Go Forth

The way to awareness is not drifting into quietness nor being released into a 

pleasant feeling.  It is the way of firm self-discipline and of constant vigilance.  It 

is the way of the warrior who needs the full armor of God.  Go forth and stand 

firm in awareness.

I Wonder!

It seems that most people believe humans are the most highly evolved species on earth.  Because humans have the largest frontal cortex they have the capability of performing complex cognitive functions such as thinking in the abstract, tool making, and speaking languages.  Humans can imagine, visualize and come up with ideas other animals could never dream of doing. Humans understand cause and effect and can take control of their own destiny if they so desire.

With this larger brain humans see themselves as separate from nature and even other people.  Humans sense that there is a past, a present and a future.  Because of all these attributes they have an identity called "self".

With the capability of reasoning, conceptualizing and abstract thinking humans have the ability to compare and judge.  They can see one thing happen, then another thing happen and put the two together and formulate a cause and effect.  Humans can predict the future - when the sun will come up, what the weather will be like one week from now, when high and low tides will occur, and even what another person is going to say before they say it.

This ability to see one's self as not only separate and distinct, but also better or worse has allowed the human to develop a very strong and fascinating thing called an ego.  It is no wonder humans see themselves as the most highly evolved species on earth.  "How could it be otherwise?"

The question is, what determines what highly evolved means?  Just because  humans can do things other animals can't, does that mean they are the most highly evolved?  What about who has lived the longest?  The horseshoe crab has been on earth for over 300 million years.  Humans have only been on earth for some two million years - if that. Insects have been around for over 400 million years.  What about the ability to fly?  That seems to me to be a very highly evolved attribute.  And take a look at dolphins and whales.  They can dive down thousands of feet in the ocean without getting narcosis or the bends.  Isn't that a very highly evolved characteristic?

Just because humans can capture, train and kill other animals does that make them the most highly evolved?  I question that reasoning.  Humans want to believe that they are better than the rest of the creatures on earth.  Many believe that when they die they will continue to exist in some form somehow.  Is this wishful thinking?  Does the large frontal cortex give a false sense of life after death?  I wonder.

Ponder This

One of my favorite comedians.

http://www.expressjetpilots.com/the-pipe/showthread.php?22545-Something-To-Ponder

Why You are You

I will attempt to answer my last post, "Why Are You You?"  These are simply my thoughts. You can agree or disagree. If you have a better answer I would like to hear it.

There are three reasons why you are you. The first is if you were not you, you would be somebody else. You would not exactly be who you think you are right now. In other words you would have different parents, friends, relatives, home, and so on.  You would have a different past and a different present - even a different future. But you would still have the same essence - the life force.

The second reason is that if you were not you or somebody else you would not exist as a human being. Your consciousness - energy - life force - the True You would be in another life form such as another animal or perhaps some kind of plant.

Thirdly, if you were not who you are or somebody else you would be in transition within the cosmos. So, you can be a living being of some kind or in transition.

You are you because of chance. A very small bit of cosmic life force came into a human embryo at a specific time and a specific place simply by chance. You grew up with a particular set of parents and a specific lifestyle that have molded your values, feelings, and personality - the person you are.

You are you, a unique person, among billions of other individuals. Everyone came into this wold exactly the same way. You have the same thing in common with everyone else - a small bit of the life force. Your particular life force is like a drop of water which blew out of the ocean. You will be you until you fall back into the ocean, in transition, and then blowen back out as something else.

So much for my musings. Have a great day.

Why Are You You?

Have you ever wondered why you are you and not somebody else?  I'm not talking about nature and nurture but rather a deeper question that I have thought about often.

When I wake up in the morning I wonder why I am me.  There are about 7 billion people on earth now and it would be so easy to be someone else.  I mean, here I am with my own individual past, desires for the future, beliefs, values, and feelings. I'm looking out of two windows called eyes and see other people but I can't feel their feelings or sense their thoughts.

I have a sense of self that has never gone away. Although I am older, and hopefully wiser, I still have the feeling that I am me.  Biology tells us that we are not the same person we were 10 or even 5 years ago.  Cells are constantly dividing - new cells are replacing old and dying cells. When I look at a picture of myself when I was 12, 20, or even 30 years old it doesn't look like me, yet I feel the same.  Why am I me and why are you you?

The MInd Field

Beyond your body and beyond your everyday consciousness lies the fully awake and aware mind field. The mind field permeates the cosmos connecting all things that exist in the universe. It is called energy by some, ether by others, and string theory by quantum physicists. Whatever it is called it is real and ever lasting.

You are automatically entrenched in this miraculous web.  And you have access to all its remarkable connectedness if you want it. All you have to do is free yourself from your beliefs and judgments and simply allow yourself to open up. Be very quiet and listen intently to your thoughts. Sit very still and listen to your body. Be silent and tune into the vibrations of the cosmos. If you do these things you will become increasingly awake and profoundly aware.

Listen to what it is telling you. Relax and allow yourself to discover the meaning of everything that it has to offer.  Have patience. Various values and beliefs have been ingrained very deep over the years. Relax and let your being, to its deepest core, communicate with the mind field. Allow all resistance to fade away.

As you sink into this new found sea of tranquility you should feel your consciousness spreading out, opening to more and greater awareness. Allow yourself to ease into it gently.  You may notice your body's sensitivity increasing to your inner being and the outer cosmos. This is your consciousness becoming more and more awake and aware.

Take time out of your busy schedule every day to communicate and connect with the mind field. Take your new awareness with you throughout the day wherever you go.  A new and wonderful world is blossoming as you continue your practice.

Namaste'

Expand Your Consciousness

When you are awake your mind is aware of everything that is going on around and in you. If it didn't you wouldn't be able to function in this multidimensional and chaotic setting called "world".  Your mind is aware of all thoughts, bodily functions, emotions, feelings, and external stimuli but you may not necessarily be conscious of all these things. 

