Knowledge and Religion

A celebration of freedom

Some times we can get so lost in the nitty-gritty of our practice that we lose sight of where we hope to end up. So today I thought we could talk about the joy of looking within. After all where else can you hope to find unbridled joy without the possibility of coming down?

Yes you will be surprised by how free you really are. That’s because this freedom is not dependent on what you think, what you do, or what you have. It comes from what you are. This is where I and joy merge into one unified being. It is deeper than anything that you could possibly express.  

Although the world with its ups and downs is like the waves in the ocean, you are the depths, unaffected by these changes. Look for this freedom in your practice. The fruit is ripe and just waiting for you to puck it from the tree of wisdom. Don’t assume that this freedom is far away. It is as close as your own identity. This freedom does not come from what you see. It is inherently bound to the seer herself.

If you want to discover how free you really are, find this joy when things are not going your way. When times are tough, you mind is tired, and your body is sick. Even now you can find the freedom that was never born and will never pass away. This is freedom that comes from what you are. It is always there to support you. Find this and be at peace.

Other resources available to you
If you need a more basic understanding of this Self-Knowledge or if you just want support for your practice, go to www.light-up-your-life.com and read down the main column. Also check out the different links that we provide as resources that can help sharpen the focus of your meditation practice.

Another resource that we have is the book, Making Your Wisdom Come Alive , a step by step guide taking you from your everyday experience to the highest wisdom and truth. To find out more, click on the link below:

http://www.light-up-your-life.com/wisdom.html. 

To join our mailing list go to: http://www.light-up-your-life.com/join.html

Please Tell Your Friend
Please tell you friends. Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.

Best Wishes,

Michael Gluckman

What is the world anyway?

What exactly is the world anyway? If you would like to have the experience of oneness or a harmony that is unaffected by the apparent ups and downs of the world, and of your life, then its time for a different view of the world.

From here you will see that it is not just the rare mystic who can find oneness and peace. Anyone who is willing to investigate his or her direct experience can find the oneness that will bring things back into balance.

Now I know that nowadays many people are worried about war, global warming, and the greed that they see splashed across the headlines everyday. Moreover people see the threats to their life, to their health and to their means of livelihood. So with all of this going on where can a person find peace, let alone lasting peace.

To know this peace, stand as peace
The answer is that a person has to stand as the source of peace; from here you will see exactly what the world is. That’s because the essence of the world is not different from your own essence.

To see this you have to take an unbiased view of the world. To get a sense of what this means I want to use a quote of Joe Morgan, a member of the baseball Hall of Fame and an announcer. “You can see the ball without really seeing it.” It seems that the secret to becoming a good hitter in baseball is in how you see the ball.

The same is true of human liberation. You can see the world without really seeing it. But when you take off the filters that line your mind, you get to see the world for what it really is. Then a surprising thing happens. The world that you thought was outside of you comes right inside.

Here’s a quote from Saint   Paul, 

“Now we see through a glass darkly but then face to face.”

Perhaps one of the meanings of this statement is that the world that you thought was out there is really in here. Now I hope that I raised your curiosity. You must be thinking, “How can I experience the world as being on the inside?” Well let me show you.

How to experience the world anew
First don’t change a thing. You want to discover your direct experience even now. Rather look at the world like a new born child. For a moment, don’t assume that you know what the world really is. Now I have a few questions for you. “When you look out the window and see a tree or the house next door where do you actually see it?"

Do you see it over there or do you see it here? The answer is obvious: you see it here. Since you are over here, if the tree or the house was really over there you wouldn’t see it. Yet the tree and the house appear to be over there.

The same is true of the sounds that you hear. When you hear the sounds of the orchestra or band you hear them over here where you are, not over there. And yet they appear to be coming from over there. I hope that you are having trouble capturing this with your mind. That’s because your actual experience is much richer than the limited thought process can record.

The world is not a foreign substance
If you feel that the world is boring or overwhelming, just start experiencing the world like this and things will change in a hurry. All of the sudden when you experience the world in this new light, things will become very interesting and very close. That’s because the world is not made up of a foreign substance. It is actually made of your own mind and being.

When you see this you will find an underlying harmony that cannot be disturbed no matter what circumstances you may face. Seeing this you will find the peace that passes all understanding.

