Thoughts From A Mystic

. "Reality is not what you think" Peace, Matthew

. When you are seeking something other than what you have you'll never be able to see that what you have is all you need (you'll never have anything better.) Peace, Matthew

. When self recognizes that it is a mirage, the burdens that a person carries are dropped. Mt. 11.28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Peace, Matthew

. The greatest challenge in the process of religious transformation is the 'dissolution of expectation' which allows the unexpected [mystery] to be discovered. There is no transformation available though seeking, which is goal oriented. The problem of seeking is often recognized in searching for a misplaced pair of [eye]glasses, wallet or keys. 'Expectation blindness' often keeps the person from seeing what is in view... but the sought item can be easily seen when seeking is dropped. The process of 'finding' is much more akin to creative 'problem solving'. The solution isn't clearly defined, but certain limitations are recognized. The 'process' is a form of meditation, or 'availability', which allows unrecognized solutions to present themselves. The 'solution' will seem to appear on it's own, as if presented to 'the one who waits in patience'. Here's how 'finding' is described in ...

. "So it doesn't matter that we start out on our journey with our holy cards, gongs and bells, sacred books and religious feelings. All of it should lead to growth and transformation, the ultimate surrender of our images and concepts, and a life of selfless giving. When there is nothing left to surrender, nothing left to give, only then can we come to the end of the passage - the ending of consciousness and its personally subjective God. One glimpse of the Godhead, and no one would want God back." Bernadette Roberts interview with Stephan Bodian

. "Consciousness sets up the divisions of within and without, spirit and matter, body and soul, immanent and transcendent; in fact, consciousness is responsible for every division we know of. [Imagine consciousness as a balloon filled with air, suspended in air] But what if we pop the balloon - or better, cause it to vanish like a bubble that leaves no residue. All that remains is divine air. There is no divine in anything, there is no divine transcendence or beyond anything, nor is the divine anything. We cannot point to anything or anyone and say, "This or that is divine". So the divine is all - all but consciousness or self, which created the division in the first place." Bernadette Roberts http://www.spiritualteachers.org/b_roberts_interview.htm Interview with Bernadette Roberts Reprinted from the book Timeless Visions, Healing Voices, copyright 1991 by Stephan Bodian (www.stephanbodian.org)

. Excerpt (last minute of interview) from a 2008 video interview on Conscious TV with Tony Parsons, interviewer Iain McNay- Tony Parsons- "You could call wholeness 'absolute unconditional love'...they're all words. Yes, That's basically what we long for... is the ultimate love that we absolutely know, we absolutely remember as tiny children. When we're just trying to return to childlike wonder. Iain McNay- (pause) "Yeah...." TP- (Laughs) IM- "That's how children (inaudible)..." TP- "That's what we sense in tiny children. IM- "Yeah, yeah." TP- "Just this. (the simplicity of what's happening in the moment)" IM- "Yeah.... That's happening with you moment to moment?" TP- "It's just happening" IM- "It sounds amazing" TP- "It's amazing for no one." Watch the interview here- http://www.theopensecret.com/

. Jesus spoke about an 'abundant life'. Most people believe they must work hard and believe 'correctly' to 'earn' that life. However, no amount of effort can guarantee this earned result. An 'abundant life' requires that a person STOP TRYING to 'make it happen' in order to SEE THAT IT'S ALREADY HAPPENING (to 'them'). DO NOTHING. Unless a person recognizes the truth that they are not in control of reality can that person 'see' that they are already living that 'abundant life', and need do nothing to make it happen. Peace, Matthew

. Most people are so distracted, 'busy' with their many activities, that they miss what a full life offers. They are like a person standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon, back to the canyon, staring at at cell phone to find an image of it. Unwilling to shift their focus from what is expected, the person will be unable to experience the Grand Canyon for what it is. Peace, Matthew

. When something happens in your life, how often have you lost your sense of peace? I see this happen to people often; usually peace is relinquished by negative emotions or thoughts. Who in their 'right mind' would relinquish peace for irritation/anger (suffering)? It's obvious that what happens to us isn't unique. No matter what you experience you can always imagine others (or actually know someone) who experience similar things and some could be said to be 'better' or 'worse' off than you are. No one is alone and this is a clue to 'escape' from the judging mind. To judge/label an event as 'GOOD' or 'BAD' can't be completely certain; since either choice presupposes a 'correct' way to decide. There is no way to know which one is correct, and the choice is usually biased by desire, that is, "what do I WANT". When you choose sides you've trapped yourself in a fantasy prison (in your mind). There is no ...

