A quick glance at the World today

As it is in our families, it is in the world today. Look at the relationship.

We see a war between nations, but we don’t see it among ourselves, our close ones.

In a family, the mother may side with the son against the father. Violence will be the outcome to demonstrate authority.

A “bully” in the neighborhood is the same “bully” in the world. There are many “bullies,” taking advantage of the weaker ones. Bullies avoid fighting between themselves, until their weak egos are hurt and then they will fight even if that means their own demise. For them that is “heroic,” but truly it is plain irrational, crazy, idiotic. The sign of madness.

This is not the time to find out who is “right” or who is “wrong” in a fight, for in their own reasoning and perspective, they are “right.” What matters is to find a consensus and to look at the bigger picture, a healthy place to live, where humans are not separated by labels anymore.

Perhaps the time is approaching for the old structure to collapse. This will mean madness for many depending on that system, but the opportunity to live under a new vision for others.

Perhaps it is the time to find a nurturing place in Nature, away from all the search of “success,” the fights over petty things and the greed behind the “reasonable reasons.”

There are sustainable communities, intentional communities, eco-communities, etc. which are worthwhile to take a look at this time. This experience will allow us to open up to other views and ways of doing things which could complement our own. This is an invitation to readers to take a look at that possibility as soon as possible.

I feel that what I wanted to express in this blog has already been done. Nevertheless, if there is an inspiration to post an article at a later time, I may do so. Here is what I have learned in this journey so far: Follow your heart. Believe in your own experience and be open to hear another’s, for in that openness, new changes may happen.

Wish you all ( BK or non-BK) the best and it will be until next time “around”… 🙂

Giving money to an indigent or someone in need.

In the Brahma Kumaris I was taught not to give money to just anyone asking for it. If this person receiving our money uses it to hurt himself (for instance, addiction issue) or for a negative purpose, then some consequences will be experienced by the one giving that money.

It was taught, to give a donation of money to the BK center near you instead; to support the teaching of BK knowledge to another person, as this will bring benefit.

Money is energy. It lacks polarity (good/bad.) In this way, it is like a knife. If someone asks for a knife, that person could cut an orange or cut herself. In an extreme case, she could use that knife later on, to take her own Life.

Could we be liable/responsible for her action, as we provided that person with a knife? Not at all unless we had the intention for her to take her Life away.

Similarly, our good intention to help someone in need through money, is the positive energy we are giving. That is the extent of our responsibility in this action.

As we know, there are no “black or white” laws here. It is on a case by case basis. Sometimes, we could act with negligence but still the “real” fuel of that action is hidden underneath our intention.

The other day, I was faced with that situation as I saw a family of people from another country asking for money. I gave them money but then the “old” BK conditioning came back and made me feel a bit disturbed.

That episode showed me how conditioning can linger even though many years have gone by.

Now, I realize how valuable my intention behind the action is. Society will judge us by observing only the action, “what you DO is what matters,” they will say. However, in Life, what we FEEL is way more important than what we DO or not do. We could hide our true feelings to society, but not to Life itself.

Will resume writing on March 30^th. Until then! 🙂

Self-realization

In my time in the Brahma Kumaris, the label ”self-realization” had a limited connotation: As long as “I” knew that “I” was a “soul,” that was the extent of it. In my Christian days, “self-realization” did not exist.

In my “eclectic days,” self-realization was something nice to add in my own “resume”/ description as a “seeker.” Something like: “ I have studied with many saints, well known authorities and gurus all over the world looking for self-realization.” That goes right along with any “certifications” I obtained during that “investment.”

At this point in my Life, I can see that the above were needed steps but far from what I have found out through my own experience. In a nutshell:

“I” have to be someone else to “realize” who “I am.” That is the finding.

As long as “I” am unwilling to accept Life as it is and find the perfection of it all, then there cannot be any sort of self-realization.

That is the main change and what takes some awareness to realize. Most of us have been trained to put up a fight, to get our way, to look for “success” and “fame,” to “market ourselves.” All of that is the beginning of our “search,” but believe me; it is the very beginning. There is no way to find greater depth in consciousness unless we let go of many things which make up what we proudly call “I.”

