Driftwood on the stream of life

Do you realize that happiness can exist without being externally triggered?

Many are not in control of their state of happiness. They have relinquished control to external forces, circumstances, or situations that must exist in order to be happy ... like driftwood flowing down the stream of life at the mercy of the currents.

With as short as life is, why would anyone want to spend a single second of it in a mental state other than complete bliss? We all know tomorrow is not guaranteed, but few live that way. Living like tomorrow is not guaranteed brings us one step closer to liberation.

The search

I have long wondered if mankind's perpetual state of desire was an evolutionary necessity.  For even the wealthiest among us have their arms forever outstretched for that "one more thing" just beyond their reach that promises contentment.

Addicted, the search for more continues; over and over again, growing accustomed to the cycles of psychological highs and lows. If the past is any indication of the future, regardless of how much is acquired, conquered, or obtained, peace of mind will remain elusive.  Just as the sweet smell of a rose seems to fade with time even though the concentration of the scent has not changed, objects outside of the self can only maintain temporary, primal states of contentment; money, social status, sex ... the joy such things provide are guaranteed to dissipate with time and always leave a yearning for more.  Seeking happiness externally, guarantees unhappiness internally.

Pain and pleasure ends in the body, but bliss and suffering begins in the mind.  The conscious mind does not separate the subject and the object, thus embracing spiritual oneness with all things.  This oneness sheds expectation and eliminates desire, while tapping into the infinite source of unending bliss.  Our level of consciousness is a predictor of peacefulness and contentment in life, for the unconscious mind is like a sailboat without a captain; always being at the mercy of the ocean currents.

Chocolate Fever

When I was 8, "Chocolate Fever" aired on TV.  It depicted a boy who ate too much chocolate resulting in chocolate colored spots on his skin. Coincidentally, when I got to school next day I broke out in a rash similar to the boy in the cartoon. Little did I know that this single event would set the tone for what would be a lifelong journey to achieving greater consciousness. 

Word spread like wildfire that someone had chocolate fever, and before long I was surrounded by an unruly crowd of 100 children in the school yard. The crowd persisted until they formed a horseshoe around me with my back against a wall. The disorder approached a boiling point as they shouted, pointed fingers, and threw trash at the trapped boy with chocolate fever.

Surrounded by chaos and no help in sight, I felt compelled to sit in the lotus position with my back against the wall, eyes closed and palms upward in my lap. My mind cleared and was immediately overcome with calmness and peace. The screaming and pelting of trash continued, but were not associated with beyond the immediate experience.

I could not articulate my emotions at the time, but it was at this moment that I first realized liberation is impossible as long as there remains a "self" to be liberated.

Invisible prison of the unconcious mind

To be imprisoned in the unconscious is to be shackled by delusion of an ego-self.  This prison has no walls and the prisoners within it claim to be free – but in reality, they are not in control of their minds, nor are they exhibiting free will.  Just as a piece of driftwood only has one choice to flow downstream, so does the unconscious prisoner have but one choice to react according to the pre-programmed memory of the ego-self.  This type of living is not freedom; it is mechanically and reliably predictable behavior that is done under the pretense of choice.

True freedom requires the elimination of the ego-self and any demarcation between the “you” and the “I”.  Once this is done, the prisoner is finally freed from the unconscious comatose and active participation in reality can begin.  Eliminating the ego eliminates the victim, the sufferer and the doer.  In this conscious reality you are simply a witness who experiences life in the present moment, liberating oneself to make decisions without harmful memories of the past or threatening expectations of the future.  This is true freedom; this is what it means to be in control of your mind.

Beyond what it seems

This flower in my hand represents every atom in the universe that, only when working together in harmony, allows for its existence. 

We too are a product of the universe and are connected to all things.  There is no boundary between the self and the other.  

I am we. The single, seamless continuum of existence.

India (Day 2)

(Delayed blog entry from June 2012) 

As I write these words I sit at the foothills of the Himalayas in the area known as Dharamsala (more specifically, a tiny village named Bhagsu).  I've only been here for 2 hours so far, but already I can tell this is a beautiful, peaceful and majestic place.  Our volunteer group took a 12 hour bus ride from New Delhi last night.  I’m sitting on top of a large bolder the size of a truck in a wooded area … a stream of melted snow from the mountains gently flows not too far way and I can hear the water as it caresses the rocks.  All types of birds are singing and I can hear locals chatter in the distance.  It has never occurred to me that a place this beautiful could ever exist on this planet.

We were introduced to Vickas and his family: Nisha (wife) and Ibu (son).  We meet for breakfast at 10am and will soon be introduced to the Tibetan refugee monks we’ll be working with for the next few weeks.  I’m really excited to learn from my interactions as these days unfold.  This is truly an experience of a lifetime.

India (Day 1)

(Delayed blog entry from June 2012) 
New Delhi, India (4 am)

My first 24 hours in India have been nothing short of amazing to say the least.  There are SO many people here … the vast majority of whom live in extreme poverty.  The level of chaos sensed from being immersed in this city can be overwhelming yet energizing if you don’t let the chaos consume you.  I feel as though I've been here for 3 days already. A few of us from our volunteer group have visited a few sights around the city: the gates of India, lotus temple, a Sikh temple and a few restaurants.

To witness so many people devoted to their rituals, traditions, and religious artifacts is truly astonishing.  I must admit that a lot of what I've experienced so far reminds me of life growing up in Trinidad and is very nostalgic.  The people share a sense of carefree hope that divinity will take care of future needs, leaving them to only focus on the present day/hour/moment.  Faith fills the gap between what I known and cannot be predicted or explained.  I wonder if such philosophies differ from scientific thoughts in the west; for all knowledge seems faith-based and all belief is in itself a promiscuous undertaking.

Let’s see what today has in store for me. I am ready to learn whatever the universe is ready to teach.