Life is not personal – that’s the beauty of it.
In reality, there’s nothing separate, nothing personal.
Conditioned mind, with its beliefs, conjures the Great Divide, apparently. Indeed, as many teachings that point beyond the individual mind variously state, ultimately: ‘There is no observer, nothing observed, only observing’. Only awareness is aware. In other words, there is no experiencer, nothing experienced, only experiencing…one can see this for one’s self, directly, in daily activity, in opening to alert knowing – the experiencing of what is, now. In fact, when one pauses, looks and listens, reality presents itself to itself.
There’s light behind the shadow.
The shadow of a personal self invites us to turn around, to look at the looker, to see that the supposed seer – that which is actually seeing – is not a personal self, but spirit, itself.
“When the deluded in a mirror look,
they see a face, not a reflection.”
~Manjusri, The Kings Dohas
Indeed, when we make experience personal, we view it through conditioned, habitual, mind-interpreted sensations – through ‘a glass darkly’. Absent this conceptual personalization of experience, there is real presence. Unfiltered, selfless, Reality knows no separation.
“That which cannot change, remains. The great peace, the deep silence, the hidden beauty of reality remain. While it cannot be conveyed through words, it is waiting for you to experience for yourself.”
There is, in fact, no such thing as ‘separation’ in reality. But that misplaced truth doesn’t seem to keep us from thinking and believing contrariwise, so to speak. Let’s go straight to where all separation, conflicts and ‘problems’ arise: the personal mind – the Great Divider. That alone – albeit only symbolically, apparently, with words and beliefs – carves out and serves up the personalized ‘experience’ called ‘me’ and ‘you’ every day.
Indeed, we seem to become what we believe, with its cultivated conflicts, despairing confusions, endless denials and redoubled delusions, desired pleasures and feared pains. Every day is showtime, right? And that’s a lotta supposed ‘self’ to keep airborne, to keep filled up and inflated and off the rocks, yes 🙂
“Never to be hurt means not to have a single image about yourself.” ~ J Krishnamurti
The good news is it’s all in the mind; in the things one thinks one believes. In truth, our nature is none of the above.
The real peace of what we are is found in deepening inner self-knowing; in benevolently, choicelessly, watching all the movements of mind and feelings. In quietude, we find there’s peace and delight and compassionate living only in letting go of all control; in sailing fearlessly close to life as it presents, in harmony as waves and winds. In knowing that peace is what we infinitely are. In aware living, as it happens. 🙂
“Leave the pool you have dug for yourself and go out into the river of life…Life carries you where it will because you are part of itself; then there is no problem of security, of what people say or don’t say, and that is the beauty of life.”
~ J Krishnamurti
