Life 2.0

How to Save the World

As we approach Christmas I get a sense that the dial on the world marked 'fear' has somehow got turned up a notch or two this last year or so.  This post is my small way of adding a little counterbalance, a message of hope, to all that dour noise out there.

Harry Potter is one boy in a long line of mythical heroes who have reminded the human race that we are so much more than we think we are, so much more powerful than we seem to know.  Jesus said that we would someday do even greater works than He;  should we not take Him at His word?  And should not 'someday' be today?".... Marianne Williamson

The line drawn between which heroes are mythical and which are real can get a little blurry, but debate this and we miss the whole point.  Whether it's Yoda teaching Luke,  Donald Shimoda's  encounter with a disillusioned writer, or a chance conversation with a wise friend, the message from their stories is always the same:  It is you we are talking to -- there is nothing special about these powers, they are yours.

But where do you go with this if you have no reference point, no burning-bush experience in your life to guide you?  Imagination is useless here, because the thinking mind cannot go beyond itself.  Tatiana (in a comment to this post) expresses this question so well:

Many people reach the point of internalising some lessons that are extremely beneficial -- a healthy dissociation from the ego, so that you stop taking traffic jams personally or lose the zeal to fight with your spouse;  a few minutes of meditation per day;  a habit of reaching out to be fully present in the here and now several times a day.  Some deep breaths when you remember, a bit of mindfulness when walking or doing chores.

All of these things are wonderful at anchoring you here and diminishing the incessant thinking, churning, neurosis that is such a part of our daily life.  However, reading the same books, listening to the same teachers also points to an experience that started it all -- a flash of understanding, a moment when it all made sense or felt okay to make no sense.  For some it was transcendent and full of joy, for others quiet and deep.  Some kept the joy forever, others had to find their way back to it.  Some reach it in prison or in desperation, others driving a car or sitting on a hill.

But what if you're one of those people that has never had a moment like that?"

The thing about experiences is this:  They all change, even the most beautiful and profound ones.  So even if it was possible to find an experience that truly satisfied, we'd still be anxious the day that it was gone. 

For most of us, experience is God -- we spend our days moving away from those we dislike, and towards those we do.  But when we move away from or towards anything, we completely miss what's already here -- we trample on this flower of Beingness that is always present[1] -- we are no longer Self aware.  So freedom from anxiety lies in the opposite direction -- turning away from experience as a source of satisfaction, to discover what doesn't change -- this Presence of awareness in which all experiences appear and disappear in -- our Self.

So maybe past experience doesn't matter at all.  What if we were already capable of choosing Peace in any situation or circumstance?

The only time that any change takes place is in this moment[2], and what we are talking about here is simply the recognition of what is really here, right now -- the pure joy, peace and love that emanates quite naturally from our Self.  So what has this got to do with anything in our past?  There are no dragons to slay, no ego to kill, no practice needed of any kind.  It is simply a choice of what we give our attention to.  Choosing Peace is both the antithesis and antidote to the ego's debilitating belief that 'enlightenment' is a journey.

But what makes something so simple and natural appear to be obscure and remote, is that we don't believe we can do that.  And we don't believe it's possible because we look to our past experience as evidence for it working. 

But of course there is little or no evidence of it working there... because it is the choice to be free of our experiences and discover what is fresh, alive and radiant in this moment... untouched by anything in our past.

It is the choice to engage with the world from the opposite orientation to the one we are used to.  It's an orientation of openness (from Love) instead of control (from fear).  And although it requires us to do nothing, 'do nothing' means letting go of our old fear-based tools of control -- judgment, planning and defence.  Love has it's own agenda, which means I must let go of mine.  And let's face it, for most of us, letting go of the moment-to-moment control of our life is something we've never seriously considered before.

So lets review this new orientation:

• Openness... a willingness to show up naked, to 'not know'
  
  When we defend against anything we don't see it as is, but how we fear it to be.  But the fear is always our own -- to be fearful of anything we must first have judged ourselves as weak and vulnerable.  So what we 'see' (and therefore believe is real) is not reality, but the reflection of our own self-belief.  Can you get a sense that when we judge anything it is really a judgement on our self?
  
  Truth cannot be defined in terms of what is right and what is wrong because right and wrong are man made concepts.  It's in allowing ourselves to open up to our whole mind that we get to see the whole picture.  We start to see it in the pure thought and feeling we have when we reach out to each other, and in the presence of joy that releases us from a fearful concept of a separate, vulnerable self.
  
  To show up naked -- to be willing to know nothing, is to create a space that allows the truth in everything to shine true.  It's in this openness that we start to see that there is nothing separate from us and therefore nothing to fear.  The world changes as we recognise that behind our angst, there is nothing about us that is not constituted wholly of Love.  Change the inner script and the outer play must follow.  It can do no other, because in reality (seen without the veil of our fearful self-perception), it is all One.
  
