You are “That”!

 Question: “Please tell me the method of reaching the eternal Truth.”

 

Ramana Maharshi: “You are That. Can you ever remain apart from the Self? To be yourself requires no effort since you are always That.”

 

If you are Jewish, your spiritual belief tells you that you are a part of God’s chosen people. Yet, in your DNA you also carry centuries of persecution. If you are German like me, you are from a country that was once called the land of poets and philosophers. Yet, the German people also carry the cross of fascism and aggression in WWII. Likewise, every tribe has its calling and guilt.

 

Above the field of nationality, there is the belonging to a particular ancestry, just as beneath the field of nationality there is humanity. We are all part of a common heritage that spans eons, if not millions of years if we include our animalistic evolution. We may compare our life experience to the waves in the ocean, our family connection to the current, and our human roots to the deep sea.

 

From a human perspective it seems impossible to reach “That” without Grace. Yet, we are “That” and claiming our birthright is as easy as closing our eyes and diving into the Ocean of Infinite Possibilities which manifests life as is through us when our mind is still and our heart is open. Is there something “you” can do to swim in the Ocean of Bliss? Yes, bow to our ancestors and open your heart of compassion.

The First Step Toward Joy

 What truly determines our mood

is not what others do

or what happens around us,

but how we interpret and respond.

 

The First Step Toward Joy

In relationships,

we often project our own pain and inner obstacles

onto our expectations of others.

 

When someone behaves the way we hope,

we feel happy and loved.

But when they ignore us,

we quickly conclude, “They don’t love me anymore.”

Our attention then fixes on the feeling of not being loved.

 

After this repeats a few times,

the distance grows wider,

and loneliness quietly settles in.

 

This is how we create

our own cycle of suffering.

 

When we begin to see this clearly,

something changes.

For example,

if I ask my partner a question and receive no reply—

what am I really interpreting?

That “they don’t care about me”?

Or am I becoming aware

of my own interpretation?

 

Our reactions reveal our habitual ways of thinking.

They may not be negative,

but they are part of the pattern that leads to pain.

 

And in that moment of awareness,

the cycle begins to dissolve.

As awareness deepens,

suffering fades,

and joy quietly arises.

 

Suzhen Liu

If you enjoy Suzhen Liu’s writings, please check out her new book “Discover Love Within—Release Your Suffering” available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Discover-Love-Within-Release-Suffering-ebook/dp/B0G4L29MVN

Inner journey of a lifetime

 In a non-duality forum, the question was raised, “how can I relinquish this excruciating sense of self?” One response stood out for me, “find out what self is, then this ‘sense of self’ will be revealed for what it is— not an illusion but the true inner journey of a lifetime.”

 

I like this expression, “inner journey of a lifetime.” On a recent trip to Philadelphia, I was shown how little conscious control I have in relinquishing this sense of self. First, I passed by a stature of a fallen American WWII soldier and my thoughts went to my German grandfather who died on the last day of the war in the battle for Berlin. Later I saw the ad for a university when my thoughts went to our high school counselor. I am still angry at her for sending us there to check it out even though it was clearly not good enough for our son. A few moments later I saw a student with a Duke sweater where my thoughts went, “yes, that’s a nice school; I wouldn’t mind sending our boys there!” Later I realized that I was triggered into these memories and reactions just by idling at the train station. The choice I apparently had was to to be mindful of some of these self-referential thoughts and jumping off, such as “there you go beating up on the poor school counselor again. Can you please give that poor woman a break!”

 

All of us are being led on an inner journey of a lifetime. What distinguishes the devoted spiritual seeker from the ordinary folks is that the hard-core seeker desires to end this ‘sense of self,’ while most others still actively build it. The school my child goes to, my romantic partner, my work, my problems and opportunities, my wealth and health, etc. The point is that every memory of the past, every visualization of a future outcome, every attachment to something that is happening right now, accentuates an aspect of this notion of self. Can we really do something about it?

 

I recently shared put a video, “A traffic light approach to spirituality.” In it I distinguish three states that we constantly get exposed to, seemingly outside of our conscious control. The unconscious moments like the half an hour I spent on the Philadelphia train station when the self-referential thinking prevails (red light), the moments of mindfulness, when we are aware that we are unconscious (yellow light) such as, “hey, are you beating up on the poor counselor again—stop that, she also only does the best she can.” Lastly, we have these satori moments when this subconscious filter of self mysteriously loses its grip on us (green light). The spiritual community is after the holy grail of traveling with a green light streak, but for many of us this state of ‘no self’ is experienced as an act of Grace instead.

