There is a space beyond ideas of right and wrong. I'll meet you there.

- Rumi

Imagine,” he said, “the planet is a single organism that meditates.

Like this?

Very simple. How do you meditate?

I concentrate on something and observe my thoughts and emotions. The way they come and go.

Here. Now imagine that people are the thoughts and feelings of planet Earth. We are born and die, and she recognizes us.

Why does she need this?

And why do you need it?

I want to understand who I am.

Yes, but what is this “I”? And how long have you been wanting this? You didn't always want to, right?

Not always.

When you were not even three years old, this “I” did not exist. And there was nothing to understand. And then it appeared, and you realized: there is “I”, and there is everything else. And then - many, many more things. Feelings, emotions, thoughts, fears. You became aware of them. You told yourself: “I want” or “I’m afraid.” But even then you still didn’t want to understand who you were.

What does the planet have to do with it?

Well, how? “The earth was formless and empty, and darkness was upon the deep...”

Come on, stop it!

Okay,” he laughed. - The body of the Earth appeared in Space, but there were no living organisms on it. It was simply matter, a set of various elements of the periodic system, like the other planets of our solar system. These planets are dead. "Shapeless and empty."

So, what does meditation have to do with it??

Don't interrupt! Meditation is still a long way off. First, plants appeared on Earth, then animals. Animals, unlike plants, were already capable of feeling, but were not yet capable of self-awareness. They lived and live by instincts. This was the case with you until you were three years old, before your “I” appeared.

That is, the planet went through the same stages as me, only the time frame was longer?

She is still going through them. We can conditionally equate the life of the Earth from its appearance until the appearance of Homo sapiens to your life from conception to the appearance of your “I”. Man became intelligent gradually — in the process of evolution — but the life spans of the planet and humans are also incomparable.

And all this time the planet was meditating?

No. In fact of the matter. She only started meditating when people first started doing it. But the question “Who am I?” arose much earlier. The body of the planet is a large single organism in which everything is interconnected. Plants, animals, people are different cells, tissues and organs of this body. This is a single system. And the consciousness of the planet is exactly the same. It is located inside living beings — in each at its own level. And as soon as some impulse arose in one person for the first time in history, it also arose in the consciousness of planet Earth. As this impulse spread to other people, it became stronger in her consciousness. You can't say exactly when you first asked yourself the question "Who am I?" “At first it arose somewhere very deep inside you. Gradually, he began to take up more and more space in your mind, until finally he brought you to the need for self-exploration.

But many people still don’t ask them?

Yes. And in your consciousness, in the same way, there are parts that are not given to them. You can’t say that your whole being is concerned only with this. Some part of you worries exclusively about your safety, hunger and other basic instincts. It is in you and will always be. Some part of you is indignant and angry, and perhaps even wants to fight for your ideals and principles. And your “I” is able to move between all this. To be one thing, then another. It is so?

Yes. But I try not to stay there for a long time, in these parts.

Why?

Because I think it's pointless. War begets war. This is mathematics.

When there are wars in the world, they are actually going on in the consciousness of the planet. Just like they can go inside you

But this is what the other part of you says—the rational one. She weighs and analyzes. And she is stronger than the one who wants to fight. But even now there are people who have it weaker. And they are ready to fight - out of their own free will, and not under coercion. When there are wars in the world, they are actually going on in the consciousness of the planet. Just like they can go inside you. And they will stop only when the rational component of the planet’s consciousness becomes stronger and broader than the militant one — that is, in essence, when there are more people in whose minds common sense prevails over anger than those for whom the opposite is true. And this will be a natural development. Nonviolent.

Or maybe violent?

Certainly! But then this does not lead to development. In the human mind, this violence manifests itself in the suppression of one’s own emotions, anger, physical needs, in violent attempts to stop one’s thoughts, and so on. And it usually ends badly. All this should not be suppressed, but recognized, accepted and moved on. Nevertheless, many people try to suppress this, if not in themselves, then in others. This is violence. In relationships between people, this manifests itself when a more spiritually developed person forces a less spiritually developed person to act as he does. When he imposes his point of view instead of just being, as I call it, a “silent example.” We can observe the same thing in conflicts between entire states: when more developed countries impose their undoubtedly higher values ​​on less developed ones, they commit violence. And, as a result, we observe rejection, rebellion and aggression in response to such imposition. And such an impact cannot lead to any development. On the other hand, if more developed countries and more developed people preferred to be simply a “silent example” for others, this negative would not exist; on the contrary, they would want to imitate them, and then they would truly contribute to global development simply by the fact of their presence. A similar manifestation of violence is various kinds of dictatorship and massive attempts to remake human nature. Including religious ones. It is impossible to destroy in a person everything that was inherent in him initially, but you can teach him to recognize these parts of himself and work with them without the use of violence. More and more people are gradually coming to this conclusion, and when there are truly many of them, the consciousness of the planet will move to a new level, and development will go much faster. In the future we will have one world and one government, you will see. It's unavoidable. Simply, the consciousness of the planet will gain integrity and unity in the same way as every person gains it in the process of their practice.

