Tagged: catharsis
Tantra: The path of openness
Openness means lack of rejections, repressions. To acknowledge the existence of “what is;” because if it is, it has a reason to exist.
Tantra is not for everyone. It typically arrives towards the end of a journey of many lives.
Every suppression, every rejection, every emotional trauma had caused and nourished an entity inside us, which we call ego, the “I.”
That entity is not “bad.” It is the result of living many Lives without awareness. Through Tantra, that emotional energy which is defining our personality, collapses little by little and something new emerges, something which is able to integrate everything that is.
Sexual energy is part of that. Most individuals are only aware of sex as energy for reproduction or for recreational purposes due to the pleasurable sensations. The offset of that, is loss of energy as in Nature there is a subtle balance of dualities. That is known as harmony.
That is why, there is Tantra; to maintain that balance and enjoyment as much as possible.
Thus, this type of sexual energy has a different purpose: To increase vitality in the participants, to re-energize, to bond, to freed.
Because this is a discovery, it cannot be taught; but Life will bring the answers when we are ready for we are one with Life.
Sexual energy is repressed in our society for lack of understanding. One of the greatest gifts that Life has given us, is mostly feared as if it was a nuisance rather than a gift. Emotional traumas are part of most individuals at this time. That is how Tantra acquired a different reputation: Individuals who were not ready for the catharsis that implies self-realization, used Tantra as a “spiritual way,” a method to rationalize the indulgence in sex.
Please consider this: Any method to attain something, only shows that “naturally” we are not ready for it.
Tantra is not just about sex. It is about Life, and sex is part of Life. Nevertheless, most individuals are only concerned with the “techniques,” the “methods” to excel in sex according to their minds, without realizing that even if the individual is sexually satisfied, he cannot be fulfilled in Life.
The icing of the cake became the greatest thing to eat, but the belly is still hungry.
When emotional traumas, detrimental beliefs, hang ups are dissolved from ourselves, what is “natural” will arrive again. That innocence that many are looking to attain by DOING things, will be there. That peace, calmness, “going with the flow,” will arrive by itself. It is through this new being how sexual energy can flow naturally, as it is meant to be.
Wherever you are in Life is “good.” It is an unique experience of the range of experiences in Life. That experience will change and move on. It is never static.
Observe that the waters of the Ocean of Life are moving continuously, it is in that awareness how the realization of the uniqueness of the moment arises. That is all there is.
Anything the mind “thinks about” is just a cloud moving in the sky, taking your attention out of the Ocean. That cloud changes its form in your mind: It could be a position, power, riches, etc. all of those things valued in our conditioned mind… yet the Ocean is missed, living in the “now” is missed.
You can touch the Ocean, swim in it… but with a cloud, you can only do that with your mind.
Most humans at this time are caught with the cloud and even calling it: “My cloud.”
Tantra is awareness, for in awareness we are living life; appreciating this unique moment, tasting it.
The mind is concerned with a purpose, a reason, a goal for existing… That is the cloud. Ideals bring methods, laws, commandments, techniques to “achieve” the cloud.
That is the human condition: To live in the cloud of the mind, without a chance to taste the feelings of the Ocean of Life.
What is the “spiritual”change needed? To look at the Ocean and feel it with all your being. 🙂
The beauty of no-words
When a spiritual teaching is meant to increase ego, it is all about “becoming,” changing, transforming, conquering. When a teaching is meant to decrease ego, it is about peeling, unlearning, taking away.
Both teachings are necessary according to the consciousness and level of awareness of an individual.
That is why, there is no religion able to bring “enlightened” individuals in mass production.
Self-realization is not for the masses. It requires an individual who is ready, ripe, full of blossoming ego, to overcome the emotional pain of being someone different (Catharsis.)
We ARE already complete, but we have acquired layers of “knowledge” to identify with, set of beliefs to follow, and gathered traumatic experiences in Life which are difficult to accept by an ego in pain. Things did not occur the way we desired, so we felt hurt… and to make it a deeper wound; we decided not to forget that incident.
When the baggage is gone; thoughts will diminish in our minds as clouds dissipate in a sunny afternoon. We could look at things without emitting a thought.
The sky could be glorious; immaculate bright and blue like a swimming pool. As long as there are no words in our minds, we could be lost in the experience of seeing. That experience is felt and thus, we will feel fulfilled.
How do we kill that experience?
When we say something like: “Look at the sky… Isn’t it pretty!”
