- Rumi -

I read it several times, each time trying to examine it from different angles, trying to understand why it is on his table, as if it were his personal appeal to the visitor - that he would meet him in this mysterious space. I'm too tired to think, but the stupid thing is staring right at me. I read it through the prism of my views, and still did not understand anything. What Mark thinks it means, I thought. Maybe for him this is something like an ideal or a truism? Declaring love and compassion? I talked to him. I've seen the books he flaunted so people knew he liked them. I have a good idea of ​​where he is now in the spiritual locality, and I know exactly how he is progressing. What I don't know is what he thinks about the meaning of Rumi's quote. It's like hanging beautiful Chinese calligraphy on the wall, not knowing that it says "All white people are goats." But Mark seems to speak English. Could it be a gift from Coleman Barks? I could not think of any other explanation.

After all the courtesies - how wonderful my book is, and how everyone in the office takes it away from each other - we sat around a meeting table, each armed with a pad, pen, bottle of water, and various other gear for convenience and productivity. Mark sat at the head of the table with Megan on her right hand. Janet and I sat opposite each other somewhere in the middle. Rosalyn, Mark's executive assistant, sat at the end of the table with a calendar, diary, notepad, and Radio TV Interview magazine unfolded in front of her.

Everyone except me knew why they were here. These people are involved in promoting authors - reviews, talk shows, radio interviews, articles, and so on. We are here to prepare me for a blitz radio interview, which is just superb, they told me, because I can do it sitting at the kitchen table in my underpants. Mark and his people know why they are here, but they are not yet aware that their efforts will not be rewarded, even if I had been warned about everything in advance. As tempting as the prospect of doing a radio interview sitting at the kitchen table in his underpants is, the apparent purpose of this meeting - I'm promoting my book - will not be achieved. So why am I wasting people's time here?

I am here to find out the true goal - the one behind the visible one. I don't do anything based on what is visible, but on trends and trends. I was asked to meet, it coincided with other plans, obviously it was worth it for some reason, although not yet established. What is this reason? Who knows. We will see. Or not.

“Some of the questions were asked by people from our office,” Janet said. - I found most of them on the Internet. I just went through spiritual news sites and looked for examples of such questions that I could ask a supposedly enlightened teacher. I will write everything down, and if no one minds to get down to business, let's concentrate and tune in to the process. We do not set a definite framework for you, but it would be better if you could outline a small repertoire of clear answers and a few control techniques. We provide radio stations with actual recordings and suggested questions that hosts love to guide them, but topics can go far beyond that, especially if there are incoming calls. Your ability to direct questions into familiar territory will determine whether your words are clear and understandable or vague and distorted. All clear?

- It feels good.

“We'll take care of the intro, ambience and the like later. Now we just want to ask various questions and see what comes of it. Ready?

- Question number one. Is it possible to have an experience without knowing who is experiencing it?

She looked up from her notes, waiting for my answer. I stared at her blankly. Behind the dull expression on my face dull brains swarmed, trying to understand the meaning of what had just been said. After a few seconds of diligent reflection, I was able to articulate the following:

- Sorry?

- Eh, it seems to me that I did not understand the question.

- Is it possible to experience the experience ...

- Say it differently, please.

- You cannot ask the presenter or caller to ...

- I understand. Sorry. I don't know what to do with this question.

- Should I repeat?

- I heard the words, I just did not grasp the meaning or intent of the question. Can I rephrase it?

“That’s what we’re trying to find,” she said. “These are the bugs. We hope that we can show you that a question that seems off-topic to you can simply be gently translated back into your field of expertise. It just won't happen. You have to practice. That's why we're here.

- I suppose this is the same as saying "Is it possible to ask a question without knowing who is asking the question?" Right?

Janet nodded uncertainly.

- The question can be shortened to "Is it possible to be not knowing you there is? "or" Can you do it without knowing who is doing it? "This is either rubbish or a joke, don't you think?

“Hmm, I don’t know,” she said. “But you can't say that to the caller.

I looked at Mark, he just shrugged.

- for me it sounds like this: someone asks if it is possible to exist without knowing your true nature. The original form of the question gives it the appearance of a normal question, and the way I paraphrase it makes it rather ridiculous, but essentially the question is about that. "May I not know my true nature?" It is rather difficult to answer such a question without giving the impression that you are making fun of the questioner. Could you move on to the next question?

“Eh, let's see… Is enlightenment a natural step in evolution?

