Tagged: morality
The Honesty of Light and Shadow
The disciple asked: “Master, what do you consider important to gain further consciousness in Life?” The master responded: “From the perspective of society, man should behave with morality. However, observe what that person truly IS, he may not BE according to that value. For instance, someone who steals. Even though there is a moral law condemning stealing, there is stealing at different levels. Thus, inner dishonesty will appear. That is hypocrisy. Secretly; I am in a certain way that is my true behavior, but when surrounded by others; I behave in a different way. That clash of values is taking away our capacity for honesty. Without honesty we cannot observe what is. If we don’t have the capacity for that honest inner awareness; we are asleep although, pretending to be awake.”
The disciple then asked: “But how to practice honesty in a mostly dishonest environment?”
The master answered: “Honesty is not a practice. Although in the dictionary, dishonesty is the opposite of honesty; in Life to be insensible, unconscious, unaware is the opposite of honesty. Thus, how can there be practice of honesty if that is a quality of being awake? While in society we have been taught to make a strong distinction between virtues and vices, to practice one side and repudiate the other side; in Life what exists is what IS. That requires our full attention. This could be misrepresented by many. This is not permission to relentless express our vices. We need to observe, become aware with honesty of what IS without defending ourselves, then that quality of honesty will bring further changes. In Life everything is a process. A fruit doesn’t get ripe all of the sudden. Timing is important and everyone has a particular time.”
The disciple said: “I remember being taught to reject my vices also known as shadow and build my light, my virtues…”
Then the master replied: “Both make up a rope with 2 extremes. We call one extreme light and the other shadow. However, it is the same rope. As we gain further consciousness, that separation will not be. That is what is meant by integration. Light and shadow are together. How a shadow appears? When an object is in front of light. In spirituality, that object is the “I” or ego. The absence of that “I” will bring only light; but at that point it will not be called light, for there is no shadow to be its opposite. At that point, all labels and moral standards that we have learned will disappear. No more morality needed.”
The disciple said: “That is what probably most will call to be immoral.”
Then the master took a few seconds and said: “Perhaps Amoral. That one is beyond the duality of moral and immoral. That one doesn’t need established guidelines. That one IS ‘good’ for that is what he IS due to that integration of opposites, or dissolution of ego and not because he follows moral codes. That is where honesty is. We cannot teach someone to be honest. We could only manipulate that one to behave in certain ways and to repress who he may BE. Honesty is a self discovery. ”
“What is the need for morality in society?” Asked the disciple.
The master said: “Morality is necessary in a world of mostly unaware individuals. Because there is morality, then there is immorality. Morality is similar to a stake to straighten a tree. Stakes left for too long however, will hinder the tree’s development by not allowing the tree to experience only what IS.”
The spirituality of placebos
What we ARE, displays in inner INTENTIONS (feelings underneath intellectual rationalizations) which later manifest into outer actions (DOING). This is the “natural way” without struggle.
BEING-→ INTENTION → DOING (Action)
However, the spirituality of “practices” and “training” are placebos for they only focus on ACTIONS.
“Our teachers are trained in compassion”. That is fake compassion.
“Our practices will lead you into being a more secure individual”. That is a fake security.
Practices and training have a place in our society where we are trained to become “something” in Life, but those have no place whenever we deal with inner knowledge, self-realization.
The “spiritual market” selling tips, training, practices, master classes, etc. are only focused on the outcome, the DOING. An actor is DOING something on the screen, nevertheless; that is fake DOING. It is just a script. In that, there is no spontaneity in Life.
Our social conditioning, our “training” deals with structure. That structure is a construct of a controlling mind.
CONDITIONING → Training → DOING
That is the path taught in our society.
BEING “good” or “better” in Life, is not the outcome of performing certain actions which we have been conditioned to believe to be “good.” That repertoire of repetitive actions, takes away the joy of living by feeling Life, but rather supports the pre-arranged script of the mind.
Is drinking alcohol “good” or “bad”? OBSERVE that we are concerned in labeling an ACTION with some moral label. That is the religious conditioning tinted with heavy social traumas. We forget about the people involved and the quality of their intentions which shows their BEING. In our society we are conditioned to simply judge things based on ACTIONS.
Although that formula may work in our society, in “spirituality” or living Life in harmony; that social practice is pointless, childish.
OBSERVATION, AWARENESS, being AWAKE, STILLNESS, TRANQUILITY… those are words pointing to what could be useful in living Life in harmony. We need to discover that ourselves.
For some, that may be the chance to make those words into some profitable “practice” or some best-seller “training” book.
The inner experience of those words are not “practices.”
