Dear reader,

In today’s article an attempt to share, of what I think, is a core concept of the philosophies normally typified by the ‘east’. Hereby saying that such philosophies are accessible despite of one’s birthplace; ‘north, south, west or east’, it does not matter. It might be beneficial to be born into a place in which certain conditioning favors you more then other places. However, in today’s modern world, anything is possible almost for anyone when it comes to learning.

A mind can only be still when its chaotic tendencies for disorder are orderly disciplined by present awareness. If the mind isn’t occupied with the present moment, we loose our grip like a rider looses his horse. We need to stay in tune, in touch, with the sensual presence that consistently overflows our awareness, just like the rider needs to ‘melt’ with his horse, do we need to melt with our surroundings. A background footstep, a knock in the back, a cough in the distance or a breeze in the alley, all needs to come in the way it is. As soon as we start labeling the way things are, we loose the practice of silent awareness of the present moment. When we start labeling, we start acting from our intellectual mind, and, therefore, loosing ones grip of being at one with the environment. In the acts of labeling, one can separate themselves from that which is happening around us and the meditation stops.

A good exercise to start this practice of silent awareness is by looking at a candle, and imagining that by every breath you inhale the flame, and exhale the flame in a continuous loop. By ‘melting’ with the environment in this way, we bypass the tendency of the mind to separate itself from others, and, therefore, preventing phenomena like alienation and isolation.

The paradox then is that we cannot force the mind into our obedience, just like the rider of the horse cannot force the horse into obedience. We can only ‘electrify’ it by blending together in the power of now. A mind fully immersed in the present is like still water. Impurities, dust and rocks will fall to the bottom, leaving only the possibility of equilibrium and clarity.

How is it possible to evolve if you are so immersed in all this dirt of Maya as the ancients would tell us? Only by purifying the mind of all trivia, can we truly prosper in our personal and spiritual growth.

Cheers,

Kees