Finding Happiness

Sep 27, 2020

Finding Happiness
 

Looking for happiness is a lot like searching for your glasses when they’re sitting on top of your head. (Sound familiar?) We all chase after things in life that we think will make us happy, and sure, they do—for a while. But eventually, we realize the “thing” we thought was the source of our happiness was just a “thing.” The happiness fades, and we’re left with the thing—a new car, a new relationship, or more money—that no longer seems to do the trick. So, what’s the deal? Is happiness just temporary while the “things” stick around?

Not exactly. The problem isn’t that happiness is temporary—it’s that we project our happiness onto these “things.” For example, we think money is making us happy, but then there are times we feel unhappy even when we have money. At some point, the happiness and the thing split apart, and we’re back to wondering where our happiness went.

Here’s the surprising truth: happiness isn’t something out there to find—it’s already in you. In fact, it is you. You can never actually be without happiness because it’s part of who you are. It’s like those glasses—you just have to realize they’ve been on your head the whole time.

The real culprit behind unhappiness is the chatter in our minds—the thoughts that convince us we’re not good enough, talented enough, lucky enough, or spiritual enough. When we believe those thoughts, they cloud our awareness of our true nature, which is peaceful, still, and yes, happy. It’s like looking through a dirty window—you can’t see the light clearly because of all the grime.

This is why it feels like things in life bring us happiness. For a little while, those things quiet the noise in our minds, and in that silence, we get a glimpse of our true nature. But the problem is, we focus on the things themselves instead of the deeper stillness within us that’s actually the source of our happiness.

The key is to stop looking to external things and start turning inward. When you reconnect with your inner self, you realize that happiness isn’t something you have to chase—it’s who you are. And once you’ve made that connection, it’s like carrying a lamp wherever you go. It lights up everything in your life, no matter what’s happening around you. It can’t be taken away or extinguished because it’s your essence.

You’ve been the happiness you’re seeking all along. You just needed to remember.

There Are No Choices. There Is Only Doing.

Sep 26, 2020

Choices

The mind thrives on duality, constantly presenting us with choices: this or that, here or there. It convinces us that we are the decision-makers, charting a path forward. But is this truly what’s happening in our experience?

We often view life as a linear, pre-scripted “movie” where every choice we make determines the next scene. We imagine life as a story with a set beginning, middle, and end, where our decisions dictate the outcomes. But this perspective is misleading. Life doesn’t unfold like a “choose-your-own-adventure” novel; it arises moment by moment, unbound by predetermined scripts or maps. Even when choices seem to appear, the truth is there are no choices—there is only doing.

You might be thinking, “What does that even mean? I make decisions all the time!” Let’s explore this idea with a few examples.

The Fork in the Road

Imagine you’re a traveler on horseback, arriving at a fork in a dirt trail. The left path looks longer and more difficult; the right path seems easier but might lead to unforeseen challenges. Your mind creates elaborate scenarios: thieves on one path, safety and rest on the other. You deliberate endlessly, convinced that each path represents a fully formed “life-movie” waiting for you to step into.

The reality is simpler. Life isn’t about choosing between pre-scripted paths. It’s about the unfolding of now. The mind’s illusion of choice distracts us from the truth: there are no pre-existing scenes, just the action that arises in the moment.

The Illusion of Relationships

Consider a more personal scenario: choosing between two partners, Terry and Alex. Your mind imagines entire futures with each person—where you’d live, whether you’d have children, what life would look like. But those imagined futures are just that: imagination. Life doesn’t offer prewritten scripts where one path is “Terry’s story” and another is “Alex’s story.”

If you marry Alex, that’s what happened. The “choice” wasn’t real—it was simply the unfolding of events. Speculating on what life could have been with Terry is just fantasy. The concept of “what could have been” is a construct of the mind, not reality.

Coffee or Tea?

Now imagine you’re at a coffee shop, asked whether you’d like coffee or tea. You choose coffee. Could you have chosen tea? No—because in reality, you didn’t. The mind might create an alternate scenario where you order tea, but that’s pure imagination. What’s real is what is—the coffee you ordered—not the imagined possibilities of what might have been.

The idea of choice exists only in the mind. In reality, there is only action. When you chose coffee, it wasn’t because of some deep preference or calculated decision—it simply unfolded in the present moment.

Living Beyond the Illusion

As humans, we will always experience the illusion of choice. It’s part of the human condition. On the spiritual path, however, we can learn to see through this illusion. While we may still appear to make choices, our awareness allows us to understand that life is simply the unfolding of actions in alignment with our highest sense of what is right.

