Unlock Your Bliss

Existence-Knowledge-Bliss

Ancient Hindu wisdom describes life in three steps: "Existence-Knowledge-Bliss," are the three absolutes listed in their proper order. I always took this to mean that life is for the gaining of knowledge which leads to bliss in the afterlife. But now I see this as a description of the three phases of earthly life. Bliss isn't reserved for the afterlife-it is meant to be attained in the here-and-now. Bliss is described as: "Supreme happiness, utter joy and contentment." We have all experienced ecstatic moments, such as our wedding day, a child's birth, and of course, sexual ecstasy. But what would it be like to live in a state of perpetual bliss?

Know Who You Are

When you come to the place where you absolutely know who you are, there is nothing to do because there is no more to know. I am speaking of enlightenment-the realization of the Self. I don't mean you must stop learning, for even in the final phase of the yogini's life she is still exploring the phase she is in. What I mean is, after you have attained the ultimate truth of your origins, you can sit unmoved in meditation and not feel compelled to answer to anybody. Or like the Hindu sage Sri Nasargadatta Maharaj did, you can sit smoking, expounding your wisdom (although I suggest you take up a healthier pastime). Simply said: God doesn't have to work. Once you have done the work of awakening (which is not really work in any case, for that moment is pure grace), all the world is your creation and it needs no direction or intervention, for it functions spontaneously and perfectly according to your pre-planned plan. For the enlightened, nothing needs to happen, for everything already is. If you catch a glimpse of who you are, even while you inhabit a body, your problems are solved.

Pushing a Train

Would you push a train if it is on track and headed in the right direction, with a perfectly good engine? You may not be able to see it yet, but the engine of destiny is pulling you along. You can push a locomotive, but why would you, unless you don't understand how locomotives work? If you've never seen a train before, you might deduce that it needs to be pushed in order to move. But pushing anything or anyone is insanity, for it is already all accomplished; it's as fruitless as pushing a train. The drive to accomplish is the human survival instinct. When you see the ego for what it is, you realize it is insane. It is insane, ignorant, even counterproductive. Once you have gained everything, there is nothing left to strive for. Once you possess all the treasure in the world, why chase a paycheck? Go ahead and push the train if you want-push with all your might and see if it will budge. It will not, for it is attached to a track and compelled from within, never externally. In fact, don't lay your hands on anything, because you'll mar whatever you touch. Instead, exist in a state of acceptance of what is.

Confound The Mind

There is complete rest in the word "bliss" which is supposed to be, and can be, the final phase of development. But complete rest confounds the mind. There is no need to use the mind here, for everything that can be settled has been settled. The only thing to be attained is peace, rest, oblivion. The soul embodies existence in various life forms, reincarnating thousands of times. Next, the soul attains knowledge and insight about itself, life, and the purpose of life. When that has been achieved, there is only the final stage of non-doing to be enjoyed. Bliss is beyond the mind. Bliss is not doing, it is feeling. Bliss is free of the mind and therefore free of any doing, which is why it's blissful! The third stage of life is beyond plans and whatever the body happens to be doing. Bliss is beyond the mind's understanding. There is nothing to be done anymore except to savor life. But if someone handed you life and said: "Go enjoy it. Don't do anything, it's all been done, just go and enjoy it," could you do it? The bliss stage is a bit like retirement. You've worked hard, and now it's time to enjoy. What will you do with your time when there is nothing to be done?

Manifesting Without Making it Happen

When you are in bliss, manifestation happens or doesn't happen, spontaneously. It is like taking your hands off the controls and letting the train ride. It is picking a comfortable window seat and enjoying the scenery. Nothing I do or say will change anything at this stage. Here, all is done. There is no more karma being played out, no more consequences from past lives-even karma has been satisfied. All you have to do is rest. How easy is that? Everything you need to learn is fed to you as you sleep; there is no need to seek for answers. No doing, only being. No problems, only answers. This is so because everything apparent is contained within you. And if everything is contained within, whatever you want will blossom in the right time and in the right way.

Even God has to be Patient

It is a matter of patience, then. In this life, every circumstance will present itself to you as it should. It is a waste of time to go looking for something that will come to you at the exact right moment in the exact right way. There is nothing to be done except be patient as the train click-clacks along. In the bliss phase, your karma is settled so you sit back, and watch others struggle themselves free. Watching others struggle is like watching Houdini escape from the straitjacket-it is hard to watch. But it is the struggle itself that makes them free. Like the caterpillar wrestling within the cocoon to become the butterfly, if you rescue them, they will never learn that they are free.