It turns out that politics is only an external reflection of the processes taking place in the consciousness of the planet? The same ones that are happening in mine?

Yes. And not only politics, but in general everything that happens. World power is only a mirror. If we take your inner world as an example, the power over yourself that you gain during meditation is the same. It has no boundaries. You notice every thought, every emotion, every physical sensation. You notice how they are born and die, and you remain. Nothing can escape you. "Big Brother is watching you." In the context of your inner world, Big Brother is you, your Witness.

Everyone must go through internal and external belligerence, through attempts to change everyone around, through disappointment and skepticism, through awareness of all human suffering

Well, you gave an example. “1984” is not the most pleasant option for the future.

These horror stories are quite appropriate. Not every person achieves inner integrity. Someone, on the contrary, may become a psychopath or obsessed with some idea. In this case, it is not the inner Witness that gains power over him, but this idea. The dystopias described in books are examples of such a state. But if “Big Brother” only watches and does not interfere, does not exert violence, then there is nothing terrible about him. He's just watching. Those in power should be those who have reached a certain level. Until this happens, world power will be actively fought. In fact, this is a struggle of the consciousness of the planet within itself. When those who should are in power, they will not fight them, since there is no point in fighting those who do not use violence, but are simply impartial Witnesses. There will simply be no need for violence on the part of the authorities, since the level of people by that time will also rise significantly. One of the key commandments that Jesus Christ left us is: “Do not judge.” Everyone is free to go their own way. Everyone must go through internal and external belligerence, through moralizing and trying to change everyone around, through disappointment and skepticism, through awareness of all human suffering, and so on. Someone does this by plunging inside themselves, using various practices. Someone denies all this in himself, and therefore looks for reasons outside. But ultimately they too will come to meditation, since trying to solve their problems outside themselves will not bring results. When the majority of the planet's population begins to solve their problems internally and not externally, power will no longer be needed. And this will be the erasure of the last border.

Between world power and people?

Yes. In a world where everyone realizes their responsibility for everything that happens to them, and does not project it onto others, there can be no violence or deception. It will be enlightened world. Whole and united. But this can only be brought closer in one way. Guess which one?

Own practice...

When you are angry, you are anger. When you are in thoughts, you are a thought

Exactly! Everything that happens in society is only an external reflection of the processes that take place in the consciousness of the planet. But what is the consciousness of the planet? It consists of the consciousnesses of the people living on it. Me and you. Evolution is us. There is nothing outside of us. The consciousness of the planet is us too. You can get into this beautiful world without violence and deception right now. You just need to learn to tune in to it. Your body is a vessel. You yourself can choose what you will fill this vessel with. When you are angry, you are anger. When you are in thoughts, you are a thought. But both are temporary. It has a beginning and an end. And if you identify with this, then you also have a beginning and an end. But you can choose a different role. You can watch all this. Watch how anger and other emotions are born and die in you, watch how the same thing happens with your thoughts. And while you are observing, the planetary consciousness is observing with you. At this moment you are one with him. And immortal.

Is this not what is meant by the fruit of the “tree of life”?

Is very similar. Biblical myths become very interesting in this context. Think about it, what do God and man have in common?

The knowledge of good and evil, which gives us the ability to create.

Let's say. What's the difference?

That we are mortal, but God is not.

But we have already come to the conclusion that our mortality is determined only by the point from which we look at life, what we fill our vessel with. And that there is nothing outside of us.

What then?

Attitude towards a person. The key issue in the Bible is free will. God, like man, knows what good and evil are. But man resists evil.

But God — not?

God doesn't interfere. He is in eternal meditation

Is it really true? Look around. Look at the history of mankind. The eternal cry of a person disappointed in God: “How You allowed this? If you exist, intervene, stop the evil!” But God doesn't intervene. He is in eternal meditation. He allows everything to be. He allows life to create itself, giving it comprehensive free will. Animals do not know good and evil. Man knows good and evil and resists what he considers evil. And God – simply loves.

