presence

182 posts

Suffering Is Unnecessary and You Know It so Let Go

Something is always happening to you. And, the mind interjects thoughts and emotions as reactions to these daily situations. Thus, often this overwhelming mental behavior causes suffering because the mind interprets an experience as bad or unacceptable. Let’s use the example of hitting your finger with a hammer to illustrate. You hit your finger and it hurts. This is a fact. But, the mind construes the hurt finger as a drama due to countless reasons that are fictional illusions. Hence, thoughts and feelings attachment themselves to the pain in your finger. This mental behavior then becomes a repetitive pattern, if you are unaware, that might continue for minutes, hours or days. And, this causes the suffering that you feel.

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A person hits their finger with a hammer and it hurts. Nevertheless this is pain and not suffering. Suffering is an inflection of the mind in an unaware person that can eventually result in mental and bodily dysfunction. Experiences stimulate the brain. Coincidentally, the mind then tries to interpret, define and label all brain stimuli. Accordingly, this usually causes an unaware person to feel confusion and anxiety during most experience. Why? Obviously, because there is not any sense of conscious presence. Unconscious behavior induces illusions of complexity. But, these illusions are only of the mind and usually not derived from any actuality of presence. Continue reading

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Discover the Depth of Inner Consciousness

The following is an example of conscious awakening that illustrates how the mind dominates our experiences when we are unaware. The mind has countless thoughts and many emotions that can influence how we live. The type of influences vary from irritation to anger, relaxation to hypertension or contentment to severe depression. Thus, thoughts and emotions causes various, often radical reactions in the behavior of an unconscious person. This results due to a lack of aware conscious living. Therefore, and obviously, awareness blossoms when we discover the essence of consciousness as the presence of our being.

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I share with you a dialogue that I had with myself during a particular experience. My self-dialogue might, at first glance, seem abstract and slightly confusion for you. Therefore, I suggest reading the example. Then focus on your own inner beingness and the essence of your presence as you ponder the experience I share. Then, at your convenience, reread the article. The inner conversation I offer you happened as I became aware of the mind’s influence on my behavior. Here is the inner transaction with myself… Continue reading

How Is Your Partnership with Life?

You are a manifestation of life energy and the essence of being is ultimately universal. Therefore, do not cling to the mind or the details of our existence in an attempt to experience the conscious nature of being. This being is the isness of living. Do not allow the mind to play its games with you. Life engulfs you as a frequency within a universal flow. Acknowledge the act of being. Realize that you determine the manifestation of this flow through your partnership with life.

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Thus, you are the center of the universe and everything is spiraling outward and inward. You reflect all things such as a shadow that always accompanies the object that casts it. Hence, you are within and without, absolute as one in a state of beingness. Practicing presence is being the isness of presence. The mind does not want to acknowledge the difference between living and a true state of aliveness. Your awareness to the life that is within and surrounding you basically determines how you experience everything. Continue reading

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Malicious Mental behavior and You

Do many thoughts or situations cause you frustration or anxiety? If yes, why? Ask yourself. What causes the confusion and disappointment? How do you feel in such a moment? Recall any recent situation that disturbed you.

I’ll assist you by offering a situation from my own experiences. I stood in the kitchen to take medication. The medicine consisted of two pills. One pill fell from my hand as I put the cap back on the bottle. I didn’t hear the pill hit the floor. And, I did not hear it fall on the kitchen counter. I thought that it might have fallen on the carpet. Thus, I crawled on my hands and knees searching the floor. I felt frustration. Where had the pill fallen? Nothing on the floor. Then, I rechecked the counter top. Malicious thoughts bounced around my head. Where was the pill. Why can’t I find it? How is this possible?

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I searched everywhere but found nothing. I felt frustration due to the thoughts, confusion and increasing anger. My head told me that I must find the pill. Nevertheless, I was aware enough to accept the situation. Thus, I reached for a cup of tea. I had put the cup of hot tea on a beverage coaster. And, there, next to the cup was the missing pill. It was as if some unseen force was saying that everything is as it should be. The tablet was there next to the tea and all I needed to do was take it. I laughed the moment I saw the pill. There it was all this time, just waiting for me to take it. Continue reading

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Teach the Teacher

Wake up and acknowledge that everything corresponding to how you live life comes from within you. I don’t want to continue this article with many spirituality references, although there will be a few. It has taken me many years to recognize and accept that I am molding my experiences, either consciously or unconsciously. I am the teacher that has the potential to wisely learn and teach myself. This is also true for you. And, please do not fool yourself by listening to the mind tell you otherwise.

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Things always happen! Think of your childhood. Perhaps, you had an opportunity to watch water start to boil in a pot when your mother made a meal. There was a slight noise due to the raising water temperature. Then steam appeared. Wow, as a child, you thought this was fascinating. Then the first few air bubbles took shape on the bottom of the pot. The heating water captivated your eyes. Suddenly, these bubbles floated slowly to the water surface. Consequently, more appeared. Correspondingly, and abruptly, the water erupted in movement caused by the ever increasing evaporation. It was a delight for you to watch this happen as a child. But, why doesn’t boiling water fascinate you now? Continue reading

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Should I Listen to the Voice in My Head?

