Knowledge and Religion

Dealing With Obstacles In Your Practice

Joe has the following comments and questions:

Hi Michael,

It was great to talk with you. Why is there a tendency to want to identify with the mind and body even when one has had some good experiences with ones own true nature?

Is there a belief of something that opposes the Truth? There seems to be something that always tries to stop everyone from making spiritual progress. Call it what you like the devil, Satan etc. but it seems to have some intelligence purpose to destroy the Son of God. Jesus had this experience when he called the devil a lie and the father of all lies. Buddha and had his experience that tried to stop him from his Self Realization

It has been my experience too and I know that it is the same for everyone that I have known on the spiritual path. I know that you have talked about this before in answering questions from others and myself. It is most likely a lot easier than how it seems to be according to how I see it. I appreciate it if you comment on this when you have a chance on your web site or e-mail.

Thank you,

Joe

Hi Joe,

Thank you for your reply. What goes on when you appear to struggle, and how can you step out of your struggles and into the truth of your own Self-Nature? This is a good question.

And by your question I can see that you already have lots of wisdom. First you have had experiences of truth and second, you have the intuition that stepping out of your struggles is a lot easier than it
might at first appear.

Is it the devil or is it your ego?
Sometimes we frame this struggle in different ways. In ancient times it used to be God struggling with the devil. God represented good and the devil represented all that is evil or suffering. But nowadays we are more sophisticated and thus we struggle with our ego. Every time we seem to make progress the ego comes along and throws us off our course.

Every time we experience bliss and peace and a deep sense of oneness with everything in the universe, the devil, or the ego or whatever it’s called, comes along and sends us crashing back into limitation and suffering.

So what can we possibly do? It seems like the ego is much more powerful than God. No matter how high and clear we get in our meditations, we always seem to end up back in suffering again.

Self Judgment
Now back in limitation self judgment takes over. "This shows how bad I really am. I could never be free."  Then you start thinking: "If I could only walk on water or raise the dead, then I could be free." By the time you're done with all of this thinking it feels like your freedom is lifetimes away.

The doorway back to freedom
But fortunately there is a way out of this mess, and back into your natural state of peace and joy. That's because you were so busy struggling with your mind that you forgot one thing and that thing is the doorway that will take you back. It is the fact that you are aware of this whole mess. You are aware of the suffering, you are aware of the self judgment, you are aware of the thought, "I can't," and you are aware of the little imposture call 'I'.

This Awareness was actually your identity, not the good and bad thoughts that you were struggling with; you were not even the ego or I thought, which is the rack that these thoughts seem to hang on. The principle here is that whatever you see you are not.

So when you feel suffering, take some time to notice that you are Aware of this suffering. You are Awareness and not your suffering. If fact the feeling of reality that the thoughts seem to have, comes from Awareness and not from the thoughts.

What happens to your thoughts?
You are not your thoughts; return your identity to its rightful place and watch what happens to these thoughts. Whether they seem to disappear or to remain will not concern you. The sense that thoughts are real will be gone, and with that their sting will disappear.

Notice that you are free of both the good and the bad thoughts. This is called stepping out of duality. So you are not hoping that God will somehow defeat the devil. You are seeing that by your identity, you are intrinsically free of the struggle of good and evil.

The last step and your freedom will last
There is one more step for freeing yourself from this struggle. Once you are standing comfortably in your own self-nature ask yourself, "What was I taking to be true that put me back into limitation and struggle again?"

The principle here is that you will always come back to what you take to be true. You may take a vacation from it for a while and have some high experiences, but in the end, when you are not looking you will come right back down into your struggles.

For instance if you conceive of the world as intrinsically evil, as a place that you have to struggle against, you will come down to your fights with the world. If you feel that your mind is intrinsically bad, you will come down to fights with your mind.

But when you see that your assumptions of limitation were just  assumptions, and not reality, you will cut the string that seems to pull you back into limitation. Then you will have no choice but to stand as Awareness. That's because the assumptions that pull you back into limitation will be gone.

I hope that this begins to answer your question so that you can find the everlasting freedom that's right inside. If this raises more question in your mind please feel free to ask.

