Life is an Improv Play

I have looked to systems, theories, formulas and ideologies... everything from astrology to eastern philosophies to quantum theory and universal laws. I think now ideals have meaning only where they are irrelevant to the present. This present moment requires clarity, simplicity, sharpness in getting from a to b. The most immediate answers sought are not in any preconceived formula for living nor in any philosophy...

Believing becomes true only in the light of being, not in daydreaming or conceiving of anything at all. Ideas are too confounding and only cloud the central issues of life when we refuse to let them go. As the Zen folk say "chop wood, carry water"... to LIVE IN FOCUS and not on a philosophical cloud.

Passive reflective moments can breed insight of a positive inspirational nature, in connection with some bit of wisdom previously learned... stored as wisdom and proper guidance in the vast ocean of subconscious memory, imagination or dream world. This however is only fruitful in times when downtime is break time not quitting time... when in the moments of rest one is thinking clearly, giving attention to matters of direct personal importance rather than seeking an outside escape (even as the television is running in the background, I am not deterred by it from my point of focus); nor should I seek a rationalization or some "higher meaning" to experience but"just LIVE it", SEE and FEEL life as it IS... without always blindly and habitually seeking the answer or truth in our cognition or thinking process.

The Edie Brickell song where she says "don't let me get too deep" comes immediately to mind...

It's all in the improvisation, the act of immediate living (the Play or Dance of Life) which we elaborate upon with our brilliant inventive intellects and "make up as we go along"... it is liberating to know that I don't have to think about it all too hard, don't have to search for anything that is not already here, and then I gradually figure everything out as I go along...

Life (right now, for me personally) is a "hands on" job, not a university where I might go away to study nor a cave in the Himalayas where I hope to find God.

Nothing is preplanned... this is the wondrous beauty and excitement of letting myself BE.

JDZ

Abhyasa & Vairagya - Affirmation vs Negation

As per the title of this blog site and the meaning behind it... Life and Death must ultimately work hand in hand, the inhalation of life affirmation and expanding life potential and the exhalation or negation which is simply a letting go of life.

Ultimately this form world is a reality of pleasure and pain while Spirit or the Quantum reality is of the nature of joy and infinite creative potential. The experiences of this world, the objects and forms of life (including those of other people and one's own body) must ultimately be let go of with the increasing awareness of impermanence. Likewise, the addiction to pleasurable happy experiences and aversion to painful ones, without the awareness that the two are inseparably one, leads to a state of of vairagya or dispassion. Where there is clearly dispassion and disenchantment in holding on to what no longer works or weighs one down psychically, it becomes effortless to let go.

This is where choosing to accept reality, no matter what the conditions, allows for an attention so focused that letting go of negative thinking and evil vibrations becomes instinctive and immediate. With positive terms like acceptance and alignment we are talking about abhyasa, the affirmation positive thinking/feeling and action steps. Where Spirit naturally and effortlessly aligns itself is Abhyasa or positive affirmation and where it confronts the karmic burdens and baggage of ordinary human reality we need vairagya.

In this light the painful confrontation with unwanted shadow truths, which most keep to themselves for fear of public ridicule or being labelled a whiner, brings an awareness so sharp that letting it go becomes instantaneous (after a period of seemingly endless pain or angst). The flip side to this is that the more we stay aligned (in abhyasa), through pleasant and painful experiences alike, the less will become our experience of having to "face reality" and more about "creating reality", the dream and ultimate possibility remaining eternally alive and at peace...

JDZ

Quantum Alignment - Unconditional Acceptance

Aligning with good feeling experiences, inner and outer, is an act of trust, of total acceptance inwardly regardless of outer circumstance and inner feeling states. In short, the alignment begins on the inside and naturally spontaneously attracts or manifests that reality which matches the inner adjustment, in the joy of letting go and letting God......

The Quantum Connection is inner alignment, the smallest common denominator, the reducing of all externally perceived phenomena, my inner thoughts/emotions and external experiences, back to the fundamental root of consciousness. Letting everything go, except the present moment... that here/now reality which is the focus of this moment, where I am totally in focus. From this inner alignment I receive effortlessly and spontaneously the Divine Light of Source or Spirit.

In the acceptance (or non-resistance) of this eternal now we discover death is an illusion, when we give up the struggle and consequent friction of existence, of racing against time, and cease to resist all inevitable changes to body, mind and surroundings... Conflicts are confronted willingly and openly but no longer initiated. As Bruce Lee would call this "the art of fighting without fighting". This is the path of the peaceful warrior.

JDZ

Status for 12/11:

"Giving up the struggle, discovering ease in the face of any conflicts that arise... aligning with the good vibrations, what is and feels right for me, in harmony with others and all that is... easing comfortably into a life that flows endlessly forward downstream and going with it in faith that positive action will follow through in good time, yet the point is not to act but to receive and allow IT to act through me."

I See therefore I Am

I SEE, both inwardly and outwardly, with the mind and the eye both, therefore I think, feel, act and perceive. Seeing is pure attention, kinetic conscious energy takes dynamic form as thoughts (or images) and feelings, actions and perceptions. Thinking and feeling belongs to the Astral realm while acting and perceiving (or experiencing) characterize the Physical realm.

All that I think, feel, do and experience is a projection or product of what I SEE. To be skillful in mind and body means to see without the observer/thinker, to be silent and aware, ego-less in the sense of being without self-consciousness. To see clearly, undisturbed by transient thoughts and feelings, compulsive actions and fixated perceptions, is to think, feel and act gracefully, in harmony with WHAT IS.

Seeing is the nature and function of the Causal (Wisdom/Bliss) Body, at the seed of the Soul, the creative essence and divine spark in man.

JDZ

Is a religious life possible?

Is a religious life possible in this modern world? Which does not mean becoming a monk or joining an organized group of monks. We will be able to find out for ourselves what is really, truly, a religious life only when we understand what religions actually are and put aside all that, and not belong to any religion, to any organized religion, to any guru, and not have any psychological or so-called spiritual authority. There is no spiritual authority whatsoever. That is one of the crimes that we have committed—we have invented the mediator between truth and ourselves. So you begin to inquire into what is religion, and in the very process of that inquiry you are living a religious life, not at the end of it. In the very process of looking, watching, discussing, doubting, questioning, and having no belief or faith, you are already living a religious life. That Benediction is Where You Are, pp 71-72

A Religious Life implies a Life in which there is complete harmony in daily action

So, what is the basic cause of this corruption, this degeneration, this hypocrisy, the non-religious life? All your stuff, all the garlands and all that you put round yourself is not a religious life. Right? You are following somebody. Forgive me because you are all sitting in front of me, I can't help it. Don't laugh sir, it's much too serious. This is not a religious life. A religious life implies a life in which there is complete harmony in your daily action, in your daily life. We'll go into that if we have time later on. But all the temples, all the gurus, all the circus that's going on in the name of religion really has no meaning whatsoever. If you want to discuss that we will. But after discussion are you willing to throw all this aside? Or you say 'That's your opinion, my opinion is different' - we are not discussing opinions. We want to find the truth of the matter and to find the truth of the matter one has to have a mirror that doesn't distort your reactions, a mirror that tells you the truth of what you are so that it doesn't allow you to escape, that is, face exactly what you are, and from there move, change, radically bring about a transformation. But if one is all the time avoiding, avoiding, avoiding, then we never come face to face with ourselves.Krishnamurti at Rajghat

Silence comes when you know how to observe

Silence of the mind comes naturally—please do listen to this—it comes naturally, easily, without any effort if you know how to observe, how to look. When you observe a cloud, look at it without the word and therefore without thought, look at it without the division as the observer. Then there is an awareness and attention in the very act of looking; not the determination to be attentive, but looking with attention, even though that look may last only a second, a minute—that is enough. Do not be greedy, do not say, “I must have it for the whole day.” To look without the observer means looking without the space between the observer and the thing observed, which does not mean identifying oneself with the thing that is looked at. So when one can look at a tree, at a cloud, at the light on the water, without the observer, and also—which is much more difficult, which needs a greater attention—if you can look at yourself without the image, without any conclusion, because the image, the conclusion, the opinion, the judgement, the goodness and the badness, is centred round the observer, then you will find that the mind, the brain, becomes extraordinarily quiet. And this quietness is not a thing to be cultivated; it can happen, it does happen, if you are attentive, if you are capable of watching all the time, watching your gestures, your words, your feelings, the movements of your face and all the rest of it.Beyond Violence, p 131

Understanding the Activity of the Self

When there is the activity of the self, meditation is not possible. This is very important to understand, not verbally but actually. Meditation is a process of emptying the mind of all the activity of the self, of all the activity of the “me”. If you do not understand the activity of the self, then your meditation only leads to illusion, your meditation then only leads to self-deception, your meditation then will only lead to further distortion. So to understand what meditation is, you must understand the activity of the self.The self has had a thousand worldly, sensuous, or intellectual experiences, but it is bored with them because they have no meaning. The desire to have wider, more expansive, transcendental experiences is part of the “me”. This Light in Oneself, p 72

Pursuing Every Thought to the Root

To end thought I have first to go into the mechanism of thinking. I have to understand thought completely, deep down in me. I have to examine every thought, without letting one thought escape without being fully understood, so that the brain, the mind, the whole being becomes very attentive. The moment I pursue every thought to the root, to the end completely, I will see that thought ends by itself. I do not have to do anything about it because thought is memory. Memory is the mark of experience; and as long as experience is not fully, completely, totally understood, it leaves a mark. The moment I have experienced completely, the experience leaves no mark. So if we go into every thought and see where the mark is and remain with that mark as a fact—then that fact will open and that fact will end that particular process of thinking, so that every thought, every feeling is understood.Krishnamurti on Education, pp 119-120

Just Listening to the Noise of Thought

Meditation is something quite extraordinary, if it goes on, not at odd moments, but timelessly, if you are aware when you get into the bus, or the car, or when you are talking to someone; aware of what you are doing, feeling, thinking; aware of how thought operates according to pleasure and pain, not condemning any activity of thought but just listening to the noise of thought. Out of that you really have an extraordinary mind that is tremendously alive. Being quiet, being silent, a new thing can take place. The newness is not recognizable. This sublime thing, whatever name you give it doesn’t matter, is not something that is put together by thought, and therefore it is the whole of creation. The Collected Works vol XVI, p 148

Feel your way through it...