  "One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach – waiting for a gift from the sea. ".... Gift from the Sea
  
  
• Trust.... in the part of us that is real, that does know.
  
  Frank Capra (before he became well know) felt that his inner spirit wasn’t able to be expressed and was in doubt about how to do it.  His friend Max Winslow advised him, "There's something in your peasant soul hurting to get out.  Let it out.  Not as preachment you fool, but as entertainment." 
  
  When we invite our real Self into our life, it will find a way to express itself.  You don't have to manage it.  Just let it have a place at the table and it will be an impeccable guest.
  
  What our judgements hide is the awareness that life delights to lift us free of our fearful self-perceptions.  And not on some imagined perfect day but right now, right here in the messy mundane-ness of an 'ordinary' day.  In the midst of wining kids, a partner who doesn't really understand us, a sick body, unanswered emails, and a long list of things we'd like to do......  we can stop!  Then stand still before them all, and find the honesty within to admit that we don't really know what all this, nor the rest of life, is for.
  
  Then invite Love to teach us.  You don't have to develop this Love, it is already developed.  You just have to give it welcome and space to grow in you, fill you with what is best for you.  And if you do it will judge all things in a new light for you, it will nourish you, guide you, inspire you, heal your troubled mind, and provide the love and power to transform all obstacles for you.
  
  But of course, we have to choose to trust it first.
  .

We think of Love (I'm talking about the real deal here, not that that changes) as an emotion.  But actually it's an awareness, a way of seeing without the layer of preconception that the mind imposes.  And when you change the way you look at things like this, the things you look at change.  But this shouldn't be a mystery to us -- it is simply the power of our choice. 

We already have this ability to choose peace and allow it be so... in any situation.  We can refuse to be dismayed by effects and choose a different cause instead.  We can receive instead of plan so that we can give instead of control.  And in choosing this we discover that the law of Love negates all the laws[3] we've come to believe in this world.

This is how we change the world -- not by attempting to carve out a haven of safety or by riling against perceived injustices, but by bringing Love to it instead of fear.  We are healed as we let our Self teach us how to heal... and the world, as a part of us, is healed as we are. 

This, to me, is the greatest joy of all.  I hope you too keep choosing peace this New Year, so everyone can witness that it's the only sane choice there is.

I wish you a wonderful Christmas and a New Year full of miracles.
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Notes:

[1].. There are many moments in a day when our Self peaks through and we see it's joy reflected back to is in the world.  In fact, it is constantly knocking on the door of our conscious awareness trying to get our attention.  This is just the nature of life --  what our defences hide.  These moments are mostly overlooked as we move through our day driven by the idea of something better (for some the ultimate experience of 'enlightenment' ;)).  In our search for the extraordinary, we dismiss the ordinary and miss everything.

Ring the bells that still can ring.
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything.
That's how the light gets in.
.....................Leonard Cohen

[2].. because it is the only 'time' that is real.  Both the past and future are mental constructs -- we remember and we imagine.  The 'future' is simply a projection of our stories from our past (the next chapter, if you like), and so no different from it.  A good question to ask ourselves, one that can slow this crazy hamster wheel call time enough for us to step off, is:  Who would I be without my beliefs and my stories?

[3].. of space and time, reciprocity and friendship, economics and scarcity, justice and karma, health and nutrition.... too many to mention.

Credits:

• Ms Max for the Peanuts cartoon and for dropping wonderful presents into my inbox all year long. 
• Dave Pollard, whose blog  inspired the title and idea for this post.
• To all of you who refuse to play victim to the fearful perception of a broken world... and have the courage to look past it to the Love beyond:  Thank you so much.

Related Article:  The wisdom to Know Nothing

Comments >>

A Dialogue on Awakening.... part 3

Tatiana expresses the 'conundrum of enlightenment'  beautifully in a comment to the first part of this now 3-part post (read her whole comment here):

Everyone says  'enlightenment' is an experiential process - words do not convey it, it must be felt to be known.  How do you sit still enough to reach that place when there is no formula, no answer, no timeline?  You can't even look for it as the act of looking negates the moment.  It's a funny conundrum wanting an experience where no wanting is allowed."

It's a funny word, 'wanting'.  If you look closely you'll see that we only want something when are not satisfied with what's here, but 'wanting' takes our attention away from what's here... so we don't really see what's here in the first place. ;)  

I remember my aunt would sometimes push her spectacles up into her hair when she was knitting, and then spend ages searching for them when she was done.  Of course, she never found them until she stopped looking for them.... which is to say, until she stopped believing they were somewhere else.  So there's nothing wrong with wanting in itself (wanting to be free of suffering, for example) but wanting something because you think you haven't got it, when in fact you have, gets us nowhere except crazy, doesn't it?

