The mind is like a stage magician. It can make us see things that are not really there. Most of us are fascinated by the illusion our minds create, and we encourage ourselves to produce more and more outrageous fantasies. The sheer drama is addictive and creates what some of my students call an „adrenaline rush“ or a „high“ that makes us or our problems seem larger than life - even if the situation it creates is scary. ... (Loosely translated from: The Joy of Living, Unlocking the Secret & Science of Happiness - Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche)
I am sitting on the beach in Andalusia, looking at the sea and the glitter of sunlight on the waves as I read these lines. Is what I am looking at a play of the illusions of my mind? I allow myself to take deep conscious breaths and immerse myself in this idea: how real is what is appearing before my eyes right now? For example, the water of this beautiful sea. If I were to look at it metaphysically and examine it down to its smallest components, what would I find? NOTHING!
This is what the mindfulness teachings „Emptiness“ is called. Nothing that we look at has an existence of its own. It is only DA because we observe it with our consciousness. The smallest components that we can see under the microscope are called atoms. But if we go even deeper into the atomic nucleus, there are only particles or waves with a lot of NOTHING in between. But what about water? Have you ever thought about the fact that there is no such thing as a water atom? Water is an element made of oxygen and hydrogen: H2O. Not an atom. But then what is it that I'm seeing glistening so beautifully: an illusion? - Created by my mind at this very moment. Wow...
Again, I take deep conscious breaths and let myself feel what I am currently realizing. Is what the text above describes really transferable to everything that appears to me in my life? To the beauty and also to all the challenges, pain and illnesses that we experience as human beings? Are these in truth not existent in and of themselves, but are they always born out of my perception in every moment? It is said that my consciousness is the creator of all things. Accordingly, everything I observe is my own energy, informed by my consciousness! I make things vibrate as they appear to me and this applies to everything I look at - in every moment.
This naturally raises the question: can we learn to consciously control it? To consciously decide for happiness or against pain? The teachings of Buddhism say: Yes! ...and similar to what the author describes in the text above, Eckhart Tolle also describes it in his book „New Earth“: We have an energetic „Painful body“ and this often unconsciously (conditioned) causes us to Drama to at least feel the „high“ of adrenaline within us and experience that we exist.
So what would I experience if I consciously focused my perception on beautiful things and „nourished“ them with it? If I could be relaxed about „unpleasant“ experiences and look at them like waves that come and go - without judgment. When I remember that in reality nothing is solid, even if my eyes or my sense of touch say it is. ... In this reality, everything is constantly in Movement, has Vibration and Frequency. The sea seems real to me because energy moves before my eyes or have you ever experienced a sea without movement? Nothing in this world is still or exists on its own. Life is movement, just like your breath. Experiences come to us, we experience them and then they pass by again and merge into NOTHING, or with everything that is. Existence allows me to experience: I AM... and now it is up to me to decide what I want to be busy with: the waves or the sea?
Perhaps you would like to breathe with it and let me accompany you. There will be another one-day ATEMWORKSHOP on this topic in December: Integrating aspects - being whole in myself (see below)
All love
sandra