Other resources available to you
If you need a more basic understanding of this Self-Knowledge or if you just want support for your practice, go to www.light-up-your-life.com and read down the main column. Also check out the different links that we provide as resources that can help sharpen the focus of your meditation practice.

Another resource that we have is the book, Making Your Wisdom Come Alive , a step by step guide taking you from your everyday experience to the highest wisdom and truth. To find out more, click on the link below:

http://www.light-up-your-life.com/wisdom.html. 

Please Tell Your Friend
Please tell you friends. Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.

Best Wishes,

Michael Gluckman
www.light-up-your-life.com
_______________________________
You can find the source of Happiness
and Wisdom. It is right at your center.
_______________________________
michael@light-up-your-life.com

 

Freeing yourself from tension and stress

 

Sabir has the following comments and questions:

Hello Michael,

How are you? It has been a long time. But you are always with me in my meditations and prayers. I pray for your long life and better health. The problem is that I don't stick with my meditations. This lack of consistency really creates obstacles in my journey.

Once you told me that whether I like it or not, do your meditations without a break. I know the importance and I try my best, but I don't know how to bring such power that helps me to constantly stick with my meditations.

I really love you. You are my true guru and mentor. I always admire your sincerity and passion regarding spreading the knowledge and wisdom you have achieved through your hard work to your pupils.

I don't know whether other people discuss this with you or not, but in this materialistic world people worry too much about their daily problems and their minds, and are too involved in solving those problems. How can they have success in separating their inner self (which is the basic teaching of your wisdom book) from their surroundings and just see all that happens in life without worries or sorrows? (Seeing that the reality of the movie in the cinema house is the screen as Ramana Maharshi said).

In reality, Michael, I get too involved in my surroundings and that affects my mind, body and my inner self. I recall several times in your teaching to separate yourself (core) from the daily problems that you encounter in your mind and body. But I find it difficult to remain calm and cool and without any tension or stress. Can you tell me how I can get rid of these stresses and tensions?

Sorry for taking your time, but believe me there is nobody else in this whole universe that I can talk to about my life and such sensitive matters, except you.

Regards

Sabir

 Hi Sabir,

It is good hearing from you again. When you ask a question about the materialistic world and how people are distracted and worried about their daily problems and their mind, it shows that you have a good sense of where happiness comes from.

This is the Self calling you back to the source. What people achieve in the world will only last for a short period of time. Not only that, their achievements don't guarantee their happiness. That's because achievement cannot provide you with what it doesn't have. Happiness comes from the inside, the place where you actually experience it, not from what you achieve.

Freedom From Stress
Stress comes when you are afraid of failing. Now you can't always control if you succeed or fail, but you can always abide in the peace and happiness that's at your core. So when you feel happy and at peace meditate on where you actually experience happiness. Does it come from the world and what you see, or does it come from what you are?

And when you feel tense and stressed out know that peace is not far away. You can find this peace faster than you can change your mind. That's because peace is not a state of mind. You are not trying to get your mind just right. That's an endless task. Awareness is the source of this peace. The very fact that you are Aware of the stress means that you are already free from it, not caught in its grip.

So meditate like this: When you are happy and at peace, note where you actually experience this happiness and peace. And when you are stressed out, notice that you are Awareness and not a state of mind. Stand here and see if stress can really bother you.

Spend Some Time With Your Being
The nice thing about this meditation is that you can do it all of the time, whether sitting, standing, walking or lying down. It does not require any particular posture. Still spend some time sitting and meditating on what's really important.

Remember, it is not important if you feel like meditating or not; feelings can change in an instant. Get in the habit of meditating at a certain time and place and you will naturally take the time to meditate.

Remember, life is short and death comes sooner than you think. So find the state that is unaffected by the changes in your body and mind. This is your real identity. Finding this place you will find a freedom that lasts forever, right in this lifetime.

If you find that there is a specific set of thoughts or events that seem to trigger your stress tell me. Perhaps I can help you to untangle yourself from that too.

Other resources available to you
If you need a more basic understanding of this Self-Knowledge or if you just want support for your practice, go to www.light-up-your-life.com and read down the main column. Also check out the different links that we provide as resources that can help sharpen the focus of your meditation practice.

