Tagged: afterlife
Surrender to the adventure
Shall we live life with worries and thoughts about an “uncertain future”?
Shall we live life with the thought that at every moment someone is taking advantage of us, trying to get something from us, etc.? Shall we live life thinking that someone is watching us just to make sure that we get “punished” for the “wrong doings” of tasting the different flavors that life brings and offers “free of charge”?
Many individuals “think” Yes, we should.
We should worry about the future. We should “control it,” be “careful” and get life insurance for the afterlife as well.
Don’t get in trouble. Don’t make waves. Don’t ask anything from anyone. Mind your own business…
And yet… those individuals live in constant fear.
Fear is their life.
That is when God as the ultimate source of “insurance” came into the game.
Pray to Him.
Ask Him.
Remember Him.
Do something nice to gain His favor. That is, “love” Him.
To open ourselves to the adventure of living life is to discover our own limitations, which are not allowing us to connect with the Totality, with everything.
Discover your own shortcomings. Observe how the sense of “self” is a limit.
As we discover those limits, an automatic openness in our attitude arrives, and we will no longer see life as “harsh” and to try to ”protect ourselves” from a harsh environment.
Do we want to be only around “nice people” ?
Do we want to create our “safety net” of individuals to belong to so the rest could be “safely” rejected?
When the seeker is a “child” in consciousness; that help is required. It is the starting point. God may be needed to feel protected, secure, loved.
If the child ever decides to grow up and open his consciousness to more than “self-absorption” and to learn to adjust, change and balance his life with the rhythms of the Ocean of life itself….
Then that child needs to get out of the safety of his bathtub someday.
The bathtub of beliefs. The bathtub of traditions. The bathtub of duality. The bathtub of ideologies.
To live in balance means to harmonize the physical with subtle energies, to be able to change, adapt and modify according to the song of the day.
That is not a child’s work.
It is that flexibility which will allow someone to wake up everyday and be grateful to the new adventure of the day, which is right before his own 2 feet.
Break that shell of beliefs and come out from it victorious, just to taste the light of the adventure of living life in joy.
The Common good
“…When you perceive that an act done to another is done to yourself, you have understood the great truth. “
Hua Hu Ching CH 42
Oneness is important to be felt in order to be part of the common benefit, the common good.
Otherwise, it does not matter what “I” do; the aim will be just to increase support of my own ego.
How can “I” believe that “I” am helping others, when “I” understand that “I” am helping myself by helping others?
It is the same thing. Help yourself through self-realization and then, helping others will be an automatic conclusion. That help will be of quality.
However, that is not the way we understand things.
That “I” full with ego wants to help another, and we do not even perceive or recognize that ego!
Then, “I” feel good because “I” helped a “needy” individual. Someone was lacking something in my view, and “I” facilitated that something. “I” must be accumulating “good deeds” in my heavenly account for my afterlife!
That is called a transaction. “I” do because “I” get.
Mathias the wise tree was speaking with his friend Ananda.
Ananda: “ I have a friend who is very sad because his mother is dying. His belief is that once his mother dies; she will go and meet his father in the afterlife. Even though my friend has this strong belief, he is sad.
I feel that there is nothing that I can do to “help.” “I” thought that “I” could give my friend an explanation on how his mother will take rebirth and how his father is probably in another life… but then “I” thought that this is another belief, but then, I thought that by knowing this, he could feel better.”
Mathias: “ Who will feel better, you or your friend? Your friend has his beliefs already. But you will feel better about your own beliefs; because you think that you know better. That is called being egotistical.”
Ananda:” That is right, Mathias. But I feel helpless by seeing his suffering.”
Mathias: “ Give affection. Not only words. A friendly gesture. Goodness from your deep feelings….”
There is no possibility of seeing oneness, a world family when we are still dividing and analyzing things.
“I am a Jewish.” “I am a Muslim.” “I am a Christian.”
Please see how our own mental divisions at any level creates the situation of “helping” another. We tend to consider ourselves as someone who is above; the teacher teaching students, the blessed helping the doomed. It amounts to Duality.
There is equality in friendship, and we do not help a friend when a friend is in need. It comes as a “must do” with respect, an open hand willing to be there, without looking for a reward or recognition.
When we abandon those egotistical ways, that is the “I” in need of recognition from humans and even from God, then we could see that there is no “other.”
Any label used to separate is fictitious when there is interbeingness, when the reality that “my life” depends on everything else is finally perceived.
Dealing with death and dying
There are 2 individuals that I know who are currently dealing with a loved one experiencing the “transition” period: A loved one who is about to die.
It is interesting to observe their behavior. It is different in both cases.
In one case, “Ron” is a “down to Earth “ individual. No nonsense, logical and methodical. His mother is about to die and he has lived with her for many years. They both bought a house together.
He was trying to contain his tears while speaking about this situation. His “hope” is that his mother will reunite with his father, who already passed away years ago.
Ron is just looking for words of support and encouragement in these difficult times.
Ron’s pain could be felt. Ron knows that his mother will not return. Ron knows that after some weeks, when he gets home from work, no one will be there to greet him.
It is fascinating how we call ourselves “rational” beings; in theory, as a concept; when in reality human beings are anything but rational.
Rationally we could understand that death is “normal.” It is part of living. Everyone will go through it and there is no escape from it. It is a matter of fact; yet if someone we care for, faces that time to die or even ourselves; we are not willing to accept that destiny.
So much for “rational” talk.
It doesn’t bring any comfort when “real” life “hits” us with an experience such as death of a loved one.
The only comfort that a “normal” human being has is a belief. Either the after life or even no hope at all. The “I don’t believe in anything” has an in built belief and that is the belief of the existence of “I.”
“I” have lived. “I” have enjoyed. “I” have suffered. Now, “I” have to die. That is practical life … 🙂
Nevertheless, there is more.
Why is that “I” identifying itself with experiences? How is it possible for that “I” to even go to sleep, when there is no “certainty” to wake up ever again?
The fact of life is: The more we “build” that conceptual “I” with its possessions, expectations, desires and hierarchies in the “reality” of our world , greater attachment will be experienced to those things which in our mind, we feel are important to support the “idea” of ourselves.
Life is water being poured in “our” hands. The sense of “I” makes that need to posses that water by holding tight to it, by closing the hands, hoping to grab the “water” of life. Observe how that sense of possession enters the mind. In that possession, in that attachment there is no longer enjoyment of water being poured as an experience.
Because we have separated ourselves through our minds from life itself; then fear appears.
Fear from losing “water.” Fear from not being able to enjoy “water” anymore as much as before. Fear from the “other” who can come and snatch that water from us.
At the end, we cannot stop water from passing by. The nature of water is to be transitory, in movement so it never stagnates.
It is the moment to be enjoyed to its fullest, it is the instant, which brings “newness.”
The mind just remembers the past. The mind wants “pictures” to be taken, it wants to hold onto something which is no longer there.
Perhaps one day we could recognize that actually life is living through us; although we live life. Perhaps one day we could recognize that we could be that “I” while being “nothing” at the same time. It is interesting how everything changes but the ideas that we have about ourselves.
Life exists. There is no space for death there. Only when “I” am born is when “I” need to die.
Empty yourself from that “I” to be life itself. That is the value of “emptiness;” while the value of “I” is to experience life.
Exploring the Depth of Living 