Self Deception

Why does the self deceive? One is seeking to find an answer to ones problems. One desires the materialization of that which one imagines to be a solution. One cannot find answers in the reality of this existence so one seeks the other. One wants to believe in something greater and wiser than the reality of the moment. So one escapes into the projected image of mind, of that which is the illusion of thought. One listens to those who seem to a have a message of deliverance, perhaps a spiritualistic or psychological way out of ones present conflict. One chooses ones own deception. That which conforms to ones established image, that which is not in too much conflict with ones beliefs. Mind seeks the security of the known. To have faith and hope in the words of another, and to try and live those words. Deception is self inflicted, one may find fault with another who has lead one to a false sense of accomplishment or gratification. One may place blame on the "False Prophet" and express anger with one that has lead one astray. But what is the true origin of the false, what is the origin of deception? Is it not always the self which is seeking, does not one create ones own deception? Can one see, realize that the origin of all deception is the self? If one wants to believe in something one will create the psychological environment for is fruition. Mind creates the psychological atmosphere for what ever is sought, which causes the self to conform to the illusion of its existence. Simply stated it is the projection of minds self created conceptual reality. When one realizes that the mind is the creator of all deception, then something new happens. One has an intelligence that is not born of the accumulated self. One may realize that which is unconditioned. The consciousness of the absolute moment that is free of the known, of that which is the projected memory of the self.

One is caught in the movement of time. One is looking to add to knowledge so that one will glean what one believes is truth. Truth is sought in a collected and organized set of facts. This activity is the movement of thought which is time. In reality the more one accumulates the more one becomes confused. It becomes a maze of somewhat conflicting ideas and formulas. Because the self is made up of its accumulated experience, it never discards anything. All that has ever happened to ones self is stored in the sub-conscious mind. One only modifies the self with what ever new experiences are collected. As one has said one never changes or becomes transformed because ones activity of seeking only results in the modification of the old. One must have a realization that is not part of the accumulated activity of thought in order to expose ones self to that which is totally new. The absolute moment is the new and never before, but because one is concerned with the self, the old, one misses the opportunity to realize. Because one is grounded in the self, one interprets through the accumulated. Whatever one learns in the moment becomes self deception. The reason it is deception is because it never reveals the true self, it only adds to the illusion of the conditioned mind.

The mind that realizes the deception of time, of that which is the movement of the accumulated, ceases the activity of seeking, of trying to find answers. There are no questions. The mind is at peace. When one is not bothered with the angst of becoming through the mind that is seeking, then one has the capacity to understand the moment. It is understanding that is not a result, but the outcome of total freedom. One begins to realize that illumination is not through the acquisition of knowledge but through the negation of all knowledge. Illumination is the unknown. One cannot possibly realize the unknown through the known. The unknown is the meditation of the timeless. When all else is not it is.

Self deception is the way of ones life, it is the conflict and violence of a society that lives in the confusion of its opposing beliefs. One can never escape opposition, but if one is in the moment one can realize it within ones self. That realization is the intelligence of the unconditioned that which has realized the true self. The realization of the true self is the beginning of transformation. Self deception is the accumulation of the known. Illumination is the dissipation of the accumulated self, it is the reality of the unknown.

The Deeply Spiritual

We all can observe what is going on in the world. The conflict of religious ideals, the violence of nationalism and political idealism. It can be seen that the world is in a state of constant disintegration and disarray. Also as a result of all this conflict it can be realized that ones self is in a state of conflict to one degree or another. We may observe how that our lives are more or less controlled by the cultural circumstance of birth and that we are trapped in a never ending circle of conflict and fear. The fear of not becoming of not achieving. As an individual we seek out the perceived relief of so-called spiritual personalities or religious organizations or bury ones self in a "cause" or a "New Age Formula". But deep inside there is still the feeling that somehow one has not reached a point where one can be completely at peace. It is possible to have a realization of the superficiality of ones life. But how can a person change, transform? One may have some degree of realization, but falls short of being completely free, of realizing a deep spiritual presence that is not a concept or a formulated ideal.