This peace is not in some far away land accessible to a rare mystic. If only we could see what’s right before our eyes, we would know the underlying peace that supports the whole universe. It is right at the very center of our being, the essence of our mind. It is here that we get to experience the real substance of the universe. It is beyond what words can say. But we can know it by our direct experience.

Other resources available to you
If you need a more basic understanding of this Self-Knowledge or if you just want support for your practice, go to www.light-up-your-life.com and read down the main column. Also check out the different links that we provide as resources that can help sharpen the focus of your meditation practice.

Another resource that we have is the book, Making Your Wisdom Come Alive , a step by step guide taking you from your everyday experience to the highest wisdom and truth. To find out more, click on the link below:

http://www.light-up-your-life.com/wisdom.html. 

To join our mailing list go to: http://www.light-up-your-life.com/join.html

Please Tell Your Friend
Please tell you friends. Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.

Best Wishes,

Michael Gluckman

Join Us For a Talk and meditation on The Essence of the Universe?

You are welcome to join us on May 16, 2008 at the

•  Inner Journey
•  222 N. Santa Cruz Avenue
•  Los Gatos CA 95030

for a free class: What is the Essence of the Universe?

•  408.395.2766 
 
•  http://www.inner-journey.com

•  from 7.00pm ~ 9.00pm

•  for a talk and meditation:

•  What is the Essence of the Universe?

•  presented by : Michael Gluckman.

If you were a scientist and wanted to get to the essence of the universe, where would you look ? The surprising answer is to look within. Here we will explore the place where the inner and the outer come together.

Michael Gluckman is the author of "Making Your Wisdom Come Alive," a book on experiencing the deepest wisdom in the universe. He is also the author of this blog. To find out more about this wisdom go to: www.light-up-your-life.com/ .

To join our mailing list go to: http://www.light-up-your-life.com/join.html

For more Information E mail us at: michael@ananya.com .or

call (408) 353-3555.

See the next blog for a taste of  this class.

Best Wishes,

Michael

Can you die before you die?

Here is a  question posted on Jerry Katz's Nonduality Salon  (sender is anonymous) . It is begging for an answer:

I am having difficulty with something that Nisargadatta Maharaj is quoted as saying:

"Once you know that the body alone dies and not the continuity of memory and the sense of I am reflected in it, you are afraid no longer."

Surely when the body dies there can be no memory as there is no instrument to cognize with. The brain holds the memory which is made up of mindstuff, and when that dies surely there can be no persistence of memory?

Maybe the quote is a translation mistake?

I know that we are the one beingness and always will be that, but in my experience it is a state of no thing, and no knowing.

Are you able to enlighten me on this point?

I think the questioner is right. Because this is a translation, we can never quite be sure what Maharaj was trying to say. But we can be sure what he meant. That’s by dying ourselves so that we can see what it’s like by our own direct experience.

It may seem strange to think that you can die before you die. Although it is hard to explain because it is a nonlinear process that doesn’t fit easily into words and thoughts, once you die you will see exactly what death is.

Given the limitation of words, this is the best explanation I can give. The very sense of I drops out. This is the place that you thought you stood. It feels like everything drops out from this side: the side that you did not expect.

The one who thought that he or she was in control, the one who thought that he could rationalize his thoughts and feelings, that’s the first one to disappear. Then you are left face to face the real frameworks that you identified with. These are the little definitions that ran your life and were the basis of your thoughts and actions.

Death shows you how to wake up
If this death happens as a product of your meditation it is grace. It will show you in no uncertain terms how to practice and which type of practice just won’t work. For instance any thought based meditation, no matter how beautiful the thoughts are won’t work.

Even if you meditate, “I am the Self,” in the end these thoughts will disappear too. Furthermore, a blank mind is no substitute for knowing yourself. Even that will disappear. Also any intellectual musings on the subject of nonduality will not hold water when you face death. (Nonduality means that there is not two things. Only the one reality that pervades the whole universe.)

Reaching across the boarder of life and death
The only meditation that reaches across the boarder of life and death is to stand as you really are. To do this you have to recognize and stand beyond the limiting definitions that you took to be you. That’s why nonduality and self-knowledge are inextricably connected. Where there is a sense of limitation there are two.

