This article is about something of such profound and
beautiful simplicity. We attempt to trigger your own
realization of your ability to relieve absolutely any
problem you can imagine. We wish to unearth the seed within
you that is forever invulnerable to the problems of the
material world. The pointers that we will use as a vehicle
involve the realization of the present moment, the illusion
of past and future and the controllable reality of your
thought processes.
First, we would like to say relax. This is fun, freeing and
peaceful. Give yourself the time and space to feel all that
this teaching has to offer. Sit down in your favourite
chair, perhaps with a mug of warm herbal tea. Seek to
quieten your mind using your favourite meditation, or if
you don't have one, feel the air entering and leaving your
body.
Let us begin. As you are reading this article, can you
still feel your breath? Can you feel the grain of the paper
in your hand, or the smoothness of the mouse resting under
your hand? Can you feel the temperature of the air on your
face and the touch of the chair upon your back? Can you
hear the wind caressing the walls of the building in which
you reside? Are you fully present?
Your thoughts may now enter and say "Am I fully present?
Hmm, I don't know, I think I am, but then again maybe I'm
not" etc. Release any such thoughts by simply returning to
the sensations in your body and senses. Touch on object
close to you and feel the quality of the material without
judging. Simply go to the feeling.
Notice how you can switch between two very distinct forms
of consciousness, one involving thought and the other
involving no thought. If this does not quite feel true for
you yet, then play with it a bit longer. There is no rush.
Enjoy the lesson that you are giving yourself. You may
notice the massive difference in quality between the two
types of consciousness, which again is to be enjoyed, and
can serve as a reminder of when your thought processes are
currently energized.
We are now going to use the mind as a tool. When you were
in the state of no thought, i.e. when you were simply
observing, did you have any problems? Your mind may well
now remind you of all your "problems". What if you were
able to spend your entire life in the state of no-thought?
Would your problems still exist? What if when you faced one
of your so called problems, you encountered it in the state
of open aware perception? Your boss shouts at you and
internally you listen to the tones in her voice, feel the
aggression of her body, all without judgement. And when
they have finished shouting, you sit back into your chair,
which you feel pressing against your back. Next you feel
the air entering and leaving your body. Would your problem
still exist?
Return to this moment, as you continue to read this
article, which we are so grateful for being able to
provide. Return once again to the sensations in your body.
Now let's acknowledge the existence of the "problems"
existing in your mind. They seem so real and hard, and in a
sense they are. It would be pointless to say that "they do
not really exist, it's just an illusion", because they are
there. They have an existence in this physical world
because your thoughts have such an existence. However,
notice how all of your problems are either a projection
into the past, or into the future.
You may be worried about something you have already said or
done, or about some major upcoming event that you are a
central part of. It is impossible to experience a problem
when you are focussed only on the present moment. Now it
may be that when you are in the situation you are dreading
you feel a sensation that the mind labels as pain. If when
the pain arises you can concentrate your focus into the now
and simply feel the pain without labelling it, then that is
the end of suffering for you. If you bring enough vigilance
to a challenging situation to stay conscious, you will
realise that your problem was completely a creation of the
mind.
Pain simply isn't a problem. Next time you stub your toe,
rather than screaming out and thinking "Oh no - I've
stubbed my toe", go silent and feel the sensation in your
toe from within. Is it then a problem? No, of course not.
Your new way of looking at a problem should be this: A
problem is a decision by the mind that this should not be
happening (or have happened). I am very happy for you if
you can feel the freedom offered by this realization.
Remember, you can choose to return to this moment at
anytime by simply feeling, perceiving, being, and then pain
is no longer a problem.
Returning to this moment - what does that mean? Surely you
are always in this moment? This is true. You only ever
experience this moment. As we proved above, you only ever
experience the past and future in your thought processes.
But what if I can't control my thoughts? You can. If you
believe that you cannot control your thoughts then that is
just another thought, as is the belief that you CAN control
your thoughts. Instead of trying to convince yourself,
again return to the sensations in your body, feel the
sunlight on your skin, or the carpet beneath your feet.
Listen to the cars rushing by or watch the bird fly across
the sky. Be really whole. You will then KNOW what it means
to say that past and future only exist in the mind. You
won't need to understand it in language.
When you can feel pleasure without judging with the mind,
and when you can feel pain without judging with the mind,
you are free of problems. This is much simpler than you
might currently believe. Feel the sensation rather than
judging it. Be really whole in this moment and live without
past or future. Realise that your thought processes do
exist in reality, but only when you give your conscious
energy to them. Life is to be experienced. That includes
both pain and pleasure, the effects from which your true
self is eternally immune. With love.
----------------------------------------------------
Know How to Flow. Profound teachings, realizations and
poetry to enjoy and draw inspiration from on your spiritual
journey.
http://www.knowhowtoflow.com
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