Be easy about this. Be playful about it. Don't work so hard at it. Let your dominant intent be to FEEL GOOD. And if you don't FEEL GOOD, then let your dominant intent be to FEEL RELIEF.

FEEL your way through it. If you think your way through it, you can get off on all kinds of tangents.

If you FEEL your way through it, you can come quickly to your Core Energy. And when yo do that, only good can then flow to you.

Abraham-Hicks - Rye, NY G-10/12/97

Do Not Concentrate?

When you want to concentrate on what you think is right, on your particular image, God, or idea, phrase, you focus your mind on that; but the mind wanders off, and you pull it back; again it wanders off, and again you pull it back; you play this game for the rest of your life. And that is what you call meditation, this battle—forcing the mind when it is not interested in something, and trying to control it. And if you saw that, if you understood the truth of this matter or the falseness of this process, then you would never concentrate, whether you are in a school learning a particular subject, or whether you are teaching in a school. Do not concentrate, when you are in your office, or when you are trying to meditate. Do not concentrate; that only excludes, creates a resistance, a focus, giving greater strength to the centre and therefore limiting space.Now, if you understand all this, then out of this understanding comes awareness, which is nothing mysterious. The Collected Works vol XIV, p 301

*Here I take issue with Krishnamurti and define the limit regarding my openness to the teachings. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I think for him to make this point about concentration as unnecessary to meditation and spiritual experience has some validity, but to say that one should not concentrate in school or at the office sounds like sheer madness. What good is having an open spacious awareness when there is work to be done... so often in the workaday world we have to narrow the focus to just one thing if we seek results of practical or productive nature. It is here that I feel that the teachings lack a practical down to earth understanding and I fail to see the usefulness...

JDZ

The Foundation of a Righteous Life

Meditation is hard work. It demands the highest form of discipline—not conformity, not imitation, not obedience—but a discipline which comes through constant awareness, not only of things about you outwardly, but also inwardly. So meditation is not an activity of isolation but is action in everyday life which demands co-operation, sensitivity and intelligence. Without laying the foundation of a righteous life, meditation becomes an escape and therefore has no value whatsoever. A righteous life is not the following of social morality, but the freedom from envy, greed and the search for power—which all breed enmity. The freedom from these does not come through the activity of will but by being aware of them through self-knowing. Without knowing the activities of self, meditation becomes sensuous excitement and therefore of very little significance. J.K. Meditations, p 6

Power Animals: The Crow

I am now willing to forgive myself... for allowing the shadows of my past to eat away at me.

Native American folklore teaches that the crow is a bird with visionary power whose curiosity sometimes gets the best of her. According to lore, when the crow saw its shadow, it began to stare with amazement. The crow pecked at the shadow. It even left food for the the shadow. One day, in response to the crow's fascination, the shadow came to life and ate the crow.

The story of the crow teaches us about the danger of being fascinated with things that are behind us. We are mesmerized by the shadows of our past. We examine them often. We feed our shadows with mental and emotional energy. We can never seem to move beyond the images, memories, and fears caused by the shadows of the past. We give the shadows of yesterday the power to swallow our today.

When she does not succumb to her fascination with the past, the crow, unlike us, has the ability to see beyond the shadow. The crow is an omen of change, with no sense of time. It does not matter to the crow what has happened, she looks beyond the shadow to create what will happen. She determines the path of her flight based on what she can see now. When the crow's feathers are ruffled, she smooths them out. If her wings being to droop in flight, the crow rests. Unlike humans, the crow has learned how to use her past to determine which way she will go.

Until today, you may not have used the sacred crow energy of vision. Just for today, use the shadows of the past as a mirror. Look for the talents, skills or abilities that you can use to chart your flight forward. Use what you see in the shadows of our life as your encouragement to move beyond an old way of being into a new vision of yourself.

Today I am devoted to viewing all the shadows of my past through forgiving eyes!


(Iyanla Vanzant, "Until Today" - June 14)

The First Step is the Last Step

The first step is the last step. The first step is to perceive, perceive what you are thinking, perceive your ambition, perceive your anxiety, your loneliness, your despair, this extraordinary sense of sorrow, perceive it, without any condemnation, justification, without wishing it to be different. Just to perceive it, as it is. When you perceive it as it is, then there is a totally different kind of action taking place, and that action is the final action. Right? That is, when you perceive something as being false or as being true, that perception is the final action, which is the final step. Now listen to it. I perceive the falseness of following somebody else, somebody else’s instruction—Krishna, Buddha, Christ, it does not matter who it is. I see, there is the perception of the truth that following somebody is utterly false. Because your reason, your logic and everything points out how absurd it is to follow somebody. Now that perception is the final step, and when you have perceived, you leave it, forget it, because the next minute you have to perceive anew, which is again the final step. Krishnamurti in India 1970-71, p 50

Attention vs Concentration

There is a difference between concentration and attention. Concentration is to bring all your energy to focus on a particular point. In attention there is no point of focus. We are very familiar with one and not with the other. When you pay attention to your body, the body becomes quiet, which has its own discipline; it is relaxed but not slack and it has the energy of harmony. When there is attention, there is no contradiction and therefore no conflict. When you read this pay attention to the way you are sitting, the way you are listening, how you are receiving what the letter is saying to you, how you are reacting to what is being said and why you are finding it difficult to attend. You are not learning how to attend. If you are learning the how of attending, then it becomes a system, which is what the brain is accustomed to, and so you make attention something mechanical and repetitive, whereas attention is not mechanical or repetitive. It is the way of looking at your whole life without the centre of self-interest.Difference between concentration and attention

Attention is not concentration. When you concentrate, as most people try to do—what takes place when you are concentrating? You are cutting yourself off, resisting, pushing away every thought except that one particular thought, that one particular action. So your concentration breeds resistance, and therefore concentration does not bring freedom. Please, this is very simple if you observe it yourself. But whereas if you are attentive, attentive to everything that is going on about you, attentive to the dirt, the filth of the street, attentive to the bus which is so dirty, attentive of your words, your gestures, the way you talk to your boss, the way you talk to your servant, to the superior, to the inferior, the respect, the callousness to those below you, the words, the ideas—if you are attentive to all that, not correcting, then out of that attention you can know a different kind of concentration. You are then aware of the setting, the noise of the people, people talking over there on the roof, your hushing them up, asking them not to talk, turning your head; you are aware of the various colours, the costumes, and yet concentration is going on. Such concentration is not exclusive, in that there is no effort. Whereas mere concentration demands effort.

JK The Collected Works vol XV, p 321

You know what concentration is—from childhood, we are trained to concentrate. Concentration is the narrowing down all our energy to a particular point, and holding to that point. A boy in school looks out of the window at the birds and the trees, at the movement of the leaves, or at the squirrel climbing the tree. And the teacher says: “You are not paying attention, concentrate on the book”, or “Listen to what I am saying.”This is to give far more importance to concentration than to attention. If I were the teacher I would help him to watch; I would help him to watch that squirrel completely; watch the movement of the tail, how its claws act, everything. Then if he learns to watch that attentively, he will pay attention to the book.

JK Questions and Answers, p 43

The Act of Listening is the Soil

Just listen, because if you are capable of listening and seeing the truth of what is being said, then thought will not act. If you are in that state of listening, the fact, the truth, will act. If a seed is planted in the earth and has vitality, it will grow. In the same way, the act of listening is the soil. The act of listening is only possible when there is attention, and attention does not exist if there is interpretation, evaluation, condemnation, or judgement of that to which you are listening. If you listen completely, attentively, without any observer who is the thinker, then that very act of listening will put away what is false, and you will listen only to what is true. The act of listening is the field. In that field every kind of seed is sown, and only the seed that has vitality, energy, strength, will come up, will flourish. That’s what we are doing now. We’re actually listening, neither accepting nor disagreeing nor judging. We’re actually listening so completely that the very act of listening destroys what is false and lets the seed of truth take root. The Collected Works vol XVI, pp 146-147

Observing without the Screen of Knowledge

Observation implies no accumulation of knowledge, even though knowledge is obviously necessary at a certain level: knowledge as a doctor, knowledge as a scientist, knowledge of history, of all the things that have been. After all, that is knowledge: information about the things that have been. There is no knowledge of tomorrow, only conjecture as to what might happen tomorrow, based on your knowledge of what has been. A mind that observes with knowledge is incapable of following swiftly the stream of thought. It is only by observing without the screen of knowledge that you begin to see the whole structure of your own thinking. And as you observe—which is not to condemn or accept, but simply to watch—you will find that thought comes to an end. Casually to observe an occasional thought leads nowhere. But if you observe the process of thinking and do not become an observer apart from the observed, if you see the whole movement of thought without accepting or condemning it, then that very observation puts an end immediately to thought—and therefore the mind is compassionate; it is in a state of constant mutation.

