“…The problem is more with my sense of pride because it keeps thinking “me”, instead of what it is to be. I’m not the passenger, I am the ride…”. Chris Smithers, singer-songwriter
“The stream of life is marked by different stages – in each stage you fall a prey to vices like egoism, jealousy and falsehood instead of cultivating truth, righteousness and humility. During your childhood, you lead an innocent life without being aware of the distinction between the worldly and sacred paths. But as age advances, you take to the worldly path, rather than to the sublime path. Plunging into the river of desire, tossed by the waves of delusion, getting immersed in the waters of family life, and submerged by peacelessness and strife, you are swallowed by the whale of discontentment. To turn human life from this mundane existence towards the Divine it is essential to have association with Truth, Sath sangam. Sath refers to that which remains the same regardless of time, place or circumstance. One should associate oneself with this Truth. Merging the consciousness with this Truth you should experience the bliss of such association.” Sai Baba 1992
“The spiritual journey is being in the world but not of it, dedicating every action to the higher good- not a single moment wasted.” Deva Premal
We have made ‘the’ choice already, for now, but in each new moment we can re-choose our decision. There is no need to change streams if we are in the stream that facilitates personal transformation and higher consciousness. However, if we are not clear about where we are going and how we get there and what is really real, then we may vacillate all over the place.
What are we choosing, for god-sakes?! When we make the more skillful choice, we in fact are not even choosing, because choosing is doing too much. And ‘not’ choosing is just as problematic.
At one level it is a choice. At the level of mind, there is choosing. If ‘mind’ is all we know, then we make the choice for either skillful or unskillful directions. This starting point is the ‘common’ area for initial movement down ‘the path’.
Later, after mercilessly sitting and trying to get it, we stop trying and ‘get it’. When we ‘get it’ we realize that trying/doing/pushing/etc is just too much. The ‘trying’ was useful to the degree of believing in our minds the futility of it all. Again, ‘not trying’, will do the same thing. That is, give us equal futility of doing nothing and expecting change, and then convincing our ‘minds’ that we needed to go through this gauntlet to understand.
The above process uncovers, what is already there now. Conditioning,
vasanas, samskaras, long-standing patterns of unconscious habits have glued us to an operating system that is ‘so’ beta. We have not upgraded our software nor purged our old chips in favor of a direct channel of ‘being’ with no intermediaries. The elegance of effortlessness is there right now whether we realize it or not. Access is the question.
How do we gain access to this energy streaming through us continually?
Look at how the world is constantly changing through electronics. What a rapid pace? Wearables?! This new category of technology that is embedded into our bodies, is reshaping of how we interface with each other, let alone how electronics interfaces us, up close and personal. Fit Bit, smart watches, lifeloggers, fitness socks, Google glasses, and driverless cars, what a ride.
The fact is that we are allowing this electronic drama to usurp our private lives in more than one way. Texting, so old school now, is highly problematic when driving a 37 foot vehicle on the highway. We can’t let it go no matter how outrageous and unthoughtful the situation gets. Social media is dripping with some of the most mundane, profane, inane postings because we want to be part of this democracy of importance. The investment is staggering.
We Smart phone users, keep our devices with us constantly during our waking hours with just 2 hours out, on the average. Google claims that Android users check their phones on an average of 125 x’s per day -to stay connected.
All this is to point out our devotion not only to our media devices but also to highlight the investment of time ‘practicing’ with these toys. Not only to maybe suggest that we need to give these addictions a rest, but to suggest that we are clearly, as a group, probably investing more in the ‘other’ stream. That stream being the ‘temporary’.
The rejoinder to the above, would probably be ‘balance’. Certainly ‘balance’ is in the right direction. But is it enough? Are we checking to see if we are in The Moment 125 x’s a day?
The choice is really a ‘choice’ between changeless/eternal or unreal/temporary -not balancing both. A choice, when there is a time for choice, is what is required. Pretending to ‘balance’ is to pretend. Again, this is not to say that anything is ‘bad’. It is to say that temporary is temporary and permanent is full, always. It is a time to be skillful without demonizing anything. That would be ‘pushing’.
When we make a choice, we tip the balance to the eternal absolute. We do not pretend that these toys are satisfying in a deep way. They come, they go. We use them without worshipping their utility with addiction. We enjoy them for the moment. We become “The Energy” without attempting to drag the artificialness into the sublime. We are free to Be.
Our reality can take place in our thoughts, in our outer world, and in “The Reality” that Is. Which of these has any permanence? Our thoughts are like vapor. We may have ‘thought’ that these electronics were the bomb, but they are only temporal manifestations of engagement in an impermanent situation.
“The Reality” is the stream that Is. If it is not clear, it is because we have perseverated at least 125 x’s per day on something that has no lasting value. When we get past this ‘balance’ thing and make a commitment at least as great of a commitment to ‘Being’ than to ‘doing’ things, we will be positioned to transact our life in a ‘real’ way.
Can we see Da Funk? Can we cop Da Funk? Seeing and Being the kool is the ticket. The other stuff is gliteratti.
The pith of life is engagement fully in the drama of the Moment. When we are embedded elsewhere, how can we play the game properly? If we commit to playing a game of chess and we are more concerned with texting than playing a strategic game with an adversary, do we really believe that we are playing appropriately? Ideally, the emotions are there. The involvement is present. But there isn’t the over-attachment to results and there is the freedom to have fun, that makes the game work. Isn’t this where we find good sportsmanship to the point where we walk away with full integrity and happiness? We know we have played honorably, were fully present in our participation, and gave it our full commitment for those moments.
The game of life is for playing with commitment not with attachment. It is temporary and allows us to work through our stuff. Hooking up with “The Stream” becomes the effortless choice. Balancing really occurs optimally after this infusion of beautiful energy. We are truly integrated with The Source. Be that. Always in The Moment.
edward. . .Being effortlessly Now 