When the mind is empty of our “busy-ness,” the worries concerning running “profitable business,” and our daily “fill the day” activities; then there is space to sit, relax and smell the roses. Then, there is room for no-mind. Emptiness is a requisite for newness.
The experience of those “keywords” above, will appear all by themselves little by little, without rush. If we “catch them,” then we will be practicing without practice. We will be trained without having training. We will be “better” without “making effort.”
Those are “real” practices. For it is through uncovering BEING how our intentions and actions cannot be fake.
We become “real.”
Acting through a script of righteousness
The other day, I took a taxi to go home. The taxi driver started a conversation which ended in knowing about his “spiritual” experience: “ I lost my wife by being unfaithful and then I resorted into heavy drinking. I even had sex with guys… and then, I was saved (by his new religious belief) when I decided to go to the temple and heard the pastor talking. The pastor said that I could hear the voice of God. He gave me the versicle in the Bible. I prayed to God and then my Life turned around. I heard his voice. From that moment on, I decided to spend more time at the temple and share the word of God.” He handed me the Bible where he had underlined several passages that he knew by heart for me to read out-loud during the drive, while he was explaining those to me. I thanked him for sharing his story and finally he gave me some literature from his church to read in my spare time. Then he said: “I want to pray for you, what is your name? I said, “Ahnanda.” Thanked him again and left.
I was happy for him. I let him express what he IS and that gave him a little boost of reassurance of his own beliefs and experience. Little did he know that I had my own spiritual journey. He thought that he found “God” just like many other believers. That belief is uplifting him.
I learned the importance of allowing others to express their own religious experience even though they may be looking to proselytize.
Living in the “heart center” is not concerned in being “right” and “teaching others.” It is only concerned in naturally harmonizing with everyone. The above is by no means an example to follow. Life is unexpected and as we get in tune with feeling, our actions will be unexpected as well, rather than rehearsed. We could go through forethought, preconceived activity which maybe thought to be “correct, right” but which hides our true nature. As a person evolves through what we know as “spirituality”, it will be important to observe the raw self, without the disguise of DOING a determined action.
For instance, there was a Buddhist monk who said that if someone offers him a plate with meat in it, he wouldn’t reject it; for he will be rejecting the person who offered him a gift. But if he was offered to choose between a plate with meat or one with vegetables; he will pick vegetables.
That is a preconceived action. The motto is : “Do not reject anything.” However we need to look at “rejection” from a broader perspective: Is rejection showed through an ACTION (taking the plate or not) or is it an inner FEELING?
Can you reject your own well being for the sake of agreeing with someone? I am not saying to “make someone happy,” for the act of accepting a meal is not about making someone “happy or unhappy.”
In the heart center, we could observe that if the feeling is of rejecting meat but accepting it for the sake of conforming to a belief; then even though there was outside acceptance; there was inner rejection. No one else but ourselves could confirm that.
As we move into the heart center, there is no preconceived way of ACTION. There is no performance to follow out of some belief or tradition. Every person we meet, every exchange with others will bring its own way to ACT. That action comes from who we ARE.
How do we know if the action was proper?
There is harmony within. We could feel that. The mind does not bring some inner chat to tell us if we were “right or wrong.”
Personally, I do not reject meat or people who likes to eat meat; but at the same time, I know what agrees with my physical body at this time. That may change. Others may be alright with eating meat.
Everyone is different and different situations will arrive in our lives. I feel that to have a preconceived way of acting is truly emphasizing the mind over exploring the feeling of the moment.
Similarly, the cab driver is acting through preconceived directions by following a “holy” book. In his level of consciousness, that may be desirable at this time, but again; that may change. If we still follow preconceived patterns, then the mind will be at ease with a belief but not the heart .
Is following a particular moral code, enough to make us feel in harmony within? If yes, our lives could be a script to follow, from daylight to nighttime. This is “right” that is “wrong.”
Those parameters are necessary in society as they are simple to follow, but at the same time are limiting our own experience of feeling from the heart center.
Giving is not always “good”. Taking is not always “bad.” Those are only beliefs. Through the mind we can try to analyze the circumstances, the people involved, we could try to read the intentions, etc. and evaluate the situation to believe that we have acted “right,” for we have conformed to some pattern. There is no sensation, no feeling of harmony within.
Without that feeling, there could not be fulfillment in Life. Life is meant to be felt not thought out.
The path of righteousness
Life is not interested in our moral standards. Conditioning dictates what is moral and what is not.
Morality has utility in our society and that is the extent of it. To follow our laws and commandments is not a sign of sainthood. It is merely a convenience, to be able to live with others in society.
To be “holier than thou” is only a belief to enhance a petty ego.
What is “right”?
