Thoughts From A Mystic

. "One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it." Oogway, from the animated feature film, "Kung Fu Panda"

. Does your heart guide you to- 'get what you want', or 'want what you get'? The first leads to death, the other to Truth and life. Matthew

. As an animator I keep abreast of developments in that industry. Today I read a post in 'Mayerson on Animation' about the upcoming transition of computer animated movies to stereoscopic 3D versions. To properly see the stereoscopic effect people will need to look through special circular polarized lenses, which will filter images in such a way that their brains will be able to create a 3D effect. What motivated me to post this on a religious/spiritual blog is the clarity with which it makes the 'man-made' world, in contrast with Reality. Most people don't realize that how they see reality, and the agreement they seem to have with others in viewing it this way, is really FALSE. This 'disconnection' is the correct meaning of the Christian word 'sin'. Sin is not something you do, such as hitting someone in anger, but about not living as the real you, or 'missing the mark' (being a real person within Reality). IGNORANCE is probably the cl...

. Thoughts are not problematic, 'have' as many as you like. They are to a mind, what breathing is to a physical body. Believing in them is where problems may arise. In Buddhism we speak of IGNORANCE. A person is ignorant when (s)he mistakes a false thought to be true, or vice versa. A person doesn't need to think (rationally) to know the 'Truth'. Truth is not a mental construct. Unfortunately, most Westerners don't realize how distracting thoughts and belief can be to realizing truth. Thoughts are thoughts...that's enough. Matthew

. Any particular religious tradition doesn't 'contain' the TRUTH more than another. It's in a tradition's ability to transform a person that makes that tradition valuable. The value or truth in a tradition is subjective, so let go of conviction that causes animosity towards traditions that are different from 'yours'. Matthew

. A hero isn't someone who 'makes things better'. A hero is someone who faces his or her fears and finds peace. Matthew

. It's wiser to accept what you don't want, than to work to change things to fit your desires. Matthew

. One day, Hongred, the 5th Patriarch of Chan Buddhism, asked of his students: Go and seek for Prajna (wisdom) in your own mind and then write me a stanza (gatha) about it. He who understands what the Essence of Mind is will be given the robe (the insignia of the Patriarchate) and the Dharma (the esoteric teaching of the Chán school), and I shall make him the Sixth Patriarch. Venerable Shenxiu, in an effort to become the Sixth Patriarch, wrote this gatha for Hongren: The body is a Bodhi tree, the mind a standing mirror bright. At all times polish it diligently, and let no dust alight. A young novice, Huineng immediately knew this verse lacked true insight. He went to the wall, and asked a district officer there to write a poem of his own for him. The officer was surprised, "How extraordinary! You are illiterate, and you want to compose a poem?" Whereupon Huineng said, "If you seek supreme enlightenment, do not slight anyone. The lowest class may have grea...

. We don't 'find' love by looking for it outside us. It's not something you get when you meet your 'soulmate', or your 'perfect match'. We 'find' love when we face and 'overcome' (through 'seeing' their real natures) the challenges we don't want to face. When those things that coerce us to selfishness and pettiness are challenged, and not habitually followed, we discover our true loving nature...which IS LOVED already. Matthew

. Suffering, as used in Buddhist literature, isn't only about dramatic and extreme experiences...it has to do with anything that isn't completely peaceful (within). Whenever you feel separate, that is, not completely part of and connected to what IS, you're alienated and Suffering. It can be very subtle. The more clearly you 'see' the more you'll understand and recognize the subtleties of alienation. Separate comes from conceptualization, not Reality. Suffering only happens when you live in your imagination and thoughts, which create a fantasy reality. It may be accepted by millions of people, but it's still unreal. It's extremely simple to end suffering- 'see' what's happening 'inside and 'outside'. It's built in to who we are! Habits (and desire) ensnare most people, making the perception of Reality almost impossible for them! Peace, Matthew

. Whoever lets go of the life they think they possess ('thought life'- the conventional way people view themselves) will discover 'their' real life (of which they have no ownership, or control). When you discover life you will find death has been overcome. Thought lives are temporary (mortal). This is the nature of illusion. Matthew