- Oh, good question. The answer is no. If enlightenment has anything to do with evolution, then it is its collapse. That is, I believe the question was referring to the evolution of reborn individuals, or the evolution of species, but the answer is the same anyway. Evolution is change, and enlightenment is truth that is unchanging. Evolution takes place in a broader context than everyday life, but it is still contained within a dual context. In other words, evolution, growth, development, change, whatever - everything is part of the dramatic representation of duality. Enlightenment is not.

“But wait,” Mark said, “isn't enlightenment the end of the evolutionary line?

- You may be asked related or clarifying questions, - Janet explained.

“It's okay,” I said. - That's a funny question. Will I myself experience growth beyond the realization of truth in this life? No. Will I be reborn again in a state of ignorance, in other words, will invisible forces make me fall asleep again? No. The question implies the existence of a differentiated true self, as a separate being, and this is, uh, not quite a correct assumption. Differentiated and true are mutually exclusive things.

- Then who are we talking to?

"You mean Jed McKenna?" I have no idea. A character in a dream.

- Are you enlightened and you do not know who you are?

- I can’t know, it doesn’t matter, I don’t care. You talk about reconciling the dream state with reality, as if wishing to summarize. Everyone seems to be on this hook, but you won't succeed. Truth and lies are irreconcilable. The truth is, the lie does not exist. A lie is just a mirage that exists only in the gaze of an observer. Truth and falsehood are not opposites, not like black and white in the yin-yang symbol. The true "I" does not exist, and there is nothing to say about the false. We cannot insist on something true that makes sense in the light of what we know, because we don't know anything. Again, differentiation and truth are mutually exclusive, not two halves of a whole.

- Oh, that's not bad, - Janet said. - Excellent sharp remarks. A bit long for an answer, but can be adjusted. Here's what we're doing here: making your speech clear and concise. Good stuff here. Very interesting. Okay, next question. If love is all there is ...

- It won't. Next question, please.

- Sorry?

- Let's skip this.

- You don't want to answer ...?

- This is not a question, it is a veiled statement. But still, there is no question starting with "if love is all there is" that I could answer. I couldn't even answer this: "If love is all there is, what is your favorite color?"

- What is it about love ...

- Look, I don't want to bore you to tears, guys. Do you really want to hear an explanation for every question I don't want to answer?

- I think so, - said Janet. - Firstly, we do not get tired of it. Secondly, it helps us find ways to establish control over the format of the open-ended question. I'll let you know if we get bored. ”She smiled.

- So what's the big deal about love?

- It has nothing to do with love. You could also say: "If intense gamma radiation is all there is," or "If oak plywood is all there is." In reality, the question is, "If my beliefs are correct, how does this fit in with your beliefs?" I have no convictions, and I cannot answer a question based on someone else's convictions. It's like asking, "How does freedom fit in with my limitations?" No way. If the question was, “Is love all that is?” Then one can try to answer, but we cannot just take on faith that love is all that is.

“Okay, is love all there is?

- Of course. If someone wants to call "everything that is" love, no one forbids him to do it. Personally, I do not see how you can practically use it for awakening purposes, but you can call it whatever you like: God, Universe, Consciousness, Tao, Mind are the most common examples. Why not love?

She smiled, but rebuked me.

- You seem a little arrogant.

“I know it looks like arrogance, but it’s actually something else, and I’m doing my best to present it in a reasonably acceptable manner.”

She looked at me sternly.

“But you're not good at it, aren't you?

- It all depends on what kind of result you need.

- Don't you want to be interviewed to promote the distribution of your book?

I smiled.

- Next question, please.

“Hmm,” she looked at me mockingly. - Good. Non-dual philosophy claims that ...

- There is no such thing as non-dual philosophy. Let's try the next one.

“Wait,” Mark said. - There is a large community of non-duality advocates around the world and online. And the Advaita that you spoke well of actually means not-two, non-duality.

“That's right,” I said, “but that doesn't mean that there is such a philosophy. Non-duality is not a philosophy, or if someone turned it into such, then he created false advaita for personal or financial gain. Non-duality is not a philosophy; it is a concept. This can be compared to two-dimensionality. You can understand 2D conceptually, but it has no practical value in 3D reality, and if you want to enter 2D, you have to leave 3D and your 3D self to do so.

“That kind of statement sounds like a final judgment,” Mark said. “It can alienate a lot of people.