Do you seek out the "other" as a means to an end? Do you delude yourself into thinking that you are on a path to deeper spirituality. One may practice certain austerities and expose ones self to the mind control of the latest spiritual fad or personality. Can there be the realization that one is only escaping the reality of a conditioned mind. It must start with the self. One must negate all outside influences to realize the truth of ones self. No matter how "enlightened" or "illuminated" another may seem, realize that it is the illusion of a mind that is caught in the self created. One must completely free ones self from the bondage of the self absorbed.

Do not follow another, it will only lead to the disappointment and despair of ones self created image. Why does one feel that one is incapable of realizing the true self without the aid of an outside influence? Why do we seek out that which will instruct and supply a method or a conceptual ideal? One does anything that will allow one not to face the self, the reality of what it means to be the self in the absolute moment. So if one realizes all this, that seeking and accumulation is the problem, then what will you do, what will be the outcome of this realization? If you have a deep realization of the self as the illusion of time, then there may be an "experiencing"of a dissipation of the desire to add to ones already conflicted mind. "Experiencing" means the action of the moment. It may then be seen that all this accumulation is the illusion of the self. The self that is seeking continuity in that which it accumulates.

A person who is deeply spiritual lives in the freedom of "not knowing". The outcome of this freedom is the dissipation of the controlling influence of the accumulated. "Not knowing", means that one is not caught in the projection of self that is concluding from the known. "Not knowing" is the fusion of the knower and the known. The realization of the non-dual as the oneness of reality. It is the absolute moment that is absent the conceptual intellective self. It is a state of non-being that reveals the interpretive essence of ones existence. Deep spirituality is not connected to any secret doctrine or to the manipulations of a self proclaimed spiritual authority. One has all that is necessary to realize illumination. The realization of that which is not artificially induced.

Understanding and the Unknown

One frequently has conversational exchanges with people on a variety of subjects. Inevitably those exchanges lead to the problems they are encountering in life. People read these meditations and say that they understand some of what is said, but that they just can't grasp the full significance of what is written. Understanding the accumulated self and then realizing the true self is a arduous undertaking. It is frought with the many pitfalls of a mind that is in constant conflict. Thought tends to follow the path of least resistance. Thought as the self is constantly falling back on the known as its point of reference. The known is the familiar, that which is security. One defines the moment through the known, so it is very difficult to have a realization that is totally in the moment. One can only realize the truth of what is when all else is not. One does not completely realize that one is blocked by the fact what one is attached to the accumulated self and its ideals. One does not realize that one is still seeking the ideal, the self created. So what realization one has is still the outcome of a mind that seeks. This is not to say that one has not opened door, but to step though the door one has to let go of the self, the one who is the outcome of thoughts desire for permanency.

There are many self styled guru's who will give you a system to follow and fill your head with unnecessary concepts and religious precepts. It only adds to ones conflict. One should realize the simplicity of meditation that is the negation of all conflict. Meditation that is the release of all attachment and the negation of identification with an ideal. True meditation is not "seeking" a release it is the release. It is the moment the self is not. In that moment one may realize that which is not a product of thought. It is the clarity of what is and its outcome is understanding that is without the motivation of a mind that is seeking to escape or to find. Meditation may be realized as a state of constant understanding that sees the truth in each moment as it is observed as what is. When in the moment, there is no observer, there is only observation that is free of any attachment. Its origin is not the result of reference. It is a spontaneous realization of truth that is the outcome of total freedom. A meditative mind realizes the truth of each moment, because for such a mind the true self is mirrored in each and every circumstance of life. One sees the self in every encounter. That is why one is not concluding, comparing or judging. One realizes the illusion of self as the psychological projection of the accumulated. In order to conclude or to compare one has to reference the known, which means that one has moved away from the reality and truth of the moment. If one is serious about realizing the truth of what is, one should not concern one self so much with method that implies accomplishment, but with the simplicity of the negation of that which implies the self as the movement of time.

If one tries to reach an understanding through the self, then one gets caught in the conflict of opposition. The self is "opposition" to the reality of what is. It is because the self is concluding that it cannot realize the moment as true reality. The known which is the self can never comprehend the unknown. So there must be a cessation of that which is projecting the known for the unknown to flower as the reality of the moment. Then one will have understanding that is not of the self, that is not a reaction born of what was. One will no longer follow or seek. One will realize that the negation of the self from moment to moment is the affirmation of the oneness of life and the dissipation of all conflict and violence.

