wisdom

There is an excellent little spiritual book titled "The Wisdom of Insecurity" (by Alan Watts). As with most spiritual books the title says it all. In reality we can rarely predict or know what is going to happen next ... life is full of surprises in each and every moment. Notice, for example, that you cannot even predict the next thought that is going to appear in your awareness.

When we live out of the wisdom of insecurity, we are automatically detached from how we think things ought to be and therefore free to respond freshly to whatever life serves up in the present moment.

When we are detached suffering cannot be found. So wisdom can also be said to be identical to detachment. Are you wise?

love,

bob

silence

We become like that with which we associate. Just take a look at teen behavior to see the truth of this statement.

When we associate with silence, or stillness if you prefer, we become like silence: non-judgmental, forgiving, vast, and peaceful.

In my view the highest form of spiritual practice is to sit in silence without expectation. When we sit regularly in silence and take what we get from each session we become like silence. We, without effort, lose our fears, guilt, and loneliness. This is because silence knows nothing of these dreams.

Regular silent meditation will teach you that nothing can trouble you but your own imagination, and that, at the root, you are silence itself.

bob

reality?

Life (as it really is) is beyond thought and beyond anything that can be imagined. Thoughts divide and separate Life into seemingly broken pieces. Life is whole, radiant, and peaceful.

The trick, if I might put it that way, is to become still. When you are still, seeking drops away and Life is seen as it really is: without a 'me'.

To find that stillness you must realize that ALL your thoughts (however ugly or beautiful) are lies.

So ... during your meditation periods, just treat ALL thoughts as lies ... just let them pass ... until they stop ... then you will see.

Understanding is the booby prize.

silence

Silence is the best teacher. She charges no money, suggests no practices, and never ever judges you. I challenge you to find another like Her.

Join Her daily ... She patiently waits for you with a priceless gift.

bob

those pesky thoughts

When meditating we sometimes fall into the trap of trying to quiet the mind. It is the nature of the mind (due to conditioning) to think. It is its job!

Just like it is the nature of the wind to blow hither and yon, it is natural for thoughts to arise sometimes often and sometimes rarely. We need do nothing about them because they are not 'ours' any more than the wind is 'ours'.

Just noticing this is massive freedom as well as the goal of meditation practice. You are beyond anything that can be thought, felt or experienced.

good news huh!

bob

why meditate?

The purpose of meditation practice is to lead us to the realization that life as it appears is already free of me.

When we first begin meditation practice most of us are hoping to escape from some discomfort in life, to gain some spiritual insight or perhaps even to achieve enlightenment. In other words to gain something for ourselves. In the beginning meditation is seen as a means to some personal end.

As we mature in our practice, we begin to wonder: "who is it that always seems to be seeking something?" ... Who am I really?

When the "I thought" is examined we realize that there is no me whatsoever. It is merely a fiction based on ideas from the imaginary past. We see that, right now, Life is just experiencing Life. Everything is impersonal. In the absence of 'me' there is only freedom, peace, and wholeness.

see?

bob

the idea of more

In the King James version of the Bible the word evil is mentioned 442 times (by my count). What is all this 'evil' business?

If you read the 442 passages, beginning with the Adam and Eve story, I bet you will conclude that evil is simply the idea of more.

Is it not our resistance to what life presents that causes us to twist and turn? Always wanting things to be more or different than they are: more money, better relationships, more success, more, more, more.

During meditation we allow things be as they are (they are that way anyway). When we accept that life could only be what it is in this present moment, resistance drops away, we lose self definition and the idea of evil cannot be found.

oh my,

bob