Spiritual Seeker

Most of the time our thinking goes like this:

1. I want something to happen (this could be something mostly within one’s own control such as the achievement of a personal goal or the acquisition of an object, or something outside one’s control such as the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of other people, a promotion at work, a specific political or economic state of affairs, or the outcome of an event in which others are participating such as sports and war. For the purposes of the examination of conditionality, it is irrelevant whether it is inside or outside one’s control, also whether it is realistic and achievable or not).
2. If it happens, I will be happy; if it doesn’t happen, I will be unhappy.
3. Thus, my happiness or unhappiness is determined by whether certain things happen or not. My happiness depends on certain conditions being met. Not all outcomes are acceptable to me; I prefer certain outcomes to others.

Even when the thing we wish to happen does happen, we usually experience a feeling of happiness for only a very brief period of time, returning shortly thereafter to our previous baseline mental state. Living one’s life in this way is like riding a roller coaster: sometimes you’re up, other times you’re down, but in all cases you are out of control. So long as you let your mental state be determined by things happening in the world, you are unlikely to find deep and lasting peace and contentment. It is a very fragile state of affairs and puts us at the whim of all kinds of forces which we cannot control nor predict.

True happiness comes not from events, but from awareness of our own being. We may not have control over the external circumstances of our lives, but we can take control of our patterns of thought and attention. Training and focusing our awareness on that which does not change – the background of awareness itself – meanwhile letting things be what they may and accepting all outcomes without preference, we have a higher likelihood of living in a state of flow and finding peace of mind.

Most people spend their lives trying to secure unconditional survival of the physical body; this is a great delusion. Everything that comes into existence will eventually cease to exist. All forms will dissolve and return to formlessness. Life as a physical body is highly conditional, as is the mental state of most people on this planet who identify with the body. There are so many opportunities for things to go wrong, for suffering, loss, damage and decay, disappointment, and so on, that if we identify only with the body, our very foundation is threatened on a daily basis.

What is the alternative to living only as a fragile body, preferring certain outcomes to others and depending on external events as the basis for our happiness? The alternative to identify with the unconditional, unmanifested universal consciousness which exists outside spacetime and cannot be touched by anything in the material world. The practice that takes us there is meditation. If we take this approach, we are in a very good position and have no reason to fear anything. It is the essence of saying “I’m ok, no matter what“. This is the unconditional identity. Without this knowledge, we are always under threat and we will never feel truly secure, no matter how much money we have or how well protected we are behind walls and barriers.

Unconditional love is necessary for a person to fully develop their potential and feel secure enough to express themselves. Some relationships offer this kind of unconditional love, others only offer conditional love. For example, we may act (without necessarily saying it) in a way that suggests: “I will love you, care for you and stay with you, as long as you stay fit and attractive, don’t put too many demands or burdens on me, bring home enough money, act the way I want you to, and serve my own shallow egoic interests”. Some of us had this message passed to us by our parents. Others have it passed to them in their marriages.

It is interesting to observe that on the societal level, all the messages broadcast by mass media and popular culture suggests the possibility of highly conditional love: “You will find love IF you buy this brand of perfume/clothing/jewellery/car etc. You will be worthy IF you have enough money/power/youth/success/education/influence etc. As soon as you lose these very important qualities, all the love and respect will be taken away because you are no longer worthy or useful”. There is no reference in most of our movies, music, television shows, magazines, or other cultural products to unconditional love, to a caring generosity and abiding presence that will remain no matter what. There are only false promises for false rewards, and most of the time we get suckered into believing them because we are so desperate to feel loved and appreciated. All of this of course only serves the interests of the wealthy elite who have the entire media and advertising industry at their disposal, and who act as middlemen between us and our own well-being and happiness by using these tools to profit from products and services with false promises. The sad thing is that they themselves fall into their own trap of believing that they need money, power and prestige to achieve happiness and integrity. The only difference is that their perceived needs are more costly and elaborate on account of the socio-economic class in which they find themselves.

