CULTIVATING A NEW MIND; REGAINING YOUR BALANCE

COPING WITH THE CHALLENGES OF A WOUNDED WORLD -

PART TWO

Once we begin to understand and more importantly feel the dream like nature of our self-constructed reality. We are ready to ask, “If this reality I know so well is not exactly as it appears then what is True and how do I find it?" This is another very important question. I can only offer a very general answer because this process is a very personal matter and each of us has to find our own path. Nonetheless, I am very sure the main thing is to have the desire, state the question, and then be open to your answer. And be patient.

In non-duality we often use the image of being asleep. To live our lives under the spell of the programing of the conditioned self, our learned impermanent truth, is like sleepwalking. The image of a Zombie is not too exaggerated! So, our desire to know our true reality appears as a desire to awaken from this sleep state. The discovery of our dream like existence is often the beginning of our spiritual journey. This journey is simply a process. It does not have to be a long trip. Non-duality is not a short cut, none exists, but it is very direct. The process I am addressing can be helpful in these times, almost immediately. Of course, I do suggest that you think in terms of a spiritual awakening that will continue on way past this challenging time. However, if your goal is to feel better, more peaceful, to release the effects of stress, and to generally feel more grounded and balanced that is perfectly ok and attainable. I do want you to know that I am sharing this information with you so that it can lead you to full awakening. If you really want to be free, totally free of the daily darkness then I encourage you to go as far into your true nature as you can.

I would like for us to look at duality a bit closer. Many have heard of yang and yin. This Taoist concept is deeply profound. The tai chi du, the well known symbol with the black and white paisley shapes, each with its opposite as a small dot in the other, represents the interaction of opposing energies. The yang is the positive charge, it is forceful and assertive. The yin is the negative charge and is receptive and fluid. These energies interact and dance with one another, constantly rising and falling in constant motion. They are the foundation of duality and the atomic foundation of all matter. They represent the movement and frequency of energy that slows down into all material expressions including our bodies. All pairs of opposites relate to this process. Hot and cold, fast and slow, weak and strong, night and day, etc. We can say male and female but that is a bit misleading. Actually, both genders of all species contain both energies.

We are hearing politicians speak about a struggle for the soul of America, that there is a war between the dark and the light. That may very well be the case. However, that conflict is a very clear demonstration of the balancing act that is unfolding on a planetary scale. Many spiritual teachers have been sharing for a very long time that our planet is undergoing an increase in frequency. The old world structures are coming apart and space is opening for new ones. I do not wish to go into that any deeper now but I will say that the awakening of each of us is a vital part of the process however we may view it. We are in a time of preparation for something not yet revealed. As for now, the issue is, yes, the duality of light and dark.

The debate over the meanings of good and evil will likely continue as long as duality itself. There is a story of a young boy sitting with his wise old teacher and they spy a rabbit who is frozen with fear. The teacher asks the boy what he thinks is scaring the rabbit and the boy says that he hears a fox nearby. The boy then tosses a small rock toward the rabbit to scare him away to safety. The boy then asks the teacher if he did the right thing. The teacher replied,” Well, half right. You saved the rabbit from being eaten but you also denied the fox his food”. The teacher’s point was that both animals were expressions of one sacred nature. The dichotomy of good vs. evil is like that, complex. It would be very naïve to say that good and evil do not exist, but we can say that they are found as such only in duality. We could function in a black and white world with the endless palette of gray tones. However, without at least some degree of tonal contrast we would see only pure white or pure black. Nothing could be seen. What a mess! The non-dual view is a bit different. Trungpa Rimpoche used the term “basic goodness”. Basic goodness underlies the interplay of opposites. In the unified state we merge with the source of all that is, the Universal Creative Principle. Simply stated, God is only one o from good! This Godly goodness is not to be confused with the dualistic version. This basic goodness is a supreme positive energy frequency. We can call it love if we are willing to let go of our culturally formed definitions of the term.

The point here is that in non-dual practice we connect and align ourselves with this basic goodness, which, like love, inner peace, profound joy, etc., is a quality of the awakened state. We thus come into balance with our true nature, the source of our being. Dr. Ernest Holmes explains that what we call evil is actually any thought or deed that is in opposition with this basic goodness. It arises out of a complete denial of our spiritual nature and a very profound ignorance of the truth of our nature. He advises us to avoid dwelling on evil. Jesus advised “Resist not evil”. This is not the ignoring or a failure to act. It says to me that we need to avoid reacting with a negative resistance. If we meet anger, hatred, cruelty and such with a matching energy, we attract that energy into our hearts and mind. If we have learned to identify with our Highest Self as who and what we are and see the limited self as it is we can learn to relate to the imbalances we face in our world from a point of solidity, balance, clarity and love. Any actions we undertake to express this basic goodness, whatever we are called to do to benefit the world and life itself, will be energized by the inspiration, guidance and energy of our True Nature.

And so, how can we avoid seeing and thinking about evil when it is so present in our world? We acknowledge the presence of evil and see it as a by-product of duality. The Buddhists call this samsara. It comes out of our selfish desire and our willingness to harm others to achieve those desires. So, instead of being pulled into the shadows of imbalance we become anchored in the radiance of our spiritual light. This is not the dichotomy of light and dark, this is the clarity of illumination. This is the awakened state of non-duality, therefore there is no opposite of this light. If we are in alignment with this Presence, if we experience it in the depths of our being, we begin to see the struggles of this world from a very different perspective. We encounter compassion which is another quality of awakened mind. We are aware and willing to feel the vastness of suffering in this dualistic world, and will to act in whatever way we can to relieve this suffering, but we are witnessing it from the awakened state. We have access to the Big Picture. We are in the world but not of it. We operate at an entirely higher frequency. This can appear as an avoidance of the world and its sorrows, but in fact, the clarity that comes from awakening energizes us, shows us how we can help in our own way. We are now engaged with a new consciousness, we are expressing the sacredness of our true nature and releasing into this world a supremely positive energy.

Read Part 1:

THE LIBERATING POWER OF NON-DUALITY

Coping with The Challenges Of A Wounded World