“Which brings us to the root of the problem at this table,” I replied through a double yawn that cramped my cheekbones. “If I don’t piss people off, I won’t do my job. This is not bragging, this is the way things are. I hit them. I beat it to wake up, because somehow they asked me to. But this dynamic does not pass here. Here I have to ask people to believe me, rely on me, and buy my book. I don't want to ask people to trust me or rely on me. I do not know how to do it and why.

- You don't want people to trust you? Megan asked with a grain of doubt in her voice.

- No. This is not a matter of trust; it is a matter of self-determination. Here we are all sitting with one seemingly common goal of advertising a book, but selling books is not my priority. My priority is to express my thoughts as best as possible, and this takes me in a completely different direction. You guys want to make a glossy book cover out of me. And I am here to find out if there is an opportunity to provide someone a service by taking part in advertising a book, but now I am sure that it is not.

This earned me four pairs of gloomy eyes. These guys were counting on getting a solid check from the publishers, and I'm getting in the way. Mark spent a few more minutes explaining the advertising process again, in case I misunderstood something. They think The Nasty Thing might become a bestseller, but bestsellers don't just happen - they require careful preparation and development.

I have not kept secrets from them. I explained to Mark all the steps we had taken to keep me out of my book projects. I am a private person, I told him. I did my part - I wrote one or two books, which, apparently, should have written, that's all. I guess he still thinks I’m deceiving him or myself as we continued as if I hadn’t said a word. I know it’s not befitting at a business meeting to go back and forth like that, hesitate and talk nonsense, so I tried to look attentive and nod in the right places, but it was difficult. I was very tired, I was very hungry, and no one spoke my language.

- let's try to continue and see what we have, what we can deal with

Megan spoke.

here is the question. How to live deeper in the present moment?

I carefully felt the question in search of meaning, and returned empty-handed.

- For what?

- Why do you want to live deeper in the present moment? What does it mean?

- I am working to be more fully present ...

- To be more fully present where?

“In the present moment,” she said, as if it were obvious. - In now.

- What is it now? Present, uh, time?

“Yes,” she said abruptly, as if talking to a fool, which could very well be.

Again, fatigue threw its shroud over everything, so I could not say if I was so dumb, or found myself in a space of dullness.

- Do you want to be more present in the present?

“Yes,” she said. - I try to deepen my awareness, to live more fully in every moment.

I felt like I was in a scene from Monty Python.

- May I ask why? - I asked uncertainly, trying not to offend, but a little curious what she means by this deeper awareness.

“To live more fully in every moment,” she said slowly, helping me to internalize it. - To be in deeper contact with your life.

to be in deeper contact with your life. How do you manage it?

“Having deepened my awareness,” she replied with irritation, and it finally became clear to me that the conversation was going on in a circle, and I was pissed off her for a disrespectful reason. Someone sold this woman something, and now she is excited to come to me to ask how it works, but I have no idea what she is talking about.

“I don’t know why anyone thinks they can ask me about living in the moment,” I politely tried to pull out of the discussion.

I often wonder how many people there are in the New Age community who have had some kind of experience under drugs, acid, mushrooms and everything else in their youth, and would like to have these experiences again, maybe even make them permanent. It seems to me that many teachers and technicians are becoming fashionable in the spiritual environment because they promise people the hope of reviving their old glorious psychedelic days. If this woman, Megan, were my student, with whom I could speak openly, I would tell her to stop fooling herself, go and take acids if she wants to. I have already said this to dozens of people. Find out what you really want first. If you don't, you will continue to have Pavlov's reflex every time you hear the ringing of a new spiritual charlatan entering the city. If you want to re-visit those inner spaces to which drugs open access, then stop fucking your brains with all sorts of placebos, and go and find your mushrooms. If you can't find them, or are afraid, or ashamed, then join Stan Grof or Michael Harner, or whoever provides a viable alternative path.

“But you are a spiritual teacher, aren't you? Megan asked.

- No, not at all. Quite the opposite. ”I sighed and rubbed my eyes. - I would not like to enter into such a discussion. If someone calls and asks what I think of a newly minted teacher, or technique, or book, nothing good will come of it. I will either be silent, like an idol, or I will seem offensive, which, I know, is not good.

“Okay,” Janet suggested, “we can just provide you with a stock of ready-made answers to use when something like this comes up. Something like "I acknowledge the merit of such and such a teaching," or "I have deep respect for this book." You know, it is preferable to have a set of answers ready, but not necessary. I'll jot down a couple of ideas today, and we'll make a list of the ones that you enjoy.

