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Reclaiming Self

Apr 22nd, 2010 by

There was a day quite some time back which I had experienced a mixture of shame, sadness, anger, hurt, love, appreciation, support and encouragement. I purposefully worded out the negative emotions first because I understand that it is these emotions which are usually more overwhelming than the others in anyone’s world, including mine. But when I sit down, and recall the many comments of support, love and encouragement instead, I then become overwhelmed with appreciation and love.

I remember questioning my inner world if these were the reflections of my mind. While I acknowledged some fears were valid, I did not understand others. I asked if what had happened was a sign to stop writing, if I wasn’t doing any good to others, especially myself. But the messages I received with love was not it, and I knew that this was an obstacle necessary in my journey to break free from the many other bandages the mind held. I could take the easy way out – either to stop writing, or to limit my expressions in the writing if I could not contain the passion; if I wanted approval. However, I was also aware that I was no longer seeking for approval; nor bear any wish to run away. Running away would only deter me further from what is there for me to reclaim of myself – the false ideas of the self and to forsake the True Self which has always been present, whole and complete.

I was inspired to pick up Paul Ferrini’s ‘Embracing Our True Self’ soon afterwards, which was a birthday gift from Angel. In his preface already, it encouraged me further that my choice to deal with the ‘crises’ or triggers in my life are the way to go. That is, to face them head on, instead of sweeping them under the carpet; that can only be done (in my way of practice anyway) through mindfulness, being aware of what comes up in me.

I share with you here, the excerpts of Paul Ferrini’s preface in his book ‘Embracing Our True Self’: –

“… the necessity of healing of our deep childhood wounds as a prerequisite for understanding who we are and what we have come into this life to do. It makes it clear that we cannot meet our True Self until we heal our trauma, correct our erroneous beliefs about ourselves, and dissolve our reactive behaviour patterns. 

     Our healing process helps us realise that in order to meet our True Self, our False Self must die. This ego death experience creates a psychological and spiritual crisis in our lives in which we are asked to surrender our ego agenda and meet our fears head on. It invites us to get in touch with our core wound and heal our shame and unworthiness.

     To grow, we must go through this crisis. We have no choice. The old ways of living no longer work for us. We know we have to stop allowing fear to run our lives. We know we have to stop betraying ourselves. We can no longer live the life that others want for us. We can no longer live out of sacrifice or guilt. We have to let go of all that. We have to risk being ourselves, regardless of how scary a proposition that is.”

*Excerpts from the Author’s Preface of Embracing Our True Self by Paul Ferrini*

So many beautiful beings appeared in my hologram for that particular lesson, and I am still grateful for it. “Love always call you back” said one of my teacher, and I know that I could not have given in to this self-betrayal. So what if some people have misunderstood my sharing and judged me through their perception of my entries. It does not matter. Because ultimately, that does not define me. What triggers me, is mine alone and my responsibility to clean up the mess.

A lot of people go through self-help programmes or sessions with facilitators and they think that they are fully healed. I’d say that they are healed from what they are aware of. How about those that are hidden in the subconscious, which are surfacing everywhere around us but we are unaware of? How could one be completely healed unless one who knows the Truth, and the absolute Truth? I explained to a dear friend once, that an inward journey is like renovating a house. It takes time. Some takes 2 weeks; good for them. Some takes years, and even lifetimes. If not, compassionate beings would not return as Masters, lifetimes after lifetimes, to share the Truth, to support our journey to the Truth.

I go through life just as everybody else does. Just because I respond differently and express myself not in the same way that anybody else would do, doesn’t mean I am any different from anyone. I just chose to do it in a way that does not restrict me; that frees me. I just chose to do it in a way, that empowers me.

And what I can share from my experiences and realisations of my lessons, my journey is that as I identify the layers and layers of false ideas of who I think I am or who others think I am, I grow a little bit more with love, appreciation and gratitude in my heart. I begin to enjoy my relationships with my parents, my siblings, my hubby, my child, my teachers and my friends even, even more. I begin to enjoy my relationship with myself even, even more.

