Bodily Presence

This is one of my most valuable and cherished articles, it’s worth repeating. It’s life changing if applied…

The mind is usually everywhere but in the present moment, the body is a great anchor to use in a sitting practice because there’s no way it can’t be in the present moment…

The importance of developing a sitting practice is in how this develops discipline which allows the mind to settle enough so one is in the present more often than not. The breath is used for this because it anchors you in the body which is always in the present. You never take a past or future breath, you can only take a breath in the present, this is why the breath is used. It’s the same reason chants are used, when Om is used, or EFT, you don’t Om or tap in the past or the future, you do it right now. When this is done it anchors you in the body which is always in the Now. The mind for most is constantly in the past or future, there are times when it’s present, but this is fleeting and mostly occurs because of happenstance. The body is a great anchor to use in a sitting practice because there’s no way it can’t be present. This doesn’t prevent anything from happening, but what it does do is it allows for one’s awareness to be with what’s happening instead of using resisting energy and trying to push what arises away. This resisting energy is at the core of how addictions manifest.

Besides a sitting practice, I often use the tool of simply looking down at my feet, and since wherever my feet are there I am, it also anchors me in the present. This is also why one uses a mindfulness practice, such as walking meditation because as you are mindful of each step, you’re anchored in the body which as stated before, is always in the present moment. Life is magical in relation to the things that occur for one’s energy to be transformed to form, but there’s nothing magical in being present for what’s actually happening. That is as long as one is aware that nothing happens to you, it’s just happening, you just happen to have the discipline to be aware of it…

Splendor of Life

The splendor of life can only be seen if that’s the view you have of the world. The world can only be seen through your eyes, and how quiet the mind is determines the splendor of the view…

The world is beautiful if you only take the time to see its splendor. You don’t have to go to a special place to see it. How about your own back yard or just taking a walk in the park, but if the mind isn’t quiet it will not matter where you are, you will not see the splendor of life.

So much of life is missed because of the noise in the head. Take the time to smell the roses before the roses are gone. If you keep saying tomorrow, my heart goes out to you because literally tomorrow never comes. Regardless of what goes on in your head, it’s always today. You may dream of tomorrow, but the dream can only happen today. You can hope or wish for tomorrow to be different than today, but at some point it will become today. It’s always today and that’s where the mind needs to be if you want to be with the splendor of what the Universe has to offer.

Take a step back before you miss one more second of your life. There are many distractions, that’s why if the mind isn’t quiet you miss the splendor of life which is always right before your very own eyes. It’s up to each individual alone to see the splendor life has to offer, but if you’re too busy to slow down, life will be over before you know it. You can accomplish many things in life, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to seeing the splendor of it. The Universe gives you a sense of awe, but it will only be seen by a mind that’s ready and quiet enough to see the splendor that is right before your eyes, if the time is taken to see it…

Triggered Thoughts

If a person is stuck in a thought based world, most likely they’re being controlled by a triggered existence. This is a prison that you will only be released from by going beyond your triggered thoughts…

It’s impossible to be conditioned by triggered thoughts that aren’t created by your own mind. This doesn’t mean without triggered thoughts things won’t occur, it just means that regardless of what happens it’s your own mind that creates the triggered thoughts which come from within yourself. Lots of things happen throughout the day and each time there’s a choice to hold onto it or not. Everyone has the ability to cease causing their triggering, it just takes a certain amount of discipline for this to occur. What discipline does is it slows down the thought process that runs continuously. This slowing down is the beginning of truth being revealed. Without it the necessary quietness that allows less triggering will not happen.

If there’s continuous triggered thoughts and no quiet, all there will be is thought and this will not allow the ability to watch the triggering unfold. If this isn’t seen your mind will never slow down and there won’t be any space created between your thoughts. Life will simply be thought based and the result of this creates triggered thoughts. When life slows down, you’ll see how it’s your own mind that takes something that happens and puts it into a conditioned category. When you see this, you can break free of the hold your triggering has over you, and you’ll be able to see that you’re not your thoughts, you’re beyond the triggering of a thought based world…

Accepted Stories

There are many stories that are accepted which keeps you trapped to the stories. If these accepted stories aren’t exposed at least to where this is realized, your life will mostly be controlled by these accepted stories…

Accepting your stories is what gets you in trouble. Thinking the grass is greener on the other side is one of these stories and until it’s seen that this grass also has to be mowed, you will continue to be controlled by your stories. If you think only accepting things a certain way is the answer you’ll be sadly mistaken even if those things come to pass. This is very hard to see and as one clings to the acceptance of needing life to be a certain way, this reinforces the stories. Case in point would be something as simple and seemingly innocent as playing the lottery. Here’s how this works. Here’s the story that makes you think if you hit the lottery you will have it made; it’s the answer to your so called prayers. So you buy a lottery ticket just because the jackpot is a billion dollars. This seems innocent, but make no mistake it isn’t.

