THE MOMENT

"The Tinnitus of Memory" by Peter Van Straten

When people have "rules" or "solid ideas" about how something is supposed to be, then how it actually is ... is overlooked.

You can stop right this moment.  Just Stop.  Close your eyes.  That needs no preparation to do right?  If you just did it … you see that you didn't have to plan or prepare for it ... you just STOP.

This can be in any instant that one does it ... it does not have to be long or short it is just a momentary pause ... a relaxation into what always IZ … without all the ideas of what will or is supposed to happen ... happening just happens.

You don't need a mindset, effort or concentration. Just Stop.  Just Stop and close your eyes.  Then when you open them you are coming from THAT space ... that Stopping.

You also don't have to close your eyes ... in any moment you can just stop and be aware of the moment you are in.

PRAYER & STILLNESS

(I AM is not a thought)

The following is in response to a question raised in Western Religion Philosophy Class at College of the Siskiyous.  Weed, CA.

Prayer

“Prayer has been an essential part of Christianity since its earliest days. Prayer is an integral element of the Christian faith and permeates all forms of Christian worship. Prayer in Christianity is the tradition of communicating with God, either in God's fullness or as one of the persons of the Trinity.”  (Wikipedia, 2013.)

Ultimately, there is nothing wrong with Prayer, though at it’s premise in the way most seem to use it, perpetuates two lies; one that there is something that the one praying is separate from and two, that things can be some other way than how they are.  They are both actually the same thing.

Prayer is actually saying that the one that is being prayed to … isn’t doing a good enough job and could do better.  It would be just as wise to begin to accept things how they are and the possibility (the very real possibility) that you don’t know how things are supposed to be.  Then you begin to grow out Faith (which does not require any prayer) that everything is perfect and unfolding perfectly and always has, even though you may not understand why or how it is unfolding.  If you still require “prayer” then possibly one might pray to begin to know this … to begin to have Faith that this is so.

Things cannot be any other way than how they are, if they could they would be.  That seems pretty easy to see (as long as you are willing to stop telling a story of how things should be and just begin to experience them exactly as they are).  If something is going to be some other way, just watch … it will … things are constantly shifting and changing and if one begins to stop listening to the thoughts about how things should be and begins to pay attention to how they are … the mind begins to become quieter and quieter.

“Vygotsky theorized that very young children don’t think silently to themselves the way adults do — at first they only “think” by speaking out loud to their parents, siblings, or caregivers. Later, this develops into “self-talk” (if you’ve ever been around young children you may have noticed them mumbling to themselves when they’re alone in their rooms). Later still, self-talk internalizes, and becomes inner speech (what adults experience as thinking — or at least one type of thinking).” (Moyer. 2013)

This is what is being pointed to.  You weren’t born thinking.  You were born in Stillness and came into a world of noise “thinking.”  You “learned” to “think” prior to thinking/thoughts there was only the natural state of simply “Being” Aware of everything in Stillness.  This is how it is right now, begin to stop paying attention to the thoughts and begin paying attention to the Stillness.

On Stillness

“The Jesus Prayer or “The Prayer” has been widely taught and discussed throughout the history of the Eastern Churches. It is often repeated continually as a part of personal ascetic practice, its use being an integral part of the eremitic tradition of prayer known as Hesychasm meaning "to keep stillness"). (Wikipedia. 2013.)

Not surprisingly, this Prayer is popular in the East, but not in the West.  The East has been immersed for thousands of years in the practice of placing the attention on Stillness, not the thoughts.  Thoughts are given a great deal of importance in the West, because it is what most identify with as “who they are” as part of or sometimes the entire identity/personality, however, if this is really honestly looked at.  How can one “be” a thought? 

When one becomes ready to let go of the thought “I” … Stillness (in a sense, rushes in and fills all of everything) then there is no room for the thought “I” there is only Stillness … just like when you were a child and you didn’t “think” to exist … you just existed in Stillness.  That is where one returns (though has not ever left), they release the thought “I” back into the Stillness from which it appeared.  No “I,” no problems (who would have them), no prayer needed in Stillness, one would not be still to pray for something.

This does not mean that the world stops, you just begin to experience it from a place of Eternal Stillness.  The mouth will still move (for some) the body will as well, there will look like there are problems but there will not be anyone there for the problem, there will just be a watching of all of the movie playing out, which also includes people praying for things in the movie. 