I didn't bother to tell her not to worry.

“Oh, that's not bad,” she said. “Free will or predestination?

- Hmm, really, I don't want to complicate things on purpose, but this question is also unacceptable.

- How inadmissible?

- He is not independent. It sits on top of various assumptions that were not initially tested. It presupposes that there are other things that have been found to be true, but which cannot be found to be true. You see, here's the thing: there is only one correct question for each person at any given time. My job is to help him discover this question, not answer it.

- So said Jed McKenna, - Janet laughed. “You're not one of those frivolous teachers, are you?

“I’m sure many people don’t think so. This is why verification was necessary. My ideal learning environment has a structure and an established process that does not involve asking questions just for the sake of asking questions. For me, this is just aimless chatter, and moreover, uninteresting. Of all these questions, none were from someone stuck in a certain place and trying to move forward. None were from the one looking for the key to open the next door. All this is spiritual masturbation, which can only be expected from people who are afraid and strengthen their ego. Therefore, I do not want to enter into this kind of non-constructive dialogue anymore. It won't do anybody any good. I'm used to dealing with hungry, desperate, serious people. I’m not going to trick and pretend to be a strict mentor or insane sage just to gut tourists. It's the most wonderful and funniest thing in the world when you take it seriously, and the worst, poisonous dirt if not.

“Sorry to take your time.

Mark caught up with me at the elevator when I was trying to figure out which button meant down. He thought the meeting had gone pretty well for the first run and that we should definitely meet again. I smiled and nodded. Then he began to talk about a group of people in Queens with whom he was going to study Bhagavad-gita. He said that they had a meeting today and asked to come. I began to refuse, explaining how tired I was - a bad day, did not get enough sleep, it took a long time to go home and all that, but he insisted, and I had such a mess in the skull that I agreed.

17. Git life.

What an insignificant weakness in battle
possessed you, son of Prtha?
It does not lead to heaven - to shame! -
You, aria, do not befit.

Do not succumb to cowardice
it's none of your business: you are a warrior!
Leaving a pitiful pity in my heart,
Rise to battle, Enemies Slayer!

- Krishna, Bhagavad-gita -

Curtis and I got off the train at Jamaica Station, caught a taxi, and ten minutes later were at the address Mark had indicated. The meeting took place in the basement of a church, Catholic, but not quite - some new improved version, which still does not allow female priests, so not that much improved. At the end of the room, there was juice and a tray of lean cookies on a table. The stained suspended ceiling, enamel-painted brick walls, buzzing fluorescent lamps and cracked linoleum slabs on the floor - everything has acquired a milky-coffee hue from years of exposure to cigarette smoke, giving the impression of a city morgue where Alcoholics Anonymous has met for decades. The long plastic tables were sticky, the identical plastic chairs were slippery, the air was stale, I was tired and hungry, and as if that wasn't enough, Curtis was hilarious.

The tables were arranged in the shape of a large square, and thirty-odd people were placed around them in two, and in some places in three, rows. The OM symbol, cut out of cardboard and wrapped in foil, was suspended from the ceiling on a string. Curtis asked me what it was, but I was not in the mood to explain the sacred syllables to anyone right now, and I hardly could. A tall, thin, thirty-odd man with a ponytail and glasses stood diagonally to my right and addressed the audience.

“Good evening everyone,” he began, and damn it, he was funny too.

The poet Rumi, known as Mawlana, created incredible works of oriental poetry that were inspired by the ideas of Sufism. Over the centuries, his poems and sayings have inspired people to love and faith. We have collected the best sayings of Rumi that will be able to touch the depths of your soul.

• Make friends with smart ones, for a friend is a fool
  Sometimes more dangerous than a clever enemy.

• Close your eyes, let your heart become an eye.

• I lived on the verge of insanity, wanting to know the reasons, knocked on the door. It opened. I knocked from the inside!

Try not to resist the changes that are coming into your life. Instead, let life live through you. And don't worry if it turns upside down. How do you know that the life you are used to is better than the life that will come?

• What you are looking for is also looking for you.

• This world is mountains, and our actions are screams: the echo of our scream in the mountains always returns to us.

Whenever you trust words
And the truth, which is known by the heart,
Yes to the heart that will ignite from the truth,
There would be no limit to miracles.

• In the mirror, as you know, the opposite is true. But without him, we would never have seen ourselves!

