These are personal notes and links regarding the dissolution of one's Self-Image --i.e. one's ego. The path is non-duality. Life itself has brought me here. These notes are reminders of my direction, and my lack of direction. They are to strengthen my focus on what ACIM calls "the real world" i.e. "that which does not change." While these notes are written for me, if you find them helpful, you may feel at home to read any of them.
A Place where you don't need to be loved
“Can you imagine such a place where you don’t 'need' to be loved? It’s a very quiet place. In this place your love becomes very open, very broad, very beautifull, very strong.” ~ ॐ Mooji
The ‘Problem’ of Negative Thoughts
this is a post by Colin Drake:
... If mind/thoughts are ephemeral objects, why does it appear that the ones that are arising at the mind/body level are always "negative"? ...
Here is Colin's reply:
"It is not my experience (luckily) that thoughts at the mind/body level are always negative. In fact my level of enjoyment of the natural world through the senses engenders many positive thoughts of joy, bliss, ecstasy etc … Also I am very fortunate to be blessed with a mind that always looks for the silver-lining (or positive) in any given situation. I suspect that one can foster this by practice, whenever any apparently negative situation arises just examine it objectively and see whether it has any positive elements. If so, then value these more highly than the seemingly negative ones.
However, I do get what you are asking and I suspect that it is tied up with the main function of the mind as a problem-solving device, one’s on-board computer. For positive thoughts do not present any problem and are thus not grist to the mill of a problem-solver. Whereas negative thoughts often present (apparent) problems that need to be addressed and in this way can be very useful.
For example, say you are planning an outdoor party. Now the positive (optimistic) mind will say that the weather will be fine so no need to worry. On the other hand, the negative (pessimistic) mind will say that it will probably rain and this will ruin the event. This, however, gives an opportunity for the mind to do its thing and plan for rain by producing a plan B. So the optimistic mind full of positive thoughts will be undone by the bad weather whereas the pessimistic mind full of negative thoughts will have the problem covered.
The problem is that the mind is continually searching for problems to solve and if none are present it will either needlessly speculate about the future or wallow in the past looking for the causes of our present problems hoping by this to understand and solve them. If this doesn’t produce any problem-solving work it will consider the present in a negative light to see if it can’t come up with a problem to solve!
However, none of this is a problem if one is not identified with the mind but with the Pure Awareness in which it appears. In this case the mind will slowly settle as it runs out of problems to solve and is put into its place as a servant (or instrument) and not the master (or the essence). Whereas, if one is identified as the mind then even the (non-existent) problem of negative thoughts just gives it more fuel to run on!
To see more on this subject please re-read chapter one of Beyond The Separate Self which is aptly titled ‘The Problem’!
Hope this is of some help and not a problem … Love, Colin"
If you are interested in more articles, poems, or my paperback books, including in the new book: Awakening and Beyond, Outcomes of Self-Recognition, these may be found at http://www.lulu.com/
Magic and "level confusion"
Oct. 10
Something happened and I felt that my partner was to be blamed. He did something and I felt very hurt... And the mind got stuck in this for quite some time.
I could see what was happening and from an ACIM Perspective, told myself that this was a classic case of "level confusion." At the moment when I was upset, I believed I'm a body, a person, hard done by, needing it's "pound of flesh" as remediation.
ACIM is clear that my partner is not to be blamed. The real cause is related to guilt in my mind, and
The projection into the world to remove any guilt from my mind and place it instead in the world. This is the magic ACIM talks about.
Indeed, like magic, the mind wants to put the problem where it is not, but it can not be solved there. (in the world, or in your partner). I can Never solve the problem of guilt in my mind if I'm working on correcting my partner's actions or anything about him.
Fundamentally I am the cause, and further, the cause is the hidden guilt in my mind.
So all I need do is see it. Watch it. Don't blame myself or my partner.
Just see the problem where it is. Then there's release.
So all I need do is see it. Watch it. Don't blame myself or my partner.
Just see the problem where it is. Then there's release.
Craving and thinking
Sun Sep 30, 2012 11:43 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"awareness_only" awareness_only
143. Craving is the root of all sorrow,
and the only intelligent way
is to renounce all cravings completely
and not to indulge them.
Even as fire burns all the more fiercely when fed with fuel,
thoughts multiply by thinking:
thoughts cease only by the extinction of thinking.
The above Yoga Vasistha quote is from the book
The Seven Steps to Awakening.
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