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.