Loss and suffering

Loss and the suffering that comes with loss is part of the experience of incarnation. Why? There are many levels to this, and often it is mysterious with no clear ‘answer’ in earthly terms.

Suffering causes us to stretch, and ultimately to wake up to realize that there is infinitely more than the needs and wants of the body. There is a saying; ‘people turn to god when their foundations are shaking, only to find it is god who is shaking the foundation – shaking us up’. 

By turning attention to one’s silent center of consciousness itself, one will come to recognize, realize, and fully accept one’s inherent unity - that in truth, one is never separate from the entire cosmos. Life is eternal and limitless and in life there are beginnings, middle and end of things, all manifest forms - and you are life.

When this is let in, then the suffering from loss has served, generating the ability to look deeper than the body and to our true home, and here is resolution and peace.

Finding inner guidance (in the new age)

We all know how important it is to find inner guidance in difficult times. And we have discovered that inner guidance does not come with the mind spinning. Often times, as I’m sure you have discovered, after struggling with a problem, finally you let it go, maybe go to sleep, then the answer, solution, guidance, pops in. This points to a system, if I can call it that. Like prayer, one first gets clear on the problem that one needs help with, then gives it over to a higher power - with faith.

What I say, is that instead of beseeching a deity separate from you, in some other realm, (even though it may appear that way sometimes) recognize that infinity and eternity does not begin ‘over there’, ‘then’. Most religious doctrines would say that you need an intermediary, a priest who is the link between god and the common person. This is clearly old school - “times they are a changing”.

What I recommend is to stop, and notice the field of living silence that is here. This can be realized to be boundless consciousness - that space/time exists in. This is who you are at the core of your being. If you are willing to keep your attention close to this, your own center, then a ‘channel’ will be established.

Nothing you can do to awaken?

Some teachers say that there is nothing one can do to awaken, that it is perhaps grace. Remember, words are pointers and not true reality. 

We choose where we want to put our attention. We can open the door of our mind. We can observe carefully where thoughts return to when they are finished. We can observe the silence that is always present, under thoughts, feelings and sense perceptions. We can turn our attention to our silent center and notice if it is separate from anything. We can observe our story, our motivations, what drives the ego/mind, and see if all that mental activity is successful in giving us what we truly want. And we can stop. We can align our consciousness with silent awareness, like a tree with its fruit exposed to the light of the sun, ripening naturally. This ripening goes a long way toward the recognition, realization, and acceptance of one’s infinite, eternal nature.

Choice

The ability to choose is crucial to living the truth of one’s self. We choose what we want to put our attention on based in what is most important to us. What is more important; freedom, peace, unity, the truth of life, resolution of your problems - or your problems, and fixing what needs to be different, better or more in the story of “me” ?

Probably everyone has heard the saying, “what we focus on expands”. So by focusing attention on what is wrong, what needs to change so that we can be happy, puts one’s attention on lack - and that becomes one’s personal reality. What in your life needs yet to be fulfilled? It’s pretty much in the realms of security, relationships, and power. 

Where is your allegiance? To what? Any notion that, “I must fix this first, then I can stop” – is a trap. Infinity and eternity does not start then, over there. 

“Every moment of this life you are presented with a simple choice:

Past or Present? Freedom or Suffering? Together, let’s strengthen your ability to choose what you really want.”  Neelam

Who is driving the bus of your life; your conditioned mind – or the limitless Presence, that you are? 

A quiet mind and self realization are two different things

Most people agree that they would be better off without all the mental noise. Typically, people on a spiritual path try to quiet the mind and that becomes the main objective of whatever methods and practices. A quiet mind does not guarantee awakening or enlightenment or what ever you want to call it.
In my experience, with lots of practice – and on a good day, I could hold out thoughts for a bit with will power and concentration. I would sit there, blankly – kind of like holding my breath under water. As soon as I would relax my concentration then thoughts would come flooding back in - and I was no more the wiser for all that effort.
By contrast, Self recognition, realization, and acceptance reduces mental activity naturally, because the mind is no longer searching for truth, peace, freedom, Self.
There is a huge amount of struggle, stress, and mental effort searching for that which is believed will bring fulfillment. With self realization there is a “laying down of one’s burdens”, a deep relaxation in the nervous system, an acceptance of this moment as it is.
Noticing silent awareness is the key to freedom from mental slavery.