At this phase, you become the observer and your anxiety over their self-induced straitjacket is not helpful. This may sound callous to the person who doesn't realize that if the enlightened people could, they would rescue everybody. But the enlightened understand that it would sabotage the self-rescue we are all here to accomplish. The best posture, then, is to give comfort while standing far enough back from the chaos and confusion to be an observer, for the observer always has the most balanced perspective.

Keep From Interfering

It sounds simple to keep yourself from interfering; but try it for a day, or even an hour, and you will see it frustrates and confounds the mind. The mind is a doing machine, but unless you want to generate new karma, it is foolish to begin a new path once you have made it to bliss, because anything you do in the cycle of bliss is outside of joy, and anything outside of joy is incurring new karma. Karma will return you to the cycle you were just liberated from. Therefore, what is left in the cycle of bliss but to do every moment what is in the moment? Nothing else. In the cycle of bliss, you must stay in the moment and in so doing, avoid creating unnecessary karma. Stay Blissed-Out. When you've gotten to the life phase of bliss, do what delights you and watch the road open up before you. 

The Four Stages of Enlightenment

Does enlightenment happen in stages? Is it gradual or sudden? Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Taoists, Sufis, and Jewish mystics all describe enlightenment experiences. Buddhists explain enlightenment in four distinct stages, in very precise and elaborate language. Self-realized people describe a process that varies according to the individual. Both Buddhists and Hindus believe attainment of enlightenment includes one's past lives. 

According to Buddhists, the four stages of enlightenment are:

1. Stream Entry-Just as it sounds, you enter awareness of yourself as a spiritual being by wading in gradually. This is perhaps the most elongated step and involves hundreds or thousands of incarnations. There are four factors that lead to entering the stream of spiritual awareness:

• Association with people of integrity-In other words, your tolerance for addictive and bad behavior lessons, and you distance yourself from it.
• Listening to true dharma-Interest in listening to spiritual teaching and reading sacred teachings. 
• Appropriate Attention-Focusing on spiritual things. Pursuing knowledge and attainment of Self-realization. 

2. Sotapanna-When you have fulfilled these four prerequisites to enlightenment you are called a "Sotapanna" (meaning: "Stream-winner"). Once the Sotapanna "opens the eye of dharma" (dharma being sacred teachings) they drop these three "fetters" (shackles). These three fetters bind a person to rebirth:

1. Disbelief in the Soul/Self
2. Skeptical doubt-Doubting the authenticity of the dharma
3. Clinging to rights and rituals-Praying to Gods for benefits

"…those monks who have abandoned the three fetters, are all stream-winners, steadfast, never again destined for states of woe, headed for self-awakening. "— Alagaddupama Sutta

A Sotapanna will also drop these "Six Defilements":

1. Envy
2. Jealousy
3. Hypocrisy
4. Fraud
5. Denigration
6. Domineering

Buddhists believe that the Sotapanna will not have to incarnate more than 7 additional lives. 

3. The Once Returner-In Buddhism, the Sakadāgāmin, "returning once" or "once-returner," is a partially enlightened person who has cut off the first three fetters. As the name implies, they will only endure one final incarnation. They have also weakened two more desires (fetters):

1. Sensual Desire-Desire for impermanent satisfaction.
2. Ill Will-Wanting harm to come to another.

4. The Non-Returner-The "Anagami" has fully eradicated the first five fetters of: Disbelief in the Soul, Skeptical Doubt, Clinging to rites and rituals, eradication of sexual desire, and ill will. These souls then work on dropping the remaining five fetters:

1. Craving for fine material existence
2. Craving for immaterial existence (Heaven)
3. Conceit-Excessively proud of accomplishments
4. Restlessness
5. Ignorance-Have yet to realize the Noble Eight-Fold Path, which are: right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samadhi ('meditative absorption or union'). 

5. Arahant-The soul who has completely destroyed the fetters and dedicated themself to right gnosis (spiritual knowledge). This person is without any confusion. Karma has ended and new karma is not created, nor will they suffer death and rebirth. They are living these six principles and said to be a fully realized:

1. Renunciation
2. Seclusion
3. Non-afflictiveness (not hurting other beings)
4. The end of cravings/desire
5. The end of attachment
6. Realization of the Four Noble Truths, which are: 

1. The truth of suffering
2. The truth of the origin of suffering 
3. The truth of the cessation of suffering 
4. The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering.

The Arahant has Six Supernatural Powers and Three Insights. It is said they have these by one of two methods: Either instantaneously or gaining them in stages through gnosis (wisdom). These God-like supernatural powers have been seen in Buddhist and Hindu sages, or jnanis. 

Three Insights:

1. Ability to know past lives.
2. Ability to know future lives.
3. Ability to know the essential nature of sufferings in the present life and eradicate illusions and earthly desires.