Doesn’t it seem as if there is always someone talking to you from inside your head? It feels as if there is someone, other than yourself, or something within you that interacts with life and living. People call this phenomenon intuition, a gut feeling, sixth sense or an inspiration, to name a few. Is this a type of mind feedback? Or, does this sensation originate from beyond mind and body? This voice is a vibrational energy presence that manifests through the brain. Therefore, are these occurrences of the mind? Indeed, the majority of people think and believe that these are strictly mind reactions. 

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Most certainly the mind interferes, thus can influence the voice within you. Nevertheless, know that how you interact and respond to this mind feedback decides how you live. Likewise, do you sense something that is beyond mind interaction or manipulation? Yes, the mind diverts your focus to a thought or feeling. However, the presence of your being acknowledges something more in the background of your life experiences. Your practice is to awaken to the depth of your person within a conscious presence of being. This is the evolution of consciousness that is individual and equally universal, both are one. Continue reading

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Unlearn, relearn and Discover the Self within Living

When and where did everything begin? How and why will everything end? These questions are inquiries into the diversity of your being. Your answers to these questions will widely vary. But, let’s keep it simple. Ultimately, everything manifests according to the focus of your being. And, this is the isness of living life. This is the purpose of the articles title statement. Unlearn basically everything you have been told about living life. Relearn the depth and true nature of your beingness in the flow of life and the universe. Thus, you discover that everything is within you as the center of being. And, your experience of self-being determines how you live life.

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The Self is a complex and core subject in many forms of spirituality. Two types of Self are commonly considered—the Self that is the ego, also called the learned, superficial Self of mind and body, egoic creation, and the Self which is sometimes called the “True Self”, the “Observing Self”, or the “Witness”. In Hinduism, the Ātman (Self), despite being experienced as an individual, is actually a representation of the unified transcendent reality, Brahman.[42] Our experience of reality doesn’t match the nature of Brahman due to māyā.  (Wikipedia) Continue reading

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A Relative Reality so What Is Real?

Relative reality as a discussion topic can be confusing when the mind uses too much energy thinking about reality. What is real? What is not real? Could and should we consider a relative reality to be fundamental to our existence?  We might even suggest that nothing is possible without reality. A third perspective is not to associate these two words with anything, whether we call something real or not. But, this might first seem derogatory to our understanding of reality. Another word commonly used for relative is relativism.

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Relativism is the idea that points of view have no absolute truth or validity. They only have relative, subjective value according to viewpoint and circumstances. (Wikipedia) There are many understandings of relativism. The church; for example, considers any association with this concept to be a denial of absolute truth.

Reality is the state of things as they are, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. (Wikipedia) Yes, we can accept this statement for practical day to day purposes. However, this definition has no true validity, consciously and spiritually speaking.  Is beingness possible as unmanifested and manifested energy? If yes, does the manifested have more reality than the unmanifested? And, vice versa? Or, is everything relative? Continue reading

The Chains that Burden You

Charles Dickens offers an indirect glimpse into conscious enlightenment in his tale A Christmas Carol. Scrooge’s dead partner Jacob Marley appears as a ghost burdened with heavy chains in the story. Marley forged each chain link in life and must carry them during his death resulting from his behavior and decisions. This suggest that each person forges his or her own path in life. This acknowledgment is the first step on a person’s inner journey of self-discovery. Marley implies that the totality of his being, in life and death, is the result of free will and choices.

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The ghost Marley represents the conscious awareness that dwells within your presence. The details of the world around you are the distractions and restrictions that will forge chains of burden. Equally, this is true for thoughts and emotions that will manipulate if you live in unawareness of your being.  And, an unaware existence causes attachment and dependency to the things you confuse as your true self.  Thus, these mind and existence details are the chain links that you and every unaware person carry. Continue reading

boat on a calm lake - www.steveleasock.com

Boat on a Calm Lake

Aware presence of here and now is beneficial during your inquiry into living consciously. Additionally, conscious enlightenment is not a feat of magic or luck. Thus, learn to accept the simple beingness of your presence in any moment. Likewise, living a fulfilling and peaceful life is to learn the difference between mind or conscious presence existence.

boat - www.steveleasock.com

Accordingly, you realize conscious presence during the inner journey of self-discovery. And, non-attachment and non-dependency are essential stepping stones along the way. Therefore, are you willing to let go of what the mind tells you? This is the first conscious step on The Way of Life (Tao Te Ching). This stepping stone is one of many that allows a shift from mind distractions to conscious aware presence. Imagine your presence as a boat on a calm lake that freely floats peacefully and without purpose on the water. Continue reading