Loves and allows evil? A strange combination.

Not evil, but free will. Love does not accept violence. The one who truly loves does not limit or dictate his own rules. Only one who loves is able to give another the right to choose between good and evil. And in this sense, God is absolute love. It is non-resistance to evil that makes it so.

I can't accept evil.

It's great if you choose good. This is a manifestation of love in you. But the inability to come to terms with evil is a manifestation of fear. You are afraid of evil because you are afraid of death. You know: since evil exists, it can turn against me. And you fight. But at the core is fear.

And what should I do with fear?

We have already discussed this. Explore yourself. Whoever stops being afraid will know Love. Who knows Love — will be able to give it to others free will. Whoever gives others free will will become an example for them. And it will help you develop. To stop being afraid. To know Love. To give others free will. For it is said: “love.” For it is said: “Do not judge.” And then there will be no boundary between us and God. Don't be afraid.

– Rumi –

I read it several times, each time trying to look at it from different angles, trying to understand why it was on his table, as if it were his personal message to the visitor - that he would meet him in this mysterious space. I was too tired to think, but the stupid thing was staring right at me. I read it through the prism of my views, and still did not understand anything. What does Mark think this means, I thought. Maybe for him this is something like an ideal or a truism? Proclamation of love and compassion? I talked to him. I've seen books he displays to let people know he likes them. I have a pretty good idea of ​​where he is now in spiritual terrain, and I know exactly how he is progressing. What I don't know is what he thinks about the meaning of Rumi's quote. It's like hanging beautiful Chinese calligraphy on your wall without knowing that it says "All white people are assholes." But Mark seems to speak English. Could this be a gift from Colman Barks? I couldn't think of any other explanation.

After all the pleasantries—how wonderful my book is, and how everyone in the office is taking it away from each other—we sat around the conference table, each armed with a notepad, a pen, a bottle of water, and other various types of gear for comfort and productivity. Mark sat at the head of the table with Megan at his right hand. Janet and I sat opposite each other somewhere in the middle. Rosaleen, Mark's executive assistant, sat at the end of the table with a calendar, planner, notepad, and an issue of Radio-TV Interview magazine spread out in front of her.

Everyone except me knew why they were there. These people are engaged in promoting authors - reviews, talk shows, radio interviews, articles, and so on. We're here to prepare me for a radio interview blitz, which is great, they told me, because I can do it sitting at the kitchen table in my underpants. Mark and his people know why they are here, but they do not yet know that their efforts will not be rewarded, even if I were warned about everything in advance. As tempting as it is to do a radio interview while sitting at the kitchen table in my underpants, the ostensible purpose of this meeting—I'm promoting my book—will not be achieved. So why am I wasting people's time here?

I'm here to find out the true goal - the one behind the visible one. I don't do anything based on what is visible, but on trends and currents. I was asked for a meeting, it coincided with other plans, obviously it was worth doing for some reason, although not yet established. What is this reason? Who knows. We'll see. Or not.

“Some of the questions were asked by people from our office,” Janet said. – I found most of them on the Internet. I simply went through spiritual news sites and looked for examples of questions that might be asked of a supposedly enlightened teacher. I will write everything down, and if no one minds getting down to business, let's concentrate and tune in to the process. We are not giving you any specific limits, but it would be better if you could lay out a small repertoire of clear answers and a few control techniques. We provide radio stations with actual recordings and suggested questions that hosts like to follow, but the topics can go quite far beyond that, especially if there are incoming calls. Your ability to direct questions into familiar territory will determine whether your words are clear and understandable or vague and garbled. All clear?

- It feels good.

– We’ll take care of the introduction, atmosphere and the like later. Right now we just want to ask different questions and see what happens. Ready?

– Question number one. Is it possible to have an experience without knowing who is experiencing it?

She looked up from her notes, waiting for my answer. I stared at her blankly. Behind the dull expression of my face, my dull brains were scurrying around, trying to understand the meaning of what I had just said. After a few seconds of careful thought, I was able to articulate the following:

- Sorry?

- Eh, I think I didn’t understand the question.

– Is it possible to experience...

– Say it differently, please.

– You cannot ask the host or caller to...

- I understand. Sorry. I don't know what to do with this question.

– Should I repeat it?

“I heard the words, I just didn’t catch the meaning or intent of the question.” Can I rephrase it?

