Living Unbound

In the world of Non-Duality, it’s a given that the seperate self can not awaken. It is that self that one awakens from. This being the case, “doing” as the seperate self becomes pointless, however realizing becomes primary. Everything is based on your point of view so when you expand that view, you become closer to the truth.

A good example of this in the physical world is the fact that we did not know the earth was round until we traveled off of it and looked at it from space. This became an expanded point of view and a deeper realization.

I think one of the most effective expansions to move toward inner peace and living through the heart is the realization that thoughts have little consequence. They have absolutely no power over you unless you decide to follow them and act on them.

It’s interesting that most of us take such stock in thinking when we don’t even know where thoughts come from. They arise seemingly out of nowhere and lead us down paths we may not want to go. This only happens however if you attach to a thought.

Years ago I was a Zen Temple member in Ann Arbor Michigan. For three years I learned various meditation methods including chants, walking meditation and sitting for hours at a time. While this helped with mindfulness and slowed down the stream of thoughts, I did not realize that slowing down or stopping thoughts was not the point. It was many years later that I realized thoughts are not the problem. It’s our attachment to them. Placing undeserved value on each one that comes up. Looking at it, following it into the future or the past.

Once you realize that most of your thoughts are random and useless, they begin to fade into the background and become like clouds in the sky. Appearing briefly and drifting away. Without the burden of attaching to thoughts, what follows I can only describe as space. A space left open that used to be occupied by clinging to thought.

It is in this space that intuition expands and creative or productive thoughts that expand the heart begin to appear. Yes, they appear as thoughts, and you still may not have a clue as to where they came from. Yet you can recognise them as inspiration. They become the only thoughts that live in the foreground.

If you want to see this for yourself, it’s not hard. Take time to look at each thought as it arises. Discern for yourself, is this inspirational or productive or will following it be pointless, even detrimental. I knew a guy who did this by watching his thoughts and disgarding 90 percent of them by saying “Bullshit” . I must admit that for me it was much easier. Once I realized that I had no control over each thought, it was easy not to claim them and then even easier to ignore them.

Take a critical look at this, and let me, and others know in the comments, what worked for you and what didn’t .

With the love in all of us,

Paul