Another resource that we have is the book, Making Your Wisdom Come Alive , a step by step guide taking you from your everyday experience to the highest wisdom and truth. To find out more, click on the link below:

http://www.light-up-your-life.com/wisdom.html. 

Please Tell Your Friend
Please tell you friends. Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.

Best Wishes,


Michael Gluckman
www.light-up-your-life.com
_______________________________
You can find the source of Happiness
and Wisdom. It is right at your center.
_______________________________

The Experience of Reality

We have a meeting at our house on Tuesday evenings. If you are interested in joining us you can find more information at this link: http://www.ananya.com/talks.html. Brian also started reading my book, "Making Your Wisdom Come Alive."

After our meeting Brian wrote us with the following questions and comments.

Hi you two!
 
Thank you again for the wonderful evening last night.  I am really enjoying my book and sneaking peeks at it throughout the work day, and meditating on ideas during breaks.
 
I'd like to take you up on your offer and ask a question or two- (and let loose a couple of unformed ideas)
 
Is this (BIG) self, something that my thoughts and brain can not know?  Is it the newly forged horse shoe that does not know itself from "hot".  If so, it seems to be worthwhile to meditate on that which my mind can't know.  Is this along the lines of what you recommend in the book- seeing if (mundane) I can do something more than just what my body can do?
 
Also, if happiness is not a configuration of a situation  (This would be the ice cream, dog's not dead, I'm still hungry)- could it be that the happiness I enjoy is just the chemicals and endorphins emitted by my body in that situation?  These things, drugs can squeeeeeze out of a person until they don't work anymore.  It's something different then- this well of root happiness.  It's the nature of one's self that emanates through these bodily manifestations of this root joy.  So the source of joy is from other than the body and brain?  Is it attention then?  I can pay attention to a tree branch in the wind, or my girl friend or a point on my leg.
 
I'm having trouble accepting that joy is so very different than other emotions.  Even though other emotions are reducible through my attention, in other senses- they are the same.  If I am joyous and I think of work to do, I am joyous.  If I am sad and think of work to do, I am still sad.
 
These are obviously not completely formed thoughts,
Please let me know if anything comes to "mind"-
 
Much love,
 
 Brian,

Here is our reply:

Hi Brian,

Thank you for your questions and comments. It is good hearing from you. Remember that this is the path of knowledge. You do not have to take these tenets on faith.

Rather I would recommend that you apply the scientific method to the information that I present in my book. The scientific method starts with a reasonable hypothesis. When you check out the hypothesis and it seems to make sense it becomes a theory.

Now as I recall from studying physics the forces of nature sometimes work differently than you would at first think. But the workings of these forces make sense mathematically and they can be measured and
observed.

Examine Your  Experience
This is also true of the assertion that happiness comes from the place where you actually experience it. But here you don't want to end up with a mere theory. You want to end up with the kind of knowledge that will change your life. So why not test this theory by your direct experience and see if it holds water at all.

This happiness described here is more like peace that's underneath the ups and downs of the emotions. It is like water to the waves of the ocean. The real substance of the ocean is water. Although the waves rise and then crash into the sea, the water remains as it always was. Before they rise the water was there. When they seem to toss and turn they are nothing but water. When they return to the ocean they are nothing but water. Your nature is Consciousness and Bliss and not the motion of the ups and downs of life.

Sometimes I notice that people, when they first hear of this teaching try to get their mind and emotions to imitate what they've learned. They think of it as feeling extreme waves of bliss and joy. This might be a beautiful expression; but it is not "The peace that passes understanding.” You don't have to impersonate this truth. You can discover it directly.

The Peace that's Underneath Joy and Sorrow
This is the peace that's underneath the feeling of joy which is just another wave in the ocean. You will be amazed to notice that this peace is even underneath the feeling of sadness. That means that you can feel sad and still be perfectly at home. Your mind thinks and feels in terms of opposites. But you are free from these opposites.

