Tagged: prejudices
Spirituality and beliefs
Why are you a Christian? Why are you a Muslim?
Why are you a BK? Why are you a Buddhist?
If you take a look deeply at this simple question, you will discover a lot about yourself.
If your “ism” is only about beliefs to keep you together with “others” or if it is based on a particular experience; you may need to consider if those beliefs are there to teach you about yourself, that is the work of your own mind.
Why do you label yourself to fit into a “something” and separating yourself from everything else?
We mirror each other, we are inter-related.
“I want to help my heart by eating less fatty foods.” Do you think that the above phrase is correct? 🙂
You are not helping “your heart,” you are helping yourself for without your healthy heart; you wouldn’t exist.
True spirituality is not related with a belief system.
“They believe in this, and we believe in that” that phrase separates at the mental level. The same thing happens when we use other labels which imply separation.
“My buddies will do everything for me to help me while in war….” The “others” you are fighting against are not your buddies: They do not feel like you, they do not breathe like you, they do not have hopes like you. Only their minds have different ideas….
Please see the illusion of mental separation.
In true spirituality, unless we have not looked at our minds closely; we have not done anything to change our behaviors, attitudes and prejudices.
To consciously look at our own minds does not require a religious view or perspective, it does not require “help” from “up above” until we have given the first step of courage to see all of our own dogmas, rigid values, prejudices, traditions and ideas … until we realize that those ideas are making our own hell on Earth, until then; we will be separating things and people.
Anyone could believe in anything. Anyone could have a practice of anything; but the main goal of any discipline related with Spirituality is meant to look at all the lies inside our own heads; those thoughts that we believe in, those ideas, which make up the way we relate with humanity and the world.
Do you think that life is “logical”? Do you believe that God “thinks logically”? 🙂
Maybe, maybe not. You don’t know neither do I.
Why deal with beliefs then? Isn’t it more constructive to look at what we think and the way we think?
In true spirituality, the mind is first. We can know all the theory about “how it works.” We could describe the mind and its components. We can analyze that data and come up with wonderful theories about the mind. We can obtain prizes due to our original research… 🙂
All of that is of no value for the Spiritual being.
Take a look at yourself. Observe the movie within yourself. Do not believe in that movie. It is not real.
Why?
Just because it is only in your head. There are other missing items.
Life is not the movie that we carry with us in our minds.
See that all our own hang-ups, beliefs, ideas and prejudices are secluding us from the wonderful, thoughtless experience of life.
Do not deny your mind, just observe it. Be conscious about the things that are going on there without judging.
Just become aware that it is happening.
Being aware that is happening without believing in it, is the easiest way to move on from that trap of beliefs.
To become free from the rigidity of our own minds is the first step of courage, the first “real” work within ourselves.
Once that step is taken, to heal the emotions of the heart will be next. In this way, our vision will change totally without the opportunity of going back.
We will become a “new” human being.
On emptiness, world service and compassion
It was a windy but sunny day near a small beach by the Bay.
Mathias was speaking with his friends, Raysha and Ananda about transformation of the self.
The topic of emptiness was discussed. Emptiness as the absence of prejudices, beliefs, ideas, analysis, preconceptions, worries etc; which are clouding the mind from feeling at peace and harmony.
Ananda: “Mathias, how do we increase the experience of emptiness?”
Mathias: Emptiness comes to you when you understand the rhythms of the mind and the heart. When you have understood the word harmony. It is a state where the being is away from prejudices. It is a state of appreciation beyond questioning. It is an instant in which you let go, as if you surrender to the experience.
Emptiness could be experienced in different levels, but the “great emptiness” will allow you the metamorphosis to live in a different manner. As it has happened to Raysha already. Big emptiness.
Your cells, your body, your mind will be filled with a different energy. The experience of emptiness is vital to be wholesome, healthy.
When the hands of the clock tell us about a time to come, it is important to be prepared. In the same way, human beings nowadays, experience emptiness due to altered states of consciousness.
Ananda needs to increment that experience of emptiness without bringing into his mind prejudices and to his heart nostalgic sentiments, but rather the art of enjoyment. To appreciate and to smile are the necessary ingredients for a perfect fit.
Ananda: “How could we serve humanity better, by doing things or by experiencing emptiness?”
As you become ready, you will be able to better understand others and Nature, then that service will be of quality. That is because something called “speed-response” will be there. Otherwise, when there is lack of harmony; food arrives when there is no hunger anymore.
Ananda: “Is Compassion a form of goodness?”
Mathias: Compassion arises from the heart. It is that pile of sentiments with goodness, which explode and irradiate towards that which is ready to receive.
That could be a place, a person an object.
Ananda:” For that to happen we need to be in emptiness?”