J.Krisnamurti The Collected Works vol XIII, pp 299-300

Seed Intention - What am I writing for?

Upon returning to the moment of simple breathing, letting everything else go, I very quickly came to the same seed intention which I planted a couple of months back... yet with much greater depth and clarity, visions of an open green pasture with plenty of space for new growth, potential flowers of creation blooming all around. To flower or blossom in philosophical/cosmological vision, feeling and imagination, a new more vivid meaningful creation onto the vast field of my mental and physical existence(s).

To sum it up from a more personal perspective, which actually proceeded the images described above, I am writing for the purpose of giving my inner astral/mental/emotional realities an expression/manifestation on the page, a process that serves to help me make some sense of this endless constant stream of thoughts, utilizing an essential part of myself that I choose to honor, attempting to understand, and seeking an effective structure and substance through the honorable art/craft of writing.

Joel

Self Enclosure - Reflections

"Feeling remorse for how self-enclosed/absorbed I have been for so long, wanting to be totally on top of my own game so that I can be more present and available to others (within reason, needing private time too)... and gratitude for how things have h...eld together so far, for the continued chance to thrive....."

No matter how much I care about life and people I remain predominantly self-centered. A naturally occurring self-oriented (ego-driven) energy is not finding it's full release and expression for the best good of all, the individual and the collective. The block, most often connected to an inner psychic wound, is where the ego is not okay or comfortable in itself and it's where the soul being clouded by ego dysfunction is unable to reach out and connect with the wider world surrounding one.

Perhaps more reflections like these to follow....

JDZ

The Transformative Power of Giving Gratitude

by Bente Hansen • Wappingers Falls, NY

“Give gratitude,” the voice inside my head said very clearly. My immediate response was to question. What would giving gratitude yield? What was its purpose? These words were first heard back in the mid-nineties, and since that time gratitude and I have undergone a lengthy transformative journey of learning, healing and manifesting.

In recent years, living with gratitude has become somewhat of a “catch cry” of the New Age Movement. People talk about it as though it is the most natural thing in the world to do. Yet, the real transformative impact of living in gratitude still eludes many people.

If you are one of those people who occasionally, or even daily, think of something to be grateful for then you have begun to live in Gratitude. However, giving a fleeting thought of gratitude isn't highly effective. Let's assume that someone you know is ill and you receive word that they are healing. You may quietly express a sentence of gratitude. Immediately another thought distracts you, and then another, resulting in a weakening of the gratitude energy. Giving momentary gratitude is better than giving none, though its level of effectiveness is low.

When gratitude is practiced as a regular and meaningful expression—where thought, emotion and intention are involved—it has the potential to change life positively and dramatically.

The process I recommend consists of three stages. Incorporating these produces the most effective energy for creating change. Setting aside time, on a daily basis, to be in a space of gratitude is essential for this.

1. Gratitude for the tangible things. This includes consciously giving gratitude for the basics such as money to pay bills, food, friends, etc.

2. Gratitude for the intangibles. This relates to such things as love, fun, good health, etc. These are essential for well-being and happiness.

3. Gratitude for things desired. This last step is important as it creates the energy to bring in desired changes. For example, if you desire a career change a Gratitude statement may be, “I am grateful for the perfect job that is now mine”.

Always express Gratitude in the present tense. Giving Gratitude in the present tense commands that this is how it is to be now, and not in the future.

It is also beneficial to infuse the act with feeling. Expressing the emotion of gratitude strengthens the energy, thereby sending a message to the Universe that you are serious about your intentions.

Initially I was skeptical about undertaking this practice. However, my spirit guides were emphatic about the need to do this on a daily basis. Within a relatively short time (three months) I felt happier about life and the things I desired and expressed gratitude for, actually manifested!

It does not matter what you are experiencing in life, Gratitude has the power to change the things you are dissatisfied with. When undertaken daily in a conscious and mindful manner it has the power to change any aspect of your life.

If you are an avid television viewer you are exposed to countless fear-generating messages. I encourage you to switch off the television set, or choose to view only positive programming. It is pointless to worry about things you are powerless to change. Instead, choose to create a more harmonious lifestyle by undertaking daily Gratitude practice.

During the years I’ve advocated Gratitude practice, I’ve seen clients change from feeling disempowered, angry and highly stressed to become empowered and optimistic. For individuals who have suffered abuse and other stressful states I recommend the use of a Gratitude Journal. This involves writing down, in a designated book, at least one statement of Gratitude daily. The act of writing strengthens the energy around that particular Gratitude. Visualizing the issue, situation or emotion that is to be healed strengthens it further. Each entry is dated to record a process of growth. I have observed abused clients become empowered to create significant changes in their lives in as little as one month.

The most marked change is always in the emotional state. Feelings of fear, stress, anger, etc. gradually dissipate and are replaced with states of appreciation, empowerment and even self-love. Regardless of whatever adversity you encounter Gratitude has the ability to change the experience to one of growth and empowerment.

Gratitude needs to be expressed daily in order for its energy and effectiveness to be maintained.

Gratitude is generated from thought. Thought is energy. When energy builds up it manifests in the form in which it is directed.

Through the practice of daily Gratitude you discover your power as creator of your reality.

Through Gratitude practice you learn the importance of language. Mindfulness of thought has the potential to create miracles!

Some Gratitude statements:
“I am grateful for the abundance of love, harmony, friends, prosperity, etc that I experience daily.”
“I am grateful that I have an abundance of finances for my bills, living costs and other incidental needs.”
“I am grateful for the new job that pays well, and offers many opportunities for professional growth and advancement.”
“I am grateful for my body's excellent health and its self-healing abilities.”
If you are experiencing a health challenge or financial difficulties, giving Gratitude as a positive statement creates the energy of whatever you are stating. In time subtle changes will become evident.

I encourage you to assess how you would like your life to be, and then begin the Gratitude process. Experiment with different ways of expressing Gratitude. Find the way that feels most comfortable and then ensure diligence in its application. With persistence and patience you will find yourself reaping the rewards!

The Transformative Power of Giving Gratitude

Australian, Rev. Bente Hansen is an empathic energy healer, channeler, spiritual counselor and medical intuitive. She is divinely inspired and is intuitive on all levels. Bente recently moved to NY though her client base is international. Bente is the author of Messages From Beyond (2001) and The New World of Self Healing (2006). Contact at: www.dynamicenergyhealing.net or bhansen9@hotmail.com or 845 297-4106.

Why Death is not a Problem

Why Death is Not a Problem
by Lonny J. Brown • Peterborough, NH

If you were God, the All-Knowing, Omnipotent Universal ONE, what would you do for kicks?

One possible way you could have fun that would be interesting or novel would be to disperse your awareness into a zillion separate parts, each “making believe” that it was the most important ... not quite seeing how it fit into the whole picture. Then you (I, we, he, she,) could watch the drama unfold with great interest (fear, delight, chagrin,) in all it’s infinite variety, conveniently forgetting it’s just THE ONE, playing hide-and-seek with Our Self!

All newborn infants instinctively “know” that they are one with creation. They may get cranky and complain, but the newly-incarnated never worry like we “mature” people do. Naturally fearless, fresh from the womb of creation, a baby continues to directly experience its own cosmic nature. You don't remember it very well, but you too once existed in such a state, not that long ago. The process of forgetting—and eventually remembering -- this universal connection, is the drama of your life and your journey towards enlightenment.

BODY & SOUL

Soon after being born, like most human beings, you underwent the necessary processes of individuation. You were introduced to your family, tagged with a name, indoctrinated into your social role, and bequeathed your cultural identity. Soon forgetting your cosmic origins, you became completely preoccupied with your sexy new existence. The accumulating sensory intake of the present vehicle began to feel like the center of all experience. This centralization of experience and vantage point over time formed memory, and the focus of attention we call the ego, or “self.”

You point towards your body and identify “me,” as opposed to the rest of the world. The conventional and most convenient boundary between this assumed separate “self” and all others is your skin, which you rightly endeavor to protect and defend, and from which you gain pleasure and security. Yet sooner or later, we all will discover that we are more than flesh and bones.

Discovering that “I am not my body” does not require that you renounce it. The only renunciation necessary is of your fear of losing it. As the body ages, the package of meat which your narrowed awareness called home, begins to feel more like a cage. Eventually, it becomes the tomb of the ego. That is why we are well advised to cultivate an awareness of spirit not defined by, but projecting through the material form.

The realization of immortality usually only dawns after death—and only after much tribulation—for the unprepared. In contrast, such an awakening while still in earthly existence is surely a prize worth seeking. With it comes a peace of mind that far surpasses any gratification offered by the temporal world.

HOW TO DIE

Paradoxically, dying is the greatest opportunity to realize enlightenment in a person’s life. The process of dropping the body and passing beyond presents a unique and potentially liberating perspective on the game of human incarnation.

How then can a person die into liberation, consciously, in equanimity, without fear or delusion? The answer sounds deceptively simple, yet it requires a lifetime of practice. The way to enlightened death is the way of enlightened living. It is to LET GO.

LET GO of your expectations. Let go of your position and preferences. Let go of what you think is important. Let go of your philosophy. Let go of your world. Let go of your precious idea of your identity. Systematically let go of your body, and each and every element in it. Again and again, let go of your breath. Let go of your mind. With faith in the Universe, let go of being human. Let go of everything you think of, everything you would grasp for security. The only way out is through. If you stop clutching and clinging for safety, you will discover that you are already safe. You need to let go and trust, to see that you are bigger than your whole life, yet always cradled in the womb of the Universe.

