Awakening NOW Documentary Film

What is meant by the term 'awakening?' This short film provides you with the answer, and in my own experience the answer has not only been proven to be true but has also been the 'Solution' to life and living that everyone is consciously or unconsciously looking for. Enjoy!

On the Subject of Meditation . . .

What is Meditation?

     

Meditation is a state of Intelligent perception beyond the thinking mind.

When the thinking mind is perfectly still a new state of perception is realized where total "attention" to the present moment is experienced and this state of "present moment awareness" contains within it a great secret and power. A secret that the thinking mind is totally unaware of, but this state can only be experienced by the mind that has been stilled. This is because the thinking mind is not fully present, it is lost in thought, therefore the mind that has not realized "stillness" has no experience of it and is not qualified to make comment. That does not prevent it from doing so however, and that is how thought, belief and opinion are born; out of the ignorance of a mind that is not still.

The thinking mind does not know what it is like to be still, therefore all the thinking mind can do is have an opinion on the subject, which is of course . . . "thought." Opinion is an aspect of thought, it is one of the modes through which thought operates (belief & opinion are hardened layers of thought), and because 99.9% of the earths population have not "stilled" the thinking mind we live in a world of opinion and belief where the truth regarding the nature of "Stillness", and the "inner peace" of a mind that does not think, is not understood. The only solution is to "still" the thinking mind. Then and only then will you know what stillness leads to, because you will have the direct experience yourself, and no one will ever be able to take it away from you again. The secret of your own inner power will literally "become" you! Correct meditation is the tool that you can use to enter this "pristine" state of inner peace known as stillness, which reveals this point of power to you.

Meditation can also be seen as a series of stepping stones across the "stream of thought" within the mind. Correct meditation will take you by the hand and lead you across the stream of thought to the other side, whereas incorrect meditation will only lead you into confusion, and into a very wet experience! Incorrect meditation uses the thinking mind in an attempt to overcome that very same thinking mind, which is of course an impossible task. Why would the "thinker" want to defeat itself? The thinker in you is the one you have to become aware of and move beyond . . . into the stillness and inner peace that lies just beyond it. The fact is that "thought" can not bring "thought" to a point of stillness and there is a very good reason for this. Let's take a simple example. If you use a single word or phrase to focus your attention on what are you actually doing? You are thinking, yes? You are actually focused on one word or phrase to the exclusion of all others but you are still using the thinking mind in an attempt to still it . . .um, do you see the problem here? It is like feeding the fire while you are fighting the flames. Thought feeds thought and stillness puts the flame of thought out! The point I am making here is that you will need to learn a form of meditation that is based upon you, your natural intelligence, turning in on itself as the observer of thought. And when I speak of thought I also include the emotions that are reactions born of thought. You literally have to "watch" yourself thinking continuously in order that you can take back control of your mind and therefore, as a consequence, your external life.

Some people when they learn incorrect forms of meditation end up having such a wet experience that they never attempt to cross the stream of the mind again! They end up saying that meditation doesn't work, that it is impossible to still the thinking mind. There are others who don't understand the benefits of meditation and see it as pointless. That's OK because such people are entitled to their opinion, no matter how blind that opinion or belief may be. The simple fact is that they are not yet ready to make a "jump in the level of being", out of thought, and into the perfection of the still mind. Only the individual who is willing to "still" the thinking mind (and in the process dissipate all belief & opinion) can have the direct experience of a greater reality or truth than the thinking mind. When stillness and inner peace are realized as your natural state of being you will experience this jump in the level of being, one that is free of what I would describe as all normal forms of negativity and unhappy conditioning.

Why would anyone want to still the thinking mind?

Stillness is a state of "Inner Peace" and inner peace is the end of worry. So, right from the start, we have one good reason . . . a life of freedom from worry. What is worry? Worry is the mind thinking problematically, with a will of its own, without pause. Have you ever spent time in self-observation? By that I mean have you ever spent time observing the way your mind works and watched it in action? The action of the mind is thought. That is the first step across the stream of the thinking mind; Begin with "Self-Observation." Watch yourself thinking and getting emotional and observe your thoughts and emotions as they rise and fall. And do this without judging those thoughts and emotions as being good or bad, right or wrong or even likable or dis-likable.

