In the last post we discussed the impact of a fallacy namely an I which does not exist and yet is believed by most of us to whom the sufferings happen. In this we are going to explore the impact of this a little more in our endeavors. Also we would see how this works to enhance the thought system.
One of the most fundamental things we work for is to become someone in life. To become an engineer, or to become a doctor or have a reputed social status etc seems to be the primary motivation for most of us. Why does this carry so much importance for us?. We can see that it is because our mind tells us " I am this now". So I would like to become something more than this. I have this now so i need to get that so that my reputation is intact and so on. In all these , we never question whether there is an I who is such and such. People who have truly discovered that there is no such I to whom all these attributes exist, would never run behind all these. You need not become a monk to discover this. Just a little insight into the true nature of the I is enough to convince us of the futility of all endeavors in life. It is something that never exists. So how can it be limited and how can it be fulfilled?.
It is because of this that our mind is attached to things and yet gets never satisfied. Whatever you do to please this I , since it doesn't exist it would not be satisfied. How can a non entity be satisfied?. So our endeavors continue. Maybe we need to amass a little more wealth, maybe we need to secure ourselves more. Maybe if our body is somewhere else we would feel better and so on. This is really the origin of greed and non contentment.
The origin of desire in our mind is to please a non existing entity!. Suppose you get a craving for ice cream. To whom does these persistent thoughts refer to ?. Does the tongue come and tell you to take ice cream?.No. You can see that there is no I demanding it. However there are a profusion of thoughts in our mind. It is in order to escape from these thoughts that we take it. However the conclusion by the mind is that " I took ice cream and i am happy". Now see the fallacy of this statement and feeling. In the first place there was never an I which demanded it. Now there is a I which has taken it as well as become happy because of this act. So our mind has now succeeded in making us believe that the non existing entity is pleased by taking things in the outside world and there in lies the happiness.
What really happens in satisfying our desires is not I becoming happy. It is just that we become free from our thought system. Our seeking ends and we touch our true nature in its infinite glory. The absence of seeking means we don't require anything. If we don't require anything it means we are not finite and limited. We would behave exactly that way if we were unlimited. A kind would never crave for a piece of land in his country. He knows he owns all. He has given it gracefully to all his country men. Dropping desires is not a desperate act . We truly understand that it cannot satisfy anything. Why should we first create a thought system by creating a desire and then become free from it?. Why not just abandon it in the first place.
Now you might think how can a non existing entity create so much havoc in our life. We are in for more surprises. The thought system motivated by the false story of the I can create more stories for you. These are called projections. It would tell you stories about the I which is going to exist in the future. Pathetic stories of how the I is going to suffer if we dont take some action. At least we are supposed to be worried by lot of thoughts and have some fear about the evolution of the I. At the same time it would also compare it with the past glory of the I. The beautiful period of life the I existed and how miserable it is now, and how much more misery exists in the future. Samsara is just these projections .
If we look deeply in the mind you can see all these stories , interpretations and projections going on all the time. Please get familiar with your own stories through meditation. This is the root of understanding your own nature. You would be surprised how hallucinatory it has been. It all depends on this non entity called the I or ego. The path of liberation is only in realizing this fallacy in our mind. Whatever else you do, in terms of liberation will never be complete unless you root out this misconception that there is no I on the other end to hold on. When you realize this , something gives away from your mind. It becomes restful instead of restless.
One of the most fundamental things we work for is to become someone in life. To become an engineer, or to become a doctor or have a reputed social status etc seems to be the primary motivation for most of us. Why does this carry so much importance for us?. We can see that it is because our mind tells us " I am this now". So I would like to become something more than this. I have this now so i need to get that so that my reputation is intact and so on. In all these , we never question whether there is an I who is such and such. People who have truly discovered that there is no such I to whom all these attributes exist, would never run behind all these. You need not become a monk to discover this. Just a little insight into the true nature of the I is enough to convince us of the futility of all endeavors in life. It is something that never exists. So how can it be limited and how can it be fulfilled?.
It is because of this that our mind is attached to things and yet gets never satisfied. Whatever you do to please this I , since it doesn't exist it would not be satisfied. How can a non entity be satisfied?. So our endeavors continue. Maybe we need to amass a little more wealth, maybe we need to secure ourselves more. Maybe if our body is somewhere else we would feel better and so on. This is really the origin of greed and non contentment.
The origin of desire in our mind is to please a non existing entity!. Suppose you get a craving for ice cream. To whom does these persistent thoughts refer to ?. Does the tongue come and tell you to take ice cream?.No. You can see that there is no I demanding it. However there are a profusion of thoughts in our mind. It is in order to escape from these thoughts that we take it. However the conclusion by the mind is that " I took ice cream and i am happy". Now see the fallacy of this statement and feeling. In the first place there was never an I which demanded it. Now there is a I which has taken it as well as become happy because of this act. So our mind has now succeeded in making us believe that the non existing entity is pleased by taking things in the outside world and there in lies the happiness.
What really happens in satisfying our desires is not I becoming happy. It is just that we become free from our thought system. Our seeking ends and we touch our true nature in its infinite glory. The absence of seeking means we don't require anything. If we don't require anything it means we are not finite and limited. We would behave exactly that way if we were unlimited. A kind would never crave for a piece of land in his country. He knows he owns all. He has given it gracefully to all his country men. Dropping desires is not a desperate act . We truly understand that it cannot satisfy anything. Why should we first create a thought system by creating a desire and then become free from it?. Why not just abandon it in the first place.
Now you might think how can a non existing entity create so much havoc in our life. We are in for more surprises. The thought system motivated by the false story of the I can create more stories for you. These are called projections. It would tell you stories about the I which is going to exist in the future. Pathetic stories of how the I is going to suffer if we dont take some action. At least we are supposed to be worried by lot of thoughts and have some fear about the evolution of the I. At the same time it would also compare it with the past glory of the I. The beautiful period of life the I existed and how miserable it is now, and how much more misery exists in the future. Samsara is just these projections .
If we look deeply in the mind you can see all these stories , interpretations and projections going on all the time. Please get familiar with your own stories through meditation. This is the root of understanding your own nature. You would be surprised how hallucinatory it has been. It all depends on this non entity called the I or ego. The path of liberation is only in realizing this fallacy in our mind. Whatever else you do, in terms of liberation will never be complete unless you root out this misconception that there is no I on the other end to hold on. When you realize this , something gives away from your mind. It becomes restful instead of restless.
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