We Live In A Dream-State

It’s upsetting to think that we live in a dream-state; when we actually observe this, it’s a shock, and could be something that we don’t even want to consider. “I know what’s real!” Really?

This is the theme of the film, “The Matrix”, where everyone has individual responsibility to make the choice between the real world and an artificial world. The terms ‘red pill’ and ‘blue pill’ refer to a choice between the willingness to learn a potentially unsettling or life-changing truth by taking the red pill, or remaining in contented ignorance with the blue pill.

To be frank, this dream-state is a banal-state. It’s lacking in originality, and is obvious and  monotonous. We live in a patched-up collection of ideas, projecting these on to everything that we come into contact with; in other words, we live through memories that limit genuine experience. That is the dream-state.

There are two realities. One is seeing directly, without comment. It is fresh, with inspired potential that tells us all we need to know for that moment. We can read between the lines, and know what will be said before the words are spoken.

The other is the imposition of scanned memories onto the moment of confused concepts which seem real, as in a dream.

This isn’t theory; it’s blatantly obvious. People repeat themselves. We think we are ‘in the loop’, not realising that the collective wants us to stay that way, merely repeating the programming. It’s just a soap opera – man wants, man doesn’t get, man runs amuck. 😀 Read the headlines today!

Every time something occurs in our life, we refer to a memory, and then react. Get it? We re-enact past memories, rather than dealing with what is actually taking place under our nose. Reality is whatever is happening right now – not what goes on in our mind about something that we’ve read. This re-enactment keeps the mind dull and docile.

When we believe this dream, we become deluded.
In Buddhism, this is the meaning of the two obscurations:
the ignoring of our reality, and the maintenance of that ignorance.
The shock of realisation can be enlightening.

We overlay our bias on to whatever appears. This is unavoidable, as we lack experience of investigating our own mind. Personal enquiry is more valuable than reading about the mind, which is just theory. It’s the same as reading this blog: each individual has to do the work and take responsibility, facing the consequences for how they see life.

The evidence for this lies in noting how we actually react in our habitual motivation. Someone mentions a name and off we go, before the sentence is even finished! The eyes glaze over, and we’re are away, off with the fairies. 😀 This is the world of sentimentality, rather than the raw experience of pure consciousness.

Before we can criticise others, we need to know a person’s dream-state and, of course, our own. Only then we can engage in an empathetic discussion.

How Do We Get Out Of This Madness?

Or rather, how do we get out of our madness,
as we can do nothing about the madness of others?

Realise what is real, and what isn’t. If we don’t know the difference, we will remain rudderless in life, without any guidance mechanism.

‘Real’ is something constant that can never change.
‘Unreal’ is anything that isn’t constant, and therefore changes.

Consciousness, space and formulae never change.
(formula = procedure).

As we (consciousness) dwell in human bodies, we need to deal and play with the unreal in order to survive. Every thing is impermanent and in a state of flux, constantly changing from one formula to another. We say and do things in a dream-state of ideas that we exaggerate into a false reality.

Knowing this, we don’t need to overvalue or exaggerate that which is either pleasant or unpleasant by fixating on our views, believing them to be the ultimate reality. To be blunt, we will remain in a false identity until we realise the truth about our reality which is, first and foremost, pure consciousness.

We are actually living in a Solomon Asche experiment.
We copy others.
We conform.
Suggestion influences whatever we do and think.

The Asche experiment:
Actors are put into a set scene, and then react contrary to reality. The victim (the mark) copies the proceedings in order to fit in; so as not to feel out of place or embarrass anyone, they conform. Once that conformity is established, the actors can leave, while the victim continues to re-enact the same scenario for new victims to follow, without knowing why.

We all live life as victims
until we have the courage and confidence
to deal with the effects of our mind.

That’s our conundrum 😀

The madness will go on …
until we see the funny side – after getting angry –
and step out of our delicate, protective shell.

People are contagious! 😀

The Levels Of Realisation

The levels of realisation
eliminate the levels of doubt.
Doubt causes confusion.

Even though we may hear the teachings on absolute truth and agree, this does not mean that we know it at every level. How much confidence do we have? How much empathy do we have for others whom we may find disagreeable? How much is our compassion a sham? How often do we turn away from non-conformists? How many times do we listen without judgement?

We must test our confidence, empathy, compassion, ability to listen, judgement and skilful wisdom; many people who think they ‘know’ actually have little empathy or confidence.

The more advanced practices are right under our nose; they’re not related to how much we chant. Realisation is personally realising something, and there is nothing as joyous as realising our faults or misunderstandings, as this is how we change for the better.

Never copy others –
they could just be acting.