The reality that you thought belonged to the world, the body, the mind, and your memories, actually comes from you and not from what you see. That’s why when you know yourself, whatever state you find yourself in, the sense of reality remains the same. Whether it’s Alzheimer’s disease or death, by your direct experience nothing changes – reality remains as it always is. You are that reality.

You can see this in your everyday experience. Although the scenery in your dream is completely different than the scenery in the waking state, your sense of reality doesn’t change. That’s why from within it, your dream seems real. When everything disappears in the deep sleep state it doesn’t feel like reality went away for a little bit. Reality does not depend on objects. It knows itself by its own light and remains steady as life continues to change and then disappears.

This is the continuity that Maharaj was probably referring to. I hope this helps.

Other resources available to you
If you need a more basic understanding of this Self-Knowledge or if you just want support for your practice, go to www.light-up-your-life.com and read down the main column. Also check out the different links that we provide as resources that can help sharpen the focus of your meditation practice.

Another resource that we have is the book, Making Your Wisdom Come Alive , a step by step guide taking you from your everyday experience to the highest wisdom and truth. To find out more, click on the link below:

http://www.light-up-your-life.com/wisdom.html. 

You can also find it on Amazon at:

http://www.amazon.com/Making-Your-Wisdom-Come-Alive/dp/141966946X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208712760&sr=8-1

Please Tell Your Friend
Please tell you friends. Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.

 
Best Wishes,

Michael Gluckman

 

 

 

 

 

The secret of returning to the source

Ram has the following comments and questions:

Hi Michael,

Great articles and sharings, Michael. Thank you. However I have one question:

What is the entry code/meditation technique to remove the veil of the Source that seems hidden by a disk of golden light? So that there is complete experiential awareness of union with the Source to see all beings and all things living in complete harmony in unison and to realize: Yes we can international/universal and Be one with the One that is always Infinite in every way.

Would appreciate your sharing your experiential awareness with.regards to the merger with the Source after the ever-present witness sees all the universe (including all galaxies ..etc) in the infinite bigger consciousness.

By 'Source' I mean that One Who gives substance to the universe, from whom all things proceed and to whom all things return.

Look forward to hearing from you with great interest.

In appreciation and amazement......Ram

Hi Ram,

Thank you for your comments and questions. The secret to returning to the source is to know yourself. It is the shift of identity from limitation to the limitless Consciousness. You should know that you are the seer of limitation, not the one who is caught in it. This means that you are the seer of obstacles that you seem to face, not the one stuck in them. Whether these obstacles seem to be physical like those presented by the world, body, and mind or subtle like the disk of golden light, you should know that you are already on the right side of these obstacles.

Where people have problems with this meditation on identity is that you can't see yourself. After all who could stand separate to see the Seer? But you can still know yourself by standing as yourself, and not as the limitation that you see. Like the sun shines by its own light, you shine in your own glory as Consciousness and Bliss.

It isn't you who gets stuck
When you think, “I'm stuck,” it is really not you who is stuck. That ‘I’ is just another thought in your mind. You are aware of both the subject of your sentence called ‘I’ and the object ‘stuck.’ This Awareness is whom you really are. As Awareness you are always free. Moreover, you will find, it is Awareness that lends reality to the thoughts; that’s why they seem so real.

The vast universe is actually on the inside
Now you asked about the Awareness that sees the planets and the galaxies; “that One Who gives substance to the universe, from whom all things proceed and to whom all things return.” When your identity shifts out of the body, mind, and ‘I’ thought, those boundaries no longer apply to you. The universe that you thought was outside of you comes inside. In all its vast glory the universe is you. That means that everything you see is actually you and not separate in any way. When you see this you will find a harmony that can never be disturbed.

Furthermore, when your state changes from waking to dreaming the whole universe that you see completely changes. Yet the sense of reality remains the same. That’s because no matter what form it takes, reality comes from you and not from the world. Finally in death when the world disappears it is reality in the form of Consciousness that remains. If you see that you are Consciousness and nothing else, when the body dies nothing will change. Reality will remain as it always is, eternally.

Please let me know if this answers your questions or if it raises more questions. You will be amazed how the smallest shift in identity will answer your questions in a way that you could never have imagined.

Other resources available to you
If you need a more basic understanding of this Self-Knowledge or if you just want support for your practice, go to www.light-up-your-life.com and read down the main column. Also check out the different links that we provide as resources that can help sharpen the focus of your meditation practice.