Six Supernatural or Transcendental Powers:

1. Power to be anywhere at will
2. Power to see anything anywhere
3. Power to hear any sound anywhere
4. Power to know the thoughts of all other minds
5. The power to know past lives
6. The power to eradicate illusions and earthly desires.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world and teach four paths to enlightenment, which are:

1. Jnana Yoga-A progression of study and training to attain moksha. The path of knowledge.
2. Karma Yoga-A way of doing duties in selfless service. The path of action.
3. Bhakti Yoga-Bhakti centers on the worship of God. The path of devotion.
4. Raja Yoga-Raja Yoga centers on self-discipline. The eight-fold path includes: self-control, discipline, physical exercises, breath exercises, withdrawal of the sense from the external world, concentration, meditation and complete realization. 

This article was very helpful in understanding the Hindu system:

https://www.yogaindailylife.org/system/en/the-four-paths-of-yoga

All American Renunciation-Discovering Hinduism

The Phantastikos, Shri Gurudev Mahendranath wrote:

"Once you receive the initiation, it is yours throughout life. No one can take it from you, and you yourself can never renounce it. This is the most permanent thing in an impermanent life."

The Sanskrit word for "guru" is translated as "grave." That says it all. When you take the vow of a renunciate, whether formalized by a religion, or informal between you and God, you vow to abandon the world, breaking all ties to your past, including your old identity. In Hinduism, this is known as the path of the sadhu (translated "holy man"); the sage or ascetic. The sadhu is solely dedicated to achieving moksha (liberation), the fourth and final stage of life, through meditation and contemplation of God. Traditionally, this lifestyle was reserved for men, but today in Buddhism, Hindusim, and Jainism, women also wear the robes symbolizing their status as renunciates, and in Hinduism, they are popularly known as sannyasinis. "There are 4 to 5 million sadhus in India today and they are widely respected for their holiness. It is also thought that the austere practices of the sadhus help to burn off their karma and that of the community at large. Thus seen as benefiting society, sadhus are supported by donations from many people" (Wikipedia, 2017). Hindu sadhus employ a variety of religious practices; some practice extreme asceticism, while others focus on praying, chanting or meditating. Most take vows to refrain from violence, inebriation, sexual liberality, eating meat, and attachment to money. Most sadhus in Hinduism even take a new name and may leave their families behind for a solitary and disciplined life, as Lord Buddha did. The processes and rituals of becoming a sadhu vary with sect; in almost all, a sadhu is initiated by a guru, who bestows upon the initiate a new name, as well as a mantra. But how does an all-American girl "take sadhu" if one has an established career? More importantly, should one?

When I converted to Hinduism from Buddhism, I didn't start out thinking that I wanted to become a sandhu, although I admit, the idea of leaving it all behind was tempting. So, I did what any spiritually conflicted modern American would do: I turned to the internet! I found a genuine guru from India who had a monastery in the US and applied to take his study course. I began my journey into sadhu territory tentatively and carefully, by first informing myself about Hinduism; including reading the ancient Hindu scriptures and educating myself in meditation, though I'd studied and practiced meditation and chant for 15 years as a Buddhist. I also took a class in Vedic chant and spent 1 hour daily singing ancient mantras in the mysterious language of Sanskrit. The guru's course taught me how to perform Home Puja, a do-it-yourself worship service for Hindus, so I purchased statues from India and stumbled my way through performing it. The courses instructed me in Bhakti Yoga (meditation), the history of Indian ascetics, and the well-worn path of devotional Hinduism. So, I had my start. But as I plunged headlong into Hinduism, I was curious to know about the lives of female sadhus. What were their thoughts, feelings, and daily lives like?

I read the book: "Women In Ochre Robes" (Khandelwal, 2004), describing the experiences of India's female renunciates. I quickly learned that while there are modern female sanyasinis who are highly respected by their communities, and some who even have their own ashrams, Hinduism is decidedly paternalistic, which has made the road for women ascetics that much steeper. In India, when male Sadhus are asked about women taking sanyasi, some will say women cannot (traditionally) take the vows. Nevertheless, these determined female devotees feel the internal call, defying tradition as they don the saffron robes, agree to take on followers and householder patrons. However, the majority live reclusive lives, wandering the countryside and observing austerities, or teaching in exchange for shelter and a meal, or living in communal ashrams with other sannyasinis. But when I searched online to find another American female Hindu renunciate, I found only American male gurus. Was I the only American woman interested in taking the initiation, and undergoing these drastic spiritual changes, shifts in consciousness so profound that I could only describe it as self-realization? And if I wasn't the only one, where were they hiding?

