We are one with existence and there is only one existence that is outside and inside of us. The division between outside and inside is the bane of our life. We are identified outside more than inside who we are. Our body and mind are evolved like that. The outside world evolves our body that is in the finite world. Similarly, the inside world evolves us to meet the infinite.
Something that is infinite beyond the boundaries is existence. We are possessed by house, family, friends, wealth, culture, race, ethnicity, and nationality to be happier. This type of happiness is a by-product of hopes. Hopes make us happy. Drudgery to get there makes us unhappy. So when we are not able to become famous or wealthy we change direction but we don’t change the quality of yearning. We take refuge in God we become godly. Things of the world are temporary but the name of God is true. The one who ran after things runs after God. Because God will shower upon you all that you hoped in plenty in heaven. Heavens are full of things that you yearn for to make you happy. Heavens have done nothing but stretched your wishes beyond your life. Priests deceptively explain this as religion.
Religion is a personal flowering. It happened to Jesus Buddha Mahavira. That who is God that who is Jesus carried his cross himself to be crucified. Jesus flowered into the Christ. Siddartha Gautam flowered into the Buddha (the awakened consciousness). Godhood is personal flowering. Godhood flowers a Christ a Buddha an awakened consciousness that awakens the earth to a new level of consciousness.
Religion is a personal flowering of the awakened ones. People come near the awakened ones. Flowering is contagious. Religion is an extremely personal affair. Religion as a religion of the crowds is a mistake. After Jesus and Buddha had gone followers begin to interpret flowering. Religion began to erode. After 2000 years of Jesus and after 2500 years of Buddha, every follower wants to imitate Jesus and Buddha. Buddha was never a Buddhist nor was Christ a Christian but followers make copies. Both Jesus and Buddha have asked us to follow our own religion that is embedded in us. But followers want to follow the Gods. God is followed by repetitive ritualistic prayers that raise rigidity. Followers don’t want to follow what they asked us to follow our own religion but believe in their Godhood. Because in God we have the liberty to go and seek God in the outside world. Therefore, our heavens are full of our wishes which followers call prayers.
Our belief in Godhood intoxicates us. It avoids us looking at the truth eye to eye that is buried inside us. Because we believe we could avoid walking on the path that Buddha has treaded long ago. So we believe that Jesus carried the cross for humanity and Buddha went to the jungle for humanity. Humanity is held in religious narco-addiction.
Jesus, Buddha and Mahavira refused to follow repetitive rigid rituals because they knew the uselessness. After centuries, Christianity, Buddhism and Jainism are made as rigid ritualistic and dogmatic as were the religions rebelled against.
What does a man want? He wants to live on this earth. But he does not live on this earth but dies for life every moment. If you learn the art of dying. And if you learn the art of being ready to die. And if you be ready to die. If you always be ready to move from this world. You regard this world as a hotel you stay a night at. Life is meant to be lived. Boats are meant for sailing. Don’t harbour your lifeboat. All that we have in hand is a moment to live. But our mind asks us to extend it to make it longer. Making longer is bred because we don’t live. Making longer in that extension we think we can postpone it because we know we have not lived. If you live your life at this moment you would be ready to live this life in the next moment and you would be ready to die at this moment to be ready to be born at this moment.
You live life in its totality at this moment which is lived in the newness and spontaneity. That which you call death is also to be lived as life. So when you will live death like you live life, you won’t die. Because you have life in your hands always and death is never there in your hands ever. You don’t know when would death arrive. Only life arrives. You meet death like you meet life. You will understand that death is nothing but life itself. Death is to be lived. But you live life in fear of death.
Therefore you breed hopes and dreams. Your hopes and dreams are unlived portions of your life that you throw into the dark corners of your unconscious mind. That which you don’t live becomes hopes and dreams. Hopes and dreams don’t let you live.
Hopes and dreams are like happening at your centre. What is dream? Hopes and dreams are assembling around you. Mind is circling around yourself. In fact, you are possessed by your mind. You think your mind is making you live so you are living. Mind is not making you live, mind is a great assassin. It assassinates your life every moment. It takes the life out of you every moment. Mind is nothing but a collection of information. Simply accessing information is not living in life. You are separate and your mind is separate.
Mind is like a computer full of information. Information can not make you live. Mind is burdened with information from the past and projecting information into the future. Mind is screening the film of life. Mind screens the film of mind and sees the film of life. But this film is screened on a canvas. That canvas is you. You are not the mind.
You have to look beyond the mind. Understand that which you can see is not you. You can look at your mind, your body, and your hands and understand they are not you. Understand you are not your eyes or ears or your mind.
No-ness is the way to meet your Yes-ness. You are beyond your mind. Your mind always tells you what you should be. But you should understand who you truly are. Your mind cannot tell you what you are. Mind cannot go there where you are. Mind can only be on your periphery. Mind can only think that the one who is thinking is the one who is living life by thinking the thoughts of life. Deep down someone who you are is beyond your mind. Around who your mind is functioning. Your mind is functioning on you. Your mind is functioning because of you. Your mind is functioning because you are. Your mind is functioning your body is functioning on you. So you are not your body or your mind.
You have to look at them from a gap. That you need to create. That gap is the gap from where you can see your mind which has enslaved you. Your mind is an artificiality around you. An artificiality around you has caged you. So go there and let the caged lion roar and declare your empire.
The author is a spiritual teacher. He can be reached at arunavlokitta@gmail.com