Never trust your self –
it could be acting too.
🙂

Trust pure seeing, pure consciousness,
and remain happy,
whether conditions are pleasant or unpleasant.

The Problem With This Planet

There are two types of people – leaders (the few) and followers (the many).

Our leaders are mystifying.
That’s not the problem.

The problem is that
if there are leaders, there are followers.
😀 😀 😀

Leaders need followers in order to lead;
we give them our authority.

We take back our authority when we stop being a follower,
and become the author of our own future.

er… three types of people!
🙂

The Crazy Planet, Full Of Wisdom

Earth is a shrine, full of enlightened potential. Few benefit from this knowledge as madness has prevailed, plotting trauma after trauma, creating reaction upon reaction, bringing total chaos and confusion.

Strangely, this is excellent news.
The Buddha’s first noble truth is to admit that we are suffering.

Anxiety and suffering will be the cause of global awakening, as people are questioning everything. Nothing is hidden from those who have the courage to look. There is truth literally everywhere if we look – and see.

Seeing – in the first instant – is pure consciousness;
that is the origin of wisdom.

Wisdom is not a matter of covering ourselves in spiritual paraphernalia. Wisdom is the raw deal in the moment of experiencing, whether pleasant or unpleasant.

The more we see clearly, the more we see craziness.
Be thankful that you see it!

Once Seen, Never Forgotten

Everywhere we are, truth is!
Or rather, everywhere consciousness is, truth is.

When we re-cognise what is true, that means that we already know it but didn’t realise it. The authority of truth is therefore consciousness. No one has a monopoly on truth; truth is what we are and, until realising that, we live through others’ ideas, lost in a world of mumbo-jumbo, elaborations, exaggerations, titles and dependency.

We may mistakenly believe that consciousness is merely perception, but perception does not ‘know’, while consciousness does. Living in a vagueness about our reality, we are not free; we can only be free when we know our true reality,

Once we understand and realise this, everything changes –
and it’s a bit of a shock.

The whole point is that nothing could be known if it wasn’t for consciousness. That is where we start our inner investigation. The finish line is that this consciousness is – and has always been – pure. Consciousness is the in-between bridge to the pure land.

Once truth is obvious, the evil that obscures that truth is also obvious.
Evil is anything that obscures the purity of consciousness.

Once seen, never forgotten.

The World ‘Looks’ Like Madness

The world ‘looks’ like madness,
but everything is the result of a cause.

Madness isn’t our natural state.
It is a disorder created in the mind,
and not of consciousness.

The world is made up of groups of people. When confusion and disorder occur, we become anxious about others, and that anxiety is exaggerated. We lose our inner confidence, and are easily divided.

Without a foundation in our true reality, we are mentally adrift with only our beliefs to keep us afloat, and so we become easy pickings for the sharks and little nibblers. 🙂

Meditation can restore our natural inner order
through the realisation that we are pure consciousness,
beyond all beliefs.

That’s the reason to stay cheerful.
As the Buddha said,
“Don’t believe a word”
… look behind it!

People Don’t Want War

People don’t want war.
So who does?

Those who have a reason to want war
use the media to promote dislike and hatred.
Why?

For us to join in, while ignoring their reasons.
Why?

Because we have been primed to divide.
When we takes sides, we are being played.

Becoming Angry Because We Misunderstand

When we understand something, we know how it came about, and so we are prepared instead of just reacting.

Understand: the ability to understand something; comprehension. A sympathetic awareness  or tolerance.
Misunderstand: is a failure to understand something correctly.

If something doesn’t seem right, there will be a reason.
There will also be a reason why we think something doesn’t seem right.

We either understand through empathy,
or we misunderstand through thinking that we understand. 😀

We don’t want to be angry.
We aren’t born angry.
We become angry.

Here is the twist.
Anger is mirror-like wisdom!

In the very first instant of seeing
that something is wrong/crooked/unbalanced
is the presence of pure perception/pure consciousness
that sees clearly, without judgement.

When this is practised, we can then evaluate,
and empathise without causing harm.

Do We Have The Leaders We Deserve?

We give them the authority.
Choose your teachers wisely.

Don’t Let Your Spirituality Take Away Your Warmth

This happen quite often.
People say prayers of compassion
but still lack warmth.

We see someone troubled and think, “Well, that’s their karma,”
not realising that, that person is within our vicinity* is our karma.

* from Latin vicinitas, from vicinus ‘neighbour’.

Treating Our Self

We spend our lives giving ourselves little treats,
manufactured by those who supply the treats.

Alternatively, we can treat our self
by healing its wounds that are covered up by treats! 😀

Meditation is the treatment
that releases us from the illusion of suffering
which arises from following others as if they know, and we don’t.