Another resource that we have is the book, Making Your Wisdom Come Alive , a step by step guide taking you from your everyday experience to the highest wisdom and truth. To find out more, click on the link below:

http://www.light-up-your-life.com/wisdom.html. 

Please Tell Your Friend
Please tell you friends. Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.

 
Best Wishes,

Michael Gluckman

Are you pushed by suffering or pulled by Bliss?

Scott had a reply to my last answer with some more comments and questions:

Good Morning Michael,

Thank you so much for your reply!

I took your book out last night and began to re-read. “May the light that lights the universe be our light...”I only got a few pages into it and was present to an upwelling of excitement and joy.

Recently, I have been seeing a young woman. It is certainly a blissful time for both of us. I asked her, “Where do you experience Happiness?” She smiled and did not answer. The next day, she put her hand on my chest/heart and said “I feel Happiness here.” This is a bliss I wish I could bottle and keep forever! 

With that, I was reminded of the teachings in your book and our numerous conversations. Perhaps there is something here worth noting; perhaps this is our Easter gift this spring.

I got the quote you submitted “Ramana Maharshi said to practice with the energy of a man whose head is being held underwater and has to come up for air.” have experienced a great deal of suffering and wish to not go there again. That desire is like a desperate man whose head is being held underwater....

Something struck me a few months ago in this realm. It was that, instead of motivation from desperation and fear, what if it was possible to be motivated by Inspiration, encouragement and love? (A pull from heaven, rather than a push from hell, so to speak). This direction was from the pointer “Where do you experience Happiness?” This is what I have been meditating on, contemplating, exploring.

I have this funny feeling that you are right. That this is very close. Even in our correspondence here, I took a moment to experience. Something just happened.

Blessings, Smiles and Bliss to you!


~Scott

Hi Scott,

I am glad to hear that you are back in the high life again. When you begin to look within, everyday becomes a good day.

That's because you begin to recognize that your happiness and peace do not depend on outer circumstances. Here there is no reason to ever suffer.

In my book I started with where is happiness because I noticed that many people seem to get a taste for looking within and meditation when they notice where they actually experience happiness.

But you can trace Consciousness to its source and end up in the same place. That's because here Consciousness and Bliss are really not two different things. They are just pointers to what you are.

The real secret here is that the happiness that I talk about is even deeper than the feeling of bliss that radiates from your heart. This is a beautiful expression of the happiness found on the inside, but as an experience it also comes and goes. That's why, like in my case, it is sometimes easier to trace Consciousness to its source.

As your experiences come and go it is the seer that remains the constant factor. It is your light that gives the feeling of reality to experience, and it is your light that remains when the experience is over. Just stand as the light of Awareness and not as a thought in your mind.

Then you will not have the need to bottle any experience. You can enjoy the experience while it lasts, and at the end, when it disappears you can remain as you really are right at the source.

On  friendship and love
As you go deeper in your meditation you will begin to attract deeper friends. I see that's what's already happening to you. Congratulations on your relationship. Now that you know the secret you will not expect to get something from her which she just can't provide. That's the happiness that you already have.

Then you can relax and revel in a oneness and peace that most people can't even imagine. It comes when you see how close she really is. There is no need to put up borders and boundaries. These are not real anyway. They are just thoughts in your mind.

Your intuition that truth is really close is good. Where there is no distance there is no obstacles.

Other resources available to you
If you need a more basic understanding of this Self-Knowledge or if you just want support for your practice, go to www.light-up-your-life.com and read down the main column. Also check out the different links that we provide as resources that can help sharpen the focus of your meditation practice.

Another resource that we have is the book, Making Your Wisdom Come Alive , a step by step guide taking you from your everyday experience to the highest wisdom and truth. To find out more, click on the link below:

http://www.light-up-your-life.com/wisdom.html. 

Please Tell Your Friend
Please tell you friends. Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.

Best Wishes,

Michael Gluckman
www.light-up-your-life.com
_______________________________
You can find the source of Happiness
and Wisdom. It is right at your center.
_______________________________
michael@light-up-your-life.com

Navigating the ups and downs of the world

In response to my Easter mailing Scott had some excellent comments and questions:

Thank you for the heart-felt message! It really resonates with me, right now.
 
