In this study that we are undertaking, of self-observation, there is something that we might come across; that there are more than one entity in us and all of them are masquerading as ourselves.
What do I mean by this? Let's take an example: A person gets drunk and does something he would never do when he was not drunk. Then after he becomes sober, he promises never to do it ever again. But when the time comes, and he drinks again, he commits the same action again and again. Why does this happen? We can say that he broke his promise. Another, more accurate way, to view it is to say that the one that made the promise is not the same one that broke it. They are two different people altogether.
Let's look deeper now into something that we may have done in our lives called a New Year's Resolution. How many times have we made the same New Year's Resolution over and over again and how successful were we at it? For the one's who said they were successful, we will talk about that later. Right now, we will only be speaking about the ones who didn't keep their promises. It all comes down to the same point. The entity in you that promises to change, is a totally different entity than the one that breaks the promise or doesn't follow through. How does this work?
Are we possessed by multiple entities? Is that what I am trying to say? Yes and no. In a way, we are possessed by many entities, but in truth we create those entities from thoughts; totally random and completely automatic thoughts. We have come back to the first principle that we are asleep and mechanically oriented. Right now, there are so many thoughts that are present. Certain situations in the environment trigger us to give more importance to some thoughts over another. For example, when a person is drunk there are certain thoughts, that are normally suppressed during the normal state, that will have free reign as the buffer of "acting nice" has been removed. So we have come to observe that certain situations or conditions will trigger certain thoughts.
None of these thoughts are new thoughts. They have all at one time or another been conditioned into us. So we can say that we have never really been the one to 'THINK' anything. We have simply been LIVED BY thought and the conditions that create the particular thoughts. We turn those thoughts into entities by identifying with them as us. If we are to see deeply we will see that there are many contradictory thoughts that we have identified as us or as MY POSITION, WHERE I AM COMING FROM.
By identifying with every thought and by mistakenly assuming that we THINK the thoughts and so therefore they are MINE and CAME FROM ME, we are disabling ourselves from truly being able to THINK. We are simply being LIVED BY our thoughts. We become both the one that makes and the one that breaks the promise. We become both the one that is the prince and the pauper. We become the role model and the hideous creature everyone runs from.
In truth however, we are none of these. The key is to continue to practice self observation. To simply be the observer of all the thoughts and actions. Putting yourself in the observer positions keeps you a step back from being in the action. You are now the watcher of the action. There may still be many thoughts, and conditions provoking other thoughts, but you are no longer identified with them. You are simply the observer.
As the power of self observation becomes stronger, you will realize that you are not any of your thoughts. You will not be LIVED BY the thoughts and will, for the first time be capable of exploring the potential for TRUE THINKING AND TRUE LIVING free from the bondage of automatism and waking sleep.
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(3) UNAWARE of the Blinders We Wear
It is time to realize something that we may not have looked at before. We are not experiencing the fullness that is already inherent in ourselves and in life. This is the fact plainly stated. A more dramatic way of saying it is already mentioned in the title of this posting - we are wearing blinders throughout our life.
What are these blinders? These blinders are the ideas from which we are living our life. It is the pre-occupation with certain thoughts that repeat themselves moment after moment and day after day. It has been mentioned that we have numerous thoughts every day (some say around 60,000). What's amazing about that statistic is that a majority (can't put a percentage on it) are the same thoughts that have been repeating themselves day after day. You don't have to believe this. Just simply observe: How much of the thoughts that you are currently thinking have been thought of before? I have noticed that my days seem pretty much the same- the same neurotic thoughts whenever I enter an elevator, the same hypnosis whenever I walk into my office, the same automatic answers to the basic questions ("How are you today?", "I'm fine, thank you, and you?"). Conversations, opportunities in life, are simply reduced to empty chatter and unawareness of possibilities in the sleep of automatism.
