"The whole universe arises in Mind, is made of Mind and is recognised by Mind"

The assertions I make in the following paragraphs are directly correlated with a deeper knowing of yourself and therefore directly correlated with the potentiality of living life in unbroken peace.

For some the above explanation will be enough of an incentive to push past the next handful of introductory paragraphs which could sound a little "mindy" or intellectual to get to the heart of the post.

Our experience of the world and hence daily life is always, and always will be, an interpretion through a lens.

Each word in our vocabulary and what that word means to us is very personal. We may think that words have generic meanings however when we look closely at each word in our own personal vocabulary we'll see that we each carry our own definition for every word.

And, each definition we have can be changed at any moment. Take for example the word "mind", like all words there are standard definitions in dictionaries, and you, may or MAY NOT attribute the same definition to a word as the dictionary, and you, may or MAY NOT attribute the same definition to that word as the person next to you.

I'm just putting forward descriptions or concepts here, they are not intended as prescriptions or suggestions that we should be different, they are just descriptions of impersonal dynamics which arise as part of life.

Back to words and definitions.... and just because there are generally accepted standard definitions for words doesn't mean we personally carry the standard definition for each word, how could we possibly do so for all words in our language? This is an important nuance to recognise around our understanding that of words.

And furthermore, the standard definition is not appropriate for specific fields and discussions, so when we realise these nuances we can relate to our words more relatively and hold different definitions for various contexts, this makes us flexible, also makes us less critical if someone holds a different definition because we understand it's just a definition, it's not absolute.

It's also worth noting, as I mentioned above, that at any moment our definition of a word could get adjusted, maybe just by reading a post - new exposure.

The definition we hold of a word is formed by our understanding of what that word refers to and that understanding is influenced by many factors, but let's just say that in general our definition of a word is a result of our "exposure".

Our exposure to some areas of life is limited, and other exposures we have are not always balanced, detailed or refined even if we have plenty of raw exposure to something particular.
As a result the internal definitions/meanings we hold for particular words can sometimes be quite inaccurate - it's great for us to realise this.

Take the word "God" for example, on second thoughts, no, let's not go there today

The inaccuracy of the meaning of certain words we carry is then superimposed onto explanations we hear, this means we can easily miss the point.

A more troubling consequence of inaccurate definitions is that the inaccuracy in itself can actually prevent us from seeing what's right in front of us, this because, what we actually are able to see is heavily influenced by our intellectual definitions.

I can't over emphasize how important it is to come to understand the nature of language. This because language is interconnected and inseparable from our thinking.

If for example we don't see the relativity (opposite of absoluteness) of our words and definitions, or don't see the relativity of our observations and exposure from where our definitions come, then we simply won't be able to relate to our thoughts correctly either. We may actually believe our thinking to be absolute - very big mistake with drastic consequences.

So now, finally, to the word "mind". I think it's fair to say that we often interchange the definition of the word "mind" for that of "thinking", we asdume that "mind" is synonymous with "thinking". In other words we assume that thinking is the only function of mind and therefore interchange the two words.
For example "follow your heart and not your mind" or "the mind is the problem, you need to stop the mind"

As you can see in the above context, the word mind is referring to thought or thinking.

The mind is much more than thinking. Thinking is one particular function of the mind, however the mind does or includes much more than just thinking.

Let's introduce the word cognition, this too is a word often assumed to mean thinking, however I'd like to use the word cognition to denote the general function of mind rather than the specific function of thinking.

"All thought is cognitive but not all cognition is thought."

In this context, I'd like to assert that our entire experience is cognitive, what I mean by this is that our perception, our feelings and emotions even the sense of Being and the function of Awareness are all functions of mind.

At this point it's also worth noting that I'm not insisting that the "mind" and "brain" are synonymous with each other. Having said this, I'm not insisting they are not either, it is fair, from a particular perspective, to see mind and brain as interconnected however the point of this post is more about bringing attention to broader functions of mind, which may just lead to the experiential bumping into the aspects of mind that awakening is all about.

Awareness is a function of mind, Being is a function of mind, what we call sense perception is a function of mind, what we call perception of feelings, emotions and intuition are all functions of mind, and thinking in its various forms, functional thinking and psychological thinking are functions of mind.

Expand your definition of mind and that will allow there to be more awareness, right now, of everything which arises in mind, by that I mean the whole momentary universe including the body. This recognition will allow us understand, beyond thought, the mind better.

Appercieve the nature of mind and the descriptions and pointers in non-duality teachings will become known from your own experience.

Awakening is when the Mind becomes aware of itself. Liberation is when this function of mind remains constant and as a result the suffering which arose previously no longer arises as a function of mind.

That's why it's important to make sure your definition of "mind" does not just mean "thinking" but rather includes all aspects of the entire momentary experience of daily life, including sense perception, beingness, awareness, thoughts, feelings, emotions, intuition, and not as many but as a whole, or mind.

"The whole universe arises in Mind, is made of Mind and is recognized by Mind."

The nature of mind is Consciousness.

You don't need to worry about whether the mind in which the whole universe arises is the mind of God or the mind of an individual in an objective universe.