“That’s what we’re trying to find,” she said, “these are the plugs.” We hope that we can show you that a question that seems off-topic to you can simply be gently brought back into your area of ​​expertise. It just won't happen. You have to practice. That's why we're here.

– I guess this is the same as saying “Is it possible to ask a question without knowing who is asking the question?” Right?

Janet nodded uncertainly.

– The question can be shortened to “Is it possible be without knowing that you There is?” or “Is it possible to do something without knowing who is doing it?” This is either nonsense or a joke, don’t you think?

“Hmm, I don’t know,” she said. “But you can’t say that to whoever is calling.”

I looked at Mark, he just shrugged.

– for me it sounds like this: someone asks whether it is possible to exist without knowing one’s true nature. The original form of the question gives it the appearance of a normal question, and the way I paraphrased it makes it seem rather ridiculous, but that is essentially what the question is about. "Can I not know my true nature?" It is quite difficult to answer such a question without creating the impression that you are making fun of the questioner. Can we move on to the next question?

- Eh, let's see... Is enlightenment a natural step in evolution?

- Oh, good question. The answer is no. If enlightenment has anything to do with evolution, it is its collapse. That is, I believe that the question was referring to the evolution of regenerating individuals, or the evolution of species, but the answer is the same in any case. Evolution is change, but enlightenment is truth that does not change. Evolution occurs in a broader context than everyday life, but it is still framed within a dualistic context. In other words, evolution, growth, development, change, whatever - everything is part of the dramatic presentation of duality. Enlightenment - no.

“But wait,” said Mark, “isn’t enlightenment the end of the evolutionary line?”

“You may be asked related or clarifying questions,” Janet explained.

“It’s okay,” I said. - Funny question. Will I myself experience growth beyond the realization of truth in this life? No. Will I be reborn again in a state of ignorance, in other words, will invisible forces make me fall asleep again? No. The question implies the existence of a differentiated true self as a separate entity, and that, uh, is not a completely correct assumption. Differentiated and true are mutually exclusive things.

“Then who are we talking to?”

“You mean Jed McKenna?” I have no idea. Character in a dream.

– Are you enlightened and you don’t know who you are?

– I can’t know, it doesn’t matter, I don’t care. You talk about reconciling the dream state with reality, as if wanting to summarize. Everyone seems to be hooked on this, but it won't work out for you. Truth and lies are irreconcilable. There is truth, there is no lie. A lie is just a mirage that exists only in the eye of the observer. Truth and falsehood are not opposites, not like black and white in the yin-yang symbol. The true “I” does not exist, and there is nothing to talk about the false one. We cannot insist on something that is true, that makes sense in the light of what we know, because we know nothing. Again, differentiation and truth are mutually exclusive, not two halves of a whole.

“Oh, that's not bad,” Janet said. – Excellent pointed remarks. A little long for an answer, but it can be adjusted. That's what we do here: make your speech clear and concise. Good stuff here. Very interesting. Okay, next question. If love is all there is...

- It won’t work. Next question please.

- Sorry?

- Let's skip this.

– You don’t want to answer...?

– This is not a question, this is a veiled statement. But still, there is no question that begins with "if love is all there is" that I can answer. I couldn't even answer this one: "If love is all there is, then what is your favorite color?"

-What is it about love...

– Listen, I don’t want to bore you guys to tears. Do you really want to listen to an explanation for every question I don't want to answer?

“I think so,” Janet said. – First of all, we don’t get tired of it. Second, it helps us find ways to gain control over the open-ended question format. I’ll let you know if we get bored,” she smiled.

- So, what is it about love?

– This has nothing to do with love. One could also say: “If intense gamma radiation is all there is,” or “If oak plywood is all there is.” In reality, the question is: “If my beliefs are true, how does that fit in with your beliefs?” I don't have any beliefs and I can't answer a question based on someone else's beliefs. It's the same as asking: "How does freedom fit into my limitations?" No way. If the question were, “Is love all there is?”, then we can try to answer, but we cannot simply assume that love is all there is.

– Okay, is love all there is?

- Certainly. If someone wants to call “all that is” love, no one forbids him to do so. Personally, I don't see how this can be practically used for awakening purposes, but you can call it whatever you like: God, Universe, Consciousness, Tao, Mind are the most common examples. Why not love?

She smiled, but reproached me.

-You seem a little arrogant.

“I know it sounds arrogant, but it’s actually something else, and I’m doing my best to present it in a fairly acceptable way.”

She looked at me sternly.

“But you’re bad at it, aren’t you?”