Conditionality breeds fear, anxiety, worry, stress and resentment. It is associated with distrust, a closed mind and heart, competition and killer instinct. It is a byproduct of unregulated capitalism. Conditionality stifles creativity and free imagination and activates our fight-or-flight reaction. Unconditionality fosters comfort, ease, relaxation, joy, and happiness. It is associated with trust, openness, cooperation, generosity, creative expression and imagination. When we cultivate an unconditional state of mind, we create neither fear nor desire. This boosts our baseline happiness, and reduces the fluctuations that produce destabilizing emotions. We do not move toward or away from any experience, but take all experiences as learning opportunities. Rather than reacting to events, we accept the information presented and allow it to enter our awareness no matter what it may be. Rather than using words such as “hope”, “wish” and “should”, we say: “It is. I am.”

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From what I can tell, there are two fundamental ways in which the primal energy of creation expresses its existence: there is substance, which is manifested/focused energy, and there is space, which is unmanifested/diffuse energy. These two ways do not oppose each other, since they are simply different forms of the same thing, but they do display different qualities as shown in the following description of the essential qualities of each and their corresponding counterparts:

Substance: Manifested-Matter-Changing-Moving-Conditional-Temporal-Local-Earth-Tension-Contraction-Form-Pattern-Partial-Incomplete-Finite

Space: Unmanifested-Spirit-Unchanging-Still-Unconditional-Timeless-Universal-Heaven-Release-Expansion-Formless-Unpatterned-Whole-Complete-Infinite

The life that we know takes place largely in the former. All spiritual paths share a common search for the latter.

For anything to exist, it must exist as a specific entity with a defined identity, and hence be subject to limits, categories, dualisms, etc. Nothing infinite (all-space) or eternal (all-time) exists in the world that we perceive with the senses. All worldly things come from the latter category, from the unlimited timeless abundant energy which we call by many names: God, the universe, Spirit, and so on, and they come into the world as limited, specific things – “ornaments of being” if you will – that are incomplete in the sense that they never embody the whole picture but only a piece of it.

What gives rise to the world we see? It is focused energy, shaped by patterns and rules. Like the ebb and flow of waves on the ocean, things come into being and take shape, hold a pattern for a while, and then dissolve and return to the infinite source of all. Existence is made possible due to the rhythm between substance and space, as shown in the dimensions of time and space. Rhythm in time can be seen in the rising and setting of the sun, in a human heartbeat, in our breath, in the rise and fall of empires, ideas, and cultural trends, and of course in music. Rhythm in space can be seen in the distance between galaxies, solar systems and planets, between continents and between cities, in the mathematical relationships which govern the physical world, in the distance between atoms, molecules and cells, and in the visual arts. Physical exercise has a rhythm, with the contraction and expansion of muscles, the pulse and breath. The mind too alternates between periods of thought and periods of rest.

For spiritual and mental health, it is important for us to regularly connect with the unlimited energy from which all limited forms, including ourselves, come into being. Connecting with this energy doesn’t mean we merge completely with it and become infinite by renouncing our earthly selves; it just means creating space by clearing obstacles in our life so that we can sense the power and clarity of space. With a sustained clear direct connection – accessible through meditation and training of the mind – we can draw upon the limitless healing energy of space and renew our spirit so that we can re-enter daily life refreshed and ready to face the tasks which await us. Space speaks to us if we can learn to calm the mind and body, and with few words can point us in the right direction along our evolutionary path.

One of the biggest misconceptions held in modern Western society is the idea that space is really ‘void’ of any value or energy; that it is nothing, it is impotent and powerless. Equally misguided is the emphasis placed on concrete tangible substance, to which we assign a disproportionately high value. So-called ‘empty’ space is truly potent; its power is not yet manifested. It gives rise to all creation, and creation eventually dissolves and returns to emptiness. This is the great alternating current of creation: space and substance, emptiness and form. This simple rhythm is played out on all levels, in every part of the universe, for eternity. The great mystery of creation is that all polarities display an underlying unity, rising and sinking, growing and shrinking, building and collapsing, like an energy pendulum.

We seem, at least those of us in the Western world, to fill up the time and space in our lives with a lot of distracting clutter. Perhaps part of the motivation for doing this is to avoid ‘the void’ that would occur if we were to experience first-hand a vacant dark space or unstructured time. Yet from those spaces seems to come the possibility of the most inspired insights, visions, lessons, ideas, and messages, all of which are accessible to us. To clear your physical space, get rid of unnecessary clutter, keep your home clean and simple, and focus on quality rather than quantity. To clear your temporal space, don’t overcommit yourself to too many tasks, take periods of rest throughout the day, meditate, and take a day of rest once in a while. While there is still much struggle among people in many parts of the world to secure the basic material needs, for most of us in the developed world the challenge we face is not how to create more substance, but how to create more space.

