Learning and Enlightened Living

           Cycling has a prominent role in human social adaptation. It is the fundamental tool employed to assure the attachment of information that each culture provides its children though formal and informal education. When important things like customary points of view do not stick in a child’s mind the first time they are heard, they almost certainly will with enough exposures. 

            For example, think about how children learn the alphabet or multiplication tables. Repetition is the most reliable avenue to the rote learning these require. The alphabet is taught as a song that is performed for proud parents and adoring grandparents. Cards with multiplication data are “flashed” by teachers, tutors and parents until the information they hold is ensconced in the brain. 

What attaches is rewarded and additionally affixed by favorable adult reactions, the feeling of competence that results from performing well on quizzes and tests and competing successfully with peers, and the very natural sense of personal satisfaction that comes with attaining and possessing new knowledge, all of which bolster one’s identity. This basic accumulation then facilitates the attachment of similar cycling material, resulting over time in the masses we know as language and mathematics specifically, and a pool of knowledge more generally. 

This same process helps instill our attitudes, preconceptions and biases. As impressionable youngsters we hear adults making comments while watching the news or at the supper table and unconsciously take note. When similar comments are repeated by influential others, they begin to take on a conceptual structure that gets caught in the net of all of our other social learning. We then repeat these ourselves in conversations with our age mates, thereby strengthening their hold on our thinking. 

Being part of a group that shares similar ideas provides the sense of belonging that we as social beings all require. In order to gain affirmation and acceptance, we may even agree with things that do not resonate with the rest of our experience. This new learning, together with all attendant emotions, becomes the filter through which is unconsciously decided what is allowed in afterwards and what is rejected. It helps inform our perspectives on others and the world and becomes the bedrock of our cultural identities. Having become entrenched, it is often impossible to erase. 

It is the cycling of family, community, social, sub-cultural and cultural perspectives that results in beliefs and attitudes that persons outside of any of these social structures find hard to imagine because of their own programming. People might accuse others of having been “brainwashed” only because of their own contrary indoctrination. 

Once having adopted a point of view, it is hard to test if it is realistic, valid or accurate. This is because we measure it against what we know, which in a particular setting has been influenced in a circular way by what most others have agreed is realistic, valid or accurate. 

Knowing this, we do not have to first examine our knowledge stores for ideas that may or may not be true. In terms of the kind of progress we wish to make, shaking off old beliefs and notions and replacing them with new ones is not primarily what we are out to do. 

Remembering that enlightenment means subtraction, not addition, our work is to allow all of these things their place, but more as if they are historical artifacts or documents in a traveling museum, and not what we reference ever again as part of our conscious awareness. 

Just sit quietly and watch all thoughts and their attendant emotional reactions as they cycle through awareness again and again without trying to change anything. This is enlightened learning.

The "Real" Self

Self is the sense we all have of being separate and unique among all other human beings, and is what causes us to see all of the rest of the universe as background.

You are you and I am me, and we experience everything around us as simply the backdrop that helps us stand out. 

One of the really interesting things about the self is that we experience it as real; but, where is it? There is nothing solid to point to or hold on to, and yet we have as much certainty about its existence as we do about anything material in this world.

To add to the confusion, there is a tradition in Eastern philosophy that talks about the self as an illusion; a point of view that says that the self does not exist and that it is useless to spend any time attending to it.

However, in the West, we pay lots of attention to the self, talking in terms of self-esteem, self-worth, self-image, self-love, healing the self, the higher self, and finally, personal growth, which implies the forward movement of the self.

One of the more caring things we can say when parting is, “take care of yourself.”

The self exists. It is not just a concept or an idea; it is an actual structure. Only it is a mental rather than a physical structure. But we sense it to be substantial in the same way that we think of anything physical as substantial. 

What makes perceiving this non-material self the same as any physical structure is that the self has all of physical evolution behind it. All physical developments are the platform of mental evolution.

The self followed billions of years of the universe generating matter and then coalescing matter into form, and all of the time it took the earth to become capable of sustaining life. 

The human brain took many millions of years after that to become what resides in our head today and gives us our ability to experience separateness and existence.

(Nothing else has our ability to see our separateness from everything else, which is the requirement for perceiving existence.) 

After evolution generated the material world, which culminated in the development of the human brain, a second creation occurred to generate the new mental world.

With the development of this world of abstract thought and imagination, a fundamental shift occurred in the relative importance of the physical and mental realms in determining what was “real.”

While the physical manifestations of consciousness remained intact as a base, the mental expressions of consciousness began to dominate awareness.

An easy way to see this, for example, is in the fact that the brain and central nervous system have evolved to react in just the same ways to threats that are imagined as to real physical danger. We are capable of being traumatized from fear and worry without actually having to have an experience to set off.

The mental world trumps the physical world in terms of our perception of what is real. And, in evolutionary terms, that is entirely appropriate.

Remember, the end point of evolution is our ability to be aware. In order to be aware and to be able to trust what we are aware of as real, we have to have the same sense of “substance” about our awareness as we do everything material that came before it.

And we do. 