– It all depends on what result you need.

– Don’t you want to give an interview to help spread your book?

I smiled.

– Next question, please.

“Hmm,” she looked at me mockingly. - Fine. Non-dual philosophy states that...

– There is no such thing as a non-dual philosophy. Let's try the next one.

“Wait,” Mark said. – There is a large community of non-duality practitioners around the world and online. And Advaita, which you spoke well of, actually means “not-two,” non-duality.

“That’s right,” I said, “but that doesn’t mean there is such a philosophy.” Non-duality is not a philosophy, or if someone has turned it into one, then they have created false Advaita for personal or financial gain. Non-duality is not a philosophy, it is a concept. This can be compared to two-dimensionality. You can understand two-dimensionality conceptually, but it has no practical value in three-dimensional reality, and if you want to enter two-dimensionality, you need to leave three-dimensionality and your third-dimensional self in order to do so.

“This kind of statement sounds like a final verdict,” Mark said. “It might put a lot of people off.”

“Which brings us to the root of the problem at this table,” I replied through a double yawn. “If I don’t piss people off, I won’t do my job.” This is not bragging, this is how things are. I hit them. I hit to wake me up because somehow they asked me to. But such dynamics do not apply here. Here I have to ask people to believe me, rely on me, and buy my book. I don't want to ask people to trust me or rely on me. I don't know how to do this or why.

– You don’t want people to trust you? – Megan asked with some doubt in her voice.

- No. This is not a matter of trust, this is a matter of self-determination. Here we all sit with the seemingly common goal of promoting a book, but my priority is not selling books. My priority is to express my thoughts as best as possible, and this takes me in a completely different direction. You guys want to make me into a glossy book cover. I'm here to find out if there's an opportunity to do someone a favor by promoting a book, but I'm now sure there's no way.

This earned me four pairs of sad eyes. These guys were hoping to get a big check from the publishers, and I'm getting in their way. Mark spent a few more minutes explaining the advertising process again, in case I had misunderstood anything. They think that "The Bad Thing" can become a bestseller, but bestsellers don't just happen - they require careful preparation and development.

I didn't keep secrets from them. I explained to Mark all the steps we had taken to keep me out of the book projects. I'm a private person, I told him. I did my part - I wrote the one or two books that I was supposed to write, that's all. I guess he still thinks I'm lying to him or myself because we continued as if I hadn't said a word. I know it's not appropriate for a business meeting to be bouncing around like that, hesitating and talking nonsense, so I tried to look attentive and nod in the right places, but it was difficult. I was very tired, very hungry, and no one spoke my language.

– let’s try to continue and see what we have that we can deal with

Megan spoke.

here's the question. How to live more deeply in the present moment?

I carefully probed the question for meaning, and came back empty-handed.

- For what?

– Why do you want to live more deeply in the present moment? What does it mean?

– I'm working on being more present...

– Where to be more fully present?

“In the present moment,” she said, as if it were obvious. - Right now.

- What is it now? Present, uh, time?

“Yes,” she said abruptly, as if she were talking to an idiot, which could very well be the case.

Again, fatigue cast its shroud over everything, so I couldn’t say whether I was so stupid or whether I found myself in a space of stupidity.

– Do you want to be more present in the present?

“Yes,” she said. – I am trying to deepen my awareness, to live more fully in each moment.

I felt like I was in a Monty Python scene.

– Can I ask why? I asked hesitantly, trying not to offend, but a little curious as to what she meant by this deeper awareness.

“To live more fully in each moment,” she said slowly, helping me internalize this. – To be in deeper contact with your life.

to be more in touch with your life. How will you do this?

“By deepening my awareness,” she answered with irritation, and it finally became clear to me that the conversation was going in circles, and I was pissing her off for no good reason. Someone sold this woman something and now she comes to me excitedly asking how it works, but I have no idea what she's talking about.

“I don’t know why anyone thinks they can ask me about living in the moment,” I politely tried to leave the discussion.

I often wonder how many people there are in the New Age community who had experiences on drugs, acid, mushrooms, and the like in their younger days, and would like to have those experiences again, maybe even make them permanent. It seems to me that many teachers and technicians are becoming fashionable in spiritual circles because they promise people the hope of reliving their old glory psychedelic days. If this woman, Megan, was a student of mine that I could talk to openly, I would tell her to stop fooling herself and go and take acid if that's what she wants. I've already told dozens of people this. First find out what you really want. If you don't do this, you'll continue to have a Pavlovian reflex every time you hear the sound of a new spiritual charlatan rolling into town. If you want to revisit those inner spaces to which drugs provide access, then stop fucking your brains out with all sorts of placebos, and go and find your mushrooms. If you can't find them, or are afraid, or are ashamed, then join Stan Grof or Michael Harner, or whoever provides a viable alternative path.