Only the separated self can conclude, because the self is looking for the affirmation of what was, the memory of self as the projection of a sustained image. One is seeking to protect and preserve ones defined reality, the reality of the intellectualized separate self. The concept of self is the illusion that is the most difficult to understand, because mind is incapable of grasping the unknown. The known is the self, which is the illusion of the separated. The unknown is the reality of the moment, it cannot be made to conform to the self, unless it is interpreted through what was. But then it is no longer the moment it becomes a part of ones illusion of knowing. This may all seem complicated, but only because one is grounded in illusion. Once one has made the journey and relieved oneself of all attachment and identification, then there is only the simplicity of what is.

The Self Help Book

I was recently in a bookstore visiting with a friend. There were two Lady's in an aisle containing hundreds of self help books. They were discussing which books were the latest craze and did they really help. One lady said, "that she had gone through maybe 20 or so of these type of books and none had any lasting effect." The other said, "yes I know what you mean they just don't seem to actually help you." The other went on, "they just talk improvement but somehow they don't deliver." Both Lady's then agreed that they were through with the self help genre. One said, "I get more out a good fiction novel than these books." They both laughed and left the aisle.

Without consciously being aware of it they had both had a realization about books. Books are really just entertainment, they are a distraction from ones perceived mundane existence. Can a book written or spoken convey truth. Can the truth of ones condition be explained and understood through a formulated concept? Can there be understanding of the self through the organization of another person(s) thoughts? A person cannot know what is in the mind of another. One can only listen and point out the fact of what is. It is up to the individual to realize the true self. The individual must disregard all theories about ones condition. Otherwise you may get caught in a transplanted ideal. The self becomes absorbed in a suggested problem and solution. This causes you to move away from the fact of your actual condition (which can only truly be known by the knower, the self). The self is the creator of all problems, and the solution is always in the problem. A person needs only to have the realization that problem and solution are one in the same, they are not separate. One defines the other. In seeking the remedy you create the disturbance and give it legitimacy.

When you seek the advice of "self-help" books you are moving outside the self, escaping the truth of moment. Reality is always in the moment. If you can attentively read and listen to what is being said without the motivation of the self absorbed then it is possible to realize the true self in every word that is written and in every word that is spoken. But this realization is not the result of a writers or speakers ideal. It is the outcome of the seeing of oneself in what is. It is the reality of the moment that mirrors the self. What is realized comes from within not from the designs of the speaker or the writer, they are meaningless. What is written or conveyed by a writer or a speaker is the projection of the one who instigates. They are what they write and speak, it is the conflict of that which is within.

Words have a definition, they provide an image for the mind to grasp. Intellectually you can reach an agreement on definition and from there formulate a concept. But that concept is the illusion of a mind that is caught in the movement of time. It is the movement of thought as the self. It is never reality, it is the image of self as projected in time. This is not a concept it is truth that can only be realized in the absolute moment. The fact is there for one to realize, but you must cease the activity of the projecting the self as a conceptual belief or ideal. The outcome is a dissipation of the self as the defined. Try as it may mind cannot wrap its self around that which is without self. One cannot conceptualize the unknown. The unknown is the only true reality, it is the moment that is not caught in the movement of thought. The unknown is clarity and intelligence. One cannot find it in a book and one cannot explain the reality of it.

The meditations that are on these pages are not actual reality. The writer can only attempt to point out what reality is not. One cannot say what it is, only that if a person has passion to want to find the truth of what is, it is a possibility. You can and should do it without a teacher or an organization and if one may say that is really the only way one will realize the illumination of the true self. One must have the courage to dispatch all that is the self in order to realize the truth of what is.