I have never felt as solitary, because I had never met anyone like me, a woman called to asceticism so late in life, and I've never known any Hindus. Simultaneously, I've never felt so content and peaceful, so completely absorbed in meditation and Vedic chant. It is a dichotomy: wanting to know I am doing this correctly and wishing I had a local guru to guide my steps into this new world of renunciation yet feeling the undeniable pull to withdraw and develop a unique bond with God. There's been a definite tension there. I considered joining a community Hindu temple, but I've been practicing meditation and chant for 15 years as a Buddhist, and therefore my Inner Guru is strong, muscling me down the path of the lone renunciate.

Other changes continued to happen organically (no pun intended). I gave up a social life so I could spend my free time in meditation and chant, and I put off returning to work until my honeymoon period with asceticism was over. But that was the thing: I didn't know if my Inner Guru was going to ask me for a lifetime commitment or not. I didn't know where the path of the sadhu would lead. My soul had grabbed me by the hand and was pulling me along. Before I even converted to Hinduism, I had sold most of my belongings and moved into a 23-foot travel trailer for a humble retirement. Yes, it had a big screen TV, so I wasn't exactly living in the forest or in a cave in the Himalayan mountains like the Indian ascetics. It had a bathroom and running hot water, but during the Winter the water froze, and I was without water for several days at a time. On those days, I felt like a rugged minimalist. I had decided to try minimalist living because I have always been convinced there is more joy in owning less; less is more. It also allowed me to write and research full time, which are my passions in life. I've also given up entertaining myself with anything except that which will hasten my spiritual ascent.  Time after time, my vows placed a gag order on my mouth, almost as if there was an invisible electrical fence that kept me from straying. I came to understand the purpose of renunciation: It is a voluntary giving up of habitual ways in exchange for something higher, something immaterial-something better. It doesn't look self-serving to the outsider, but it is, because the insight, contentment and peace you receive are more valuable than what you have given up.

Another intriguing aspect is that I cannot lie anymore. I used to tell what I would call "white lies," fibs that didn't hurt anybody. I never felt bad about this because I saw how some lies could actually help a situation (like saying I was a landlord so a needy friend could get housing). Or when it would spare someone's feelings, I would tell a white lie to avoid conflict. The point is, we've all done it. But these days, I tell the truth like I can't control it! Even when it would be better to fib a little the truth comes flying out. If I manage to suppress the truth it soon sneaks out from behind the corner where it was silently hiding. I am not sure I like this much transparency-it takes some getting used to, this new and improved version of me who has the ethics of a girl scout.

There has only been one serious downside to concentrated time in meditation: it has made me exquisitely sensitive to other people's energy. I dread going into a busy supermarket, or worse, a crowded mall, because it's like dredging through a thick swamp of other people's crap. This empathic intuition is an unwanted gift that came with my new spiritual sensitivity; it seems you can't have one without the other. When I get away from the crowds or a particularly distasteful person, I clear the heavy energy that I've just bumped into. If I don't, I can barely recover my footing and for a few hours I'll sink into a funk. I can't shake it like I used to; now I absorb it into my auric field so I must cleanse myself to stay emotionally afloat. 

Today while I was taking a shower, a moth flew in, and it had nearly drowned by the time I was stepping out. As I watched it struggle at the bottom of the shower, I heard the great Vedic sentence that I say when I am chanting: "Tat Tvam Asi" (Thou art That). Of the many shifts I've had since I became a Hindu, this change in perception stands out above the rest. This aphorism changed the way I view everything and everyone, including a little moth. In every verse, the writer of the scripture kept repeating: "This is That," referring to the Supreme Being as "That." Pondering the meaning of "This is That," it suddenly it came to me: "This," meaning me is "That," meaning God. The author was emphasizing our divinity.

I thought, how would I act if I were God? God loves unconditionally. And God doesn't desire material things, because He is spirit. I'd have no interest in being entertained, nor would I addict myself to substances because God is above those trifling pleasures. I wouldn't be worried about what others think because I wouldn't be insecure. I'd live in emotional equilibrium and self-sufficiency, not dependent. I'd be impervious to barbs being thrown my way, and calm in the face of difficulty. That all sounded pretty good to me! So, for the rest of the day when I walked around, I repeated to myself: "This (me) is That (God)."

This simple-sounding philosophy is a strict heuristic which Hindus live by. They believe that They are indeed That, and hence, they endeavor to extend God's compassion equally to everyone. This motto also encourages us to treat others as if we are THEM, which is an incredibly compassionate way to live. It is teaching that there is no difference between any created thing and myself. Or, as you may have heard people say, we are all one. The Brahma Purana points out that as long as I view the world as "me and them," I'm living in a false perception of duality.

