The Feeling That You Are
“Silence is the true teaching. It is the perfect teaching.”-Ramana Maharshi Do you ever doubt that you are? In various experiences—whether you are walking, driving, eating, or looking at your phone—the feeling that you are lurks in the background. What you want to do is bring it to the foreground, so the feeling that you […]
You Are
“The difference between suffering and liberation is the difference between being the thinker of thoughts and being the awareness of thinking.” -Jeff Foster Examine various experiences and find what never changes. It is the knowing of experience. Whether you feel cold, tired, hungry, happy or sad, you are the knowing that is inherent in the […]
The Mind
The Buddha, interviewing Nobody, regarding Nobody’s recent experience of non-personal being. “What problems can there be that the mind did not create?”-Wu Hsin Question: “What am I to learn?”Answer: “To live without self-concern. Once you know with absolute certainty that nothing can trouble you but your own imagination, you com to disregard your desires and […]
Memory
“There is nothing to practice. To know yourself, be yourself. To be yourself, stop imagining yourself to be this or that. Just be. Let your true nature emerge. Don’t disturb your mind with seeking.”-Nisargadatta Maharaj In a well lit room, you see the various shapes and colors of the objects in it. In dim light, […]
Time
“I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.”-Alan Watts Time seems more real the more you think about it. Imagine that your physical trainer told you that next week, you were going to ride Airdyne (stationery bike) […]
Find Out For Yourself
“When you have a problem, see if you can find out for yourself why you have a problem.” -Shunryu Suzuki When you have a problem, more than likely desire is involved: You want something that cannot be changed to not be as it is. If you clearly know that all problems are created by thought, do […]
Be At Ease
There is something great about that. “You can’t know it, but you can be it, at ease in your own life.” -Lao Tzu Being at ease in your own life begins and ends with being aware. Perhaps the mind’s greatest gift is its ability to distinguish between what we think we are: a conditioned concept, and […]
Knowing
I was pondering this quote from Tsoknyi Rinpoche (above)… “The correct way of practicing is mentioned in all the vehicles, it is knowing whether there is thought movement or stillness. It is this kind of one-pointed attention that eventually allows the dividing line between thought movement and stillness to fall apart.” … When I realized […]
Silence
Killer silent sunset Grand Cayman pic taken by Sarah Davis. “What you need, what we all need, is silence. Stop the noise in your mind in order for the wondrous sounds of life to be heard. Then you can begin to live your life authentically and deeply.” -Thich Nhat Hanh Nature runs on silence. “Withdraw into […]
Just Be Aware
Sunset in Rocky Point! A young man asked Ramana Maharshi: “J. Krishnamurti teaches the method of effortless and choiceless awareness as distinct from that of deliberate concentration. Would you please explain how best to practice meditation and what form the object of meditation should take?” Ramana Maharshi: “Effortless and choiceless awareness is our real nature. […]