presence

201 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 →

Fulfillment Is Not a Goal to Reach

We may believe that fulfillment of life and certain goals come from hard work, determination, or even luck. But, this belief is not accurately correct. Our endeavors may contribute to the achievement of existence activities. Nevertheless, these are not actually the deciding factors in the experience of fulfillment.

fulfillment

We can verify this insight through the example of people who try their best. And, still nothing seems to go right. This is also why a person who seems good and deserving doesn’t receive anything. Consequently, this good person may actually experience hardships, sickness, and even premature death. Why do we consider this to be unfair? The reason is because our expectations and desires are almost always from the level of thoughts, ego, and emotions. However, the things a person wants, but doesn’t get, were never his or hers to receive. This is where the conditioned path and mind behavior can cause great disorder in our interactions with life.

Everything comes from a flow of unmanifested energy, no matter what we might otherwise wish to believe. Nonetheless, the mind dominates and insists it knows what is best for us. Mind manipulation is apparent in our behavior, especially in unaware people. However, decisions based on the mind are only from the level of our existence. We plan and work to reach goals. Yes, relatively speaking, this is typical for our species. Nonetheless, our endeavors are entirely irrelevant in terms of conscious living. Therefore, as a conscious individual, you acknowledge human aspects. But, you remain anchored in a state of being that is conscious of itself. I am here and now! Interrupt thoughts and emotions constantly with this simple realization. I am. Still, ego and a conditioning mind demand that we place importance on thoughts and emotions. Nevertheless, this is just an illusion. 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 →

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 →

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.

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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 →

Addictive Pain and What NOT to Do

Psychological pain is real and is often addictive. Does this sound strange to you? You experience this type of pain each day and probably don’t realize it. Unconscious mental pain affects everyone and everything. Only the degree or intensity varies from person to person. Unfortunately, most people are not conscious enough to realize the severity of this pain. It happens more often than you may think. Here, we should note that what the mind thinks doesn’t mean it is true. On the other hand, your state of awareness decides how you will experience a situation.

addictive

Thus, what is your relationship with the mind? This is the key question in consciously awakening to a state of deeper presence. Moreover, your observation of the mind determines how you experiences this moment. Respond to life and living. But, do not react to the mind. There is a difference.

This acknowledgement can be very helpful. This is useful in understanding how you typically react to compulsive mind behavior. Please practice differentiating between two states of being. These two states are either living from mind or living in conscious awareness. Thus, mind reactions are unconscious behavior. And, this increases the addictive pain that accompanies you during daily activities. Continue reading →

The Mountaintop Is Your True Home

Acknowledge that you live on a mountaintop. Let’s reflect on this insight before the mind contaminates the scenery with too many thoughts. You stand with your face to the sun. Furthermore, the sun is always shining at the top of the mountain. A breeze caresses your face.

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Occasionally birds fly about and visit you. They sing a song of life and living. It seems you are alone here on the mountaintop. However, you are never truly alone. You emerge in pure presence. Thus, you sense the energy pulsations of the earth, the universe and life. Living in pure presence nurtures unity. Thus, separation and loneliness are abstracts of the mind.

Presence offers bliss. Therefore, time and matter have no ultimate significance. These are only details of a temporary existence. There is a path before you. The trail leads to the valley below. And yes, you travel, on occasion, to the valley in your thoughts and actions. Nevertheless, no detail within the valley compares to the sheer rapture of living in the presence of your being. Continue reading →

Existence Attributes Distort the Flow of Life

Are human attributes such as love and forgiveness active integrates in universal life consciousness? Of course, this is not an easy question to answer. And, most likely, we can’t actually answer it. This question suggests that love is universal because we and other life-forms experience it. But, is love truly a component of life? Here again it is not possible to definitely answer such a question. Eckhart Tolle, in The Power of Now, has said that love is a state of being. This statement feels good to say, but it does not really offer pure enlightenment. Nevertheless, let’s use this statement as a reference point for our discussion.

attributes

Firstly, thoughts and emotions have the potential to become our state of being. That is to say, if we allow the mind to dominate. Therefore, the level of active awareness to a given state of being determines how you will live. The form this moment takes is merely a detail when a person observes it consciously. We could make it easy by saying that life will be as we choose it to be. This may at first sound farfetched. But, let’s consider it for a moment. Continue reading →

An Inquiry into Being in Love

Being in love gives us joy. This love and affection can be to a person, a thing or even self-love. Love is marvelous and, at times, equally perplexing. This is fine. However, this reference is not necessarily about physical or emotional love. Instead, our inquiry is into the totality of love.

inquiry

Therefore, let’s take the first step into this inquiry through the realization that love is energy. This energy attaches itself to either our mental or emotional center of focus. But, please understand that love is always present, as is true for all universal energy. Have you experienced a moment when all judgments, doubts, anxiety and fear were at a minimum? What did you feel? Was it something that you cannot truly express in mere words? Would it be appropriate to describe this state of being as a blissful experience? The sensation you experience in such a moment is possible through the natural flow of universal energy. The blissfulness you experience is possible because you are going with the flow. Continue reading →