The question comes from “Are you a thought?” I would have to say no, but it is more complex than a thought. There are other components involved. But for some reason, intellect-reason seems to be “in charge.” The first place my mind goes when there is discussion about “who we really are” it hits me “what about my bills, and retirement and schedule and if I ‘go there’ I will neglect the important stuff, and...and...”  How can I let this die and have it last?
 
I am attempting to paint a picture (so to speak) of my current model of limitation. I would love to experience the death of this limitation and Celebrate new possibilities this Easter. 
 

Wishing you and Bridget Love and Happiness!

Thank You!

Scott

Hi Scott,

Your question is excellent. It is easy to muse about spirituality when you are young, healthy, and the money is rolling in.

But by its very nature the world is like a wave. It is in constant motion with both ups and downs. If you get a paycheck it may seem like things are constant. But when you have your own business it's a constant battle to make sure your income is grater than your expenses.

You work on a big job and have no time to sell. Then you have no jobs and the wave is about to crash. If you find your mind and emotions going up and down with your income it is time to take another look.

The energy to find freedom
This may feel uncomfortable, but its a perfect opportunity to find the kind of freedom that will last, no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. In fact you probably feel a certain desperation to get out of this cycle in your mind. And that desperation is just the energy level that you need.

Ramana Maharshi said to practice with the energy of a man whose head is being held underwater and has to come up for air. It is just through dullness that we repeat the same suffering again and again. This is the energy that gets us out of dullness.

The doorway to freedom
At the same time, because of your interest in Self-Knowledge, you know there is an answer waiting for you, if you can just find a way to look within. The doorway is to trace either love or Awareness back to its source. In the end you find that your identity is Awareness and not that of a limited person.

Standing here you are as free from the character called Scott, as you are from the person in last night's dream. And yet you see that you are the light of Consciousness that lights up the world and makes it seem so real. What remains constant as the world continues to change is your own Being in the form of Awareness. Finally when you retire completely from this world, it is the world that disappears and not you.

So do what you can to grow your business and get the kind of income that you want. But you should know that there are factors involved here that are beyond your control, like the state of the economy and the state of your health. That's why you have to find your sense of peace and joy in a deeper place than in the condition of your business, and of your finances.

When you take this meditation through, you will see that you are not a thought in the mind, and that this is not a mere intellectual pursuit for an afternoon's cup of tea. You will find the reality that will completely change your life, from the inside out. Please let me know if this answers your question or if you need some more clarification.

Other resources available to you
If you need a more basic understanding of this Self-Knowledge or if you just want support for your practice, go to www.light-up-your-life.com and read down the main column. Also check out the different links that we provide as resources that can help sharpen the focus of your meditation practice.

Another resource that we have is the book, Making Your Wisdom Come Alive , a step by step guide taking you from your everyday experience to the highest wisdom and truth. To find out more, click on the link below:

http://www.light-up-your-life.com/wisdom.html. 

Please Tell Your Friend
Please tell you friends. Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.

Best Wishes,

Michael Gluckman
www.light-up-your-life.com
_______________________________
You can find the source of Happiness
and Wisdom. It is right at your center.
_______________________________

michael@light-up-your-life.com

 

Dealing With Obstacles In Your Practice

Joe has the following comments and questions:

Hi Michael,

It was great to talk with you. Why is there a tendency to want to identify with the mind and body even when one has had some good experiences with ones own true nature?

Is there a belief of something that opposes the Truth? There seems to be something that always tries to stop everyone from making spiritual progress. Call it what you like the devil, Satan etc. but it seems to have some intelligence purpose to destroy the Son of God. Jesus had this experience when he called the devil a lie and the father of all lies. Buddha and had his experience that tried to stop him from his Self Realization

It has been my experience too and I know that it is the same for everyone that I have known on the spiritual path. I know that you have talked about this before in answering questions from others and myself. It is most likely a lot easier than how it seems to be according to how I see it. I appreciate it if you comment on this when you have a chance on your web site or e-mail.

Thank you,

Joe

Hi Joe,

Thank you for your reply. What goes on when you appear to struggle, and how can you step out of your struggles and into the truth of your own Self-Nature? This is a good question.