Kavitha, another beautiful angel who unconditionally shows her support said,

“Known is a drop, unknown is an ocean. It’s the known drop that you are sharing with everyone. There is no wrong or right, people will receive what they are ready for…”

Love always call you back… how touched I am as this sharing from my teacher echos in my mind, again.

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Mirror

Apr 22nd, 2010 by

The good you find in others, is in you too.

The fault you find in others, are your faults as well.

After all, to recognise something, you must know it.

The possibilities you see in others, are possible for yourself as well.

The beauty you see around you, is your beauty.

The world around you is a reflection, a mirror showing you the person you are.

To change your world, you must change yourself.

To blame and complain will only make matters worse.

Whatever you care about, is your responsibility.

What you see in others, shows you yourself.

See the best in others, and you will be your best.

Give to others, and you give to yourself.

Appreciate beauty, and you will be beautiful.

Admire creativity, and you will be creative.

Love, and you will be loved.

Seek to understand, and you will be understood.

Listen, and your voice will be heard.

Teach, and you will learn.

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Of marriages & love stories…

Apr 22nd, 2010 by

If you say you love your husband, what does that have to do with him? You’re just telling him who you are. You tell the story of how he’s handsome and fascinating and sexy, and you love your story about him. You’re projecting that he’s your story. And then when he doesn’t give you what you want, you may tell the story of how he’s mean, he’s controlling, he’s selfish–and what does that have to do with him? If my husband says, “I adore you,” I think, Good. I love that he thinks that I’m his sweet dream. How happy he must feel about that! If he were ever to come to me and say, “The sorriest day of my life was when I married you,” still, what would that have to do with me? He’d just be in a sad dream this time, and I might think, Oh, poor baby, he’s having a nightmare. I hope he wakes up soon. It’s not personal. How can it have anything to do with me? I love him, and if what he says about me isn’t true in my experience, I’ll ask him if there’s anything I can do for him. If I can do it, I will, and if it’s not honest for me, I won’t. He is left with his story.

No one will ever understand you. Realising this is freedom. No one will ever understand you–not once, not ever. Even at our most understanding, we can only understand our story of who you are. There’s no understanding here except your own.

If you don’t love another person, it hurts, because love is your very self. You can’t make yourself do it. But when you come to love yourself, you automatically love the other person. Just as you can’t make yourself love us, you can’t make yourself not love us. It’s all your projection.

When you truly love someone, a thought like “You should love me” just brings laughter to your heart. Can you hear the arrogance of that thought? “I don’t care whom you want to love. You should love me, and I’ll even trick you into it.” It’s the oppposite of love. If I think my husband should love me, I’m insane. Whose business is it whom he loves? His, of course. The turnarounds are all I need to know: I should love me, and I should love him. Let him love whomever he loves–he’s going to anyway. The story of whom someone should love keeps me from the awareness that I am what I’m seeking. It’s not his job to love me–it’s mine.

There’s nothing you can do with love. All you can do is experience it. That’s as intimate as you can ever be with another human being. You can hug him, you can kiss him, you can pack him up, take him home, cuddle him, feed him, give him your money, give him your life–and that’s not it. Love is nothing you can demonstrate or prove. It’s what you are. It’s not a doing, it can’t be “done”, it’s too vast to do anything with. As you open to the experience of love, it will kill who you think you are. It will have no other. It will kill anything in its way.

Once you give yourself to love, you lose your whole world as you perceive it. Love leaves nothing but itself. It’s totally greedy; it has to include it all; it will not leave out even a shadow of itself. And everything else falls away, and you’re like a tree losing its leaves in autumn, so beautifully. Our pain is in denying love. A boundary is an act of selfishness. There’s nothing you wouldn’t give to anyone if you weren’t afraid. Of course, you can’t be generous ahead of your time. But when you meet your thoughts with understanding, you discover that there’s nothing to lose. So eventually there’s no attempt at protection. Giving everything you have becomes a priviledge.

The only true love affair is the one with yourself. I am married to me, and that’s what I project onto everyone. I love you with all my heart; you don’t even have to participate, so there’s no motive in “I love you”. Isn’t that fine? I can love you completely, and you have nothing to do with it. There’s nothing you can do to keep me from the intimacy that I experience with you.