We are living our lives from a pre-conceived point of view. For example, I noticed this morning while in the shower, that I was thinking about certain things about my work. I was thinking about who to call and how to talk to them about it. Of course, there's nothing wrong with thinking about work while in the shower, is there? However, the truth is that if I look into the nature of the thoughts, I am simply having thoughts about the aspect of my life that I call work. I am missing out on everything else that I can have access to thinking at that point. There are more inspirational and more powerful thoughts that I could have had access to, but I fell into a daydream and was into the work aspect. Then I felt as though something woke me up and I looked out the bathroom window to see the world outside and realized just how small I made the world inside my head.
Not only are we living from a pre-conceived point of view of "my" life story, I have also realized that it is the situations that spark the same thoughts. There are built-in triggers in our environment that we have conditioned in ourselves to make us act a certain way when we come into contact with them. This is the mechanicality that is within us.
What this does to us is that it deprives us of getting more from ourselves and our lives. It deprives us from living to the fullest and deprives us from seeing all that life has available. I am not just simply speaking about what life has available externally, but also about the inner states we all have the potential to have access to that can transform our entire experience of life.
The choice is up to us. Are we content with the experience of life that we have? Are we only saying that we are content because we are unaware that there is more to experience? We are the only ones who can choose to remove the blinders if we want to experience more of this unique opportunity we are living called life. And we can live it more powerfully if we remove the main blinder on life - the notion of "our life" as opposed to just life itself in all of its possibilities.
What are these blinders? These blinders are the ideas from which we are living our life. It is the pre-occupation with certain thoughts that repeat themselves moment after moment and day after day. It has been mentioned that we have numerous thoughts every day (some say around 60,000). What's amazing about that statistic is that a majority (can't put a percentage on it) are the same thoughts that have been repeating themselves day after day. You don't have to believe this. Just simply observe: How much of the thoughts that you are currently thinking have been thought of before? I have noticed that my days seem pretty much the same- the same neurotic thoughts whenever I enter an elevator, the same hypnosis whenever I walk into my office, the same automatic answers to the basic questions ("How are you today?", "I'm fine, thank you, and you?"). Conversations, opportunities in life, are simply reduced to empty chatter and unawareness of possibilities in the sleep of automatism.
We are living our lives from a pre-conceived point of view. For example, I noticed this morning while in the shower, that I was thinking about certain things about my work. I was thinking about who to call and how to talk to them about it. Of course, there's nothing wrong with thinking about work while in the shower, is there? However, the truth is that if I look into the nature of the thoughts, I am simply having thoughts about the aspect of my life that I call work. I am missing out on everything else that I can have access to thinking at that point. There are more inspirational and more powerful thoughts that I could have had access to, but I fell into a daydream and was into the work aspect. Then I felt as though something woke me up and I looked out the bathroom window to see the world outside and realized just how small I made the world inside my head.
Not only are we living from a pre-conceived point of view of "my" life story, I have also realized that it is the situations that spark the same thoughts. There are built-in triggers in our environment that we have conditioned in ourselves to make us act a certain way when we come into contact with them. This is the mechanicality that is within us.
What this does to us is that it deprives us of getting more from ourselves and our lives. It deprives us from living to the fullest and deprives us from seeing all that life has available. I am not just simply speaking about what life has available externally, but also about the inner states we all have the potential to have access to that can transform our entire experience of life.
The choice is up to us. Are we content with the experience of life that we have? Are we only saying that we are content because we are unaware that there is more to experience? We are the only ones who can choose to remove the blinders if we want to experience more of this unique opportunity we are living called life. And we can live it more powerfully if we remove the main blinder on life - the notion of "our life" as opposed to just life itself in all of its possibilities.
(2) A Solution to the 2 Realities: Self Observation
We have seen in the previous two posts that we are asleep and that our lives are mechanical. How do we wake up?
We can't wake up from the machine right away, but we can work towards it by observing the machine. As we observe the machine more and more, we make a space between ourselves and the machine. We will no longer identify ourselves with the machine, and change will be possible.
