Let us first define belief. My definition of belief is basically “A thought that we think is true and that is used in substitution of knowing.” The crucial hint here is that it is used in substitution of knowing. One knows when there is direct experience. So basically the difference between knowing and belief is that one is rooted in experience while the other is not.

An example:

Knowing: You played with fire and got burnt.

Belief: Your mom told you that playing with fire can get your burnt and you trust her words.

In this example it is not clear as to why I would suggest that you let go of beliefs and move into knowing. But what if being burnt is a part of life as well? Can you see how belief is a result of us trying to protect ourselves (ie. fear of death and fear of the unknown)? And with these fears and beliefs we go to the outside world perceiving everything through these tinted lenses, further reinforcing the beliefs by ignoring any proof of the contrary. And because the universe has its way of returning what you throw at it, your beliefs manifest into your experience which you then use as proof that the beliefs are true. Hence starts a vicious cycle. So by and by we stop questioning and instead spiral down into repetitive and routine lives and consequently wonder why are we alive in the first place.

At this point I can give you a ready-made answer. But replacing a belief with another is ultimately futile. Instead, I shall pose a question.

Now that you have the chance to see things for what they are, do you really still want to give up the immense experience that life can be and hang on to your petty beliefs?

I really like simple stuff and recently I have found a very easy way to explain the phenomenon of false identification.

So basically, the thoughts, beliefs, feelings and personality (ego) that you have is like the clothes you are wearing now (at least I hope you’re wearing some now). Clothes because you can change them anytime you want. Generally, we don’t take the clothes we possess too seriously and probably wouldn’t go around killing people if they are stolen.

False identification happens when we think that these clothes is actually part of our body. Like our skin or organs. So when someone comes along and violate these clothes, we retaliate since we think they’re actually violating us. Just look at the jihads for a real-life example.

So awareness is key here. Awareness is the first step. Just be aware of how you’re falsely-identified with that which is not You and it’ll drop away.

-Roy

Let me explain.

Freud said that human beings are bound to be miserable because of our very nature. That it’s as though we have in-built mechanisms that ensure our suffering. He observed that everybody wants to be happy, but everybody is miserable. He is right. And anybody who observes human beings and dwell deep into human psyche will eventually have the same conclusion.

My discovery is that this misery is a result of our desire for happiness. From this desire for happiness, people desire many other different things.

It may be..

..a man desires lots of women.

..a man desires power.

..a man desires money.

..a girl desires a Prince Charming.

..a Christian desires eternal salvation through Christ.

..a person desires freedom.

Ultimately, all these desires (and many others, I just listed the common ones) boil down to the root desire for happiness because we think that those things make us happy. And in that desiring for happiness, humanity is bound to misery.

So how is it that desiring happiness makes people miserable? Shouldn’t it make people happy?

I’m glad you asked.

The moment a person desires happiness, he moves away from the present, the Now, the existential and moves into the future, into that which has not come, into a dream. And no one has ever been able to be completely fulfilled from dreams. No one has ever been able to bridge dreams and reality.

Also, the desire for happiness simply shows that the person is miserable in this moment. Since the next moment grows out of this moment, this person is bound to be miserable in the next moment. He might become comfortable with the misery. Maybe he won lottery, maybe he found a new girlfriend, maybe he got promoted at work. But ultimately he is still miserable, simply because he still desires.

So I’ve found that in dropping the desire for happiness, and hence the many desires that sprout out of it, I’ve been able to really be in this moment, in the Now. And the amazing thing is, in the Now, no one is ever able to feel miserable. I tried, but without bringing in the past or the future, it is absolutely impossible to feel miserable.

Try it! Let me know

PS. Had this satori when reading <The Buddha Said…> by OSHO.

So what have I been up to? Basically I picked up Sedona Method (www.sedona.com) and have been using it to clean up the inner space. I highly recommend it.

You know, it’s funny how when you begin to be aware, it becomes like you are another being watching this Roy or this body experiencing everything. Like when Roy is angry, I see that Roy is angry. And yes Roy is quite an angry man, especially when he is playing games. Or when Roy is anxious that there is an awareness of that anxiousness.

This watchfulness is always around, just waiting for me to remember it.

And really, I haven’t really meditated a lot or did anything really bombastic to cultivate it. Well, they might help, but it’s as though awakening is inevitable. Like I’m on a travellator.

