THINKING ...

My Teacher used to say to me “And that’s a thought.”  When I would come to him with all these thoughts that seemed so important and it would stun me momentarily.  Sometimes I would wonder how he could say that to the important information that was going to impact my life and the lives around me and he could be so calm and although he would listen to my plight, he would eventually again point to me and say “And that’s a thought too.”  And he would smile and I would frown and stomp away wondering “what have I done wrong that I don’t see” (not seeing that that was just a thought too). 

He did this for many years, I would come to him again and again with problem after problem and in his infinite patience, he would listen or he would do whatever the moment called for which sometimes was a scolding or a praise, there was not a time, even to this day that I could predict what he would/will do, but that is another of His Great Teachings.  Many times I would go thinking I would get a praising, only to hear I had done something wrong, and then other times thinking I would get the scolding of my life, only to find him praising me for something I had done.  This over time became the blessed teaching of “not knowing.”  

Which leads to the title of today “Thinking.”  Thinking is knowing, even if you don’t know ... you think you can know by thinking.  But thinking is not real…it is not part of reality.  See these words come on the screen by the fingers not by thinking.  This is not always easy for one to see, for like I shared above, I knocked on my Teachers door with question after question and problem after problem, until one day the draw to Stillness became the Answer.  Even in moments now there is “thinking” and there is thinking that there was/is an answer and there is …but the answer is in Stillness/Silence. 

Now that can be even more infuriating to the mind that wishes to know reasons and answers for all things … to hear that they are all answered in Stillness, is to negate the “mind/thoughts.”  Again it all boils down to a frown or a smile, sometimes even a laugh or a punch in the face…depends on how serious one is in knowing answers. 

Since life is just happening and all you get to do is watch it, then living with unanswered questions is actually the gift.  To let things be as they are and watch as them appear is the gift and the answers do come, not in your time or your way, but naturally they appear.  Recently, a Friend of mine said she stays informed on my life through the writings I send her, and I wrote that I was annoyed because how do I stay informed on her life when I don’t receive any writings from her.  Then lo’ and behold, she appears on the street the very next day sharing with me what is going on in her life.  (((Smiles)))

Be willing to be surprised.  I know sometimes it doesn’t seem easy to do … especially since the thoughts usually say you know what is going to happen and it’s not going to be good.  But see how silly it is to think that you know the answer and that the answer “isn’t going to be good” wouldn’t it just be better to wait and see ... if the alternative is shitty anyway :o)

All you have to do is look at that your life has worked out perfectly this far, you are reading this right now and all is well right :o)  Even if you are thinking it is not LOL!

FEAR

What are you afraid of?

We have been trained to believe that what we “think” and “see” are real.  Not necessarily what we actually see, but what we see on TV or through the Internet.  But how often have you actually seen, what they say happens on TV…in your reality?  You can spend your whole life afraid of things that will not ever happen to you.  All that you are afraid of is a belief that it could happen to you.  But come on … take a look at your life … honestly … you’re alive right now somewhere reading this … didn’t everything work out?  Honestly, hasn’t your life worked out for you, everything has worked out and you are now in the moment you are in, with a whole day ahead of you to be surprised by what shows up.

The fear that arises from what we “think” and what we see on TV or read or hear on the Internet is not really fear.  It is fear of fear.  Real fear is when something is actually happening.  Like a car is coming at you, that is real fear and the body will more than likely jump out of the way or freeze like a deer in headlights, but that would be an actual “feeling” of fear, experience of “fear.”  But fear of fear, is when you are afraid that something may or may not happen because of something you think or something one-step removed (i.e., like TV or Internet news/talk).

One of many huge Gifts I received from reading the Autobiography of Mark Twain, is that he shows (since it was written over 100 years ago) that things do not really change.  People are still scared of the same things that happened or were thought of 100 years ago.  The newspaper stories from back then are not much different than now, there was still corruption, unemployment, murders, abuses, scandals, wars … everything that is happening now was happening then … it just looks different because the faces and names have changed.  This was/is a huge gift to see because when one is willing to see, you see that things just happen.  So, forget worrying about it, just wait and see what happens.  Let life reveal itself to you.  It always is anyway. 

If you are honest you can see that it has always worked out, why not just accept that that is the way.  It doesn’t mean that you may or may not like how it works out, but it will work out and not just for you but for everyone.  So you can turn off the TV and Internet every once in awhile and go outside and breath the fresh air, look up at the sun, check out the stars and put your feet in the ocean.  You can take a break from all the drama of the world.  It will still be there when you want it, when you want to be afraid or scare yourself, turn it back on or find that friend that always has all the bad news to give you :o)  But if you are starting to see the cracks in the stories of how bad it all is, then go out and look at the day and smile at it.  It’s all for you.

FEAR OF FEAR ...

February 18, 2013

We have been trained to believe that what we “think” and “see” are real.  Not necessarily what we actually see, but what we see on TV or through the Internet.  But how often have you actually seen, what they say happens on TV … in your reality?  You can spend your whole life afraid of things that will not ever happen to you.  All that you are afraid of is a belief that it could happen to you.  But come on … take a look at your life … honestly … you’re alive right now somewhere reading this … didn’t everything work out?  Honestly, hasn’t your life worked out for you, everything has worked out and you are now in the moment you are in, with a whole day ahead of you to be surprised by what shows up.

The fear that arises from what we “think” and what we see on TV or read or hear on the Internet is not really fear.  

It is fear of fear.

Real fear is when something is actually happening.  Like a car is coming at you, that is real fear and the body will more than likely jump out of the way or freeze like a deer in headlights, but that would be an actual “feeling” of fear, experience of “fear.”

