Here is a quick dose of reality for you to consider . . .
What if what you are, as a human being, is superior to what you think you are? What if what you are is actually superior in every conceivable way to what your thinking mind thinks it is and as a consequence, the reality is that you are far superior to what you think you are? You see, I say that what you are is far superior to what you think you are, what if I'm right? Of course I could be wrong, but what if I'm right . . . what then? How are you going to find out?
What would happen to you now if your thinking mind went perfectly still, so still that you no longer had an opinion about who and what you are? I mean, if what you are is superior to what your thinking mind "thinks" you are, then it would have to go still before you could find out what you really are, before your reality would be revealed . . . wouldn't it? Otherwise you would remain lost in all your old attitudes, beliefs and opinions (thoughts) about yourself, and all those attitudes, beliefs and opinions are what you think you are, aren't they? Whether they are positive or negative thought patterns is unimportant, your thoughts are born of your past conditioning, the stuff of the past that continues to impose itself on you in this present moment.
Now come on, don't let the "thinker" in you get confused, stay with me here. If what you really are is a superior being to the entity that is always thinking inside your mind, how would you ever be able to discover, as an unquestionable fact, that superior state of being?
Well, let's face it, thinking isn't going to help you solve this one is it? You can't think your way through this one. In fact thinking could be the problem that is preventing you from being superior to what you are right now, couldn't it? The only way that you could be sure, for sure, is to bring the thinking mind to a point of perfect stillness, do you see this? Is it becoming clearer to you that there is only one way to discover a greater Integrity or reality than the thinking mind has to offer you and that is to, first and foremost, bring the thinking mind to a complete standstill?
Everyone on this blessed planet thinks, don't they? It is so normal for each of us to think that very few people ever question its validity [quite understandably], and if anyone does have the intelligence and courage to question the validity of the "thinking mind" they are very quickly shot down in flames by the thinking minds of all those people who are still controlled by their own thinking minds. The thinking mind rules the world!
The only way you will ever discover what you really are will be by bringing the thinking mind to a point of complete stillness and inner peace, which is also a state of clarity where you experience the simple joy of being. Then your innate intelligence will take over as the point of power and creativity in your life, all false conditioning will be obliterated from your psyche, and there will be no more psychological and emotional pain, misery, suffering or unhappiness in your life . . . your life will become problem free! How? We will be taking a close look at that in my next post, in the mean time . . .
Learning to meditate is the starting point for anyone who wants to enter a state of being which is a superior to the normal conditioned thinking mind. You can visit my store and find the very best books and tapes on the subject at http://astore.amazon.co.uk/unfolwisdo-21.
Friday 12 October 2007
Monday 1 October 2007
What Is The Problem With Life?
"Problematic thinking leads to problematic living."
What do I mean by that statement? How does problematic thinking lead to problematic living? What is the "problem" with life and living? Why do we, mankind, seem to live such a problematic existence and is it natural?
Do you have problems in your life, if not continuously, well, at least occasionally . . . from time to time? Are there periods in your life when everything seems to be a problem or turns into a problem and nothing seems to simply fall into place or flow smoothly? If so, don't despair, you are not alone. Everyone, apart from a small number of people who have discovered a great secret, lives problematically.
Problematic living is "the norm". It is normal for everyone to have problems and because it is so normal, most people "think" that it is also natural, but it is not . . . and, if you stay with me, I'm going to show why it's not . . .
You have to understand that just because something is normal it doesn't mean that it is also natural. They are not one and the same, are they? If we take an example such as the car, we can say that cars are a normal part of life, we are all aware of them, yes? They are normal but they are not natural because they are man made, man has taken parts of the earth and created the car from them, but without mans intervention the car would not be here. The tree on the other hand is both normal and natural because trees are here with or without us. The tree is innate and the car is not. We didn't create the tree, did we? Perhaps we can say the same concerning problematic living, worry and unhappiness. Maybe living problematically , although a normal part of living, isn't natural to our life? We had better find out just to be sure, don't you agree? Most people would love to discover how they could eradicate worry and problematic living from their lives . . . wouldn't you?
