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Tips to Free Your Mind in 2015

December 31, 2014January 14, 2015 by nondualmind, posted in Thoughts

This past year has pushed up the emotional underbelly of our society, showing us that we still have a lot of work to do on ourselves if we are going to achieve the peace, joy and goodwill that each of us wishes for humankind. We are all victims of cultural conditioning, but the time has come to break away from the limitations of thought that have been imposed on us by society.

“You have to understand….most people are not ready to be unplugged and many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it.” ~Morpheus

I have assembled, in no particular order, some tips on how we might unplug from the matrix and free our minds in 2015:

ॐ An ancient Buddhist proverb says, “All suffering exists because of our attachment to an untrue self-image.” This untrue self-image is the one imposed on us from the day we are born. It keeps us stuck in the ego-driven world and encourages the “us against them” mentality. Rumi said, “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.” By contemplating this, you will begin to discover your true nature and come to understand that no differences exist between us. But be warned: Asking “who am I” may eventually lead to enlightenment (aka permanent freedom from the ego).

ॐ Jiddu Krishnamurti’s most famous speech was delivered in Ojai, CA in 1929 and is called “Truth is a Pathless Land.” Krishnamurti was referring to religion and spirituality in this speech and said, “Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or to coerce people along any particular path.” He observed that once you organize a belief system into a religion you give it form, which then crystallizes and deadens it as it becomes entrenched in dogma. Dogma fits nicely into our 3D world, but religious intolerance has become the result. The challenges we face are forcing us to break free of the 3d matrix structure in which we’ve been living, transcend dogma, and expand our consciousness to include the whole of the manifest and unmanifest. Recognize the common thread that runs through all faiths; the Golden Rule is the same for all religious philosophies.

ॐ Look closely at the people whose words you take as truth and watch the thoughts you have as a result of what they say. This can be anyone from mainstream media pundits to politicians to religious leaders who limit, confine, point the finger, and manipulate through fear. An all-inclusive, compassionate way of living is rejected as these people keep serving up the blue pill. You can put your attention anywhere you want. If you ever have thoughts that in any way exclude, label, or polarize, then you need to reject these people and their weapons of mass delusion. Accept only love.

ॐ Meditate, or at least start to practice mindfulness. Practicing mindfulness, aka being present, will show you that a space exists through which you can escape the mundane. Meditation keeps you in that space. It is imperative to set aside that time to allow yourself to know yourSelf. Magic happens in the quiet.

Peace, Shanti, Paz, Paco, Pax, Paix, Hasti, Rukun, Shalom, Amani, Ukuthula, …and TLGO

Mind, Heart, and the Current Culture of Fear

September 23, 2013 by nondualmind, posted in Thoughts

Eleven-year-old Sebastien De La Cruz sang the national anthem at one of the NBA games and racist rants on twitter followed. Then, just recently, the twitter world became inflamed once again with the crowing of Nina Davuluri, an Indian-American, as Miss America. Both incidents captured a bit of on-air news time, but what is not being addressed is the underlying cause of these less-than-enlightened knee-jerk reactions.

I was reminded of something I took note of two years ago in the post The Eve of Destruction…of Fear! where I wrote:

“…look at immigration reform. If you really think about it and look beyond the rhetoric, you will see that we are being manipulated to regard anyone who is not ‘American’ as a threat.”

Only now, it’s not just people who come here from another country who are being shunned; people who are born here are not considered to be “American” because of the way they look.

I remember a talk Jean Houston, author and scholar, gave at the National Headquarters of the Theosophical Society back in 1992, titled “The Greening of the American Psyche.” She said that nationalism among a country’s citizens would become stronger. The Balinese would become more Balinese etc. Her statements at the time surprised me because I thought we were supposed to be evolving past the idea of duality (separateness) and moving toward the truth of non-duality (Oneness). But today, twenty years later, I see that she was right. With the rise of hate and so-called ‘patriot’ groups , the notion of “we are all one” is relegated to being a quaint new-age notion that has no grounding in the material world.

Krishnamurti said, “Patriotism, whether it is of the western kind, or of the eastern kind, is the same, a poison in human beings that is really distorting thought. So patriotism is a disease, and when you begin to realize, become aware that it is a disease, then you will see how your mind is reacting to that disease. When, in time of war, the whole world talks of patriotism, you will know the falseness of it, and therefore you will act as a true human being.” You can see how those statements would have brought K to the FBI’s attention. He was under their surveillance for a time and he did not speak in public from 1940-1944.

Media outlets have been reporting on the changing demographics of this country, which are being analyzed, politicized and debated with so much rhetoric, that we need a scorecard to keep track of all the perceived traits used to identify and separate ourselves from each other. Unfortunately, this separation has it cheerleaders in certain political and media circles, resulting in the acrimony and hate we saw directed at Sebastien De La Cruz and Nina Davuluri.

Identity, and thus duality, originates in the mind. All rhetoric, patriotic or religious, gets processed through the mind, which is where fear originates. Where are our hearts? Our heart is the place where our inner life is nurtured and from where compassion, understanding, tolerance, and yes, non-duality, is expressed.

