| Those who study truth as taught by those who | | | | one worth pursuing, is to set oneself free from this |
| have become enlightened see the limitations of | | | | false identification that creates suffering. |
| conventional psychology quite clearly. Studying the | | | | You are the silent formless Awareness that is aware |
| works of Freud is one thing, but a Zen master is on | | | | of the mind, its random babblings, and its irrelevant |
| an entirely different level and can solve many more | | | | thinking. That thinking is irrelevant because Silence is |
| problems, and generally with greater ease because | | | | all-knowing, which explains perfectly why people |
| their understanding of the mind and reality is much | | | | experience sudden epiphanies, insights, and intuition in |
| deeper. Freud was still identified with being the mind, | | | | moments of inner quietude. Epiphanies happen in the |
| while the enlightened are identified with the | | | | Silence of the mind, not because of the mind, but the |
| Awareness that is able to silently watch the mind | | | | mind likes to mistakenly take credit for those brilliant |
| from an outside perspective. The first one thinks | | | | ideas that come out of seemingly nowhere. The mind |
| about what the truth might be, while the other is the | | | | thinks it "knows", but only Silence actually does. |
| Truth (with a capital "T"), and therefore truly knows | | | | As long as one thinks their current physical sense and |
| the Truth. True knowing involves being that which is | | | | brain perceptions of "reality" are "the truth", one will |
| to be known, otherwise it's nothing more than mere | | | | never come to realize otherwise. |
| speculation and intellection. This article is for those | | | | Words, concepts, and perceptions have nothing to |
| who are ready to go beyond the intellect. | | | | do with reality because they are only based on the |
| The brain is basically a computer that automatically | | | | interpretations of human anatomy. Every different |
| plays the programs (society's beliefs) that are put | | | | species of animal on the planet perceives their reality |
| into it. The neural pathways, thought processes, and | | | | differently because their physical senses and brain |
| mental associations of the brain become ingrained and | | | | work differently. A dog's sense of smell will give it a |
| habitual, thus perpetuating the same behaviors and | | | | completely different sense of "reality" than that of |
| thought processes over and over again. Just as a | | | | any other species on the planet, an elephant's sense |
| drop of water will continuously and repetitively flow | | | | of hearing will give it a completely different sense of |
| down the same pathway after the first drop | | | | reality than that of any other kind of animal, and a |
| originates the way, the energy flowing through the | | | | fly's sense of vision will be entirely different than that |
| brain's neural network will do the same. | | | | of any other type of animal. Every different dog or |
| The good news however, is that we can change | | | | human will also sense and perceive things differently |
| those neural pathways; first, by realizing that we can, | | | | than every other dog and human as well. |
| second, by wanting to change the brain's thought | | | | To think that a human's perception, or your individual |
| processes, and third, by choosing to adopt different | | | | mind's perception, of "reality" is "the truth" would |
| (more positive) ways of perceiving "reality". The only | | | | mean that every other living thing on the planet that |
| way to change those repetitive thought processes, | | | | has a different perception of reality is "false". That |
| and to create new neural pathways, is to let go of | | | | simply cannot be true. If it's all relative, all subject to |
| the mental concepts that one currently thinks are | | | | change, and is only based on one's level of current |
| "true". In doing so, energy starts flowing throughout | | | | awareness, then it's all irrelevant. |
| the brain in different directions to different parts of | | | | To think that the mental concepts in one's own brain |
| the brain, thus contributing to new neural pathways | | | | are "the truth" is nothing more than the mind's egoic |
| and new ways of thinking and perceiving. The more | | | | wishful thinking. The ego has a superiority complex. It |
| we purposefully think in a different manner, the | | | | likes to be "right", and it will try to perpetuate that |
| easier it becomes, and eventually that becomes the | | | | notion in whatever way it can. Individual perceptions, |
| brain's new way of automatically thinking. With this | | | | opinions, concepts, and thoughts are not at all |