For example, we don’t “choose” not to steal or harm others. We simply act in accordance with what we know to be right. As our awareness deepens, this alignment becomes more natural, requiring less deliberation or mental struggle. The mind’s chatter fades, and our actions arise with greater harmony and clarity than any imagined choice could achieve.

By releasing the illusion of choice, we free ourselves to experience life as it truly is: an unfolding present, guided not by the mind’s dualities but by the seamless flow of awareness and action.

The Illusion of the Individual

Sep 21, 2020

The Illusion of the Individual

Every artist begins their creative journey connected to an infinite well of ideas, impulses, and possibilities. At their core lies a boundless realm, unrestricted by style, medium, or form. Yet, when an artist picks up a brush and places the first stroke on a canvas, they consciously limit that infinity. With each subsequent decision—every color, every line—they narrow the infinite into something finite. Eventually, the artwork is complete, becoming a “thing” perceived by others as a single, defined creation. Few who admire a painting in a gallery pause to consider the infinite possibilities from which it emerged. Most only see the finished piece.

Still, within every painting lies evidence of the infinite. For example, a single blue stroke could have been red. A bold slash across the canvas could have been delicate dots. The final work embodies not just the choices the artist made but the infinite potential they had at every moment. Appreciating art means recognizing both the infinite possibilities and the finite decisions that brought it to life.

The Illusion of Individuality

Just as a painting appears to be a unique, individual creation, so too do we appear to be separate, finite beings. We look around and see millions of distinct people, each seemingly self-contained and unique. Yet beneath these appearances lies the shared essence of Infinite Spirit.

Although you seem to be an individual, your true nature is unlimited. Like the artist narrowing infinite possibilities into a single painting, Infinite Spirit expresses itself through the appearance of individuality. This limitation isn’t real—it’s an illusion, much like an actor playing a role on stage. While the character seems separate from the actor, it is always the actor’s essence bringing the role to life. Similarly, the essence of every human is Infinite Spirit.

Unlimited Spirit in Limited Form

Infinite Spirit is always limitless and boundless. Yet, like an artist selecting specific colors or an actor taking on a role, Spirit uses limitations to create the illusion of individuality. The differences we see in people—physical, mental, and environmental—are the tools Spirit uses to create the vast and intricate masterpiece of life.

This is similar to a driver consciously choosing to obey a speed limit. The car can go faster or slower, but the driver temporarily limits its speed for a specific purpose. The limitation doesn’t reflect the car’s full potential, just as our apparent individuality doesn’t define our true essence.

The Human Condition

The human condition arises when we begin to believe the illusion of individuality is real. Instead of recognizing our infinite nature, we become trapped in the role we’re playing. It’s as if an actor forgot they were performing and believed they were the character.

The mind reinforces this illusion with thoughts like:

  • “I am limited and insufficient.”
  • “Life is unpredictable and dangerous.”
  • “I must protect myself at all costs.”

Trapped in these beliefs, the individual searches endlessly for peace, happiness, and eternal life, unaware that these qualities are already part of their true nature. Most people live their entire lives as characters in a play, never realizing they are, in essence, the infinite actor behind the role.

Rediscovering Our True Nature

Fortunately, reconnecting with our Spiritual essence is simple. It requires looking past the surface—beyond the body, beyond the mind’s illusions—and recognizing the infinite Being we already are. This state of awareness is always present, always accessible, and always now.

When we rediscover our true nature, we don’t stop living as apparent individuals. The play continues, but we no longer lose ourselves in the role. Instead, we live fully, aware of our essence as Infinite Spirit. We see others still trapped in the illusion, but we also recognize their true nature, just as we recognize our own.

In this awareness, life becomes art. Each of us is both the artist and the masterpiece—a unique expression of Infinite Spirit, creating and experiencing the beauty of existence.

What Is “Spiritual Awakening”?

Sep 20, 2020

What is Spiritual Awakening?

“Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:14)

Spiritual literature often revolves around the idea of “waking up.” As we begin our spiritual journey, we encounter terms like “awakening,” “enlightenment,” “being born again,” “dying to the old self,” “attaining bliss,” “reaching nirvana,” or “experiencing nothingness.” All these terms refer to the same concept: waking up from our human awareness into a deeper, spiritual consciousness. But what does it mean to be in a human state of awareness, and what does a spiritual state of awareness look like? How can we attain this state?

