FINDING THE ORDINARY EXTRAORDINARY

The Truth does not need to be true. It is not needy. It Is. We need to be right. We parade around and render our ideas, feelings, and opinions as if they are life/death and Truth. Ours is a very conditional truth. Truth that is based on ours’ and others’ approval of our ideas, is the recipe for qualifying conditions. Truth has no competition and is unconditional. We look for the blockbuster ideas, we ‘justifiably’ react to the most extreme opinion, and we ingest the outrage that absolutely changes our energy pattern and our own truth. Truth does not need show or reaction.

When we can accept the ordinary, that acceptance, is usually closer to the “What Is”, than to an inflated idea that is beyond it’s true proportions. We increase our chances of seeing reality more accurately when our demonizing stops rating the Moment. ‘Acceptance’ is the practice.

“Being here and now, it is never too late to begin.” 

-Anandamayi Ma
With no qualification, over-evaluation, or reticence or over—indulgence, the seeming banality is where the beauty often resides. The Subtle is always there without parade. Looking for the parade is rejecting “What Is”, period. So many opportunities are lost for bliss to occur and evolve from the timeless Moment. Moments, when overshadowed by an idea that has the presumed luster desired by the media/masses, is not where Truth normally abides.

We seemingly qualify and vett each Moment we happen to be aware of, with our likes and dislikes. This ongoing evaluation is a contrary effort, to qualifying for the issuance of seeing the ‘extraordinary’ in any Moment. Who cares about our likes and dislikes? No one really. And this ‘one’, that seemingly cares about them, is the fraudulent ‘us’, that can never be located.

We are often stuck in this or that Moment waiting for it to change to what we think is desirable and worth our devotion. Funny thing is, even when we arrive at the Moment we ‘think’ we were looking for, it then is not attended to with full attention by us. We, upon hitting on our goal, then usurp it by removing ourselves from the reality of being with it, by going to another thought. That process then subtracts from the immediacy of our spiritual desire for experiencing the ‘What Is”. What’s up with that?! Looking for ‘more’ is never ending.

Buddhism has a useful concept of itemizing “five aggregates”. They are form, feelings, perception, impulses, and discernment (consciousness). The presence of these colluding factors, are said to be dead ends, as far as moving past the idea-based self. Form and consciousness interact with the input of feelings, perception, and impulses. It is a form-based paradigm that generates form-based consciousness. Hanging out here is very limiting. This paradigm underscores our failed process of processing phenomena.

The “aggregates”make even more sense when we see our over-indulgence and perseveration in our own thoughts. We ‘think’ that it is OK to ‘stay’ in these thoughts without any real harm, especially if these thoughts are ‘good’ or enjoyable. Fact is that these thoughts, despite their intoxicating appeal and flavor, are a push away from “What Is”. Choosing to indulge in, rather than choosing to ‘see’ the transitoriness, is the unskillful choice we make to ‘not’ ‘Be’. This consistent false choice leaves us with the sticky residue of limited consciousness and separation.

Whether it is feelings, ideas, or conditioning coming through, our choice to ‘not’ ‘see’ ‘it’, is a moment-by-moment choice to miscue our identity with circus over substance. Thoughts are not inherently bad, but perseveration and not seeing them, bode for depleted awareness.

Moving past the “aggregates” is a process change that involves a change in our world view. Each time we ‘See’ more clearly the reinforcement of sentient-based consciousness, we can begin to reinforce connection to a clearer reality of effortless Being, without falling into the same old traps.

When we find ourselves stuck in some place where we cannot normally press on with our agenda, we look to escape, because our agenda unfortunately, normally, rules over “What Is”. To suggest that we are accepting “What Is” by finding some useful activity to bide our time, is just another cop-out on Being Present. It is not all about utility and efficient use of time. It is about using our Moments in always being connected to the Formless. To suggest that Silence or a lack of stimuli, is to be avoided, and that we must ‘do’ something about it, is to miss the point badly. There is nothing that has to be done to “Be”. External content is highly overrated.

External validation is a consistent theme in a aggrandized schema of Form. Form prompts outward cues that preclude inward freedom. Freedom is seeing past the outward/inward delineation. Even the ‘perception’ of a division of outward/inward, is form-based. This misperception handcuffs the ‘world view’.

Seeing the ‘process’, whatever process that rules us, is essential. Proper and deliberate use of form, feeling, thoughts, conditioning, and consciousness, is far more skillful, than to be at it’s whim.

Content, and the need to read another book, watch another video, get another opinion, is endless and not useful to secure the ‘bright light’ we need to see clearer. Content is not the solution. Too much focus on content, does nothing to liberate our suffering or change how we see the world. Content is useful for transacting the world. However, it is often an excuse to not see the Silence and Presence in the Moment. We are too busy to give any time to the non-doing that facilitates The Connection.

Silence appears to be very ordinary and uninteresting, at a superficial level. The Subtle is profound but not ostentatious. The Truth is perennial not topical. Presence is substance not eccentricity. Looking for form and reacting to it, is a practice that begets the same old thing, desperation and no contentment. A practice of choosing to Be in every Moment, especially in ones we may normally shun, is far more rewarding and informing, than defaulting to external stimuli and validation.

Internal validation of Being with Presence and Awareness can be facilitated by seeing all the choices and their ramifications. To continue on without seeing how we really ’See’, is to miss the opportunity to ’See’ the world as it Is.

This Iz Daddy’O