Is all spiritual inquiry a search for that which does not change? And if so, then are our ongoing investigations of the patterns and rules of the universe through science also just another way of searching for God? Is science the outward path while religion/spirituality/psychology is the inward path?

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These few words express simply and elegantly the best way to learn and grow from all our experiences. If there is to be a reason why we have the experiences that we do in life, if any kind of purpose can be found in the multitude of experiences we encounter, it is to further the expansion, development and evolution of consciousness. The way we do this is by ‘absorbing and including’ the information that comes to us through the senses and also through feelings, intuition, and internal stimuli. Engage fully with the people you meet, and listen to what they have to say. Be aware of your environment and see what it is telling you. Observe your own reactions and feelings when faced with new experiences, for there is as much to learn through self-inquiry as there is from the outer world.

There are no mistakes in terms of the experiences we have in life; everything we encounter is an invitation to grow and integrate a new aspect of Being. If you notice that you keep having the same kinds of experiences or encounters in your waking or dreaming life, take that as a sign of something you have not yet integrated but are being asked to take in. If you find yourself stuck in a repetitive pattern, look more closely and be sensitive to details and particularities – perhaps there are lessons still to be learned from your present stage. Once you have absorbed and included something into your consciousness, it will appear almost transparent and become a natural part of the landscape. Only things that demand our attention stand out and get noticed. Stay focused on the margin of experience and see what is calling you: this is how you discover your path of growth.

An interesting aspect of consciousness is that it does not seem to stop searching when it finds what it considers to be perfection in an object. We perpetually seek out better, more refined objects to bring into our lives, whether it be an attractive partner, a perfect work of art or music, a deliciously satisfying meal, a picturesque sunset, a peak experience or perfect moment, but when we find something close to perfection, consciousness quickly tires of it and begins the search anew. Consciousness seems to want to move ceaselessly towards expansion and growth, to assimilate more and more knowledge and experience. We are attracted not only to ‘the best’ but also to the new and different. We venture off into rougher, more uncharted territory in order to find new things, leaving aside the familiar. This is part of our evolutionary purpose: to expand consciousness to embrace the widest possible context and find a place for everything.

‘Absorb and include’ is compatible with but not identical to Ken Wilber’s concept of ‘transcend and include’ where holons transcend and include the sub-elements that constitute simpler levels of development. Absorb and include refers to the expansion of consciousness via full awareness in the experiences of our life. Some of these experiences will be pleasurable, others will be painful, others confusing or unsettling, and so on, but they all have value and should be accepted with an open heart and an open mind. It is our challenge not to turn away from those experiences which are hard to handle, but rather to face them straight on and give them our full attention and respect. Usually messages from Spirit enter quietly and subtly at first, and we are given several opportunities to pay attention before things get loud and blunt. With keen awareness, we can pick up on the message at an early stage before it becomes painfully unavoidable.

A spiritual path calls on us to look at the world around us and embrace more and more of creation as part of ourselves, learning to overcome the dualistic mindset which divides the world into ‘inside’ and ‘outside’, often assigning an inferior status to those things that reside on the outside. Spiritual development for me – again, to borrow an idea from Ken Wilber – means recognizing that fundamentally there is no ‘other’, there is no ‘outside’ because all of creation exists inside the universal consciousness which we experience as our mind. Every person, every idea, every behaviour that we see ‘out there’ belongs equally ‘in here’, thus any division we make or wall we build to keep things separated is division within ourselves. The path of health and wisdom integrates rather than divides, building connections between seemingly disparate elements.

On the practical level, we often give up on important projects because we don’t see how we can get from our current position to our destination. This often arises because we are overly ambitious and we try to ‘absorb and include’ the whole project in one big step. Things do not happen that way; we are wiser to break it down into many small steps, each of which can be overcome and dealt with on its own. Nobody builds a building all at once; first they lay the foundation, then they put up the frame, then they add the plumbing and electrical, then the walls and floors, and finally they paint and furnish the interior. Step by step, great things come about. The same principle could be applied to education, musical and artistic skills, personal development, and everything else we work on. We don’t have to absorb and include everything at once; we just need to pay full attention to experiences as we pass through them, taking action as required, one step at a time, and progress will happen on its own.

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