This is not about instant transformation, it is work. You have to work against the accumulated energy that is invested in making sure you remain asleep. You have to work for your own awakening. Self observation is about simply that. Observing what you take to be your "self" as though you are watching someone else. Make no justifications, rationalizations, or excuses for why you act the way you act. It is simply a mechanical pattern and there is nothing to justify in a mechanical pattern. (you are asleep, you can't rationalize why you did something in your sleep, but you can observe it) Simply observe. The more you observe and see, the more you will realize your actual situation. The more you observe, the less likely the chance of you living in the illusion that you are already awake and that all is going on well.
The life of truth is a life free of illusions. It is written in the Bible, "..and the Truth shall set you Free." It is realizing the truth of where you stand that will set you free; free from illusions that you have been having about what your life is really about.
So simply begin with observing. Observe everything. Begin with observing the physical movements as that is the easiest. Then work with observing the sensations that arise as well as the situations that are present when those sensations arise. Begin simply to study your life for the very first time. (the buddhist practice of vipassana meditation follows this approach) Then work with observing your thoughts. Observe everything with attentiveness. Do not let any detail escape. Observe as much as you can.
Each observation frees you from being used by the machine because as long as you are using attention (what is truly yours, or more correctly truly YOU) to observe the machine, the machine can't use it (attention) for its own agenda (living out its patterns, and keeping you asleep) This does not mean that the pattern will stop right away. It might not, but it is being observed.
Your purpose in observing is ultimately to be free from identification with the machine, however, you are not to use observation as a tool to change any action. Do not fall into that trap. Don't let the machine suck you into its own agenda. The purpose of observation is simply to observe, not to change. Do not look for changes in your environment once you begin observation. Notice that looking for change in the environment is the machine's agenda, not yours.
Your agenda is simply to study the machine thoroughly and to become free from identification with the machine.
We can't wake up from the machine right away, but we can work towards it by observing the machine. As we observe the machine more and more, we make a space between ourselves and the machine. We will no longer identify ourselves with the machine, and change will be possible.
This is not about instant transformation, it is work. You have to work against the accumulated energy that is invested in making sure you remain asleep. You have to work for your own awakening. Self observation is about simply that. Observing what you take to be your "self" as though you are watching someone else. Make no justifications, rationalizations, or excuses for why you act the way you act. It is simply a mechanical pattern and there is nothing to justify in a mechanical pattern. (you are asleep, you can't rationalize why you did something in your sleep, but you can observe it) Simply observe. The more you observe and see, the more you will realize your actual situation. The more you observe, the less likely the chance of you living in the illusion that you are already awake and that all is going on well.
The life of truth is a life free of illusions. It is written in the Bible, "..and the Truth shall set you Free." It is realizing the truth of where you stand that will set you free; free from illusions that you have been having about what your life is really about.
So simply begin with observing. Observe everything. Begin with observing the physical movements as that is the easiest. Then work with observing the sensations that arise as well as the situations that are present when those sensations arise. Begin simply to study your life for the very first time. (the buddhist practice of vipassana meditation follows this approach) Then work with observing your thoughts. Observe everything with attentiveness. Do not let any detail escape. Observe as much as you can.
Each observation frees you from being used by the machine because as long as you are using attention (what is truly yours, or more correctly truly YOU) to observe the machine, the machine can't use it (attention) for its own agenda (living out its patterns, and keeping you asleep) This does not mean that the pattern will stop right away. It might not, but it is being observed.
Your purpose in observing is ultimately to be free from identification with the machine, however, you are not to use observation as a tool to change any action. Do not fall into that trap. Don't let the machine suck you into its own agenda. The purpose of observation is simply to observe, not to change. Do not look for changes in your environment once you begin observation. Notice that looking for change in the environment is the machine's agenda, not yours.
Your agenda is simply to study the machine thoroughly and to become free from identification with the machine.
