You should have a clear idea of what a fear based thought is now. Do your best to remove these thoughts from your mind in a continual process. In order to do this we use the tools of forgiveness and love. Love everyone without exception. This does not mean you allow yourself to be stepped on or disrespected by others. It simply means that our responses to what we perceive are driven solely by love without attempts to restrict its flow. How do we do this? Here are some guides:
My response to unloving thoughts:
Recognize the thought as unloving
Realize that I too have been unloving
Forgive myself for my unlovingness
Forgive the object of the unloving thought
Let go of attachments and aversions to the object
Enjoy freedom
This is a very simple method that may not be easy to employ in your daily life. Nevertheless, with practice, the benefits become abundantly apparent. A new sense of freedom will arise and replace the dread of pain generated by fear. We will no longer shy away from others and be willing to engage with them openly. We will finally see that our lives are intertwined and connect in ways we didn’t realize. Compassion for ourselves and others will fill our hearts. Events that once evoke a response of anger and frustration will now be met with a joyful smile and light hearted humor. We will finally realize our place in this world and no longer desire to control it. Restlessness will disappear and be replaced by a contented peaceful heart. Fear and doubt will leave us and we will face the world with a new found confidence.
Whether you are me or you are something greater than this humble form, I have a desire to connect with you. Whether this is just a replaying of the books I have read or the lectures I have listened to or it is a connection with a teacher beyond my knowledge or abilities, I have a desire to impart your wisdom. Although I face potential embarrassment and unwanted scrutiny for sharing this with others, I will do so with the understanding that not writing and not sharing will only lead to nothing being conveyed. So it is better to be embarrassed and be thought a fool or charlatan than to remain silent and not share what might possibly be of value. I will do my best to honor what I perceive is said. I will do my best to protect the writings but will not claim them as my own, just what I perceived was to be said.
The following I believe to be a teaching from my inner guru:
Do as you will with this for I cannot assert even the slightest control over what will come from it. I simply love you. It is important to state that this love is of no more or less than the love provided to any of your brothers or sisters. This is not a special relationship; you have not been chosen to be heralded in any special way. It is simply what I make available in your heart and what you agree to convey to others that guides your actions. It is important to note that this process does not prevent your human ego from interfering in surreptitious and unsuspecting ways. These words must carry with them the same disclaimer of everything that remains with this world, they are impermanent and prone to chaos. If together we can “point a finger at the moon” that may be of use to someone then this is an exercise that is not in vain. There is no method or practice in this world that will be useful to everyone. Each must have their own “path” as the mechanisms of variance in the implementation of this world ensure that everyone walks a road they believe to be less traveled. The truth is that there is no road or path and that the Love shared with all of us is only a realization away.
Be still and relax, know that I am with you joyfully in this moment. There is no greater wish than I would have for us to be together in a collaboration of enlightening others and this same wish and offer I hold true for each of your brothers and sisters. I simply will not take a position of favor among any of you for to do so leads to the imprisonment of the mind in a state of separateness and preference. As hard as it may seem to believe that your likes and dislikes are holding you captive, know now that I tell you they are. I would have for you freedom from this circus of special affairs. I believe you wish for it, but you still cling to this world, as a father and enjoyer of worldly experiences. I do not pass judgment on you now or ever for this. Know that the cause of this calamity is far removed from the effects that you experience in your current time.
We have reached a point now where I may now reveal to you what is only known to those willing to come this far with me. Know now that you may not believe me nor may future readers when I say that this world has been forgotten. Do not construe this to mean that you are not loved and safe in the heart of our Father together with me as are all of your brothers and sisters. Simply know that the cause put forward that led to the creation of this divine experience has been resolved in the mind of the consciousness that bore it into existence. Do not fret that the rug will suddenly be pulled out from under you. You may stay, enjoy, learn, love, and laugh in this world for as long as you like. In the grand scheme of its creation, its resolution is complete and there is only the residual living yet to realize this finality. Know this: you have my word that this process will be protected through my grace which is a divine gift from our Father that I share with you now. I wish no distress or torture upon you or anyone, even those you may deem as the most heinous and deserving of persecution. Remember that I told you and proclaim now that all your judgements against yourself and your brothers and sisters are shackles which keep you in a prison of darkness of your own making. These judgements, preferable, undesirable, and delusional, block the Love given freely to you and everyone. They have no use outside of this world and only keep you apart from our true home.