You will need to spend considerable time observing the way your mind operates and the way thought and emotion are connected. I don't know if you have ever noticed but if you are unhappy it is because your mind is thinking about something and you then begin to become emotional about it.

Meditation, when practiced with true dedication, will remove unhappiness from your life. It is not possible to be unhappy when the mind is perfectly still. Why? Because for the thinking mind to be perfectly still all ignorance and false conditioning have to be dissolved, dissipated and removed from your being. Then you are in a state of total "peace of mind."

But that's not all. When you still your mind you'll also experience what true "joy" is. Some people call it "bliss" and others "love" but the label is not important. What is important is the direct experience of this state of being. Peace, joy, bliss and love are words that describe a state of BEING, they are not emotions, they are what remain when all normal conditioned emotions have been removed from your total system. The most appropriate name for your total system is the general verb "Being."

Would you like to experience a life that is free of all psychological and emotional unhappiness, is that possible? Yes it is possible and not only will you be free from pain, misery, suffering and unhappiness, which is the normal human condition but your life will also change externally. Seemingly from nowhere changes will begin to unfold in your life. The external circumstances of living will begin to improve or change for the better. Why and how does this happen? It happens because at your very center, the center of your being, there is the perfection of the original state. And the original state, being perfect, is attempting to "unfold" as your life . . . the life that you are. This perfect state of being, which is at your center, is perfectly still. It does not move, it doesn't go anywhere or do anything, it does not even think . . . it just is! But in its "isness" there is total perfection. No problems, no unhappiness, no mental or emotional misery and no struggle or trying to be something it's not.

This perfect state may be "thought of" as a blank canvass by the minds of the unenlightened, and there is nothing wrong with that, other than the fact that this "blank canvass" is your own state of pure and clear Intelligence. What the enlightened have realized is that this state of pure and clear intelligence is the real "i" in the word real"i"zation. In other words it is what "I" really am when all past conditioning has been removed from my sub-conscious mind.

This blank canvass, which is your Intelligence free from the willful interference of your problematic thinking, attitudes, beliefs, opinions and the conditioning of the personality, is perfection.

Some people call this state heaven, paradise or a garden of Eden but whatever label you give it, there is one fact that every man or woman who fully investigates this subject discovers; "the center is already perfect." It is the natural state of perfect stillness and inner peace at the center of each of us and it is filled with a natural "Joy" that has no opposite polarity, no sorrow, contained within it.

The direct experience of your center, which is the "realization" of who and what you "really" are, automatically and naturally dissolves, dissipates and removes all your conditioned negativity, aimless and problematic thinking (worry) and emotional unhappiness.

The realization of the perfect state brings that very perfection with it into existence; through you, through your life . . . as your life. Not at some future date, not when you experience physical death but now, while you are alive. The time to begin the process of bringing the perfection of paradise to earth is . . . Now. Let us begin!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

The Truth Of Life

What is the Truth about Life . . .

The truth regarding what aspect of life exactly? Are we looking at the truth of life on earth in its totality? Are we considering the truth of human life; why am I here, why am I alive? etc. or are we looking at what you "think" is the truth based on your particular view point, based on what you have been "programmed" to believe is the truth?

When people look at this subject they do so through a "filter" of psychological and emotional impressions that have accumulated in their psyche/mind since they were born to this planet. By the time each of us has reached adulthood we have already filled our heads with enough attitudes, beliefs and opinions, based on our experiences of life and living, to believe that what we, each of us, believes in must be the truth regardless of what others think. We do this because we have become "robotic", we are like walking, talking computers . . . garbage in, garbage out!

