Seeing Reality for the First Time

Nothing is a either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
(William Shakespeare)

Could it be that that your perception of a situation determines how you experience it? When you label something as bad, don't be surprised that you are for a negative experience or feel guilty about it. Yet, when you are completely open to an experience, see how differently you might experience the situation.

Say, you see someone attractive on the street and you imagine having steamy sex with her only to find your conscience barking at you given that a married and a spiritual person is not supposed to lust after women. Who knows, next time around you may look down when you see someone attractive. Subconsciously, you may start blocking your sexual energy with all your accumulated guilt and may consequently even lose your passion in your own bed room.

All that stuff is in your head! Next time around have a good look at the attractive person walking by. Perhaps you see her for the first time. Without preconceived notions just observe everything about her, her body, her face, her movements. As all this happens, monitor your thoughts and perceive your emotions. Observe and see what happens. Maybe you mange to look through her body right into her soul, maybe her face and her body give you very different reactions, or just maybe, you return home supercharged with sexual energy. If that is your downside scenario, would that really be so bad?

If you truly observe what is going on, life would be very different from what you experience now. Let the holy Now blow your mind and see the world with new eyes. So often we don't really look at the whole picture; instead, our thoughts and emotions put us on auto-pilot based on some previous memories and/or in anticipation of some future outcome. Our mind considers almost everything but the present magic moment. It is a little bit like going to a museum, briefly glancing at a Picasso painting and remembering that it has a multi-million price tag.

A Tao traveler lets go of her control because she knows everything that comes her way is just fine the way it is. Nothing is either good or bad, only our mind makes it so.

By Christian and Su Zhen