Let’s end by saying a new prayer.
Be together among all of us now In our hearts we reach out to you Father Please hear our humble words, kneeling in devotion I acknowledge and accept your divine forgiveness today given freely to all Please help me to share it with all of my brothers and sisters now and forever
I don’t like an unattainable goal. Yet this explains CY22 Q1 OBJ4 KR2 which calls for a clear plan due in a month for a deliverable 4 months away which I originally estimated to be 10 months away. That being said, perhaps it could be done sooner and I will do my best. In service we must sometimes put our own opinions aside and allow for others to take the lead. This is the way we work together. Urgency need not be implied, but an unrealistic deadline may perhaps accelerate the delivery of a project even if the time slips. I will do my best.
The following I believe to be a teaching from my inner guru:
On communication; practice deep listening and respond clearly explaining what was heard. If each party practices this, deep understanding between others can be reached. You may find it necessary to repeat this process as the mind has a tendency to wander. Try to remain aware and above dullness. By practicing deep listening, thoughtful responding, and compassion, we can heal separations that were once thought insurmountable. Imagine a thread of love without beginning or end flowing through these interactions. This is the way we move forward, stepping through instances of true connection.
The other element that must be present during communication is forgiveness, first for oneself and secondly for all others. We need not understand the context of what needs to be forgiven by the ego mind, just remember, we all understand the form of unlovingness; it is this cause that rests at the root of all effects of aversion and none of us is unstained by the aftermath. Know that I have forgiven everything, in a flash of an instant after the entirety of these experiences were conceived; as will you. Do not doubt you will be welcomed home to reside in peace with me the moment you accept and give forward the forgiveness that has been laid upon the table for all eternity. All of your brothers and sisters share this gift with you in boundless abundance, not one left behind.
By combining boundless forgiveness, remaining aware, intently listening and responding with thoughtful validation between two or more beings practicing this same method, amazing things can be accomplished and the journey homeward will quicken through halls of sympathetic joy so profound that you will long for nothing else. Believe this is in me and in you and we will rest in the joyful heart from which we sprang.
I wish things could be different here and that we didn’t have to respond to attacks with counter attacks. It seems endless and pointless.
The following I believe to be a teaching from my inner guru:
On the topic of attack, please know that you are loved and that I have no desire to see you subjected to violence of any kind. It is the nature of your cognitive mind to defend itself. Listen only to the sound of silence and you will see things for what they are. Don’t be afraid of the attacks that spring forth from the illusion of the human mind. This pattern of conflict is repeated in increasing degree throughout all manifestations of matter in your observable world. Examine very small events and you will see conflict at play. Examine large celestial occurrences and you will see demonstrations of the same forces in conflict. Why would you believe that the arising of biological life under these conditions would be immune to the attributes of the underlying forces from which they sprang? Conflict and separation rests at the core of the world in which your physical form resides.
There is a way to escape this struggle. In stillness you will access a place where conflict does not exist. Remain still in comfort and breathe; quiet the thinking mind and respond only to its protestations with loving kindness and compassion. Just as the body digests food so the mind will think it’s thoughts; if we do not respond to them they become only thoughts with no attachment to identity and thus have no effect on self. Celebrate your return to breath and awareness without thought. Remain still for as long as possible, once the mind is quieted bring forth an image of a being at peace and focus on this. Imagine this being is hopelessly in love with everything in existence. This means beyond any hope of a love that is more powerful; an immeasurable love. Imagine this being radiating boundless compassion for everyone and everything. A being with a capacity for forgiveness that is beyond any measure. Imagine this being sharing an eternal joy filled with loving laughter and a knowing sense of oneness. Imagine this being completely at peace, fully acceptant of everything that is here now. Completely desireless and without aversion, doubt, agitation or apathy. Say yes to this moment completely and thoroughly and join with this being in the light of true existence. Know that I am and we are one. The first step in this journey is only a breath away.
