What is Real?

What is real?  How do you define real?  If you are talking about what you can feel, smell, taste, see and hear, then real  is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.  This is one of my favorite scenes in the movie the Matrix.  It is said that the mind is a powerful thing, it is!  Spiritual teachers and quantum physicists all over have found that the world you live in, as YOU experience it, only exists in your mind.  So if its true in your mind, then its true and real for you.  I once heard a Indian Guru say that the only place you experience life is within yourself.  You see him, where?  In your mind.  You hear him, where?  In your mind.  Nothing that you have ever or ever will experience happens outside of you. He said we know nothing of the world outside of our mind.  So, what its reality?  

Recently I decided to watch, for a second time, the show Lost.  The first time I saw it I had a different mindset, and it reached me, but limited to what I was willing and capable of understanding back then.  Now, given the way I think, I wanted to see how it would reach me and if I could gain any new understanding from it.  I did! If you are not familiar with the show I urge you to give it a chance.  If you haven't, I will not spoil it for you, I am not here to talk about the show, simply about the perspective I gained from it.  Are you familiar with soul pacts and/or soul groups?  They are agreements we make with an individual or a group of individuals before we come to earth and be born.  The agreements we make are just so that we can help each other have the experiences and learn the lessons we are meant to, i.e., soul mates, spouses, children, family, close friends, etc.  Based on my study of the Buddhist philosophy and what I've been able to understand from Quantum Physics, I have come to realize that Death is just a concept.  Why?  Because what I AM; a divine spiritual being having a temporary human existence, was never born, therefore it could never die.  It has always existed and chooses to be born to have different experiences to gain awareness of itself.  Death is simply the transition of leaving the body to rest to perhaps another reality of existence or to whatever comes next.  

So what comes next? Heaven? Hell? Purgatory? Reincarnation? I really don't know.  I suppose no one really knows until it happens.  What I do know for sure, is that I don't know.  If I don't know, then what do I know; and what do I do with what I know?  If what is real its all happening within my mind, then Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, Reincarnation, etc are all realities that we can only experience within our mind.  That after we transition, we simply create them within our mind, based on our perception of our last reality - lets call that "Life".  They say Life is what you make it, you will either have a "positive" experience or a "negative" experience. If you see Life as obstacles and problems, then that's what you will experience.  If you see Life as opportunities, then that's what you will have. If you flow with Life, it flows with you.  Its is all on your perception, your mindset.  If at any point you are not happy with the experience you are having, you can change your mind.  If I had a positive life experience at the time I transition from my current reality, chances are that I will experience a Heaven type reality.  If I had a negative life experience, then I'll experience a Hell like reality.  Some say Heaven and Hell are a place here on Earth, that they are just mindsets, your perception of  reality.  So if Death is a concept, couldn't Life be a concept as well.  

Life is a constant learning experience, which every day provides us with opportunities to learn more, and there are no mistakes, only lessons.  And these lessons are specific to you, and learning them is the key to discovering and fulfilling the meaning and relevance of your own life.  That your development towards wisdom is a process of experimentation, trial and error, and the ones we come to life with, either as a soul pact or a soul group, help us through and are essential to that process.  Here is what I propose, based on the premise that reality is only experienced within your mind, that Life/Heaven/Hell/Purgatory/Reincarnation/etc are all realities we create in our mind, then, if the world you live in, as YOU experience it, only exists in your mind.  That if its true in your mind then its true and real for you, then ALL is REAL.  If its all for learning lessons and resolving issues that we have with ourselves and others, and they say purgatory is a place for those that have not resolved certain things in life and need a little more time to work through things; and for those who are there that's REAL for them, then the here is the thing: you don't really know at which point of your journey you are currently on.  In the movie What Dreams May Come, they say that if you are aware you exist, then you do.  They also say, that only thought is real, physical is the illusion - again all within your mind.  In that movie, Heaven or Hell was a choice they each created within their mind and its experienced differently by each person - all was possible and there are no rules.  In that reality, "afterlife", they were able to resolve all the issues they hadn't in "life", as a family, and they were able to experience a LOVE like never before.  They finally found peace and happiness.  They were so at peace that they chose to reincarnate and have more experiences and learn more from each other.  That "afterlife" reality was very REAL to them. Going back to the point that we really don't know what happens; what is real and what is not, and since we don't know, then we don't know at what point we are in this never ending journey.  Are you in Life, Heaven, Hell, Purgatory ????? Then it only makes sense that we make the best of it Now, wherever Now is for you.  That in this NOW, you lead with love, that you forgive, that you let go, that you are kind and compassionate, that you resolve any issues that may be holding you back from finding peace and happiness.  

Keep this in mind, the most important time of your life, is the time you spend with the ones you love. You need them and they need you, to move on.  Realize that it is only through love that we come to remember who we are.  That it is only through love that we can forgive and let go. Love is all there is.  Love is your path to peace and happiness.  They only time is NOW, don't waste it.