What we've been talking about is not so much 'wanting'  but seeing in a different way, in order to recognise what is really here -- seeing through the eyes of Love instead of fear, if you like.[1] 

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." -- Marcel Prouse

Just imagine for a moment that you fell asleep, and in this sleep you dreamt.  You found yourself in a some far-off loveless place where people got sick and where only the fit survive, and then only for a period of time.  It's a place full of hidden dangers with precious little time to relax from your efforts to keep safe.  It's a place where love is a rare commodity -- to be sought and then once found, carefully protected incase it becomes lost again. 

To survive you must learn to compete, to barter and make tacit arrangements with a carefully selected few to enter into 'relationships'.  Then we'll need to spend the best part of days 'working' to collect tokens to exchange for these things we need.  Stranger still, we must stick sharp needles in our skin and eat brightly coloured pills to protect our body from all manner of diseases.

But then it gets worse.  Just when we think we've got it sussed and found a safe place to call our own, a new horror come along.  Seeing just how precarious this place is, we come together to try to make sense of it all.  Safety in numbers, we believe.  We debate what rules we think would work, then form groups around our shared beliefs.  And so this god-forsaken place becomes more segregated and complex still. 

But of course these plans don't work for long because it never was possible to understand anything here (aren't all dreams nonsensical?).  Even the plans to escape are useless, because any way we think of becoming free is just another part of the dream. 

And so eventually the stress of trying to make sense of nonsense gets too much.  We become tired, withdraw, get sick, grow old and die.

What a nightmare! 

But now imagine that this dream it is so vivid and lifelike, with each character playing their part so well, all in glorious 3D technicolor Hi-Fidelity surround-sound, that there's no conceivable reason to suspect that it is anything but reality. 

So how do  we wake up from such a dream? 

The same way we wake from any dream.  Those stuck in a nightmares wake when the fear becomes unbearable -- maybe shot bolt upright, dripping in sweat, at the point that they think they are about to die... and gasp in relief at the realisation that it was only a dream.  Others just get tired of dreaming and decide, "there must be something better than this" -- and as is their wish, so it is done.  And then there are the few who choose a happy dream and wake gently in the warm embrace of loved ones.

Whichever way we choose, when we are ready we start to open our eyes.  And as we do, we glimpse the morning sun streaming through the bedroom window.  The relief feels wonderful.  But for most of us this flash of sunlight is too bright for eyes accustomed to darkness.  So we close our eyes again and drift back into dreaming.  Perhaps we now dream of 'waking up' in order to take comfort a while longer in this now familiar place.  Strange as it is, we'd rather look back and shiver at the thought of the night's cold than feel the warmth of the new day's sun.

But which ever way we come to it, the actual waking up is always the same:  At some point we choose to turn our attention to our awake consciousness -- this that brings us together, is opening our eye, and knows that these thoughts that trouble us are not true.  There's nothing else. 

Remember that we are never alone in this.  Although we don't see them yet, our loving brothers and sisters are by our side to help us gently wake..  Do they turn on the light and shake us awake?  No they don't.  That would hardly be a loving thing to do -- we're more afraid of light than darkness now.  What they do is take our hand to show us that what scared us was never true -- just the reflection of our own imaginings.  With their help we see the sound of monster clawing at our door was just the leaves of the tree blowing in the breeze against the window pane.

Hard as it is to believe, there is no one in our life that doesn't love us -- that is not here to help us be free.[2]

Our job is simply to enjoy the process of finding this out!
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Notes:

[1].. and in doing so we discover (because we see it change) that what we 'saw' was not real, just a reflection of the thinking that arises from a limited and therefore fearful self-perception.  

[2].. As I mentioned in  part1,  it's only in our eagerness to judge them, that we fail to see their gifts.

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A Dialogue on Awakening.... part 2

This conversation is about becoming free of the sense of powerlessness and fear that arises from a limited self-perception -- a false belief about who we are.  This anxiety is so pervasive that most would considers this to be our 'normal' state... and probably wonder what people like me are babbling on about. ;)

Tina's comment in the  last post highlights a common frustration.  To understand where she is coming form you'll need to read the whole comment, but I've extracted the questions here:

..if I am not to stand up, nor to sleep - what to do?.... "I have no focus.  That I feel I need.  I don't know what to do, where to go (out of hiding)."  and..  "Why does it have to be so damn hard?  When it should be easy?"

The sense of frustration that Tina expresses arises, I believe, because we keep trying to achieve an imagined state and then keeping failing.  And it's in this repeated failure that we assume there must be something else we need to learn or practice to  'get it'.  But there isn't.  In fact, there is nothing to 'try' at all.  The sense of difficulty or complexity arises only from our ego mind's refusal of to let us believe that we can simply choose to relax into the flow of our own Beingness, right now.

That's why 'enlightenment', as far as I can tell, is an ego orientated idea whose purpose is to postpone freedom by turning into a concept with a future orientation -- something to work towards.  One strategy it can use is to ask more convoluted questions while overlooking simple, direct answers.  But it's only the questions that get more complex.  In short, our 'ego mind' will do anything except allow our attention to settle into this present moment and discover what is true and present now.

