Anattā

4 posts

dull

Is Your Experience of Life Dull or Bright?

Thoughts and emotions place filters over aware presence making life seem so dull. Thus, this mind domination obscures conscious awareness. A person looks at the sky, a tree or a bird.  But, usually, what a person sees is a mind filter interpretation. Thus, a reaction or behavior within a person causes this type of stimulus to deceive and confuse. Therefore, this type of mind behavior prevents a person from realizing the true essence and actuality of any given experience. 

dull

On the other hand, realizing your true potential as a conscious being is a useful stepping stone to enlightenment. Words, such as enlightenment and insignificant details mesmerize the mind. Hence, the mind attaches itself and your sense of being to everything you experience. But, please don’t let the mind dominate your sense of presence with insignificant details. Otherwise, these details overshadow the act of aware beingness.  This insight and our topic discussions, to illustrate, refer to conscious illumination and mind dependency liberation. You are the manifestation of one-self (presence) as an isness that has the potential to be universal through non-attachment. And, more obvious, you are the non-self (Buddhism: Anattā) of being, equally, through non-attachment. Continue reading

allow

Allow Life to Flow and Just Let Go

Count the number of situations for one day that you don’t like. The total number might surprise you. Your boss gives you a task that you do not like. There is a traffic jam on the highway that angers you. You must wait in a line to pay for your groceries. It seems impossible to simply allow and accept. So, the list of things you don’t like goes on and on. Still, from time to time, there is a moment when everything is just right. Then, at least for this brief interval, you are happy. Or, at least this is what the mind tells you.

But, true happiness and satisfaction never really come. Thus, dissatisfaction comes again one minute later. Why? Mainly because you attach yourself to any, and everything. And, you expect and demand. Instead of accept and appreciate. The majority of people do this daily at some level. On the other hand, how would any experience change when you just allow and receive whatever the situation holds?

allow

Allow and acknowledge the isness of this moment. Trust me when I share with you that this is the simplest act of living life. All discomforts, barriers and suffering fade away. Hence, you discover a calm spaciousness during any thought, feeling or situation. Likewise, spaciousness and stillness are possible in any situation, regardless of the details. This is the feeling of coming home. This dimension is where the true self resides. Let’s reflect on this insight during the remainder of the article. Continue reading

impermanence

Impermanence Is Being Whatever Will Be

Doris Day shares useful insight in her song Que Sera, Sera Whatever Will Be Will Be. Do the lyrics offer us a gateway to presence? Yes. Did the song writer intend for the song to be a signpost to conscious living? Who knows for sure? However, the songs philosophical ramifications are clearly evident. Likewise, whatever will be in our state of being indicates awareness to the space of impermanence. 

impermanence

Impermanence (anicca) is the first of three Buddhism characteristics of existence and being. Dissatisfaction or suffering (dukkha) is the second. The third Basis Marks of Existence according to Buddhism is non-self (anattā). These three are focus points of the Buddhist Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path.

Here are the Buddhists Three Basic Marks of Existence.

  1. Saṅkhāras (conditioned things) are impermanent.
  2. Saṅkhāras are unsatisfactory.
  3. dharmas (conditioned or unconditioned things) are not self.

Continue reading

Confrontations Begin and End with You

The world seems to spin around in an array of daily confrontations. It seems that demands constantly provoke us. But, are these anxieties real?  Let just say that everything seems real if that is what you think and believe. The concept of time is an example. Clock time is at the top of the list of stress factors we confront. So, let’s pause (pun intended) for a moment. Is clock time or any other concept to blame for how we interact with it? No, can be the only answer. The number of challenges seem endless. But again, I ask, are they real? Time is useless. Yes, it has a practical use. But is time a requirement to live?  No, unless you choose to live within this structure of the mind.

confrontations

The content of any experience is irrelevant. But, you choose how to observe an experience. Choose means a choice that comes from a level of consciousness. Conscious awareness means no outside influence can distort your field of presence. Also, being aware means no inner conflicts, such as from the mind. We could then stop repetitive patterns that occur in most experiences. Continue reading