Hashem answers in three ways. Says yes and gives what you wanted. Says no and gives what is best. Says "be patient" and gives the best.

• You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the whole ocean - in a drop.

• There is a field beyond the concept of right and wrong. I will meet you there.

• If every hair of mine became a tongue, I would not express even a fraction of my gratitude!

My religion is Love. Every heart is my temple.

Without your speeches, the soul would not have ears; without your ears, the soul would not have a language.

When the world brings you to your knees, you are in the perfect position to pray.

• You, wise, first learn the essence of things, do not trust a deceitful appearance.

• That which to an ordinary person seems like a stone is a pearl for a knowledgeable person.

• Without being awake in heart, you and I will hardly achieve what we have passionately dreamed of.

This is a very subtle concept: everything that you love is you.

The worst loneliness is staying among those who do not understand you.

• He who has great love has a great test.

• Let the heart be the eye. And with this eye you will see another world.

You will become what your aspirations are directed to, for "the bird flies with the help of its wings, and the believer flies thanks to his aspirations."

Be who you are. Or be what you seem to be.

• Rather than lying or twisting, keep silence - you will hear the sound of wondrous music!

• If you cleanse your heart from rust, prayers will reach any height.

Everything breaks where it is subtle, and only a person breaks from rudeness.

Always add a word of gratitude to any phrase - "if God pleases" - then go.

They say that there is a door that opens a passage from heart to heart, but what is the use of a door if there are no walls?

Why are you in jail when the doors are open so wide?

• You have the presence of something that will exist when these stars are gone.

• Bare twigs, seeming asleep in winter, are secretly working in preparation for their spring.

• This world is mountains, and our actions are screams: the echo of our scream in the mountains always returns to us.

• And with the thought that is born in hearts, one can plunge a hundred worlds into dust.

• Die before you die. Born while you are still alive.

• The world is so full that words are empty ...

• As soon as you accept the misfortune sent, the gates of heaven will open before you.

Before you train your tongue, train your heart. Because the words come from the heart, come out through the tongue.

Visit your friends often: paths that are not walked are overgrown with thistles and thorns.

When troubles fall on you one after another, when they bring you to an unbearable state, just do not give up! Because this is the point where the course of events will change.

Close your eyes, let your heart become an eye.

I lived on the verge of insanity, wanting to know the reasons, knocked on the door. It opened. I knocked from the inside!

Try not to resist the changes that are coming into your life. Instead, let life live through you. And don't worry if it turns upside down. How do you know that the life you are used to is better than the life that will come?

What you are looking for is also looking for you.

This world is mountains, and our actions are screams: the echo of our scream in the mountains always returns to us.

• Whenever you trust words
• And the truth, which is known by the heart,
• Yes to the heart that will ignite from the truth,
• There would be no limit to miracles.

In the mirror, as you know, the opposite is true. But without him, we would never have seen ourselves!

You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the whole ocean - in a drop.

There is a field beyond the concept of right and wrong. I will meet you there.

If every hair of mine became a tongue, I would not express even a fraction of my gratitude!

My religion is Love. Every heart is my temple.

Without your speeches, the soul would not have ears; without your ears, the soul would not have a language.

When the world brings you to your knees, you are in the perfect position to pray.

You, wise, first learn the essence of things, do not trust a deceitful appearance.

That which to an ordinary person seems like a stone is a pearl for a knowledgeable person.

Without being awake in heart, you and I will hardly achieve what we have passionately dreamed of.

This is a very subtle concept: everything that you love is you.

The worst loneliness is staying among those who do not understand you.

Hashem answers in three ways. Says yes and gives what you wanted. Says no and gives what is best. Says "be patient" and gives the best.

He who has great love has a great test.

Let the heart be the eye. And with this eye you will see another world.

You will become what your aspirations are directed to, for "the bird flies with the help of its wings, and the believer flies thanks to his aspirations."

Be who you are. Or be what you seem to be.

Rather than lying or twisting, keep silence - you will hear the sound of wondrous music!

If you cleanse your heart from rust, prayers will reach any height.

Everything breaks where it is subtle, and only a person breaks from rudeness.

Always add a word of gratitude to any phrase - "if God pleases" - then go.

They say that there is a door that opens a passage from heart to heart, but what is the use of a door if there are no walls?

Why are you in jail when the doors are open so wide?

You have the presence of something that will exist when these stars are gone.

Bare twigs, seeming asleep in winter, are secretly working in preparation for their spring.