But just stop, and here it is...

... and yet the more we 'try' the more frustrated we get.  This is because any thought, plan or strategy to become free is yet more mental activity -- the very stuff that is preventing us from being open and fully conscious in this moment.  As Chuck Palahnniuk puts it...

It's because we are so trapped in our culture, in the being of being human on this planet with the brains we have, and the same two arms and legs that everybody else has.  We're so trapped  that  any way we could imagine to  escape would be just another part of the trap.  Anything we want, we're trained to want."

This resolves itself as we turn to our Self, instead of the 'thinking mind', for guidance.  But instead of just talking about this, let's see if we can get a sense of what it is we are talking about here: 

As you read this sentence, instead of being lost in the words as we usually are, be aware of what is happening in your body and and mind as you read.  Be aware now of your eyes scanning each sentence.  Also, without getting involved with them, be aware of the thoughts that are arising as you interpret the meaning of these words. 

And now, step back a little from this activity so you can watch it easily as it happens.  Notice how, as we step back in our mind to observe, that the reading still takes place quite easily and naturally without our direct involvement. 

Many call this 'being present'.  But actually, there's something present right now that is more primary still.  There is this presence of awareness -- this that is doing the watching --  this that is now aware of our body and mind in the act of reading these words. 

So now, just allow your attention be aware of this Presence of Awareness itself.  This is Awareness being aware of itself.  You'll probably find that this really peaceful.  This Presence is Who we Are.  This is our Self.  Perhaps you can also be aware now that this has no outer boundaries like the body has.  Everything that is appearing, and has ever appeared, appears in This. 

So just for a moment let yourself enjoy this peace of mind.  We are always able to relax and enjoy this Holy rest like this because, somewhere within us, we already know that when we rest in this place of peace everything works perfectly.

This Presence of awareness is not only who we Are, but what brings us together.  It has no problem doing this because it knows no part as separate from itself.  It is the  'call for freedom'  itself.  Some feel it is a feint 'tug' from within when we lose our way in life.  For some it's a steady guiding light.  For others it's a fire that shines a light into every shadowy corner of fear in our mind. 

But none of this really matters.  What does matter is that it is impossible to lose, and can always be called upon.  It can be denied but never lost.  I don't believe we could be here, asking and answering questions, if this 'call for freedom'  wasn't present.

As we let this place become familiar to us it begins to show us some wonderful things:  There are no boundaries here at all... nowhere our Presence ends and another's starts... no time or place where this Presence could begin or where it could end.  And although all things that appear in this awareness change or decay, this Awareness never does.  But also it dawns on our mind that this one unchanging thing must also be the one thing that is true, and then are amazed that we could have called 'real' all those things that changed.

There is nothing difficult about recognising this -- simply a choice of what we give our attention to.  When we really want this recognition, then here it is.  It's only when we start thinking about this -- adding a layer of judgement to it, that it appears to become abstract or complex.  All we are talking about is the experience of knowing who we Are... and because it is just this, there is never a place or circumstance when we cannot call this into our conscious awareness and trust it to be so.  And to witness this, we need only relax in trust into the warmth of this Love that delights to be acknowledged.

Our frustration arises because we do not believe we can simply choose, like this, to let go into a state of joy.  And we don't really want to believe the simplicity of this because we don't yet trust it with everything in our life.  We don't want to relinquish control.  And so what we try to do is keep one foot on the ground while attempting to learn to fly.  This is as painful as hell... and feels far worse than if we'd never entertained the notion of flying in the first place.

And so we continue on, attempting to organise our life, using whatever strategies we can to improve our little lot (and perhaps complaining how elusive this 'enlightenment thing' is ;) ).  But all the while there is that little voice whispering that we really needn't put ourselves through this.  "Come to the edge", it says. 

So to answer your question Tina,  how about letting this Presence that brought us here be our focus and guide?  This way, Love becomes the means and the end.  A fait accompli, eh!

I'll finish this post by pre-empting one more question... "How do I remain centred in this place of peace?"

Although there is nothing to 'do'  ('how' being what we do to resist becoming Self aware)  I find this can help:  Hold the willingness to see, moment by moment, how I still resist resting in our Self.[1]  And then be reassured that this is something our Self moves mountains to help us with us.  In fact, the whole Universe bends towards us in support of this.

Notes:

[1].. The habit that I suggested in the previous post  of asking something like... "What is it now that I am valuing that prevents me from being totally present and open to the truth of who we Are in this moment?"  is intended to align our thinking along these lines.