The real treat is realising that we don’t have to follow anyone.
We have all we need to become enlightened,
and that is this karmic self.

Karma is merely the product of previous actions and ignorance
that we have to live through now.

In proper meditation of self-analysis
– noting how we work –
we realise that we can help others through empathy.

And that is another treat!

Finding What We Are Looking For

It doesn’t matter what we read or hear,
what we are looking for has always been that which is
looking … seeing … realising emptiness …
– without identifying.
That’s it!

Understanding comes from realisation.
When we realise something, isn’t that happiness?
Happiness is relief from not knowing.

Are We Born With Predispositions?

Are we born with predispositions that came from a previous incarnation?

If no, we can do what we want, and our predispositions come to an end at death.
If yes, we know what will happen if we do what we want; that creates an opportunity for a predisposition to evolve.

The path to enlightenment is an evolution
from primitive instincts and gross thinking
to inspired intelligence leading to wisdom.

If we ignore this potential,
that is our choice.

Choose wisely, as your level of suffering and happiness depends on it.

Challenges or Obstacles?

Emotions are created when we deal with others, and this is our testing ground for the level of our practice. It’s all very well knowing the scriptures, chanting prayers and meditating, but the real test is in our interaction with others. This is the ultimate measure of our compassion and empathy through genuine realisation.

No empathy, no practitioner.
Know empathy, know the teaching.

Don’t Make Your Dharma Practice Serious

Dharma is light-hearted. Literally- light hearted.
What else is en-lighten-meant to be?
🙂

Light-heartedness is catching.
Heavy-heartedness is also catching;
it’s taking ourselves seriously,
and we pick that up from others.

A good teaching is light-hearted.
What is a good teaching?
The one that has a good effect.

Absolute Teaching Is Absolutely Simple

Know self; no attitude; know the teaching.
No intellectual understanding needed.
When we realise how self is a construct,
we no longer …

Belief Is Merely Imagination

Belief isn’t knowing. It is accepting something we’re told, without proof. We become so reliant on others for information that we never actually know anything. If we only believe what others tell us, then we live within their imagination. We will never know until we try it for ourselves. It’s easy to acquire the form – the facade – of knowing, but do we know the essence?

The essence of the Buddha’s teaching is compassionate understanding. To know that, we have to realise the essence of being. Eloquent speech does not mean we know; we are merely repeaters.

Others may tell us what they believe, but that’s all.
Truth is knowing, rather than what is known.

What Opens Minds?

It isn’t new information that opens minds; it is seeing afresh that does it, without drawing a conclusion. Conclusions are formed from memory, and memory is limited and based on previous assumptions.

Assumption: a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.

The mind opens in a moment of wonder or potential. We must be ready to see and, in seeing our assumptions, we can drop them, thereby achieving clarity. Assumption is no different from belief, and it is our assumptions that keep our minds closed.

Belief:  an acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof.

Where do answers come from? Questions! Questions are moments of wondering, without jumping to a conclusion. Maybe the situation has a greater story that we first thought. To find evidence, we need clues, which don’t come from accepted assumptions or beliefs. We first have to look and see without jumping in, seeking personal ‘profit’ and ‘glory’.

The very moment that we drop the looking and seeing, we are left suspended, as in emptiness.

Suspend: temporarily prevent from being forced to judgement.

Stay silent. Take no side. Look beyond habitual tendencies.
Nothing changes mind as much as deep appreciation.

We Are So Used To Lies

We are so used to lies
that we cannot see the truth.

It is the truth that sets us free.

Belief isn’t exactly a lie, but it is accepting something as true without proof.
In this way, we spend our lives having beliefs while condemning others for their beliefs.

We can only know a lie when we know the truth – absolute truth, that is. We have been given people and things to believe in, but all that is merely relative truth – something to which we relate – and, as such, has absolutely nothing to do with truth. Relative truth is merely convenient: it’s a statement we adopt about people and things and, for this reason, we argue, creating animosity and division.

Absolute truth is the direct moment of seeing. It is spontaneous, without relating. All sentient beings are this spontaneous presence. If we are told anything else, it is not true, and so it’s a lie. When we are told to accept a belief that is not absolutely true, it is deliberate, but no one mentions the word ‘deliberate’ because that has huge connotations for our existence.

How many know this absolute truth, and live it?
How many live by relative truth, and don’t know it?

When we ask such questions, the world becomes a scary place! 😀 This is why the Buddha’s teaching on absolute truth is vital, in order to put our minds at peace.

The relative has no inherent reality; it’s therefore changeable.
Absolute truth is consciousness that never changes.

Don’t believe in words.
See the effect.