We Are More Powerful When We Know

We are more powerful when we know
than when we do not know.
Every time we ignore, we lose.

This isn’t about knowing one thing as opposed to another thing, judging everything by what we think is pleasant and unpleasant. Before we decide what is good and what isn’t and take sides, there is just neutral knowingness present. That is our power. Stay back, stay focused and see the complete picture before allowing the mind to run wild.

It is our power because, while remaining in knowingness, we do not waste energy on the past or future. There are all sorts of meditation practices that are claimed to be best but, in truth, the best is the moment we drop the meditation. We may meditate to feel good, and think that this happiness isn’t reliant on any outside cause but, of course, it is! It relies on the meditation.

That’s the demonic trap:
our mind feeds off fixations.

It’s so easy to look and sound like an ‘advanced’ being when we have merely acquired the trappings. When we do realise what it’s all about, so-called advanced beings lose their appeal, their attraction, their mystery; knowledge can be used to overpower and subjugate, and we lose our confidence and therefore our power.

There is no mystery – just smoke and mirrors intended to disguise or draw attention away from the complete truth, explaining no more than is necessary. This draws in the audience who wants to be part of the action, and where it’s at.

Meditation only takes us so far, and then it becomes mysterious and vague when we are still relating: we feel pleasant, and rely on the meditation, the temple and the fixings … and the smoke.

Meditation is not about wrapping ourselves up in elaborations.
It’s about unwrapping ourselves.

Milarepa* needed only nettles to survive,
and still became enlightened in one lifetime.

When we are no longer reliant, the energy flows
and we regain our power.

* Jetsun Milarepa was a Tibetan siddha, who was famously known as a black magic practitioner of the dark arts, before turning to Buddhism and becoming enlightened. He is considered one of Tibet’s most famous yogis.