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A Dialogue on Awakening.... part 1

I love reading the comments here on Life 2.0, although you probably wouldn't think it given the time it sometimes takes me to respond.  As of today I'm giving up responding via a comment to those comments that beg a longer response, because it takes me too long.  I guess I've come to know what  Blaise Pascal  meant when he said,  “If I had more time, I would  have written a shorter letter.”  Instead, I'm going to respond to these with a blog post... starting with this one.  This way the good stuff (which always seems to come from you) doesn't get buried, and it also makes responding  a little easier for me.

Tatiana asked three really good questions about 'enlightenment' in her comment on the post,  'The Wisdom to Know Nothing'.  These are questions that I have asked my Self in the past, and when I did, I took notes.  So, by way of response, I've attempted to cobble together those notes into some semblance of order here. 

In doing this, there's a caveat:  I find that learning is an experiential thing, and these are notes from  my  experience.  So the only advice I can really give is to believe nothing, but try anything you feel drawn to.  Having said that if anything here triggers an insight for you then that will make my day :)

I am also aware (and slightly embarrassed) that what follows sounds a bit 'preachy' -- as though I were some sort of authority on these things, which I certainly am not.  I try to get out of my own way when talking about things that push the edges of what I've learnt, but in doing so the result is not always as I expect.

Tatiana's three questions (paraphrased heavily) are: 

     Do we need a guru or teacher?,    How do you remain peaceful in a world full of horrors?  and,   How to handle those huge emotional triggers that can cause us to crash violently to the ground?

Taking each question in turn:
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TEACHERS

Tatiana:... if we are all enough, if our very own being is ALL that IS, etc. then why is there such a big Buddhist tradition of a guru being the light and the way and some teachings require the student to receive shaktipat?  Is it a matter of giving some people what they need?  i.e. if you believe you need a guru, one will help you, if you don't - he won't"

Although I'm a sucker for a good quotation, I tend to shy away from the whole teachers, gurus and traditions thing, for several reasons. 

First, it seems to be a part of human nature to take any teacher or teaching that moves us, and make it 'the answer', instead of looking at whatever it is that they were pointing to.  Basho's advice to "Do not  seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought"  seems a better way to me. 

Second, it seems that the closer you get to the roots of all the great philosophies the more they converge towards a common truth.  So why not just let the truth they point to be our guide?  We can do this by being open to everything that comes our way... and If something resonates then let it move us... if it doesn't then don't.  This leads me to the final reason:  I've never yet found a teaching that can surpass the guidance that comes from within us.

That is not to see to see that teachers and traditions are not useful.  They are.  If our intention is to get to the truth then this decision alone brings us all the help we need to bring that about, in a form that we can relate to.

What I am suggesting is that we do not judge one method better or more advanced than another, but instead, honour where we are in every moment.  It's impossible that we are supposed to be somewhere that we are not...  and it's in coming to accept this idea that we recognise that there is nowhere holier than where we are right now.  We spend many lifetimes in soul searching, pursuing self-improvement and striving for something better, but we never find what we are after until we call off the search.  It is in the immediacy of this moment that perfection is found.  This requires nothing because You are already It.  It's just a case of opening our eyes to see...

Freedom comes at the moment we are willing to look upon our own divinity, and there are many teaching that can take us to this point.  The measure of their usefulness is the help they give in seeing how we still resist this.  So how we get to this water's edge doesn't really matter, does it?  But the final step is one that has to be taken alone..  and is the act of letting go of attachment to all our beliefs, practices, idols, teachers... to  become Self-reliant, and discover the perfection of our Self in this moment. 

Who would I be without my beliefs?  Most of us don't even dare to go there, do we?  But this is exactly where our treasure lies... in the one place we never consider looking.  So the point I have tried to make in previous posts is this:  Any teaching or journey is good if it help us to let go of our resistance to resting in the  Flow of our Self, but the  idea  that a journey is necessary comes from the ego, and it this idea that keeps us in chains.  Why a journey?  Why wait?

Receptive, open, awareness is our natural state;  and so to simply be Who we Are must be, by definition, the easiest and most natural thing of all.  Yet what the ego does is demand a formula or practice or teacher to help us do this.  This need to practice or embark on a journey of some sort, is actually the very denial that we are  'ALL that IS', as you put it Tatiana.  But the truth is never lost to us:  What the ego presents as  'good intentions', the Self recognises quite clearly as delaying tactics.

It can only be the ego that feels the need to become enlightened because the reality of Who we Are already is.  So where is the joy when we operative from this belief that we 'need' to wake up?   The truth of who we are is already awake.  And as we relax into this (in ant moment we choose), it is expressed...  It shines true and is recognised.  The belief that this is difficult or obscure is what the mind holds up to hide the real issue -- the ego's refusal to accept the simplicity of this.  Relax and enjoy our Self, and the rest takes care of itself.

Note....  I'm not familiar with the term 'Shaktipat' and I don't know a lot about the Buddhist tradition but there is a friend that does.  Perhaps you could answer if you read this Wade.
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HORRORS.