My favorite illustration of "This is That" happened while I was cooking breakfast years back. A tiny bug (yes, another bug story), so tiny it could barely be seen, came marching across the plate that I was ladling eggs onto. Irritated, I roughly shook it off. I've probably done that a hundred times, smashing a bug or flicking it away. But this time was different. I heard a voice say: "This is That," and the That was the bug. I had flung a tiny, helpless bug across the room with no regard for its existence, and according to Buddhism, Hinduism, and other Eastern religions, That could have been me! If I were that tiny innocent soul, not knowing I had landed on someone's breakfast plate by accident, what would I want? Certainly not to be flipped into oblivion. Why hadn't I taken a moment of my time and opened the door, gently releasing it outside where it belonged? Even though it was an insignificant bug, still-This is That. I felt so bad; I thought about my callousness all day.

But back to the moth in my shower. I remembered that every living thing matters, even an insignificant bug. I toweled off, pulled on my clothes, and grabbed a sheet of paper. His wings were drenched but he crawled up on it. I released him outside and took a minute to watch him spring back to life. He couldn't say thank you, and he probably didn't know that a human had helped him to live one more day. But the point is, I KNOW, and according to Hinduism, GOD knows, too, because, This is That.

And what of those ascetics who practice austerities, intentionally depriving the body of sense pleasures-do I believe in doing that? Austerities are not for the purpose of showing off. They are to remind the devotee that they are not the body. For example: fasting makes you deny the hunger instinct, proving that you have mastery over your senses. Why is this important? Because if you identify with the body and not with the soul, you can be driven like a slave here and there by the craving body. The false beliefs that you and I are separate and that I am only my body keep me from attaining the ultimate goal, which is mukti (liberation). While I'm not a fan of fasting due to my hypoglycemia, I wanted to offer an austerity of some kind, so I decided upon observing silence from waking until noon. The first few days, I forgot to be silent more than I remembered it; speaking my mind was second nature and automatic. I couldn't believe how difficult it was to keep my mouth shut! In my first month of renunciation, I learned many lessons about staying true to the path, mostly lessons about desire and release. I learned that I desire much more often and vehemently than I think I do, and that releasing desire frees the universe to give you unexpected gifts. Christ confirmed: "It is better to give than to receive." When we let go, God has room to work.

One Hindu scripture referred to the narrow road of a renunciate as walking "the edge of a razor blade," and I feel that daily. Anne Lenox has a song: "Walking On Broken Glass." Some days I feel as if my knees are bleeding, for each day my ability to stay on the path is tested. It's no wonder renunciates don't encourage sanyasi-they understand the pain and difficulty of renouncing your old identity and ingrained patterns. The old conditioning sticks to your feet like tar, trying to keep you in the place others have put you and the labels given to you. It is not myself that is the threat, but others who threaten my resolve. This is why sadhus leave their spouses and families behind; I understand now. When your heart is pointing true north, you may have to go it alone, because they can't hear the same piper that you are hearing.

Recently during meditation, I saw a visual of me walking through a veil and as I stepped through, I looked down to see that I was dressed in a diaper. I giggled, because seeing myself in my 50's as a diapered toddler made me smile. But no matter your age, asceticism is a journey, and I had just begun to grow. From time to time, I mess up (which explains why I had a diaper on), but I can't expect to start at the top. In a way, taking sanyasi is like graduating from college only to find you were taken back to kindergarten. Because in kindergarten you learn the basics: how to read, how to get along with others, and how to use logic. This initiation has been like stepping through a door into an odd new world of Wonderland, and to find that I am a very small Alice. And yet, if I were to walk back through the door to enter the "real" world again, I'd be the tallest one there. The difference between the two worlds is that while Wonderland seems like a dream world, it is the actual state of things-even if it is wacky and fantastic. Like Alice, I cannot imagine where this journey will take me, or for how long I will be lost in this Wonderland. All I know is that I want to see things I never saw in the real world, which is why I took the path of the renunciate. Where barriers used to be, now stood doors. I do not know where they will lead me, but I know one thing: this is the only way OUT.

To see all of Devi Nina's books: http://www.amazon.com/Nina-Bingham/e/B008XEX2Z0

GREY is Gorgeous-Interview with Nina Bingham by HAIR'VOLUTION MAGAZINE

"When you're turning 50-something, the tendency is, most likely you want to maintain whatever aroma of youth you still have in your being, savoring every last drop of it as you can get. But not Nina Bingham, celebrated motivational speaker, and author of best-selling books. We'll be finding out why she's turning her hair all white in celebration of her 52nd birthday."-Hairvolution Magazine

CLICK HERE: http://www.hairvolutionmagazine.com/2016/01/the-normal-occurrence-is-that-when.html

It's Hairvolutionmagazine.com baby: absolutely the hair side of life!