. Believed thoughts can become so deluded that a guilded cage can seem to be a protective enclosure. Peace, Matthew

Be passersby. Gospel of Thos. 42

. We are part and parcel of reality, and must exist within it's 'rules' and 'demands' upon all things. This might make reality seem oppressive, but when a person 'sees clearly' reality is discovered to be loving and compassionate (it gives without limitation). Oppressive 'reality' is conceptual. It comes from the contradictions a person recognizes between what s/he desires reality to be, and what it IS. It makes no difference that our views of reality are less compassionate and loving than reality IS. A person comes into conflict with reality BECAUSE IT ISN'T THEIR VIEW OF IT ('this isn't how I want it now' thinking). Peace, Matthew

. We trust, sir, that God is on our side. It is more important to know that we are on God's side. - Abraham Lincoln

. From the film MR. DESTINY- A conversation between Larry Burrows (LB) and Mike, after LB discovers his life has changed dramatically due to Mike's 'destiny bending' of it. LB: Is there anything else that's going to come as a shock?! Mile: It all will, to some degree. LB: To what degree!? Mike: You'll see. Things have changed Larry. You have to take the bad with the good. You didn't think everything was going to be perfect, did you? LV: Well I... I, uhhh...suppose not. Mike: THIS (gestures toward Larry's new environment) is your life Larry. Learn to enjoy what you've got. _________________________________________________ Later, LB's destiny is returned to it's original path- LB (speaking to Mike): Thanks. Thanks for everything. The good and the bad! _________________________________________________ LB: Oh, and listen Mike. Whatever you've got planned for the rest of my life...it's PERFECT!

. "...People come to consult me about their spiritual and emotional problems, and I often find myself asking, "What are the voices that these people's voices are responding to? What voices from the past?" And I keep finding people who are worried, depressed, full of prejudices. Einstein said it was easier to split an atom than a prejudice. People are not themselves by any means; they are controlled. They become puppets; their behavior, feelings, and attitudes are mechanical. They don't have living feelings, or living behavior, and don't know it. They are responding to the voices of persons from the past and to experiences from the past. They've had some experiences that affected them, that control them, and consequently they aren't free, they aren't alive. That is the greatest obstacle to the spiritual life." Anthony DeMello, Walking on Water , p.40

. The dead are busy, preoccupied with 'things' that aren't happening now; they are busy with things that already happened or might happen. Recognize what is happening NOW, PARTICIPATE with it, and you'll encounter life. Matthew

. Accepting reality as it is, instead of as we would like it to be, frees a person from conflict and the resulting 'suffering' that come from a sense of separate 'self'. No one is truly alienated from reality; everyone/thing is intimately connected within the whole and must participate in it. When people 'see' themselves as separate they have created a fantasy world in which they must deal with alienation and suffering. There is no alienation and suffering implicit within reality. Matthew

. The "Golden Rule" exists in both positive form, generally stated as, "Do to others what you would like to be done to you" and in negative form, sometimes called the "Silver Rule", "Do not do to others what you would not like to be done to you" The Golden Rule should be regarded as the less valuable form, since an ignorance person may act unethically on it's behalf; whereas the negative form stops ignorant behavior. One's 'heart' directs action, so for the Golden Rule to be considered equal or superior to the Silver Rule the heart must be unbiased by self ('pure'). Matthew

. "Everything is right for me, which is right for you, O Universe. Nothing for me is too early or too late, which comes in due time for you. Everything is fruit to me which your seasons bring, O Nature. From you are all things, in you are all things, to you all things return." (iv.23) Marcus Aurelius

. "Man is disturbed not by things, but by the views he takes of them." (Ench.5) Epictetus

. "If you are like most people, then like most people, you don't know you're like most people." Daniel Gilbert, STUMBLING ON HAPPINESS

. It's the discovery of reality by way of opening oneself to 'what is', not the selfish theoretical construction and desirous manipulation thereof, that allows a person to find their harmonious connection with, and peaceful existence within the whole. Matthew

. "A human being is part of the whole we call the universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest- a kind of optical illusion of his consciousness. This illusion is a prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for only the few people nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living beings and all of nature." Albert Einstein, "The Enlightened Mind", Ed. Steven Mitchell