-Roy

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but
shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more,
but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and
smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees
but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more
problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too
little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too
tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too
much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to
life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but
have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered
outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better
things.

We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the
atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more,
but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build
more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than
ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small
character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of
two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are
days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night
stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to
quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window
and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this
letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this
insight, or to just hit delete…

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not
going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because
that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the
only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent.

Remember, to say, ‘I love you’ to your partner and your loved ones, but
most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes
from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person
will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the
precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments
that take our breath away.

Pardon me for not being entirely sad though. I just know he’ll be back… albeit not as Clifton. So there’s nothing to be sad about.

What I felt was a waste, and the emphasis is on what I felt, not what he felt, is that he did not experienced a no-bars-held kind of relationship when he was still alive. I say this because the last time I talked to him while we were still in the same camp, it seems that his relationship isn’t all that fulfilling. At least not to me.

I would sooner die than have a relationship where there isn’t 100% openness and satisfaction (or at least the want to satisfy the other party as much as possible).

Amen.

-Roy

There’s a profound story that portrays people as prisoners being held in a dark cave since childhood. They sit facing a wall and behind them is a raised platform and behind that is a fire. Their captors wave dolls back and forth through the light of the fire and these objects cast shadows on the wall in front of the people. The people don’t see the fire and they never look at the dolls because their bodies and heads are chained so they can’t look at the person next to them or move in any way. They only see the shadows that the dolls cast on the wall in front of them. The people come to believe that these shadows are reality. They name the shadows and start competing for who can name them the fastest and how many they can name, which one will come next Etc. They hear the voices of the puppeteers and believe that they are the voices of the shadows. And they suffer greatly as a consequence of their belief. They believe the shadows are reality because they know NOTHING but shadows and they assume there is nothing BUT shadows.

One day, by fate or by circumstance or maybe even by accident one individual is able to turn his head around. As he turns his head he sees the dolls going back and forth in front of the fire. In that moment he realizes that the shadows are only shadows and that suffering is caused by ignorance. He goes back briefly to watching the shadows and suffering. Even though the experience doesn’t last, at least he knows and he’s had this extraordinary moment of consciousness in which he realized that the shadows were shadows. In having seen the truth, it will tug at him until he finally walks out into the sunlight. He’d like to stay out in the sunlight for the rest of his life but he feels an obligation to the people who are still suffering, who still believe in the shadows and who believe there’s nothing BUT shadows. His biggest challenge is how to tell them.

If he goes back into the cave and he tries to tell the truth, they won’t understand him, they won’t believe him. They’ve never heard the word “sunlight.” They will feel that he’s insane and a troublemaker. And, he’ll either end up imprisoned in the shadow world or maybe even crucified… because his words about sunlight are meaningless to the people who have only seen cave shadows.

The principle obstruction to their awakening is the belief that they’re already awake.

Now, while the above statement is true there is, within it, a sense of being made wrong.

Ex: “What do you mean I’m not awake!?”

It’s a threat to the ego and this is no fertile ground for self-development or self-growth. But eventually, if he survives long enough, this realized being grows smart enough to circumvent the ignorance and the intolerance of the shadow watchers. He gains the ability to understand and manage creation. He operates from the viewpoint of higher-self without needing approval or applause. He simply takes responsibility for transforming these people and transforming civilization. He learns how to inspire. And he inspires the people who are trapped and suffering in their shadow reality. He learns how to inspire them to turn around and see the light without making them wrong.

Give your friends lots of room to believe what they believe. Remember, they’re just chasing shadows. If you want to help them (and have a good relationship with them) you have to take this into consideration and avoid making them wrong. Instead, be patient and inspire them to see a new way. When they do things the way they do them, don’t get sucked in…do your own thing and let your actions (and results) speak louder than your words.

Try it and let me know what happens!”

A singular spark that dwells in the soul of every living being
if you look inside you will find this spark too
but you have to look, deep
love your faults, embrace them
if God embraces them, then how can they be faults

love yourself, you have to love yourself
if you don’t love yourself, how can you love others
and if you know what you are, then you can find the truth about others

see what they are, the truth about them
and you know what the truth is, the truth about them… about yourself
the truth is… we are all perfect, just as we are
because God is perfect