The last three blogs are based on a conversation with Bernard. This conversation and exploration shows the benefits of curiosity and of continuing to question until you are completely satisfied. So if you have burning questions notice Bernard's example, and use this blog to its full advantage. Below is another leg of this conversation.
Thanks Michael.
Over these few days I have worked with your suggestions and my experience has been that I am not my body and not my mind and that the mind is a thought machine which keeps throwing up stories, viewpoints, philosophies etc. and takes positions on all kinds of things and positions an ‘I ‘to give the impression that some entity is involved in all this clever thought processes.
In ‘staying out of the way’ as it were the sense of I disappears and there no longer appears to be a centre but then a decision has to be made and then the sense of “I need to make a decision” comes back.
There is also the work of wanting to change the medical paradigm.
From that place of unknowing/Soul/ higher self there does not seem to be a need to do anything and even making decisions about anything feels just a lot of hard work.
Is the passion to do… not just another mind story based on conditioning, past experience etc and a even decision making can relate to past conditioning ….like I must brush my teeth because that is what is healthy and my mother always wanted me to do that.
Perhaps I am just struggling with these issues right now because this shift from mind to ‘soul’ feels quite new and that these issues will sort themselves out as I just relax into the process of being and let the doing expose itself. I really no longer feel attached to outcomes and this has helped enormously to relax me and my approach to life and let go much more and watch the Great Mystery roll out in front of me in the most astonishing way.
Thanks for allowing this conversation to go on and keep pointing out how the mind play one game after the other. I must say that right now the mind feels like a hat I wear rather than who I am .
Warm greetings,
Bernard
It
seems like your’re coming to grips with the most important thing in life, and
that is knowing your self. You are the seer of limitation, not the one caught
in it. You are right that from here there is nothing that you have to do. You
can just rest in completion as the substance of the whole universe. Yet if you
have a passion and mission in life, it is by standing in your natural state
that you are in the best position to accomplish it. Remember as a sage, you are
really free. There are no rules that govern a sage and so you are free to live
the life that best suits you. And from this side of the “pond” it looks like changing
the medical paradigm is a wonderful mission.
You give the mind its power
However
I have a question for you: Are you assuming that you have to re-identify with a
limited mind in order to make decisions and accomplish the thing that you want?
This is giving the mind too much power. You should know that the mind is just
an imposture. It is awareness that makes the mind come alive and without
awareness the mind is just dead matter. It is like a computer with its power
turned off.
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In
fact, as an imposture, the mind doesn’t really make decisions and accomplish
things. We just give it credit for something that is incapable of doing.
Moreover, it is not just the mind that you identify with. Usually you identify
with some specific ideas about the world and your mind. For instance if you
feel that working on your mission is like trying to move a huge boulder up a
steep hill, you probably have some ideas about the me over here and the
out-of-whack resistant world over there. If you can become aware of the
frameworks that you live in when you act, you will put an end to past
conditioning in a hurry. Becoming free of these frameworks, you will enter a
whole new territory. But this territory will seem very familiar. It will feel
like a long lost friend.
The One Self Encompasses the Whole Universe
Then
meditation and action will feel exactly the same. And you will have a sense of
harmony that comes from the feeling that the you, the mind, and the world are
made out of the same substance. Although you will appear full of passion as you
attempt to accomplish your goals and deal with the obstacles that you face, on
the inside you will be at peace. In fact even if you were in the midst of a
huge battle, fighting for your life, you will still be at peace. That’s because
this peace is not a state of mind; it is a state of being.
Ramana
Marharshi talked about a passenger on a train who carried his suitcase on his
head. Finally a master came along and suggested that he put his luggage down
and let the train carry it. In the same way, put your luggage down and let the
same God that gave you this passion carry it on through. Then you will feel at
ease even in the midst of decision making and action.
Right now we are redesigning Making Your Wisdom Come Alive, a book that provides a step by step approach so that you can find your natural freedom. It also gives you plenty of inspiration for your practice. Because we are doing a publicity campaign, there is a good possibility that I will have some radio and TV interviews. So look for them, and if you are allowed to, call in and ask questions. Remember, inner development is for the curious and this may be your opportunity to practice curiosity.
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.
Best Wishes for Your Practice,
Michael Gluckman
