Thoughts From A Mystic

. Faith doesn't require a 'focus', that is, it doesn't need a deity, religious group or teaching to trust. To be 'faithful' simply requires trust in reality (what is, not what is thought to be). To do this requires a letting-go of 'self', and 'my will'. Self-will distorts reality, which sets up an imaginary battlefield between self and 'the other(s)'. There is a contradiction between self and reality, and it's this contrast that makes the sense of urgency (in protecting 'oneself') appear real. When imaginary is recognized as imaginary (instead of real), self and other forms will drop away as inconsequential. It's only after self-will drops that faith has a chance to take effect, which allows the person to see through the 'veil of the unreal' (the imaginary) into the real. Peace, Matthew

. It's common for a person who looks and perceives (sees clearly) to experience awe and gratitude at the recognition of reality. Without a sense of awe or gratitude, it's likely that the person is staring at concepts disguised as the real. To discover the error look closer at what is observed, until the disguise is recognized and drops away; exposing the real that always lies 'under' the concept(s). [It doesn't matter what is perceived; only that the false isn't mistaken for the truth.] Peace, Matthew

. 'Works' may not seem to be problematic, but are often contrasted with 'faith'. This is because works come from a fallen state (locking the person in an untransformed state), whereas faith is a 'process' that can bring transformation. It may sound odd, but a transformed person does no works! To all appearances a transformed person performs the same actions as an untransformed person...but intention clarifies the difference. The untransformed person has 'motives', expecting outcomes, and desires change; whereas the transformed person's motives have vanished! Whatever happens, happens; which suffices. What is done (by the transformed person) is almost automatic, since it isn't dictated by personal desire or reason. Motiveless action is clearly delineated in Hinduism- see the Bhagavad Gita for more about 'actionless action'. Peace, Matthew

. "The world is full of sorrow, because it is full of lust. Men go astray because they think that delusion is better than truth. Rather than truth they follow error, which is pleasant to look at in the beginning but in the end causes anxiety, tribulation, and misery." v5, p.36, THE TEACHINGS OF BUDDHA, Paul Carus

. "The existence of self is an illusion, and there is no wrong in this world, no vice, no evil, except what flows from the assertion of self." v18, p.38, THE TEACHINGS OF BUDDHA, Paul Carus

. True prayer finds 'the good' in all things; false prayer wants 'bad' to be converted into 'good'. Peace, Matthew

. The energy that desires change (of self or the world) is what motivates the creation of the alienated self. When 'it' is recognized don't give support, but watch it as an observer. That which is thought to exist will fade into nothingness without your support. The true can only be seen when the false sense of who we are (in the world) is dropped. Peace, Matthew