To start exploring this, let’s simply ask, “What does it mean to ‘wake up’?” The answer is clear because we do it every morning. We wake up from sleep, a time when we are unconscious, and then become aware. “Spiritual awakening” refers to this same process, but on a spiritual level. It suggests that our human existence is one of spiritual unconsciousness, and it calls us to “wake up” to a state of spiritual awareness.

It’s important to remember that anything we discuss spiritually is only a pointer to the truth. We can never fully grasp the spiritual with our human minds, so we can only point to what is spiritually real. This is why spiritual literature is full of stories, parables, koans, poems, and metaphors. As Lao Tzu says in the Tao Te Ching, “The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.” To understand the spiritual, we rely on these pointers. Let’s explore one such pointer through the story of the Fall of Man in the Bible.

In the book of Genesis, we read about Adam and Eve, the first humans, living in the Garden of Eden—a paradise. They are allowed to do anything they want, but are forbidden to eat the fruit from one tree: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Everything else in the garden is theirs for the taking. Eventually, Eve eats the forbidden fruit, and Adam follows suit. When confronted by God, Adam confesses he was hiding because he was ashamed of his nakedness, prompting God to ask, “Who told you that you were naked?” Adam admits they ate from the tree and gained knowledge of their naked, imperfect state. God becomes angry and worried that Adam and Eve might eat from the tree of life and live forever, so He expels them from the garden. An angel with a flaming sword is placed at the entrance, ensuring they cannot return.

The Genesis story is filled with symbolism, allegory, and vivid imagery. The God depicted in the story seems limited, unaware of Adam and Eve’s actions, and reacts angrily when they exercise the free will He gave them. This makes the story difficult to interpret literally, but it still offers valuable spiritual insights about “The Fall” or the “falling asleep.”

In Genesis, humanity’s fall begins when Adam and Eve, living in paradise, lose their constant presence with God. This paradise is likely the state of “Being Awake” we are seeking. Awakening involves returning to an awareness of being in God’s presence, realizing we are never truly separate from God. But what caused the rift between humanity and this state of paradise? Was it their disobedience, or was it the knowledge of good and evil that led to the fall? After all, there could be no concept of “disobedience” until they ate from the tree. It seems that it was this knowledge—specifically, the belief in duality—that marked the beginning of humanity’s fall.

The knowledge of good and evil symbolizes the emergence of duality: good vs. evil, God vs. the Devil, health vs. sickness, me vs. you. Eating the forbidden fruit represents the moment humans began to believe in a power or state separate from God. Before this, humanity lived in unity with God. But after consuming the fruit, Adam and Eve saw themselves as separate from God. They believed God was no longer omniscient or omnipresent, and their actions led to their expulsion from paradise.

Now, let’s consider what this story means for us today. Paradise, as depicted in Genesis, represents a state before the mind creates concepts of good and evil. It’s in the mind where we form judgments like “this is good, and that is bad.” We decide that sickness is bad, babies are good, tornadoes are bad, and so on. Each time we make these judgments, we place ourselves in the position of God, asserting that something created by God is “not good.” This is the mind-based life, full of limitations and judgments. To live unconsciously means to live in this mind-made world, disconnected from spiritual awareness.

Interestingly, in the Genesis story, Adam never considers the possibility of returning to paradise by “unknowing” good and evil. The idea of giving up his judgments didn’t appear until Jesus came. Jesus boldly claimed to transcend dualities, saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” He embodied unity, showing that in the spiritual realm, duality doesn’t exist. Similarly, the apostle Paul later declared, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Paul was speaking of the spiritual realm, where no distinctions exist, only oneness. In this oneness, there is no duality. The realization of this unity is the essence of awakening.

At birth, we are all pure being, free from judgments or labels. Like Adam and Eve in paradise, we exist in a seamless experience of spiritual presence, unaware of any separation. The spiritual journey is about returning to this pure state, much like the Prodigal Son returning home to his inheritance. Our spiritual being has always been with us, but we’ve spent a lifetime obscuring it with mind-based judgments. This pure state of being still exists within us. To reconnect with it, we need to make the choice Adam didn’t: to “unknow.” To release our judgments and recognize that we have never been separate from our spiritual source. This is the gospel Jesus proclaimed. This is awakening.