To be in the “rat race” or the “world of busy-ness” and to search for self-realization is a huge lie. It is not the amount of DOING what allows for greater depth, but BEING and for that we need idle time to be with ourselves. Plenty of it.

Otherwise, how could we know ourselves if we postpone and run away from solitude and the sensation of being alone, a drop out of society, a “nobody”? There is no way that any world-class info from a “master class” could do that for us.

From Meditation to Contemplation

As most individuals are slaves of their own minds and their conditioning, meditation entered the world of spirituality as a “panacea” for a “happy mind.”

Many are unaware of the thoughts running through their minds. Many believe that those thoughts are the expression of themselves and many want instant “solutions” to live in peace and happiness.

Meditation was part of that therapy: It can give you a time for yourself, a time of tranquility, a time to “think” something else. That “experience” has been labeled as “peace” by many.

As our observation and awareness increases, we may realize that we cannot have a “solution” unless we get to know the issue within us. That requires observation without judgment. While some have profited out of “methods” to teach someone to meditate, the fact of our own individuality will make us consider how feasible it is to follow a “one size fits all” method.

In Spirituality, we need to reinvent the wheel. There is no other way to know ourselves.

As we leave the mind, we may encounter feelings and emotions. Contemplation is to feel. We could be looking at Nature, as we feel the outside becoming the inside and vice versa. While in meditation there is “I” which is different than everything else, in contemplation, there is unity of all. In this, there are no thoughts or reflections.

The importance of observing our feelings

Mainstream spirituality is about DOING things: Do a good action every day, do the best you can, practice virtues, etc.

There is nothing wrong with the above; however, that is not the whole journey.

What do you do when you see someone dying? If that person is a relative, we could DO everything in our power to help, according to our conditioning.

When suffering is tasted because we perceive it in another, we could do many things to avoid it. We could also act out of desperation, trying to get out of that scene as soon as possible. However, whatever we DO with our vibe or energy, is the true “reason” behind our DOING. That is our feeling.

The reality of finding out what we truly feel is the pen that Life uses to write our story and through that, further experiences along those lines will be experienced.

Yes, there is suffering around, but I feel compassion and true love for that one, then; whatever I get to DO will be colored by that feeling.

Why is that?

Consciousness is a feeling, a vibe primarily. It is not a thought or the application of some knowledge.

To be appreciative, thankful and happy in Life, it is not a matter of repeating it or saying it. It is not a mind thing.

You feel it. Words are completely unnecessary at that point.

If we feel with intensity something negative for example; that will affect the environment. That feeling may require to be acted out. Feeling hate, acts out in violence towards another sooner or later. We become “clear” from that stored energy of hate through that action, but we also pay the consequences.

Thus, we may need to be observant of what we feel.

Keeping it “real.”

What if your lifestyle has to change all of the sudden?

What if everything you thought will give you security, falls apart?

What if authorities, rulers and the economy are no longer worthy of trust?

What if there is nothing that you could rely on: No hopes, no future, no beliefs?

If you haven’t asked those questions to yourself, you may want to consider doing that. Times are changing and so change is unavoidable.

It is important to leave aside the “serious” questions which will lead you nowhere: Who am I? What is the purpose of Life? What is there beyond death? And a large etc.

Why?

Because those questions do not meet the reality of living Life in the “now.”

Are you meeting Life challenges with sanity, with what could be known as “spirituality”? Or perhaps, whatever is happening becomes too much and madness becomes the “choice” of default?

Anyone could be very “spiritual” when things are going just fine.

It is in the perception of adversity where our “true” colors show up, but yet many will pray to avoid those “tests.”

Many times, it may seem as if Life squeezes out of us our last drop of patience.

Want to know who you truly are? Observe if the taste of gentleness still comes out.

Willingness to oppose in Life

Observe an argument between 2 people.

Our civilized world has been taught to follow these steps:

1) Listen to the content of both sides.

2) Choose the one who is right.

3) Support the one who has been chosen to be “correct.”

The problem resides in #2, the standard chosen. Mostly, we use “reason” and “logic” to determine that. However, typically there is more than “reason” underneath. Emotions, learned behaviors, moral standards and the sanity of a person are part of the package to consider. Judging fairly is not easy at all.