The writer includes himself in this description. One should not rely on the words of another, nor should you follow another as a guide or guru. There are no guides to truth. As has been said, a person can only point out the fact of what is. One must make the journey alone. It must be a total transformation, that "something" totally new that is ones own realization. It is a state in which a persons total being is shaken and moved in a direction that cannot be explained in terms of a comparative or defined ideal. Many have the words and intellectual capacity to talk about the illumination of the moment but very few have made the journey. You must have the passion to give up all of your attachments and identity, to be as nothing. To see truth in the reality of what is, not in the words of those who are conceptually clever. When a person seeks realization in the words of another, you only find the projection of self that is the accumulated illusion of the known.

Passion for LIfe and for Truth

What is it that we call living? Is life defined by our significant other, our children, our work, or some religious or idealistic belief? Is living just getting by with as little disturbance and conflict as possible? Do we measure life in terms of our successes and failures? What does it mean to have passion for life? To live fully and in the end realize the truth of ones existence.

It seems that most of the time one is escaping from life. The moment is the only reality, but because mind is caught in time in the projection of self as movement, one mentally escapes the present by moving from the past through the present to the future. So one lives an artificial life, a life spent seeking the projection of what was, a modified past. One never realizes the newness of the moment because one exist in the mind as that which is desired and sought. The image of self is the conditioning of ones accumulated experience. One lives in the fantasy of ones self created image. If one has passion for life and for truth then one will look at ones self and face the fact of what one actually is. It is the beginning of understanding that is not a repetition of the old. One can look through what was and see definition as concept and completely miss the truth of the moment. Or one can look without the divisive self, the one who is formulating conclusion and see the truth of what is. This is a very important realization. To have the passion to understand that truth is not by definition but by the negation of all definition. Definition is the self, it is ones defined reality. To leave all that is the self created behind is the beginning of intelligence that is beyond knowing. To live in the moment is to live in the unknown. Then there is only the moment to moment truth of what is. One ceases the activity of retention, each moment dies forever as it passes. There is no retained memory as the conflict of what was. One is not seeking to alter the moment to fit an ideal. One accepts what is and in doing so one accepts ones self. Ones mind is not embroiled in the activity of projecting ones beliefs, which is the division of conflict and fear. One has no beliefs, because one has realized the true self. It is mirrored in the truth of the moment, in the reality of what is.

Passion is simplicity. When one has true passion for life and for truth, one leaves all else behind. To have passion one must rid ones self of all the baggage of ones past. One has to travel light otherwise one gets bogged down by the psychological ideals of ones past. One regains the exuberance of youth, of the absence of the conflict and fear of experience. One may think that it is not possible to maintain such passion. If that is so then one has already died, one has allowed oneself to be buried by the weight of ones accumulated conclusions and opinions. Then one will never realize the truth of the moment, one will live ones life trapped in the illusion of self created conflict and fear.

If one lives with passion then there is no end. There is only the moment in which life is lived fully. One lives as the unconditioned, every moment is new, there is only experiencing. The moment never becomes experience. It is a life lived as the illuminated, as one who lives the passion and the truth.

Personality and Organization

When will one stop projecting the conflict and violence of the self? Will one have a realization this very moment and see clearly how one uses the moment to create much psychological pain and suffering. One may say that they are not in conflict and are happy with their life and relationships. But one has to look deep within and realize the mischief that one causes. Because one projects the division of the self it is a fact that one is in conflict to a greater or lesser degree depending on ones state of mind. One can escape the fact by living in denial or one can realize the intelligence of vulnerability. One can let go of the ego/self and acknowledge the truth of the moment. The self has accumulated a very thick veneer of impenetrable experience. That experience has been organized into the self, ones conditioned consciousness. All ones "reactions" are conditioned and predictable. So one goes on in life the same with only minor modifications that conform to ones pattern of existence. Unless one realizes the vulnerability of the moment, and actually sees the truth, the true self, one will never transform. One will only live a life of modification. The modification of what was. Ones conflict and violence gets modified, but it is still there and still being projected. One may be toned down but one will revert back to what was, because the self "is" what was.

We try to find answers to questions of faith and belief in others, in personality and organization. We look through the outer to try and get to the inner, the center of that which is the beginning of all conflict. The answers are not in books, personalities and organizations, they are within. One must realize that questions and answers are one in the same. The self is seeking and projects that which it seeks. The answer is in the question. One questions because one is seeking confirmation of the ideal self. One is not seeking truth, one is seeking acknowledgement of what was. This may be difficult to realize, it is very subtle, and veiled by the fact that the self is absorbed with the identification and attachment of what was.

