Tagged: knowing
Knowing who we are
Who we are? “That” is not a concept, a religious word to recite and to say “I know.”
It is to allow for “that” to be, to acknowledge it, to embrace it, to honor it. It may not be what the “I” was taught to see as “good” but that is what is…. It will change if allowed to. There is no “I” who could do that magic of change, it happens by itself when we realize that we are Life itself, that is change.
Harry, a “seeker” said: “I am responsible for my decisions. I have made many “bad” choices… but I didn’t know any better… We are what we do.”
Because you didn’t know, you’ve learned. Is that “bad”?
Now that you “know” that is not enough. The magic happens when there is openness to BE it.
Many KNOW but only few ARE.
You see, in Life there is no destination or final objective, it is a continuous circle of experiences…
Harry: “I don’t agree with that. I think that there is a destination for we are stillness, silence…”
When we are not silence, what are we? Do we see that by naming something as the goal of what “it” should be, there is an automatic negation of that who I am?
Harry: “Negation? No… I am not negating anything.”
Isn’t the goal to become silence, stillness?
If that is the goal, then what you are “now” is not what is supposed to be, it is lacking, and it is in need of completion.
That is the talk of most religions: You are not “perfect” now… BUT we can teach how to get there…
How are you going to reach there? By following a method given by a belief system, an illuminated one, God, etc.
Don’t we realize that “we are all One”?
Then, why should we separate noise or movement as not being us? Isn’t movement and noise part of that Oneness?
Your belief may say that there is a goal to attain; but once we observe that Life is continuous change, how could we say that the goal is stillness?
Harry: “We are talking about 2 different things. You are talking about Life and I am talking about another realm where we all go, a realm full of bliss where we will be who we truly are… that realm is where God abides….”
How could we say that Life is separated from that realm, if we are all ONE?
Now, we are in this Life. Tomorrow we may be in your realm beyond. “You” as today will not be going there. Someone else may, which is not “you.” There are many changes between “you” and that one in the future.
Who are “you” then? Why is there this compulsive need to go into the future if “you” will not be there?
Life is a thread of relationships. We are all related. The egotistical mind is obstinate in the separation of things when nothing can exist without being in relationship. Our mind believes that we are something static, when we are Life itself, changing all the time. Why do we separate from Life?
Harry: “ Let me go back…The goal is to be more spiritual, more spirit like and to go away from the density of the body…”
The word “spirituality” is an overrated word. To be “more spiritual” is just a state of Being, just like being “less spiritual.” By being less-spiritual, we become “more spiritual.” By being “more spiritual,” we become less… It is movement within that duality. One state will lead to another.
That is why to say: “I will make effort to become more spiritual” is senseless. By being less, the change into “more” will happen.
To be “illuminated” is not the end, the goal, but merely another state of being, which will change as Life changes.
Religions have taught us to praise, and try to attain one state of being rather another, but once we ARE one state of being, we will move into the other side; automatically, without effort…
The fish swimming in the river of Life, is going with the current. The fish may believe that “it is “I” making the effort to move.”
But… We know better.
Quietness to know
To know in words who we are, who God is, what will be our future, how to live Life, etc. is never going to allow us to BE the answer. It will only give us an answer. Right or wrong… it is all the same.
Fear to live, fear to die will remain despite “knowing” the answer. Then, of what good is to know an answer?
We may have many questions about Life, but lost in questioning we cannot enjoy what is.
Enjoyment is in a quiet mind.
We cannot “make” our minds quiet, we need to allow it to experience that quietness. That is all. Any use of force will be a violent action towards our mind, a step away from quietness.
Here is something that I have learned: There is nothing “spiritual” in just “doing,” in acting to fulfill an ideal. If we qualify an action as “good, spiritual, moral, etc.” those labels are only taking us away from the observation of our own feelings.
Feel quietness, feel at peace and our actions cannot be away from that feeling.