In this way, when we completely and absolutely let go, dying is miraculously transformed from the most horrendous experience imaginable to the most expansive and beautiful. It becomes natural and welcomed … no more tragic or traumatic than walking into the next room, taking
off an old ill-fitting suit of clothes, and turning on the light.

Ah … just like that, death becomes the answer to the riddle of your incarnation. You finally remember that being born and dying are like inhaling and exhaling, and you no longer wish for one without the other. You “wake up” to discover, with considerable amusement, that there was nothing to fear all along. You expand into complete understanding of the ingenious timeless perfection of All.

So don’t worry. Death is the surprise ending that makes the mystery make sense. It’s the pause that refreshes; the punch-line to the joke of your incarnation. And if you’re still fond of your material existence, rest assured you’ll re-enter it, to continue your vividly convincing, Technicolor,
“3-D” sense-surrounding epic thriller. Enjoy the ride!

Lonny J. Brown is the author of Enlightenment In Our Time (BookLocker.com), and the online column, “The Holistic Mystic” (TheMetaArts.com). His writings on holistic health have appeared on AOL’s Alternative Medicine Forum and in Alternative Health Practitioner, Yoga Journal, and many other progressive publications. Brown teaches holistic health, mind/body healing, and stress reduction courses at hospitals, schools and businesses throughout the US. www.LonnyBrown.com, lonny@holistic.com.

Noticing versus Giving Attention

Noticing and giving attention to something are very different. When you notice your thoughts, you have stepped away from them and are no longer so identified with them. Noticing creates a space between your thoughts and you. When you notice something, you become aligned with the Noticer, or the real you. And that provides an opportunity to choose whether you’ll give those thoughts further attention or not. When you simply notice something, you are aligned with your real Self, or Essence. This Self is sometimes called Awareness. You are the awareness that is aware of, or notices, everything, including thoughts. You are not your thoughts or the thinker; your thoughts and the sense that you are the thinker is the egoic, or false, self.

Unlike noticing, attention is more like a spotlight that focuses on something to the exclusion of everything else and gets lost in it. When we give our attention to a thought, we become identified with it if our attention lands there long enough. Whatever we give our attention to becomes magnified in our awareness. Noticing, on the other hand, is more like a moving spotlight that doesn’t land in one spot. When we are aligned with Essence and noticing what we are experiencing, we are noticing lots of things: Our awareness moves from a thought, to a sensation, to an object, to a sound, to an intuition, to another sound, to a feeling, to a knowing, to another object, and so on. Our awareness jumps around so quickly from one thing to the next that we barely realize all the things it’s taking in. Noticing is what the real you, or Essence, does as it experiences life. It gives attention to what needs attention in order to function, and then it moves on. The state of ego-identification, however, is a state of giving attention to thoughts or feelings more than the other aspects of experience—and believing them. This ends up coloring our experience of life and interfering with experiencing it purely.

Because nearly every thought comes from the ego, when we give our attention to thoughts, we become identified with the ego and its desires, beliefs, attitudes, judgments, and perceptions, and we see life through the ego’s eyes. Instead, if we spend less time giving attention to thoughts and more time noticing other aspects of experience, our experience of life will change; life will seem simpler, easier, more peaceful, and less stressful.

Learning to notice thought without identifying with it is the key to moving out of ego-identification and experiencing who you really are. Instead of being absorbed in your thoughts, take one little step back and notice what you are thinking. What you are thinking is really what your ego is thinking, not the real you.

Practice noticing your thoughts, and you can become free from the ego. Meditation is valuable because meditation is the practice of noticing thoughts without getting involved in them. You already know how to do this; there are lots of thoughts you have that you don’t get involved in. When you meditate, focus on something, such as a sound or a candle flame or a mantra or your breath. Then, when you notice yourself thinking, gently bring yourself back to whatever you are meditating on. Meditation trains you to bring yourself back to sensory experience (the real experience in the moment) and away from absorption in thoughts. We can’t ever get rid of thoughts because they are beyond our control, but we can learn to just notice them and then go back to the sensory experience we are having in the moment.

Be careful that noticing thoughts doesn’t turn into giving your attention to them because that can quickly turn into absorption in thoughts and, consequently, ego-identification. Just notice any thoughts and feelings (which are also products of the ego) that show up, and then turn your attention away from them and onto anything else that is going on, and you will land in the Now, and you will experience the peace, contentment, guidance, and wisdom of your real Self.

Gina Lake
www.radicalhappiness.com

Love Is Gentle

I was listening to a song the other day, and some of the words were “Love is gentle, and love is kind.” The truth of that really touched me. We think of love as being a feeling—an emotion—but true love is more of a doing. Love touches, love gives, love is gentle, and it is kind. That’s how we know it. We know love by its fruits. Love acts: It listens, it caresses, it nourishes, it nurtures. It does whatever is needed of it. Love naturally responds to life as it presents itself.

Romantic love isn’t like this at all. It is a giddy feeling, an excitement, an anticipation of getting something from someone. It makes us feel like a kid at Christmas—“Yippee! I’m going to get what a want!” Romance is exciting, fun, and feels wonderful, but it’s not really love. It’s too self-centered for that. When we are in love, we are often oblivious to the needs of others, as we have only the beloved on our mind. We become fascinated and obsessed with the beloved to the exclusion of everything else. We love the beloved, not for what he or she is, but for what we think that person might mean to us and to our life. We are excited because the beloved is believed to enhance us. The feelings of romantic love are created by an illusion (i.e., psychological projection) and by the release of certain chemicals in the brain. Romantic feelings are a very different kind of love than true love; they are a falling in love with what we hope will be our salvation and happiness forever. That kind of love never lasts; it often disappears upon getting to know someone better. If we are lucky, it turns into something more true, more real, more akin to our true nature.

It is our nature to love, to be gentle, to be kind. When all thoughts drop away or are ignored, love is our natural response to life. The only thing that ever interferes with love is a thought, usually a judgment or a fear. These are the enemies of true love. They undermine it and eat away at it, or prevent it altogether. Love cannot exist in the ego’s world of judgment and fear. And yet we, as humans, need and want love so desperately. Because of this, we learn to love for love’s sake, for the joy of loving, without conditions, just because it is our nature. We learn to move beyond the ego’s judgments and fears because doing so is the only way to get what we really want—true love. To get that, we need to return Home, and so we eventually do. We find a way to love in spite of our judgments and fears. We discover this very simple truth: Love is an act of kindness, not a giddy feeling. Love is a doing, a natural expression of our true nature, not a feeling we get from others. The ego manipulates others to do what it wants so that it can feel love, but that is the opposite of love. Love allows others to be just as they are; it supports and nurtures, listens, and cares. Love flows toward others from within us. It exists within us and is not gotten from others.

This kind of love is the most fulfilling thing in the world. Experiencing it doesn’t require that you be beautiful or rich or healthy or intelligent or have a special talent or standing in life; experiencing it only requires that you express it. It is free, and it frees us, and it frees others from the ensnarement of the false self. It is the greatest gift, and one that doesn’t cost the giver anything. It takes nothing from the giver and returns everything. This is the great secret we are meant to discover.

Gina Lake
www.radicalhappiness.com

Abhyasa and Vairgya

Absorption or "going into it"... where do we draw the line as to what is a dangerous and deadly place to lose oneself and what is absolutely necessary for the purpose of passion... the desire to inquire and discern the nature of all such phenomena like fear and negative thinking/feeling... to be free of it entirely, fully absorbed only in the continuous act of just noticing and clearly observing .. and the subsequent creation/expression born of attention

Absorption or "going into it"... where do we draw the line as to what is a dangerous and deadly place to lose oneself and what is absolutely necessary for the purpose of passion... the desire to inquire and discern the nature of all such phenomena like fear and negative thinking/feeling... to be free of it entirely, fully absorbed only in the continuous act of just noticing and clearly observing .. and the subsequent creation/expression born of attention


Abhyasa is the active engaging extrovert aspect of Consciousness... it is the inhalation, the creative spark of consciousness

Vairagya is the passive dispassionate/detached introvert aspect of Consciousness... the exhalation and return to consciousness

Abhyasa is the movement from one to two which leads to three, and onward the same applies to all odd #'s (yang)

Vairagya is the return movement from two back to one which leads to zero, the same applies to all even #'s (yin)


Zero is the RETURN factor, the negation or destruction, clearing of space (inside and out)

One is the ACTIVE factor, the affirmation or manifestation, filling of space, the flip side of Two

Two is the RECEPTIVE factor, the experience complementing the action, the having that goes with doing

Three is the COGNITIVE factor, the thinking that complements both action and experience, and modifies them

Four is the ATTENTIVE factor, the reality that is manifest surrounding all being-doing-having, created by thinking

Five is the CREATIVE factor, the spontaneous expression/expansion arising out of attention and the will to creation

Six is the COHESIVE factor, the application, implementation and devotion that accompanies creative expression or action

Seven is the UNITIVE factor, the socialization, service and social interaction, self and others, subject and object integration

Eight is the ELIMINATIVE factor - Evolution, death and rebirth, self transformation and regeneration, trials and tests of faith

Nine is the LIBERATIVE factor - Actualization, freedom and full potential, teaching and healing, benevolence and renewal of faith

Ten is the REGENERATIVE factor - Perfection, Fruition, "fully ripened karma" or dharma, Mission accomplished, Return of One to Zero

Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen are the omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent factors (respectively) that pervade all individual experience (1-10)
Observations and Journal of Awareness:

JDZ

Insights - Astrological-Personal-Universal

Astrological references to Ken Wilbur synthetic reference of Causal, Astral and Physical Bodies... those *embodying* the five sheaths of maya or illusion (original ignorance).

