life quotes

321 posts

Box of Thoughts and a Life Beyond

Let’s consider a practical exercise that can eliminate excessive mind chatter. We use terms such as boxed in and living in a box to express anxiety and frustration. Instead, let’s use these expressions as stepping stones to conscious living.

box

A box, of your own making, surrounds you each day. Thoughts and even emotions confine you within the box’s walls. You might think that the exercise I mention implies restricting thoughts and emotions. However, and foremost, you can’t stop the mind from thinking. Therefore, your practice is to do exactly the opposite. Acknowledge deeply that the majority of thoughts and emotions don’t honestly reflect the actuality of this moment. Additionally, the act of simply being is a priority for consciously living regardless of the content within the mind’s box. Therefore, let’s focus on how to practice thinking in the box. But, experience the isness of life and your beingness outside of the box. Continue reading →

Complexities and Our Sense of Being

Life is a mystery. At least, this is what the mind tells us. Therefore, this unknown mystery is one of the mind’s many complexities. And this is ongoing, since the dawn of our self-consciousness. Furthermore, the mind’s frantic attempts to rationalize hold us as a slave to its devices (behavior). Nevertheless, the practice of conscious awareness can elevate us far above the mind. There is one particular area relating to the age of conscious awakening that recently plagued me.

This use of the word plague indicates that I began to question my deep inner insight about the word being. This word signifies something that is. But, generally it is not possible to express beingness in words. Nevertheless, the other day, I began to question living and being. However, I didn’t so much question my existence as much as questioning my awareness to the explicit act of being. After all, being is an absolute.

complexities

Our understanding of the word being is similar to other behavioral aspects in our existence. We concentrate more on the word or meaning of being instead of its actuality…simply and profoundly being. Humankind’s complexities result from a misinterpretation of living. This is a loss of inner acknowledgment and acceptance to the flow of life energy. Continue reading →

Self-dissatisfaction Is Only About You

Everyone is familiar with how dissatisfaction feels. But, what causes this dissatisfaction? Self-dissatisfaction causes annoying behavior such as frustration, sadness and anxiety. Is there actually a difference between one type of dissatisfaction or the other? Perhaps, the mind attempts to exactly label and define these behavior characteristics. Nevertheless, there is ultimately no differentiation.

self-dissatisfaction

Let’s view self-dissatisfaction has a core imbalance within you. This dissatisfaction smothers like hot underground lava building up pressure before an eruption. This is the outcome of any discontentment that might surface during thoughts, emotions and experiences. Each person, and not external influences, are either the cause or cure for any annoyance. You probably don’t want to consider this as a possible truth. Nevertheless, it all comes down to you and your observation of living life.

A fire of self-dissatisfaction consumes an unaware person. This dilemma is due to a lack of conscious awareness to the universality of being. Forget religion, beliefs, science and superstitions. There is nothing religious, magical, mystical or scientific about being and the oneness of life. Yes, the mind conjures thousands of possibilities in an attempt to explain your existence and living. Nonetheless, why do you insist on defining or clarifying the act of being? Isn’t it enough to simply be alive? Continue reading →

Eating Grapes and Living Life

I invite you to share my breakfast adventure as I discover an additionally stepping stone to conscious living. Grapes are great! I should have a t-shirt printed with this statement 😊. Eating grapes is a daily delight for me, either fresh or as raisins. But, not necessarily as wine 😉. Do you like grapes? You might wish to grab a few grapes to eat as I share an experience this morning from my kitchen. Are you aware that white grapes are easier than red to pick and clean? The red grape stubbornly hangs on the plant stem during picking and also when you clean it.

eating

Imagine, if you will, your eagerness to eat some grapes, perhaps with yogurt, cereal or honey. However, it is best to wash the grapes before eating them. Not a problem. Right? Well, this experience, as with all life experiences, offers us a lesson in conscious living. And, this became evident to me as I washed and removed the grape stems this morning. I choose red grapes today for my eating delight at breakfast. Consequently, as mentioned above, the red grapes held firmly attached to the stems. But, I was eager to eat. Continue reading →

Deceit and the Mask We Wear

You, I and all others have a vast array of masks. We wear masks according to the mind’s interpretation of any given experience. Are we afraid to show ourselves to others? Definitely! And, the majority of people are also unable or unwilling to accept themselves. Furthermore, mind conditioning thrives on this evolution tendency. Moreover, the mind gives us countless reasons to explain the phenomenon of mask wearing. So, we deceit ourselves by listening to the mind and its lies. We can call this behavior many things. However, living solely in accordance with mind interpretations is a lie, plain and simple.

deceit

Nevertheless, the mask of deceit worn by most people is complex and is not intentionally worn. It is astonishing to observe the masquerade played out by everyone, including myself. Why do we need masks? It is fear that prevents us from simply accepting ourselves? Is it shame? Or lack of self-esteem? There is no easy answer. This is because the masks we wear are due to a combination of all experiences. Nevertheless, it is possible to take off your mask(s). The first step in this process is to consciously accept that you are not the image in the mirror. This acknowledgement is usually enough to widen your conscious perspective. Thus, the mirror image is actually a non-reality.

Dare to look beyond the mind

A deeper and truer beingness is always beyond the images of the mind.

