The Secrets of Mind(fulness)
The Awakening of the Thinking Machine
by Ervin K. Kery
Please,
carry out a simple, nonetheless astonishing experiment:
Take a watch or a
stopwatch, and decide that you are not going to think for a while, as long as
you are able to do so! Well, how long has it taken until the first thought
slipped into your mind? 5-10 seconds? Are you able to avoid thinking for
minutes?
You will be astonished: you are incapable of
not thinking.
Thinking takes place, it happens to you. The thoughts thinks you, and it is not
you who thinks it. You do not do it at will (if it depended it on your will,
you could simply avoid thinking), and you are unable to suppress thinking or
keep it under control.
We are proud of
capable of thinking, as this is what elevates us above the animal kingdom, and
our personal identity is also rooted in our thoughts to a large extent.
Philosopher René Déscartes declared ”I think, therefore I am.” But is this
really thinking that makes us what we are? Would we exist if we did not think?
If we devote some
time to monitoring our thoughts, we soon realize that thoughts in our mind keep
shifting and changing: a thought appears, then it vanishes, and is replaced by
another thought, linked, associated to the previous one–that is how thoughts
stream continually, without a stop. Where is this vast stream of thoughts
coming from, how has that stream become the foundation of our identity?
The Unconscious Deep
Programs of the Mind
When we come to this
world as newborn babies,
we do not have thoughts, we only have an unconsciously experienced uniform
experience. From that, the world of forms and shapes gradually unfolds and,
with the help of the language, we learn to categorize our experiences, to put
them into conceptual pigeonholes. ”She is mother, that is a tree, and this
here is a house.” The language appears, and together with it, the thoughts.
As small children we
are extremely open to the outside world, we want to know all about it, we want
to conquer it. But we have very little experience in connection with the world,
so we apply to the adults around us: parents and teachers. The adults are
pleased and willing to tell us how the world works–that is, the way they perceive the world, with their own
eyes and in their own beliefs. We are fed partial, fragmented pieces and bits
of information, and that is what we devour and believe without hesitation–the program of a system of beliefs.
These explanations run like
some sort of programs in the child’s mind. Children are willing
to accept unconditionally what they hear from the adults, who are, in a child’s
mind, authorities like a God or a sorcerer. Children believe that in this way
they will be able to understand the world around them. Parents, kindergarten
nurses, teachers, the priests of the congregation and later politicians–who
were previously programmed by their own parents, teachers, priests and
politicians in a similar manner– form ideas in the children’s minds that are presented as unquestionable truths. These ideas are fixed in the subconscious
parts of our minds as a complex system of beliefs that are built upon each
other as complementary elements and determine how we see the world and how we
act in it.
The beliefs function
as hypnotic programs in the computer of the mind, and we are hardly able to resist them. What I have already believed, what
is a part of my own ideas, is something that I do not question, that is ”my own
truth” and I live my life according to those truths. Our beliefs and convictions
are like programs running automatically in the hardware of a computer.
These systems of
beliefs that have been installed into us will then do strange things to us. As
these are usually unconscious rules, they tend to largely inhibit our creativity.
Our beliefs clearly determine what we should think and do and how we should
think and do that. I cannot do this, I should not do that, I should not be
thinking like that, and must not feel this etc.
A number of the
programs are "good" and ethical, as these prevent the impulsive and
aggressive outbursts of the Ego, the small ”Self” but, unfortunately, most of the programming is harmful, since these
systems of beliefs make us predictable and easy to control.
The Phantom who Lives in
Us and Says that it is Us
It is important to
understand that during most of our life we are asleep, we live in deep
narcosis. Even when our eyes are open, we are still in the dreams of our
thoughts, in the imaginary world of our desires and fears, and we are no fully
aware of the depths of the present moment. The pure space of Consciousness is
shrouded with the clouds of more and more thoughts, the thoughts are joined
with emotions, and the thoughts and emotions develop into intricate systems of
beliefs which, in the end, cover up the entire space of Consciousness–keeping
it in a narcosis, in the narcosis of the systems of beliefs until the end of
the person’s life.
Inside the
Consciousness a condensed core of thoughts is generated: the Ego, a phantom
that does not even have an existence of its own. It is but a mere idea, which
calls itself ”ME!” Through self-observation and meditation you are able to look beyond thoughts, in search of
your thinking Self, and you are surprised to find that the voice chattering in
your head is not somebody, it does not have an existence of its own, it is just
a bundle of the systems of beliefs and the emotions connected to these.