There is nothing coming from the “outside” which can make us quiet, constant peace as a natural state of being. Quietness needs to happen naturally without any type of “effort,” or labor to be “real.”
“How do I obtain that?”
You don’t. It happens.
When the “I” is open enough to allow for things to be as they are, when the “I” is open enough to be at ease with his own company, when the “I” is open enough to invite Nature and its harmonious make up, into our own selves.
That change is slow, for we may need to seek silence rather than noise, seek solitude rather than loud company, rest rather than movement; free time rather than busy-ness…
If we “do” these changes in ourselves to try to “achieve” quietness, peace, etc. we could never obtain it. It is impossible.
“Why?”
Because achievement is of the “I.” What could someone “achieve” if we are aware that we are ONE with everything?
Nothing… but by being separated, then there is an “achiever.”
I am not saying that to “achieve” is “bad,” No!
I am saying that quietness, peace, solitude and tranquility are not achievements.
Those will happen naturally as the “I” opens its own preconceived, structured self.
There could be a method of “meditation for busy people” but there cannot be a method to reach “Tranquility,” for that is BEING it.
Simplicity in living. Simplicity in being… those may be necessary to experience that quietness. This means to be uncomplicated, easy…
Knowing is hidden in that state of BEING.
That is the knowing necessary to live and die without fear.
The answer is there. But that “answer” does not come out of a question. It comes out of BEING.
Wordless Words
How am I supposed to share experiences, which cannot be conveyed in words?
Perhaps, if words are used to a minimum.
But …what about if these words are misinterpreted?
That is not a problem for the one who wants to know through living.
If you live what you interpret even though it may be “wrong;” eventually, you will get it “right” through Life experiences.
“Knowing” requires for every seeker to pay their dues. No freebies.
If you don’t have time to assimilate Life, but just enough time to go to Heaven…
All you could ever have is empty intellectual speculation.
Looking only to be “right”? Then whether you get the “concept” right or “wrong” will not matter.
Is to be “right” all that matters for you?
Then just believe. Only believe yourself to be right. Believe that others are wrong.
No one becomes a “better” human being by just knowing concepts or believing in things, but by allowing openness in his consciousness.
Being conceptually “right” does not mean increasing consciousness.
If consciousness does not increase through openness, then what you speak about will be fake. A sales job. Your talk will not match your walk.
It is not your own experience but just your concept or a hand-me-down. It is not what you live by, but merely your understanding. Your opinion. Your belief.
It is not what you are; but what you think is “right.”
Living it, being it. That is all.
Get it right or get it wrong…
It is just the same song
Live it, Be it; undefined, unrestricted
and perhaps the clinging “I,” will be evicted…
Knowing in Theory does not follow into Being in “practice.”
In the “office world” we learn the theory before making it practical.
That same “concept” is continuously being applied into living Life.
We learn a body of “knowledge” (commandments, moral codes, laws), which are supposed to transform human beings into something “better.”
That knowledge implies that we either “get better” or else…
To learn the extent of that teaching becomes part of the inner work of the “Life traveler.”
Suzy knew that anger is “bad.” Suzy has learned to “forgive others” and to “forget their errors.”
When Suzy learned that the neighbors killed her beloved pet, Suzy had such a rage and anger that she was ready to “get even.”
Nevertheless, Suzy repressed that anger as much as she could.
What was the outcome?
Suzy became ill. Her energy of anger poured all over her body.
Her “knowledge,” her theory, did not help her. Obviously, she could “help others” by giving them that “Spiritual theory “ of forgiving and forgetting; that made her look like a saint under the eyes of others.
Do we see the trap? Do we see the lack of self-honesty?
“Knowledge” as theory is meaningless when what actually matters is BEING.
If Suzy cannot “be” a forgiving and forgetful person, which is known as being “better” in religious Spirituality, then
do we need for Suzy to “practice” more?
Don’t we realize that BEING is not changed by practice? Behavior may be changed, but never consciousness.