Causal Body & Bliss Sheath - "ALL of US" - The Sun (universal energy, heat & light)

Astral Body & Intellectual/Mental-Emotional/Energy Sheaths - "US" or "YOU and I" - The Moon (human intelligence, thought/feeling and vital energies, subjectively and personally experienced via interpersonal relations)

Physical Body & Physical Food Sheath - "I ME & MINE" - The Ascendant (and most especially Houses 1-4). All that incarnates in form and is nourished by food, by the Earth itself, which most distinctively of all gives the masked appearance of being separate (my self and my reality, Ascendant/Horizon and Mid-Heaven/Meridian respectively), My World and World-View as coming from a unique most individual (separate) perspective.

While the Moon and Astral Body represent a "living past" which IS the present (here and now) experience, and ever changing reality, The Ascendant and Sun are together that NOW reality, of clarity, consciousness, choice and freewill, forever marching toward a projected living future *in the present*.

The Moon, as Earth's satellite (its subjective/soul existence) magnetizes and directly connects to the opposite polarities (the shadow side) of Sun and Ascendant (and Mid-Heaven)... meaning the opposite angles, the Descendant and Nadir, are primary indicators of the past shadow (or trail) that the Ascending Sign or Rising Sun leaves behind when continuing along its immediate worldly path of active manifestation, which is then projected upon others in interpersonal relationship(s).

Likewise the sign 180 degrees (opposite) the Sun is a key indicator of one's Solar past from the unique perspective of the Sun Sign. Where the Sun develops overtime along its soul path and purpose the Moon takes on and is modified by the past or shadow/polarity of the Sun Sign. While the Solar perspective remains forever future-oriented, a vital presence connected to a source, to the eternal (unchanging) present moment.... It leaves a shadow of past experience, of personal karmic baggage, behind which is at the root of self-undoing and gives purpose via contrast to the Sun and its Higher Purpose.

To be continued...

JDZ

I Am the World and the World is Me

To see is to do... pure attention, no division between observer and observed. Separation equals dysfunction equals resistance and conflict. Unity equals seeing, feeling and doing all at once, instantaneously, in the moment, without spatial and temporal barriers to climb... As a wise Zen therapist (now a Roshi) once said to me "just be here" and the rest will take care of itself.

All that i see that I dislike in the world is within me, violence and discord, as well as all the good. Though differing in degrees and magnitude of disharmony and conflict the essence is the same. It is both within me and without me, the negative and the positive qualities I attribute to the outside world...

Right now the most delusive and dysfunctional things in my life now are my thoughts, however enlightened or deluded, holding onto my cherished thoughts is the source of all dysfunction and dissatisfaction. As A.H. Maslow explains it "self-actualization is a complete immersion in the matter hand, without any trace of self-consciousness".....

And wisdom is emptiness of mind accompanied by clarity (and cleansing) of perception

JDZ

The Dualistic Process

Apart from obvious duality as man and woman, black and white, there is an inward psychological duality as the observer and the observed, the one who experiences and the thing experienced. In this division, in which time and space are involved, is the whole process of conflict; you can observe it in yourself. You are violent, that is a fact and you also have the ideological concept of non-violence, so there is duality. Now the observer says “I must become non-violent” and the attempt to become non-violent is conflict, which is a waste of energy; whereas if the observer is totally aware of that violence—without the ideological concept of non-violence—then he is able to deal with it immediately. One must observe this dualistic process at work within oneself—this division of the “I” and the “not-I”, the observer and the observed. Talks with American Students, p 111

The Thinker and the Thought

When you observe yourself very clearly, when you are aware choicelessly of every thought, of every feeling, then you will come upon something—which is that there is a thinker and there is the thought; that there is an experiencer, an observer, and there is the experience, the observed. This is a fact, is it not?—there is a censor, an entity which judges, evaluates, which thinks, which observes; and there is the thing which is observed...So there is a thinker, there is the thought. There is a division between the thinker and the thought—the thinker trying to dominate the thought, trying to change the thought, trying to modify the thought, trying to control it, trying to force it, trying to imitate and so on. This division between the thinker and the thought creates conflict because the thinker is always the censor, the entity that judges, that evaluates. That entity is a conditioned entity because it has arisen as a reaction to thought, which is itself merely the reaction of conditioning, of memory. You understand, sirs? This is a very simple thing to find out for yourself. The Collected Works vol XIII, p 90

Seeing + Feeling + Doing = Intuition = Self-Integration

Jungian astrological terms for the four angles of the cross of matter, in the natural horoscope, are Intuition for the Ascendant, Feeling for the Nadir, Sensation for the Descendant and Thinking for the Mid-Heaven. On this note, I seek to understand where I am aligned naturally in myself, at the very beginning, at the Ascendant or Rising Sun, the horizon of conscious being where my only true reference point of existence is.

Sensations and thoughts, emotional thinking, and all the content of the mind is ultimately secondary, they are effects not causes. Intuition, the true center of all "positive thinking" and visualization as we understand these, is the deepest experience of SEEING (The Sun) FEELING (The Earth/Moon) and DOING (Earth/Ascendant), where the doing arises out of deep feeling and clear seeing, the source (sun) and ground (earth) spring (moon) of being.

In speaking of action, the fundamental intuitive aligning factor is already in place... and from here the next important is to LIVE IT which means "just do it!" and not to think about it more, over calculate, keep score, worry how I am doing, and all that psychological nonsense... the nonsense and useless thinking which gets stored at the dark or shadow side (and south node) of the Moon and personal planets like Mercury and Venus.

The goal is cut clear to INTUITION, the central aligning, seeing/feeling factor, where visualizing is acting and ideals made manifest through the Individual, the ONE channel through which the universal and personal are integrative and co-creative.

JDZ

Thought versus Wisdom (continued)

"Knowledge is necessary to function, and its functioning becomes neurotic when status becomes all important, which is the entering of thought as the “me”, as status. So knowledge is necessary and yet meditation is to discover, or come upon, or to observe, an area in which there is no movement of thought. Can the two live together, harmoniously, daily?"
Talks in Saanen 1974, p 69

Wisdom versus Knowledge

There is a distinction between intellect and intelligence. Intellect is thought functioning independently of emotion, whereas intelligence is the capacity to feel as well as to reason; and until we approach life with intelligence, instead of intellect alone, or with emotion alone, no political or educational system in the world can save us from the toils of chaos and destruction.Knowledge is not comparable with intelligence, knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is not marketable, it is not a merchandise that can be bought with the price of learning or discipline. Wisdom cannot be found in books; it cannot be accumulated, memorized or stored up. Wisdom comes with the abnegation of the self. To have an open mind is more important than learning; and we can have an open mind, not by cramming it full of information but by being aware of our own thoughts and feelings, by carefully observing ourselves and the influences about us, by listening to others, by watching the rich and the poor, the powerful and the lowly. Wisdom does not come through fear and oppression, but through the observation and understanding of everyday incidents in human relationship.
Education and the Significance of Life, pp 65-66

In our search for knowledge, in our acquisitive desires, we are losing love, we are blunting the feeling for beauty, the sensitivity to cruelty; we are becoming more and more specialized and less and less integrated. Wisdom cannot be replaced by knowledge, and no amount of explanation, no accumulation of facts will free man from suffering. Knowledge is necessary, science has its place; but if the mind and heart are suffocated by knowledge, and if the cause of suffering is explained away, life becomes vain and meaningless. And is this not what is happening to most of us? Our education is making us more and more shallow; it is not helping us to uncover the deeper layers of our being, and our lives are increasingly disharmonious and empty.Information, the knowledge of facts, though ever increasing, is by its very nature limited. Wisdom is infinite, it includes knowledge and the way of action; but we take hold of a branch and think it is the whole tree. Through the knowledge of the part, we can never realize the joy of the whole. Intellect can never lead to the whole, for it is only a segment, a part.
Education and the Significance of Life, p 66
J.Krishnamurti

The Love That Will Not Die

*I find this warrior approach to be the counterbalance to our western ways which can be one-sided in the self-empowering extroverted attitude toward life and spirituality. On the other hand, to quote Wayne Dyer "we cannot shame or impoverish ourselves enough to rescue others from their lot", and one must be in a strong position and condition to be most of service... to oneself, intimate others and society at large.
Jdz

"Spiritual awakening is frequently described as a journey to the top of a mountain. We leave our attachments and our worldliness behind an slowly make our way to the top. At the peak we have transcended all pain. The only problem with this metaphor is that we leave all others behind. Their suffering continues, unrelieved by our personal escape.

On the journey of the warrior-bodhisattva, the path goes down, not up, as if the mountain pointed toward the earth instead of the sky. Instead of transcending the suffering of all creatures, we move toward turbulence and doubt however we can. We explore the reality and unpredictability of insecurity and pain , and we try not to push it away. If it takes years, it takes lifetimes, we let it be as it is. At our own pace, without speed or aggression, we move down and down and down. With us move millions of others, our companions in awakening from fear. At the bottom we discover water, the healing water of bodhicitta. Bodhichitta is our heart -- our wounded, softened heart. Right down there in the thick of things, we discover the love that will not die. This love is bodhichitta. It is gentle and warm; it is clear and sharp; it is open and spacious. The awakened heart of bodhichitta is the basic goodness of all beings".

