Meditation

We do not need to meditate. We can remain aware of our oneness with the Infinite Energy Source without it. It may, however, be a useful tool.

Stress can build up like a balloon filling with air. We do not know how to release it because we have lost perspective. The stress keeps building up until the balloon pops and we may have a heart attack or other health crisis.

When we meditate we return to a place beyond thought and emotion. We are restored to our natural state of peace, love and joy.

Let's remember who we are.

Acceptance

True change cannot occur until we accept reality as it is. When things happen that we are not happy about, we become irritated, frustrated and resistant. We wish things had not happened in the way that they did.

If we have a sore throat and we have an important meeting or fun activity planned, we become angry and upset with our condition. Of course, this only worsens it. Also, we tell ourselves "I always catch a cold at the wrong time," or "I must be coming down with the flu," or "Why does this always happen to me." By telling ourselves these stories we reinforce the situation we do not want to occur, attracting it to ourselves. We literally make ourselves sick.

If we instead fully accept our situation and do not label or judge it, we allow our body to heal itself. If "My throat feels sore" turns into "I am coming down with something," we will. Without judgment, the sore throat could go away in a day or an hour. It is the negative thoughts that often cause the sore throat to turn into something more serious.

Similarly, if we become irritated because we are stuck in traffic, we become unnecessarily anxious and stressed. If we allow the situation to be as it is, by, for example, enjoying the music or time by ourselves, things will unfold in the way that they are supposed to. We are flowing with the current of Life. We may find that the traffic clears or we were better off not arriving in a "timely" manner.

Let's fully accept whatever occurs without judgment or labels.

Enlightenment

Enlightenment is not a nearly impossible to attain state that only a handful of people have ever experienced. Enlightenment is the realization that Infinite Divine Energy, consciousness, awareness, the unmanifested, or whatever we choose to name it, is what we are.

We feel cut off from the energy field that we are and believe that we are a thought construct built up over our lives and confirmed daily by people with similar (or dissimilar) thought structures. We believe the stories that we tell about ourselves are who we are.

Donald Trump is the perfect symbol for the entire world of an ego-identified person. He believes he will be admired if he acquires enough golf courses, buildings and other physical structures. His desire is to be the envy of everybody in the world. If he is envied, he believes that he must be worthy of envy. If he is worthy of envy, his life must have value.

His problem is not that he has a lot of things, but that he identifies with those things and believes that his value as a person is derived from those things. No acquisition can bring him satisfaction as he must continually acquire more and never feels that he has enough.

Having goals does not create dissatisfaction. Believing that acquiring something will make us whole or happy is what creates frustration and dissatisfaction.

There is nothing that we have to acquire. There is nothing that we have to experience. We do not have to attain Enlightenment because Enlightenment is what we are. All that we have to do is realize it.

Spirit

Can we feel the water flowing on our body when we take a shower? Can we feel our breath going in and out of our lungs? Can we feel our hearts beating in our chests and the blood coursing through our bodies? Can we see our thoughts passing through our minds like clouds in the sky? Can we feel our Spirit, the infinite divine energy floating above and through our bodies?

Spirit is a very inaccurate word to describe what we are. Words are inadequate to describe our true nature. We can, however, experience our Divine nature.

We can experience who we are by becoming still. The noise in our minds and the sensory overload that our senses experience in the outer world distract us from becoming our Selves. We can quiet the noise within us and without us by meditating.

Mindful meditation is the simple act of being. We bring our attention to our bodies. As thoughts arise, we observe them without judgment. When we do not identify with them, they pass like clouds. There is no need for frustration if we do not feel still. The realization that we are not still is an awakening. No judgment is required. To paraphrase a bad joke, the worst meditation I had was still good.

Let's be aware of the outer boundary of our body. Let's dissolve that boundary and merge with the Infinite.

Let's discover and join with our true nature by being still.

Mind

The mind is not our enemy. It is a useful tool. However, identification with thought creates frustration and unhappiness.

We can interrupt our identification with thought by bringing awareness (i.e., attention without judgment) to our thoughts and emotions. We are not our thoughts. Thoughts arise and we observe them. We will discover that 99% of our thoughts do not serve us. They consist of worry, guilt, fear, frustration, hope, desire, etc.

Let's bring awareness to our thoughts.

The Body

Our body is our instrument for interacting with the material world. We should treat it in the same way we would treat a beloved possession.

Maintaining good health is no secret. It requires three things: Good nutrition to nourish the body (i.e., eating more fruits and vegetables and less processed foods, meat and dairy); vigorous exercise nearly every day; and rest (including sleep and relaxation). More and more studies have shown that practices like yoga and meditation have substantial benefits to the heart, and the other organs).

It is well proven that unconsciousness, i.e., negative thoughts about our health, cause disease and ill health. When we become conscious, we drop our addiction to things which cause us ill health, are renewed by a constant flow of energy, and turn towards healthier choices.

Let's nurture our instrument.

Pure Awareness

Pure awareness is what we are.

We have convinced ourselves that we are an identity, which has been constructed over time since we were babies. We were given a name, a sexual identity, a religion, a socio-economic label, a national identity, group affiliations (e.g., country clubs, labor unions, alumni associations, professional organizations), etc.

The only existence we know is this identity which consists of a structure of beliefs which has no independent existence in reality.

We are reluctant to give up our attachment to the cycle of desire, expectation and fulfilment, even though it is irrevocably tied to disappointment and frustration. We are like a person who is addicted to gambling. He cannot stop despite the fact that his life is in shambles. He believes all his problems are caused by the fact that he loses. He continually tries to defeat the odds. The problem is not that the gambler loses, the problem is the gambling itself.

Similarly, we believe that our problems are caused by our desires not being fulfilled. We believe that if our desires are met, we would be happy and satisfied. The problem is not our unfulfilled desires. It is desire itself.

If desire is the problem, what is the solution? The answer is pure awareness, the realization that awareness is what we are. It is awareness becoming aware of itself.

Let's surrender to awareness.