Both Michael and Adyashanti talk about how our belief in our thoughts leads to suffering. Remember Michael's reference to the neurotic roommate in TUS? If we listen to and believe that incessant chatter we will suffer.
Here is what Adyashanti has to say about our thoughts
"when we believe our thoughts, in that instant we begin to live in the world of dreams, where the mind conceptualizes an entire world that doesn't actually exist anywhere but in the mind itself. At that moment, we begin to experience a sense of isolation, where we no longer feel connected to each other in a very rich and human way, but we find ourselves receding more and more into the world of our minds, into the world of our own creation." (falling into Grace, p. 8)
Sad isn't it, to isolate ourselves in a world of our own creation instead of living in the real world?
On one of his CDs (The World, the Mind, the Heart, and You) Michael talks about the fact that thoughts in our head do not come from us. The thoughts are a result of past experiences, genetic predispositions, the society in which we live... Thoughts have a life of their own. They come and go when they please.
I am the Observer of the thoughts. I am the space in which thinking happens.
So what if I REALLY knew this and was able to let go of this attachment to the thoughts in my head? Remember Michael's analogy of the brave dog who went through the shock of the electric fence so that he could live a life of freedom? I'd imagine that letting go of our attachment to thoughts would be painful at first (i.e., we would experience the fear of the unknown since we are no longer relying on our thoughts to help us feel a false sense of safety and control in life). And then we would begin to experience the freedom that exists on the other side of the ego!
Yesterday, I was having a conversation about Spiritual principles with a new friend and at one point we decided to move our awareness to the space between us, instead of keeping it focused on what each of us was saying individually. This allowed me to detach from my thoughts and brought me into a fuller experience of the moment. I noticed what I was feeling in my body and my emotions. I was aware of discomfort. Of course that never feels good, but if it is there I want to be able to accept it. Distracting myself from the feeling of discomfort by staying stuck in my head is just a way to avoid what is happening in the moment, and that limits my life.
You are not your thoughts and neither am I. We are much more than that. And, we can begin to open to the Truth of who we are by letting go of the attachment to thoughts.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
a place before the mind
Here is a quote by Adyashanti which reminds me of Michael Singer's ideas:
Realizing our deep, essential nature and finding the peace and happiness that lie there is not just something for ourselves; it's a gift to all of humanity. Because when we begin to become expressions of what's possible for anybody and everybody, we are contributing to the goodness at the very core of who each and everyone is. When we can relate to ourselves from stillness, from a place before the mind, then we can begin to relate to each other from that same place. falling Into Grace p. 70
I have had a taste of this kind of relating (i.e., from the place of stillness, embodied love, peace...) and it is so completely different from how most of us relate to ourselves and each other on a daily basis (i.e., through the lens of the ego/psyche). During this brief episode I felt a sense of lightness and well-being without any judgment whatsoever. Can you imagine how lovely it would be to live that way 24/7? (Pick up Adyashanti's book Falling Into Grace where he talks about this as a real possibility for each of us.)
So whether we are talking about Adyashanti's "place before the mind" or Michael Singer's seat of the Self, when we relate to others from this place of peace and happiness we will be calling out to that same deepness in them.
As both Adyashanti and Michael talk about we access this place by being present in each moment with what is happening within ourselves and in our lives. Said another way, we need to be willing to accept our life with all of it's inconveniences, frustrations, anxieties and hurts...without distracting ourselves or otherwise avoiding them. I've been doing this work for a while and still I see how easy it is to avoid the inner discomfort. But to do that is a decision based on fear not love...and I do not want fear running my life any longer. So, I set the intention to face it all...the insecurities, fears, disappointments, losses etc.
I have worked with many people who say "I am in touch with my feelings, I feel a lot of anxiety." What happens for many of us, however, is that we may feel the anxiety/anger/fear...and then we quickly find away to avoid or distract ourselves from the inner discomfort or we try to fix the situation so the discomfort goes away. We may grab something to eat or drink, turn on the TV, go shopping, try to fix the other person, go for a run, pour ourselves into our work, ruminate about the situation in the hopes of coming up with a solution, or just stay angry. There is another amazing book (yes I like to read!) called Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life by Steven Hayes, which talks about how many of these coping skills help us to avoid inner discomfort in the short-run but they never allow us to get rid of the discomfort in the long-run. The alternative is to feel the feeling and then find ways to "defuse" (or not get sucked into the drama of it) such as moving your awareness to the Observer. As Adyashanti said this deep, inner peace is our "essential nature" and it is a matter of letting go of that which blocks us from experiencing this truth.
To summarize, we want to relate to ourselves and others from this deep place of peace, love and happiness. And as we do so we give others the opportunity to make a shift in their own consciousness. The way to reach this deep place is by moving beyond the blockages, the ego or self-image that we have created. We do this by staying present with each moment, noticing how the psyche has been hooked, and then letting it go by moving our awareness to the Observer.
I am really enjoying Adyashanti's book, falling into Grace, and I will be focusing more on this book as well as ideas from The Untethered Soul.