It is what you feel. Sounds easy, but it is often misinterpreted.
What “I” feel is not necessarily what is convenient for me. It is not what my mind tells me. It is not what my conditioning tells me is the “right thing to do.”
It is very hard to explain something where the mind is not. As we have lost touch with the reality of Life, we can only understand the reality of our society, that is the overuse of the mind.
I recall the tale of 3 monks crossing a river. A prostitute was there at the same time and had serious trouble. The commandments of “holy men” forbid monks to engage with women, even more so ; if women are “impure.” Two monks decided to follow their commandment. They were DOING “good” accordingly. One monk however; decided to help the woman. This monk was chastised by his peers for not following the code.
We are conditioned to ask: “Who did the “right” thing? Who was “wrong”?”
The 2 monks following their moral codes, did right. The one following his heart, did right as well. How is this so? The monks obeyed their conditioning. What else could these monks do? The other monk, went with his feeling defying his conditioning. To go beyond our conditioning is “good.”
What action was done for the common good?
We may need to ask the woman. She was appreciative with the unexpected help of the monk.
In society, these 2 “firm” monks may get medals, recognition, etc. In Life, these 2 monks will get more chances to realize their rejection until they become rejected by others.
The unusual “rebel” monk will get rejected by his society for “wrong doing,” but in Life; he is earning the rare opportunity to be one with Life.
We may choose to behave like the “rebel” monk because we may believe that the return given by Life is “better” and “holier” than the one offered by society, but in THINKING in that way, we are only building up our own ego. Our own greed comes to the surface, although we may disguise it with pretty, honorable words to explain our actions.
Again, What is right is what I feel. What I feel may not be what “I like.” There may be uncomfortable consequences but yet, I will be at peace.
Peace goes together with inner honesty. Inner honesty resides in fully acknowledging our feelings.
We can only DO what we ARE. We ARE what we FEEL. That is the foundation of the “right” action. It is not to follow a commandment or a code of conduct, for in Life circumstances change. A commandment does not care about circumstances; the “reality” of Life. It only cares about its blind imposition. That is the violent side of a “good thing”; the unrighteous side of what is deemed “right.”
Until January 2019. Have a happy new year! 🙂
The address of this site will change next year to : explore7.wordpress.com
We ARE together, with what we ARE NOT
When we sleep at night, who are we?
Are we conscious of BEING? No? Where are We?
We could say “logically” that we are the body which is resting on the bed. But, experientially; we are not. Logically that is a “truth,” but experientially is a falsehood.
We ARE but we ARE NOT. That is the totality. The illogical “reality” which our conditioning is unable to make us understand.
When we ARE, when we awaken from sleep, we do not realize how the environment affects our disposition. The collective consciousness is affected, but yet, we believe that we are separated from all of that.
Even though awake, we are asleep.
Some are affected by a profound lethargy due to their efforts to keep the “same old thing.” Life changes around but yet, the way we meet those changes is with the same “old tricks” from the past. In that conditioning, we cannot meet the “now.”
Once a change is visible as it screams in front of our faces, we meet that change with resistance, comparing what it used to be with what IS.
In our “logical” society we have learned that if A is different than B, then B cannot be ever he same as A.
In Life, both are the same; for the recognition of A as the opposite of B, means that both are naturally inseparable, as a head follows a body. Due to our “efforts” to fight by keeping the head but not the body, we kill the whole thing in the name of some belief. We only see a different form, and label it to make a conceptual difference, but we do not see the substance.
“I am this, not that.” Infantile perception. Superficial observation.
In Life “opposites” are together. That is the totality in the world of duality.
What was said in this article, cannot be “explained” logically or through a “spiritual” course without lying and getting into logical “loopholes.”
Who are we?
What we ARE and what we ARE not. That wholeness is an experience, not an intellectual understanding.
When we ARE, we are afraid of what we ARE NOT.
When we ARE NOT, fear is not.
As long as we ARE, there will be fear.
Fear is the opposite of love. So in the duality of Life, both are like a body with a head.
Some may say: Hate is the opposite of love not fear! I am not talking about a dictionary word here. The game of antonyms. Look inside you! FEAR is there as the cause. The siblings are hate, greed, attachment, add any other “bad” word here…
Yet, Love is experienced when we ARE NOT while WE ARE. That is to be AWAKE by integrating the opposites. That was labeled as “egoless” by some misunderstood religious book, beliefs, etc.
However, we are busy rejecting fear with its siblings and praising love. That we call “spiritual,” “moral,” etc.
By denying what IS, we live in a made-up world of concepts and illusions; truly sleeping while walking around.
The problem of “Reality.”
