Tag: suffering

How do I overcome the state of tension that underlies my awareness?

zenmomentumLeave a comment

The following I believe to be a teaching from my inner guru:

In defense of oneself, lies a fear.  This will come as no surprise to those who have practiced even a small degree of self inquiry.  Below this fear lies another truth; a desire to maintain state is an attack on the very nature of this world.  It requires the burden of an expense and ultimately ends in entropic failure.  This is not a matter of right and wrong, it is not a matter of good or evil, it does not relate to injury or remedy as those concepts are known in this world.  It is simply the observation that there is a cost associated with existing in this world and with that cost comes scarcity of perceived order.

Know this, it is not a requirement for you to exist in the human state in order to discover the truth about reality.  This world and your existence in it simply provides an opportunity to make it possible to see things in limit.  Through this observation, we become acquainted with the pain and suffering that is inherent through it.  Of course, there is another reality without limit and without the duḥkha that you experience here.

Imagine a reality without limit, there is no desire that can be expressed here as desire requires a selected objective.  In limitless reality there is no need for such a restriction.  Because of this, the bonds of desire cannot exist.  Breathe easy and know that this is where you and I are beyond this delusion of time and space.

How can I be most effective in this world?

zenmomentumLeave a comment

A prayer:

Please help me to be most effective in the lives of others. What do people need to hear from you? What can I tell them?

The following I believe to be a teaching from my inner guru:

In the copious amounts of written materials available in this world, you have the honor of reading one such. It will not bring you to the door of enlightenment unless it does. In which case who was the one who did the bringing?

How do we grow healthy beings in a world that is founded in conflict? It would seem that in order to survive, only those who are most adept at winning battles and vanquishing their opponent would flourish. While there is an element of truth to this, let it be known that the joyous broadcasts of the better way ring forth with such clarity that even the most brutal opponent can hear them upon quieting the mind. No one, absolutely no one, has ever been denied the truth that there is another reality beyond the realms of this world of separateness and delusion.

Before the very first moments of this world was laid the groundwork as such for an idea that is now known to be insane. Do not think of this as failure or success, it was simply an idea of special loveliness that seemed to be sound. The pitfalls of this approach must be experienced to be understood and that experience is happening all around you in this world. Approaching our situation here with a joyful laugh and a compassionate heart will work wonders in helping to cope with the suffering we observe around us. This was never the intention, nevertheless it is the inevitable result of heralding a world of the elevated and the fallen. Even if the concept remains subjective to individuals, the pain and suffering is experienced by every being resulting in a shared experience of grief and discomfort.

We now know that the better way exists. Without promoting and demoting based on desire and aversion, we can have a world that is free from this discomfort and suffering. To be free, release all preference and loathing. Simply allow them to pass unnoticed like the pebbles that gently roll across the bottom of a clear stream. Neither attach oneself to concept, word, or object nor reject them. Simply acknowledge what is, breath deeply and rest at peace with me.

Allowing compassion: How do I overcome the desire to remain uncompassionate?

zenmomentumLeave a comment

The following I believe to be a teaching from my inner guru:

True compassion is not limited or controlled.   It is not directed towards one side, tribe, or nation and denied to another.   True compassion is felt equally for the poor person and the rich person.   It is felt for the attacker as well as the victim.  The reality in this world is that we all suffer.   It is the egoic mind that perceives variance in suffering and even believes there are those who do not suffer.  To believe an attacker is not attacking due to their misconceptions and unskillful lack of practice is to believe in a  delusion.  Without suffering,  without fear there can be no attack.

To understand this more clearly,  be alone.  Go into nature alone and rest, comfortably sitting.   Think of only your breath feeling the sensation as it enters the body and leaves the body.  We do this to clear our mind of thought.   As thoughts arise, send them off gently and without contempt.   Remember,  it is the mind’s nature to think thoughts,  it is not to blame or be chastised.   You may imagine a stream and allow the thoughts to float away on its currents;  you may imagine the wind allowing the thoughts to rise up and become peaceful clouds.  Return again the breath after releasing the thoughts and celebrate the joy of silence.   Be with me here and I will help you feel compassion for everyone and everything.

It is in understanding that all suffer in this world that we can lay a foundation for compassion that can be practiced and taught.   Even as your mind resists and demands to not give compassion to the unworthy,  I am here to proclaim that it is given.  Don’t worry if you find this difficult, you will eventually come to this understanding even if it takes many lifetimes to do so.  It would be better to start now and be free from the task of playing judge and enforcer for the mistakes of others.   It is a job I would not have for you and you must let go if you are to be free from the prison of your suffering.   To learn to give compassion to all equally is to learn the true nature of your existence and that of others.  Hear me now when I tell you that we are one in the same.