. There is no such thing as perfect, unalloyed happiness or pleasure. Even the most beautiful experience has a melancholy undertone simply because we know that it can't last. We have learned to doggedly pursue worldly satisfactions even though discouragements continually keep us from reaching that goal. 'Good' times do come to us in the course of events and should be accepted and enjoyed while they last, but we tend to want ONLY the good and, resisting all else, pursue it exclusively and cling to it desperately if we do get it. The beginning of the road to wisdom begins with a realistic (not pessimistic) recognition that no matter how hard we try, or how stubbornly we believe in propositions or 'the good', we will never remove or conquer that which we want to avoid. When we face up to the undesirable side of life, we begin to appreciate the full grandeur and challenge of human existence. It's in this 'turning around' [repentance] that we come to recogn...

. Recognize what is in front of your face, and what is concealed will be revealed to you. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed. Jesus, Gospel of Thomas; verse 5

. The state we call realization is simply being oneself, not knowing anything or becoming anything. If one has realized, he is that which alone is, and which alone has always been. He cannot describe that state. He can only be That. Of course, we loosely talk of Self-realization for want of a better term. That which is, is peace. All that we need do is to keep quiet. Peace is our real nature. We spoil it. What is required is that we cease to spoil it. Sri Ramana Maharshi

. Life does not consist mainly -- or even largely -- of facts and happenings. It consists mainly of the storm of thoughts that is forever blowing through one's head. - Mark Twain's Autobiography

. Droid does, all right; it helps confuse by way of creating lack of concentration. From the Buddhist Eightfold path: Right Concentration Right concentration is described as one-pointedness of mind, a state where all mental faculties are unified and directed onto one particular object. Right concentration, as described in the eightfold path, means concentration on wholesome thoughts and actions. Developing concentration traditionally involves meditation. The meditating mind focuses on a selected object and with practice is able to sustain, then maintain focus on the one object, without distraction, until it becomes natural to apply non-distracted concentration on whatever happens in everyday situations. Matthew

. An example of how people 'of the world' alienate themselves from reality- "The prevailing theory in-house seems to be that having the name “Princess” featured so prominently in TPATF’s ("The Princess and the Frog" animated movie, 2009) title may have had a detrimental impact on this movie’s grosses. That – to be specific – young males may have deliberately shied away from buying a ticket to a movie that had the word “Princess” in its title." Jim Hill Media; Published Monday, February 22, 2010 12:00 AM What this article fragment shows is how people (in this case advertising executives promoting a film), heavily involved in their fantasy world of thought, focus their thoughts/energies/actions in attempts to control mens' spending on a promoted film. The outcomes of these projects rely heavily on the subtle, and uncontrollable motivations of the target audience. Yet worse, by focusing their attention and energies on what men think/feel/purchase the ad e...

. Nothing special. What is IS the "good" you're seeking. Matthew

. When you know yourselves, you will be known, and you will know you are children of the living father. But if you do not know yourselves, you live in poverty and you yourselves are the poverty . The Gospel of Thomas

. If people understand that apples don't grow on orange trees, why then do they believe that possessions will 'give them' happiness?! Matthew

. Don't be concerned about 'doing what is right'. It's not the calculated effort that creates peace, love and compassion, which is what we express when we find our true nature. Whenever a person's 'heart' is in the 'right place' everything will be fine. Matthew

. Self 'possession', which distracts and alienates people from reality. Matthew

. How much knowledge is required for a person to love?! (unconditionally) Matthew

. "When most people hear that the Buddhas transmit the teaching of the one mind, they suppose that there is something to be attained or realized apart from mind, and they use mind to seek the teaching, not realizing that mind and the object of their search are one. Mind can't be used to seek mind;...suppose that a warrior forgot he was already wearing his pearl on his forehead, and sought for it somewhere else: he might search through the whole world without finding it. But if someone simply pointed it out to him, the warrior would immediately realize that the pearl had been there all the time. In the same way, if you students of the Tao are mistaken about your own mind, not recognizing that it is the Buddha, you will look for it somewhere else, indulging in various practices and hoping to attain something." Huang-Po, p.66 "The Enlightened Mind"

. Acceptance and participation with WHAT IS allows a person to recognize his/her 'true nature', and discover at-one-ness. Expecting anything other than what is, or trying to 'improve' what is, causes the person to 'enter' a fantasy world, thus creating alienation and suffering. Peace comes from participation with what IS, not with 'what we want to have'. Matthew