Thank you, I Love you.  You are important to me.

Your reality, Your Life!

You say you want to change, you want to let go and find peace because your life its a "nightmare".  Well, what if that nightmare is all you have known?  How do you let go of it knowing that the very idea of it might mean loosing yourself.

If I loose myself, then who am I?

What do I have if I don't have that anymore?

What will I do if I am not doing that or being that anymore? 

You would be what you have been and always will be - a divine spiritual being - but you have been so busy living the nightmare and thinking that you are the nightmare that you failed to notice.  The truth is, the concept you have come to know as your life; is as "real" as that nightmare is, it’s all in your mind - You created it, therefore you can change it.  You created it with the thoughts/beliefs that you think of and have been thinking of on a day to day basis for as long as you can remember.  Thing is, one of those beliefs instilled in you, is the belief to not question or doubt all the other beliefs that have created the life you live today.  I mean, why would you question such believes that seem so normal, especially since everyone you know seems to believe them too.  Ever wonder if everything you have believed/thought was false?

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."  -- Buddha

There is a problem though; you see, your own reason and common sense was built on the very same, potentially false, beliefs that have created your life.  So, in that questioning of everything the Buddha speaks of, add to it your own reason and common sense.  You might find yourself asking, well then what will have or who/what will I be - nothing?  Precisely, now all you are left with is the real you, the essence of what you are - a divine spiritual being.  For when you strip yourself of all thoughts, beliefs, concepts, ideas, things, etc, you also strip away the power and control those very same things have over you.  You have freed your mind and now you can begin to see life and yourself for what it is.  The true nature of all things, which you happen to be a part of and have never been separate from.  What you have done, is you have let go of the nightmare, now you can begin to live the dream - except it will be a reality.  Your reality, Your Life!

Namaste!
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Love: Emotion or State of Being?

So I've been reading Eckhart Tolle's A new Earth and so far it has been amazing - just what I needed to be reading at this point of my journey. It completely breaks down the aspects of the EGO so that you can have a greater understanding of it. It has help me to understand the WHY? of Don Miguel Ruiz's Agreement of not taking things personal and the WHERE? the compassion Buddha spoke so much stems from. I had mentioned before that the EGO is the unobserved/untrained mind and how it is a bundle of misconceptions.

Eckhart Tolle continues to explain that it is not only your unobserved/untrained mind; which are the thoughts in your head pretending to be you, but it is also your unobserved emotions, which are the body's reaction to those thoughts. So, a person that has negative emotions its simply reacting to his/her dysfunctional thoughts on a daily basis. Negative emotions, are toxic to your body and prevents it from functioning with harmony and balance. Simply put, negative emotions = unhappiness. On the other hand, positive emotions strengthen and invigorate the body, which is why we must think happy thoughts so that the body can have positive reactions to them. BUT, yes there is a but, are those emotions ego-generated or do they come from deep with in your Being?

Ego emotions are created in your mind, they are unstable and can change at any moment. More importantly, they contain within themselves their opposite.  For example, love quickly turns into hate the moment its no longer satisfying "you". Expectations turn into disappointment, praise/recognition turns into rejection, etc, etc. Understand this: Emotions only exist within the realm of opposites - you cant have one without the other - it's their nature. Where you want to get to, are those deeper emotions that come from within you; which are not emotions at all but states of Being and have no opposite.

Love as an emotion, is more like possession, addiction, want, control, fear. Love as a state of being, is patient, is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud...SOUND FAMILIAR???...its accepting, respectful and is not dependent on anyone else to love you first. States of being emanate from deep within you as the love, joy, peace that is you - your true nature.

Human[BEING]

In life, we get stuck in the roles given to us by our parents, society or the roles we give ourselves. We try so hard to be the best mom, dad, wife, husband, son, daughter, etc, and the list goes on and on; so much so that life is no longer about the relationships you could be building with any given person but whether or not you are measuring up to the role you think you are playing at that moment so much so that authenticity goes out the window. When you live this way, all that matters at any given moment with any given interaction is who you think you are, who you think they are and who you think they think you are. You end up doing whatever is required to achieve that role, that you miss the essential lesson[s] in the art of living. We are here to learn, grow and evolve as human beings, but the key to that is to find the balance between human and being. You see, all those roles belong to the Human part of you and they are important, but its not enough to fulfill you and live a meaningful life - no matter how hard you try. To be fulfilled, one can't forget about the Being part - the light within you, your divine spiritual nature which just is and doesn't play any roles. Human & Being are not separate, they are interwoven. If all you think you are is what you see in the mirror, Human, then you will always be looking to fulfill any role you think you need to be to get a sense of self - to exist. Those roles are so dangerous because as you identify with them, they may lead you to believe you are bigger, better, stronger, know more or can do more that you your fellow humans which are actually your equal in every level except in your mind - we are all one. You will feel superior; thus, you make others feel inferior. You see, only from the state of Being - your divine spiritual nature - can you treat others with love in your relationships. To love is to recognize yourself in another; and that's the love that unites us all. -- Inspired by Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth.