Here is a link to a blog that I wrote that talks to the theory that happiness is just caused by the chemistry in the brain:

http://meditationonwisdom.typepad.com/web_log/2007/11/the-pill-that-b.html

The article is called "The pill that brings lasting happiness."

In my book I started with where is happiness because I noticed that many people seem to get a taste for looking within and meditation when they notice where they actually experience happiness.

But you can trace Consciousness to its source and end up in the same place. That's because here Consciousness and Bliss are really not two different things. They are just pointers to what you are.

Knowing as your Identity
As far as knowing this, this is knowing by shifting your identity from the objects that you see, to the ultimate Consciousness that you really are. But in reality this shift is not a shift at all. It's returning to your real home.

From here you will see things the way they really are without the blinders of limitation. You will see that you know the fabric of the universe and of your mind directly without the need for a separate mind. Your direct experience is a lot more amazing than you might have thought.

I hope that this answers some of your questions. As you need clarification please feel free to ask. Also be sure to spend some time meditating on this so that you can see where these words point.

Brigit also sends her regards.

Best Wishes,

Michael Gluckman
www.light-up-your-life.com

Brian replied with the following questions and comments:

Thanks Michael, this is great! 
 
I follow what you're saying here and it's important that all of these are pointing 'to' something and are not 'the thing'.
 
In looking, it's sort of like trying to bring one's self to an epiphany. Which feels sort of like trying to make yourself  hiccup.  It doesn't work by mimicking a hiccup.  If only it were as easy to catch as *Yaaawwwwning. :)
 
"In my book I started with where is happiness because I noticed
that many people seem to get a taste for looking within and
meditation when they notice where they actually experience
happiness.
 
But you can trace Consciousness to its source and end up
in the same place. That's because here Consciousness and
Bliss are really not two different things. They are just pointers
to what you are."
 
This was an important distinguisher for me.
 
Thanks again!
Brian

Hi Brian,

Thanks for your response. You can see how the Zen Koan works. You assume that you are your thoughts, and your job is to break out of your thoughts like breaking out of jail. This can add up to a lot of frustration.

But release or awaking comes when you recognize that your identity is always Consciousness. You were never the set of thoughts that you call mind.

So follow the book step by step. When you become aware of a limitation as limitation, and not as your nature you are automatically standing free of it.

How to look at this meditation
Something else to keep in mind: You should see this meditation in two different lights both at the same time.

On one hand this is a skill that you will develop and get better at over time. Your discrimination between limitation and reality will increase and get sharper until you will have eliminated any assumed limitation.

On the other hand you are the Self even now. You can wake up and be free in this instant. But if, in your rush, you skip over steps, you will still feel as if something is limiting you. That's because you will still be identified with some limitation or another.

So be thorough in your approach but practice with the anticipation that you can be free in an instant. I hope that this helps.

Other resources available to you
If you need a more basic understanding of this Self-Knowledge or if you just want support for your practice, go to www.light-up-your-life.com and read down the main column. Also check out the different links that we provide as resources that can help sharpen the focus of your meditation practice.

Another resource that we have is the book, Making Your Wisdom Come Alive , a step by step guide taking you from your everyday experience to the highest wisdom and truth. To find out more, click on the link below:

http://www.light-up-your-life.com/wisdom.html. 

Please Tell Your Friends

Please tell you friends. Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.

Best Wishes,

Michael Gluckman
www.light-up-your-life.com

 

How to Find the Right Meditation Technique

Recently, I’ve received many emails asking, “How can I start a meditation practice?” I hope that the information below will help you to sort out the possibilities that are in store for you in your meditation practice. Also I hope that you will get a sense of how to evaluate a meditation practice and then get to the place that you want.

The most important tip for starting a meditation practice is to decide where you want to end up. Then you can look into what techniques to use, and what teachers will help you to find an answer to your questions.

I am always surprised when people just randomly pick a meditation technique or a teacher and start practicing. That's because there are thousands of meditation systems and they can take you to millions of different places. The realm of meditation experience is even greater than the realm of physical experience.

However, in one lifetime, you can only practice a tiny fraction of the techniques in any of these systems. So it's important that before you just start practicing a meditation technique that you get a broad sense of what you hope to accomplish through your meditation.

