Two talented, creative, and loving folk, who live not far from here, brought it up that "thoughts come and go -- we remain" and who is the we?
First of all, this is an appropriate challenge to my statement in an earlier post: "You are your thoughts." In this blog, I sometimes write from the perspective of the nondual and sometimes from the dual: the world of splitness. Many of us live in the dualistic world most of the time. When we do, we entangle ourselves in our thoughts. The energy principle, whatever we attend to, we become, kicks into play. We become our thoughts.
In the nondual, we are not our thoughts. And in the nondual, the question of who we are disappears. The answers to that question, from a dualistic perspective, range from "Who is asking the question, grasshopper?" to "God, of course, since there is always no one ever here but him." Both answers, and other answers of that kind, are designed to discombobulate the dualistic mind.
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We are never our thoughts. We mistake our thoughts for who we are, but except for the masters who acquired or learned Zen/Buddhahood/Christos/Dao and pass on that perspective, people for the most part, are lost in thought and mistake the thinker for who they are. You likely had no thoughts when you were born. You were pure Buddha-consciousness as an infant. Then, your mind formed and constant thinking became normal. Then, you got wise and mystical. Sometimes, you lapse back into identifying with the thinker, but just like anything it gets easier with practice. The more you practice silence, the easier it gets. Or as Tolle says, "It takes no time to be yourself". Being in the Now and nondual, takes no time. No time equals no thought. But then, all these words are just words. Hear the space between them. See the Silence.
ReplyDeleteSorry this is unrelated to your Post George but I was wondering what artwork was on the cover of your first book? My Helen said it looked like her or Joy:)
ReplyDeleteLisa
The cover art is "The Promise of Peace" by Cathy Gazda (http://www.cathygazda.com/). Cathy also designed the entire cover as well as the art and covers for my other three books.
ReplyDeleteI've become aware that I do not choose the thoughts that slither through my awareness--I would NOT choose those demeaning, critical, judgmental thoughts. When I catch myself dwelling on them, I've learned to say, "thinking" and that interrups the flow. This allows me to return to peace, and when I'm lucky, to no thought. I'm learning to simply ignore the destructive chatter. It is a continuing process, well worth the effort and awareness. Thanks, George. Eve
ReplyDeleteEve,
ReplyDeleteI like the process you have described. I am at a similar point in my development, and I am learning that there are many of us who would describe a similar process. Another friend recently told me she uses the word, "noticing" to interrupt that thinking.
Anyway, it is always helpful to remember that we are not alone. Perhaps all of us together are making the first steps toward a collective life of greater compassion, awareness and love.
See you somewhere on the path, i'm sure...
Patrick