We have all been told "As a man thinks so is he" or words to that effect, and modern day psychologists tell us that "We become what we think about." So it follows that if those statements are correct then when we think problematically we are going to create problems in our lives . . . but is that the truth? And, if it is the truth, what makes it so? Today you are about to discover the answers to these questions and I will also point you in the direction of the solution. What you do about it after that is going to be your responsibility, although I will give you guidance if you so choose.
You can now see the relationship between my opening words regarding "problematic thinking leading to problematic living" and the words of other teachers, past and present. But where does that leave us, am I talking about positive thinking here? Am I saying that if you think positively all the time that you will only have positive outcomes in your life with no more problems being created, it's a possibility rather than a probability isn't it? And how do you stop the mind from thinking negatively? Have you ever tried to stop thinking when you're caught in a negative and problematic mind set? Have you ever been lost in a negative spiral of worry? If you have, then you'll know just how difficult it is to bring it to a conclusion. Worry takes complete possession of your mind doesn't it? And no matter how many books are written on the merits of positive thinking [and there are merits], there is no way on earth that the thinking mind can remain positive all the time. Anyone who tells you different is lacking in "Self-knowledge."
Why do I say that? Well, the fact is that positive and negative thinking are simply opposite polarities. They are like two ends of the same piece of rope aren't they? You can't have one end without the other, just like all the other polarities such as happiness and unhappiness or excitement and depression along with expectation and disappointment. They are inseparable, each polarity being attached to other, so that when you use one end of the rope you end up using the whole rope . . . and the name of the rope is "thinking".
Positive and negative "thinking." The key is in the word THINKING. I know it seems impossible but I'm about to propose something to your thinking mind which you, or it, will "think" is quite preposterous. Totally insane even . . . but stay with me now, consider this . . . what would happen if you did NOT think? What then? Have you ever heard of such a thing, it is totally unbelievable to "think" that one could enter a state of no thought, what a state of complete mental vegetation that would be . . . wouldn't it?
Well, maybe it is, and maybe it's NOT. Perhaps the still mind isn't in a state of mental vegetation, you don't know do you, you have not stilled your mind and found out, have you? I'm asking you if you've brought your thinking principle under total control so that you never experience aimless or problematic thinking? Are you the master of your mind or does it still take you over with fear, doubt, worry and unhappiness from time to time? And is it possible that when the thinking mind is perfectly still it enters a natural state of "Being" where all problems and unhappiness are removed from the psyche permanently, is that a possibility? In other words perhaps the state of being is already perfect. Maybe when the mind is perfectly still it discovers its own intelligence was always there hidden beneath all that problematic thinking, what about that as a possibility worth investigating?
In my experience when the thinking mind is perfectly still and at peace it enters a natural state of joy and clarity beyond compare. The realization is that the intelligence that "I" am is perfectly still and yet paradoxically, it is supremely fast, it moves much faster than thought. Intelligence is perfectly still and simultaneously moving so fast that it is INSTANT. And this state of Being is the "Solution" that eradicates all problematic living because;
"When the thinking mind is perfectly still . . . perfection unfolds."
When the thinking mind is perfectly still the natural solution simply unfolds out of your own natural state of being. The natural state of being is the natural solution to all the problems in your life, but not if you think otherwise . . . because what you think is what you get! Until you no longer need to think and then what you get is the natural state, which is free from all problems.
Are all forms of thinking a problem? Do all forms of thinking lead to problematic living? Good questions and they need to be addressed. The first point I have to make is that all discursive thinking needs to be brought to a conclusion. What is discursive thinking? It is aimless thinking, which means thinking for the sake of thinking with no real purpose to it and that includes nice, pleasant, happy thoughts along with painful, sad and unhappy thoughts. Discursive thought is thought with a will of its own. It is thought that chatters on, and on, on, on and on in the background . . . never leaving you in peace. That has to come to a full STOP. But you will not be able to do it through force. Force would simply be pointless because that would require you to do battle in the mind through effort and trying, but we are bringing an end to all that effort and trying. How are we going to do that?