Tatiana:... in an earlier post you said enlightenment is achieved when nothing becomes unacceptable, so... how do you find horrors acceptable?..."

The 'nothing unacceptable' reference is to the time I asked a wise man when was it that we become fully awakened.  The reply I got was,  "when you find nothing that is unacceptable".  To me, this answer was both shocking and discouraging because I could never imagine myself doing that.  Until the day that is, that I saw that everything in my life,  including everything I had resisted, had been perfect in bringing me to the point of where I was willing to stop trying to manage and control anything -- to become still...  and then recognise the source of our joy and power that arises in this stillness.  The great irony was seeing that this was both the understanding and the solution to all those things that I could never imagine accepting.  I saw in that moment that Life was only a process of waking up to the recognition of who we really Are -- to this reality that is forever untouched by any horror.

So for me, the meaning of 'to find nothing unacceptable' is to become totally defenseless, totally non-resistant to all of life, exactly as it is.  Instead of standing in judgement or resisting anything that comes to my mind, or presents itself as either a challenge, or a positive or negative experience... stand before it and ask my real Self to help me see why.

To 'find nothing that is unacceptable' is to live without grievances.  But aren't grievances justified? 

It's impossible to hold a grievances and experience reality, or Love, because holding grievances is really an elaborate defence against the awareness of Reality.  By projecting our fears onto the world, they are never seen as our own and therefore their source is never brought to question.  What we then 'see' is a cruel world that 'confirms' the justification of our feelings, and that we can conveniently assert that we are not responsible for. 

We can't change what we would attack, and defence is a form of attack.  But only the powerless feel the need to do this.  What the ego sees as 'wrong', our Self sees as effects and then looks past appearances to look at the cause -- a case of mistaken self-identify -- and then responds naturally to this call for love.  Healing can only happen at this level -- at the level of cause. 

There can be no doubt that the world we 'see' is a world of devastation --  one big food chain with added entertainment to help us forget our ultimate fate, no?  It would be silly to attempt to deny this.  But perception is projection not fact... and that  we can change.  Projected outside, the cruel world seem unquestionably real until we look within and see where this vision arises from.  It is the effect of believing the ego's thought system -- a manifestation of the human condition.  But what our Self shows us, is that these thoughts are not true.  In fact there is no 'outside', it is only a perception... and perceptions are never a problem  because we can change them.   But we never know this while ever we defend against it, rationalise it or try to understand it, because by doing so we blind ourselves to cause and make effects seem real.

Like a river, the Flow of experiences in our life lifts us free of the belief that we are a separate, and therefore a victim of a cruel world that seems to be located 'outside' of us.  As we become non-resistant and allow this flow to lift us we start to see that this perception is, in fact, a nightmare of our own making.  But just as our instinct in a fast flowing river is to resist the flow, when we try to resist the things we judge bad and maintain control over the things we want to keep, life appears cruel and out to destroy us.  But as soon as we relax and let go, we see that is not true -- the Flow of Life is our friend.  It is wholly benevolent.  It delights to lifts us and set us free.

So how do we become defencelessness while we still look upon a world that appears so untrustworthy, unjust and cruel? 

We can do this by choosing to become Self reliant, and trusting, wholly trusting, that what flows from our Self can only reflect it's Source.  Truth dispels lies and Love begets love... and that's all we really need.  Mind can only serve and the choice is between these two -- the ego (a thought system based on an sickly self-perception) and our real Self.[3]   What we then see, think and do simply reflects this choice.

While ever we take arms against a sea of troubles  it appears that we are a victim of a untrustworthy and often cruel world.  But we have the ability to step back from this perception and allow our Self to show us the world in new light.  'Horrors' are no longer a problem when we recognise our Self as the answer because that goes with us.  It is impossible to bring light to darkness and darkness still prevail.  To do this is to cast love upon the world instead of fear.  Change the inner script and the outer play must follow. 

CRASHES

Tatiana:... what if you're busy cultivating the ability to be in the present moment, in a non-judgemental way and are enjoying the flow, when 'bam!' a huge emotional trigger slaps you in the face.  For me it's animal rights,  and every so often a story will float along of animal cruelty, or abuse, etc. and try as I might, I CRASH violently to the ground, all loving feelings  (which are still feeble at best) gone with the wind."

There's a great temptation when we 'crash' or feel we have come up short, to feel disappointed and perhaps beat ourselves up... but this just compounds the problem by adding another layer of fearful thinking.  To resist unwanted thoughts and feelings is to get drawn into the ego's game, and this can only lead to frustration.  What we resist persists.

