Awakening

Long Bay, Coromandel, New Zealand

As we grow older, the years of conditioned programming we have been exposed to take their toll. Our relentless thoughts and belief systems break down our bodies and our spirit. Our conditioning started at birth and continues year after year from the media, our friends and families, and our institutions. We begin to shrink from its weight. The expectations we had for ourselves were never fulfilled. We become frustrated and cynical. If we do not become aware, we will suffer. We will get a heart attack, a nervous breakdown, our relationship will be dysfunctional, or our lives will be dysfunctional. Life no longer seems to serve us. It seems like it has turned against us.

Relief is only a moment away. At any time, we can release all of our beliefs, ideas and judgments all at once, and immediately awaken to a new world. We can be reborn in this moment. All that we have to do is surrender our judgments and turn our awareness to the present. Awareness is simply our attention without judgment. Once we bring our awareness to the present, everything changes. The things that seemed so important no longer concern us. The things that frustrated and annoyed us do not bother us at all. We are in harmony with the Life Force. We glow from inside and from outside. Our health and vigor are renewed. We become stronger and more alert every day. We understand our life's purpose. Life unfolds before us in a fulfilling way.

Every moment is a new opportunity to be reborn. Why not this very moment?

Let's awaken right now.

Truth

Rangitoto, New Zealand

What we believe is true is not true. What society tells us is not true. What our teachers taught is, what our religious leaders tell us, what the media projects, all our not true. The world we believe is a hologram of our programmed beliefs and conditioned responses, just like in the MATRIX films. Truth can be experienced by surrendering all of our beliefs about what we think is true. By not knowing, we will know. By seeing without judging, we will know truth.

Meditation

Asakusa Festival, Japan

There are so many distractions and there is so much noise in our daily lives that it is difficult to appreciate stillness and silence. The media and information that inundates us every day rattles our brains.

If we take a few minutes of every day to simply sit in silence, everything will be different. There will still be the noise, but we will be less affected by it. We will be bemused by it instead of it carrying us away. We will choose to watch a pigeon or an insect, rather than the loudness of watching television. We will appreciate the simplicity of life. We will see through the conditioned layer of society to the inner core of our being. When we quiet the mind, thoughts that we have been avoiding come to the surface: thoughts that make us uncomfortable, thoughts that make us angry, thoughts that make us afraid. We acknowledge these thoughts without judgment and release them.

Let's choose stillness.

Gratitude

Waihihi Bay, Bay of Islands, New Zealand

It always comes back to gratitude. It is the key to fulfillment and abundance. When we are constantly striving and desiring more, we are reinforcing our feelings of lack and we will always be frustrated and unfulfilled. When we surrender our envy, desire and ambition, and feel grateful for our many blessings, everything comes to us naturally. We are humbled by the richness in our lives.

Let's be grateful for all that is.

Courage

Mr. Electric, Waitemata Harbor, New Zealand

No matter how frightening and unproductive our thoughts are, we receive comfort from them. At least they are something to hold on to and shield us from the Unknown. Ironically, if we surrender our thoughts to the Unknown, we will achieve the peace, love and joy that we crave.

Sometimes it takes courage to take that leap of faith away from compulsive thinking and towards being present. As we begin to take that leap, and surrender our thoughts, our anxieties and neuroses begin to peel away. We realize that there was never anything to be afraid of. On the contrary, we feel a connectedness that we have never experienced before.

Let's have the courage to surrender to the Unknown.

Knowing

Waitete Bay, Coromandel, New Zealand

When we worry about a problem that we are having, we are unable to bring our attention to the present moment because we believe that our worrying will somehow solve our dilemma. We make lists of "pros" and "cons" and try to figure out the best answer to our problem.

However, when we surrender our thoughts and worries, and bring our attention to the present, we align ouselves with Universal Intelligence. Once we are in harmony with Universal Intelligence, the best course of action will present itself, without thought or worry. Often, one decision makes us feel nervous and unsure, while the other brings conviction and a sense of calm. Sometimes the best course of action is the less obvious one.

Let's surrender to Knowing.

JOY

Nara, Japan

Happiness does not exist without unhappiness. Satisfaction does not exist without frustration. The everyday ups and downs of our lives continue until we stop and realize that there is another way. There is a never ending joy that we can experience that is between and beyond thought.

All of our unhappiness comes from thought. All of our frustration comes from thought. All of our neuroses comes from thought. We cannot stop thinking. However, we can stop our compulsive and destructive thinking by bringing our attention, without judgement of any kind, to our thoughts, our emotions, and our actions.

>
Let's surrender to joy