We are going to overcome the thinking mind by expanding our "awareness" of it. I will write material on this site that will help you to become more and more "aware" of all the tricks that the "thinker" gets up to. You will follow up on what I write by putting it into practice in your daily life. Together we will work towards your "Freedom" from the "thinkers" hold on you. We will do it very gently and yet we will remain firm, through the power of unfolding self-awareness & self-knowledge we will gradually wear the thinker down. Eventually all that will remain within you will be what is real and true; what you really are underneath everything you presently "think" you are!
The thinker in you is normal, it is a normal aspect of your conditioning, but it is not natural, it is not who you really are. Yes, it is true that you probably "think" that what you think & have opinions and beliefs about is who you are . . . but I'm here to let you know that that's the lie! The lie of the thinker in you is that you are what you think you are! Yes, I know how hard this is to take in, I know first hand through direct experience just how difficult the truth of life is to grasp . . . but stay with me and in time the truth of life, your life will be revealed to you, within you and as you. Will you do that, will you stay with me and ask questions of me so that you leave no stone unturned in your quest to discover the truth of your life and life on earth? Or will you follow the sheep . . . and live a normal life never discovering your inner power and integrity? I'll leave it with you to decide . . . . .
What do I mean by that statement? How does problematic thinking lead to problematic living? What is the "problem" with life and living? Why do we, mankind, seem to live such a problematic existence and is it natural?
Do you have problems in your life, if not continuously, well, at least occasionally . . . from time to time? Are there periods in your life when everything seems to be a problem or turns into a problem and nothing seems to simply fall into place or flow smoothly? If so, don't despair, you are not alone. Everyone, apart from a small number of people who have discovered a great secret, lives problematically.
Problematic living is "the norm". It is normal for everyone to have problems and because it is so normal, most people "think" that it is also natural, but it is not . . . and, if you stay with me, I'm going to show why it's not . . .
You have to understand that just because something is normal it doesn't mean that it is also natural. They are not one and the same, are they? If we take an example such as the car, we can say that cars are a normal part of life, we are all aware of them, yes? They are normal but they are not natural because they are man made, man has taken parts of the earth and created the car from them, but without mans intervention the car would not be here. The tree on the other hand is both normal and natural because trees are here with or without us. The tree is innate and the car is not. We didn't create the tree, did we? Perhaps we can say the same concerning problematic living, worry and unhappiness. Maybe living problematically , although a normal part of living, isn't natural to our life? We had better find out just to be sure, don't you agree? Most people would love to discover how they could eradicate worry and problematic living from their lives . . . wouldn't you?
We have all been told "As a man thinks so is he" or words to that effect, and modern day psychologists tell us that "We become what we think about." So it follows that if those statements are correct then when we think problematically we are going to create problems in our lives . . . but is that the truth? And, if it is the truth, what makes it so? Today you are about to discover the answers to these questions and I will also point you in the direction of the solution. What you do about it after that is going to be your responsibility, although I will give you guidance if you so choose.
You can now see the relationship between my opening words regarding "problematic thinking leading to problematic living" and the words of other teachers, past and present. But where does that leave us, am I talking about positive thinking here? Am I saying that if you think positively all the time that you will only have positive outcomes in your life with no more problems being created, it's a possibility rather than a probability isn't it? And how do you stop the mind from thinking negatively? Have you ever tried to stop thinking when you're caught in a negative and problematic mind set? Have you ever been lost in a negative spiral of worry? If you have, then you'll know just how difficult it is to bring it to a conclusion. Worry takes complete possession of your mind doesn't it? And no matter how many books are written on the merits of positive thinking [and there are merits], there is no way on earth that the thinking mind can remain positive all the time. Anyone who tells you different is lacking in "Self-knowledge."