Welcome To Nirvana

Distinguishing The Mind from the Soul

To distinguish mind-chatter from pure being-ness is a simple thing. If the mind is doing its usual: approving and disapproving, liking and disliking, offering opinions and commentary, it is not your soul. The soul is the observer. It stands quietly back, and while it will offer direction, it does so only when necessary. Rather than make judgments, it refrains from control and manipulation. It sees no sense in trying to change others and finds the mind's trickery amusing and its need to know compulsive. The difference between compulsive thought and the simplicity of observation is stark. While the mind insists on having its way, the soul always obeys its blueprint. Allow me to explain.

The soul is sent into the world with objectives or "themes" that repeat throughout your life. These themes can be described as your soul's blueprint, a plan for your present human incarnation. For example, if a theme of yours is patience, life circumstances will be arranged so that you continue to encounter situation after situation that tries your patience (a difficult theme, by the way). It is our choice whether we learn from these life lessons. Have you ever wondered what your major life themes might be? Often there are multiple themes. One of my dominant life themes is the "rescuer" theme. I have encountered needy people all my life and chose an education in counseling so I could continue to surround myself with needy people and to rescue. To my dismay, the lesson of this theme is that nobody needs to be rescued! The lesson I had to learn was: "You can't save anyone; you can only love them" (Anais Nin). For a soul who came into this world with a Rescuer or humanitarian theme, this truth has been shocking and more than a little discouraging. Yet life continued to bring me this lesson in a myriad of forms, played it out in the extreme when my teen daughter tragically took her own life at age 15. I have seen in my own life that the Universe will keep ratcheting up the volume until we get the message.

The Souls' Progress

As our souls' progress, we see that life seldom gives us what we want but often what we need. While our mind is busy judging circumstances as good or bad, painful or pleasurable, our souls see the purpose of suffering and agrees with every test. It sees the wisdom and purpose behind the catastrophic event or closed door and always confirms, "All is as it should be." The soul acknowledges our circumstances as the next obstacle in our life's blueprint. It may seem difficult to distinguish when we are functioning in spirit mode vs. being taken for a ride by the vehicle of the mind. There is a simple litmus test to distinguish mind from spirit, and we should inquire regularly which is running us. When operating from the mind's perspective we will have an opinion. When operating in spirit mode, we have no agenda. In spirit-mode we cease to strive and are free from the burden of opinion. In those rare moments when we are free from wanting or opinion we can know with some certainty that we are "being," and this is the hallmark of an enlightened form of existence.

Is anything wrong with accomplishment, with being productive? Certainly not, for that is a primary function of the brain. It ensures our survival and does so through "doing." There is nothing inherently un-spiritual about activity. Yet the compulsiveness of the mind would work us to death or worry us to death if we let it. Many have been driven like a slave by their minds and retired to an early grave because to it. In the West we are programmed early with a "doer" orientation. While being an educated person is an asset, knowledge alone is not the key to our unlocking, for knowledge and truth are different. All my life I've confused them. A person can have book smarts and still be a dishonest person. However, our academic system would have you believe knowledge and truth are one and the same. Truth is the pursuit of right thought and right action, while knowledge is the pursuit of answers.

There may come a day when the accepted answers are not good enough for you, then you will be poised to see the truth. We must come to the end of our understanding to understand anything. And while that may seem like spiritual silliness or a platitude, as long as we think we know, we are blocking new ideas and resisting the more innovative and imaginative self, what psychology refers to as the Super-Ego. This Higher Self has information which our limited conscious intelligence doesn't access, spiritual information that the mind automatically doubts and demands evidence for. The scientific method of reliability and validity was born out of the mind's need to know. The mind always wants to be shown proof. While the scientific method is a valuable means of measuring physical reality in most circumstances, when it comes to the nature of the soul, that which is eternal and invisible to the naked eye, reality cannot be verified via the scientific method. The soul does not pass the test of scientific inquiry because the spiritual realm, which science has little knowledge of (and I am referring specifically to the science of Quantam Physics or Mechanics) is a young science, in its infantile stages of discovery. It cannot produce for humanity the answers science seeks regarding the unseen world because it is still in early discovery. Atheists claim there is no soul and no after world because there is no proof of its existence. This is true, there is no proof... yet. Science has only recently discovered how physical matter is created via thought wave, light and vibration.