One must realize that personalities who speak and write books are looking for their own acknowledgement, they are in just as much conflict as ones self. They are seeking confirmation of self from their readers and listeners. They may seem to be above it all but they are in even more conflict than most. The book the talk/lecture is their escape from what is. If one is absent the illusion of self, then one will help when asked. But one will not be a commercial success at the expense of another. One is not seeking acknowledgement only that one may find the truth of that which is within. Illumination is within, it is already there, it is reflected in the truth of the moment. One only needs to be vulnerable to it.

If one is at all serious about transforming ones life, of finding that which is without conflict and fear, one must throw out the old. There must be a totally new approach to living. One must cease the activity of trying to seek and find through another. One must dedicate ones existence to being aware of the truth of the moment. Timeless awareness that is the meditation of the selfless. To most this will seem to intense and require effort that is without gratification. It is because one is caught in time, one is absorbed with the activity of self promotion. When one realizes the true self, one is on "autopilot", there is no effort there is only the peace of the absolute moment, there is no doing or seeking. There is no "reaction", there is only the calmness of the unconditioned, that which is illumination.

The Illusion of Word and Concept

Because we think from a position there is always opposition. One does not completely understand the process of conditioned thought. When one is looking through the self, through that which is concluding we miss the truth of the absolute moment. One is often asked about the true meaning of a word/concept. How can one realize the truth of what is if mind is caught in the projection of what was? When one is caught in the conceptual, in the idealized, one cannot grasp the true reality of self. One is concerned with personal affectation. One is grounded in the illusion of self.

If one is consumed with an emotion or a psychological state of confusion and one is attempting to understand through definition, then one must realize the source. Words and concepts are often better understood through their opposite. A word or concept is defined through its opposite. When one looks through the opposite one realizes the seed or origin of what was. One must have the realization that one "is" the opposition. A mind that is seeking is a mind that is in opposition. To seek is to escape the truth of what is. If one is trying to understand through the conceptual it will only result in the confusion of a conceptual morass. One must be able to look with a fresh untainted mind. A mind that has understanding of the true self may realize the freedom of that which is unconditioned. It is a clarity that cannot be defined or conceptualized. It is seeing what is sans the referencing self. To seek meaning and reality in concept is to become attached to the ideal. This is what those who write books and give lectures convey. They are attached so they project that attachment through what they communicate. One cannot communicate the truth of what is. It has to be direct experiencing by the individual, otherwise you are just following another who is following another. If one has realization of the true self then one will see truth in all that is of the moment, regardless of the circumstance or the personality. The moment is the mirror of what is, which is the realization of the true self. It is the reflection of the absolute, of that which has no beginning or end.

One should always realize what ones motivations are. Motivation is the result of positional seeking. One wants to accumulate in order to define and refine the image of self. True understanding is without motivation. It is not acquisition that is the product of self gratification. One is always seeking the opposite of what is. One finds it difficult to stay with actual reality because the mind is always on the move. Mind is trying to realize its self in each moment. This is the key to understanding the duality of thought. When one has the realization that the observer is the observed, then there is the dissipation of all that hinders true understanding.

Dependent Attachment

Psychologically one becomes dependent as a result of ones desires. One is insecure with ones own self. The self is looking to share its insecurity with a singular personality or an organizational system. One becomes attached to that which it seeks. The result of this attachment is dependency. One is seeking resolution through another, be it a personality or an organization. In some the attachment is so strong that one would do almost anything to maintain the status quo. One becomes a slave to ones desires. One is enamored by the self created image of the other. When one is attached psychologically one has expectations, which is the result of perceived need. Because one is disintegrated one is looking for integration in another. Attachment leads to all sorts of psychological problems, all of which are self created. The mind is easily attached because the self "is" insecurity.

