Emptiness is what we seek, not numbness

When we are stressed out, we seek stillness and peace. When we are emotionally distraught, we seek comfort and ease. We desire to become empty, so we don’t feel these discomforts any longer.

Some people try to find this emptiness in drugs or alcohol. Others go so far as to attempt to end their lives to quiet the discomfort within their being.

Some people try to find emptiness in meditation. They attempt to come to the realization of the Emptiness of Inherent Existence. This is the realization that all phenomena that can be experienced are devoid of inherent existence. Behind all phenomena is the radiance and emptiness of the natural consciousness that is pristine now, was pristine in the past, and will be pristine in the future.

Meditation is the way to resolve our stress problems, not drugs or alcohol, not hiding from them in states of unconsciousness. The clear seeing of the emptiness of all phenomena is the only lasting way for us to find true comfort and peace in our lives.

The Conscious Breath

The conscious breath is one of the tools we have in this life to clean out our body-mind system before we drift into the natural death spiral.

The more work we do to free our body-mind energies the easier it will be for us to let go of our attachments in the end.

Freedom is all we want. Liberty. The pursuit of happiness. Practicing the conscious breath gives us all of these in abundance.

Breathing appears to be a simple process and it is most natural. We have been doing it since the moment we were born.

What we haven’t been doing is combining our conscious will with the breath. We also have not been paying close attention to the variations in our breathing.

In order to progress on a path that leads to purification of body-mind, we must fully master our breath.

Energy is flowing through the body-mind system all the time. Stagnation or blockages result in either physical or emotional discomforts.

Consciously breathing into these blockages will help dissolve them and thereby ease the discomfort.

Deep conscious belly breathing leads to deep relaxation of the body-mind system. Sinking deeper and deeper into the lowering breath brings more and more relaxation and a spreading sense of ease.

Relaxing the abdominal muscles allows us to sink deeper and deeper into this widening and opening conscious breath. We fill our lungs with the breath of our existence, and we are thankful for it.

We find our sense of identity in this natural function of the in-and outbreath. We are conscious of every nuance of it. We get to know our bodies by following the breath into every part of our bodies. We discover where there are blockages, where there are tensions, where there is discomfort. And we honor those blockages, tensions, and discomforts. And then we see if we can find ways around them, or gently through them, so that our energy can flow freely once again.

This free flow of energy is the way to experience true comfort, true physical and emotional health. Our will and our intention are directing the flow of this energy. We can send it to our head when we have headaches, or our toes when it hurts there. The way we do this, is through the breath. We breathe in consciously into our deep belly, and then on the outbreath, we direct the energy where we want it to go either inside our body-mind system or even outside of it into our environment.

In other words, we can use the energy for healing ourselves or for healing others. Our intention is what determines where the energy goes. First, we store it up in our deep belly, and then we direct it with our intentions and will.

During a physical workout we can direct the energy into our muscles on the outbreath. We breathe in and on the out-breath we contract our muscles and breathe energy into them. Then we hold for a while, then breathe out and relax the muscle. We can choose any of the various muscles or muscle groups of our body.

Another way to use the conscious breath in bodywork is to breathe into each of these muscles or muscles groups while contracting them. We can start at our toes and work our way up to our head, muscle by muscle. This wakes up the muscles. This is a good exercise to do in the morning while still lying in bed.

We need to do all physical exercises while practicing the fully conscious breath. It is important that we adjust our physical exercises so that we can keep breathing slowly through the nose.

Agitated breathing is not what we are striving for. Deep, conscious breathing is our goal. And our intention is always to bring tension release and relaxation to the body-mind system. We want to dissolve stress. We want to bring comfort and ease.

This does not mean that we don’t tax our muscles. We can hold a yoga pose for several minutes until we begin to shake a bit, and still breathe in a calm and relaxed manner, being fully aware of what we are doing.

The intent is always towards clarity, towards opening the energy flow in body-mind. Finding those blockages and actively dissolving them. Sensing the buildup of energy in body-mind. Filling up the body-mind with this energy until we sense the bliss of being, the ecstasy of existing. And then we realize that life is truly exquisite. Every conscious breath brings us to the bliss of existence. We load up on bliss every time we take a breath. We breathe. We exist. We are alive. We are thankful for being. We don’t know how we came to be, but here we are, and we are thankful. 

Then there was stillness

Behind the manifestations of the mind, the thoughts and feelings, the worries, and all the other activities of the mind, there is the stillness. It is not something that you attain, it is something that awaits you. It is always there.

The noises of the mind cover it up like the surface ripples distort the clear view of the bottom of the lake. When the wind of the mind has subsided then the stillness becomes noticeable.

In this stillness there no more wanting of anything. You don’t desire to be at some other place or some other time. Happiness and peace are no longer “just around the corner.” Happiness is here, now. Peace is here, now.