This world is mountains, and our actions are screams: the echo of our scream in the mountains always returns to us.

And with the thought that is born in hearts, one can plunge a hundred worlds into dust.

When troubles fall on you one after another, when they bring you to an unbearable state, just do not give up! Because this is the point where the course of events will change.

The poet Rumi created incredible works of oriental poetry that were inspired by the ideas of Sufism. Over the centuries, his poems and sayings have inspired people to love and faith. We have collected the best sayings of Rumi that will be able to touch the depths of your soul.

• Make friends with smart ones, for a friend is a fool
  Sometimes more dangerous than a clever enemy.

• Close your eyes, let your heart become an eye.

• I lived on the verge of insanity, wanting to know the reasons, knocked on the door. It opened. I knocked from the inside!

• Try not to resist the changes that are coming into your life. Instead, let life live through you. And don't worry if it turns upside down. How do you know that the life you are used to is better than the life that will come?

• What you are looking for is also looking for you.

• This world is mountains, and our actions are screams: the echo of our scream in the mountains always returns to us.

• Whenever you trust words
  And the truth, which is known by the heart,
  Yes to the heart that will ignite from the truth,
  There would be no limit to miracles.

• In the mirror, as you know, the opposite is true. But without him, we would never have seen ourselves!
• You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the whole ocean - in a drop.

• There is a field beyond the concept of right and wrong. I will meet you there.

• If every hair of mine became a tongue, I would not express even a fraction of my gratitude!

• My religion is Love. Every heart is my temple.

• Without your speeches, the soul would not have ears; without your ears, the soul would not have a language.

• When the world brings you to your knees, you are in the perfect position to pray.

• You, wise, first learn the essence of things, do not trust a deceitful appearance.

• That which to an ordinary person seems like a stone is a pearl for a knowledgeable person.

• Without being awake in heart, you and I will hardly achieve what we have passionately dreamed of.

• This is a very subtle concept: everything that you love is you.

• The worst loneliness is staying among those who do not understand you.

• Hashem answers in three ways. Says yes and gives what you wanted. Says no and gives what is best. Says "be patient" and gives the best.

• He who has great love has a great test.

• Let the heart be the eye. And with this eye you will see another world.

• You will become what your aspirations are directed to, for "the bird flies with the help of its wings, and the believer flies thanks to his aspirations."

• Be who you are. Or be what you seem to be.

• Rather than lying or twisting, keep silence - you will hear the sound of wondrous music!

• If you cleanse your heart from rust, prayers will reach any height.

• Everything breaks where it is subtle, and only a person breaks from rudeness.

• Always add a word of gratitude to any phrase - "if God pleases" - then go.

• They say that there is a door that opens a passage from heart to heart, but what is the use of a door if there are no walls?

• You have the presence of something that will exist when these stars are gone.

• Bare twigs, seeming asleep in winter, are secretly working in preparation for their spring.

• This world is mountains, and our actions are screams: the echo of our scream in the mountains always returns to us.

• And with the thought that is born in hearts, one can plunge a hundred worlds into dust.

• When troubles fall on you one after another, when they bring you to an unbearable state, just do not give up! Because this is the point where the course of events will change.

• Die before you die. Born while you are still alive.

• The world is so full that words are empty ...

• As soon as you accept the misfortune sent, the gates of heaven will open before you.

• Before you train your tongue, train your heart. Because the words come from the heart, come out through the tongue.

• Visit your friends often: paths that are not walked are overgrown with thistles and thorns.

7 myths about love. A Journey from the Land of Mind to the Land of Your Soul George Mike

Beyond your imaginations

It sounds simple, but your attachment to these concepts is very deep. Your ego is buried in your subconscious. The attachment to many of these beliefs is simply beyond your constant awareness of time and space. Your ego will seriously resist your attempts to go beyond representation and reach your values. One of the signals of this resistance is the thought: "But I can't just disinterestedly give love to the left and to the right, this is something from the realm of fantasy!"

You need to do some inner work on "attention" and "awareness" in order to see the representations that you use to suppress your "I". Then you will begin to understand how you use these beliefs to block your values, and this will help you recognize that others are also using their beliefs to suppress their values. If, for example, you have learned think that competition is good and necessary, it suppresses your values ​​and your ability to cooperate. This means you have not yet realized that competition breeds fear, while cooperation is an expression of love. Competition is a manifestation of the ego, and therefore, it is contrary to the nature of your true self. If you think that anger is normal and sometimes even beneficial, you will find that it suppresses your values ​​and your ability to empathize with others, because you cannot empathize with others if you are angry about their mistakes.