When I say “I love you”, it’s self love. There’s no personality talking: I’m only talking to myself. Love is so self-absorbed that it leaves no room for any other. It’s self-consuming, always. There’s not a molecule separate from itself. In the apparent world of duality, people are going to see it as a you and a me, but in reality there is only one. And even that isn’t true.

The voice within is what I’m married to. All marriage is a metaphor for that marriage. When I make a commitment, it’s to my own truth and there’s no higher or lower. “Will you have this man to be your husband?” “I will. And I may change my mind.” That’s as good as it gets. I’m married only to God–reality. That’s where my commitment is. It can’t be to a particular person. And my husband wouldn’t want it any other way.

Unless you marry the truth, there is no real marriage. Marry yourself and you have married us. We are you. That’s the cosmic joke.

*Excepts from A Thousand Names for Joy by Byron Katie*

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Your Immortal Reality

Apr 22nd, 2010 by

A pen down of a few things here for my own remembrance,

Who is the “you” who are living in this world?
Spirit is immortal, and immortality is a constant state.
…
Projection makes perception. The world you see is what you gave it, nothing more than that. But though it is no more than that, it is not less. Therefore, to you it is important. It is the witness to your state of mind, the outside picture of an inward condition. – I made what I’m seeing…
…
True forgiveness means you don’t judge and condemn another. There’s not really any sin and guilt out there, because none of what we’ve been talking about happened except in a dream, and dreams are not real. So J counsels you in his Course not to make the ideas of sin and guilt real in the people, events, and situation you see in the world: “Call it not sin but madness, for such it was and so it still remains. Invest it not with guilt, for guilt implies it was accomplished in reality. And above all, be not afraid of it… When you seem to see some twisted form of the original error rising to frighten you, say only, ‘God is not fear, but Love,’ and it will disappear.
…
Nothing real can be threatened.
…
Nothing real exists.
…
I am here only to be truly helpful.
I am here to represent Him Who sent me.
I do not have to worry about what to say or what to do, because He Who sent me will direct me.
I am content to be wherever He wishes, knowing He goes there with me.
I will be healed as I let Him teach me to heal.
…
I am immortal spirit.
This body is just an image.
It has nothing to do with what I am.
…
You are Spirit.
Whole and innocent.
All is forgiven and released.
…
*Part teachings from A Course of Miracles &
excerpts from Your Immortal Reality by Gary R. Renard*

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What Motivates You the Most?

Apr 22nd, 2010 by

Have you ever wonder, most of the time when you do something, what is the force behind that moves you to do it? And I am talking about daily chores, sweeping the floor, washing the dishes, driving your kids to school, working… what is the attitude behind those actions? Have you noticed?

Many people say, “if I don’t do it, nobody else would do it.”; or “must do one mah… it is our responsibility”; or “if I dont do this, then xxx will/will not…” … well, whatever it is – whatever one says or not say, do or not do – is already an effect.

I’ve observed for quite some time, that ‘Guilt’ or ‘Fear’ seems to become the biggest motivating force behind most people’s actions. Or maybe they were my biggest motivating force which is why they were being reflected to me for my observation. Are they different – Guilt & Fear? In truth, they derive from the same nature. The other extreme of ‘Love’.

We are all the same. How do I know? Through a conversation with Angel, she told me that when she decided to kick her addiction to sleeping (yup, you heard right – she can REALLY sleep), she was non-stop doing something. And even as she consciously sit still to observe, she observed the mind or rather the feeling of always wanting to ‘do’ something if the body was not sleeping. Strangely, that was what I observed in myself too.. especially in smoking. In the journey of quitting or rather slowing dowm smoking, I had managed to observe the many attitudes behind my smoking. It’s like.. there is a kind of guilt or fear of not doing anything – that moves the body or the mind to keep looking for something to do!

And my teacher reminded, “the ego/mind is always wanting to do something – to chase something, missing the most important moment of the Now”. Of course – not in exact words, but that is what I understand from it.

Being mindful, or aware of ourselves are we able to stop ourselves from being in an autopilot mode. And being out of the autopilot mode are we able, to conciously choose once again the intention behind the creation of every thought and action.