. Reality is not stable and fixed; it is fluid and ever-changing. When you learn to live in the moment of change, of fluidity, you focus awareness on what IS, aligning 'your' intention(s) with that fluidity. Peace is found, not in some conquest of 'evil' by 'good', but in acceptance of what IS. Matthew

. Freedom isn't the ability to choose between options, but in not being coerced by desires, thoughts and feelings. Matthew

. What we see 'outside' is a mirage of what we desire 'inside'. Matthew

. Look at your life as if you were a young parent lovingly watching a very young toddler learning about life. Gently feel yourself smile from within at the challenges you face. Peace and ease within will help you keep free from matters that usually 'take hold' of you and cause you to 'thrash around' and seem harmful to you and others. Matthew

. As you follow the 'path to recognize your wholeness, allow yourself mindfulness to see through (pierce, not be trapped by) what you believe is important- recognize how everything that seems important doesn't matter. Matthew

. I just discovered a famous (deceased) Hindu sage and appreciate the simple, very direct way he talked about the spiritual path. Here's a quote from Sri Nisargadatta - "There is nothing to practice. To know yourself, be yourself. To be yourself, stop imagining yourself to be this or that. Just be. Let your true nature emerge. Don't disturb your mind with seeking." .

. Each moment is YOUR LIFE. Don't wait. You're living NOW, so focus awareness on what's happening. This MOMENT is your life...no matter what transpires. By staying aware of each moment you'll discover your LIFE, not the shallow, superficial 'life' you think is 'yours'! It's what Jesus meant when he said- Mt. 6.25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food , and the body more important than clothes?" Matthew

. Reality ALWAYS trumps Expectations. Carefully keep your awareness on what's happening around and inside you, retaining freedom from over-involvement in what you'd like to experience. Reality doesn't intend for YOU to get what you want, and don't hope for anything particular. Reality LOVES everything. EVERYTHING! You can see this in Jesus' statement about 'Loving your enemies' (which from a normal person's perspective is completely absurd, even dangerous!)- Mt. 4.43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous . 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more t...

. Do you believe who you think you are is who you are...or that your 'perceptions' (theories/paradigm of what reality is) of reality ARE how/what reality is? Don't assume this is so. Letting go of what you believe is 'so' is challenging, but Reality is not 'what you think'. Matthew

. No one, or 'thing' is the center of the 'universe'! People often think of 'themselves' as special and deserving, more worthy or valuable than 'others'. By contrast reality is made up of diversity, and all 'things' are 'valuable'. People judge, attaching different values to different 'things'; but these 'value judgments' are based on selfish motives, not how things are. Matthew

. Are you distorting what you 'see' or are you 'mirroring' it as it is? Eastern traditions speak about a person as if they were a mirror, reflecting what is around them without trying to change it. Often people distort what they 'see', because their desires 'push' them to want something other than WHAT IS. How bizarre! How can a person change what they can't even see clearly?! Change WHAT? Jesus has a nice phrase, directing those who want others to change to look at what makes their sight distorted: Lk. 6.42 How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Seeing clearly is very simple, but first you have to look inside to find the plank (desires) that distorts your sight. Looking 'inside' is easier than lookin...

. Some thoughts to ponder, from Chapter 20 in The Dhammapada (Trans. Max Muller) 5 (277) "All conditioned things are impermanent." The one who knows and perceives this fact ceases to be miserable. This is the way to purity of vision. 6 (278) "All conditioned things are involved in suffering." The one who knows and perceives this fact ceases to be miserable. This is the way to purity of vision. Beautiful sayings. Seeing the way 'out' we follow, and are freed. Matthew

. "Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards; so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something; your gut, destiny, karma, whatever... because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference." Steve Jobs Stanford commencement speech 2005 [timecode 4:53-5:18] Other quotes from the same speech- "As with all matters of the heart, don't settle." "Remembering that you are going to die; which is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked, there is no reason not to follow your heart." "Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of someone else's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drowned out your own inn...

. Ray Bradbury's message to would-be writers, June 24th, '06, in Santa Barbara, CA...but he's talking about life- "You're supposed to be having fun! Your supposed to be living your life! You're here on this world to enjoy yourself; to be in love. And not to think about it; and not to worry, and not to be unhappy... If you're going to ruin your life with thinking; I want to you make your life with feeling...with feeling! ...with loving. That's what you're here for! You've been put in the world, to love the act of being alive!!!" R. Bradbury .