 

The filter of self is tricky as it prevails subconsciously. It’s easy to fall into the trap that reflecting on spirituality is a degree of freedom. What we can do though is to be mindful of the unconscious moments and see a train of ‘thought-feeling energy’ fade into nothingness. In neurological terms, we can break self referential synapses in our brain just as we can build them by focusing on something that is meaningful to us. We can practice meditation, address family energy, apply letting go exercises or even attend psychotherapy to get previously hidden energy links out in the open. After all, we can only be mindful of something that we are aware of. Otherwise, let’s just enjoy this magnificent journey of a lifetime to appreciate the here and now one moment at a time.

 

Wisdom, devotion and right action

 It’s hard to break free from the self imposed “body, mind, world matrix.” God, however, gives us three dimensions to tune into, wisdom, devotion and right action. On wisdom, the observation is that “the mind itself is the projector of illusion. Once recognized, there is none (Longchenpa).” On devotion, the realization is that a compassionate heart energy crowds out the limited mind energy in a heartbeat. On right action, well, there is a right one tailored for every moment that helps us to get the self out of the Way, even if that action is to do absolutely nothing.

 

Everything is energy. Wisdom is the activation of the crown chakra, devotion, the activation of the heart chakra and the right action can be perceived by the spiritual third eye. When the internal and external energy flow synchronizes, our long-held notion of self vanishes.

 

Seeing through the “you”

 You don’t become free—you recognize you were never bound.

The seeker and the struggle arise in thought, not in being.

Emily Snow

 

When we read the Bhagavad Gita, the Ashtavakra Gita, A Course in Miracles or Ramana Maharshi’s “Who Am I,” we can hear God speak. Yet, how come that while many of us can understand the truth, few people can actually live it?

 

Studying a spiritual book is the projection of wanting to be “That.” Perceiving “life as is” has desires and aversions embedded in the seeing. There is a filter between us and pure being that is the imagined self identity. The way to drop it is to see through the illusion.

 

Be still for a moment. Sit with your issues. Notice the inner commentator vanishing. Perceive the inner witness merge with the object of study. Scientist can examine how new neurological synapses form. In silence, outgrown neural links fade into nothingness.

 

All obstacles are self-generated and exist to encourage us to let go of the old perspective. All objects of desires and aversions point towards the non-existence of us as an entity. The quest is over when the realization hits that pure being is all there is and ever was.

Awakened Crying

 Question: What is the difference between ordinary crying

and crying in meditation?

 

Suzhen Liu:

Ordinary crying comes from not knowing —

we only feel sorrow

without understanding where it begins.

 

But in the quiet space of meditation,

when awareness is present,

we begin to see why we cry.

 

When we face the true source of our tears,

the inner knots start to soften and flow.

And when the same scene returns,

the tears no longer fall.

 

To know clearly why we cry,

to notice the thoughts that rise with each tear —

this is an awakened crying.

 

Crying in confusion,

or crying only to vent,

is but a storm without light.

After such tears,

the same pain will come again.

If you enjoy Suzhen Liu’s writings, please check out her new book, “Discover Love Within—Release Your Suffering” available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Discover-Love-Within-Release-Suffering-ebook/dp/B0G4L29MVN

 

Freedom of the Heart

 We long for freedom — freedom from the weight of money,

freedom to live as we wish, to move without limit or fear.

Yet when life no longer binds us with need,

are we truly free?

 

True freedom is not found in what we can buy or escape.

It is the quiet knowing that, when confusion or sorrow arises,

something within us already holds the key —

a subtle power that can see through the fog.

 

You need not name it, nor understand its form.

Whether the question comes from joy or despair,

this power remains —

the heart’s own clarity,

the seeing that dissolves the seen.

 

To behold your obstacles from many sides

is to find your stillness.

Without that inner calm,

a single thought can pull you away,

and all wisdom fades.

 

So sit.

Sit quietly, as you are.

Let the stillness grow roots within you.

Learning to be calm is not easy,

but what matters most is to begin.

 

Freedom of the heart

is not the ability to go anywhere,

but the grace to face what appears impassable —

to look at it from many angles,

to soften, to allow.

 

And when your heart meets the knot of confusion,

wisdom is born.

Do not cut it away.

Let it become your teacher.

Let the obstacle itself lead you home.

 

Suzhen Liu

 

If you enjoy Suzhen Liu’s writings, please check out her new book, “Discover Love Within—Release Your Suffering” available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Discover-Love-Within-Release-Suffering-ebook/dp/B0G4L29MVN