When I wrote “The Eve of Destruction…of Fear!”, I stressed the importance of cultivating one’s inner life, through techniques like meditation, to get past the fear mongering, which is engendering a mean-spiritedness in people who claim to be Christian and who supposedly love God, but who continue to fail to recognize that there is no difference between us and the Divine. No Difference. But isn’t it interesting that every modality that would help us reach that understanding of ‘Oneness’ by cultivating our inner life is consistently attacked by some organized religions, who really don’t fully understand the concept in the first place, which is evident in this article from the Baptist Press. When they hear the word “meditation,” they counter with phrases like “alternative religions” or “cults.”

I’ve said before that the world is shallow, noisy, and divisive, so it’s not that difficult to keep people stuck in duality/fear as it’s constantly propagated by the patriotic and religious agenda pushing of governments, churches, and media outlets. They may be able to reach your mind, but they cannot reach your heart, unless you allow it.

“Mind, once swallowed by the Heart, is burped up as silence and peace.’ ~ Mooji

Peace on Earth

December 31, 2012February 24, 2013 by nondualmind, posted in Thoughts

I usually like to end each year (and begin each new one) with some thoughts other than “I’m definitely going on that diet tomorrow,” which okay, still happens I’ll admit. Every year, when I send out my Christmas cards, I stamp the word “peace” on the envelope. I keep hoping.

I could quote Gandhi, “There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.” I could quote Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, “Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible,” but we’ve all heard these words before. They are wonderful and they are true, but they are still just words. They are meant to help us navigate past our egos and change our thoughts. From the looks of things we haven’t gotten the message. We’re not yet living our lives from a place of peace.

As this much anticipated year comes to a close, many will say that all the hype surrounding 2012 was nonsense – and much of it was. But I believe there was a great deal going on this year – in the realm of human consciousness – and more that will continue in the years to come. People have been waking up; there has been and continues to be an evolution of our human awareness.

Blind acceptance of authority has fallen to the wayside, as people are less willing to give away their power to those who would manipulate, lie, and control them to further their own agendas.

People are realizing that war has become an archaic notion. They are refusing to wave flags in a patriotic frenzy, glorifying the act of sending their children to kill other peoples’ children in battles that have been manufactured for the gain of a few.

People are waking up to the suffering being inflicted upon the animals, whether killing them for sport, for the dinner table, or using them for corporate profit.

We are in the process of changing centuries of behavior and thought patterns as we evolve into beings that are beginning to recognize ourselves in each other. The desire to cooperate will surpass the desire to compete. The desire to be kind will surpass the desire to do harm, not only with our actions, but also with our thoughts and speech.

The barrier to peace is rooted in fear, which perpetuates the illusion of separation. Gandhi knew that the time for words was over when he said, “Become the change you want to see in the world.” He wanted us to go past the rhetoric. Remember, what you think you become. Imagine the possibilities if fear was replaced with understanding and compassion. Do you have the desire and the courage to change the way you think? Wouldn’t that make a more meaningful resolution for the New Year? It does start with us. Peace is the ultimate grassroots movement.

Wishing everyone peace and happiness in the 2013.

Peacemakers

August 17, 2010October 13, 2010 by nondualmind, posted in Thoughts

Early morning on Saturday August 7, 2010, I was finishing reading the book, Three Cups of Tea, with the sounds of CNN in the background. That’s when I heard about the ten aid workers killed in the Badakshan province of Northeastern Afghanistan. It was a synchronistic moment as I was, in that same instant, reading about Greg Mortenson’s trip through that same area in his quest to build schools in those regions threatened by the Taliban. Details of his trek through that province to meet with the commandhan of Badakshan echoed the dangers that tragically cost those workers their lives. I was struck by the grace of the workers’ family members and friends who told the world of their loved ones’ affection for the people they were helping in that region. Those aid workers were no strangers to Afghanistan. They understood the culture and loved the people. And, perhaps what was even more striking, was how the Afghan people loved them. The world was made to understand that their deaths were linked to the fundamentalist group of the Taliban and were not a reflection of the beliefs of the Afghan people.

Listening to these reports by friends and family members, I was taken back into the book I was just finishing. Greg Mortenson’s account (written with David Oliver Relin) is filled with stories of how he won the trust and affection of first the Pakistani people and then the Afghans. You learn how he navigated cultural and religious differences by showing respect for their ways, managing to cut through the shroud of fear and suspicion. When you read Three Cups of Tea, your understanding of that part of the world, which is geographically and culturally remote, deepens. And understanding is the first step toward compassion….and peace.

It has been our history as humans that when we are attacked in some way someone has to be blamed and retaliated against. Unfortunately, we usually direct our anger and retaliation not just at the attackers but at the larger group the attackers represent. We need to make them all suffer as we suffered. This “eye for an eye” and “It’s us against them” mentality will never bring peace. Never. Greg Mortenson knows this. The Pakistan and Afghan leaders, who became champions of Mortenson’s mission, also know this.

“The enemy is ignorance,” Brigadier General Bashir Baz of Pakistan told Mortenson in 2003. He continues, “The only way to defeat it is to build relationships with these people, to draw them into the modern world with education and business. Otherwise the fight will go on forever.” (quote taken directly from Three Cups of Tea)

The aid workers who died were peacemakers. Greg Mortenson is a peacemaker. It’s important to keep their efforts going. Please visit Greg Mortenson’s website www.threecupsoftea.com for more information and suggestions on how you can help.

Peace.