Suffering is Optional

"Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found."
~Pema Chodron

I tend to like to keep this idea of attachment at arm’s length. It sounds good to talk about being nonattached.  Truth is that we are all attached up to our eyeballs.  The worst thing you can do in terms of spiritual evolution is try to pretend to yourself that you are beyond attachment.  The only way we can evolve is to look at ourselves objectively.  Try to see where you are attached, let go of judgment love and accept yourself.

The crises in our lives are actually blessings.  They help us realize where we have fallen asleep.  When we try to hold on to temporary circumstances whatever they may be, we are guaranteed to suffer.  It is in those moments of life when everything seems to be lost that we discover our inner resources.  We discover our deeper identities.  The worse things appear to be the greater the opportunity for awakening.  

The Machine within the Ghost

When we allow everything to be as it is, in that inner attitude of non-grasping and surrender, something creative can come to you. That is the space in which insight, wisdom and revelation arise...

It’s the space in which we are gifted with what we need to see. It’s the space in which we can be informed by the wholeness of consciousness, not just by a little speck of consciousness in our mind. And ultimately, it is the space in which realization arises. It is the space in which we realize ourselves to be consciousness itself, the unmanifest fabric of being.
~Adyashanti

The Yoga Sutras tell us that it is because of avidya, or ignorance, that we mistake sensory form for reality.  Sensory form necessarily rests within mind.  There is no sensual experience without mind.  It all takes place in within the still mysterious processes of the brain which somehow seem to mediate between the material and the immaterial.  Somehow the brain takes in our narrow spectrum of electromagnetic energy and manufactures it into our world.  Mind is what gives it shape, meaning and value.

 

    “Reality” exists within us as conscious beings.  We don’t belong to the mechanisms of life or nature; certainly not the fabrications of society and culture.  As spiritual beings we are autonomous and whole.  We have simply chosen to dance with form and manifestation.  Freedom is inherent within us.  Attachment causes us to dream that we are bound.

Moksha – Real Freedom is Inner Freedom

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."

--Viktor Frank

Spiritual liberation is not some exotic phenomenon.  Moksha means awakening to who we truly are.  We have been conditioned to believe that we are these physical bodies, that we are limited in space and time, separate from everything and everyone.  The inner reality of things is much different.  In fact it IS reality.  We are metaphysical, spiritual or hyperdimensional beings.  For some reason we became fixated on this narrow spectrum of being. 

I tend to think of life as a sort of virtual computer game.  Unlike the games we invent from our limited consciousness it has different rules though.  You don’t win moksha through aggression.  You don’t win through accumulation.  You win through love, through heart expansion, inner peace and wisdom.  Although “ego” is a problem, individuation is very important.  Don’t buy into the “herd mentality.”  As someone put it, “You have to be somebody before you can be nobody.” 

Meditation allows us to step back from the drama of life.  It is essential to growth and liberation.  It helps us to tune into that space between stimulus and response, to move from being “biogenetic robots” to being conscious beings.  In whatever way that works turn your awareness inwardly on a daily basis, examine yourself objectively.  This is the key to freedom.  Discover your true Self. 

(Hint: you are the one who is looking.)

In Defense of “Making It Up As You Go Along.”

Stop looking all over the place for "the answers" - whatever they are - and start looking for the questions - the inquiries which are most important in your life, and give them answers. You do not live each day to discover what it holds for you, but to create it. – Neal Donald Walsch

To what extent is the world given to us as a static, solid object for us investigate and discover; and to what extent is this world an unfolding evolutionary creation of which we are not just part and parcel but co-emergent “facilitators”?  Twentieth century discoveries in quantum physics suggested that there is an “observer-effect” to reality on the most fundamental physical level.  As an article in Discover puts it:

“According to the rules of quantum mechanics, our observations influence the universe at the most fundamental levels. The boundary between an objective "world out there" and our own subjective consciousness that seemed so clearly defined in physics before the eerie discoveries of the 20th century blurs in quantum mechanics. When physicists look at the basic constituents of reality— atoms and their innards, or the particles of light called photons— what they see depends on how they have set up their experiment. A physicist's observations determine whether an atom, say, behaves like a fluid wave or a hard particle, or which path it follows in traveling from one point to another. From the quantum perspective the universe is an extremely interactive place.”  (http://discovermagazine.com/2002/jun/featuniverse)

John Wheeler coined the term “participatory universe” in his interpretation of the meaning of these experimental outcomes.  The “eerie” results in these experiments have been overlooked to a large extent by the dominant scientific community.  Mostly it seems, because they threaten to dismantle the convenient compartmentalization of the Newtonian-Cartesian paradigm upon which modern science is based.  It threatens us with a new world-view which is anxiety-provoking on a number of levels.  This emerging paradigm threatens all of us to some degree.  We have all been conditioned to accept reality a given, as “out there” and apart from us.  What if it isn’t? 

