The power of observing

 The question is not what to do; the question is how to see. The question is not of changing your character, the question is not to become more good, to become more saintly, to be less a sinner – no, that is not the question. The question is: how to see without mind, how to see without choice. The question is not concerned with doing and action, the question is concerned with the quality of awareness. 

Osho

Eckhart Tolle says you are the one listening to your thoughts and in a way he is correct, but in a way this statement can also be misleading. The observer can be a cleverly constructed part of our conditioned self—a spiritual super ego that claims to know what is “right” and what is “wrong.” It feels spiritual to observe thoughts, feelings and actions, but in reality we never leave the world of duality behind.

Observing is the answer. It’s a total acceptance of the prevailing energy in the moment at hand, and the act of observing transforms the frequency without ever connecting with the illusionary entity that wants things to be different than they are. Observing is the Holy Grail of spirituality. So what is the practice? Observe when “you” are getting lost in thought, feeling and action and observe the observer too!

Settling into Silence

 Spread your sitting bones.

 

Gently turn your right sitting bone outward by lifting your right thigh slightly, rotating it outward, and then placing it back down. Repeat the same movement with your left sitting bone.

 

Allow your tailbone to open and lengthen, then settle your weight down naturally.

 

This posture helps us sit comfortably for longer periods without placing unnecessary strain on the hips, spine, or sitting bones.

 

Once seated, lean your body forward slightly, about 15 degrees. Rest your hands on your thighs, between your knees and hips, about two-thirds of the way down.

 

Relax your shoulders.

 

Whenever you have a few moments at home—even just five or ten minutes—you can sit in this way.

 

Relax your shoulders.

 

Lengthen your spine.

 

Do not let your head drop forward. Gently lift the crown of your head and allow your spine to straighten naturally.

 

Then relax into the posture you have created.

 

Let your eyes close softly.

 

Listen to the sounds around you.

 

Relax your shoulders.

 

Listen again.

 

Do not listen only with your ears; listen with your heart.

 

Allow your heart to be with the sounds around you.

 

Quiet your mind and simply listen.

 

Listen quietly to the sounds surrounding you.

 

Notice the voice in your mind.

 

Be with that voice.

 

Being with it does not mean identifying with it or believing it. Simply allow it to be present.

 

Notice whatever pain, emotions, or thoughts arise.

 

Quiet your mind.

 

This silence is medicine. It has the power to free us from suffering.

 

Notice what feelings emerge. Notice what inner voices arise.

 

Quiet your mind.

 

This silence transcends everything.

 

Be present with whatever thoughts surface.

 

This silence is a blessing in itself.

 

This silence is love itself.

 

Quiet your mind.

 

Be present with whatever feelings arise.

 

Even when the feelings are uncomfortable or negative, allow them to be here.

 

Simply be present with your experience.

 

Quiet your mind.

 

This silence is light.

 

This light is always surrounding us.

 

Quiet your mind.

 

We are this silence.

 

We are this light.

 

Silence is always present. It belongs neither to you nor to me.

 

Quiet your mind.

 

Be present with this moment.

 

Be present with your happiness.

 

Be present with your pain.

 

Be present with your anger.

 

This silence is spacious enough to embrace it all.

 

Quiet your mind.

 

If, after returning home, healing pain or emotional discomfort arises, sit quietly in this way.

 

If you feel overwhelmed, you may gently speak your letting-go phrases.

 

Whenever you encounter obstacles, pain, confusion, or uncertainty, return to this silence.

 

The power that resides within silence is greater than any help we can receive from the outside.

 

Rest here.

 

Quiet your mind.

 

And allow silence to guide you home.

 

By Suzhen Liu

 

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

 

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

Seeing is being

 The question is not what to do; the question is how to see. The question is not of changing your character, the question is not to become more good, to become more saintly, to be less a sinner – no, that is not the question. The question is: how to see without mind, how to see without choice. The question is not concerned with doing and action, the question is concerned with the quality of awareness. 

Osho

I am from Europe. For a thousand years or more we have been dogmatised that the stairways to Heaven is one “right” choice after the other. This isn’t so. Making the “right” choice leaves you exhausted because it is born out of an inner conflict that the psychological self stands for, and exhaustion leaves to “wrong” choices and thus the cycle of life’s ups and downs continues.

See the notion of self for what it is, a bundle of memories, prior life experiences, family and cultural energies and see how it interacts with the events that we attract and repel. The solution is choice-less Awareness. At this moment body, mind and world are born from the Source of Infinite Possibilities and we are empowered to get the self out of the Way.

Awaken to your ruling belief

 Student:

I can see that I like to play the role of the suffering victim. I tend to immerse myself in feelings of grievance and unfairness.

 

Suzhen Liu:

Deep down, you believe that this is what brings you comfort and peace, and that it somehow makes you worthy in the eyes of those you feel you have wronged. It is these interpretations that create suffering for yourself.

 

You feel that only by enduring hardship and punishment have you paid your dues. Some part of your consciousness believes that if you suffer enough, the mistakes of the past can be redeemed.

This is simply one of our beliefs, and more often than not, it is not true.

 

There is usually a pattern of thinking operating beneath your awareness. Because you cannot clearly see it, you become trapped in it. You believe that only through sacrifice or suffering can you feel justified, at peace with yourself, and deserving of love.

 

Yet all of this is a game you are playing with yourself. Even when love is offered to you, these patterns continue to repeat. Because they are not the truth, you can never truly receive the love you seek.

 

The reason is simple: it is not a fact—it is only a belief.

All it does is drain your energy. No matter how much you do, it will never bring you to the destination you are hoping for. And so you continue endlessly trying to atone.

 

Sometimes a single event or a single sentence can be interpreted in hundreds of different ways. We become attached to one interpretation and spend our lives exhausting ourselves within it.

 

By Suzhen Liu

 

If you enjoy Suzhen Liu’s writings, please check out her latest book, “Discover Love Within—Release your suffering,” available on Amazon

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