If behavior changes but not consciousness, that behavior will go back to its “original” when the stimulus to keep a behavior is no longer used.
When Suzy observes by herself, because she wants to, after having the time to sit down and reflect by putting all her beliefs aside and just observe the impermanence of things, when Suzy is able to observe that “her pet” was never hers to begin with and that her neighbors’ actions will have a repercussion as we are all together in this, if Suzy is able to perceive that every being manifests through consciousness and consciousness cannot be destroyed … When Suzy is able to perceive those things in her own experience in Life, then she will understand “naturally” without artificial mental games.
Suzy is merely repressing herself and hurting herself in that senseless process of trying to be “someone” who she is not.
Is Suzy allowed to “make mistakes” in Life?
Yes?
That is to experience her lot according to her consciousness.
If you are anger itself in one moment, if your consciousness is in that state; suffering will be waiting for you, through your own activities.
Is that “bad”?
Many of us learn out of that suffering and not out of “theory.”
It may take a refinement of many experiences to understand these things according to our awareness, but one thing is for sure:
Repression by itself in any way, shape or form does not make a “better human being.”
There is nothing “angelic” about repression.
I don’t hear about “teachings” of transforming energies, channeling a particular form of energy into an outlet or to just allow a person to “make a mistake” in Life to learn.
To learn means to make “mistakes.” Right?
Thus, “mistakes” are not truly “mistakes” but the way an aware individual will learn in Life.
Is repression a catalyst for change of consciousness?
No.
The suffering that it brings maybe though; once we become aware, awake of feeling that pain.
Beliefs are typically used to make someone to change his ways:
What I hear is: “Don’t do this because you will go to hell for ever.”
“If you do that, something very bad will happen to you.”
We are too caught up in beliefs and too busy in making ourselves believe that we have attained something “special,” which we are not.
As a reminder, here is a paradoxical aspect of Life.
Humans use repression to change behavior.
Changing behavior does not change consciousness.
However, the suffering that repression brings is the catalyst for a change in consciousness.
Some are able to perceive suffering and hear the voice of Life asking for a change. Others will suck it up and remain repressed for fear of change.
Life is change but still some are not aware of it.
Perhaps some are aware in “theory,” perhaps as “knowledge” but until it becomes BEING it, there is no understanding of it; therefore to “fake it ‘til you make it” becomes the credo, the formula of self-dishonesty for the sake of “self improvement.”
To feel Life: The new medicine. No side effects.
When Ananda wakes up early in the morning, he will sit down outside by the balcony of his room.
Opening the arms by his lap, feeling that energy flowing in his hands… that energy is who I am. It is the energy of the Universe itself.
Not the label “Ananda,” nor the body sitting there but that energy flowing alive which also manifests through my breathing and feeling.
When thoughts appear one by one, they are observed as if watching a movie from a distance and magically, they go away…
It is about feeling gratitude to life. That feeling keeps itself alive as it mingles in unison with my breathing… Thoughts are no longer; but a feeling of “Thank you,” and a smile will naturally appear.
Gratitude without words.
Then, my hands will move slowly as in a Tai chi dance, flowing into harmonious forms while breathing. It seems as if I knew that “slow dance” from before.
That experience has no timing and no name. No clocks are needed or special effects. It lasts as long as it “feels good.” The location is always Nature.
That practice revitalizes.
When thinking is no longer needed, then we could observe “inside.”
Nothing to think about. Nothing to worry about. Nothing to do. Nothing to desire. Just to be there and enjoy that moment, to be aware of that instant, to feel gratitude for that chance.
That is all. That is to live life.
No beliefs required. No guilt about wasting time or to be compelled to do something “useful” with time.
There, there is no time to kill.
It is “you” feeling the timelessness of “you.” Even for a second.
Second by second is how a new consciousness appears.
No rush. When there is no time, paradoxically; we have all the time.
Nothing “good” to learn today, huh?
There is no need to learn. No need to be “good.” It is already there, and it will manifest if allowed to.