Finding peace

For many years I was a seeker. I was busy looking for peace, freedom, universal love, the truth of this existence. In that time, I had many glimpses, many moments of direct experience of high, spiritual states. But when these experiences would pass, I believed that I had lost it, and would feel like a failure. Then I would again resume searching for that which I believed that I had and lost.

Turns out that I ‘was looking for love in all the wrong places’, as the song goes. States of consciousness come and go, like every thing else. I don’t always experience love and peace and high states. But every time I turn my attention to silence, that is present. That silence or stillness or awareness itself opens my awareness to the qualities of peace, love, unity, a sureness of the vastness of Being, in which time and space and all forms dance - like the petals of the lotus. This is available to everyone.

The still small voice within

There persists in our culture a big misunderstanding about going within oneself and there finding some voice that will give all the answers. But of course when you look for an inner voice you probably notice more than one, and depending on the level of fragmentation of the psyche, there may be many.

This is barking up the wrong spiritual tree. Instead, look and see in your immediate experience; is silence here, under thoughts, feelings and perceptions? Does this silence actually go away or change – or is it your attention that focuses on to thoughts and sense perceptions?

This silence will lead you home.

What do you want most?

Perhaps the best thing we can all do for ourselves is to get clear on what it is that we want most out of this time we have. If what you really want is some thing or object or condition that you believe will bring you lasting happiness, I wish you good luck.

If your deepest desire in this life is for freedom, peace, truth, to know God, there is a strong possibility that you will have this in this life.

However, searching in your thoughts doesn’t work, as you probably have already figured out. This is not complicated. Stop searching – and turn directly to your own silent center. Open your mind so that you can discover the truth of yourself. Your own core of silence is free, at peace, and never separate from God.

Self realization

In today’s spirituality, self realization and self recognition are terms that are used a lot. Self realization implies realizing who one truly is – not who one will become after doing all the homework.

This is an important distinction because people used to speak of spiritual attainment, “one day when I reach enlightenment, then….” Self realization has nothing to do with ‘then’. It’s about now.

It gets tricky, though, because the mind is so conditioned to do something in order to get something. Something is here that the mind cannot get, grasp, or hold, so a different approach is used.

Self realization is not an attainment. It is opening. It is noticing silence and following silence into emptiness of all forms. This takes courage and trust because to the ego/mind it may feel like you are dying. Opening to stillness is not dying of course. What is taking place in this opening is a movement or shift of consciousness to recognize that you are infinitely more than you think. Recognition and realization of ones infinite nature brings peace and joy to Be because we realize we are inherently free and whole – regardless of our past.

Presence and ADD

To have more presence is to pay closer attention to our present experience. The value is twofold; ADD or attention deficit disorder is a major inhibiting factor in one’s success in this world. And also by being fully present we can notice the silence that is here. This silence will lead us home to ourselves. Realizing the truth of ourselves is the source of lasting fulfillment.

More presence

What the world needs now is for people to be more present. More presence in the collective is the energy that can make the biggest difference in overcoming the obstacles that we face. To come out of the mind and into present moment awareness, not in 'ig-norance' to the problems of the world but to add the light of limitless consciousness to the challenges we face.

If all humans have more presence then there is less mentality for war. There is an inverse proportion here; more presence, less greed, selfishness, and hatred. With more presence there is more compassion, peace and love.

Look carefully in your own experience and you may notice that maybe you are not fully present - maybe 75%. Bring yourself fully present with what is present here and now - for 3 seconds. Notice what occurs; more presence, less mind, less 'me', less story of me and my suffering and all the strategies to try to escape that mess of the ego. In those 3 seconds there is ease of Being.

Check this out. It is actually quite simple. In this ease of Being you have the opportunity to discover who you really are - and you will be profoundly delighted.