Spiritual traditions have long taught us that it is the inner aspect of ourselves – consciousness – which determines our experience.  When we are at peace inwardly, we promote world peace.  When we feel love and compassion we actually contribute to healing.  And, as Buddha boldly stated, “Our thoughts create our reality.”  Please consider this.  Realize that the world is as you are.  If we let ourselves become caught up in reactive thoughts of anger, revenge and retribution, self and group-righteousness, or depression and self-recrimination, we continue to create a world of suffering. 

On the other hand, we can create a new reality if we are willing; if we are courageous enough.  There is no compelling reason that we have to live in past patterns; we can make a new choice in this very moment.  It means taking responsibility for the creative aspect of our minds; becoming conscious or “waking up.”  Right here and now is where we make the decision to become free or to remain in bondage.  There is no putting it off.  There can be no dependence on the past.  It is up to us right here and right now to create our world anew.

Trust Your Self

"He who does not enjoy solitude will not love freedom."
~ Arthur Schopenhauer

We have been conditioned to believe. both by our religious and scientisitic traditions that we are nothings.  Our religious traditions have taught us that we are miserable worthless sinners and our scientific-materialist culture has taught us that we are chance anomalies in a meaningless universe.  Neither could be further from the truth.  We are what the universe is doing right now.  Each of us is a formative manifestation inseparable from our infinite source.

The Consciousness factor within us is the creative source of everything.  When spiritual teachers say “God is within you” they’re not saying that “He” is hidden somewhere in your body, or even in your mind.  He is the source of illumination, awareness, being.  The only way we could be apart from God is if we didn’t exist.  But we do.

Culture tells us that we have to conform, that we have to contribute (on its terms) that we have to earn the right to be here.  That is fucking nonsense!  You and I are by the grace of the greater “I am.”  Forget all the crap you have learned about who you are and who you’re supposed to be.  You are Divine manifestation.

    Don’t get big-headed though.  So is everyone you meet.

Beyond Sex

From where do the thoughts come and from where does the consciousness emanate? There are thousands of such questions which man has not been able to answer. We can discuss and explain them very clearly in theoretical terms, but they will never be understood in this way, because this mysterious substance is not a matter of knowledge, but of experience. We may have perfected our intellectual concepts; we may comprehend the nature of the substance in perfect mathematical terms and be able to explain it in thousands of equations, but the ultimate thing that needs to be achieved is 'the experience'. – Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Sexual energy is central to our human experience.  It is the primal impulse of life and evolution.  On the most superficial level, it is how we maintain and evolve the species.  As Darwin noted, it is an ingenious way that nature has come up with to up the ante on natural selection.  Human sexuality however is obviously much more than this.  Human beings have sex for pleasure, often at odds with its procreative consequences.  Unlike our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, we are not driven by the seasonal impulse of estrus.  Instead we are potentially horny all the time.

Yoga is part of Tantra, and Tantra focuses on sexual energy as the evolutionary transformative potential residing within us.  It is the universal creative impulse working through this human form.  As Andrew Cohen writes in Evolutionary Enlightenment:

“The easiest place to locate the evolutionary impulse is at the most basic level of your being: the physical body. In the body, the desire to create form is expressed as the sexual impulse—the biological imperative to procreate. It's the most elemental expression of the First Cause, or the big bang. That's why it's so powerful! When we experience the sexual impulse, we are feeling that very same vibration that released the enormous energy of the entire cosmic process, pulsating in our own bodies and minds.”

No wonder it feels so good!

Sexual energy is an aspect of Kundalini, which is the creative energy of the universe within this human embodiment.  Although we tend to think of ourselves as separate bodies in space and time we are not really separate from the entire time space continuum.  We are expressions of a universal creative conscious/energy (SivaShakti) who have come into form in space and time.  As we awaken to this fact through direct experience we become enlightened. 

Sex has the dual capacity to help us awaken or to drive us further into unconsciousness.  If we stay fixated on the physical act of sex we run the risk of failing to awaken to our authentic Self which is beyond the body.  Tantric sadhana is about using the sexual impulse to move beyond the body.  Within the experience of orgasm itself we momentarily find ourselves beyond the body, beyond time and space, luminous, timeless and forever free.  Unfortunately for most of us, the orgasm dissipates so quickly that we barely register this experience before falling back into conditioned consciousness.  A wonderful Tantric text, Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, gives some clues for using the sexual experience to awaken.  “When you practice a sex ritual,” it states, “let thought reside in the quivering of your senses like wind in the leaves, and reach the celestial bliss of ecstatic love.” 

Another verse states, “At the start of the union, be in the fire of the energy released by intimate sensual pleasure. Merge into the divine Shakti and keep burning in space, avoiding the ashes at the end. These delights are in truth those of the Self.”  In other words, don’t rush towards orgasm but open your awareness.  Awareness is the space in which we burn.  Meditation practice is generally a prerequisite for being able to enter these states. 