Our mindset pursues what it believes to be the “truth,” what is “real” according to conditioning.
Some type of human consciousness are self-righteous and have narrow perceptions, which they call “truth,” reality: “what is real is what exists, what exists is what I can perceive with my 5 senses.” Easy enough to make that “truth” into a commandment.
Our society and collective consciousness are in agreement with that, for the majority of people have 5 senses working somewhat in a similar way.
All is “good” until scientists “discover” that what we perceive is not necessarily what is “real.”
At that point, we may ask ourselves, what is “reality”? 🙂
That question in fact, synthesizes the main problem with our vision and understanding of Life.
The issue is not to concentrate our efforts in discovering what is “real” out there. The main issue is to understand ourselves and the way we perceive Life. Our perception of it.
In short, Life can be perceived in many different ways according to our consciousness.
For example, imagine that all people in the world were born blind. They never perceived light through their eyes. Certainly, we could have built a “normal” society made for blind people. Other senses rather than vision could have taken precedence.
To speak about colors, rainbows, clouds, etc. in that world of blindness, will not make any sense. If someone speaks about being able to see light, that one could be crucified or labeled as “crazy.” That gift of vision may be a curse in disguise, for “normal” people will not be able to understand.
Thus, greater ability to perceive means an expanded vision of reality.
Our “standard” is the way of perception of the collective consciousness in society, but that perception is far from what could be labeled as “real.”
When we place our energy in understanding our own perceptions, rather than in using the convenient labels of “right, wrong, true, false, bad and good,” then any sort of judgment is out. Certainly we may need to act as our society dictates.
If someone harms another, there are laws. There are consequences, but judgment is a human invention that we have added into the personality of our beloved Gods.
Compassion arrives when we understand that there are many ways to perceive/experience Life. A particular way followed by someone may be condemned by the laws of our society and labeled as “bad,” but we know it is only a perception. That openness will free us with further understanding which will reflect in a peaceful disposition.
Moral talk says: “We must be peaceful, loving, etc.” but as our barriers of perceptions open up allowing us to have a greater vision of the valley of Life; that moral wishy, washy talk; will not be needed.
BEING peaceful is not morality. It is not to obey a law or a commandment. Those DOINGS are fake behaviors.
The “reality” of compassion and love is in extent of the openness of our consciousness, and not the openness of our mouths.
Learning from the shoe box of experiences
In the “office world,” we learn through books, classes, second hand “authoritative” teachings… We believe that those “teachings” are true. We label them as “truth” and want for others to follow them to support our desire to be “right” in Life. We presume that we have the “right answer,” we make our “morality” on those assumptions. We may believe that “God is with us,” and that we are part of his “chosen people,” ready for Paradise and everlasting Life …
Those “teachings” for whatever holy they may be, cannot match the uncertainties and ever changing possibilities in Life. What is “real” cannot be relegated into a shoe box full of code of conduct, commandments and laws.
Have we observed that in Nature? Have we observed that in Life?
In Nature/Life, morality does not exist. In the “office world” it exists as a façade for an ulterior purpose: Whether that is to gain heaven, to support our belief to be “special” or “rightful” among the rest or some other “reason.”
In Nature/Life, questions do not exist. Humans prisoners of their own minds, have twisted good old curiosity into the frenzy of asking “why?” out of everything, as if an intellectual verbal answer is enough.
Curiosity does not ask “why.” Curiosity observes with appreciation the uniqueness of Life. It is through that acknowledgement how everything is answered without asking a single question; for every answer comes at the right time. It is the knowing of learning through our own experiences.
Humans have coined the phrase: “Learn from your own mistakes.” That is insane.
When we separate our experiences in Life between “mistakes” and what is “right,” we forsake the opportunity to live fully in Life in exchange of some comfortable fear, designed to live within the boundaries of the shoe box offered by our society through our conditioned mind.
That is how we come up with the popular “Do’s and Don’ts.” We preserve those by enforcing them into the younger generations, effectively narrowing down the shoe box for others. At the end, it is about preserving what we discovered to be “right or wrong,” that is how the “I” of many dead people from many centuries ago, still live among us. We call that “traditions.”
Learn from your experiences. That learning only applies to your own path. However, what is to share to all, is to BE the type of person that is ever curious to discover Life, beyond the shoe box.
That type of invaluable teaching cannot be put into words or a “master class.” That “teaching” spreads through the winds of warm human relationships.
Nothing to teach, nothing to say. Just BE.
Those winds of relationship, have the potential of turning into Hurricanes and positively affecting many, without a business plan, special funding or a proselytizing effort.
What is natural is “good.” What is “good” is what IS.
Exploring the Depth of Living 