In order to be free, one must have realization into the self which is seeking. One feels separated, so one seeks the illusion of associative identity. One does not realize that one is whole within ones self. That separation is the illusion of a mind that is seeking confirmation and conformity. To realize the oneness of all existence is to never experience the illusion of separateness again. One eliminates all barriers to understanding, because there is no intervening separated self to come between the truth and what is. The truth is in the moment, in what is. One cannot realize truth if one is looking through the accumulated and conflicted self. The moment mirrors the truth.
One is always escaping the moment, into whatever thoughts are arising. Hence ones mind is disintegrated and seeking integration though attachment.

Is it possible to live and exist in relationship without the angst of attachment, of being psychologically dependent? One must realize the origin of dependent attachment, why one feels the need to cling to an idea, person or organization. One realizes the need to feel secure, but does it go deeper than that? Can one have a realization that is not of thought, word, definition? If one is timelessly aware, in the absolute moment, one may have a realization that is the absence of all self motivation and desire for attainment. It is possible to live a life of total freedom, despite what others may have said. One can realize an existence that is without attachment and identification. If one is totally aware of the moment there is the dissipation of the illusion of self, that which is attached and has identity. It is the truth of what is. It is a life of acceptance and vulnerability. Only one who is vulnerable can realize the freedom of what is and the end of all conflict. The beginning is to just look without a center. Be aware of your attachments and how that they control your life and the way you think and act. See that you are nothing more than the culmination of attached identity. Realize for the first time that you are in a prison of self created conflict. One does not need to do anything or believe anything just look at what is. Freedom is not the result of elimination or substitution, it is the outcome of the truth of what is.

Repetition of the Known

What is knowing and the known? Why is the mind habitual in its thoughts and conclusions? The known is ones accumulated knowledge. Thought utilizes the known as a basis for the separation of self from that which is knowledge. One becomes identified with elements of the known and through attachment establishes an identity. In reality, all that is known and accumulated becomes the self, most psychological elements of the self are in the subconscious mind. Because the separated self accumulates, one is always in a state of consternation about past events affecting future security. The mind does not let go of the past it relives the past as the projected present. To be free of the known is to realize the peace of the present moment. But the self does not want to live in the moment because the moment is the unknown. So one lives in the repetition of the past. Projecting the self (the known) into the moment is ones escape from what is. It is the avoidance of truth and the substitution of what should be. What should be, is ones conclusion as the projected self (which is the result of the referencing of the past).

There is security in repetition. One can know what is going to happen, because one projects the known. One may have the realization that one lives in the illusion of the projected and not in the reality of what is. One is in conflict because the moment does not conform to the known and to the projection of ones separated reality. One wants to create a reality of conformity but it does not exist so one is in conflict. One may become psychologically unstable and violent as a result of ones projected opinion and conclusion. It is all the result of a mind that is caught in time, in the illusion of self. Repetition of the known is the mantra of belief, the hypnotic state of control and being controlled. One is under the influence of systems of organization and belief. One projects the illusion of these attachments. One cannot possibly realize freedom, because one is completely self absorbed. The self which is the product of the known and the believed.

To realize freedom that is the not the result of self motivation and greed, one must realize the truth about ones self. One must see how that one is totally a product of ones experience and knowledge. One is the equation of ones psychological environment. Only when one looks at what is without the accumulated and opinionated self does one begin to realize. It is very difficult because thought is so programed to attachment and belief. Thought wants to look through the past, through the self. Whatever one does will not bring realization. Doing is the problem. One just has to knock down the false and clean out the mind. When one is not doing, or thinking, when there is no movement of time, the realization will come and one will be free.

The Distortion of Time

What do we mean by time? Time is perception through the movement of thought. Thoughts movement is time, it is the self as the continuity of past, present and future. Past, present and future is the projected reality of the accumulated self. One reacts from the center, the ego/self, which is constantly censoring reality to conform to ones beliefs. Because the self is caught in time one seeks and perceives through the distortion of time bound reality. One is constantly adjudicating the moment with the beliefs of the self. Because the self is the illusion of time, ones opinions and conclusions are distorted. When the self has dissipated then one is in the moment and may observe the truth of what is without the distortion of what was. (what was is the self as projected into the moment) The activity of projecting is the distortion of time as thoughts movement.