– But you are a spiritual teacher, aren’t you? – Megan asked.

- No, not at all. Quite the opposite,” I sighed and rubbed my eyes. – I would not like to enter into such a discussion. If someone calls and asks what I think about a new teacher, or a technique, or a book, nothing good will come of it. I will either remain silent like a statue or appear offensive, which I know is not good.

“Okay,” Janet suggested, “we can just provide you with a supply of ready-made answers to use when something like this comes up.” Something like “I recognize the merits of such and such a teaching,” or “I deeply respect this book.” You know, having a set of answers ready is preferable, but not necessary. I'll sketch out a couple of ideas today and we'll make a list of what you like.

I didn't bother telling her not to worry.

“Oh, that’s a good one,” she said, “Free will or predestination?”

– Hmm, really, I don’t want to complicate things on purpose, but this question is also unacceptable.

- How is this unacceptable?

- He is not independent. It sits on top of various assumptions that were not initially tested. It presupposes that there are other things that are accepted as true, but which cannot be accepted as true. See, here's the thing: for each person at any given time, there is only one right question. My job is to help him discover the question, not answer it.

“That’s what Jed McKenna said,” Janet laughed. “You’re not one of those frivolous teachers, are you?”

“I’m sure many people don’t think so.” That's why verification was necessary. My ideal learning environment has structure and a set process that does not involve asking questions just for the sake of asking questions. For me, this is just aimless chatter, and uninteresting at that. Of all these questions, not one was from someone who was stuck in a certain place and trying to move forward. None were from someone looking for a key to open the next door. All this is spiritual masturbation, which can only be expected from people who are afraid and strengthen their ego. Therefore, I do not want to engage in this kind of unconstructive dialogue anymore. This will not benefit anyone. I'm used to dealing with hungry, desperate, serious people. I'm not going to try and pretend to be a stern mentor or a mad sage just to gut the tourists. It's the most wonderful and fun thing in the world when you take it seriously, and the most terrible, poisonous dirt if you don't.

- Sorry for taking up your time.

Mark caught up with me at the elevator as I was trying to figure out which button meant down. He thought the meeting had gone pretty well for a first run through and that we should definitely meet again. I smiled and nodded. Then he started talking about a group of people in Queens with whom he was meeting to study the Bhagavad Gita. He said that they had a meeting today and asked to come. I started to refuse, explaining how tired I was - bad day, didn’t get enough sleep, still had a long way to go home and all that, but he insisted, and I was in such a mess in my head that I agreed.

17. Githian life.

What an insignificant weakness in battle
has taken possession of you, son of Pritha?
It does not lead to heaven - to shame! –
It’s not appropriate for you, Aryan.

Don't give in to cowardice
It’s none of your business: you’re a warrior!
Leaving the pathetic pity in my heart,
rise to battle, Destroyer of Enemies!

– Krishna, Bhagavad Gita –

Curtis and I got off the train at Jamaica Station, caught a taxi, and ten minutes later we were at the address Mark had given us. The meeting took place in the basement of a church, Catholic, but not quite - some kind of new and improved version, in which women priests are still not allowed, so not so improved. At the end of the hall there was juice and a tray of Lenten cookies on the table. The stained drop ceiling, enamel-painted brick walls, whirring fluorescent lights and cracked linoleum floors had all taken on a milky-coffee hue from years of exposure to cigarette smoke, giving the impression of a city morgue where Alcoholics Anonymous had met for decades. The long plastic tables were sticky, the identical plastic chairs were slippery, the air was stale, I was tired and hungry, and as if all that wasn't enough, Curtis was funny.

The tables were arranged in a large square, and about thirty people were seated around them in two, and in some places three, rows. An OM symbol cut out of cardboard and wrapped in foil was suspended from a string from the ceiling. Curtis asked me what it was, but I was in no mood to explain the sacred syllables to anyone right now, and I doubt I could have done it at all. A tall, thin, thirty-something man with a ponytail and glasses stood diagonally to my right and addressed the crowd.

“Good evening, everyone,” he began, and damn me, he was cheerful too.

Sew up your eyes, let your heart become your eye.