And by your question I can see that you already have lots of wisdom. First you have had experiences of truth and second, you have the intuition that stepping out of your struggles is a lot easier than it
might at first appear.

Is it the devil or is it your ego?
Sometimes we frame this struggle in different ways. In ancient times it used to be God struggling with the devil. God represented good and the devil represented all that is evil or suffering. But nowadays we are more sophisticated and thus we struggle with our ego. Every time we seem to make progress the ego comes along and throws us off our course.

Every time we experience bliss and peace and a deep sense of oneness with everything in the universe, the devil, or the ego or whatever it’s called, comes along and sends us crashing back into limitation and suffering.

So what can we possibly do? It seems like the ego is much more powerful than God. No matter how high and clear we get in our meditations, we always seem to end up back in suffering again.

Self Judgment
Now back in limitation self judgment takes over. "This shows how bad I really am. I could never be free."  Then you start thinking: "If I could only walk on water or raise the dead, then I could be free." By the time you're done with all of this thinking it feels like your freedom is lifetimes away.

The doorway back to freedom
But fortunately there is a way out of this mess, and back into your natural state of peace and joy. That's because you were so busy struggling with your mind that you forgot one thing and that thing is the doorway that will take you back. It is the fact that you are aware of this whole mess. You are aware of the suffering, you are aware of the self judgment, you are aware of the thought, "I can't," and you are aware of the little imposture call 'I'.

This Awareness was actually your identity, not the good and bad thoughts that you were struggling with; you were not even the ego or I thought, which is the rack that these thoughts seem to hang on. The principle here is that whatever you see you are not.

So when you feel suffering, take some time to notice that you are Aware of this suffering. You are Awareness and not your suffering. If fact the feeling of reality that the thoughts seem to have, comes from Awareness and not from the thoughts.

What happens to your thoughts?
You are not your thoughts; return your identity to its rightful place and watch what happens to these thoughts. Whether they seem to disappear or to remain will not concern you. The sense that thoughts are real will be gone, and with that their sting will disappear.

Notice that you are free of both the good and the bad thoughts. This is called stepping out of duality. So you are not hoping that God will somehow defeat the devil. You are seeing that by your identity, you are intrinsically free of the struggle of good and evil.

The last step and your freedom will last
There is one more step for freeing yourself from this struggle. Once you are standing comfortably in your own self-nature ask yourself, "What was I taking to be true that put me back into limitation and struggle again?"

The principle here is that you will always come back to what you take to be true. You may take a vacation from it for a while and have some high experiences, but in the end, when you are not looking you will come right back down into your struggles.

For instance if you conceive of the world as intrinsically evil, as a place that you have to struggle against, you will come down to your fights with the world. If you feel that your mind is intrinsically bad, you will come down to fights with your mind.

But when you see that your assumptions of limitation were just  assumptions, and not reality, you will cut the string that seems to pull you back into limitation. Then you will have no choice but to stand as Awareness. That's because the assumptions that pull you back into limitation will be gone.

I hope that this begins to answer your question so that you can find the everlasting freedom that's right inside. If this raises more question in your mind please feel free to ask.

Other resources available to you
If you need a more basic understanding of this Self-Knowledge or if you just want support for your practice, go to www.light-up-your-life.com and read down the main column. Also check out the different links that we provide as resources that can help sharpen the focus of your meditation practice.

Another resource that we have is the book, Making Your Wisdom Come Alive , a step by step guide taking you from your everyday experience to the highest wisdom and truth. To find out more, click on the link below:

http://www.light-up-your-life.com/wisdom.html. 

Please Tell Your Friend
Please tell you friends. Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.

Best Wishes,

Michael Gluckman
www.light-up-your-life.com
_______________________________
You can find the source of Happiness
and Wisdom. It is right at your center.
_______________________________
michael@light-up-your-life.com

 

Freeing yourself from tension and stress

 

Sabir has the following comments and questions:

Hello Michael,

How are you? It has been a long time. But you are always with me in my meditations and prayers. I pray for your long life and better health. The problem is that I don't stick with my meditations. This lack of consistency really creates obstacles in my journey.

Once you told me that whether I like it or not, do your meditations without a break. I know the importance and I try my best, but I don't know how to bring such power that helps me to constantly stick with my meditations.

I really love you. You are my true guru and mentor. I always admire your sincerity and passion regarding spreading the knowledge and wisdom you have achieved through your hard work to your pupils.