(1 B) The Mechanicality of Our Lives
Our lives are simply running on auto-pilot. We have certain set patterns of seemingly "doing" things, "saying" things, "thinking" things, and they go on day after day, month after month, year after year.
These patterns are already set and all that has to be done is for something to touch the trigger and off the machine goes with the same patterns.
Have you noticed the things that tick you off? Are you aware that you don't have to be ticked off by those things? Of course you are aware of this, but when the trigger is on, "BANG", off you go into the unconscious patterns.
A great example in the media about the mechanicality of our lives was shown in the movie "Click" starring Adam Sandler. In the movie, he had a remote control that could control his life. If he pressed PAUSE, his world would pause. If he pressed FAST FORWARD, his world would fast forward. After a while, the remote control memorized when to FAST FORWARD (this is normally during times when he was bored, or when he was in a fight) and began to do this automatically. This created a problem when he finally wanted to change his behavior during an argument, but BANG, it fast-forwarded automatically and at the end of the argument nothing was better.
A great teaching scene of this movie was when we see what is actually going on with the character during one of these fast forward moments. He is a zombie, going through the movements, but he is not there; the pattern has taken over.
We can say that the movie is imagined, and that there is no such remote control, but we are wrong. There is such a remote control! It is the remote control of the body-brain computer of this human body. It has certain ways of reacting to certain situations and these happen automatically. By the time the situation has passed, we have no clue about what has just taken place. Let's say you are in an argument with someone at work, for the third time this week. After the first time, you reflected that you could have dealt with it better instead of losing your cool. You saw that you could have communicated your point across more clearly and set out to do that. However, by the time the second argument started, your reflection went out the window and the patterns that were acted out the first time came back.
You can see this. You can sense certain sensations within you cranking up just like a gear whenever you are confronted with certain situations in your life. They are the same sensations you feel all the time when you are confronted by that situation. It's all automatic. Even when you sense an opportunity for change, the habitual pattern takes over and nullifies the potential of transforming that situation.
You can't transform any situation as long as you are mechanical. The machine won't let you. And you believe the machine every time because you think that the machine is YOU!
These patterns are already set and all that has to be done is for something to touch the trigger and off the machine goes with the same patterns.
Have you noticed the things that tick you off? Are you aware that you don't have to be ticked off by those things? Of course you are aware of this, but when the trigger is on, "BANG", off you go into the unconscious patterns.
A great example in the media about the mechanicality of our lives was shown in the movie "Click" starring Adam Sandler. In the movie, he had a remote control that could control his life. If he pressed PAUSE, his world would pause. If he pressed FAST FORWARD, his world would fast forward. After a while, the remote control memorized when to FAST FORWARD (this is normally during times when he was bored, or when he was in a fight) and began to do this automatically. This created a problem when he finally wanted to change his behavior during an argument, but BANG, it fast-forwarded automatically and at the end of the argument nothing was better.
A great teaching scene of this movie was when we see what is actually going on with the character during one of these fast forward moments. He is a zombie, going through the movements, but he is not there; the pattern has taken over.
We can say that the movie is imagined, and that there is no such remote control, but we are wrong. There is such a remote control! It is the remote control of the body-brain computer of this human body. It has certain ways of reacting to certain situations and these happen automatically. By the time the situation has passed, we have no clue about what has just taken place. Let's say you are in an argument with someone at work, for the third time this week. After the first time, you reflected that you could have dealt with it better instead of losing your cool. You saw that you could have communicated your point across more clearly and set out to do that. However, by the time the second argument started, your reflection went out the window and the patterns that were acted out the first time came back.
You can see this. You can sense certain sensations within you cranking up just like a gear whenever you are confronted with certain situations in your life. They are the same sensations you feel all the time when you are confronted by that situation. It's all automatic. Even when you sense an opportunity for change, the habitual pattern takes over and nullifies the potential of transforming that situation.
You can't transform any situation as long as you are mechanical. The machine won't let you. And you believe the machine every time because you think that the machine is YOU!