Why do I say that? Well, the fact is that positive and negative thinking are simply opposite polarities. They are like two ends of the same piece of rope aren't they? You can't have one end without the other, just like all the other polarities such as happiness and unhappiness or excitement and depression along with expectation and disappointment. They are inseparable, each polarity being attached to other, so that when you use one end of the rope you end up using the whole rope . . . and the name of the rope is "thinking".
Positive and negative "thinking." The key is in the word THINKING. I know it seems impossible but I'm about to propose something to your thinking mind which you, or it, will "think" is quite preposterous. Totally insane even . . . but stay with me now, consider this . . . what would happen if you did NOT think? What then? Have you ever heard of such a thing, it is totally unbelievable to "think" that one could enter a state of no thought, what a state of complete mental vegetation that would be . . . wouldn't it?
Well, maybe it is, and maybe it's NOT. Perhaps the still mind isn't in a state of mental vegetation, you don't know do you, you have not stilled your mind and found out, have you? I'm asking you if you've brought your thinking principle under total control so that you never experience aimless or problematic thinking? Are you the master of your mind or does it still take you over with fear, doubt, worry and unhappiness from time to time? And is it possible that when the thinking mind is perfectly still it enters a natural state of "Being" where all problems and unhappiness are removed from the psyche permanently, is that a possibility? In other words perhaps the state of being is already perfect. Maybe when the mind is perfectly still it discovers its own intelligence was always there hidden beneath all that problematic thinking, what about that as a possibility worth investigating?
In my experience when the thinking mind is perfectly still and at peace it enters a natural state of joy and clarity beyond compare. The realization is that the intelligence that "I" am is perfectly still and yet paradoxically, it is supremely fast, it moves much faster than thought. Intelligence is perfectly still and simultaneously moving so fast that it is INSTANT. And this state of Being is the "Solution" that eradicates all problematic living because;
"When the thinking mind is perfectly still . . . perfection unfolds."
When the thinking mind is perfectly still the natural solution simply unfolds out of your own natural state of being. The natural state of being is the natural solution to all the problems in your life, but not if you think otherwise . . . because what you think is what you get! Until you no longer need to think and then what you get is the natural state, which is free from all problems.
Are all forms of thinking a problem? Do all forms of thinking lead to problematic living? Good questions and they need to be addressed. The first point I have to make is that all discursive thinking needs to be brought to a conclusion. What is discursive thinking? It is aimless thinking, which means thinking for the sake of thinking with no real purpose to it and that includes nice, pleasant, happy thoughts along with painful, sad and unhappy thoughts. Discursive thought is thought with a will of its own. It is thought that chatters on, and on, on, on and on in the background . . . never leaving you in peace. That has to come to a full STOP. But you will not be able to do it through force. Force would simply be pointless because that would require you to do battle in the mind through effort and trying, but we are bringing an end to all that effort and trying. How are we going to do that?
We are going to overcome the thinking mind by expanding our "awareness" of it. I will write material on this site that will help you to become more and more "aware" of all the tricks that the "thinker" gets up to. You will follow up on what I write by putting it into practice in your daily life. Together we will work towards your "Freedom" from the "thinkers" hold on you. We will do it very gently and yet we will remain firm, through the power of unfolding self-awareness & self-knowledge we will gradually wear the thinker down. Eventually all that will remain within you will be what is real and true; what you really are underneath everything you presently "think" you are!
The thinker in you is normal, it is a normal aspect of your conditioning, but it is not natural, it is not who you really are. Yes, it is true that you probably "think" that what you think & have opinions and beliefs about is who you are . . . but I'm here to let you know that that's the lie! The lie of the thinker in you is that you are what you think you are! Yes, I know how hard this is to take in, I know first hand through direct experience just how difficult the truth of life is to grasp . . . but stay with me and in time the truth of life, your life will be revealed to you, within you and as you. Will you do that, will you stay with me and ask questions of me so that you leave no stone unturned in your quest to discover the truth of your life and life on earth? Or will you follow the sheep . . . and live a normal life never discovering your inner power and integrity? I'll leave it with you to decide . . . . .
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