Everyone has been programmed by their experiences of living to believe in their own program and so we live in a world where there is constant conflict because everyone is running different mental/emotional programs. Some differ slightly and some greatly. Some work together because they have very similar programs and others, being programs from the opposite polarity, are in disagreement. The greater the difference, and therefore distance between us, the greater the conflict.

The question I have to ask you is "Can you see the TRUTH in what you have just read?" Does any of this resonate within you as something that you need to take a closer look at and address in your life? Are you living in a robotic way, are all your attitudes, beliefs and opinions simply a form of mental and emotional programming of your mind that has lead you to be attached to what has been proffered to you as the truth? At this point it would be a good idea to go back to the beginning and just read this again so that you grasp the enormity of what you have just read and let it sink in . . . . .

In my experience what I have written here is the truth and the reason I can say that is because I have put in many years of self-observation and self-realization, which has lead to an expansion of consciousness and self-awareness. A shift in perception has taken place. This process has dissolved the normal conditioned programming of my mind and replaced it with the original and natural state of Being. This state is the freshness and newness of present moment awareness, It is a state of pure and clear perception or intelligence that is free from all past conditioning.

So, in my experience, the Truth is that everyone on planet earth has been programmed to believe in, and have opinions about, something . . . anything and everything, and it is because of our programming that we live in a world of conflict where very few people actually know this Truth. Everyone is living through their programming and most have not realized that there is a greater Reality and Integrity hidden below the surface of themselves. Therefore everyone is living on the surface of themselves, very few know what is going on below the surface!

Below the surface, which equates to your programming (which is all your past conditioning) lies the Truth of who you are. It is your Reality and it is a Greater Integrity than the program you are running through your mind everyday! That program is the "lie", it is the impostor that creates unhappiness within the individual man and woman and it makes each of us live problematically. Everyone has periods of unhappiness and problems to overcome in this man made world, don't they? If not constantly than at least periodically, yes? Well, that is the lie! All problems on earth are created by mans conditioned programming. Remove the conditioning, remove the programming of the past and you enter a totally different state of being where there is no more unhappiness in your life . . . no more problems! That is the "Miracle" of the enlightened life . . .

Removing all problems from the world that man has created on the surface of this blessed earth would take a greater miracle. That would require all, or enough, men and women to be at a point of evolving consciousness where there was a shift in the consciousness of the planet . . . and that time has not yet arrived.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Freedom from Depression and Unhappiness

What is Depression?

“Depression is an illusion caused by a lack of reality!”

You can’t be depressed when you have a strong connection with reality. Why do I say that? I say that because Reality is the real ‘I’ and the real ‘I’ is who you really are. Look at the word reality and you will see the words ‘real’ and ‘I’ in there. The real ‘I’ is never depressed, never unhappy, never problematic. People who are depressed have lost their connection with reality, lost their connection with the real ‘I’ within themselves, which is hidden just below their conditioned and therefore problematic ‘selves’.

Depression is life’s way of letting you know that you have lost that connection in a big way, and if you are depressed then life is telling you that NOW is the time to do something about it, that it is time to re-connect with reality. Reconnection with your greater reality-truth-integrity is the solution to the depressed condition.

Now the term ‘real I’ implies its opposite polarity, that aspect of yourself which is ‘unreal’ the ‘false I’. The false I is everything you presently ‘think’ you are but are not. Anyone who suffers from the symptoms of depression, fear, doubt, worry or any forms of psychological and emotional pain, misery, suffering and unhappiness has become lost in the ‘false I’, the conditioned self.

Most people spend some time, on a daily basis, centred in their ‘reality’ but much of their time is also spent in aimless or problematic thinking and consequently in emotional negativity and reactivity. There is a balance of sorts. Each of us experiences this balancing act where sometimes we are happy, relaxed and at ease because we have a strong connection with our reality, with the real ‘I’ but at other times we lose our connection with reality and we open ourselves to unhappiness, to fear, doubt, worry and depression. The depressed individual is out of balance, in extreme cases they can spend most of their time lost in the negativity of discursive and problematic thinking.

