10-27-2010, 12:00 AM
Turin Otzaki wrote:
What is that motivation to criticise another? the urge to buy our own innocence at the price of their guilt? buy our superiority at the expense of their inferiority......
Separation. "You," as you view yourself are 'here,' "they," in which you speak to, are over 'there.'
Everyone on earth carries with them, as they grow through daily life, a kind of a vague sense of instability and separation; a sense of separation from the rest of the community around them. In order to overcome this sense of isolation and emptiness, we try to fill ourselves with things, with people, with substances, with experiences.
Some of us go to great lengths to satisfy ourselves, but in fact only end up in this way intensifying this feeling. Someone who wants to feel more worthy and fulfilled may become a politician, or a go to great lengths to become a celebrity of some sort, maybe even climb Mount Everest or drive a car very fast in a race, or become a great sportsman of some kind, and there is nothing wrong with any of those efforts in themselves as they usually promote a good health and a strong intellect, and a healthy emotional life.
These are all fine, except in so far if we are really using them to fulfill this emptiness in us. If this is the case, then we will be unhappy, because the emptiness cannot be fulfilled by something from the outside. We must find out who we truly are, what true stability, true integrity, true character is, and where it comes from. And this is the training that we are all involved in, right?
It starts on a very fundamental level, and this is really the beauty of the path. And it is unique in this way, in my experience.
We have taken all these years to develop the erroneous habit of seeing ourselves as separate, of seeing a dualistic world, of seeing "you over there trying to do something to me over here". We have developed this way of seeing things, and in spite of our best efforts this continues to arise. This ego is a very powerful mechanism within us. And we have developed it to the extent that it completely controls most of our lives.
So we must transform this way of thinking, this way of living, into a unified non-dualistic state where there is no sense of isolated self, no sense of separateness between the individual self and the Universe as a whole.
Universe and Self are not two separate things. But rather the whole together can be seen as a unified stream of being, a constant movement of this unity. And all the actions in life arise out of that stream much like waves arising out of an ocean.
Not separate from it, they are unique and beautiful, they have action. And finally though, in the end, we see that they exist completely on the basis of the ocean. Without the ocean they could not exist, so we must identify with the ocean.
So, how to do that? In order to develop ourselves more fully, we need to have some form of practice.
Here’s the question to all of you: What’s your practice? What do you do to live in the Now? How do you retain your non-seperatness?
Well, whatever it may be, it takes commitment, in a word.
Commitment is a scary word. It is a rare man or woman that is able to commit themselves completely to a path that is basically going to annihilate their ego, or their sense of separate self. This is a very difficult thing to consciously agree to.
We generally try to avoid this kind of thing. Everything we do in our life is to build up a stronger ego, a stronger presence. It takes a tremendous commitment for any kind of true realization; any real change.
It is voluntarily; you don't have to stay where you are, but it is up to you. When You make this commitment, then…say OK!
What then? It obviously takes more than just a word. How about some unbending Intent behind it? How about the preparation for "in a while" begins at this very moment? Now. Action. Verification.
The fundamental method of mastering anything is practice. However, not just practice, but it is also important to validate how one has changed as a result of the practice.
It is easy to lose what you have learned without practice. On the other hand, you will never lose what you have learned through practice and validation. Therefore learn, practice, and validate the contents or building blocks of our Path with Heart.
And sometime, maybe you will be able to make that commitment, and truly become a student of … what?
Yourself?
What is that motivation to criticise another? the urge to buy our own innocence at the price of their guilt? buy our superiority at the expense of their inferiority......
Separation. "You," as you view yourself are 'here,' "they," in which you speak to, are over 'there.'
Everyone on earth carries with them, as they grow through daily life, a kind of a vague sense of instability and separation; a sense of separation from the rest of the community around them. In order to overcome this sense of isolation and emptiness, we try to fill ourselves with things, with people, with substances, with experiences.
Some of us go to great lengths to satisfy ourselves, but in fact only end up in this way intensifying this feeling. Someone who wants to feel more worthy and fulfilled may become a politician, or a go to great lengths to become a celebrity of some sort, maybe even climb Mount Everest or drive a car very fast in a race, or become a great sportsman of some kind, and there is nothing wrong with any of those efforts in themselves as they usually promote a good health and a strong intellect, and a healthy emotional life.
These are all fine, except in so far if we are really using them to fulfill this emptiness in us. If this is the case, then we will be unhappy, because the emptiness cannot be fulfilled by something from the outside. We must find out who we truly are, what true stability, true integrity, true character is, and where it comes from. And this is the training that we are all involved in, right?
It starts on a very fundamental level, and this is really the beauty of the path. And it is unique in this way, in my experience.
We have taken all these years to develop the erroneous habit of seeing ourselves as separate, of seeing a dualistic world, of seeing "you over there trying to do something to me over here". We have developed this way of seeing things, and in spite of our best efforts this continues to arise. This ego is a very powerful mechanism within us. And we have developed it to the extent that it completely controls most of our lives.
So we must transform this way of thinking, this way of living, into a unified non-dualistic state where there is no sense of isolated self, no sense of separateness between the individual self and the Universe as a whole.
Universe and Self are not two separate things. But rather the whole together can be seen as a unified stream of being, a constant movement of this unity. And all the actions in life arise out of that stream much like waves arising out of an ocean.
Not separate from it, they are unique and beautiful, they have action. And finally though, in the end, we see that they exist completely on the basis of the ocean. Without the ocean they could not exist, so we must identify with the ocean.
So, how to do that? In order to develop ourselves more fully, we need to have some form of practice.
Here’s the question to all of you: What’s your practice? What do you do to live in the Now? How do you retain your non-seperatness?
Well, whatever it may be, it takes commitment, in a word.
Commitment is a scary word. It is a rare man or woman that is able to commit themselves completely to a path that is basically going to annihilate their ego, or their sense of separate self. This is a very difficult thing to consciously agree to.
We generally try to avoid this kind of thing. Everything we do in our life is to build up a stronger ego, a stronger presence. It takes a tremendous commitment for any kind of true realization; any real change.
It is voluntarily; you don't have to stay where you are, but it is up to you. When You make this commitment, then…say OK!
What then? It obviously takes more than just a word. How about some unbending Intent behind it? How about the preparation for "in a while" begins at this very moment? Now. Action. Verification.
The fundamental method of mastering anything is practice. However, not just practice, but it is also important to validate how one has changed as a result of the practice.
It is easy to lose what you have learned without practice. On the other hand, you will never lose what you have learned through practice and validation. Therefore learn, practice, and validate the contents or building blocks of our Path with Heart.
And sometime, maybe you will be able to make that commitment, and truly become a student of … what?
Yourself?