I remember another of my teacher telling me this during my first few sessions with him, “you can do anything… as long as they are unconditional” meaning guiltlessly and fearlessly. I’d use to question myself, “geez.. how is THAT possible?”. But today, I come to understand while guilt can be the greatest motivating force to do something, I could always surrender those feelings/thoughts and choose again. Did you know, that it is the unconscious guilt buried in our subconscious mind that allows us to come back to this dimension AGAIN and AGAIN as cited in the Buddha’s teachings and A Course of Miracles? I’d come to a point, where I realised that all the organised religions were all heading towards the same directions – and it is more than just doing good or being a good person. It’s really more than that.

By the way, the Dharma (Buddha’s teachings) and A Course of Miracles are not really religious teachings. They are teachings that leads us out of this ‘samsara’.

So really, are we able to always watch the intention and attitude behind the doing or saying? Even in the midst of the busy-ness of completing a task, can we watch our own attitude of wanting to complete the task? Is it with resistence (then why am I still doing it)? Is it with joy (what does that joy equate – selfish or selfless fulfillment)? It’s plentiful opportunities to get to know ourselves, I’d say – and this helps in much understanding and compassion towards ourselves too. We may, for the first time, realise how hard we have been on ourselves and perhaps, choose again how we’d want to live our lives.

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Show-Off

Apr 22nd, 2010 by

I always thought that I was humble (meaning, I am NOT a show-off!!) and that I didn’t really care what people think of me from the aspects of material things. However, since I’ve become more aware of my thoughts and attitude behind those thoughts, I noticed that the humbleness that I portrayed was merely a camouflage to 2 belief systems: No. 1 – mentality of lack / fear of being inferior and No. 2 – fear of showing-off arising from the mentality of superiority!

No. 1 – Mentality of Lack / Fear of Being Inferior
It’s like this… actually, I can afford this, but because I am practical I choose not to buy it. So I am happy and proud of myself that I am practical and if people say, “eh, why you use this or drive this…”, I can readily answer back, “because it is more practical.” This is very much on the surface.

The scary truth behind it is this…

I can’t afford that (due to the mentality of lack which is a false-made-truth belief). So, I have no choice but to buy this, and it is more practical anyway… The contemplation is, if I buy this, I still have extra $$$ to buy other things; but if I buy that, I cannot have other things. And by this logical reasoning the decision is made to buy this over that. And each time I meet someone whom I perceived to have ‘more’ than me, then the mind is ready with answers to defend the very idea that I hold on to, “oh.. it is more practical…” In truth, this idea stems from the space of unworthiness… Unworthy to own what is perceived of more value than what I am. The limiting beliefs surely had its way to make me feel small!

No. 2 – Fear of Showing-Off arising from the Mentality of Superiority
When I already have something that I love, I like to use it constantly. But when I meet someone whom I perceived to have ‘less’ than me, I switch from what I love into something that I could ‘live’ with for the day or for the moment. Quite differently the mind functions in this scenario because there would be no cause to ‘defend’ – as no one would be ‘putting’ me down, and I had ‘secured’ my position of not having to ‘put’ anyone down by ‘not being superior’ for the day. And this idea, also stems from unworthiness. How? Because we perceive ourselves to have more and fail to see that it is our entitlement. We feel guilty showing others what we have and there lies a stinct of unworthiness, that others would perceive we do not deserve what we have eventhough it is our entitlement. But what have what we’ve got, got anything to do with others? And why must whatever that we have or have not, be of a ‘show’ to others?

These kind of defilement had run in the mind for ages. The best part is, nobody has ever come forth to ask me, question me or put me down… And no matter how hard I tried ‘not being superior’, I could not stop anyone from feeling that they were inferior to me anyway! 

To know that anything and everything that seemed so real of which I had needed to prepare myself with a defense, was just a creation of what’s in that conditioned mind. Isn’t it wonderful, that now… I can actually consciously choose again??? 🙂

=====

This paragraph is extracted under the topic of ‘Allowing the Diminishment of the Ego’, excerpts from A New Earth authored by Eckhart Tolle.