Pema Chodron ~ "Comfortable with Uncertainty" (chapter 1, pages 1-2)

Thinking About Self Doesn't Serve

THINKING ABOUT YOURSELF DOESN’T SERVE

Have you ever noticed how useless your thoughts about yourself are? Many of them are an attempt to define you as this or that: I like this, not that; I want this, not that; I feel this, not that; I believe this, not that. Thoughts about yourself define yourself—at least for the moment, since they are often changing: Sometimes you like or want or feel or believe something, and sometimes you like or want or feel or believe something else. Your sense of self changes with thoughts about yourself. You create your sense of self through thoughts about yourself, but this sense of self is always changing. It isn’t stable or consistent. Moreover, it’s made up: One day, you define and imagine yourself one way, and another day, you define and imagine yourself another way.

Do you need thoughts about yourself to exist or to function? You obviously don’t need them to exist because you still exist even when you are not thinking about yourself and when you are asleep. Do you need thoughts about yourself to function? It’s a little trickier to see that you don’t need these thoughts to function either, but if you look closely at this, you discover that many of your actions are spontaneous and do not stem from a thought first. In fact, a lot of thoughts are thoughts about action that has already taken place (the past) and thoughts about actions that have yet to take place or may never (the future), none of which are relevant to now. The rest are primarily thoughts that accompany your actions, that evaluate what you’re doing, remind you of what to do next, complain about it, argue about how to do it, and any number of other thoughts.

Do you need these thoughts to accomplish what needs to be done? They often make you less efficient because you are less present to what you are doing, or hinder or complicate rather than facilitate what you’re doing. They may cause you to doubt yourself as you’re doing something or question why you are doing it or give you pros and cons to doing it that can confuse you. When you really begin to notice what’s going on, you see that thoughts about yourself, including what you should or should not do and when and how, are not necessary and are, in fact, often problematic.

Thoughts about yourself create the false self, and you don’t need the false self to function, although you are programmed to believe you are the false self and that these thoughts are necessary to function. You are programmed to believe a lie! What an amazing thing this is! That is why this world is called an “Illusion” by those who see through this Illusion. The illusion is that you are this self and your thoughts are true and helpful. The Illusion leads you to believe that the false self is what is living your life, when in fact, what is living your life is responsible for creating everything, including the illusion that you are who you think you are. The key to seeing through the Illusion is noticing your thoughts and how inconsistent, untrue, useless—and negative—they actually are. You use the capacity to be aware of your thoughts to free yourself from the illusion that they are true.

Seeing that thinking about yourself doesn’t serve is a crucial step in seeing through this Illusion because that is all the false self is—thoughts about itself. Once you start ignoring your thoughts about yourself, that is, once you stop thinking about yourself, you discover that you never needed these thoughts and that they only take you away from what is true and real—the experience of your real Self living in this moment and moving spontaneously and naturally through life. You never needed any of these thoughts about yourself. You have always been living this life in spite of these thoughts. This that you are has allowed you to believe the Illusion while it has continued to be alive through you and move you in its own way through life. There comes a point in everyone’s evolution when it is time to wake up from this Illusion and experience the truth of who you are. This must be the time for you.

Gina Lake
www.radicalhappiness.com

Clear Seeing & One-Pointed Attention

I SEE therefore I AM and WILL think/feel/do in alignment with pure seeing and being...

Seeing is Direct Knowing & Feeling, or the Essence of Being (potential energy)

Being (kinetic energy) is Vitality, Thinking & Feeling, Doing & Becoming

Doing is Having... which is the fulfillment of Being, Feeling and Seeing... Read More

...and so it goes in a continuous and regular (yet ever changing) cycle of evolution and self-unfolding...

Beliefs and ideals are just confounding mental clutter, escapist, abstract and unnecessary. Clear seeing and direct attention is all one need be mindful of because only with this very REAL foundation can God (Love) be known...

From this foundation I can say that in the light of clear seeing, that which I once thought to be ideal is in fact REAL, here and now...

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Marianne Williamson

JDZ

Time is like a river flowing endlessly

Time is like a river flowing endlessly, but man has broken it up into three parts: the past, the present, and the future. The past is heavily burdened, and the future he does not know. Giving significance to life, a life that has no meaning, no purpose, no beauty, he says, “Let me live in the present.” He invents a philosophy of life of the present. But to live in the present, man must understand the past and the future. It’s a movement; you can’t take this river and say, “ I live just there.” It’s like a river that is flowing, and in this stream of time man is caught. Unless there is an end to time, there is no ending to sorrow.

Every human being is caught in time. I am not talking about time by the watch, chronological time which does influence thought, but of time at a different level, time as a movement of the infinite past, moving through the present to some future. As long as I am caught in that, there is no end to sorrow. I say to myself, “I’ll be happy tomorrow; I’ll escape from my present misery, my deep inner psychological disturbance which brings about sorrow. I’ll gradually get over it, forget it, rationalize it, escape from it or invent some future hope.” But to end suffering I must understand time. Time must come to an end, because thought has created sorrow, thought is time, thought has said, “I’m lonely; I’m of incapable of functioning; I’m not loved; my ambition, my capacity is not fulfilling itself. I must have time to do this, and time to achieve, to become, to change.”

J K The Collected Works vol XVI, pp 141-142

One Part Fire, Another Part Earth

*Some Facebook Quotations addressing Idealism and Realism, Abhyasa and Vairagya...

Life is one part Fire another part Earth, one part courage another part pragmatism, one part idealism another part realism, one part creation another implementation, one part Spirit another part Matter, one part expansion another part confinement, one part eternally living another part eternally dying, one part visionary another part observational, one part self-affirming another part ego denying...

Constant Awareness minus self-consciousness equals eternity and immortality...

There is an escape, a truth and a salvation which cannot be found in the dogmatic idealism of any church or religious beliefs about any kind of afterlife... It is presence, pure and simple, a willingness to live and be...

Love is "immersion into the creative process, wholeheartedly"... or so I believe!

Made the decision that there is no death, no absolute ending, just like the false notion of brain cells dying and not reproducing, this a myth and propaganda they try to scare and dis-empower us with... There is only LIFE and an infinite span of time, potential and resources. Death and limitation are the two biggest lies of all, because people don't understand what they mean... MORE LIFE!!

Life is one big long ass neverending party... The main objective is to keep dancing, keep creating and always hold you head high...

In search of the master key, first sentence reads.... "Thought is energy. Active thought is active energy; concentrated thought is concentrated energy. Thought that is concentrated on a definite purpose becomes power".

The inner storm has passed after having washed away the poisons that were temporarily lodged in me... anger/pride, greed/desire and delusion. Many thanks to friends here who've helped me regain a clearer more balanced perspective, in response to recent rants. Been finding out over the years that acting dumb is a better learning experience than acting as though I have all the answers...

"Live from your Heart, you will be most effective"... I believe the secret is in allowing all things to be, whether mind approves or disapproves. You cannot get over something self-destructive (yet pleasurable) by repressing it with ideas of right/wrong. If for example, you have trouble with drinking or overeating then to indulge yourself to the point of illness, until YOU SEE WHY this is not your true heart's desire"

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Marianne Williamson
JDZ

Keeping up to Speed

You've got to stay up to speed with the leading edge creator that you are... Do you know that when you get out here in this new place and you conclude some new desire do you know that the heavens part and All That Is flows toward that new leading edge place and that once that happens, do you know that you're not ever going to be happy again unless you get up to speed with it? And do you know why that is?

Because we are all IMMEDIATELY up to speed with it. You carved the path, Source rushed in and you cannot bear to be left behind.

Ohhhh... that is so big. To manage your energy you've got to stay up to speed with the leading edge creator that you are. You cannot go back. There is no going back. You cannot be less than you've become. Once the desire has hatched you've got to get up to speed with it. [Sigh] We could leave it there for the rest of eternity.

- Abraham-Hicks –

Me-ness and the Emotions

Our mind has this quality of "me-ness", which is obviously not the other, not you. Me-ness is distinct from you, other, the rock, the tree, or the mountains, the rivers, the sky, the sun, the moon--what have you. This me-ness is the basic point here.

There is a general sense of discomfort when you refer to yourself as "me", which is very subtle discomfort. We usually don't acknowledge or notice it, because it is so subtle, and since it is there all the time, we become immune to it. There a certain basic ambivalence there. It is like dogs, who at a certain point begin to relate to their leashes as providing security rather than imprisonment. Animals in the zoo feel the same thing. At the beginning they experienced imprisonment, but at some point this became a sense of security. We have the same kind of attitude. We have imprisoned ourselves in a certain way, but at the same time, we feel that this imprisonment is the most secure thing we have. This me-ness or my-ness has a painful quality of imprisonment, but at some point this became a sense of security. We have the same kind attitude. We have imprisoned ourselves in a certain way, but at the same time, we feel that is imprisonment is the most secure thing we have. This me-ness or my-ness has a painful quality of imprisonment, but at the same, it also represents security rather than just pure pain. That is the situation we are in at this point. Every one of us is in the situation.

This me-ness is not painful in the sense of outright suffering, like what you get from eating a bottle of jalapeno chilli peppers. But there's something behind the whole thing that makes us very subtly nauseated, just a little bit. That nausea then becomes somewhat sweet, and we get hooked on that sweetness. Then if we lose our nausea, we also lose our sweet. That is the basic state of mind that everybody feels.