This stillness wraps itself around your mind like a soothing blanket. It calms everything down. Worries and fears fade away. You feel that everything is alright, right now. You are happy. There is nothing that you can add to the present state that makes it more alright. There is nothing you can add that makes you happier. You have a sense of completion. You are satisfied.

In this state of stillness there is the notion of gratitude, of giving thanks to the All. You are fully aware in this still state. Your senses sharpen. You have a heightened sense of awareness. You rest in this state of stillness, whether you are actually sitting or moving about.

Oh, Arjuna, it is all there

It can all be found in the superb words of the Bhagavad Gita, the fountainhead of eternal wisdom. In it, invaluable secrets of life are revealed. The wisdom of all ages has entered mortal ears. Human eyes have seen the deepest mysteries of existence. What more does one need in one’s search for fulfillment in life?

What worth does a kingdom have after having learned the truth about life? How much value can one place in the possession of any thing once one has experienced the magnificent beauty of all of existence?

The Gita tells it all. It is all there. Nothing else needs to be known once the treasure chest of the Gita has been opened and its eternal wisdom shared so freely. How fortunate we all are to have the incomparable beings such as Vyasa as well as other sages and saints going back to ancient antiquity who opened their enlightened minds and shared their highest realization with us. The truth is one. The truth is that which we all share. The truth is the existence of all as conscious entity. There is no other. There is only the conscious one. Arjuna, that is the truth.

It is an inner truth as well as an outer truth. We are all one in spirit, and we are all one in body.

There is a stillness within you, oh Arjuna, which is the natural state beyond the active mind. Rest in this stillness. Make this stillness your home. Have the surrounding noises of the world fade away and reside in the inner stillness.

All necessary truths are all contained in the healing waters of the eternally invigorating words of the Bhagavad Gita. The supreme holiness of the individual soul is its main theme. Duty is a secondary feature. Fidelity to the master’s teachings is another.

Devotion to god through the guru is the way to liberation in stillness. That is what the B. G. clearly states. The vision of god comes through the form of the guru. The magnificence of life is shown through the magnificence of the guru. God and guru are revealed as one.

The individual soul and the universal soul are not now, nor have they ever been separated from each other. The part of the eternal universal soul that lives within various bodies is as much eternal as is the universal soul itself. Any piece of eternity is itself eternal.

Why the strange setting of the Bhagavad Gita at the beginning of a war, with the discussion taking place on a battlefield? Spiritual discussions most commonly take place in more placid settings. One possible answer is that the warrior who has faith in Krishna and not faith in the strength of his army will prevail in the contest. He will be victorious, not the one with the most warriors. Krishna gave both sides the choice of either him as a non-fighting charioteer or his whole army. The winning side picked the non-fighting Krishna. Numerical strength does not guarantee a successful campaign. God needs to be on your side for you to truly succeed, even if god lets you do most of the work.

 

God is Power

God is power. Or better: the power, which is the cause of this existence, that we have called “god”. It does not matter by what name we call it, it still is, and always will only be, power.

Since it is pure power, this power can be used for any number of things, good or bad. Both sides in a conflict often pray to their god to give them the strength to overcome their opponent. The side that wins then gives credit to the victory to their god, while the defeated party feels that it was not faithful enough to their god and therefore god did not support their cause.

According to the Bible, Moses used the power of his god to overcome the power of the Egyptian gods. I believe that if we gave god some qualities, then we would be in a better position to judge which god is going to win out over other gods. And these superior qualities are: justice, righteousness, freedom, liberation, morality, upliftment, purification, love, understanding, camaraderie, brotherhood, sharing, generosity, compassion, empathy, peace.

About Purity and Perfection

One must understand what is of paramount importance. What is important? The purity of the soul. The perfection of life. Nothing else is important.

Purity and perfection are really the same thing. In purity we fall asleep and in perfection we wake up.

We must always continue to strive for purity in all we do. We must strive to keep our heads above the water of the turbulent mental streams that are threatening to drown us. We must not get sucked into these intense whirlpools of cravings.

We must remain free from them. Free in the clarity and purity of awareness. Free in the conscious Self. Free in the knowing of “who we are.”

“Who are we?” We are conscious entities; created to experience consciousness fully. Created by consciousness; created within consciousness; created to be consciousness.

The purity and perfection of consciousness. That is who we are and that is where our true home is and has always been.

Magnificene

To get into a state of extended magnificence find something that evokes a sense of magnificence in you. This “something” can be anything, from a photo to a live sunset, from a rock to a diamond, from an insect to a whale. There is nothing that is not appropriate for this exercise.

Once you sense the magnificence, then remain in this state of magnificence until it fills you completely. Until your mind and entire being are completely saturated by it. This state is the most important state to be in. Whenever you are given a chance to be in this state, remain in it until it fills you completely.

At times, this sense of magnificence comes unexpectedly during your everyday activities. Don’t reject this gift at that moment. Use it to be in the extended state of magnificence. Be thankful for the opportunity.