Your mind is all-encompassing, capable of receiving and transmitting information automatically to and from your body's energy. You lock onto the information by becoming conscious of what is happening in the mind field.  For example, you may be studying for an exam and not conscious of the fact that someone is behind you. Your mind knows the person is there but you are not conscious of it.  And then you get an eerie feeling that someone is looking at you. Your consciousness has locked onto the mind's knowing that there is a person behind you. You look around and there he is.

Your consciousness may or may not be fully in your mind field while you are awake and navigating through the complex world.  It all depends on your state of consciousness at the time. It takes practice to expand your consciousness to include more and more of the mind.  The mind is fully awake and aware, in the moment at all times but your consciousness may be narrowly fixed on one object, not aware of what the mind is aware of.

The practice of mindfulness is the key to increasing consciousness.  Being aware of your body and the environment, in the present moment, can expand your consciousness within the all encompassing mind field.

The truth is so very close

The truth is so very close.  

It is so close, in fact,                                     
it is within you.  

There is no need to go 
looking far and wide.                  

Body, Brain, Mind

It is now possible to connect a mechanical arm to an amputee.  The arm is connected to the nerves of the severed appendage and the person can run the arm simply by thinking. It takes practice but it works. Sensory pads can also be added to the finger tips and palm so the person can feel the composition of the object.

The next step the doctors want to do is eyes and legs. From there who knows what else is possible. The point is - we are not our bodies. The body is mechanical much like the prosthetic arm.

To move your body doesn't take much thought, but it does take thought. Some day it will be possible to connect a complete functioning body with arms, legs, eyes, ears, vocal cords, etc. to a brain.

However, the thing that is irreplaceable is the mind that extends beyond the brain and the body. Even though you are not your body the True You is forever connected to the universal mind.

Dialogue on Meditation

I tried meditation,
it didn't work.

What do you mean
it didn't work?

I still had thoughts,
they wouldn't go away.

Don't you know,the objective of meditation
is not to make thoughts go away.

The objective of meditation
is to think nothing of your thoughts.

What do you mean?
How do I think nothing of my thoughts?


There will always be thoughts.
Just don't get carried away by them.

I don't understand.
How do I not pay attention to them?

Focus on something that is always with you.
Focus on your breathing for example.

That seems kind of boring.
Can you give me another example?

Focus on your thumb, big toe, or belly button.
You could even focus on a thought.

I like that idea.

 

Impatient?

Oh, the pangs of impatience.
Time is going so slow it seems.
Having to wait is so painful.

Have patience so they say.
But I want it now not later.
If I wait any longer I'll waste the whole day.

Wait and wait and wait, wait, wait.
Woo is me, can't they see
I must go I cannot wait.

This is really not all that fun.
I'm much too important to put up with this.
There are many things that must be done.

I've been here for oh so long.
Can't they see I'm sitting here?
It just seems to be so wrong.

Hell, don't they know who I am?
I go here and I go there.
I'm more important than she or him.

They are so very impolite
to keep me waiting here like this.
I might have to sit here through the night.

But wait!
I know.
I'll meditate.

Does It Matter?

Science deals with matter - the material things in nature and reality. If you can't see it, dissect it, or measure it, science doesn't want to deal with it. On the other hand, ontology deals with the metaphysical philosophy of reality.

Matter is stuff which occupies space and can be perceived by the senses. Science has reduced matter down to particles called quarks which are said to be subunits of protons and neutrons.  And between all of these particles of matter lies empty space - the non-physical part of reality.

There is more empty space (>90%) than there is matter. So, why don't scientists put more emphasis on the 90% rather than the smaller part of reality?  They are beginning to as we speak. Scientists are beginning to understand that what lies between particles  (electrons, protons, neutrons, quarks, and photons) is very, very important.

That is where gluons come in.  Gluons hold matter together like glue, hence their name. There are said to be different kinds of gluons depending on what kind of particles they hold together. I'm not getting into all that because it doesn't matter. It will all probably change in a few years anyway.  Basically, scientists had to come up with something to explain how the space between the particles work. So they came up with more particles - gluons.

You can think of gluons as invisible strings linking particles together. This idea of strings is where the "string theory" came from - everything in the universe is connected with oscillating or vibrating strings. When something happens in the universe, whether it's cataclysmic or subtle, will, in one way or another, affect something else somewhere, at some time. This whole idea of gluons and strings is very metaphysical but it is now a big part of quantum physics.

So, science and ontology are coming together. You cannot be a particle physicist and not deal with the non-physical aspects of reality.  What lies beyond matter is so important science must learn to deal with it. It cannot be ignored any longer.  Non-matter matters.

Dissipation

Think back to a time when you were sad, angry, or just down-right pissed off.
Feel that emotion again, but this time pay real close attention to
your body and see if you can detect where in your body the feeling occurs.
Notice the feeling is nothing more than energy being generated in that part
of the body. See it as energy and focus on it.  What happens?
Dissipation.

Analogy

Oil companies are now able to creep further into the Arctic Ocean with drilling platforms due to the ice that has melted there.  About one-half of the Arctic Ocean has melted because of global warming and a large part, if not all, is due to fossil fuel burning.  Isn't this a lot like a person with lung cancer continuing to smoke?

Take a Seat

Do 
meditation.
Take a seat in the middle of your life.
Intentionally bring yourself into a direct
and intimate relationship with the present moment.
Notice what is arising in it for you without judging.
Take time to become familiar with who you are,
beyond all the wanting, having, and doing.
Become aware of your own presence
with a sense of kindness and caring
you may not have done before.
There is dignity and honor
in doing 
so.

Shanti