There’s nothing wrong with money inherently, but whatever is accepted that makes a person think life would be better if this or that happens, it puts you in chains. Granted a billion dollars would make life different, but different doesn’t mean it will necessarily be better. The moment one accepts that life needs to better, it means the present moment is wanted different. There are many stories that are accepted which keeps you trapped, and if these aren’t exposed, life will mostly be controlled by a story. Money is only one story, anything can be substituted for money. Don’t take my word on this, investigate this and see the stories you’re accepting. Or not and remain trapped to the stories that you’re keeping in place by accepting them to be true…

Memory Attachment

Understanding the attachment of memory is very important in breaking the chains of suffering because it’s the attachment to “I“ that wants to only remember what’s pleasurable…

The attachment of how we remember things and constantly bringing them into the present is simply that, an attachment. Although this happens without it being realized, when it is realized it changes the way existence is viewed. The memory of how things truly are gets distorted in a way because they’re viewed through the conditioning in place; conditioning that mostly attaches to constantly seeking pleasure. Think of this, when someone dies no one gets up and says the person was a SOB. What’s usually said borders on making the individual a saint regardless if when alive the person was a SOB. This is the memory attachment in place and until it’s realized life is spent constantly seeking pleasurable memories; the mind doesn’t like unpleasant memories so it attaches to anything it remembers as pleasurable. This is part of the survival instinct ingrained in us. Those who remember painful events also use them to find something pleasurable, even if to just push them away, hence this is also why one attaches to the outside for comfort.

Nobody attaches to anything for any other reason but to provide comfort, in this comfort seeking there’s so much unconscious suffering. Comfort pleasure, pleasure comfort, these two go hand in hand and until this is understood they’ll continue to cause unconscious suffering. Understanding the attachment of memory is very important in breaking the chains of bondage because it’s the attachment to “I“ that makes one only remember what’s pleasurable. Even to the point of its own destruction “I” attaches to pleasure, just look in any rehab or detox. Every drug or drink of alcohol taken had the attachment of pleasure associated with it or it wouldn’t have be taken. Understanding this isn’t limited to just those things, this goes for anything that’s reached for. The mind defaults to what’s familiar and it attaches to anything seen as pleasure. Until this is realized you will continue to attach the memory that makes everyone a saint; at least that’s what’s said when they die…

Non-Beneficial Tools

There’s an energy that occurs in life that keeps non-beneficial tools in place without investigating them. The issue with this is how these non-beneficial tools are passed onto others…

If there are non-beneficial actions and reactions in your daily decision making process without investigation, there will be many decisions made without knowing what is truly beneficial. When these tools are passed onto others, it equates to the blind leading the blind; very few people truly understand the Conditioned Mind. Without the discipline that provides some stillness, non-beneficial energy is followed simply because it’s in place. To the Conditioned Mind there’s no need for questions because it has all the answers. Saying I’m not there yet is just crazy and it’s a created block that hampers the ability to live in a beneficial way. If you’re not there yet wherever there is, you will never get there. What amazes me is how people settle for a place just because it’s comfortable and someone else says it’s beneficial.

To me, it’s just mind boggling how a person holds onto what is non-beneficial and doesn’t even consider there might be another way to see things. What’s mind boggling about this is how this non-beneficial energy keeps you in a self created prison that causes suffering; life doesn’t cause suffering the nob-beneficial Conditioned Mind does. Unless you’re willing to sit and allow the mind to settle, the non-beneficial energy of the Conditioned Mind will remain in place and you’ll continue to use the non beneficial tools that cause suffering. Here’s the real issue with this, these tools are passed onto others and this makes it as though the blind are leading the blind…

Seduction of "I" Desires

The most important thing to understand about the seduction of desire is the less attachment there is to “I” the less you will be seduced by “I” desires because without “I” there’s no one who desires…

The seduction of “I” desires are so enticing because they feel good; this is why the seduction is so powerful. There’s issue with this because of the impermanent nature of “I” seduction. It simply will not last, it has no staying power so something will always be needed almost immediately following each seduction. Think about it, with all the “I” seductions that have been fulfilled throughout your life regardless of what it was, it doesn’t bring the fulfillment now that it brought at that time. Most times even if the same exact “I” seduction is physically repeated, it’s usually not as fulfilling as the first experience. I used so many things as I was seduced by my “I” conditioning, but it never lasted; the “I” seduction of the next needed desire always arose. This went on all the time, seduced by one desire after another and never satisfied for long.

I understand this seduction of “I” desires as the main reason people start using and become addicted to things. If the seduction of “I” desires didn’t arise, nothing would be reached for so there would never be an addiction. Unfortunately the seduction of “I” desires has its way with people. It’s deeply ingrained in the subconscious and has been in place since existence began. I know it was the seduction of desires that controlled me for forty nine years and it was directly associated with “I”. Without “I” no one is there to be seduced. Even with this understanding the seduction of “I” desires don’t just disappear, but they do subside somewhat. To me, the most important thing to understand about this is the less attachment there is to “I” the less you will be seduced by “I” desires because without “I” there’s no one who desires…