How then can science explain the world of spirit, the unseen world, if it cannot yet explain the world which is seen? It is only arrogance and short-sightedness that says we know everything already. Yet, in the short span of my lifetime I couldn't have imagined or predicted the technological boom and advances, even scientific discoveries, and I would have said to a time traveler from the future, "That's impossible!" Remember, the mind is always convinced of its rightness and this tendency of the mind is a trap. It is the quality of the not-knowing mind that Super-Consciousness finds most intriguing and a welcome place to land. To introduce anything new to our tiny minds we have to be reduced to a state of childlike inquiry, what I would call not-knowingness.

Not-knowingness

The mind thinks it knows, which leaves no room for unique and unconventional approaches, innovation, creativity and the like. Doing it "the way it's always been done" stamps out the creative impulse much like a donkey who rushes to stomp out a fire. The seat of invention is the Higher Self or Super Consciousness, while the seat of convention is the brain. The brain is most comfortable with sameness and conformity. It feels safe, yet unchallenged when conforming. It gets bored and weary of "staying in line," yet stays in line because it fears striking out on its own. Those with a strong drive for security will not allow their conventionality to be ruffled or disturbed.

I stated earlier that spiritual awakening is a process of learning to welcome the uncomfortable because it is distinctly uncomfortable to not know. It is uncomfortable to be the student and not the teacher. It is uncomfortable to strike out in an unknown direction, particularly one where the end. Our minds warn us to be on guard, to resists going too far out on a limb. These safety messages are mostly counter-productive to our spiritual growth and to the growth of the personality. Stagnation is the result of thinking the same thoughts and showing a disinterest in anything that smells remotely of risk. There is only one option if we wish to grow spiritually, and it really isn't a choice at all, because life has a way of thrusting on us what we came here to learn. Even when we fight it, we eventually see that growth is inevitable. The only choice we have is how fast or how slow we grow. For those earnestly seeking to rid yourselves of outdated habits and negative thought patterns, one way is to take a step towards that which seems most uncomfortable; running towards risk instead of away from it. As Buddhist nun and author Pema Chodrin advised, "Lean into the sharp edges." Without leaning towards enlightenment, the old patterns remain ensconced, and the scene will never brighten, the mind content to rest in its own comfortable darkness. I can't think of anything less conducive to growth than sameness.

Leaning into the sharp edges

The question we are then faced with is: How do I lean into the sharp edges? What steps are necessary to take? This is an ironic question, considering what is necessary for your unfolding enlightenment is for you NOT to take any steps. "But I can't lay around like a slug all day," your mind might argue. Point taken. A life of utter inactivity would be counterproductive to your survival and happiness. The soul desires expansion and evolution, so stagnation is not spiritual. To live on a mountain top like a yogi might sound enticing but we would stagnate pretty fast living the life of a recluse. For most of us, inactivity is not the challenge. Most of our minds demand of us activity, interaction and stimulation. I am speaking to those of us who have been programmed to think of achievement and accomplishment as valuable and important and who have difficulty being still and at rest. It is for those of us with active minds who enjoy keeping busy, that I am speaking to. For us, the thought of standing still too long creates a sort of ill-at-ease feeling. Yet there is nothing wrong with rest, peace and inactivity (so long as it doesn't impede on our plans, says the mind). This type of production-oriented thinking is common to individualistic societies such as the U.S., and can result in feelings of inferiority and "not good enough," even in feelings of shame when we aren't busily proving our worth. Women are notorious for being the most overloaded member of the household, feeling as if everyone else should come first in their role as mother and caretaker. Besides a feeling of having to earn our keep, we feel as if we need to prove our happiness to others, our wealth, even our attractiveness. This is a symptom of deep-ceded inferiority feelings that are the antithesis of peace and unconditional positive regard towards oneself. Other feelings such as competitiveness and comparison well up when we haven't taken the time to simply "be." If you feel as if you are trying too hard to be accepted, liked and respected, than you probably are. You may need to take time to step away from the mad rush long enough to realize that if you died today the world would go on perfectly well without you. The world wouldn't stop turning, and even the ones who love you the most would eventually move on. Only the mind believes you are irreplaceable or so important that you mustn't take time to stop and "smell the roses."

A Dead Radio

Psychic Sylvia Brown accurately described life when she said it's like being dropped in a war zone with nothing but a dead radio. The intimate connection with the Other Side our soul once had is severed and we find ourselves lost and alone on a battlefield. Sylvia also explained that because of the blissful mindset we have while in spirit form on the Other Side, we often take on more than we bargained for in life, kind of like a child who puts too much food on her plate (my mother used to tell me my eyes were bigger than my stomach). The child doesn't mean to, it's just that the food looks so enticing and they're planning on gobbling it up... the reality, however, is often a very full plate and a tummy ache. Some of us have agreed to more "adventure" and at times more sorrow than other souls who have wisely learned to "pace themselves." I'm making a mental note now to take only what I can handle the next time I line up at the rebirth buffet!