“Another aspect of this practice is to refrain from attempting to strengthen the self by showing off, wanting to stand out, be special, make an impression, or demand attention. It may include occasionally refraining from expressing your opinion when everybody is expressing his or hers, and seeing what that feels like.”

He explains further under the same topic in different para that a powerful spiritual practice is to consciously allow the diminishment of ego when it happens without attempting to restore it. He explains that the ego is always on guard against any perceived diminished sense of self and usually is already on an automatic ego-repair mode through self justification, defense or blaming so to preserve the psychological form or false sense of “me” and that all repair mechanisms make perfect sense to the ego but are in fact, all dysfunctional.

How true that most of us live our lives dysfunctionally in a state of unconsciousness. It is therefore important to question the ideas behind our actions. Definitely to the norm of the society, it is deemed as ‘normal’ to think or act a certain way. But do we ever question ‘why’?

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On the Right Track

Apr 22nd, 2010 by

I used to think that our minds are evil – fear based, ego based and etc… and that only the heart is good. But now I have a new understanding of the mind – it is in fact just a tool which has been programmed by default to help us get what we want. It incorporated all these fearful experiences/conceptions which inevitably molded the personalities of who I think I am because at that point in time, I did not know any better… or to put it truthfully, was still asleep. Not that it was there to harm me, but it was just doing its job. And my job is, to understand how it works, ‘treat’ it with ‘anti-virus’ and to reformat and reprogramme the darn hard disk!

Really, the truth does get easier to grasp when you are willing and ready for it in the journey of awakening. There are only 2 laws – the law of fear and the law of love, quoted many times by one of my dear teachers. They are neither good nor bad. We always perceive fear as bad, but fear can uplift both you and I to a higher level of love -if and only if, the intention is love. I guess while fear visits off and on, love always pulls me back.

A friend commented quite some time ago,”wah… your teachers really made an impact on your life huh?” while I acknowledged that; I blurted, “I was the one who made an impact on my life because I was willing to listen and practice the teachings they shared with me.” Egoistic? Well, I was shy after making that statement to tell you the truth. But when I was sharing with one of my teachers on exact same thing,  he acknowledged the same. My teacher (one of the loving two) always said, “In truth, we cannot help anyone. We only share our ideas with them, and if they buy into our ideas, we are still not helping them although it looks like it. In truth, they are the ones helping themselves because they bought into your idea to help themselves.” Oooohhh.. do you see now why I love myself so much for having 2 such beautiful, loving and wise Teachers!!! *winks*

You see, no one can help us or whatsoever. Whatever that could be said or done to us, has been said and done to us. It’s the choices we make thereafter – to either listen or to shy away. I chose to listen and I choose to continue to be obedient to both my Teachers and Masters because I want to continue to make an impact on my life. While I am grateful to them for departing their knowledge and teachings to me, I am even more grateful to myself for having made that choice of being their student for my own growth.

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A little about Wisdom

Apr 22nd, 2010 by

Wisdom is achieved very slowly. This is because intellectual knowledge, easily acquired, must be transformed into ’emotional’ or subconscious, knowledge. Once transformed, the imprint is permanent. Behavioural practice is the necessary catalyst of this reaction. Without action, the concept will wither and fade. Theoretical knowledge without practical application is not enough.

Balance and harmony are neglected today, yet they are the foundations of wisdom. Everything is done to excess. People are overweight because they eat excessively. Joggers neglect aspects of themselves and others because they run excessively. People seem excessively mean. They drink too much, smoke too much, carouse too much (or too little), talk too much without content, worry too much. There is too much black-or-white thinking. All or none. This is not the way of nature.

In nature there is balance. Beasts destroy in small amounts. Ecological systems are not eliminated en masse. Plants are consumed and then grow. The sources of sustenance are dipped into and then replenished. The flower is enjoyed, the fruit eaten, the root preserved.

Humankind has not learned about balance, let alone practiced it. It is guided by greed and ambition, steered by fear. In this way it will eventually destroy itself. But nature will survive, at least the plants will.