     Ultimately meditation can take us beyond the need for physical sex.  Many Tantric practitioners go through periods of celibacy as a way of enhancing their meditative experience.  The same energy that goes into procreation can be channeled for the expansion of consciousness.

Overcoming Obstacles in Meditation (and in Life)

In the course of evolution the mind has manifested in the form of human life, but by no means is this mind perfect and infallible. Though it is a gift of nature, the mind also has its limitations. It has to depend on the sensory channels for information and stimulation. Therefore, the Raja Yoga Sutras contend that this imperfect mind can be made more perfect and efficient through the practice of sadhana.

-    Swami Satyananda Saraswati

The benefits of contemplative practice, or sadhana, have been known for centuries and throughout world cultures.  Recent scientific investigation has been substantiating many of the claims made by ancient traditions.  Meditation has been shown to help reduce stress, improve immune functioning, slow or even reverse the effects of aging, improve cognitive functioning, mood, relationships, etc.  (You can go to http://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/2008/05/100-benefits-of-meditation/ for an extensive list.)  Of course the Yoga tradition points to the importance of meditation for spiritual realization. 

Many people complain however that they find meditation hard to practice.  Busy schedules, family responsibilities, habitual distractions all get in the way.  However, most of the time these are more like excuses.  The real obstacles are procrastination and avoidance.  It is very hard for some to simply sit still and turn their attention inward.  It takes inspiration, determination, willingness and some measure of social support.  Most of us can benefit from a class or meditation group, however it is important to build one’s own strength of commitment and to maintain an individual practice as well.

In the Yoga Sutras Patanjali outlines nine obstacles to practice: illness, dullness of mind, doubt, negligence, laziness, sensual attachments, intellectual confusion, failure to establish stages of practice and slipping from established stages.  I have to admit that I have experienced and succumbed to all of these over the years of my practice.  As we enter into spiritual practice we have opposing forces operating within us.  One is spiritual inspiration.  We want to be healthy and happy, to grow and develop on all levels and to connect with and express our inner resources of wisdom, compassion, joy, creativity, etc.  On the other hand we are subject to an inertia which tends to keep us stuck in our usual patterns. 

Illness, of course, is sometimes inevitable in life.  However we can eliminate a great deal of physical illness by simply taking care of our bodies – eating healthy, getting enough rest, proper exercise including hatha yoga.  We can also develop fortitude of mind so that we are not so distracted by health problems.  It is important to understand that we are not our bodies, they are the energetic vehicles through which we experience this life.  Studies show that by developing witnessing awareness we can better learn to manage physical pain.  Through meditation practice we liberate the mind from physical limitations.

Dullness of mind, doubt, negligence, laziness, sensual attachment and intellectual confusion are all interrelated.  Some mornings I feel like there is a fog in my brain.  It’s like the higher functions don’t have enough juice and I stumble around in a semi-conscious state.  Doubt has to do with a lack of faith in the practice itself.  We wonder is it worth it?  Through negligence we fall into a lack of deeper awareness and through laziness we just go with the unconscious flow of our material conditioning. 

Sensual attachment is a problem for most of us.  Sensual experience is not “bad” but we become addicted to pleasure and comfort.  We cannot develop our power of mind if we are fixated on sensual objects.  Awareness is the key here.  Experience with nonattached awareness and don’t hold onto experiences in your mind.  Intellectual confusion doesn’t really mean adhering to the “correct” belief system of philosophy.  Instead it is our tendency to intellectualize everything.  Spiritual consciousness means returning to a basic simplicity of experience, to immediate experience and open awareness.  We need to let go of judging, comparing, analyzing, etc.  Again, these have their place but they get in the way of meditative experience.  They interfere with our ability to focus deeply.

The “failure to reach stages of practice” has to do with our expectations.  There is a legendary Mahasiddha (great yogi) named Virupa who became disenchanted with his practice at one point and threw his mala (prayer beads) into the latrine.  He was actually just on the verge of great realization.  Similarly we can become disheartened when we fail to achieve some imagined state of disembodied bliss and give up our practice.  On the other hand, it is very common to have wonderful meditation experiences but then slip back into ordinary and painful states of consciousness.  The important point is to never give up.

The obstacles to meditation are also clearly obstacles to our goals in life.  When we let procrastination, self-doubt and negative thinking dominate we surrender our innate power and become victims of our imaginary limitations.  Yoga is not about achieving some transcendent escape from life but mastery of life.  It is about harnessing the latent energies within us.  As Patanjali put it:

"When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be."

Exceptional individuals in all areas of life have learned to develop this power to some degree.  Yoga meditation is profound method for developing it within ourselves.