Because earth is such a difficult soul assignment, we treat universal laws if they were a "genie in the bottle." We want our spiritual lives to have a magic and instantaneous effect, like Aladdin's lamp. If we rub the lamp a certain number of times then the genie will pop out and grant us our wishes. However, the universe is just a little more complicated than that. This is Disney entertainment, and while appealing, it doesn't take into account that the universe is not primarily interested in making you happy. But gee, you might be thinking, doesn't God want us to live happy lives? Of Course so. However, a happy life is not the reason you took a body. While the Dali Llama has explained that the purpose of life is happiness, I'm pretty sure he did not mean we are kings and queens who were created to be served. No indeed, it is the other way around. We are here to serve others (I think Christ emphasized this repeatedly). This earth is the landscape upon which we serve. Then what did the Dali Llama mean about happiness? When seen through the eyes of Buddhist philosophy, happiness translates into the Buddhist word, "Nirvana." But "Nirvana" does not mean happiness. The word actually translates to: "Cessation." The end of. The end of striving. The end of anxiety. The end of comparison and competition. The end of... me. The end of my inflated ego, and thankfully, the beginning of wisdom. Buddha said at the end of the seeker's path would be... the end. But we would rather that it meant never-ending bliss and happiness. While it's a nice fairy tale, the Buddha had a penchant for telling the truth.

If we can manage to control the ego we will enter enlightenment, which amounts to the end of compulsive wanting. Like a spoiled child, the ego never stops yearning to be somewhere else, jealous for more, whining for bigger and better, luxurious and more deluxe. Have you ever noticed that the ego is never satisfied for long? Freud called the ego, "His majesty the baby." So let's examine the human being you've become and ask a searching question: Are you in fact the person your ego has made you out to be?

Who you really are

First, let's look at the numbers, numbers don't lie. There are over 7 billion humans on the planet. That's about 3,000,000 births per day, and 80,000,000 (80 million) births a year. Still feeling larger than life? To give you an idea of the enormity of that ratio (1 in 7 billion), if you were to spend only 1 minute talking to every person it would take you around 14,000 years to meet everyone. That's 140 centuries. Although we can't wrap our minds around the fact that we are only one entity of 7 billion entities, the larger reality is that compared to all the souls in eternity, we are like a single grain of sand as among all the beaches of the world (which is, by the way, 1 in 7 Quintilian, 5 quadrillion, or 1 in 700500000000000000000). I imagine by now you've starting to put your existence into proper perspective. And while you are as unique and individual as a snowflake, you are also expendable. I know, not news you really wanted to be reminded of. This vulnerability, this amoeba-like quality of our lives absolutely terrifies the ego. In defense, it puffs itself up as big as humanly possible, much the same way animals do who are trying to fend off a predator. While the ego may even fool us into believing its invincibility and over-inflated proportions, this behavior is telling. In psychological terms there is a defense mechanism known as, "reaction formation." It is when we take the opposite belief because the truth causes too much anxiety. The ego appears larger than life so it doesn't have to feel it's own frailty and face it's own mortality. We pretend so much of the time that we may not actually know how we really feel.

The idealic spiritual life

I began this article explaining the difference between the egoic mind and the spiritual self. As you can see, the two are about as different as night and day. While the ideal spiritual life would be uninterrupted joy and bliss, most of our spiritual experiences are far more common and mundane; the exact word might be "simple." The mind complicates, while the Higher Self keeps it real and simple. If you are an excitable person, spirituality may be somewhat of a letdown. Garden-variety abiding in spirit is a straightforward process of being present in the moment. How simple is that? Once in awhile you will experience a show of fireworks, but more commonly you'll experience a peaceful abiding, the absence of strife. And you will notice you're becoming more comfortable with silence. You will feel more and think less. You will sense more intuitively and find a pliability and flexibility in your decision-making. You will worry less and appreciate the small things more. The more you practice turning your mind off and tuning into your environment the less you will be interested in the dramatic narrative of the mind. Spiritual awakening is the letting go of what we thought we had to be and opening to a redefinition of ourselves-a simpler and more attuned self. The only thing complicated about enlightenment is getting our "bloated nothingness" (Rev. Matt Garrigan) out of the way. And that could take some practice, of this I am sure.

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Courage Award-Nina Bingham

Nina Bingham was nominated for the Courage Award in 2016. Hear her story:

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