Expressions like
"my religion," "my tribe," "my country,” "my
faith," or "my principles" indicate how deeply we identify with
some sort of a system of beliefs. So much so that we do not even know who is
”I,” because we fully identify with a role, with the ideological mask we are
wearing.
Waking up from the
Hypnotic Dream
It is worth
monitoring our thoughts.
At all times and under every circumstance. Especially when we need to make a
decision in an apparently important issue. We then may observe that though we
make a seemingly rational decision, the decision is in fact based upon the
systems of beliefs petrified in us. We cannot speak about free will and freedom
when we are the captives of some dogma: it
is the dogma that makes the decision. For us and instead of us!
Let us make a habit
out of examining our thoughts! Let them emerge, and let us contemplate them
peacefully–but keep a little distance from them. We should not believe our
thoughts, we should not believe in the absolute truth of our thoughts. We must
realize that they are only the ”tentacles” of the systems of beliefs that wind
themselves around us and eventually strangle us. Free ourselves from the
obligation of confusing our systems of beliefs with absolute truths.
Watch carefully our
thoughts, derived from our beliefs, and notice that they keep us in some sort
of a dazed state, a hypnosis. Once we have experienced that, we are free to
wake up from a hypnosis of thousands of years.
Unleash the
self-inhibiting beliefs in order to–finally!–allow Life, the Miracle emerge in
us and through us.
Consciousness: the Ultimate Mystery
Have you ever been
thinking about what is hiding behind your eyes, contemplating the world through
your eyes? Who is experiencing its environment through your body? Who is that
knows your emotions and thoughts?
Tasting
a Newly Discoverable State of Consciousness
Have you ever been thinking about what is
hiding behind your eyes, contemplating the world through your eyes? What is the thing
that is experiencing its environment through your body? What is the thing that
knows your emotions and thoughts? Please, in this very moment turn your
attention to the intellect, awareness reading these lines! Watch the observer
hiding in you!
What you may find is an existing, real
”something,” and not some abstract metaphysical concept, new age-, esoteric or
religious-dogmatic thing that you must believe in. You do not need to believe
in it, as it is there in everybody as an alert, intelligent space. It is
possible to experience it directly.
This is a new concept that has so far escaped
our attention. This is, in fact, the only existing dimension into which the
objects and forms of the external world are projected, and that is where we
experience our bodily sensations, emotions and thoughts, which are no more than
the phenomena of this dimension.
There are basically three–entirely
different–states of consciousness:
*The ordinary state of consciousness, which is unaware of the space in which patterns and forms (an image of the
world, thoughts, emotions and feelings) appear. This is our everyday
consciousness, when we are submerged in forms and shapes - in the contents of
the consciousness
*The state of identifying with the pure
consciousness, free from forms and shapes. Initiated, mystic or spiritual
disciplines call this state ”divine.”
*The experience of completeness, which is equally
aware of the domain of forms and shapes and the space-like consciousness.
Space as a Reality which is Hard to Understand
We do not sense the space in which the forms
appear,
since our attention is diverted by our identification with the forms, the
emotions and thoughts. Our like or dislike of various forms prevents us from
experiencing the space, where forms and shapes appears. We are
abandoned in the play of the actors so much that the stage as such ceases to
exist for us.
It is a familiar experience that while we are
watching a movie that we find exciting, we tend to forget that it is only a
movie, a virtual reality. We are so deeply involved in the magic of the images
that we experience intensive emotions: we shed tears when the protagonist dies,
though all this is just an illusion. The only real thing is the movie screen.
Relax, and release all thougths and emotions
whirling in you.
Look around! Look at the objects surrounding
you. With your eyes, scan all the objects in your environment and take notice
of them. Then concentrate on the empty space separating the objects! Sense the
”no-thingness” between the objects, the space in which the objects appear. Sense
as the objects emerge from the space. Watch for the space!