(1 A) The Sleep We are In
Most of us think that we are awake in our lives. This is a great delusion and we continue to perpetuate it by never finding out the truth. We are not aware of the thoughts in our heads as thoughts floating around. We think that they are "our" thoughts. We give them great importance and even fight over the "right-ness" of "our" thoughts as compared to the thoughts of "others". Have we ever considered where the thoughts are coming from? Where were they before they appeared? Did we ask the thoughts to appear? Did we ask this specific thought to appear? (the one you are having now).
No. Thoughts are occurring all the time. We are not aware of what the thoughts are but we are certainly reacting to all of them believing that they are "ours". This is sleep. The sleep is simply because we believe that the thoughts belong to a certain someone and that they came from a certain someone. We are in the sleep of believing that we are the entity that is "thinking".
Simply because thoughts arise does not mean that we are thinking! Do you get this? Simply because you are having thoughts and experiencing sensations it does not mean that you are thinking and feeling.
Sleep consists of the identification of what we are with what we are not and then living from what we are not. We are aware of thoughts, aware of sensations, but we are not thinking, we are not feeling. Thinking happens, sensations occur, but it does not mean anything. When we make it mean something personal, we have identified with the thoughts and sensations as "me". This "me" that we believe we are because of the thoughts and sensations that are already occurring regardless of us is the sleep.
We can use thought, but we can't think. (using a thought is not something we can do as long as we are asleep, but only a potential we can explore) We can't stop a thought. (please note that the majority of people reading this blog might have just had the thought 'of course we can stop a thought.' Note also that you only had this thought because of the words you read previously-being 'we can't stop a thought'. The thought you had just now was an automatic response and not a thought "you" personally thought out. It happened!) Do you see what I mean by sleep? We think we are doing everything, but we are being done.
We don't have the capacity to do as long as we are asleep. We simply react. "Our" seeming actions are simply reactions, reverberations from a previous pattern within the machine. We are not consciously acting, we are incapable of that until we know what we are. We cannot claim actions arising from mis-identification to be "our actions", they are simply reactions and they are automatic.
This is simply one way in which we are sleep. We are identified with the machine and we are not even conscious of it.
As long as we personalize as "ours" what the machine does, we remain asleep.
No. Thoughts are occurring all the time. We are not aware of what the thoughts are but we are certainly reacting to all of them believing that they are "ours". This is sleep. The sleep is simply because we believe that the thoughts belong to a certain someone and that they came from a certain someone. We are in the sleep of believing that we are the entity that is "thinking".
Simply because thoughts arise does not mean that we are thinking! Do you get this? Simply because you are having thoughts and experiencing sensations it does not mean that you are thinking and feeling.
Sleep consists of the identification of what we are with what we are not and then living from what we are not. We are aware of thoughts, aware of sensations, but we are not thinking, we are not feeling. Thinking happens, sensations occur, but it does not mean anything. When we make it mean something personal, we have identified with the thoughts and sensations as "me". This "me" that we believe we are because of the thoughts and sensations that are already occurring regardless of us is the sleep.
We can use thought, but we can't think. (using a thought is not something we can do as long as we are asleep, but only a potential we can explore) We can't stop a thought. (please note that the majority of people reading this blog might have just had the thought 'of course we can stop a thought.' Note also that you only had this thought because of the words you read previously-being 'we can't stop a thought'. The thought you had just now was an automatic response and not a thought "you" personally thought out. It happened!) Do you see what I mean by sleep? We think we are doing everything, but we are being done.
We don't have the capacity to do as long as we are asleep. We simply react. "Our" seeming actions are simply reactions, reverberations from a previous pattern within the machine. We are not consciously acting, we are incapable of that until we know what we are. We cannot claim actions arising from mis-identification to be "our actions", they are simply reactions and they are automatic.
This is simply one way in which we are sleep. We are identified with the machine and we are not even conscious of it.
As long as we personalize as "ours" what the machine does, we remain asleep.
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