Awakening is available to all of us—regardless of religion, social status, gender, or nationality. It’s not a reward or something we have to earn; it’s our birthright. Awakening doesn’t require learning new techniques or information—it’s about unlearning the old beliefs and judgments that cloud our awareness of who we really are. To live unconsciously is to live a life based on someone else’s beliefs about what is real. Why live according to these judgments when you are already pure being? As God asks in Genesis, “Who told you these things? Who told you what you now believe?” What is real is this: you are pure being, pure spirit, pure life. How can you be anything else? Recognize this truth, awaken to who you are, and never sleep again.

Protection From The Storms

Sep 12, 2020

Birds on a Wire

Image by roshanjoshi from Pixabay

A few years ago, I watched a documentary about the December 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean. As many may recall, the tsunami caused tremendous loss of life and property. Witnessing the destruction unfold in real time through video footage gave the tragedy a sense of immediacy. I felt as if I were there with the survivors, trapped in an upper-floor house or hotel, hoping that the floodwaters wouldn’t rise any higher and sweep us away.

One scene in particular left a lasting impression on me. Dark, muddy water surged through the streets of a small village, sweeping away everything in its path that wasn’t anchored to the ground. Houses collapsed, cars were tossed around like toys, and those unfortunate enough to be caught in the flood struggled for survival amid the debris-filled, tumultuous water. Amid the chaos, a man and a woman clung desperately to a broken tree, searching frantically for something more stable to hold onto, hoping for a chance of escape.

As the couple fought to survive, my attention was drawn to two birds perched calmly on a power line directly above the disaster. The contrast between the two scenes was striking. The birds, seemingly unaware of the devastation unfolding below them, surveyed the scene, determined that there was no threat to them, and continued their peaceful pause. Meanwhile, the human struggle below continued unabated.

I have never been able to forget the image of those two birds, or the powerful lesson it offered: even in the midst of profound human tragedy, there is a place of rest to be found—if we know where to look. Sometimes that sense of peace can be found in the most unlikely of places, whether it’s in the depths of the ocean during a hurricane or at high altitudes during a tornado. While these physical locations may provide some measure of protection, there is also a deeper, spiritual dimension that can grant us peace during any storm or catastrophe. We may not always be physically removed from the chaos, like the birds on the wire, but we do carry within us a spiritual sanctuary that offers protection and peace, no matter where we are—whether in the midst of a battle or at the heart of destruction.

This spiritual center of peace is our true essence. It is inseparable from who we are, and because of this, we can never be separated from it. It serves as our secure foundation, something we can hold onto when life’s storms toss us about. As we become more attuned to this center of our being, we realize that it remains untouched and unshaken by any external circumstances, even if our bodies are harmed or destroyed. With regular practice, we can cultivate an awareness of this spiritual sanctuary, much like the birds perched above the turmoil. By anchoring ourselves in this deep well of peace and joy, we become impervious to sickness, tragedy, or destruction, and we begin to experience the fullness of life—peace, happiness, and love—manifested in our lives.

Please, Don’t Feed The Ego

Aug 31, 2020

Girl in Silence

Image by Jerzy Górecki from Pixabay

 

Do you feel like we’re swimming in a sea of massive ego energy right now?

It’s true. Election years always bring out the ego in full force, and right now, the U.S. is right in the middle of one. It’s like a free pass to think, “I’m right, and everyone else is wrong.” And why stop there? “I’m on the path of political truth, while everyone else is clueless, selfish, or downright evil. Why can’t they just wake up and vote the right way?” Election years are basically an all-you-can-eat buffet for the ego.

2020 has become the poster child for disaster. With the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns kicking things off, we’ve also had fires, hurricanes, riots, racial tension, deaths, asteroids, plagues, and a fair share of bad music performances. It’s so easy to feel like we’re personally under attack, as if everything happening is a threat to our well-being. And it shows—we’re seeing a global wave of anger, insecurity, anxiety, and depression.

This is the time to pause and remember: nothing can disturb the peace that’s at the core of who we really are. We’re not just this temporary existence under constant attack from the outside world. Our minds will try to convince us otherwise, but if we stop buying into the chaos and just look at our real experience, we’ll see that our true self is still here, unaffected. Even the worst disasters can’t shake our essence. That spiritual light inside of us is still shining just as brightly as ever.

When the world feels like it’s getting louder and more destructive, that’s the perfect moment to go within and reconnect with real peace. You won’t find peace in the world or in your mind, but it’s always there, waiting for you.

So look past all the temporary noise and find comfort in your permanent, unshaken being.