I don't know whether other people discuss this with you or not, but in this materialistic world people worry too much about their daily problems and their minds, and are too involved in solving those problems. How can they have success in separating their inner self (which is the basic teaching of your wisdom book) from their surroundings and just see all that happens in life without worries or sorrows? (Seeing that the reality of the movie in the cinema house is the screen as Ramana Maharshi said).

In reality, Michael, I get too involved in my surroundings and that affects my mind, body and my inner self. I recall several times in your teaching to separate yourself (core) from the daily problems that you encounter in your mind and body. But I find it difficult to remain calm and cool and without any tension or stress. Can you tell me how I can get rid of these stresses and tensions?

Sorry for taking your time, but believe me there is nobody else in this whole universe that I can talk to about my life and such sensitive matters, except you.

Regards

Sabir

 Hi Sabir,

It is good hearing from you again. When you ask a question about the materialistic world and how people are distracted and worried about their daily problems and their mind, it shows that you have a good sense of where happiness comes from.

This is the Self calling you back to the source. What people achieve in the world will only last for a short period of time. Not only that, their achievements don't guarantee their happiness. That's because achievement cannot provide you with what it doesn't have. Happiness comes from the inside, the place where you actually experience it, not from what you achieve.

Freedom From Stress
Stress comes when you are afraid of failing. Now you can't always control if you succeed or fail, but you can always abide in the peace and happiness that's at your core. So when you feel happy and at peace meditate on where you actually experience happiness. Does it come from the world and what you see, or does it come from what you are?

And when you feel tense and stressed out know that peace is not far away. You can find this peace faster than you can change your mind. That's because peace is not a state of mind. You are not trying to get your mind just right. That's an endless task. Awareness is the source of this peace. The very fact that you are Aware of the stress means that you are already free from it, not caught in its grip.

So meditate like this: When you are happy and at peace, note where you actually experience this happiness and peace. And when you are stressed out, notice that you are Awareness and not a state of mind. Stand here and see if stress can really bother you.

Spend Some Time With Your Being
The nice thing about this meditation is that you can do it all of the time, whether sitting, standing, walking or lying down. It does not require any particular posture. Still spend some time sitting and meditating on what's really important.

Remember, it is not important if you feel like meditating or not; feelings can change in an instant. Get in the habit of meditating at a certain time and place and you will naturally take the time to meditate.

Remember, life is short and death comes sooner than you think. So find the state that is unaffected by the changes in your body and mind. This is your real identity. Finding this place you will find a freedom that lasts forever, right in this lifetime.

If you find that there is a specific set of thoughts or events that seem to trigger your stress tell me. Perhaps I can help you to untangle yourself from that too.

Other resources available to you
If you need a more basic understanding of this Self-Knowledge or if you just want support for your practice, go to www.light-up-your-life.com and read down the main column. Also check out the different links that we provide as resources that can help sharpen the focus of your meditation practice.

Another resource that we have is the book, Making Your Wisdom Come Alive , a step by step guide taking you from your everyday experience to the highest wisdom and truth. To find out more, click on the link below:

http://www.light-up-your-life.com/wisdom.html. 

Please Tell Your Friend
Please tell you friends. Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.

Best Wishes,


Michael Gluckman
www.light-up-your-life.com
_______________________________
You can find the source of Happiness
and Wisdom. It is right at your center.
_______________________________

Easter, A Celebratation of what's Inside

I thought I would start this blog in celebration of Easter with Jesus introducing himself as he really is. He is not pointing to something that you can comprehend with your mind. You know the truth of these words in a more direct way. You understand these words because this is a description of what you are. Notice that Jesus is describing himself in the third person. Now from the Nag Hammadi Library:

Matthew said to him, “Lord no one can find the truth except through you. Therefore teach us the truth.” The Savior said, “The one who is ... is ineffable. No sovereignty knew him, no authority, no subjection, nor did any creature, from the foundation of the world, except himself.

For he is immortal. He is eternal having no birth; for everyone who has birth will perish. He is unbegotten, having no beginning; for everyone who has a beginning has an end. No one rules over him, since he has no name; for whoever has a name is a creation of another. He is unnamable. He has no human form; for whoever has a human form is the creation of another. He has his own semblance-- not like the semblance that we have received or seen, but a strange semblance that surpasses all things and is better than the totalities.