Don’t you believe me? Too “good” to be true?
Believe in what you would. Think a lot about it. Read more. Consult with the “experts.”Follow the “right steps”…
Let me share a secret: It is not what you “do” but what you allow to happen.
Life itself is knocking at the door and when you decide to open is when the adventure starts.
Choice, intuition and “bi-polar” thinking
Heckle and Jeckle were admitted to the same 2 universities to continue their studies in bird biology.
These “old chaps” had a discussion about their next “alma mater.”
Heckle made a list with 5 convincing reasons as to why going to “Mockingbird University” is the best choice for them.
1)Top notch faculty 2) Ranked #1 in the nation for biology 3) 90% of their graduates get a job within the first year 4) On-line classes 5) Financial aid available.
Jeckle selected “Quackula College” without hesitation. Even though Jeckle wasn’t able to give a “reason,” Jeckle had an insight, a hunch telling him “Go to Quackula College. Go to Quackula…” 🙂
In our society, we have been trained to use our thinking ability, that is to “make choices” as if that “rationality” was the way to secure something favorable for ourselves.
Perhaps in a group decision “rationality” could weigh some support for a decision in a man-made world such as business dealings, but that is not necessarily true when we are dealing with life itself, our lives.
The fact is that we usually do not know what to choose, but we can rationalize and “weigh the pros and cons” according to our thinking, to come up with an “educated” thought which we label as “answer.”
By “choosing” we do not allow our intuition, which is the connection with the Totality, to arise.
If we realize that life is like an eternal film and living “now” means in relation with that Drama of life; the ability to express something necessary for the film, then we could see that “choosing” is an extra layer of complication for the sake of giving a “reason.”
Heckle: “Tell me the reason why you want to go to Quackula College, Jeckle? You don’t want to be irrational. You need to be logical.”
That is how we unknowingly kill our ability to be perceptive and in tune with the Totality.
What is intuition, if not knowing? That knowing is not related with outcomes that are viewed by us as “convenient” but that knowing is related with the way the eternal film (life) is being “shot.”
If a religion or a self-help guru is giving us a “choice” such as you do “either this or that,” that choice is bi-polar, it is reducing our ability to move and to discover.
That “bi-polar” thinking is highly detrimental as our consciousness increases.
Heckle: “Are you a night person or a morning person?”
Jeckle: “I am an afternoon person.” 🙂
The following are examples of Heckle’s “bi-polar “ thinking:
“Do you think that dogs are intelligent or dumb?”
“Do you think that Taoism is true or false?”
“Do you think that celibacy is good or bad?”
“Do you believe that God is omnipresent or an individual?”
In those questions, someone is forced to take a “choice,” to take a stand and defend that.
What is intelligent? What is truth? What is good?
How do we know if a definition is accurate and not excluding something valuable from what is being defined?
Do we see the game?
It is called labeling. When we label we live in our heads, through thought. That is what we have learned through our “education” in society and that is what we need to unlearn to “see” something different.
Jeckle knew where to go. Heckle only thought he knew. Even though he had convincing “reasons.”
Nevertheless as far as the movie of life is concerned, whether Mockingbird University or Quackula College is selected; that selected place is the “right” place to be for both.
That is another paradox in life.
Question: Why people believe in so many religion……why there is no one religion…..sai baba says “sabka malik ek”….then why hindu,muslim,sikh and christianity….. why dont people believe believe in one religion only……we are very confused…
Thank you for your question!
Dear soul,
This is the time for “variety.” The seed expands into a tree to collapse into a seed again.
There are many religions, because there are many opinions, many experiences and many perceptions of “reality.” The time of “one religion,” will come again, that is the “seed.” Now, we are experiencing the “tree.” Many religions, many branches within religions, many “isms,” etc.
Variety is the spice of life… 🙂 at this moment in time.
To believe is not the same as knowing.
Best wishes!
Exploring the Depth of Living 