. Reality is not what you think. Matthew

. Would you prefer to get what you want...or discover more? Matthew

. Making choices is a sign that a person has become truly human. Choices come from clarity of 'sight', and clarity from freedom from desires which force people to react. Involvement with self is usually the cause of reaction, the opposite of choice. Self, as an artificially created 'identity', generated from thoughts, feelings, beliefs, etc. keeps the person absorbed with attempts to satisfy a never ending list of wants. It's by having 'space' to see clearly (not controlled by desires), that we can discover our true nature (within Reality, not just our views of it) and make CHOICES. It's easy to recognize when self has taken control of 'being' (which is the real person.) Motives for action (thought, and speech) will be self focused, attempts to fill desires for the 'creature'. The more one watches motives, the more clearly they will be seen. Subtle ones, which were completely invisible at one time, become glaringly obvious. As self...

. Life is more about seeing how things work and participating with them, than about making things work out a particular way. From a Christian perspective, we're not called to make the world better, or help God get any particular end result(s) (teleological concepts tend to distract). It's much more about being loving people. We're children who participate with 'dad'...the 'king' who's set things up to work the way they do. Matthew

. Can a person smell the chime of a bell, hear the vibrant colors of flowers, or see the drifting sweet scent of honeysuckle? Why then do people believe they can think about Reality and understand who they are?! Matthew

. THIS (moment, in all it's 'imperfectness') is how we spend time with God. We miss Reality if we want things to be any particular way (other than how they are). Without full participation in what IS we 'miss the mark', and remained fragmented, anxious creatures. WITH full engagement we become truly (fully) human. Mt 12.50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." How things are IS Reality. 'Your' life isn't about wanting this or that- getting what you desire. It's not about how other's view you, or how you think about yourself, what you do, or how you feel (about anything.) Those are bits and pieces, things in awareness, but not 'your' being. In THIS moment you can find your life. It's fully formed, whole. You won't 'become' more fully you with knowledge, or with actions (works). "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drin...

. The concept of 'purpose' has become popular in religious circles. Why? Probably because people, in their anxious state, want a 'yardstick' by which to judge their own (and other's) thoughts and actions. "Am I living my life well?", or "How do I know when I'm a good Christian?" (or person); questions such as these highlight the problem that is ever-present in a lost society. When a person doubts their goodness, they should immediately suspect their motivation(s). Attempts to be 'good enough' derive from an alienated perspective. It's a sign that self is in charge. Self can't be freed by way of 'doings', because those doings are systems devised by self. So long as the self is in charge it will remain lost and anxious. The process of becoming 'free' requires a giving up of self. Here's a passage from 2 Timothy, showing how "desires of youth" need to be left behind, in order to find ...

. Dogma is created by man, as a collection of precepts and practices, useful to help people find their true place within Reality. "Know thyself", and "The truth will set you free" are pointers to this end. The point of studying dogma is not to know what it states, but to be transformed by it (from fragmentation and anxiety, to wholeness and peace). Normal, literal meanings of dogma, if held as ends in themselves, can actually harm a person- that person may move further from transformation, by becoming trapped in self-righteousness. Reality is fluid, not available for synthesis. 'The eternal Tao cannot be spoken' [Tao te Ching]. A person can't be transformed, unless that person 'repents' (using traditional Christian language.) When self-focused will is discarded the transformation can take place...it can happen without any knowledge of dogma! Matthew

. I used to think faith, as a necessary part of becoming deeply spiritual (finding the truth about what IS), was too irrational to be valuable. Why shouldn't a person find the 'truth' for oneself; without the need for trust in a teaching, or tradition? The reason is belief. If you haven't already found the truth (you'll recognize it when you find it!), you are looking in the wrong place; that is, you are allied with wrong belief...ignorance. Reality is not hidden from anyone. It's not difficult to find, but it's also only found when you are able to see clearly. Belief blinds us, by limiting what we can accept as true. A person can claim to be honestly looking for truth, but if they look closely at how they view reality they'll find 'self-imposed' limitations, causing forms of 'blindness'. Blinders have already been put on, and other ways of seeing are discarded (temporarily...but if they don't 'repent' they will never lo...