| understanding it becomes quite apparent why Buddha | | | | important, but the ego/mind/brain/intellect likes to |
| said "What we think, we become". | | | | think that they are, and it often sees this kind of |
| When we focus on the negative, we perpetuate the | | | | information as a threat even though it's the solution |
| negative. When we focus on the positive, we | | | | to one's problems. There comes a time when we |
| perpetuate the positive. | | | | eventually realize that thinking is the original underlying |
| When a person says "that's just the way I am" or "I | | | | source of all conflict, hardship, and suffering, and at |
| can't help it, I am what I am", that's not quite true. | | | | that point we choose to start letting the thinking |
| They are who they are because of what they are | | | | process dissipate as it arises, or before it arises. |
| currently aware of, and because of the way they | | | | Beauty is in the eye of the beholder because of the |
| choose to think and perceive. Absolutely everything | | | | mind's perceptions of, and beliefs about, so-called |
| is a choice, but people don't realize it. The problem is | | | | "reality". Things are only seductive, attractive, and |
| that they simply aren't aware that they can change | | | | tempting out of an automatic result of biology, |
| the mind's way of thinking, and that's because they | | | | anatomy, and unawareness of higher levels of truth. |
| identify those thoughts as being "me" or "important", | | | | Without the mind interfering, everything just IS; |
| when they're not. | | | | nothing more, nothing less, and there's nothing wrong |
| The heart pumps blood all by itself without you doing | | | | with that. Existence is perfect exactly as it is and it |
| it, the lungs breath air all by themselves without you | | | | doesn't need the opinions of a faulty neural network |
| doing it, and the brain associates concepts with other | | | | running on autopilot to tell it that it is or isn't. |
| concepts all by itself. The mind is thinking completely | | | | The brain/mind is faulty in that it can't decipher truth |
| on its own. It has nothing to do with "you". If you | | | | from falsehood, but at the same time it's perfect |
| look inside even for a brief minute you'll see that | | | | because it is what it wants to be. People think what |
| words, thoughts and thinking are completely | | | | they do because that's what they want to be "the |
| automatic. The brain works all by itself, which means | | | | truth". Everybody can believe what they want to |
| that you are not the doer of deeds, nor the thinker | | | | believe, even if it means their own suffering. |
| of thoughts. | | | | "There is nothing either good or bad, but only thinking |
| The body is a collective community of individually | | | | makes it so." - William Shakespeare, Hamlet |
| living cells that are all co-operating together to make | | | | The only Absolute Reality is that Awareness Is, and |
| a larger whole. The brain's neural network, and its | | | | as soon as the mind tries to conceptualize that "Is" |
| thoughts and thinking are just another part of that | | | | into a thought form, it's already falling into error. All |
| overall cellular functioning. So if the mind and body are | | | | words and concepts beside "Is" are a mental |
| working all by themselves as a result of cells doing | | | | distortion of Reality based on fantasy, fiction, and |
| work, why do we identify the mind's thoughts and | | | | the wishful thinking of the mind. Actually, even "Is" is |
| the body's actions as being "me"? Are we the mind | | | | a concept that is best to be let go of in order to |
| and body, or are we the Energy/Life/Consciousness | | | | realize the ultimate in peace of mind. Why? Because |
| Awareness within the body that is simply aware of | | | | silence of mind means peace of mind. |
| itself as existing? Are we the mind and body, or are | | | | So "what is enlightenment?" you might be asking at |
| we the Awareness that is watching the body/mind's | | | | this point. Well, it's the permanent cessation of all |
| automatic functioning? Are we the physical doer and | | | | concepts, thoughts, and perceptions of the ego/mind |
| thinker, or are we the formless Silent Observer? | | | | brain/intellect, and it's the full-blown realization that |
| Out of being identified with the body/mind, we are | | | | one's true identity is actually formless, shapeless, |
| being controlled by it. We are enslaved by it because | | | | timeless, non-local, all-encompassing, all-knowing pure |
| we falsely identify it as being "me". But this is just a | | | | Awareness. And don't even think about trying to |
| part of the evolution of consciousness that we all go | | | | imagine that with the mind! |
| through. The ultimate goal of life, and really the only | | | | |