When the first of the four noble truths talks about suffering, this what it is talking about. There is that very subtle but t the same time very real and very personal thing going on, which sort of pulls us down. Of course there are various occasions when you might feel on top of the world. You have a fantastic vacation by the ocean or in the mountains. You fall in love or you celebrate a success in your career. You find something positive to hang on to. Nobody can deny that everyone of us has experienced that kind of glory. But at the same time that we are experiencing that high point of glory, the other end o the canoe, so to speak, is pushed down in to the water a bit. That big deal that we are trying to make in to a small deal continues to happen. Sometimes when it comes up on the surface, we call it depression. We think, "I feel bad, I feel sick, I feel terrible, I feel upset," and so forth. But at the same time, it is really something less than that. There is a basic, fundamental hangover, an all-pervasive hangover that i always taking place. Even though we may be feeling good about things, we have the sense of being stuck somewhere.

Often people interpret that sense of being stuck in such a way that they can blame it on having to put up with their parents' hang-ups resulting from some other part of their problematic case history. You had a bad experience, you say, therefore, this hang-up exists. People come up with these very convenient case-historical interpretations, maybe even bringing in physical symptoms. These are the very convenient escapes that we have.

But really there is something more than that involved, something that transcends one's case history. We do feel something that goes beyond parents, beyond a bad childhood, a bad birth, a difficult cesarean--whatever. There is something beyond all that taking place, a basic fuckedupedness that is all-pervasive. What Buddha calls it is ego, or neurosis.

That is the first of the two aspects of the mind we mentioned (cognition, separateness, duality). It's something we carry with us all the time. I'm afraid it is rather depressing.........

~ Chogyam Trungpa ~

("The Path is the Goal" Part Two "Me-ness and the Emotions" pp.57-58)

**Author goes on to speak of the second aspect of mind "emotions" which he more rightly terms "eruptions". To be continued (if I decide to post on this further)...

***Commentary: This is what must be confronted and acknowledged if spirit life is to be anything more profound (eternal) than just a superficial happiness, that akin to a candle wanting to stay lit amidst frequent heavy winds...

Observing bodily pain

All of us know physical pain—a little or a great deal—and we can deal with it medically and in other ways. You can observe pain with a mind that is not attached, with a mind that can observe bodily pain as though from the outside. One can observe one’s toothache and not be emotionally, psychologically involved in it. When you are involved emotionally and psychologically with that pain in the tooth, then the pain becomes more; you get terribly anxious, fearful. I do not know if you noticed this fact.
The key is to be aware of the physical, physiological, biological pain, and in that awareness not get involved with it psychologically. Being aware of the physical pain—and the psychological involvement with it which intensifies the pain and brings about anxiety, fear—and keeping the psychological factor entirely out requires a great deal of awareness, a certain quality of aloofness, a certain quality of unattached observation. Then that pain doesn’t distort the activities of the mind; then that physical pain doesn’t bring about neurotic activity of the mind.

J.Krishnamurti On Love and Loneliness, p 132

Limitations of Knowledge and Thought

All of knowledge has limitations, and they aren't just the limitations of being somehow provincial. The real limitation of knowledge - however broad - is that it has a way of interpreting our experience.. It sees things through the eyes of yesterday. The thinking mind jumps in front of our experience and tells us what is happening - using past experience as a guide - then runs back into our mind and hides, so we have no idea that thinking ever came along. We believe we know what we just went through. But our beliefs may not be in accord with what actually happened.

That is why don't-know mind opens us up to a new kind of freedom. You learn through awareness practice to see how thought comes out of hiding and interprets your experience. You learn to recognize a thought, to see that a thought is just a thought; it isn't reality. You then have a chance to see what your experience really is. The more you don't know, the more you see.

Larry Rosenberg ~ Living in the Light of Death (Ch.3, p.112)

**Comment-In light of what the author refers to, the above paragraph is relevant to how different religions lay claim to the truth via their own mental interpretations AND how fears of "old age and death" are distorted and made worse by the stories of the mind... For the old (which is our thought) cannot possibly guide one through such a process which requires a total beginners mind, a willingness to let go and be with whatever is happening (without expectation or anticipation) in that final moment.

The Wisdom of Insecurity - Quotes from last chapter

"He who thinks that God is not comprehended, by him God is comprehended; but he who thinks that God is comprehend knows him not. God is unknown to those who know him, and is known to those who do not know him at all" ~ Upanishads

"The highest to which man can attain is wonder; and if the prime phenomenon makes him wonder let him be content; nothing higher can it give him, and nothing further should he seek for behind it; here is the limit." ~ Goethe

"One of the greatest favors bestowed on the soul transiently in this life is to enable i to see so distinctly and to feel so profoundly that it cannot comprehend God at all. These souls are herein somewhat like the saints in heaven, where they who know him most perfectly perceive most clearly that he is infinitely incomprehensible; for those who have the less clear vision do not perceive so clearly as do these others how gratly he transcends their vision". ~ St. John of the Cross

"When you are dying and coming to life in each moment, would-be scientific predictions about what will happen after death are of little consequence. The whole glory of it is that we do not know. Ideas of survival and annihilation are alike based on the past, on memories of waking sleeping, and, in their different ways, the notions of everlasting continuity and everlasting nothingness are without meaning"

"Free from clutching at themselves the hands can handle; free from looking after themselves the eyes can see; free from trying to understand itself thought can think. IN such feeling, seeing, and tihnking life requires no future to complete itself nor explanation to justify itself. In this moment it is finished"

Alan Watts "The Wisdom of Insecurity" Chapter IX

When I don’t compare I understand what I am

…Throughout life, from childhood, from school until we die, we are taught to compare ourselves with another; yet when I compare myself with another I am destroying myself. In a school, in an ordinary school where there are a lot of boys, when one boy is compared with another who is very clever, who is the head of the class, what is actually taking place? You are destroying the boy. That’s what we are doing throughout life. Now, can I live without comparison—without comparison with anybody? This means there is no high, no low—there is not the one who is superior and the other who is inferior. You are actually what you are and to understand what you are, this process of comparison must come to an end. If I am always comparing myself with some saint or some teacher, some businessman, writer, poet, and all the rest, what has happened to me—what have I done? I only compare in order to gain, in order to achieve, in order to become—but when I don’t compare I am beginning to understand what I am. Beginning to understand what I am is far more fascinating, far more interesting; it goes beyond all this stupid comparison.

Talks & Dialogues Saanen 1967, p 86

Can I be a light to myself?

We depend on experiences—pleasant or painful—to keep us awake; every form of challenge we want to keep us awake. When one realizes that this dependence on challenges and experiences only makes the mind more dull and that they do not really keep us awake—when one realizes that we have had thousands of wars and haven’t learnt a thing, that we are willing to kill our neighbour tomorrow on the least provocation—then one asks, why do we want them and is it all possible to keep awake without any challenge? That is the real question—you follow? I depend on a challenge, experience, hoping it will give me more excitement, more intensity, make my mind more sharp, but it does not. So I ask myself if it is possible to keep awake totally, not peripherally at a few points of my being, but totally awake, without any challenge, without any experience? That means, can I be a light to myself, not depending on any other light? That doesn’t mean I am vain in not depending on any stimulation. Can I be a light that never goes out? To find that out I must go deeply within myself, I must know myself totally, completely, every corner of myself, there must be no secret corners, everything must be exposed. I must be aware of the total field of my own self, which is the consciousness of the individual and of society. It is only when the mind goes beyond this individual and social consciousness that there is a possibility of being a light to oneself which never goes out.Talks & Dialogues Saanen 1967, pp 111-112

Five Realms, Three Bodies, One Liberation

Emptiness/Awareness/Energy (Causal) -- The Spirit (Divinity Self)

Thinking/Feeling/Vibrating (Astral) -- The Soul or Mind (Human Self)

Breathing/Attention/Perception (Physical) -- The Body (Animal Self)

Action/Sensation/Expression (External) -- The Ego or Personality (The Individual)

Doing/Devotion/Service (Social) -- The Role or Reputation (The Collective)

*Liberation-Unification-Evolution-Transformation-Realization & Absolute Perfection (The Universe)


JDZ

Why can’t we…not seek an answer to a problem?

…The answer is in the problem, not away from the problem. I go through the searching, analysing, dissecting process, in order to escape from the problem. But, if I do not escape from the problem and try to look at the problem without any fear or anxiety, if I merely look at the problem—mathematical, political, religious, or any other—and not look to an answer, then the problem will begin to tell me. Surely, this is what happens. We go through this process and eventually throw it aside because there is no way out of it. So, why can’t we start right from the beginning, that is, not seek an answer to a problem?—which is extremely arduous, isn’t it? Because, the more I understand the problem, the more significance there is in it. To understand, I must approach it quietly, not impose on the problem my ideas, my feelings of like and dislike. Then the problem will reveal its significance. Why is it not possible to have tranquillity of the mind right from the beginning?
The Collected Works vol V, p 283

To look at life not as a problem

First, we must be very clear that you and the speaker are treating life not as a problem but as a tremendous movement. If your brain is trained to solve problems, then you will treat this movement as a problem to be solved. Is it possible to look at life with all its questions, with all its issues, which is tremendously complex, to look at it not as a problem, but to observe it clearly, without bias, without coming to some conclusion which will then dictate your observation? You have to observe this vast movement of life, not only your own particular life, but the life of all humanity, the life of the earth, the life of the trees, the life of the whole world—look at it, observe it, move with it, but if you treat it as a problem, then you will create more problems.
J.Krishnamurti Mind Without Measure, p105

Journal: On Confrontation versus Letting Go

With Regard to Inner Darkness, Resistance & Conflict
"In terms of "solving the problem" I believe it about letting it be there and being fully present with it, or "sit with it" in meditation... the moment we try to DO anything about it we add more fuel to the fire... to the problem. That is important to realize... if I view something as a problem to be solved, rather than just see it directly and let it be, then I set up unnecessary conflict and resistance where there was never any to begin with.. and on this ground we are free to let go and think/feel happier thoughts/feelings :-)"

With regard to the outside world:
"I deal with things directly or I deny and forget about them long enough to let the moment keep flowing. The one thing that I cannot and will not do is think about an issue or situation without also taking immediate action... act now or surrender, maybe act later, listen to what the messages of the universe say, with faith. To escape or take a path of least resistance can be as effective as directly confronting..."