. The 'goal' of being human, is in actualizing awareness (consciousness). It's important to continually be AWARE of what's going on, and not be tempted to live in the 'past' or the 'future'. No matter what's going on inside and outside 'you', you're living your life! It makes no difference what's happening, your job, thoughts, feelings, health... etc. LIVE. Luke 12:15 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed (distraction in general); a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 14:33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. Matthew

. Society teaches us to play by it's rules. From birth we're trained to think, feel, and act according to it's guidelines; yet we're almost always told we're not good enough! In society's attempts to control our life situations, it totally destroys our ability to find wholeness within Reality. The satisfaction and peace that come from wholeness is lost. Society is certainly an anxiety 'machine'! As beings within Reality, we're never judged. No matter what we think, feel or do we're ALWAYS acceptable!! Refreshing, peaceful and satisfying. Each moment is complete and whole-some. Once you recognize society's programming, how it 'manipulates' you, you can start becoming free from it; and discover who you really are. Matthew

. Spiritual education is an odd thing. Many people believe without proper education people will be 'worse'. Without knowing 'the right way to think', or believe, we are no better than animals. Unfortunately it's education that creates angry, alienated people (most would call it 'bad' education, but it's education, nonetheless.) Education, as we normally find it, tends towards a dead-end path. It starts from a desire to get an end result, and ends with frustrated failings, and desperate searches for 'better' ways to get what you want out of life. Tools and technologies develop out of this path and they make the process of finding one's true nature more difficult, by adding complexity and diversions to the process. It's not education that 'makes' someone loving, or more spiritual (good). Education can help one learn tolerance, but tolerance isn't love. Jesus would say 'stop judging', which is what a tolerant perso...

I recently heard a recording of a sermon, which alluded to 'the sacred contract', a built in contract between a person and God. It was interesting to hear some of the points made, and I wonder if the terminology (non-traditional) might be adding more confusion to the search for truth, than it helped clarify. It's seeing clearly, that's the issue. The terminology isn't really important. During the sermon a comment was made about our need to get 'whopped up side the head', in order to live up to our end of the contract. This 'whopping' was necessary, because of the 'built in structure of the contract'. The pastor continued with a chuckle, then said, "You'll never be provided everything that you need to get it within you. This is God's little joke on you." From my experience it's fairly easy to discover that everything IS provided, without the need for a 'whopping'. The problem lies in how we see Reality, not ...

. Reality (Being) is all around and permeates 'us'. So, why don't people recognize this connection? Desire and habit (reacting) biases people. It keeps us from seeing clearly. Common belief assumes thoughts and feelings somehow bridge the gap between 'me' and 'the rest of reality'. But is this true, and how reliably do thoughts and feelings tell us about 'what IS;? (See Byron Katie's 'The Work'. Her 4 questions help a person recognize their identification with thoughts and desired outcomes.) Seeing Reality is very simple. First, break the bond of belief in thoughts and feelings. Thoughts are thoughts, and feelings are simply feelings. Don't add any other meaning to them. It's easy to understand, but hard to realize! Jesus had a nice statement about the challenge- Mt. 7.13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ...

Here's a simple way to discern if you're living in Reality, or in a fantasy world of your own creation- If you believe you lack anything, you're not seeing Reality. Matthew

What's the point? What can be done, that hasn't already been done, or will be done again? Are people going to make the world a 'better' place? Or will we make things 'worse' in the process of trying to make things better? Perhaps people don't need to do anything this new year, except BE. And in being we can find love, which transforms all things. As 2008 begins, how does it look to you? Has all the effort in previous years, spent 'to make things better', done the job? Does it look as if we can finally stop trying to change the world, and simply enjoy the peace and prosperity we've worked so hard to create? The more we try to change 'the way things are', the more we find we've somehow gotten off track and created new problems. Don't procrastinate and spend time feeling nostalgic for previous years, or try to reclaim an 'age' when people cared more...care more now! This moment. It's the only one that matters, and...