Mathias: Once you have experimented emptiness, you need to fill that with sentiments, a mixture of harmonized feelings. Once all of that is there, compassion arises.
For example, when you prepare your banana shake; the first thing that must be there is an empty blender, then the ingredients, then it is the mix, and then that mixture it is ready to be given.
You enjoy that.. . and then you have to wash it…
Ananda: “Oh! So it is empty again! ”
Mathias: Yes.
If you don’t clean, if you don’t wash it, then germs and disease will appear. The heart becomes contaminated.
To be clean we need to be aware of different energies around us, which we could absorb under different circumstances.
Ananda: “Emptiness brings compassion as long as there is emptiness…” 🙂
Question on emptying the mind and dissolving the “I”
“I need to ask you something regarding mind . it was also mentioned previous post that empty your mind and fill your heart , also in the above article say that we need to empty our mind . What exactly we need to flush out of our mind ; the negative energy element, or the list mentioned in the last line (your own beliefs, prejudices, ideas, standards, wants, wishes, desires, hopes, etc) i am confused that you mean which among mentioned below – we should change our attitude to see the newness in every action , every other soul,system,process and reject our already established beliefs( irrespective positive or negative ) .i mean there would be a belief already present in the mind but we should try to put effort to ignore /suppress that old belief(old sanskar) and should create a new sansakar ( seeing the newness in everything) – or going by the literal meaning of emptying your mind and not keeping anything in mind apart from spiritual learning. Please explain . My other question how is it possible and leading a family life ( with parents , spouses and Kid ) &professional life and parallely dissolving “I’ ( me) illusion . Please explain Thanks . please correct me if i am wrong ! Omshanti !!”
Dear reader,
Thank you for your follow-up question!
That means that you are trying to make sense, understand, what is being conveyed. However, you are still trying to understand intellectually, by using reasoning.
Please liberate yourself from conceptual understanding.
Plainly, observe your mind.
Are you under stress? Observe what you think, how fast you think and how is your breathing at that time.
Observe how much you speak and how what you said changes your mood, how it triggers sensations in you.
Observe, how the words coming from someone have an effect on you.
Observe how you create a story of something that you perceive.
Observe how you label that story as “true,” or “false,” as knowledge or nonsense.
All of that “stuff” that is going on inside, needs to be observed; for that “stuff” is not allowing your mind to see with clarity.
Forget about “rejecting.” There is no need to suppress anything. Just OBSERVE THAT IT IS THERE.
For instance:
“Paul met Sharlene. They went for a date. Paul liked Sharlene and wanted her to know all about him.
Paul started his “long story,” about his whereabouts in the last 30 years. Paul was careful to highlight the episodes where suffering got the best of him, looking for some female empathy. His greatest achievements in life to impress Sharlene were included. His “success” was embodied by his luxury automobile and his 3 properties all over the world.
When Paul spoke about his past, he was re-living those moments, especially when Sharlene asked some questions to “try to help him.” :-)”
In the above story, Paul is a “normal” guy who does not observe his mind and the different moods, emotions that he experiences through his own doing. Those emotions will express themselves through beliefs, prejudice, judgments, criticism, etc; which at the end support the existence of his own ego.
On the other hand, If Paul was able to OBSERVE himself; he would be able to catch a prejudice, a belief, a judgment, etc ; which are preventing him to APPRECIATE things as they are.
Paul’s beliefs, prejudices and ideas are things that he is adding into “what is.”
If you observe a snake; you could be amazed by its suppleness and speed. You are appreciating.
If you have “knowledge” that all snakes are poisonous, then; you will not appreciate, but display fear, thanks to your own beliefs and prejudices which came through your interpretation of that “knowledge.”
Note that to observe does not mean to interfere. When you reject; you are interfering. You are not open to the experience.
To appreciate life, we need to empty that bag of beliefs, prejudices, ideas, explanations, etc; by observing them, by being aware of them and their consequences.
When we appreciate life, we are not concerned about fitting life to our own ideas. That is the meaning of emptying the mind, explained through “unclear” words.. 🙂
Please see that we are not “creating” a new sanskara. We are not building a new window to see through. We are simply cleaning the same “old” window, what is already there.
We can clean that window through the liquid window cleaner of OBSERVATION.
Once you become acquainted with your own observation, you could deal with your second question.
Your kids, your parents, your spouse, your job; all of that will give you the perfect environment to see how all of that affects you.
When you discover that, then you may discover that as long as there is “you,” then those things will touch “you.”
Then, the aim will be to fully discover “you,” so “you” can get rid of it… 🙂
That is as paradoxical as it gets. 🙂
Please avoid trying to make sense of the above, just observe the explanation in yourself.
Best wishes!
Exploring the Depth of Living 