Thinking, words, expressions will not allow us to be in communion with that which we experience.
To say that the “sky is pretty” does not add or take away anything from the sky. It is just a judgment value, a way to fill the “boring” space of silence between people or even within ourselves.
A “black or white” vision of the above realization is: “ I shouldn’t speak. I shouldn’t say anything, for that is to be elevated, spiritual.”
That is repression.
You feel like talking, for you have been trained all your Life to chit-chat to fill the void, to be “friendly.”
The type of silence that I am talking about is not something DONE artificially; it is something natural, which appears as our emptiness increases.
Paradoxically, it is in that silence when there is greater communication between lovers, between friends, between creatures of Nature. Silence is the common ground.
The sky is blue and bright. The sky will be gray and dark. It will happen. Matter of fact. It is a process. It is a matter of time.
Why then use a word such as “beautiful” to describe the blue sky? Why create the dichotomy of “beautiful and ugly”?
That is exactly what we have been trained to DO.
We label and create a duality. Thus, we choose between A or B and create our own suffering. We judge and create our downfall at the same time.
The blue and the gray sky… It is the same sky at different times.
To enjoy both states is to go beyond qualifying words. Language needs contrasts, but we do not need to believe in language as “reality”… Then we are away from the duality, the dichotomy.
Place your attention in what is, your awareness in that, not on descriptive “pretty” words…
Then communion happens between the observer and that which is observed. There is union without looking for it, thus… true union.
Oneness becomes an experience and not just another “pretty” buzzword.
Until March 28th! 🙂
Outdated teachings
Because you can only give who you ARE, unless you ARE love, there is no love to give.
We are taught to believe that we can give love without BEING it, as when we can give money to someone when we “get it.”
We cannot “get” love to give, unless we ARE.
Any “effort” on BEING loving is self-deception.
We are taught to be desire-less to be happy. However, what is the anxious need to go to “Paradise,” to reach illumination, to please God, to become “soul” conscious”? Those things are desires just like any other “mundane” desire.
We are taught to “help others in a self-less” way; Nevertheless, we cannot BE self-less by separating “I” from the “others.” As a matter of fact, to “help others” is just a catchy phrase. By helping others, we only help ourselves. Do we get this riddle? We are not separated.
We are taught to take Life seriously, whether in the mundane business world or in the Godly world: Time is money- Become someone, save yourself from hell; hurry up! This is your only chance, if you miss this chance you will be doomed forever…
We cannot enjoy life when there is pressure to attain something, when our process is not being respected. Then we are willing to “sacrifice” our lives now for the promise to “enjoy” something in the future. That is a wonderful “method” but nothing else.
That promise of a “better” future is empty, as the “I” as it is now, cannot be the “I” in the future.
Our desire for a “better future” will only make us reject the “now.”
Once we realize the depth of all of those beliefs in our minds; then we are ready to put aside all of those teachings, to unlearn all of those things which keep the “rat-race” going in our minds as well as the division, of the mundane and the divine.
We could be aware of our own fear to continue in Life without those “training wheels,” those half-truths which we believed to be the “holy truth.” Ego needs the security of being part of a “selected” group, the mainstream, the Godly family, the familiar faces…
The above realization is the first step of our catharsis as seekers.
Before that, being a seeker is just another fashion, another way for the ego to believe in himself as “virtuous,” another way to socialize and to show how many spiritual books we can read and how many authors we could quote. That is a source for fattening our needy ego, for we could obtain the label of “knowledgeable” among our peers.
A catharsis then, is a process of unlearning and with that, a process of unleashing our repressed behaviors.
We could understand that some beliefs are just equal to the belief in Santa Claus, a technique meant to teach a self-centered person, the “joy” of giving a gift to another… but the belief in Santa Claus will be deep down in our unconscious no matter how much we could reason and understand in the surface of the conscious mind. Its depth in the unconscious is proportional to the amount of time we have spent drilling down such beliefs in our conscious mind.
For that reason, we shall deal with emotions, the “programming” of our unconscious.
Many individuals who have not experienced the process of a catharsis are caught up in blaming a society, a religion, a practice… unable to see that every experience is invaluable in our development.
What is important is to know when those “tools” need to be discarded, so we could embrace something new.
For instance, ego is a “tool.” It is not a “bad” thing, a vice. It is a mechanism of “self-defense,” something that will allow a person to survive in this society. However, it comes to a point, when that grown up ego, is an obstacle to flourish by connecting with others… then ego must go away through a process of catharsis.