Either way the experience of life is always subjective. This is a big clue, recognize the subjective nature of life as an experience, or arising in mind (even though on the surface it presents as an objective reality), and then if this is subjectivity is recognized the "consciousness" which Advaita refers to as the "One Consciousness of the One Source" and the "consciousness" which various schools of Buddhism refer to as an "Individual Consciousness" will recognize itself and it will become irrelevant whether it is the Mind of God (One Consciousness of One Source) or the Individual's Mind (Individual Consciousness).

Peace for now

‍

Each moment of your life is an experience, an experience which you don't create but rather in which the sense of you arises along with everything else.

As this subtlety becomes recognized, which in itself is also just part of the experience, then in turn the experience changes qualitatively - a life experience which was constructed to feel constricted and tense becomes more spacious and relaxed as the whole happening of life (the experience) becomes witnessed rather than struggled with.

You could say that you've come to know yourself differently, and all that too is an ongoing experience in which you and your knowing yourself arise.

Bon Journey

and peace for now

The search for Truth and its relevance is paradoxical.

Why?

Because a sustained interest and contemplation around the subject of Truth reveals that there is no universal Truth that can be Known.

This does not at all make the search irrelevant, quite the opposite, this understanding undoes the human's willingness to incorrectly hold onto anything as 'Absolutely True', from here a great freedom begins to pervade the life experience because THE veil of bondage has dissolved.

Peace for now

‍

Whenever there is a conscious dropping into Being, there is a sweetness, a slight smile may come to our face, this because in that moment there is a self evident remembering of what we are at our core.

Our sense of 'God' is directly correlated to the sense we have of who we are at any moment.

As our sense of Self refines and reveals, so too does our understanding and sense of God.

God transitions from being seen, known and related to as a separate force which we as a needing human can find solace in, to the complete absence of this sense.

Our sense of Self is always refining and by default our sense of God has to also.

This because they are interdependent and not two.

Peace for now

‍

Slow down

When it is clearly seen that life 'happens', that the individual is not the 'doer' and that happiness is not to be found in outcomes, this automatically leads to the end of all the thinking to the contrary and there is so much free space, to Be.

‍

Keep returning to the You which remains uneffected by circumstance, rest there often until you know yourself so well that you don't forget that this peaceful untouchable Consciousness which exists before, during and after thinking is the very core of who you are.

Peace for now

The innocent heart of a child is open, unprotected and tender - it is fragile.

When a parent relates to a child, with anger, disdain or lack of interest, that action can have an effect similar to that of plunging that warm tender heart into an icy bucket of water.

This is what happens, and this is what has happened, and this is the core of why we feel so alone and unloved from time to time right up to this present day - it's why we are seeking love so desperately from the other and why sometimes we hate the other so much.

We became convinced that we were not loveable and we are still desperately seeking love from the other to finally prove ourselves wrong, to prove we are loveable. And all along we overlook our very natural beauty and kindness and complete lovability.



Life was interpreted that way and it stuck. 



These heartbreaks turn into repressed anger and grief and can then rule our life, turning into uncomfortable feelings which lead us to the very same sort of behaviour towards others that set the root of the suffering in place.

It's sad, but it's part of this story of life.



But this tragedy can change, that's part of this story too.

Life sometimes reaches out a helping hand just as it all feels too much.



I remember reading a little exercise relating to what I've written above offered by Thich Nhat Hanh.

He asked the participant to become mindful and meditate on the hurt five year old child at the core of the anger. Hold the child in your mind's eye with compassion, tenderness and love, and your closed heart may magically burst open.

He then reminded the participant that we often see the parent as an adult, the one who hurt us, but we fail to remember that the parent too was once a five year old hurt by the anger or neglect of others.

If we can hold the parent in our mind's eye as the hurt five year old with compassion, tenderness and love then our heart may burst open even further.

The anger and sadness is transformed into compassion and understanding and a totally new relationship takes its place. The energy can be liberated once and for all.



Hopefully life is offering you everything you need just in the right doses and providing the impetuous to take up the helping hand just when its needed.

Peace for now

If the effortless capacity to fall back into the core of your Being is there you'll know directly that it's quite mysterious.

Resting there doesn't tell us 'what' we are or 'where' we came from, it doesn't give us lots of answers, in fact quite the contrary.

It does however confirm directly that the very nature of our essence is peacful and self content.

Peaceful and content not because of things or circumstance but rather because that is the very nature of our core. A causeless contentment we could say.

This essence we're speaking of is absent of the sense of lack, absent of the sense of uncomfortableness with oneself, and absent of the sense of needing to get somewhere or achieve something. Absent of the search for purpose, because it in itself is purposeful.

Life has shaped us to become so disconnected from our core, and it's time that this disconnection is reversed.

A re-grounding into this core is what leads to the falling away of so many thoughts and feelings which run contrary to peace of mind.

When this veil of thoughts and feelings dissolve it's the beginning of experiencing life infused with the very attribute of what is at our core - peacefulness and contentment.

If you feel inclined, close your eyes and notice that in practical terms the external world has vanished, that for just a few minutes at least there are no problems to solve now.

Over time as you visit this formless place where no problems need to be solved and you rest in your inner landscape, see if there is a growing capacity to fall back into yourself, beneath the layer of thoughts and feelings, where you can soak in the mystery of what you are at your core.

As this familiarity grows you will find yourself inclined to visit this home more and more frequently until such time as you can live daily life without ever leaving.

Peace for now
Roger