J D Z

A Pilgrimage

If we could take a journey, make a pilgrimage together without any intent or purpose, without seeking anything, perhaps on returning we might find that our hearts had unknowingly been changed. I think it worth trying. Any intent or purpose, any motive or goal implies effort—a conscious or unconscious endeavour to arrive, to achieve. I would like to suggest that we take a journey together in which none of these elements exist. If we can take such a journey, and if we are alert enough to observe what lies along the way, perhaps when we return, as all pilgrims must, we shall find that there has been a change of heart; and I think this would be much more significant than inundating the mind with ideas, because ideas do not fundamentally change human beings at all. Beliefs, ideas, influences may cause the mind superficially to adjust itself to a pattern, but if we can take the journey together without any purpose, and simply observe as we go along the extraordinary width and depth and beauty of life, then out of this observation may come a love that is not merely social, environmental, a love in which there is not the giver and the taker, but which is a state of being, free of all demand. So, in taking this journey together, perhaps we shall be awakened to something far more significant than the boredom and frustration, the emptiness and despair of our daily lives. J.Krishnamurti The Collected Works vol XI, p 243

The Third Dukkha

*Here in the west we understand and respond well to the positive and more extrovert attributes of Spirit... as love and wisdom, service and compassion, etc. I believe it also important to address/understand spirituality from a Buddhist (and generally eastern) perspective of what the author refers to as "deconstruction"...

Although dukkha is usually translated as "suffering", that is too narrow. The point of dukkha is that even those who are wealthy and healthy experience a basic dissatisfaction, a dis-ease, which continually festers. That we find life dis-satisfactory, one damn problem after another, is not accidental-because it the very nature o an unawakened sense-of-self to be bothered about something.

The first dukkha includes being separated from those we want to be with, and being stuck with those we don't want to be with (the Buddha has a sense of humor!). The second type is suffering due to impermanence. It's the realization that, although I might be enjoying an ice-cream cone right now, it will soon be finished. The best example of this type is awareness of mortality, which haunts our appreciation of life. Knowing that death is inevitable casts a shadow that usually hinders our ability to live fully now.

The third type of dukkha is more diffiuclt to understand because it's connected with the delusion of self. It is dukkha due to sankhara, "conditioned states", which is sometimes taken as a reference to the ripening of past karma. More generally, however, sankhara refers to the constructedness is anatta, "not-self". Thee is no unconditioned self within our constructed sense of self, and this is the source of the deepest dukkha, our worst anguish.

This sense of being a self that is separate from the world I am in is illusory-inf act, it is our most dangerous delusion. Here we can benefit from what has become a truism in contemporary psychology, which has also realized that the sense of self is a psychological-social-linguistic construct: psychological, because the ego-self is a product of mental conditioning; social, because a sense of self develops in relation with other constructed selves; and linguistic, because acquiring a sense of self involves learning to use certain names and pronouns such as I, me, mine, myself, which create the illusionthat there must be something being referred to. If the word cup refers to this thing I"m drinking coffe out of, then we mistakenly infer that I must refer to something in the same way. This is one of theways language misleads us.

Despite these similarities to modern psychology, however, Buddhism differs from most of it in two important ways First, Buddhism emphasizes that there is always something uncomfortable about our constructed sense of self. Much of contemporary psychotherapy is concerned with helping us become "well-adjusted". The ego-self needs to be repaired so it can fit into society and e can play our social roles better. Buddhism isn't about helping us become "well-adjusted". A socially well-adjusted ego-self is still a sick ego-self, for there remains something problematical about it. It is still infected by dukkha.

This suggests the other way that Buddhism differs from modern psychology. Buddhism agrees that the sense of self can be re-constructed, and that it needs to be reconstructed, but it emphasizes even more that the sense of self needs to be de-constructed, to realize its true "empty", non-dwelling nature. Awakening to our constructedness is the only real solution to our most fundamental anxiety. Ironically, the problem and it solution both depend upon the same fact: a constructed sense of self is not a real self. Not being a real self is intrinsically uncomfortable. Not being a real self is also what enables the sense of self to be deconstructed and reconstructed, and this deconstruction/reconstruction is what the Buddhist spiritual path is about.

(from "Money, Sex, War, Karma" by David Loy; Ch.1 The Suffering of Self, pp.16-17)

From Ego to Essence

"IT'S ALL A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE"

Making things more important than they are is one way the ego keeps us out of the present moment. This is particularly apparent when something truly important happens, like when you or someone close to you nearly dies or goes through some other crisis. This puts the other things the ego magnifies in importance into perspective. The ego doesn’t have perspective, which is one reason we suffer when we are identified with it. Its perspective is narrow: To it, life is good when we’re getting what it wants and bad when we aren’t. The trouble is that the ego’s desires aren’t a good guide for what’s important in life or for what will make us happy. And the ego often overlooks what might really make us happy, such as taking some time to just be, to connect with loved ones, or to do something fun or creative. The ego tends to drive us to achieve, improve ourselves, and get more things, and while there is a place for all of this, focusing exclusively on what the ego wants can leave us feeling empty, disconnected from life, exhausted, and never having or being enough.

The ego tells us we have to have certain things or be a certain way to be happy, and the ego is wrong about this; we don’t. It also assumes that every step along the way toward its plan for happiness has to work out or the plan will be ruined, and we will never achieve happiness. Every little difficulty and challenge we encounter is felt to be proof of failure and therefore a cause for unhappiness, rather than a natural part of the process of life unfolding. Every action and event is examined from the standpoint of whether it will get the ego what it wants or interfere with that. The ego has many goals, and it sees events in life as either helping it toward those goals or hindering it. If something helps, it’s good, and a successful and happy life seems possible. If something hinders, it’s bad, and a failed and unhappy life is assumed to be your destiny.

The suffering starts with an evaluation of something as good or bad, and that is followed by a story of what that will mean—being a success or failure, being happy or unhappy, being loved or lonely, having ease or having to struggle, being rich or being poor. The ego thinks in terms of black and white, never shades of gray; and life just isn’t like that. The ego’s reality is black and white, but real reality is messy, complex, unpredictable, and no one story you can tell about it is true. The ego doesn’t like that, of course. It likes its stories of good and bad and the drama and suffering they cause. It likes its stories because they give it a false sense of security, a sense of knowing how life is. The ego isn’t looking for truth; it just wants a story it can believe is true so that it can pretend it knows how and where life is going.

The ego is in the business of creating suffering because your suffering keeps you tied to it and allows it to exist. If you stopped suffering, you would no longer be identified with it, and it would stop existing—you would stop experiencing yourself as this “me” who has this problem and that problem, this desire and that goal, this self-image and that past. The ego only exists as a story about “you.” Nothing else. So, that story better be a dramatic one, or you’ll lose interest and drop out of your mind and into the present moment, where the ego disappears.

The ego has quite a racket going: It makes even small things a life and death matter to keep you involved with it. If something is important, and it’s going wrong, which is the ego’s basic story, then you’d better pay attention to the ego’s solution for fixing it, or you’ll really have a problem. It keeps you attentive to it with its stories and then with dealing with the feelings those stories generate and then the actions needed to make those stories turn out better. Yes, it has quite a racket going.

Meanwhile, life is happening in its own way, in its own time, and you are missing out on what is really going on because you’re busy trying to live out your story and make it turn out the way the ego wants. Most people’s lives are about getting their story to turn out the way they want, regardless of what Life, or the greater Intelligence behind it, might have in mind. People suffer so much when their ego’s desires don’t match what life is bringing them, and this suffering is so unnecessary.

The ego’s desires are created by the ego. Why build your life around them when something much deeper is at play, living and directing your life? You might miss what Essence is moving you to do if you’re too busy being moved by the ego. You can live your life as the ego intends or as Essence intends, and most people’s lives are a combination of the two. Paying attention to the ego’s stories and what’s important to it, however, will bring you a lot of pain because it tells sad and scary stories most of the time, and you will design your life to ward off what it fears rather than enjoy the life that Essence can create through you.

To the ego, life is a battle it’s trying to win, and every little difficulty feels like a threat to its self-image, life, and happiness, but that’s its perspective. To Essence, life is an experience to be enjoyed, an opportunity for exploration, discovery, growth, love, and service. Who is there here to battle with? The ego tilts at windmills. When you know yourself as the Oneness, it is a friendly universe, where you welcome and accept difficulties (including the challenge of your own and other people’s egos), not as your enemy but as your friend, or at least your teacher. When you are happy and aligned with Essence, the unimportant, small things in life stay small. They are seen in proper perspective. Essence gives you back your perspective, which is a very good reason to join with it rather than with the ego. When you do, life becomes easier, not because anything has changed, but because your perspective has.

by Gina Lake

http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.radicalhappiness.com