Happiness is really rooted in simplicity. The tendency to excessiveness in thought and action diminishes happiness. Excesses cloud basic values. Religious people tell us that happiness comes from filling one heart’s with love, from faith and hope, from practicing charity and dispensing kindness. They actually are right. Given those attitudes, balance and harmony usually follow. These are collectively a state of being. In these days, they are an altered state of consciousness. It is as if humankind were not in its natural state while on earth. It must reach an altered state in order to fill itself with love and charity and simplicity, to feel purity, to rid itself of its chronic fearfulness.

How does one reach this altered state, this other value system? And once reached, how can it be sustained? The answer appears to be simple. It is the common denominator of all religions. Humankind is immortal, and what we are doing now is learning our lessons. We are all in school. It is so simple if you can believe in immortality.

If a part of humankind is eternal, and there is much evidence and history to think so, then why are we doing such bad things to ourselves? Why do we step on and over others for our personal ‘gain’ when actually we’re flunking the lesson? We all seem to be going to the same place ultimately, albeit at different speeds. No one is greater than another.

Consider the lessons. Intellectually the answers have always been there, but this need to actualize by experience, to make the subconscious imprint permanent by ’emotionalising’ and practising the concept, is the key. Memorising in Sunday School is not good enough. Lip service without the behaviour has no value. It is easy to read about or talk about love and charity and faith. But to do it, to feel it, almost requires an altered state of consciousness. Not the transient state induced by drugs, alcohol, or unexpected emotion. The permanent state is reached by knowledge and understanding. It is sustained by physical behaviour, by act and deed, by practice. It is taking something nearly mystical and transforming it to everyday familiarity by practice, making it a habit.

Understand that no one is greater than another. Feel it. Practice helping another. We are all rowing the same boat. If we don’t pull together, our plants are going to be awfully lonely.

~Excerpts from Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian L. Weiss, M.D.~

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The Goose is Out!

Apr 22nd, 2010 by

Beloved Osho,

Yes, Osho, yes. There is no more bottle, no more You, no more I. only this drunken joy that makes my toes curl in ecstacy. But, Osho… what was the joke?

=====
Yoga Lalita, the ultimate joke, the only joke… The official, Riko, once asked Nansen to explain to him the old problem of the goose in the bottle.

“If a man puts a gosling into a bottle,” said Riko, “and feeds him until he is full-grown, how can the man get the goose out without killing it or breaking the bottle?”
Nansen gave a great clap with his hands and shouted, “Riko!”
“Yes, Master,” said the official with a start.
“See,” said Nansen, “the goose is out”

This is the only ultimate joke in existence. You are enlightened! You are buddhas, pretending not to be, pretending to be somebody else. And my whole work here is to expose you.

See, Lalita, the goose is out! You will make every effort to put it back into the bottle, because once the goose is out then you don’t have any problems. And man knows only how to live with problems, he does not know how to live without problems, so he goes on putting the goose back into the bottle.

There is a beautiful story of Rabindranath Tagore.

He says: I was searching for God for thousands of lives. I saw him… sometimes far away, close to a distant star. I rushed. By the time I had reached there he had gone further ahead. It went on and on. Finally I arrived at a door, and on the door there was a signboard: “This is the house where God lives” – Lao Tzu House!

Rabindranath says, “I became very worried for the first time. I became very troubled. Trembling, I went up the stairs. I was just going to knock on the door and suddenly, in a flash, I saw the whole point. If I knock on the door and God opens the door, then what? Then everything is finished – my journeys, my pilgrimages, my great adventures, my philosophy, my poetry, all my longings of the heart – all is finished! It will be suicide.”

“Seeing the point so crystal clear,” Rabindranath says, “I removed my shoes from my feet, because going back down might create some noise – he might open the door! Then what? And from the moment I reached the bottom of the steps I have not looked back. Since then I have been running and running for thousands of years. I am still searching for God, although now I know where he lives. So I only have to avoid that Lao Tzu House and I can go on searching for him everywhere else. There is no fear… but I have to avoid that house. That house haunts me! I remember it perfectly. If by chance I accidentally enter that house, then all is finished.”

It is a beautiful insight.

Man lives in problems, man lives in misery. To live without problems, to live without misery, needs real courage.

I have lived without any problems for twenty-five years, and I know it is a kind of suicide. I simply go on sitting in my room doing nothing. There is nothing to do!

