Einstein said: “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”
I say, “We cannot go beyond the mind with the mind.”
All suffering derives from thought.
Human beings are ‘effect of’, and essentially enslaved by, the incessant and relentless thoughts that arise spontaneously.
To free yourself from the unconscious, knee-jerk reactions to thought that create havoc and misery in your life, you must first cultivate awareness enough to notice thoughts as they arise.
Let me digress: first of all, we must understand the nature of ‘mind’. The mind is divided into two parts: the mind that works and the mind that thinks.
The Working Mind is the part connected to Infinity, or Higher Consciousness, and is associated with the Right Brain. It’s the part where this inspiration comes, where genius and creativity originate and what works when you’re ‘in the zone’.
The Thinking Mind is associated with the Left Brain and is subdivided into the practical functioning aspect, planning a trip or making a shopping list, and what I call the Distractor. The Distractor is the villain of the piece, so to speak, and also consists of two parts: the random thoughts that continually arise without will, and the ‘little voice’. The little voice is NOT to be confused with the ‘still little voice’ it inspires. The little voice is the voice that you think is ‘you’, but it’s not. What is it? The Distractor. Something to keep you busy fantasizing about the future or regretting the past, to play back conversations with more desirable outcomes, to criticize both yourself and others, you know what voice I mean. The Distractor is what makes you miss your life as it happens while you live in your head. It also causes you to interpret what others say and do in ways that have nothing to do with reality.
Self-mastery is what happens when one conquers the Distractor with Awareness.
And how is Consciousness cultivated? By paying attention.
How much do you see, hear, smell or taste without realizing the signals received by the senses? Are you aware of savoring the food you eat, or is it just a passing sensation? Are you aware of seeing what your eyes see, or is it just part of the landscape? Are you aware of what you are saying and how you are saying it, or are you just running out of words? Do you do what you say you will do, or are your words empty of value?
By cultivating self-observation we begin to develop self-awareness. (Awareness of the lower self: the body/mind-personality.)
By developing self-awareness, we begin to achieve Awareness (a state of Higher Consciousness) and begin the path to self-mastery. (Body/mind-personality domain.)
Therefore, we are no longer slaves to the mind and subject to its unconscious reactivity, but masters of Life’s deliberate egoic responders.
Let me digress again, and I’ll bring you full circle:
The heart of the matter is: “You are not what you think.” Not in terms of the thoughts that arise and, emphatically, not in the way you think of yourself: the false identification that has been programmed into you from the day you were born, by your parents, teachers, religious community, government, and community. media.
While she has successfully convinced herself that the way she wears her hair and the size and shape of her breasts, along with the car she drives, the name on her clothing, and the PDA she uses are the determining factors in her success. and attractive, you have been tricked into spending all your time and energy chasing these false idols of satisfaction. And tell the truth: Are you satisfied? Or is it still running after the last (fill in the blank).
The truth is: you are NOT your physical attributes, whether attractive or not; nor are you your education, wealth or lack thereof; your car, shoes or designer whatever; your relationships or your work. Neither are you the labels that could have been put along the way: beauty queen, star, idol, nerd, criminal, loser or failure.
What are you going to? An individualized aspect of Infinite Creative Intelligence, sometimes referred to as a Son of God. Also known as an Embodiment of Love.
Now, to know this from experience, you have to get out of your head.
To get out of your head, you must cultivate enough awareness to notice thoughts as they arise.
Once you start noticing the thoughts, the next step is to REFUSE TO COMMIT.
When you realize that engaging in the thought is what makes you angry, depressed, frustrated (fill in the blank), you’ll be motivated to ‘not accept’ or ‘refuse to engage’ with that thought.
So it’s just a matter of practice. (And you must practice, because thoughts will never cease, not while you remain in a body.) The more you stay aware and aware, the easier it will be not to please yourself, but to keep your attention in the Here and Now. where life is lived
Some suggest treating thoughts like clouds and letting them go. Some suggest focusing your attention on your breath and watching it go in and out of your body through your nostrils. Some suggest drawing attention to the physical environment and engaging in the activity.
I have used all of these methods and have found that with some repetitive and particularly unpleasant thoughts, the best response is a firm “buzz off,” as one would respond to an especially annoying and disgusting acquaintance.
Whatever you choose to do, stay alert. Don’t let the thought “hook” you and take you on your journey; he has no idea where it will take him, though he will ultimately land in the stinking hole that is the Distractor’s favorite realm.
All suffering derives from thought.
You who think you have control of your life have no control over the Distractor.
The only way to free yourself from suffering is to cultivate Consciousness and achieve Self-control.The reward is simply Peace of Mind and a Joyful Life.