Fear of fear, is when you are afraid that something may or may not happen because of something you “think” or from something one-step removed from your realty (i.e., like TV or Internet news/talk).

One of many huge Gifts that has been received from reading the “Autobiography of Mark Twain”, is that he shows (since it was written over 100 years ago) that things do not really change. People are still scared of the same things that happened or were thought of 100 years ago. The newspaper stories from back then are not much different than now, there was still corruption, unemployment, murders, abuses, scandals, wars … everything that is happening now … was happening then … it just looks different because the faces and names have changed. This was/is a huge gift to see … because when one is willing to see to stop and take an honest look, you begin to see that things just happen.  There isn’t actually cause and effect, but life happens and people (you) comment on it.

This is a simple practice to begin to see that the above is so, just begin to watch and see if you could do something any other way than how it is done.  At first, it will seem like you can, that you can make your hand move or your mouth speak but if you are diligent in your watching/Witnessing of life and “you” in it … you will begin to see that action happens and then it is thought about and you will see the hand raise and see the thought as well “I raised my hand” but you will begin to intuitively know that the hand raised a split second before the thought to raise it or saying it was raised actually occur.  You have to want to know this but if you do, you will soon see that you are not the one moving the hand.  When this is seen then you begin to question, “If I am not moving the hand, who is?”  Which leads to the ultimate question, if I am not who I think I am:

“Who am I?”

You will begin to start worrying about it less and watching/Witnessing it more and more.  You begin to wait and see what happens, instead of saying what will happen. Life will reveal itself to you. It always is and has anyway, you just *thought* it was the other way around.

When you are honest … you see that everything has always worked out, this will continually reveal itself to you, as each problem (seeming) arises you will begin to relax more into watching how it resolves itself and you will watch your role in it rather than believing you are the role.

It doesn’t mean that you will or will not like how it works out, but it will work out and not just for you but for everyone.

Turn off the TV and Internet every once in awhile and go outside and breath the fresh air, look up at the sun, check out the stars and put your feet in the grass, the soil or the ocean.  You can take a break from all the drama of the world. It will still be there when you want it, when you want to be afraid or scare yourself, turn it back on or find that friend that always has all the bad news to give you. :o)

However, if you are starting to see the cracks in the stories of how bad it all is, then go out and look at the day and smile at it. It’s all for you.

DREAMS...

At night when we dream, people show up for us, friends, family, love ones we have lost, animals, stories, dramas...everything shows up in a dream for you to play in.  Have you ever had a dream that was as real as if you were awake?  Have you ever had a dream where you were in a different body?  Ever dream you were an animal, that you could fly, that you had powers you don't seem to have in waking life?  Have you ever wondered how all of these things appear for you?

Let's say that you see your friend in a dream, did they actually appear for you or did you create them?  If they just appear for you, where did they come from and if you created them how did you do that and simultaneously play out both the parts?  Is it possible that you are playing out all the parts in the dreams you have?  If not, who is playing them?  If so, how can you be everyone?

This is where if one is paying attention, something can be Revealed or Seen.  Because that last question if you are willing to look at the question deeply, you will begin to see that you have misidentified yourself.  Not only in dreams but in waking life.  If you look and can see the possibility that you are playing everyone in your dream, then who is the real you?  To be everyone in the dream ... you also have to be "dreamt."  

                    Who's Dreaming?

If you take the position that you are not playing all the parts, then who are they that have shown up for you, where do they come from and where do they go to when you wake?  As in your dreams, so is life, these same questions one can ask of dreaming one can ask of life.  Is there a possibility in you that you are being Dreamt, just as everyone that appears for you?  Remember the dreams that you have had that seemed so real it took some time after waking to Realize it was just a dream?  Such a similarity may appear for you in Life and it will appear for you upon Death which is the waking from the Dream of "Life."  That is why this simple question of "Who Am I?" is so significant because you do not need to wait for Death to find out who you are...who is actually Dreaming all of it.  The one thing that can be shared with you...is that it is not who you think it is.

                            "May all Beings awaken to itSelf."

MISSING

Ever have the thought "something is missing" and then go trying to find that something that seems to not be there instead of just looking at the thought itself.

Look at the thought and keep the attention there instead of the action of searching to find.  

If you look at the picture above it sort of depicts where one is being pointed.  Under all the puzzle pieces is the one thing (which is not a thing) that all the pieces depend on to stay connected; to exist.  If you remove one piece (like you see above) there is a space there where it seemingly was … which makes it appear like it is now missing from the puzzle, however, if you look closely, you can see that the puzzle piece its self is transparent (revealing it's illusory nature).   So if it is not real, how can it ever be missing?  And even with the piece seemingly gone what it was on is still there.

"Missing" is not possible.  Nothing can be missing because everything is connected through the One it is dependent on to be connected.  

If it can be "missing" than it never actually was, it was an illusion that you had it.  As you begin to see the transparency of everything, then a lightening is revealed of life.  The attention can begin to be drawn towards what all the puzzle pieces appear on/In, and when they disappear; whether that piece is a material object you lose, or a person, or a relationship, or a job, your attention will be on what they appear and disappear In.

This is where the saying "giveth and taketh away" comes from.  It is given from the Same that it is taken from.  One moment a blessing; the next a curse.  But both blessing and curse arise only in the mind (an opinion, or thought or belief) about what one wants or doesn't want.  What those thoughts appear IN does not have blessing or curse, does not shift, alter or move and is not ever missing.  It always and forever is complete, completeness itself, of which no-thing can be lost or missing.