One may have the realization that the self as the movement of thought (time) projects the known as the accumulated self. Since the self is always seeking conformity in what is, ones perception is distorted. One is incapable of just looking without conclusion, which is self projection. One cannot accept what is, so there is the self created conflict of perception through the prejudicial mind. Conformity is what is sought by the mind that is conditioned. When one looks through the self one is looking into a mirror that reflects the conflict of ones distortion. One must realize that all conclusion is self projection.

When there is no distortion there is no agreement or disagreement, there is only the truth of what is. It is the reality of the true self. It is that which is absent the distortion of time, which is the movement of thought as the accumulated self. The ending of time is the total realization of the moment, which is free of all discrimination. One then has the capacity for love and understanding that is the outcome of the dissipation of self. One looks for the first time at that which actually is. It is the illumination of the selfless that which is no longer caught in time.

The Accumulated Self is Conflict

Life is disturbing because one is disturbed. Most of humanity is lost in a sea of confusion and conflict. All the violence in the world is self inflicted. It is not outside the self, it is the self. The world mirrors what is within the accumulated and formulated self. The end to all conflict and violence starts with ones self. One can only understand the violence that is within. One cannot understand what is within another, one can only understand the self which is mirrored in the relationship that exist with another. One must get intimate with the self and realize the origin of all conflict. Do not look outside your self and point a judgemental finger at another. One is only pointing at a mirror. One is looking at the projection of self. This is a very important realization. One must realize that all conflict and violence begins with the self and it is in fact the self. One sees conflict and violence because one is conflict and violence. The self is that which is separated and alienated. One continually alienates through the activity of identification and attachment. This activity creates conflict, it is the outcome of the duality of the me and the not me.

When one has the realization, is actually experiencing in the moment the conflict of the self, then it is possible for one to move in a different direction. When all ones senses come to bear on the absolute moment, when all that is looks at what is, without the distortion of that which is caught in time, then one may experience illumination. That which is without definition, that which cannot be named. Because one has understanding that is not of time, one is free of all conflict. All attachment and identification drops away as dead leaves from a tree. The new and never before comes into fruition. The accumulated self falls into the background and is relegated to its place as the instinctual activity of that which seeks survival.

One lives as the unconditioned, consciousness that is without motive or agenda. To live totally in the moment, free of the conflict of the conditioned self. One may think that it is not possible to live as such, one has to many responsibilities. Because one is caught in time, in becoming and achieving, a slave to the desires of self, trapped in the illusion of projected image, one is blind. It only takes the smallest amount of awareness to light the candle and to begin to see. Once lit, it can never be extinguished. When one has experienced that glimmer of light one can never go back, because one has realized the true self.

Transformation or Entertainment?

How does one become transformed through realization of the true self? One tends to change ones outward habits and activities in an attempt to change the inner. As has been said one lives on the surface so one may change surface appearances and attitudes to try and effect inner change. But what is the motivation behind the will to change? Is it to accomplish or reach some goal that one perceives as the higher self? Self motivation always ends in the projection of that which one seeks. The problem is the self that is seeking. The self as identification seeks its ideal, which is its accumulated knowledge as projected reality.

One follows a method or a personality which has the outward appearance of having attained a measure of that which one seeks. But the self is not really looking to be changed. The self seeks conformity with its beliefs not change. Conformity is the affirmation of the continuity of self. One may read a book or listen to a speaker and understand only according to ones projected ideal. If it fits it becomes part of the self, if it does not it is rejected. The self is really just seeking a distraction a kind of entertainment. Most deem themselves to be very serious about seeking a path to the higher self. But they are in darkness because they have not realized the true self. Just the fact that they are seeking anything is a hindrance to transformation. One must come upon the realization that the movement of thought and illusion of self are one in the same. To be aware of thoughts movement from moment to moment is the dissipation of self and the realization of truth.

One is either transformed or one is entertained. The self seeks entertainment and distraction through various forms of religious practice or in any number of new age formulations. Engaging in these functions is no different than attending a sports function or the theater. That which is the self seeks the distraction of that which most satisfies and conforms to ones projected image. Entertainment is escape from what is. Transformation is living in the absolute moment, in the truth of the reality of what is. One can live in the illusion of a projected self or one can live in the reality of the moment and realize the true self.