The “programming” is erased. Some religions pretend to have “the method” to erase the emotions stored deep in our unconscious. However, everyone is not the same. A “method” may work for some but no others. Life will bring the right conditions at the right time. Different Life experiences are tailored to our particular needs. We are not alone.
Through that catharsis, you are empty and open for newness. It is in that emptiness how Love IS.
Before that catharsis, love may be pretty talk, romantic “get aways,” and fairy tales.
Healing into contentment
When we learn to trust life, we could truly observe without coming from a particular point of view.
If we just sit down to “meditate” or observe, we may need to be aware of the thoughts arising. Those thoughts have a story which are glued to our inner feelings, those thoughts will maintain the sense of self. We become self-absorbed.
If we are sitting in front of Nature, those thoughts will not allow us to enjoy “what is.”
This enjoyment is not a “Look, how beautiful!” wordy remark; the little thoughtful voice speaking to us.
There is no voice there, but the sense of appreciation and gratefulness arrives, as we are part of that scene in the “now.” It is a feeling.
It is the strength of this feeling, which will take us away from the cage of the belief of being just an “I.”
What Ananda is trying to transmit is this: There is absolutely nothing intellectual, no beliefs, no words or labeling in the moment of appreciation and gratefulness.
To appreciate the “now “ for “what is” means to go away from every expectation.
When we learn to connect to Life as an empty space, with the inner door wide open, then a smile comes out. There is nothing that “I” expect. Nothing to be afraid.
What is happening is all right.
This has been labeled as “contentment.” However, observe that this contentment is not born out of a method or a “realization” that “I need to be content.” This “contentment” is not faked.
Observe that contentment is a feeling, just like happiness.
Observe that contentment arises when the sense of “I” diminishes.
Observe that to get to that “I” to open up by itself, to diminish that sensation, we may need to take away the layers of “stuff” that are bunching up and clogging up that natural state of openness.
Observe that to realize what is clogging up, we just need to observe and become aware of that “I.”
At that point the “job starts.” This is the point when a “seeker” is born. Before that moment, it is just playing about being “spiritual” and socializing.
How does the job start?
It is known as healing “yourself.” Catharsis.
Emotions and beliefs… fears acquired through many journeys. All of that is the “stuff.” To heal “yourself” becomes your own path, your own journey because until that “stuff” is not healed, there cannot be “contentment.”
Contentment is appreciation and gratefulness. When you are that state of being, it does not matter what we “think” we are. It does not matter what belief system someone embraces. It does not matter if the world disappears the next day. It does not matter if we found God or not. It does not matter… we are OK with “what is,” we are one with everything.
We are one with thoughts and beliefs, we are one with the world… we are one with God.
Then consciousness will change without “effort”… by itself, for there is no one there (the “I”) trying to prevent that change.
Catharsis: Short sharings via MP3 files
Since there is a recurrent issue with the quality of the audio in the “BlogTalk radio” website; there will be a change in the format of sharing.
Avyakt7 (Ananda) will be recording for 5 to 10 minutes only. Short sharings in different topics via MP3 files.
These sharings will be available through a link here.
The purpose is to fully express what cannot be put into written words.
Hope you enjoy it!
Totality and Individuality:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B09mI7jo0YigV21FYU9PYWppOEE/edit?usp=sharing
Silence:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B09mI7jo0YigVkFMSTVTSVJ6Ync/edit?usp=sharing
La Individualidad y la Totalidad: Las 2 caras de la moneda en la Espiritualidad.(Spanish)
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/1catharsis/2014/03/31/la-individualidad-y-la-totalidad-las-2-caras-de-la-espiritualidad
This is the last one via BlogTalk radio.
Predestination and the belief of it
Catharsis
Below the latest talks (25 minutes) in English and Spanish.
* Predestination and the belief of it – (English) http://www.blogtalkradio.com/1catharsis/2014/02/17/predestination-and-the-belief-of-it
* Tu creencia: La medicine que puede envenenarte – (Spanish)
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/1catharsis/2014/02/14/tu-creencia-la-medicina-que-puede-envenenarte-spanish
Becoming empty through emptiness
Catharsis
“Becoming empty through emptiness” (30 min. talk)
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/1catharsis/2014/02/03/becoming-empty-through-emptiness
“Experimentando el vacio para vaciar la personalidad” (Spanish) – February 7th @ 5:00 PM
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/1catharsis
Exploring the Depth of Living 