iseyz

I truly believe that the source of all my problems is identifying with a sense of self. Whether I am identifying with my body or the thoughts that are flashing through my mind, believing that “this is me” and reacting in an ignorant way is the only thing that is problematic. Even when something happens outside of my body / mind that is “bad” (like if somebody stole my car) it is only the way my perceived sense of self is reacting to the occurrence that is uncomfortable. Perhaps the thief did me a favor and prevented me from getting in a car accident the next day.

This collection of thoughts and atoms that I think is me, is actually just a little piece of the entire reality.

And, it is not the self that is the problem. There are a lot of good things that come with being an individual. If I can experience the first person while maintaining a third person perspective, as if watching a movie, life is much more enjoyable. Sometimes it is a drama, sometimes a comedy, sometimes a romance, sometimes a thriller. It is all entertaining.

Popularity: 1% [?]

I believe that the only failure is not even trying.

If an attempt is made, regardless of the outcome, it is a successful learning experience. Those who succeed do not waste energy lamenting “failures”. They stay focused on what it is they want to achieve and make it happen with unbending intent.

The ultimate success is to live fully in the present moment, carrying out whatever activities bring inspiration without any attachment to the results.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Ultimately there is nowhere to go, no goal to be reached, no achievement to be attained (and there definitely isn’t a teleport). However, there are profound benefits to traveling the spiritual path. I must walk the path, and more importantly, want to walk the path. I know I will end up right back where I started, where I have always been, yet I keep walking. This a journey worth taking.

Popularity: 1% [?]

I have come to a very visceral discernment that reliance on anything temporary does not ultimately lead to fulfillment. This rules out everything tangible in the universe, because everything we can touch, taste, smell, hear, see or perceive in any way that relies on a physical vessel for consciousness is impermanent. This does not exclude other possibilities…

I embrace everything with complete openness — even the possibility that I may not embrace everything tomorrow morning.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with an acute awareness of how fragile life is and a palpable sense of what it would feel like to be taking my last breath. It is said that the only guarantee in life is death. When the time comes, everything that has culminated into my experience of the present moment, the storehouse of influences and thoughts that give shape to how I interpret the world will disintegrate completely.

The feeling accompanying this experience is a mixture of sublime openness tinged with a sadness that has no object. I feel a love for every single being — not in a sentimental way. Rather, there is a sense of camaraderie in that each of us is experiencing our own universe as a conscious being and at the same time sharing this dream called reality. I feel foolish for all the time I have spent worrying about mundane things and for any energy I have wasted indulging in negative thoughts.

I want to hold on to this understanding and vibrant sense of being alive, but I know it will pass.

Popularity: 7% [?]

If I think my life has been hard, it is nothing compared to what people experienced during the Great Depression. And, what people experienced during the Great Depression is nothing compared to what people being tortured in prison camps are experiencing.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 6% [?]

Love is not real unless it is mutual. And, more importantly, love is not real unless it is eternal. Love eternal is life itself, seeing itself stripped of illusion.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Talk is cheap. Actions are overrated. Wisdom is priceless.

Popularity: 5% [?]