Read the book of life with an open mind and heart

 A spiritual seeker had a job in a fast-paced environment. When he went to a spiritual retreat and talked to the master he complained about one particular colleague who is arrogant, condescending and doesn’t seem to like him very much. “Master,” he said, “I like my job and enjoy working with most of my co-workers, but there is that one particular individual who bothers me so much that I consider quitting the job.” The master advised him to spend some time with that contentious colleague before making any decisions. A few weeks passed and the man returned  happy. “You were right,” he said, “after talking to him I realized that we have a common hobby, soccer, and since then he has completely transformed. “No,” the master replied, “you have transformed!”

“Read the book of life in the mirror of relationships,” J. Krishnamurti says. This world was created for “you” to discover the Oneness behind it. When we hit perceived obstacles we can go within and stay with the feeling that arises and look at it without fear, judgement, or with the attempt to wish it away. With attention, acceptance and letting go the feeling is bound to fade and transform into a completely different state. On the outside, we can see our projection, attachment and judgement and see it as it is. We can learn to read the book of life without any bias, and chances are we are going to like what we encounter.

Move over conditioned mind

 Conditioned mind is what it is. Maybe there can be some neurological healing as it is the case with recovering addicts or devoted meditation practioners; maybe there can be a letting go of pain bodies so that we get triggered less or suffer less. Maybe there can be an emerging wisdom from learned life lessons, but psychological thinking cannot be reformed. It is an aberration from life as is.

True learning, true transformation, and true breaking free happens moment by moment as Grace shines through and when a conditioned mind grasps its own futility and becomes silent for a moment. That’s when S (erenity) E (nergy) L (ove) F (low) come to the fore. It’s either or, it’s now or never. Grasp this fact and merge with life as S-E-L-F and not as conditioned self wishes it or fears it to be.

Feeling the God connection

 What is a common characterization of successful people? They hear the inner nay-sayer just like everyone else, but these concerns don’t measure up to the “we’ll see about that!” mindset they have. It’s not positive thinking. It's knowing, “God has put me here for a good reason. Let’s find out what it is.”

Likewise, the spiritual quest ends when a humming sound takes over. It’s a vibration, an alignment of inner and outer energies. The conditioning of the past with its fears, desires, regrets, projections, etc. is still around, but it gets overshadowed by this energy connection that operates outside of it.

How to reach it? Let go of everything that interferes with this energy alignment!

When Four Become One

 Sadhguru told this story: a Zen monk, a devoted Christian, a Kriya Yoga master and a Daoist went to a meditation retreat together. They had little to say to each other. For the Zen monk the stillness of the mind mattered, for the Christian the love in the heart; the Kriya Yoga master believed spirituality was all about mastering the inner energies whereas for the Daoist, following the Way is about spotting and merging with the external energies that rule us.

It was monsoon season in India and massive rain poured down. They felt shelter in a little temple that had only a protective cover but no outside walls. They huddled together inside as the waters came closer. Suddenly there was an explosion of energy and light and they heard a voice: “I have waited for so long for this event. Finally you have all merged into One.”

Connecting with these four dimensions S-E-L-F:

S (tillness) of mind

E (nergy) expansion 

L (ove) in the heart

F (low) of life 

is a homecoming, a reconnection with what always is. Be still for a moment and observe the energy vibrating along the spine as it moves into the Crown Chakra and feel how the energy center switches from mind to heart centered. Finally, the inner and outer energies align. 

Who is looking?

 "The joke of it all is that you are looking

from your true nature right now

without knowing it. If you would stop

being fascinated with the contents

of your mind, you would experience

what I am saying.

 

Feel your way into

what I am saying

rather than thinking about it."

 Adyashanti

Conditioned mind—our psychological “I”-identity—is goal oriented. It wants something, that is, it is either attached to something or wants to avoid something else. We all have those moments of alertness, openness and equanimity when our view is not obstructed, but what to do when we see the biased mind at work. Can we look, see and sense what this bias is all about? What happens to the bias when we watch without judgement? Who is looking?

Let Self call the shots

 "Take no notice of the ego and its activities 

but see only the Light behind."

Sri Ramana Maharshi

It's knowing in the Silence of being.

It's the sensing of vibrating inner Energy.

It’s Love for people, happenings and the moment.

It’s a Flow of life that mirrors our inner state of being.

The conditioned self is what it is—let S-E-L-F call the shots.

Can we become more spiritual?

 Devotee:  How can one quicken this coming of realization?

Ramana Maharshi:  As one strives to know the true ‘I’ the attachment to objects, the bad and degrading thoughts gradually drop off. The more one does not forget the Self, the more do elevating qualities become ours. Realisation will come eventually.

We hear that often from spiritual teachers, follow this practice and you are connected to the workings of the Way “more and more.” Life is non-linear for a good reason, to confront us with the self-imposed interferences that keep us from enjoying the harmony of the Way. 

A spiritual quest is like spring-cleaning. We address what we perceive to be the self-imposed obstacles and God cleans out the subconscious for us. We always travel the Way, it just takes us a little time to consciously get our arms around that fact. Keep cleaning!

#ramanamaharshi #spirituality #awakening #ethics