Now, if we argue with someone else note that “reason” has a different meaning. It means everything we consider reasonable to “win” the argument. We set the standard or how we understand it. The goal is to “win.”

Many times, there may be an argument within. That is when choosing between 2 or more options. Our desires become our “reasons.”

When we deal with the force of opposition, tiredness will be unavoidable if the will to “win” prevails to reduce the opposite view.

When we learn the art of not opposing, we will observe how every attempt to use our will power to obtain a goal, (just like we are taught to “succeed” in Life;) is an attempt to fight an oppose. In this “practice” inevitably we will break down. That is the consequence of following opposition as a way of Life.

Not opposing does not mean to be subservient. It means to yield first to meet later. Many things will happen in “later,” which could make us change.

The issues of “Doing what I want.”

In our globalized culture, to do “what I want” is synonymous of freedom. It is the “seal of acceptance” of any mainstream spirituality, that is spirituality for the masses.

The movement of rebellion against any type of system is the representation of the “I do what I want” logo.

Few will realize that the “normal” person merely repeats what he has been taught. Conditioning has many layers and although outwardly many will profess to be free from some hang up or trauma, the fact is that self-knowledge is not something typically for the masses to take up. At least, while the thought of “I do what I want” prevails.

Being confined in the system of the “I” is not freedom at all. For instance, many times we will act based on some thought of the way that “ I use to act” in a similar condition. We call that “consistency.” Through that it is easy for others to know what to expect. I recall the person who walks every day through the same place at noon, while the church clock sounds or the person who does not respond to e-mails until the night, for that it his “policy.” We become predictable and as we open up in consciousness, we will see how big of an obstacle that “predictability” could be, which is a golden jail of perceived security.

Anything that asserts the “I” becomes individuation, which separates from the rest. This is not something bad for it it is necessary in society, but it will add up in building the ego unless it is observed.

“I do what I want” is the jail of the self, for the unaware individual.

The reality of morality

Creation comes from destruction and destruction from creation. One extreme holds the other. It is that cyclical factor the one that breaks any unyielding moral standard followed by society.

Moral standards are learned behaviors which may have an unusual twist in another society, a different way of doing things which may be antagonistic. Thus, a “good person” is not someone who follows a moral standard, but the one who IS truly “good” by bringing benefit to all including himself. That behavior is something completely unrehearsed or learned. It is spontaneous and natural.

While morality separates the extremes of a duality by choosing one side and rejecting the other, someone who is at another level of consciousness will integrate.

Integration is acknowledgment, it is careful observation without judgment or a plan of action. Let it BE what IS, but when we become aware of the nature of something as it is developing, then the “solution” or “right” action is found without looking for it.

That “solution” is not a recipe that could be applied to similar incidents or written into some commandment; rather it is a response to a new challenge presented by Life at one moment, which could change at another.

Thus, as we lost awareness; morality arrived for we required something “safe” to be “right” all the time. Paradoxically, when we are afraid of making mistakes in Life, we stop living.

The understanding of the “truth.”

Many times Life will challenge us with some experience which wasn’t the one which our idea or thought believed it “should be.”

I find that writing “spiritual topics” could be very vague if I do not take sides and pick options, but to pick an option means to limit what “could be.”

For instance, I recall the way a BK Sakar Murli is written; it reminds me the need to be specific, black or white. As writings become more vague, interpretations appear according to each one’s experience.

The Tao Te Ching is an example of mostly that vagueness I am trying to illustrate, which could be called subtleness as well.

The Tao te Ching and the BK Sakar Murli do not convey the same message. A seeker will say that he is concerned with the “truth,” yet he is only concerned with the “truth” that he can understand.

That cannot be the “truth.”

Thus, beyond perception and interpretation there is a reality which is there to experience and turn the page, for otherwise; every subsequent similar experience will be compared as the mind kicks in. The idea of what “should be” is a handicap to experience “what is.”

The beauty of the BK Sakar Murli resides in drawing a secure path to take the follower to an ideal place, where the mind feels it has arrived.

The beauty of the Tao Te Ching is in describing the plentiful of options which are not necessarily in the range of understanding of the mind.

Why are we concerned in choosing which scripture is better? Why be concerned in knowing which one is the truth? To “think” like that is to miss the point, completely.