So here's a gentler way:

Fear, in any form, can only be overcome by it's opposite.  So what could be a more effective or happier way than to actually welcome the ego's shinanigins with open arms?  To bring love the ego seems a strange idea at first, but there is a way to look upon these emotional triggers as gifts.  Instead of being dismayed when they hit, we can smile and let each one be an opportunity to see the pattern in it's true light, choose to let it go, and then relax even more deeply into the flow of our Self.  There's no need to go digging in the past to discover the root of our problem, or differentiate between different types of suffering.  It's enough to acknowledge that this no longer serves any purpose for us; and simultaneously recognise that we have the ability, in this moment, to choose differently.

To look at the ego through the eyes of love is to cut it at it's root, by exposing the lie that underpins it's whole thought system.  The Love within us has power to demonstrate quite clearly that we are not separate from the rest of  life, that the body's limits are not our own, and that there is nothing about the reality of who we are that is not constituted wholly of Love.  By disproving the central tenet on which the ego rests, it's thought system can no longer be sustained.  It collapses simply because it is impossible for anyone to believe a lie once it has been exposed.  To tease the Oneness from just one sublime moment is enough to do this.

A lie needs constant maintenance less it be seen for what it is, and so the ego mind never really rests.  Even in sleep it is vigilant to maintain it's guard in case we fall still enough to see through it's nothingness.  It would rather wake us from our slumber with a sudden jolt than have us become too relaxed and recognise our own Divinity. 

So giving advice on what to do to overcome the ego is very tricky, because 'doing' is what we do to resist the awareness of who it is that's doing the doing, if you see what I mean.  What we are talking about is an acceptance of what already is, and that requires no doing, no effort... just a relaxing into.  And there is no way to tell anyone 'how' to relax - to simply be who you Are.  'How' is how we resist this awareness.

But perhaps I can help a little with our unwillingness to do this.  Seeing what we do 'do' to resist this awareness can be useful.  So here's a little 3 step thought-kata that may help in becoming clear:

Honesty

Love, by it's very nature, can only enter where it is welcome... and so the obvious precondition for experiencing the flow of our Self in our day-to-day activities is to actually  want it.  Of course, we all believe we want to experience flow, serendipity and love in our life.  But if we look a little closer we see we rarely do. 

Love is it's own reward and has it's own agenda but usually we want it for something else -- a better career, to fix up our relationships, resolve our financial problems, find a soul-mate...  and so on.[4]  We don't want a different cause so much as we want better effects.  But of course, whenever we impose our own agenda (by holding expectations) we veil the very guidance and love that we seek.

The great irony here is that when we do surrender to Love's Will we discover there is nothing that the separate 'me' wants that ever really satisfies anyway.  This is because while ever we believe we are separate we are miserable and suffer.  Love's Will is for us to discover the real happiness, power and safety inherent in our connection to all of life.  So in reality, Love's Will is actually our own (free) will.  And when we recognise that everything changes...  we see our Free Will working to perfection in every aspect of our life.

To know what we do  want all that's needed is to notice where our attention goes, because attention always goes to what we find most interesting.  This is the first step -- honesty -- the willingness to no-longer deceive ourselves about what it is we want.

Clarity

The key to motivation (and ending procrastination) is not discipline, effort or positive thinking, it is clarity -- getting clear about what we really want.  We never have a problem doing that which we love, do we?

So the trick is not to get embroiled in a battle with the ego... not to resist unwanted thoughts and feelings;  but each time they hit to remind ourselves what we really want, and to turn to our Self for help with this, because it's only love that overcomes it's opposite. 

The question to ask our Self therefore is,  "What do I really want?"

And then when we've asked the question we need to get out of our own way, because this is a question that can only be answered by inspiration.  It's our real Self, not the ego, that gives us certainty.  To know, be willing to be still and listen -- create a little space and quiet time in which to hear.

Choice

Current scientific and psychology research appears to be converging towards a realisation that there is no 'out there' out there.  If you seek out the roots of philosophy too, we hear (in different language) that there is no cause outside of consciousness, everything appears in consciousness and consciousness is indivisible.  The perception of separate beings trapped in a precarious world is an illusion that the ego's thought system renders.  I mentioned earlier about perception being projection, not fact.  It is in our willingness to test this out for ourselves that we access the power to choose differently.

So when we get upset, hold grievances or complain, what we are doing is giving reality to effects, and denying the power of love within us to see things differently.  By denying ourselves this choice, we believe we are a victim.  This is exactly what we do when we go along with the default thinking of the world.  And that is what we then experience, because that is the power of mind.  It is us that determines these things.

But although this default response seems automatic and 'natural', we can refuse to be dismayed by this cruel world the ego pictures, and choose a different cause instead... by stepping back from our thoughts and allowing our Self to lead us.  By doing so we can cast love upon the world instead of fear.  We can never say we are a victim because this choice is always available to us.