If you can allow so much silence to penetrate your very being, only then you will be able to leave the goose out of the bottle. Otherwise, for a moment maybe… and then again you will push the goose back into the bottle. That gives you some occupation; it keeps you occupied, keeps you concerned, worried, anxious. The moment there are no problems there is no mind. The moment there are no problems there is no ego. The ego and the mind can exist only in the turmoil of problems.

As I see it, man creates problems to nourish his ego. If there are not real problems he will invent them. But he is bound to invent them, otherwise his mind cannot function anymore.

So, Lalita, this is my simple declaration: that all is divine. The trees and the rocks and the stones and the mountains and the stars – all are divine. The goose has never been in the bottle. it is only the man who cannot live without problems who forces the goose back into the bottle; and then he starts asking how to get it out. And then he makes impossible conditions: first, the bottle should not be broken, the goose should not be killed.

Now the goose is big, it fills the whole bottle. It is impossible to fulfil the conditions. Either the bottle has to be broken – that is not allowed; or the goose has to be killed – that is not allowed. You have to bring the goose out without killing it and without destroying the bottle. That is not possible, in the very nature of things. As dhammo sanantano: this is how life’s law is, it is not possible. So man remains happy because it is not possible, so he can go on carrying the bottle. I see Lalita carrying the bottle with the goose… But the truth is that the bottle is only your imagination, fantasy, just made of the same stuff that dreams are made of.

This is the most difficult thing for humanity to accept. Hence, so much opposition to me – because I am telling you that you are gods, that you are buddhas, that there is no other God than you. That is the most difficult thing to accept. You would like to be a sinner, you would like to be guilty, you would like to be thrown into hell; but you cannot accept that you are a buddha, an awakened one, because then all problems are solved. And when problems are solved, you start disappearing. And to disappear into the whole is the only thing of worth, is the only thing of any significance.

What I am telling to you is not a teaching. This place is a device – this is a buddhafield. I have to take away things which you don’t have, and I have to give you things which you already have. You need not be grateful to me at all because I am not giving you anything new. I am simply helping you to remember. You have forgotten the language of your being.

I have come to recognize it: I have remembered myself. And since the day I remembered myself I have been in a strange situation: I feel compassion for you, and deep down I also giggle at you, because you are not really in trouble. You don’t need compassion, you need hammering! You need to be hit hard on the head! Your suffering is bogus. Ecstacy is your very nature.

You are truth.
You are love.
You are bliss.
You are freedom.

Enough for today.

~ An excerpt from The Goose is Out by Osho ~

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Mystery & the Mind

Apr 19th, 2010 by

Mystery and mind cannot exist together; they are not, by their very nature, co-existential. Just like darkness and light: you cannot have both in your room. If you want darkness you have to extinguish the light; if you want light that you have to lose darkness. You can only have one, for the simple reason that the presence of light is the absence of darkness, the presence of darkness is the absence of light; they are not two things, in fact. The same phenomenon, present, is light; absent, is darkness. Now you cannot manage both, to be present and absent together.
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Mind is the presence of the non-mysterious, the logical, and meditation is the presence of the mysterious, the miraculous.
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Hence, move from the mind. Let art, poetry, painting, dancing become more important – they will bring you close to meditation – and finally take the plunge. If you have tasted something of poetry you will gather enough courage to take the ultimate plunge.
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Time consists of two tenses, not three. The present is not part of time; the past is time, the future is time. The present is the pentration of the beyond into the world of time.
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Time conceived of as part and future is the language of the mind – and the mind can only create problems, it knows no solutions. All the problems that humanity is burdened with are the mind’s inventions. Existence is a mystery, not a problem. It has not to be solved, it has to be lived.
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People are trying to play the game of life but with many conditions. and those conditions prevent them. Life is a beautiful game if you don’t have conditions to it. If you can simply plunge into it with no ifs, with no buts, then there is no need for enlightment.
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What is actually meant by enlightenment? – a relaxed, restful approach to life, a deep synchronicity with existence, an egoless communion with the whole.
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– Excerpts from The Goose is Out by Osho –

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