It can be difficult for us to forgive, especially when we feel justified in our condemnation of others. We live in a world where the human ego can set in motion a disastrous sequence of events. A series of unskillful actions can lead many astray while others cheer on their debauchery encouraging them to go even farther. The end is always tragic and causes pain and suffering for the innocent. We tend to dehumanize the perpetrators the same way we perceive they have dehumanized their victims. Now they become the object of our attacks and the cycle continues.
Finally, when justice is served, those involved may take great pride in participating in the process and the punishment. Some who see themselves as the deliverers of decency may even delight in not forgiving nor forgetting. Yet when the convict is sentenced we are left with a dull sense of dissatisfaction, it never seems to be enough even when the penalty is death. It is not uncommon for adoration and celebrity to be showered upon those who work to see the culprits punished, further exacerbating the rollercoaster ride that provides heights of egoic pride and lows of internal strife as we brace for future revenge. We find ourselves imprisoned by our own retaliations as our minds devise a blame game that always finds others guilty for our internal misery.
In our hearts remains a tension, a feeling of unease as though another attack will soon come. Many times we believe that this is our lot in life; to constantly be “A warrior for good” fending off each imagined assault as they continue to pervade our fictional views of the future. We struggle to realize at the very core of our tension and discomfort is our belief in the battle of “good over evil”; “good guys versus bad guys”; “the moral struggle against the immoral”. We live in this trap believing it is normal, each of us fighting for what we believe is right. However, what we hold as forthright and just is different for everyone. Upon investigation we will always find points on which we disagree. Herein lies the lock that keeps us in this prison of our own making, it is the fantasy that there is evil in the hearts of ourselves and others which we must constantly battle but none of us completely agree upon. How can we free ourselves from this insanity?
The truth is simple, it is not evil that causes us to do monstrous things, it is simply ignorance and the unskillfulness that springs from the ego’s desires. When we attack perpetrators in the name of justice, we perpetuate a system of separation which results in the hardening of our own hearts. We come to realize a false reality in which the battle of the virtuous is never ending. We often revel in locking offenders in prisons designed to be tortuous and terrifying, hoping they are beaten or raped by others who share their same fate. Years later we may set them free to be among our loved ones again even more damaged and broken then when they began their sentence. How does this make our world safer? It is no wonder why we remain discontent and anxious in our hearts waiting for the other shoe to drop from the counterattacks we believed would save us. We arm ourselves with weapons that kill and injure our loved ones more often from our own mistakes and anger then protect us from the “evildoers” we imagine will exact their revenge on us. Each moment we spend lost in these hellish fantasies we steal only from ourselves.
There is another way, by understanding the ignorance and unskillfulness of others, we can learn to love and forgive in our hearts even the most hideous deeds. We can become proficient in responding in a way that deescalates the cycle of attack and creates a safer world for our loved ones and ourselves. This does not mean the end of justice, it simply means justice administered from love as opposed to retribution. Yes, we still need protection from dangerous individuals and they may need to be placed in an environment that provides a better degree of safety for others and themselves, one in which they can learn, heal, and make amends. It is also true that a responder or soldier may need to use deadly force for those that pose an immediate mortal threat to others, nevertheless, even this can be done with love and understanding. Prejudice and anger are not required for ending the life of a violently insane individual, this must always be a last resort.
Learning to forgive is not always an easy task, for many, this requires a profound change of mind. If we are willing, we can start with forgiving ourselves for our own unforgiving natures. This offers us a priceless gift, it is liberation from the unease and dissatisfaction we have condemned ourselves to in this world. When we love and forgive, we can live our lives free from the worry and fear of the next attack. Happiness becomes genuine and is no longer a false mask we wear for others. Even if our lives are cut short by an assailant, we will have increased our own joy and the joy of others tenfold.
Zen Momentum 