Roughly, there are three categories of meditation practices: First, those that affect the mind such as for quieting it, relaxing, concentrating the mind or improving the memory. At its heights you can develop blank states of mind where time and space disappear, like in Samadhi.

Secondly you can develop subtitle energy for curing physical illnesses, or for obtaining states of Kundalini or chi. If you hope to levitate or accomplish physical actions like bending spoons with your mind, this is the energy you will need to develop. There are also energy states like the raising of Kundalini that can barley be described by words. Although you may not be able to see a persons Kundalini rise, this experience is very real to the person meditating on it.

And thirdly at its heights, meditation can help you to find liberation and put an end to suffering for good. This is the path that I would recommend and I’ll talk more about this path in the second half of this article.

Obtaining Energy States    
As an example, if you want to obtain one of the subtle energy states that I described above, here’s what you must do. You must find a subtle yogi or Kundalini master as your teacher. The trick, when choosing a teacher is to make sure he or she has obtained the state that you desire. After all it is easy for someone to think about these subtle states. It is much more difficult to be in the place from which subtle powers emanate.

I have heard of many teachers who claim to have these subtle powers. Yet, I have seen very little of it. If you hope to obtain physical states like levitation and moving objects with your mind you can just watch a teacher to make sure that he or she can do these things.

If you want a more subtle state like an out of the body experience I’m afraid that you will have to guess if your perspective teacher has actually obtained that state. In the teacher’s presence, try to feel if he or she has what you want. Use your intuition.

Once you find your teacher then you have to follow his or her teachings to the letter. This could be a full time job. You may have to control your breath, remain celibate, and watch the amount and types of food that you eat. You may have to do this for many years.

Even then there is no guarantee that you will obtain the state that you want. The one person who I think probably had subtle powers was the founder of Aikido, Morihei Uyeshiba. He had many students who are still alive, and although I heard about teachers who reportedly have his powers, I have not met one who could demonstrate the powers that Uyeshiba was reputed to have.

There is one more drawback to attempting to obtain subtle powers. Since it is you, a limited person, attempting to get these powers, at some point as they began, they will end. This might be at the death of the physical body, or at the death of a subtle body that could last for millions of years. But at the time that your powers pass away it will seem like they did not last long enough.

So, of course you can still go after these subtle powers. But at least now your eyes will be wide open and you will see the obstacles that you may face.

The Path of Liberation is Different
There is one state that is so close to everyone that they just overlook it. It is the very source of Consciousness and Bliss that never comes to an end, “The peace that passes all understanding.” You did not create this state and it will not pass away. You merely have to discover who you are even now, and what you have always been. This is the path of liberation sometimes called Self-Discovery.

In your path of Self-Discovery it is also helpful to find a competent teacher. You can use the information here to help you find this teacher.

For instance, if your aim is self-discovery you won’t go to a teacher who teaches you how to reach subtle energy states. If the teacher emphasizes breathing techniques, mind control, or posture you should know that this is not the path to Self-Discovery.

Of course you must also put energy into the process of Self- Discovery. But it is a different kind of energy. It is the kind of energy that questions; that doesn’t take anything for granted. It’s the kind of energy that catches thoughts like, “Because I think it, it must be true,” or, “I know how things are,” and then allows you to look afresh like a newborn baby. There is no room for dullness on the path of Self-Discovery. You want to reexamine your experience to determine if your direct experience is actually the way you think it’s supposed to be.

The difference is that the energy for Self-Discovery is not based on you controlling the breath or the mind. It is rather based on throwing off assumed limitations, so that you can become the Awareness and Bliss that you really are.

If you can see the value of meditation, why not make an attempt to discover Wisdom and Joy that is so deep that it even transcends death; yet it is just who you are. Why not embark on the path of Self-Discovery that will take you to ultimate liberation? On www.Light-Up-Your-Life.com you will find some resources to help you embark on this journey.

Best Wishes,

Michael Gluckman

Michael is the author of “Making Your Wisdom Come Alive,” a step by step guide to finding your real identity. For more information go to: http://www.light-up-your-life.com/wisdom.html.