Realizing our deep, essential nature and finding the peace and happiness that lie there is not just something for ourselves; it's a gift to all of humanity. Because when we begin to become expressions of what's possible for anybody and everybody, we are contributing to the goodness at the very core of who each and everyone is. When we can relate to ourselves from stillness, from a place before the mind, then we can begin to relate to each other from that same place. falling Into Grace p. 70
I have had a taste of this kind of relating (i.e., from the place of stillness, embodied love, peace...) and it is so completely different from how most of us relate to ourselves and each other on a daily basis (i.e., through the lens of the ego/psyche). During this brief episode I felt a sense of lightness and well-being without any judgment whatsoever. Can you imagine how lovely it would be to live that way 24/7? (Pick up Adyashanti's book Falling Into Grace where he talks about this as a real possibility for each of us.)
So whether we are talking about Adyashanti's "place before the mind" or Michael Singer's seat of the Self, when we relate to others from this place of peace and happiness we will be calling out to that same deepness in them.
As both Adyashanti and Michael talk about we access this place by being present in each moment with what is happening within ourselves and in our lives. Said another way, we need to be willing to accept our life with all of it's inconveniences, frustrations, anxieties and hurts...without distracting ourselves or otherwise avoiding them. I've been doing this work for a while and still I see how easy it is to avoid the inner discomfort. But to do that is a decision based on fear not love...and I do not want fear running my life any longer. So, I set the intention to face it all...the insecurities, fears, disappointments, losses etc.
I have worked with many people who say "I am in touch with my feelings, I feel a lot of anxiety." What happens for many of us, however, is that we may feel the anxiety/anger/fear...and then we quickly find away to avoid or distract ourselves from the inner discomfort or we try to fix the situation so the discomfort goes away. We may grab something to eat or drink, turn on the TV, go shopping, try to fix the other person, go for a run, pour ourselves into our work, ruminate about the situation in the hopes of coming up with a solution, or just stay angry. There is another amazing book (yes I like to read!) called Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life by Steven Hayes, which talks about how many of these coping skills help us to avoid inner discomfort in the short-run but they never allow us to get rid of the discomfort in the long-run. The alternative is to feel the feeling and then find ways to "defuse" (or not get sucked into the drama of it) such as moving your awareness to the Observer. As Adyashanti said this deep, inner peace is our "essential nature" and it is a matter of letting go of that which blocks us from experiencing this truth.
To summarize, we want to relate to ourselves and others from this deep place of peace, love and happiness. And as we do so we give others the opportunity to make a shift in their own consciousness. The way to reach this deep place is by moving beyond the blockages, the ego or self-image that we have created. We do this by staying present with each moment, noticing how the psyche has been hooked, and then letting it go by moving our awareness to the Observer.
I am really enjoying Adyashanti's book, falling into Grace, and I will be focusing more on this book as well as ideas from The Untethered Soul.
Friday, October 7, 2011
let the walls come tumbling down
I have been re-reading chapter 12 taking down the walls. What really stands out for me is the discussion about defending ourselves. When you stop and think about it we spend a lot of time defending ourselves such as when we try to convince others or ourselves that our opinions or ideas are right; or when we try to make a good impression/save face; or when we rationalize why our perceptions/behaviors/thought/feelings are valid ...
This self that we defend is an identity that we have created in order to navigate more comfortably in the world, yet it ends up limiting us. Remember the metaphor of the beautiful house built in the middle of a field? The house is our psyche and although it can be comfortable it blocks us from the natural light (i.e., experiencing a life of freedom, love, joy).
"...life collides with our walls (the thoughts, feelings, perceptions, expectations...that make up our identity) and tries to tear them down. But time and again, we defend them...when you defend yourself you are really defending your walls. There is nothing else to defend in there. There is just your awareness of being and the limited house you built to live in. What you are defending is the house you built to protect yourself. You are hiding inside." (T.U.S., p. 116)
If there are only 2 things in there, the awareness of being and the walls that limit us, wouldn't it make sense to put your awareness on Itself and let the walls come tumbling down? It is possible to do this, one moment at a time. The next time you find yourself defending yourself, remember that you are the observer of your experience, not this self that you have created. Ask yourself if you really want to defend this identity which limits you? Let it go and allow a deeper expression of Life/Love/Joy to pour through and as you.
This self that we defend is an identity that we have created in order to navigate more comfortably in the world, yet it ends up limiting us. Remember the metaphor of the beautiful house built in the middle of a field? The house is our psyche and although it can be comfortable it blocks us from the natural light (i.e., experiencing a life of freedom, love, joy).
"...life collides with our walls (the thoughts, feelings, perceptions, expectations...that make up our identity) and tries to tear them down. But time and again, we defend them...when you defend yourself you are really defending your walls. There is nothing else to defend in there. There is just your awareness of being and the limited house you built to live in. What you are defending is the house you built to protect yourself. You are hiding inside." (T.U.S., p. 116)
If there are only 2 things in there, the awareness of being and the walls that limit us, wouldn't it make sense to put your awareness on Itself and let the walls come tumbling down? It is possible to do this, one moment at a time. The next time you find yourself defending yourself, remember that you are the observer of your experience, not this self that you have created. Ask yourself if you really want to defend this identity which limits you? Let it go and allow a deeper expression of Life/Love/Joy to pour through and as you.
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