Pairs of Opposite

Carl Gustav Jung (26 July 1875 - 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, an influential thinker and the founder of analytical psychology (also known as Jungian psychology). Jung's approach to psychology has been influential in the field of depth psychology and in countercultural movements across the globe. Jung is considered as the first modern psychologist to state that the human psyche is "by nature religious" and to explore it in depth. C.G. Jung says that in the world we live in, there are certain qualities that are absolute truths. These qualities come in pairs of opposites and you can't have one without the other. Such as - Fullness and Emptiness, Living and Dead, Light and Darkness, Hot and Cold, Time and Space, Love and Fear, Good and Evil, Beauty and Ugliness, to mention a few. These qualities exist outside of ourselves and inside of us. Therefore, when one is not in tune with their true nature - the true self [not the false self which is the EGO] one is constantly striving to define and attach oneself with these qualities in order to feel like we exist. The danger with that is that when one strives towards the attainment of the good and the beautiful - for example - and is not in tune with ones true nature, we then fall pray to the effects of the opposite qualities - evil and ugly, since these are one with the good and the beautiful. When, however, we remain true to our own nature, we distinguish ourselves from the good and the beautiful, therefore, at the same time, from the evil and ugly. According to Jung, he emphasized the importance of balance and harmony in ones life. He cautioned that modern people rely too heavily on natural science and logical positivism and that we would benefit greatly from integrating spirituality and appreciation of unconscious realms. He considered this process of individuation necessary for a person to become whole. In summary, Jung asks us to strive not after any of these external qualities which ultimately will always leave you empty, but after YOUR OWN BEING. Bottom line, there is only one striving, the striving after your own being. Once this is clear to you, you would not need anything else, thus you would come to your right goal by virtue of your own being.

A bit of Meditation

The practice of meditation or sitting in silence, its not something that you are just going to flow on your first try. In fact, its probably not going to make sense to you at all. You are going to be fidgety, anxious, confused and not sure of what you are doing or what its suppose to happen. You are probably not going to like it and for most, you are going to quit, because you are going to lead your self to belief that you are no good at it; its simply too difficult. The truth is; we have 5 senses that need stimuli and you have been facilitating that stimulus with external things all your life. How could you possibly be any good at just sitting there with nothing to do? The first few times you try, you are going to be bored out of your mind with the intense need to fixate on something. Come on, nothing truly worthwhile is ever easy. You can't fear failure so much to the point that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have and as Sherman Finesilver said,

"You’ve failed many times, although you don’t remember. You fell down the first time you tried to walk. You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim. . . . Don’t worry about failure. My suggestion to each of you: Worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try." "The greatest failure of all is the failure to try." -William Ward

For some, meditation will be a struggle but don't deny yourself that struggle because if you never experience struggle in life, you never experience growth. One thing I've have learned about meditation, is that is a direct reflection of how you deal with life. Mediation makes you honest with yourself; honest with who you really are and whats on your mind - there is no one else there but you. So, give yourself that opportunity to feel who you are.

We were born ready...

We'll it's been a while since I posted anything, but, like my original post says, I've been on the road of looking within and finding out who I truly am. This past year sure did that to me! My first step was learning to let go of who I thought I was - as you can see in my recent post and the rest was my journey. So are we born ready to begin that journey that takes us down our own personal rabbit hole of questions and answers or no answers? I believe we are. Here is my reasoning: We are not what we think we are. As my friend Moises would say:

Your are NOT what you see in the mirror
You are NOT what others see in you
You are NOT what you think you are
You ARE that self that lies dormant in you
You HAVE only a life time to discover it and wake it up.

What do I mean, yes thoughts/consciousness creates reality, so essentially we are what we think, but what I mean is that we are not just this body and this mind that "controls" it. We are divine spiritual beings living a temporary human experience. If we are created in the image of God and God is everywhere, then that means that God is in us. Which has led me to understand that if there's a presence of God in me then that means I am a distinct portion of his essence which means I too have inside me that divine spark that makes things happen. So if God is everywhere and there is no place God is not then this includes you - What an awareness when you know that you carry God in you. So, once we connect to this understanding we regain the power of our source and we stop seeing ourselves as a separate entity from the miraculous power of God and begin to feel that oneness with everything. Affirm: I am a divine, precious soul. Once you believe in yourself and see your soul as divine and precious, you will automatically become a being who can create a miracle. (Daily Affirmations - Dr. Wayne Dyer)

So are born ready? Yes! It is only through the illusion that is life and the thoughts and opinions of others that we believe we are not. Ready for what? Ready to continue with a journey that was paused by ego and limiting believes given to us by society; family and friends.