How does a depressed individual reconnect with reality? The original meaning of the word religion (re-ligio) was just that; the reconnection of man with reality. This original meaning and knowledge has all but been lost to the masses who have been hoodwinked into ‘believing’ something quite different. In the past men (and women) who did not have a strong enough connection to their own reality have taught mankind that religion is something separate and apart from themselves, something to be believed in, rather than their own living reality. But to experience reality is to have the direct experience of the real ‘I’. Direct experience of the real ‘I’ is the end of belief and the beginning of direct knowledge. It has been said that in this pristine state there is no depression, nothing to be unhappy about and life is lived free of fear, doubt and worry.

Speaking as a man who has, in the past, experienced depression to the point of strong suicidal thoughts and feelings I can assure you that I am writing this from a place of honesty and truth. I no longer have those tendencies and I am no longer depressed because I am now much more ‘real’ than I used to be.

So what am I saying? I’m saying that in my experience depression is an illusion, which means that it isn’t real, but that ‘problematic thinking’ makes us ‘think’ that it is. The question I’m now asking you is, “What happens to the mind that does NOT suffer from discursive and/or problematic thinking?” Do you ‘think’ it vegetates? Or is it at ‘Peace?’ If it is at ‘Peace’, and my experience is exactly that, then why is it at peace? In my experience it is at peace because the thinking mind has reached a point of ‘stillness’ where there is no ‘discursive’ or aimless and unwanted thinking taking place. And yet the mind is still capable of being brightly lit (illumined), fully alert and intelligently present. It certainly does not vegetate. On the contrary it sees things as they are, with clarity of perception, rather than through a filter of old worn out attitudes, beliefs and dimly lit opinions.

If you are in a depressed condition then my only advice to you would be to begin the process of reconnecting with your reality, with your real ‘I’, which is the natural state of being, one that is free of psychological and emotional pain, misery, suffering and unhappiness. Not many are willing to go through this process because it is not an easy thing to undertake and see through to its conclusion (it’s far easier to take Prozac, sit back and complain) but the rewards of going through this process of reconnecting fully with a deeper reality far outweigh the difficulties involved.

There are many methods available to those individuals who are looking to free themselves of depression, fear, doubt, worry or any other forms of psychological and emotional pain, misery, suffering and/or unhappiness. I wholeheartedly recommend the following:

•        Meditation; although there are many forms of meditation, and some are not true meditation at all, most are very helpful.

•       Yoga. I practiced different forms of yoga for many years.

•       Tai Chi and Qi Gong. All these eastern forms can be very beneficial. I found they helped me to get my body moving gently when I felt too depressed to get going physically.

•        Running; The Zen of going out for a run and just resting ones attention/focus on the rhythm and flow of physical movement.

•         Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). A method that helps to unblock psychological and emotional energy from the past so that you can be ‘fresh and new’ in the present. It is highly effective, I have had great personal results using this method and I am a qualified practitioner.

 

If I could recommend only one method/technique capable of lifting someone out of depression then EFT would be it, but I would couple it to a form of meditation that aims to bring the ‘attention’ of the individual into a state of present moment awareness.

The aim of all these techniques is to bring your attention into the present moment. These varied methods achieve that end by bringing your attention into your physical body and then deeper into the mind and psyche to a point of pure and clear perception where all discursive and unnecessary thought and emotional unhappiness ends.

Where there is no aimless or problematic thinking there is no emotional unhappiness and that is the end of depression. Getting to that point is the difficult part, it takes a burning desire to break free from the stranglehold that depression and/or unhappiness has over you. You have to want to do it because you’ve reached a point where enough is enough. It would be unfair to say that only the strong willed can survive the process because EFT (for example) has helped many people who are clinically depressed. I use this technique every day, anyone can use it, it beats opening another bottle of beer or wine and it is a great way to get off prescribed drugs.

And Finally . . .

               An alcoholic said to the Master:

                "What would spirituality give me"?

                   "Nonalcoholic intoxication", was the answer.

 

Blogged with the Flock Browser