If you believe that life is a race for survival in which the fittest wins, that belief will overwhelm your “value of giving” and your ability to serve others. At the crucial moment, you will meet your own needs, not the needs of others. And only when you begin to understand how beliefs suppress your values, you can consciously correct them, get rid of them, eliminate or change them. Or you can go straight to the heart of your “I”, where you will always find the power of energy that we call love, and begin to clear the path that leads through the thicket of your ideas into the world of your behavior. And as love expresses itself in forms such as caring, compassion, and cooperation, hundreds of learned beliefs such as "I am first," "they are wrong," and "there are only winners and losers in life," will slowly wither away.

Again some form of meditation and self-reflection is needed. Only then will you begin to see the truth about all representations, which, as we have seen, ironically lies in the very word representation. Representation is a lie. Representation is what we create and what we become attached to when we lose awareness of the truth. When you understand that representations are inherently illusions, they will go away and you will discover an innate sense of truth. You already know what the truth is. Here you are simply disturbed by the assimilated system of representations.

This is why even a "self-concept" doesn't help much in the long run. Yes, it seems to give you an impulse of "the power of confidence", that it injects a stream of "power of achievement" into you. But then it starts to drain, and the doubt that should exist under attachment to any self-image will have a chance to surface (if not, then most likely it is slowly eating away at you from the inside). It is much better to know the power of truth and let it become the foundation of your life. When you know who you are, what is the source of peace, love and pure joy, you do not need to know about it. You do not need to seek or achieve certain states. You don't have to impose a self-concept on yourself. You don't need to get attached to your notion-based self-image, because it will soon become a different form of ego. When you “know” the truth about yourself and live with that truth, self-concepts no longer matter. Then you don't need to spend your time and energy confirming and maintaining a set of self-images. The "power of ideas" is a weak force that is next to the power of truth.

But we adopt many ideas, and then we cling to them. And we do not realize how much power they can take away from us in everyday life. This means that we don't challenge our representation systems too often. Here are a couple of examples. Perhaps our culture is based on three of the most prevalent contemporary beliefs. They are found in almost any society. But they are wrong.

The first common perception: real happiness can be bought

For many people, this is an obvious lie. Happiness from some acquisition always dissipates, leaving behind only the desire for more. And desire is not happiness, it is dissatisfaction. But even when we seem to know about it, we still act as if we need to buy ourselves happiness. This notion is so deeply ingrained and deeply rooted that we have become completely blind to the reality in which our craving for a new purchase is a symptom of a lack of happiness.

Second common belief: success is achievement

For many people this idea is still true, but for more and more people it has become an obvious illusion. This idea does not let us out of the process of struggle and effort, we have to constantly look for accomplishments in the future, and therefore always be dissatisfied. Success is not a struggle or dissatisfaction. Rather, it is the ability to feel contentment within oneself at any moment, and at the same time do the right thing, in the right way, and with the right intention.

Third common belief: your feelings are determined by other people

Well, again. This is an illusion, and until you fully realize that this is an illusion, you will see in yourself an eternal sacrifice and will never know the truth that only you determine your own feelings and that you can change your feelings always and in any situation. It is now an empowering truth. But remember, you don't have to trust me. Choose for yourself.

These beliefs are easy enough to refute, but attachment to them (and false self-association with them) is so strong that the ego will fight back when you try to get rid of them and live differently, in accordance with the truth. In fact, when you make such an effort within yourself, it seems like you are dying a little. And the ego will look for cunning ways to hold on and survive. You will have such thoughts: "Well, I'm not sure, maybe a little competition is not scary ... maybe security depends entirely on money ... after all, only a person can be angry!"

As we have seen, the most popular representation we all use is "I am this body." Getting rid of this one idea alone is like a little death. The notion that “I am the form I occupy” gives rise to the notion that death is inevitable. We are most attached to this idea and around it we create the most fear. But are we dying? Will your end come? Most people are likely to answer in the affirmative. And only a few will say that only the body dies, and the "I", soul or spirit continues to live. Others will say that it cannot be found out. And then there are those who will say that they will not die, because they have some "inner experience" of their immortality, their infinity, their eternity. In the absence of such experience, the best solution is to say “I don’t know”. Nobody can prove that this is so, but in the same way nobody can prove that after the death of the body there is nothing else.

