Acknowledge and Surrender

Whangapoua Beach, Coromandel, New Zealand

Our unhappiness, anger and frustration are caused by unexamined thought.

We can begin to experience the peace, love and joy that is our very nature once we decide to bring awareness (i.e., attention without judgment) to our thoughts.

It takes courage to examine our thoughts.  Our thoughts were driven into our subconscious for a reason: in order to protect us from being hurt.  However, our subconscious thoughts infect our lives in ways we cannot imagine.  They color everything we say and do.

No thought can hurt us if we examine it without labeling or judging it.  It is the emotional response to the thought which causes us pain.  A thought triggers additional thoughts and memories which are consistent with the original thought.  Our mind spins into a cycle of regret and despair.

We can end this cycle of pain by acknowledging our thoughts and surrendering them to the Void.  The thought arises.  We bring our attention to it without judgment of any kind.  This prevents our thoughts from becoming a breeding ground for similar thoughts and negative emotions. Once we bring our attention to the thought without judgment, our attachment to it dissolves.

When we are stressed, it is very difficult to examine our thoughts because they are coming too fast.  It is very helpful to build some space around our thoughts by slowing them down.

We can slow down the pace of our thoughts by bringing our attention to our breathing, meditation, yoga, walking in nature, etc.  It is then much easier to examine and acknowledge our thoughts.

Let's acknowledge and surrender our thoughts.

Love

Swan and cygnets, Lake Taupo, New Zealand

Love or fear?  These are our root emotions.  The choice seems obvious. However, if the best choice is so clear, why do we, on any given day, mostly choose fear?

We choose fear because we are not aware that we are choosing.  We are not aware that we have a choice.  The choices are made, moment by moment, on subconscious levels.  When we act unconsciously, we are mostly driven by negative emotions, such as fear, anger and frustration, which are derived from our stale belief systems, built up and reinforced over our lifetimes.

How do we begin to make conscious choices?  We make conscious choices by bringing awareness (i.e., our attention without judgment) to our thoughts. Once we are aware of our thoughts, we can begin to make different choices.

Let's choose love.

The Watcher

Hakone, Japan

We are not our thoughts.  Our thoughts are derived from programming which started when we were born and continues to this day.  If we wrote down all of the thoughts that we had in any particular day, the list would consist of regret aver things that have occurred in the past, worry about possible events in the future, and fantasies about obtaining things which we think would make us feel whole.  But the largest portion of our thoughts would consist of nonsensical gibberish which has no connection to reality or our present lives.

Our anger, frustration and despair is not caused by our thoughts.  It is caused by our being unconscious of our thoughts.  When we think unconsciously (i.e., without awareness), we believe that our thoughts are true and represent who we are.  Actually, the vast majority of our thoughts are not true.

When we bring awareness (i.e., our attention without judgment) to our thoughts, we create a separation between our thoughts and ourselves.  We begin to understand that our thoughts are not who we are.

When this separation occurs, our thoughts start to lose their power over us. Eventually, we can look at our thoughts with amusement or even hilarity. They become so ridiculous to us that we are amazed that we ever took them seriously.

If we are not our thoughts, then who are we?  We are the one who is aware of our thoughts.  When we are aware without judgment, we are in harmony with the Infinite Energy Source (some call it God).  Our lives unfold in fulfilling ways and we experience peace, love and joy.

Let's be aware of our thoughts.

Guilt

Kereta, Coromandel, New Zealand

Feelings of guilt ravage our sense of peace and well being.  Guilt has an original purpose: to encourage us to become more conscious.   However, the vast majority of the guilt we feel arises from our conditioned systems of beliefs, and serves no purpose whatsoever.  We are often tormented by these unnecessary feelings. We can rid ourselves of artificial guilt and free ourselves from the nagging voices in our heads, making us feel shame for no reason.

We can free ourselves from this burden by first identifying natural guild, which has an important role to play in our lives, from artificial guilt, which does not.

How can we tell the difference between natural guilt and artificial guilt?  If we feel guilty about something we did, we can ask ourselves: "if the same situation occurred again, would we do the same thing or do something different?" if we would act differently, that is natural guilt.  Once we endeavor to try to fix the situation we created, apologize, and/or resolve to behave differently when a similar situation arises in the future, the guilt dissolves because it has fulfilled its purpose.

If we would do the exact same thing in the same situation, that is artificial guilt.  There is nothing to be done to remedy the situation, and we do not need to resolve to act differently in the future.  Once we acknowledge this, we can release the feelings of guilt because we recognize them for what they are: an ancient artifact from a useless belief system.  The feelings of artificial guilt will dissolve once we are aware that they serve no purpose whatsoever, except to torment us.

Let's be free.

Awakening

Cocoa Puff

We cannot awaken in the future.  If we are on the path to enlightenment, we will always be on the path.  The future does not exist.  We can only awaken in the present moment.

How do we awaken in the present?  We can awaken in the present by declaring it.  Once we declare it and take that belief into our hearts, we begin to create a new belief system.

When thoughts or feelings of fear, anger or frustration arise, a cognitive dissonance is created, i.e., we have two inconsistent thoughts.  One of the thoughts will have to give way in order for there to be consistency, which our minds require.  Positive thoughts and beliefs are stronger than negative thoughts.  In the face of the belief "I am awake," the thought "I am afraid," will dissolve.

When the negative thought dissolves, we feel good because it confirms our belief that we are awake.  We say to ourselves "it is really true.  I am awake!"   

The next time thoughts of fear or doubt occur, they hit a much stronger and reinforced wall of belief:  I am awake.  The weaker thought dissolves before it even has a chance to take hold.  It doesn't stand a chance.  We are creating an upward spiral.

Negative thoughts begin to diminish and are eventually met only with amusement.  They have lost their power over us.

The next time we meet with our friends or family, we can tell them that we had a spiritual awakening.  We may receive a positive or negative reaction, or they may have no idea what we are talking about.  It does not matter.  Our awakening is not dependent upon the response of others.  Every time we think it, every time we say it, we are affirming our belief.  We should say it and think it as often as possible.  It may seem like bragging, but affirming that we know who we really are is not a bad thing.  It is not only megalomaniacs who know that they are God.

Can obtaining enlightenment be as easy as declaring it?  I have found it to be true.  Let's try it.  We have nothing to lose.

Let's embody our awakening right now, right this very moment, and bring it deep into our hearts.

We are awake.