Author Archives: tony

Two Views Of Mysticism  Mysticism: Knowledge which is inaccessible to the intellect, and attained through contemplation and self-surrender. Or. A vague and ill-defined religious or spiritual belief. When we eliminate self, we gain free access insight.

Getting Over Religion Getting over religion is getting out of religious fervour, and realising what life is all about. Religion can be either a preparation or a prison. We first have to be in it to know it. It’s no … Continue reading →

Words Are Blunt Tools The senses cannot be described; they are just experienced. The warmth of the sun, the chirping of birds, the smell of grass, the taste of our spit, the play of air on our skin … all … Continue reading →

We Are Errant Beings We are errant beings, straying from the path. “What path?” We all follow a path of some sort – a path of dreams, nightmares or awakening. Even a path of awakening can become a path of … Continue reading →

The Audience Is The Show Entertainment isn’t about the production of a clever story with charismatic actors; it’s about capturing the mind of an audience. The producers watch the effect, for further productions or sequels. 🙂 As long as we … Continue reading →

Holding On To The Past Holding on to the past inhibits experiencing the present. As long as we identify with the past, we deny the present, and so we continue to behave and think in the same old way. Holding … Continue reading →

What Are You Doing To Your Mind? Or rather, what is your mind doing to you? We need to be precise about this. O The essence of mind is the emptiness of pure consciousness; this clarity of direct seeing is … Continue reading →

What if God is just the three laws of the universe?  What if God is the principle of the infinite universe, and not a being? God can be understood – or misunderstood – in many ways, either to abuse mankind … Continue reading →

The Dharma Is Do-It-Yourself We can go to teachings, do retreats, read books, but these comprise generalised statements or concepts obtained by inference, just like a video on plumbing, electrics or bricklaying. We don’t actually know until we put the idea … Continue reading →

De-escalating  The ability to de-escalate a situation requires insight and wisdom. The ability to escalate a situation involves politics, manipulation and reaction. When we exaggerate or elaborate on a situation, we are lost in fault-finding, which creates further conflict. This … Continue reading →

The Esoteric The esoteric isn’t a teaching in a book of ‘mysteries’; it is that which is reading the book. The suggestion that the mystery of life – the big secret – is something written down, is the exoteric – … Continue reading →

Evil Is Out To Get You 🙂 It’s not a problem if you know. We cannot reason with evil as it has a set script. It tries to find our weaknesses, wanting to charm us, and reel us in like … Continue reading →

Mind Is Memories Mind is just memories; it’s what we juggle with, affecting our behaviour and causing discontent and suffering. When we obsess about our past, we’re not relating to now. “So-and-so said this!” So what? “Well, the Buddha said … Continue reading →

Thinking Isn’t Knowing Thinking isn’t knowing; it’s regurgitating. When we think, we live in memories, but what is it that observes these memories? It is the spontaneous presence of consciousness, our reality of knowingness itself.