thirty second just watch what arises, watch the movement, a thought arising and just notice the movement. Just sitting, looking, acknowledging, noticing, letting it arise and pass; all of this is just the movement of each particular moment. This should help in getting a better grasp on the moments movement. Increasing or decreasing the committed sitting time is up to the individual or don’t sit at all and remain a slave to the movement of the moment as it arises and habitually controls your life. It’s the movement of each moment that makes life what it is and if this goes unnoticed so will most of your life.