Continue reading →

Ride the Wave of Life and Do It Now

Image surfing on a wave. Perhaps you are a surfer and know how to hang ten as you ride a wave. Comparative speaking, how do you live life? It is possible for every person to learn how to ride the wave of life and enjoy living. Active awareness is a necessity to surfing and living life. The gracefulness you observe in many surfers’ manifests through practice and acceptance as they hang loose on the surfboard. Likewise, it is possible for everyone to learn conscious awareness as they surf the wave of life.

ride

Let’s consider the similarities between water surfing and life surfing. Firstly, the mind assumes that wave riding is a challenge. Thus, just a thought about surfing causes fear and even panic in many people. Nonetheless, the same people that fear surfing, also love the thrill of such a challenge. The mind thinks of each wave as a problem to overcome. Therefore, and subsequently, each new wave is a hindrance that inhibit the experience. Behavior conditioning automatically develops due to repetitive unconscious thought patterns. The mind tells you to ride the wave because you must. And, the mind continues to label each wave as a problem that is difficult. The result is a vicious cycle of wanting to ride the wave and coincidingly fearing each wave. Thus, you usually label yourself as the victim of each wave, instead of the master of the ocean. Continue reading →

Homeward Bound Is not a Journey

You innately know the essence of this moment. And, you instinctively sense the pulsation and flow of living in this moment. But, the mind distracts this state of awareness. Nevertheless, is it accurate to say that you are a conscious being living now. Thus, you are the isness of now. This acknowledgement and acceptance allow conscious awareness to flow. Let’s use an example to illustrate. What is your state of being when you take a bath or swim? You are in water. However, how often are you deeply aware that you are in the water? Presence is the stepping stone that unites you and the water. Furthermore, this is an undeniable state of being in relation to all experiences. This realization allows your homeward journey to unfold naturally.

homeward

Living from a state of isness to this moment releases you from the mind. Accordingly, your partnership with the mind will improve. Thus, you more efficiently use the mind to understand existential experiences. The mind’s domination over your life experience will lessen. Hence, you will focus on conscious awareness and the manifestation of this moment. There is no need for magic, science or religion to be presence and live in the isness of now. It is literally as easy as standing in front of a mirror and to deeply accept your beingness. This is a transcendence experience within the totality of presence. And, this is your true home. Continue reading →

Sensitivity and the Experience of Life

Are you a sensitive person? Do others label you as too sensitive? If yes, please stand up and take a bow because sensitivity is not necessarily a bad thing. Furthermore, conscious awareness through sensitivity is possible. Alas, mind details still distract the majority of people. Thus, unconscious living causes chaos in many activities. There are so many wants, demands and details. Therefore, often the mind and body are ill. It is all too much. At least, this is what the mind tells us. Stop the world and let me get off. These are typical reactions to our daily interactions.

sensitivity

Many people are sensitive, often overly sensitive. And, there are distinguishing characteristics among these individuals. Sensitive people often experience depression and mental trauma. Often these ailments are due to biological and conditional behavior disorders that can escalate if a person is overly sensitive. Hence, over-sensitivity can actually cause the development of a mental disorder in a person that unconsciously lives life. Please understand the significance of the keyword unconsciously in this last statement. Your thoughts, thus your feelings, can sicken the mind and body when you are not actively conscious and equally oversensitive.

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Monism Is at the Essence of All Duality

Please, if possible, glance slowly and deliberately at any given object in your immediate surroundings. What do you see? It may be a chair, table, or a picture on the wall. You are essentially a part of anything you observe. Furthermore, each and every object is of one state of being. And, the marvelous mystery of oneness manifests in all shapes and sizes. This is too much for the mind, strictly mentally speaking, to comprehend. Thus, the mind interprets monism as dualism. The mind does this in an attempt to define and categorize.

monism

“There is a thing inherent and natural, which existed before heaven and earth. Motionless and fathomless, it stands alone and never changes; it pervades everywhere and never becomes exhausted. It may be regarded as the Mother of the Universe. I do not know its name. If I am forced to give it a name, I call it Tao, and I name it as supreme.”
– Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Nevertheless, the mind is naturally a part of this mysterious oneness. And, this creates a paradox. Hence, the mind over-compensates the simplicity of monism. Therefore, it is very difficult for a person to disregard thoughts and feelings that invoke separation. The presence of oneness that manifests through all objects is there within each heartbeat and within each breath. This is the nature of beingness and the isness of living. It is a vibrating flow of energy. Continue reading →

Experience What Is Instead of What Is Not

Words often confuse us. And the word experience is an example of this confusion. We claim that our experiences influence our behavior. Similarly, the mind is adept in placing labels and definitions onto our experiences. Thus, the mind super-imposes conditioning factors onto everything. And, we just go along for the ride.

experience

Let’s put this into perceptive from a conscious awakening standpoint. You do not necessarily participate in any given experience through your awareness to the situation. Yes, I realize this statement is first confusing. Something happens, such as a cup of water falling from the table to the floor. You are aware that the cup has fallen. Nevertheless, your awareness does not prevent you from complaining because the cup fell. Does the immediate situation cause your discomfort? Or, are you actually reenacting a conditioned reaction from a similar circumstance? Continue reading →