However, you know from your own experience that everything comes and goes. Nothing remains. And you know that when you hold onto something that has come to you and that you do not want to let go, life becomes miserable. Maybe "unhappy" is too strong a word. You may feel uncomfortable at first. Then came vulnerability. Then stress. Therefore attachment is at the root of suffering. And when you are attached and suffer, it only means that you are not your true self, that is, you are not living a real life. When you become attached to something, you slowly choke yourself ... with your own attachments. During this time, stress builds up, and the fear of losing gradually increases. It is as if you are killing yourself while you are living, and thus you are missing out on your own life. Therefore, “dying while living”, which only means consciously letting go of all your attachments, is the way to live ... truly! And when you let go of all your attachments, you finally become your true self.

This is the only way to open your true "I" and true love, because all fear will go away. All attachments that you used to surround and suppress the light of your heart will go away. And only then will you become truly free. Only then can you give selflessly. Only then will you find true happiness. All this sounds simple and understandable in words, but, of course, in reality, the application of this in everyday life looks different. Therefore, it is necessary to devote time to reflection and meditation every day.

From the book Ideas for a million, if you're lucky - for two the author Bocharsky Konstantin

3 / "soutec - the safety of your children" Olesya Zmikhnovskaya, General Director of the marketing company "Gamma-Consulting"

From the book "I am just applying common sense to well-known facts" - 2 by Sagamori Yashiko

Plague on both your houses Art Spigelman, "In the shadow of towers that do not exist" In the former Moldavian SSR there is an unremarkable city, whose name, Balti, means "swamps". Until 1940, when this city belonged to Romania, there was a thriving Jewish

From the book Revolutionary Wealth by Toffler Alvin

Beyond Fantasy The Second Revolutionary Wealth System and a new - industrial - society began to form in the late 1600s, and the Second Wave of social transformations and shifts spread to much of the planet. Historians still argue about

From the book How to survive the economic crisis. Lessons from the Great Depression the author Utkin Anatoly Ivanovich

Beyond Education Many businessmen and economists agree that improving the training of the workforce is a direct path to increasing productivity. But, as we have already seen, it is difficult to find a more dysfunctional and outdated institution than education, even

From the book Where Should We Sail? the author

From the book New Parisian Mysteries the author Simenon Georges

CONTACT AND REVISION OF PERCEPTIONS Maybe not everyone still understands this, but the frantic development of science has already brought us face to face with all the imaginable and inconceivable consequences of a situation when the future has ceased to be something indefinite and neutral, no longer looms unclear

From the book Newspaper Tomorrow 927 (34 2011) author Tomorrow Newspaper

In France and abroad

From the book Consumption [Disease Threatening the World] by Vann David

From the book Newspaper Tomorrow 989 (46 2012) author Tomorrow Newspaper

Nine Steps to Order in Your Finances The book offers a nine-step program for the transition to a temperate life. By doing them, the reader can feel the ground again (financially). Some high-income readers making these nine

From the book Sign 007: On Her Majesty's Secret Service the author Shary Andrey Vasilievich

From the book Berezovsky: a game without rules the author Team of authors

From the book Articles and Interviews the author Strugatsky Arkady Natanovich

Part 3 In Russia and abroad In the fight against the President of Russia, “media tycoons” Vladimir Gusinsky and Boris Berezovsky “are increasingly using the political and propaganda structures of other states. As is clear from foreign media reports, both of them are trying

From the book How to survive in prison the author Kudin Andrey Vyacheslavovich

Contact and revision of ideas Maybe not everyone still understands this, but the frantic development of science has already brought us face to face with all the conceivable and inconceivable consequences of a situation when the future has ceased to be something indefinite and neutral, no longer looms vaguely

From the book Signal and Noise. Why some predictions come true, while others do not by Silver Nate

Chapter 15. Life outside "I" "Life is most acutely felt by the one who balances over the abyss of Death" (from the diary) Regardless of who a person calls himself - a believer or an atheist - deep down he believes in what is there , behind the last beat of the heart,

From the author's book

Out of Sample - Out of Thinking, or The Prediction Poor Formula Imagine that you are a very good driver. Almost all drivers think about themselves (145), but you can prove it - in 30 years of driving experience (that is, having made 20 thousand trips) you

From the author's book

Beyond the Results-Based View Society in the United States is results-oriented. If someone is rich, famous, or handsome, we tend to think they deserve it. In practice, however, these factors reinforce themselves. Wealth