It looks to every side and sees itself from itself. He is without end; he is incomprehensible. He is ever imperishable, and has no likeness. He is unchanging good. He is faultless. He is everlasting. He is blessed. He is unknowable, while he nonetheless knows himself. He is immeasurable. He is untraceable. He is perfect, having no defect. He is imperishably blessed. He is the “Father of the Universe.

From: Eugnostos the Blessed
Translated by Douglas M. Parrott
The Nag Hammadi Library In English
Copyright © 1977 by E. J. Brill Leiden The Netherlands

The Nag Hammadi Library was discovered in Nag Hammadi Egypt in 1945. The texts were rescued just before they were about to get burned up for firewood. They were obviously edited out of the New Testament but contain the highest wisdom.

Death and Birth into your own Nature
Now, in celebration of Easter it is time to talk about dying and being reborn. Not in the physical sense because if Easter was about what happened to a man who lived 2,000 years ago it wouldn’t have much relevance for us today.

But if dying and being reborn is a description of the potential for each and every human being then it is relevant to us even today. So what is the nature of the death that Jesus was talking about? This death was dying to limitation. That’s when he discovered the truth that was before the universe, behind the universe, and the remainder when the universe perishes. As Jesus said: “He is without end; he is incomprehensible. He is ever imperishable, and has no likeness. He is unchanging good.”

Dying to limitation
By the end of this article you will see how it is possible to die to limitation. And when you die to limitation, you are automatically born to eternal life. Now you will understand why Easter is a celebration. That’s because even now you are unlimited. It is only an assumption that you are limited by the things that you see. Death is destroying this assumption and returning to what you really are so beautifully described by Jesus above.

The reason we seem to be limited is that we overlook our essential nature and take our identity to be limited to the objects that we see. That’s because all of our senses are directed outward towards the world; there is no sense that can look back and see our real nature.

You are the light that shines on limitation
So we have to know our self in a different way. This is by direct experiential knowledge. You know yourself because you are your self. In fact it is because you are Consciousness that you even know about limitation.

If I told you to go outside with a flashlight and look for the sun you would think that I was crazy. That’s because the sun is light. You do not need a separate light to see the sun. In the same way you are Consciousness; you do not need a separate consciousness or mind to know yourself. You can know yourself directly.

But you see your body and you see your mind, and you see your roles in the world and you take these objects to be yourself. But by their nature bodies are limited by birth and death, and health and sickness. Your mind is also limited by its condition and its ability to know. But fortunately these objects are just that, objects in your Awareness. They are not you and they do not define you.

Are you just a thought?
The most subtle object that you see is the thought “I”. Just because you think a thought with “I” in the subject, doesn’t mean that the “I” is you. Here “I” is just another object that you see. This “I” is sometimes called the ego. The ego is also the little connection that attaches to limitation and make it seem as if it is really you. When your ego dies there is no place left for limitation to rest. As for you, you can rest in your true home. Is this the inner meaning of the crucifixion?

Returning to your home
When by your deepest and most direct experience, you die to the limitation that you thought was you, you wake to your real identity which is the space like Consciousness that was never born and will never pass away. Here you get to abide as the source of wisdom and joy.

Now you see why we celebrate Good Friday with joy and not with the sadness of a funeral dirge. It is a celebration dying to our assumed limitations and then Easter celebrates waking up to our innate freedom where we can rest in peace eternally.

Other resources available to you
If you need a more basic understanding of this Self-Knowledge or if you just want support for your practice, go to www.light-up-your-life.com and read down the main column. Also check out the different links that we provide as resources that can help sharpen the focus of your meditation practice.

Another resource that we have is the book, Making Your Wisdom Come Alive , a step by step guide taking you from your everyday experience to the highest wisdom and truth. To find out more, click on the link below: http://www.light-up-your-life.com/wisdom.html. 

Asking Question
Here questions about this article or other things going on in your life are always welcome; you can write us at michael@ananya.com. I love questions and try to answer them all in this blog. That’s because when you start to question limitation, you are on the verge of destroying it.

Please Tell Your Friends
Please tell you friends. Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.

Best Wishes,

Michael Gluckman
www.light-up-your-life.com