So in reality the one choice we have is to follow the thinking of the world or to turn to our Self for guidance and insight.  When we choose the former it appears as though there are billions of other choices, but this is not Free Will it is bondage - - an illusion that veils the one real choice between bondage and freedom. [3]
Once we are clear motivation is no longer a problem, but let's now get practical and see how we can apply this stuff:

Application

When we are thinking, judging, planning or creating beliefs we enter a make believe world within our heads and completely miss what's here.  These faculties (that are so revered) hide our truly creative nature and therefore seed the belief in our powerlessness.  What all this mental activity masks is the effortless Inspiration and Joy that gladly substitute for all of it, given just a little invitation.  So whenever we feel troubled, or 'out of flow'  here's a question that can get to the heart of the matter:

             "What is it now that I am valuing that prevents me from being totally open and present in this moment?"

By questioning ourselves like this [5], we not only remind ourselves that what we seek is already here in this present moment, but we also uncover all the little rationalisations we've used to avoid trusting in our Self... that have kept us in chains and miserable.  Then we can let them go.  Not by any clever tricks and not by making it a big deal, but just by quietly allowing our true Self to look at them and recognise that this no longer holds any value for us.

But maybe we are unwilling to let whatever it is that is holding our attention go.  Maybe it's a grievance we would rather keep than be at peace.  Or maybe it's just that we are, as yet, unwilling to let go of our own agenda.  If so, here's a useful affirmation that can help us to start straightening out our thinking:  "At least I can decide that I do not like the way I feel right now",  and then this opens the door to ask ourselves something like:  "Do I really prefer to be right than happy?"  And then perhaps remind ourselves that we could choose Love instead of this by turning to our Self instead.

Choosing to be in a state of joy like this exposes the fallacy of any form of journey or future state of  'enlightenment'...  by demonstrating to us that the only time in which change can happen and anyone find peace is in this present moment.  And in that choice we can start to recognise that everything happening to us and around us is also happening for us... to support and uphold that decision.  Life brings us every opportunity we need to look at our defences and choose again -- to replace grievances with Love.  And what we do for ourselves we do for each other, because there really is no difference.

FREEDOM

Now when we look again at those 'emotional triggers' that Tatiana talked about, we can see them in a completely new light.  Instead of being a problem they become our means of freedom!  We see our resistance played out in the world and reflected back to us in others.  What a gift to be able to see this!  Each one now is a golden opportunity to see and release those things we hold up against the awareness of our Oneness. 

In truth, this is how it has always been, but we were so quick to shoot the messenger (by judging them wrong) we failed to see the gifts they brought.  But now we see that no-one meets by chance and no-one is missing who we need. [6]   And when we rest in trust in our Self we see everything as it is -- working to absolute perfection.

So where is the issue now with teachers, horrors, crashes or any concern about enlightenment, when the way is so much fun?   :)
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Related Articles:

• Finding Flow by Letting Go 
• 'Let go and let Love'.... why did no-one tell me it's so simple? 
• The River People

Notes:

[2]... What we barely recognise is that when we hold a grievance against anyone or anything we chain ourselves, because we are One.  Whether it's a lover, a government, some God figure when we hold  a grievance we deny the miracle of Love that heal the sense of  separation that is at the root of the problem we holding as a grievance.

[3]... there's a section in 'Little Book of Flow'  that may help you be more clearly aware of the simplicity of this choice.

[4]... you see a lot of examples of this in modern day spiritual teachings.. 'The Secret' is one example that springs to mind.  Too many times I tried this stuff but struggled, and then complained at not knowing what to do.  The problem was my unwillingness to listen to an answer that was not on terms I had already set.  I know now that it's letting go of my own agenda that allows me to have a day of lovely surprises, delights and little miracles.  I remind myself that I am not trying to carve out a little place of safety and peace in the world but choosing to transform the world by bring the light into it's darkness.  It's what we bring with us that makes all  the difference.  As you say Tatiana, we are already 'ALL that IS', so what we are doing is allowing ourselves to become aware of this.  What better way  to do this than, one day at a time, allow this power of love to  shine upon every aspect of our life?  By choosing love in all situations there's no need to concern yourself what to think, say or do -- when we choose love what flows from that choice can only be the same.

[5]... Our attention always goes to what we find most interesting (what we value).  Spacious, open, loving awareness is our natural state of being and when this is absent, there's something that our mind is  fixated on that it values more.  The one prerequisite for being able to resolve this (a permanent change) is not to see the problem as being 'outside' our Self.  The choice is purely an internal one -- a grievance or the miracle of love that could replace it, is the choice.  What we then 'see' is the reflection of this choice.

[6]... You could call this 'freedom by osmosis'.  Our Self, being of Love, cannot be known alone because that is not Love's purpose.  We become aware of our self as we allow it to be expressed.  And by allowing this we give everyone who comes our way an opportunity to witness what they have denied themselves.  Freedom is a truly collaborative venture.

Credits:

This post's title is taken from the title of  a book  by my friends Tom and Linda Carpenter who's Self-full giving continues to inspire me.
The painting is called  'Walking Down to Happiness'  by Sam Toft.

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