Since awareness is all there is I am wondering why we even have bodies at all?
Also why are we being conditioned from day one to believe in separate selves and that the mind is us?
Where did we go wrong in this search?
Kirk
Hi Kirk,Thanks for your questions. As to why we have bodies, assuming that we do, there are many different explanations depending on which religion you believe in. But I have two favorites:
So we can enjoy finding our innate freedom
First so that we can have the joy of discovering that we are not limited to the body at all, because our identity actually encompasses the whole universe and does not change in any state that we find ourselves in, including life and death.
Out of ignorance
And second we have bodies because of ignorance. We assume that we are located in a body and then we desire the people and things that we perceive as separate from us, in order to find completion. We are also afraid of some people and things, because we fear that they will block and snatch away our happiness. And thus we are here out of desire and fear, which you might know as karma.
But ignorance is an odd creature. Although it is beginning-less it has an end. Here is an example: when did you become ignorant of the fact that we have a blog? You can't say, right? But in an instant when you found out about this blog, your ignorance about it ended. In the same way, when you discover your real identity, at that instant you are no longer limited by the body or thoughts in the mind.
Questioning destroys conditioning
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As for conditioning, it assumes that we will not reevaluate the ideas that we take to be true. That’s why I encourage your questioning. In the same way that curiosity killed the cat, it also kills limitation. The root of limitation is what we believe about the world, our self, and our mind. When we stop assuming that these beliefs are true and start questioning them, they vanish into thin air.
Again and again these beliefs seem to lead to the same suffering. You may notice that when you are in certain situations, the same feelings of limitation and suffering come up. This may be accompanied by inappropriate responses to that situation. You may be able to predict your responses with, “Here we go again!”
Here is a simple example. If you think, “I can't do math,” and believe it, you may find yourself struggling with math. Notice the belief in this thought created a conceptual framework that seemed to limit you, not the thought itself.
But when you notice that “I can't” is just a thought and not necessarily true, you leave a space where you once felt limited, and then, who knows, you might find that you are perfectly capable of doing math.
The light of awareness will destroy conditioning
Notice that a moment of shining light on this belief is enough to destroy it. No matter how long you took this thought to be true, an honest look at it can destroy it in a second. Another way of saying this is that in a second you destroyed your conditioning.
Destroying our conditioning is a one-step process
Now here’s the most interesting thing about destroying your frameworks. It is a one step process and not two. Most people think, “First I have to see my beliefs and then I have to correct them.” But this is not true and will just lead to struggling with your mind.
Rather Self-Knowledge is a one step process. Remember, you are the ultimate subject; what you see you are not. When you see a limiting belief that you took to be true, you are automatically free from it. The proof of this type of inquiry is that the next time a situation comes up that seemed to cause suffering, you will find a big surprise. You will feel free. This will not be a controlled feeling; it will be the natural feeling of freedom that comes right from your being.
If you want to know where you can find limiting beliefs in play, just check out your human relationships. If you are like I was, that will be fertile ground for discovering limiting beliefs that you take to be true. And most importantly by shining the light of Awareness on these beliefs, you will find that your conditioning will be destroyed in an instant. Then your life will change in ways you could not have anticipated.
The only thing we did wrong was look to the world for our sense of reality, when reality comes from our true identity. That's why this teaching was pasted down from eternity. To point people in the direction that will lead to the real fulfillment of their lives. I hope that this raises more questions for you in your quest for freedom. Please feel free to ask here.
Feel free to ask questions
Now I want you to experience your true identity in its full glory. So please
feel free to continue asking questions. I’m always glad to hear your
reactions and clarify my answers. Unlike the path of faith, on the path
of Self-Knowledge it is curiosity that destroys limitation and allows
you to abide in your natural freedom.
If the comment section of this blog
doesn't work, please send your questions and comments to michael@ananya.com. To find out where this all leads go to, www.light-up-your-life.com. And finally, if you enjoy these blogs please tell your friend
Best Wishes,
Michael Gluckman