I lived on the edge of madness, wanting to know the reasons, I knocked on the door. It opened. I was knocking from inside!

Try not to resist the changes that come into your life. Instead, let life live through you. And don't worry about it turning upside down. How do you know that the life you are used to is better than the one that will come?

What you are looking for is also looking for you.

This world is mountains, and our actions are screams: the echo of our scream in the mountains always returns to us.

• Whenever you trust words,
• And the truth that is known by the heart,
• Let the heart light up from the truth,
• There would be no limit to miracles.

In the mirror, as you know, everything is the other way around. But without him we would never have seen ourselves!

You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the whole ocean in a drop.

Beyond the ideas of right and wrong actions there is a field. I'll meet you there.

If every hair of mine became a tongue, I wouldn’t express even a fraction of gratitude!

My religion is Love. Every heart is my temple.

Without your speeches the soul would not have ears, without your ears the soul would not have a tongue.

When the world brings you to your knees, you are in the perfect position to pray.

You, wise one, first know the essence of things, do not trust deceptive appearances.

What seems like a stone to an ordinary person is a pearl to someone who knows.

Without being awake in heart, you and I are unlikely to achieve what we passionately dreamed of.

This is a very subtle concept: everything you love is you.

The worst loneliness is to remain among those who do not understand you.

The Almighty answers in three ways. He says yes and gives you what you wanted. Says “no” and gives what is best. He says “be patient” and gives the best.

He who has great love has great trials.

Let the heart be the eye. And with this eye you will see a different world.

You will become what your aspirations are directed towards, for “a bird flies with the help of its wings, but a believer flies with his aspirations.”

Be who you are. Or be what you appear to be.

Instead of lying or deceiving, keep silent - you will hear the sound of wondrous music!

If you cleanse your heart of rust, your prayers will reach any height.

Everything breaks where it is subtle, and only a person breaks from rudeness.

Always add a word of gratitude to any phrase - “if God wills it” - then go.

They say that there is a door that opens the passage from heart to heart, but what good is a door if there are no walls?

Why are you in prison when the doors are so wide open?

There is in you the presence of that which will exist when these stars are no more.

Bare branches, seemingly dormant in winter, are secretly working, preparing for their spring.

This world is mountains, and our actions are screams: the echo of our scream in the mountains always returns to us.

And with the thought that is born in the hearts, you can throw a hundred worlds into dust.

When troubles fall on you one after another, when they bring you to an unbearable state, just don’t give up! Because this is the point where the course of events will change.

7 myths about love. Journey from the Land of the Mind to the Land of Your Soul George Mike

Beyond your imagination

It sounds simple, but your attachment to these ideas is very deep. Your ego is "buried" in your subconscious. Attachment to many of these concepts is simply beyond your constant awareness of time and space. Your ego will put up serious resistance to your attempts to move beyond performance and get to your values. One of the signals of this resistance is the thought: “But I can’t just disinterestedly give love left and right, this is something from the realm of fantasy!”

It is necessary to do inner work on “attention” and “awareness” in order to see the concepts that you use to suppress your Self. Then you will begin to understand how you use these beliefs to block your values, and this will help you recognize that others also use their beliefs to suppress their values. If, for example, you learned count that competition is good and necessary, it suppresses your values ​​and ability to collaborate. This means you have not yet realized that competition breeds fear, while cooperation is an expression of love. Competition is a manifestation of the ego and therefore goes against the nature of your true Self. If you do you think that anger is normal and sometimes even healthy, you will notice that it suppresses your values ​​and ability to empathize with others, because you cannot empathize with others if you are angry at their mistakes.

If you believe that life is a race for survival in which the fittest wins, this belief will suppress your “giving value” and your ability to serve others. At the crucial moment, you will satisfy your needs, not the needs of other people. Only when you begin to understand how ideas suppress your values ​​can you consciously correct them, get rid of them, eliminate them, or change them. Or you can go straight to the heart of your Self, where you will always find the power of the energy we call love, and begin to clear the path that leads through the thicket of your ideas into the world of your behavior. And as love is expressed in forms such as caring, compassion and cooperation, hundreds of learned ideas such as “me first”, “they are wrong” and “in life there are only winners and losers” will slowly begin to die out.

Once again, some form of meditation and self-reflection is needed. Only then will you begin to see the truth about all representations, which, as we have already seen, is ironically contained in the word “representation” itself. The idea is a lie. An idea is what we create and become attached to when we lose awareness of the truth. When you realize that ideas are essentially illusions, they will go away and your innate sense of truth will be revealed. You already know what the truth is. Here you are simply hindered by the acquired system of ideas.

