The Ephemeral Nature of Thought

"Good and bad, happy and sad, all thoughts vanish into emptiness, like the imprint of a bird in the sky."

-- The Sadhana of Mahamudra

Words of wisdom are a lot like pissing in the wind. You may get a little blow back, you may nourish a few flowers, but ultimately they don't amount to doodley squat.

That's OK. As long as were not seduced into believing that the words themselves can embody truth. They can't. They can at best point the way towards it. But even though the map is not the territory, it sure as hell helps sometimes to have one!

So, though all these wise thoughts will vanish eventually, that doesn't mean that we can't use them now to help guide our way through life. Many times the remembrance of a particular pithy phrase has saved my bacon when I've been distraught, mislead, or just plain stupid. I hope at least some of these quotations have the same effect upon you.

But on an even deeper level, when we begin to assimilate and live the wisdom we read about, our entire lives change. We may not become richer, more successful or more handsome, but we experience life differently, more completely. And so it's harder to truly become wiser without becoming happier.

Thanks for traveling with me for a short way. No matter where you are now in life, no matter where you may go, may wisdom and happiness permeate your soul!

The Desire-Thought Connection

"It is desire that engenders thought."

-- Plotinus

Thought is obviously very useful. At least we think it is! But what about consciousness beyond thought, consciousness without an object? In most spiritual traditions it is the transcendence of thought, not the refinement of thought, that is seen as the highest stage of human development.

Why? I think a lot of it has to do with the desire-thought link that Plotinus observes. All thought is rooted in desire, and every desire is divisive. Desire divides the world into what is versus what you want it to be. In that primal division Unity is lost, dissension arises, and people holding competing desires are pitted against one another.

The Buddha, as well as many other spiritual teachers, observed that life is much smoother once you give up desire. Acceptance of what is leads to peace of mind. And that peace is a calm, smooth, mental lake without tumultuous ripples of thought to disturb it.

So, should we all walk around like thoughtless zombies? Hardly. There is a time and place for thought, but the time is not 24/7 and the place is not everywhere. Don't worry, you won't lose your capacity to think if you succeed in spending time in a desireless, thought-free state. In fact, you will probably find that your thinking is both sharper and deeper if you take regular cognitive vacations.

Action that grows out of a desireless state is action that works for the benefit of all and is at harmony with the Universe. It proceeds spontaneously from a deep intuitive level rather than being a product of the internal war of thought and emotion. And as such, it produces better results.

Releasing desire automatically reduces thought. You observe, you perceive, but you feel no need to ruminate about what is or change it to work for your personal benefit. Today try living in the space between thoughts, in the moments devoid of desire. Try it and see what happens.

Don't Let The Mind Drive

"Letting your mind control your life is like letting an eight-year-old drive your car."

-- Shiva Rea

I know you love our mind. You love it so much because you mistake it for you. You believe that you are your thoughts. Nothing could be further from the truth. You might as well believe that you are Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy or Tiger Woods.

The truth is that you are Spirit. The One, the Only. Since you've got a body, you also get to have a mind. And that mind just happens to be filled with thoughts, many of which are mediocre at best, most of which are just recycled drivel from yesterday.

The intelligence of Spirit makes your mind look like that drunken hillbilly in the infield at a NASCAR race. "Yee hah! Show us your boobies," your mind keeps yelling. Do you really want that goober running your life?

So, what to do? Watch your mind. Don't oppose it, that just strengthens it. Resistance creates persistence. Merely watch the seemingly endless parade of thoughts that march through your mind. Let them go, let them flow. Sooner or later they will begin to slow down a bit. Sooner or later a small gap or two will appear.

Fall into the gap. The gap is where Spirit dwells. The gap is where your true intelligence surfaces in the form of intuition. Let that deep intelligence run your life. Let your mind serve a greater master -- Spirit. I guarantee you, it will make for a much smoother ride.

Three Instructions

"The Three Instructions:
Be Yourself.
Question Stressful Thoughts
Keep the Channel Open."

-- Molly Gordon. The Way of the Accidental Entrepreneur.

I love it when things come in threes! Threes are easy to remember, have a certain symmetry, and hey, how hard can it be to do just three things? Well, in this case, maybe a bit more difficult than it appears upon first blush.

Be yourself. Of course I'm myself -- who the hell else could I be? But am I being my deepest, most authentic self, or am I just lazily adopting a persona that is as comfortable as an old shoe, and even less functional and attractive? True, your self has many facets, but you know in your heart of hearts which components are of the essence and which are cultural overlays. Nourish the former, jettison the latter.

"The economy is in the shitter, and I'm going to lose my job and starve!" That's a stressful thought. But with just a modicum of questioning, it's easy to see its lack of plausibility. You aren't going to starve -- you'll be a dumpster-diving, jug-wine drinking bag lady. Ooops, another stressful thought!

In reality, most stressful thoughts are subtle. They eat away at us, especially when they're on an endless loop. They are the type of thoughts that question our personal worth, the goodness of others, the beauty of the world. Many times these thoughts propose absurd catastrophic expectations.

Whenever you catch yourself in Stressful Thoughtville, question the veracity of the thought. Is it likely, is it even knowable, is it useful? Most stressful thoughts will get three resounding no's! Drop them like you'd drop OJ Simpson from your wedding guest list, and move on.

Finally, continually open and re-open your channel to the Divine. Let the energy of the Universe course into you and through you. Become like a hollow bamboo through which the Divine can flow. That openness will wash away all stressful thoughts. That openness will lead you to your true self.

Be - Question - Open. Three simple things to do. Three powerful ways to explore, expand and experience the real you.