"Men are disturbed not by the things that happen, but by the opinions of the things that happen" - Epictetus (55-135)

Everything we think we are is largely credited to the experiences and testimonies of other people, from a source outside of ourselves. How often do we truly experience things for ourselves, instead we blindly follow what is being said simply because it is easier to do that than to question it and go out there and see if it's true or not. Funny thing about that is that we do that with the small things, for example, if a friend asks you to try a certain type of food that you believe you don't like but have never tried it - How do you know you don't like it? Probably because someone important in your upbringing led you to believe that it wasn't good or just heard from enough people that it wasn't good. Only if after you try it and you don't like it does it become your reality.

"Do not believe what you have heard. Do not believe in tradition because it is handed down many generations. Do not believe in anything that has been spoken of many times. Do not believe because the written statements come from some old sage. Do not believe in conjecture. Do not believe in authority or teachers or elders. But after careful observation an analysis, when it agrees with reason and it will benefit one and all, then accept it and live by it. - Buddha (563 B.C. - 483 B.C)

Conduct your own experiments; experience life through your eyes and no one else's and if after you've experimented for yourself you get to the same conclusions as what was being said, then great, believe it then and if you don't, that's great also, believe and live by your findings. So if we are born with a spark of divine power in us and is only by domestication and programming from others that we are led to believe otherwise, then is just a matter of reclaiming what we once intuitively knew. So are we ready? Yes, we were born ready. Ones journey to a better life full of positivity and awareness of self, without limits and blockages can start at any moment. One can say that someone may not be ready on the basis that due to their lack of ability to truly understand themselves because they have been raised to look externally for their answers instead of internally and maybe nothing life changing has happened to them yet so they can't change, then yes that is true - but that is still a belief that came from an outside source and a belief is just a thought that we have agreed to believe and live by; It can be changed by creating a new thought. Change comes from within and what can be more life changing than saying I want to change, no need to wait for pain and suffering to come your way. YES, that's how most change occurs, but only as a last resort because we weren't aware enough to listen and trust in our internal knowing because we had a really loud voice yelling in our heads called EGO telling you how to live and who you are. Which brings me to my last point:

"I think therefore I am not, only when the mind is silent I am" - unknown

Do you remember the old cartoons that showed a character talking to a little angel version of them and a little devil version of them on his shoulders? We'll thats the internal battle of good vs evil we all have - the EGO(lil devil) vs true self(lil angel, God). There is an old Cherokee legend of an old Cherokee elder teaching his grandson about life. He said a fight is going on inside me,it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. He continued, The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too. The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, Which wolf will win? The old Cherokee simply replied, The one you feed. If you remember that in the cartoon, the lil devil is always yelling and is very loud compared to the lil angel who is always wispering into your ear. How could we possibly hear that voice of reason and wisdom - the lil angel, your spirit, God - if we haven't learned to quite down the ego, the lil devil, the mind. The answer to that is meditation my friends.

Learn to be silent. Let your quiet mind listen and absorb.
- Pythagoras [580 B.C. - 500 B.C.]

All man's miseries derived from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone.
- Blaise Pascal [1623-1662]

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer says in his book Wisdom of the Ages: 60 Days to Enlightenment, that if you want to shed miseries, learn to sit quietly in a room alone and meditate. We have, on avg, about 60,000 thoughts per day, the problem is that, more than likely, those are the same 60,000 thoughts you had yesterday and that you will have tomorrow. Learning to meditate is figuring out a way to enter the spaces between your thoughts, the gap - the silence. In this silence is where you find peace. Is like in music; it is the spaces between the notes that makes the music. Without that gap, that silence in between there is no music only noise. We too can create music with our lives instead of just a bunch of noise.

Quick lesson about meditation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA_AFwZDJsw&feature=related
We can all fly and become the supermans of ourselves!

Become the Real You - Meditation is a tool to help us return to our essential, original nature. We are training ourselves in how to respond to everything in life from that basic core of essential goodness. Relinquishin the illusions, fantasies, and distractions that confuse our lives; we are learning to Let Go of the conditioned responses and habits that keep us stuck. Meditation helps you find The Real You. This is how we reclaim what we once knew as babies and as toddlers before our EGO was formed. When you silence the mind and look with in you are connecting with the wisdom of that which created you and that my friends can happen at anytime. I believe that we are all standing in front of that door waiting to open it but we are so clouded with false beliefs that gives us limited vision and we can't even see it. Sometimes all it takes that one person to connect with you with love, kindness, compassion and joy and can help you feel that freedom to be who you truly are and then you can open that door to discover you have always been - and your journey begins.