It appears to be a simple exercise but
sometimes we encounter unexpected difficulties. Although we are intellectually
aware that objects exist in a space, we are still unable to focus on the space
itself, as we consider space as an emptiness, as nothing. As reasonable
creatures, we cannot comprehend the concept of ”nothing” (no thing). We believe
that space is ”nothing,” and we do not pay attention to the ”nothing,” to the
non-existent, though we are aware that space must exist. If space did not
exist, objects would be scattered on each other, and we would not be able to
separate and identify them. This very gap between things, this spaciousness
enables the objects to appear separately, and this is the way we are able to
take notice of the objects around us.
Our culture recognizes material, substance
the only existing reality, and places material into the focus of its attention.
Everything material is important for us, and what is not of material nature
will be ignored. Our conscious attention is directed towards material, and
space around the material is considered as non-existent. It is, however, space
in which all creatures appear, it is the silence on the surface of which sounds
dance, and Consciousness in which thoughts, emotions and images of the
world appear.
There is no form without space and there is
no space without forms–forms appear in space, and every form exists in a
surrounding space. That is what Buddha asserts in the famous Heart Sutra:
"Form is emptiness, and emptiness is
form."
The
Miracle of Space
Once we are able to concentrate on the gap, space between the
objects, a strange change of state of consciousness takes place in us. We
experience the same emotion as we do when we concentrate on the attention
hiding inside us.
You identify with the thing your attention is
focusing on.
Before concentration, all observed,
experienced things are of material nature: solid furniture, our own solid body;
we only sense things that are manifested–we are deeply involved in the material
world and all its details: the mutual transformation of things and phenomena
into each other.
Once we are able to concentrate on our own
attention or on the space between the objects, our state of consciousness
changes, and we have a peculiar experience that challenges all our previous systems
of beliefs about ourselves and the world around us.
We experience an entirely new dimension of
our self, and this dimension is in fact an ancient, undescribable, intelligent,
living, endless space, an emptiness, in which bodily sensations, emotions and
thoughts as well as material objects appear and vanish, like the waves on the
surface of the ocean.
We know that it exists, it is the one and
only Life, and at the same time it is the essence in us we call ”I” (The ”I
am" sensation). It exists as an ancient, living empty space, a
Consciousness conscious of its own existence that comprises everything. Nothing
exists outside it, and everything that exists is born inside it: within its
space and as its own manifestation.
This state is characterized by tranquillity,
deep silence, peace and all-permeating love. We know that this mysterious
”something” is beyond time, it does not have a beginning and end, it was never
born and it will never die. If there are no forms and shapes inside it, it will
not be conscious of itself, it simply, ”passively” exists, in a sort of
dreamless sleep.
Once it has created forms and shapes, it will
awake to the existence of the forms and, as it recognizes itself as the creator
of the forms and shapes, it will awake to its own existence, too.
It creates forms and shapes in Its own space,
in the space of the Consciousness. It permeates the forms and appears as life
in them, and plays the role and life of the forms. Once the form has been used
up and is no longer suitable for the one and only Life to live Its life through
it and experience Itself through that particular form, the Life sheds the form and
assumes a new one to experience itself in a different form. The more forms it
identifies with, the more experience it gathers about its own individual
characteristics.
It is most easily approached through
paradoxical statements, like: It exists and is still beyond existence. Only It
exists, the forms coming into being in It are all transient and, as they are
temporary, transient, they are in fact but illusions.
It is more difficult to describe It in
traditional concepts: it is not possible to learn anything about It; we are
only able to exprience It in a direct way. Perhaps that is why Jewish
mysticists said that it is not possible to pronounce God’s name, and that is
why the commandment of the Christians says, ”Thou
shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”
Buddha never spoke about God, because he was
sure that once he had called It God, his followers would identify It with
beliefs and concepts they create about God. The one and only existing
”something”–which remains a mystery forever–the human mind is unable to
comprehend as It is beyond comprehension:
It is the knower of all thoughts, the mysterious Consciousness.
(Excerpt from the book "The Miracle of Consciousness")
The
Author: Ervin
K. Kery attained mindfulness after a sudden crash of the ego. Since the first
awakening to consciousness he is an enthusiast consciousness and mindfulness
meditation researcher, spiritual writer and publisher. More about the Author here.Check
out the books published by the author here.
From The Secrets of
Mindfulness @ http://mindfulness.kery.org/2014/05/the-awakening-of-thinking-machine.html
and http://mindfulness.kery.org/2014/05/consciousness-ultimate-mystery.html
For more information about consciousness see http://nexusilluminati.blogspot.com/search/label/consciousness
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