This is why even “self-image” doesn’t really help in the long run. Yes, it seems to give you a boost of “power of confidence,” that it injects into you a stream of “power of achievement.” But then it starts to become draining, and the doubt that should exist underneath any attachment to any self-image has a chance to float to the surface (if not, then it's probably slowly eating away at you from the inside). It is far better to embrace the power of truth and allow it to become the foundation of your life. When you know who you are, which is the source of peace, love and pure joy, you don't need to have an idea about it. You don't have to seek or achieve certain states. You don't need to impose a belief system on yourself. You don't need to get attached to an image of yourself based on an idea, because soon it will become another form of ego. When you “know” the truth about yourself and live with that truth, self-image no longer plays a role. Then you don't have to spend your time and energy confirming and maintaining a set of beliefs about yourself. “The power of ideas” is a weak force next to the power of truth.

But we adopt many ideas and then cling to them. And we don't realize how much strength they can take away from us in everyday life. This means that we don't challenge our belief systems very often. Let's give a couple of examples. Perhaps our culture is based on three of the most common modern beliefs. They exist in almost every society. But they are wrong.

The first common idea: true happiness can be bought

For many people this is an obvious lie. Happiness from some acquisition always dissipates, leaving behind only the desire for even more. And desire is not happiness, it is discontent. But even when we seem to know this, we still act as if we need to buy ourselves happiness. This idea is so firmly and deeply ingrained that we have become completely blind to the reality that our craving for a new purchase is a symptom of a lack of happiness.

The second common idea: success is an achievement

For many people this idea is still true, but for more and more people it has become an obvious illusion. This idea does not let us out of the process of struggle and effort; we have to constantly look for accomplishments in the future, and therefore always be dissatisfied. Success is not struggle or dissatisfaction. Rather, it is the ability to experience contentment within yourself in every moment, and to do the right thing in the right way and with the right intention.

Third Common Belief: Your Feelings Are Determined by Other People

Here we go again. This is an illusion, and until you fully understand that it is an illusion, you will see yourself as an eternal victim and will never learn the truth that only you determine your own feelings and that you can change how you feel at all times and in any situation. Now this is an empowering truth. But remember, you don't have to believe me. Choose for yourself.

These ideas are easy enough to refute, but the attachment to them (and the false association of yourself with them) is so strong that the ego will fight back when you try to get rid of them and live differently, in accordance with the truth. In fact, when you make that kind of effort within yourself, it feels like you're dying a little. And the ego will look for cunning ways to hold on and survive. You'll have thoughts like, "Well, I'm not sure, maybe a little competition isn't a big deal... maybe safety is all about money... only a man can be angry!"

As we have already seen, the most popular concept that we all use is “I am this body.” Getting rid of just this idea is like a small death. The idea that “I am the form I occupy” gives rise to the idea that death is inevitable. This is the idea we are most attached to and around which we create the most fear. But are we dying? Will your end come? Most people will likely answer yes. And only a few will say that only the body dies, but the “I”, soul or spirit continues to live. Others will say that it cannot be known. And then there are those who will say that they will not die because they have some “inner experience” of their immortality, their infinity, their eternity. In the absence of such experience, the best solution is to say “I don’t know.” No one can prove that this is true, but in the same way no one can prove that after the death of the body there is nothing more.

However, you know from your own experience that everything comes and goes. Nothing remains. And you know that when you hold on to something that has come to you and that you don't want to let go of, life becomes miserable. Maybe “unhappy” is too strong a word. You may feel some discomfort at first. Then vulnerability. Then stress. Therefore attachment is at the root of suffering. And when you are attached and suffering, it only means that you are not your true “I”, that is, you are not living a real life. When you become attached to something, you are slowly suffocating yourself... with your own attachments. At this time, stress increases, and the fear of losing gradually intensifies. It is as if you are killing yourself while you live, and thus missing out on your own life. Therefore, “death while living,” which only means consciously letting go of all one's attachments, is the way to live... truly! And when you let go of all your attachments, you finally become your true self.

Only in this way can your true self and true love be revealed, because all fear will go away. All attachments that you have used to surround and suppress the light of your heart will go away. And only then will you become truly free. Only then will you be able to give selflessly. Only then will you find true happiness. All this sounds simple and clear in words, but, of course, in reality the application of this in everyday life looks different. Therefore, it is necessary to devote time every day to reflection and meditation.