Another way of seeing this is like going to a movie, you sit there in Silence (which is not Stillness but it is a close in the world pointer).  Sometimes you have a “thought” that you would like the movie to go some other way than how it is going.  However, you cannot change the movie just because you *think* it should be some other way.  Most people should be able to see this analogy.  This is how it is with life and prayer … life/the movie is playing out for your entertainment (feel free to ask “who’s”) and “prayer” is like the “thought” in the movie theater … it doesn’t hurt anything to have it but it doesn’t change a dang thing either.  :o)

Cited

Wikipedia, (2013). Prayer.  Retrieved from:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer,_meditation_and_contemplation_in_Christianity

Wikipedia, (2013). The Jesus Prayer.  Retrieved from: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Prayer

Moyer, J.D. (2011) Sytems for Living Well. “Why I Pray as an Atheist.”  Retrieved from:

http://jdmoyer.com/2011/07/25/why-as-an-atheist-i-pray/

KARMA, GUILT, SIN AND REASONS...

If you believe in karma, guilt, sin or that everything happens for a reason, you will continually live life “thinking” that things are not good enough, that you must get better, that everyone else must get better or that you are in the process of getting better and you will not be aware that the moment you are in, right this moment, is perfect unto itself and you are the perfect you for the moment you are in.

Karma, guilt, sin and reasons are traps.  They are used so that you do not pay attention to the present moment.  If you are paying attention to the moment you are in, the one right in front of your face, then what needs to change?   Karma, guilt, sin and reasons are the “mind/thoughts” way of making you believe that you can change something; that you have something to do with the changes in your life.  However, change happens, in spite of you.  In fact, the only reason that there is the concepts of karma, guilt, sin and reasons, is because you “think” there is a “you” to fix, to get better, to make different.  However, as you begin to notice that things just naturally change, no matter what you think; then you begin to see, that the “you” you thought you were/are, doesn’t actually exist.

Just for the moment remove all ideas/concepts of karma, of guilt, or sin and reasons and just look right in front of you … there is nothing there right (smile)?  Nothing that the thoughts are telling you are there are actually there right?  Be honest, without thoughts about trying to make anything different, isn’t everything perfectly ok (don’t think about it … just look :o). 

Some people think that without a future, life will be boring … nothing to look forward too, but there is no future there is only this moment that you are in and the next moment doesn’t come; you are in the next moment right now … all you really can do is pay attention to the moment you are in.  Most don’t … most pay attention to the past that is over or the future that hasn’t come and don’t see what is right in front of the face.

Maybe just for today when thoughts appear that say things should be some other way; you refocus the attention on the moment you are in, what is right in front of you.  Watch and see what you do.  What you have been trying to “save” yourself and everyone else from through karma, guilt, sin and reasons.  Let it all go of for today and look at a world that doesn’t need your help, doesn’t need saving, or fixing; if something needs help or attention it will show up and then watch what you do. 

You have been “thinking” for so long now that you are the one doing it; while all you have been doing is watching and commenting.  But in this moment there is nothing to do, but pay attention. 

This doesn’t mean that you expect a certain day, a certain way, a certain out come, you just watch all of it.  Watch the emotions as they arise, watch the thoughts (but don’t follow them) watch as they come and they go and begin to notice that all thoughts pass, everything will pass and bring the attention back to what is in front of the face and then bring the attention onto what the face appears in.  Begin to pay attention to who is looking out of the face, not with “thoughts” about who is looking out, but actually place the attention on who is seeing out of the eyes.

As you begin to see this for yourself, you will begin to see that it is how it is for everyone. 

Most are “thinking” they are doing it, but as you begin to consistently pay attention to the moment you are in, you will begin to see that they only “think” they are doing it, but you will know that it is not true, because you have discovered for yourself that you are not doing it.  You won’t be able to explain it to anyone, but you will begin to point to what you have discovered.

You will smile more, because all the frowning came from “thinking” you were doing it.  A great relief comes in seeing that you are not.  Sometimes first there is a bit of fear because one does not know “who” is doing it, but that fear will pass as you see that it has always been this way, and you have always been well taken care of (no matter what the mind/thoughts say).

If it makes you angry to have to give up karma, guilt, sin and reason, you would be wise to look at why you want to keep them in your life.  Honestly, why you want ideas and concepts that keep one feeling/believing they are “not good enough” right now.  You are probably the same person that wonders why people kill themselves and yet give them all the ammunition for the gun.  Just for today, put the ammo down (concepts, ideas, beliefs), everyone is perfect just the way they are, no matter what you say or think, let them be who they are.  If they are to be some other way they will.  Sit back, relax and for once have no one to fix, not even yourself.  You are good enough to be here, just as you are, if you weren’t, you wouldn’t be here.

Don’t think about it!

 (((SMILE))) :o) 

or think about it.

 (((FROWN))) :o(