More on Karma

A karmic perspective can help with a more peaceful adaptation in the world through its effect on how we view the attitudes, behavior and experiences of others. When we consider life experiences in terms of contexts for learning, we are less likely to be judgmental, to compare other people with ourselves, or to intervene in their lives prematurely and inappropriately. 

In truth, regardless of what we might believe or what values we might hold, we really have no idea what contexts other people require for their development. This includes our own children and other loved ones. 

The very idea that we all are here to grow should help us leave everyone alone to do what has to be done. Of course, our own experiences in the very same developmental process should season our observations with compassion, and guide us as to when an intervention is warranted. Too much protectiveness, bailing people out of the troubles they have caused and need to learn from, and thinking that we can walk another’s rightful path might only enable repetitive growth-inhibiting behavior  and encourage another cycle of suffering. 

Living life fully is necessary to get the full benefit of the contexts that we are in, and this includes the difficult experiences as well. Thus, if we ever question why we are going through all that we do, or looking back, why we behaved as we did, karma provides the answer. All of it is for our later use; all of it is meant to moves us along.  

On this basis, we may want to reconsider any negative connotations the law of karma might have in our minds. Many of us are used to thinking in terms of sin and punishment for behavior that does not meet certain standards. Plus, we have an inclination to superstition in our make-up and easily slip into false conclusions about unpleasant consequences to our choices of behavior. 

The fact of the matter is that contexts are learning devices, not punishments. When we misuse one, or misidentify it as something other than it is, we get to revisit it with the possibility that this time we will be ready to absorb its benefits. Like remedial classes or summer school, the developmental urge of consciousness provides us with the chance to learn the material and earn the credits for it that we had passed on before. 

Once we catch on to the karmic process by way of our growing conscious awareness, we will use the possibility of consequences and of having to go through another round of the same “stuff” in the future to motivate us to get things right this time. After all, if we did not enjoy it the first time around, we are not going to like it any better in lives to come. 

Besides, having already tasted the light-ness of higher consciousness, we will want to avoid any future slowing of our further progress in that direction. The bottom line in karma is to work efficiently now so no energy will have to be expended on remediation. 

So, recognizing karma as a matter of missed or misused opportunities is conducive to lightening the future load. From this point of view, we are able to become quickly aware of what we have done or not done and see how approaching it differently at this juncture could keep that particular karmic cycle from happening again, or at least minimize its later effect. And as a sort of bonus, when we recognize that we have done it better now than we might have in the past we find that we are more at one with life than ever.

Living Like a Window

     There are several ways of describing and prescribing escaping the pull of Ego and the self that have been popular over the years. One that we use to epitomize gracefully letting life take its course is “going with the flow.” To go with the flow means not fighting the inevitable and always attempting to be at peace with the way things happen to be. 

     Thus, when you encounter someone who seems to be just living life without overly planning it or trying to control the outcome of a lot of it, you might describe him or her as “going with the flow.” 

     A somewhat more religious version of this attitude is “let go and let God.” This phrase suggests eliminating any attempts at controlling circumstances by allowing a more powerful being to take over. Since you cannot literally hand your cares to anyone, this phrase mainly requires just what the previous one does, which is to relax your conscious grip on things that seem beyond you and trust that you will be cared for. 

     A comparable popular Asian expression of the letting-go sentiment that is fairly unfamiliar to westerners is “wei wu wei,” which translates as “doing not-doing.” This phrase refers to the practice of being so elegantly at-one with whatever it is you are involved with that it seems as effortless as just laying back and being still. As with going with the flow or turning things over to a higher power, the serenity implied in such a way of being is compelling.  

     One more way of describing mentally stepping away from trying to be in control that may sum up what the effect of all such efforts might look like is the reflection “deeds are done, yet no doer can be found.”  With this, the actor disappears in the action so that the outcome appears to have achieved itself. Such an experience is one that a participant may be aware of afterward as if coming out of a trance to discover that a certain feat has been accomplished and asking, “Was that me doing that?”  

     In a sense, even if none of them actually recognize it, each of these phrases represents a prescription for disconnecting with Ego and suspending the self so that the evolutionary progression of awareness is unhindered. As all of them have great appeal to anyone who seeks a more peaceful way to go, any of them would make a great bumper sticker or would rate a place on the refrigerator door as a daily reminder of changing one’s approach to life. 

     But, in truth, even with the best of intentions, for most of us a concept such as really letting go or doing not-doing represents an elusive ideal. There are two important reasons for this. One is that, like sound bites, they all contain an important truth in a compressed and manageable form which makes it seem familiar and eminently accessible. 

     However, regardless of being able to handily bounce them around in our minds or in conversations about becoming mellower, they are not so readily transferred into action. As with most popular prescriptions, there are no instructions included. While it may seem as natural as falling asleep, if you really stop to consider it, there is nothing easy about visualizing the merger of deed and doer much less really turning our lives over to another being to sort out. 

     The second reason is that an instruction such as “just let go” is basically at odds with Ego, and is therefore the target of all manner of resistance. Ego’s job is affirming and perpetuating the existence of the self. Therefore, it is only comfortable when it is running the whole show. If it had a slogan it would certainly be “let go and let Ego,” which means that, until we are really conscious of its workings, we are more likely to be in its control while thinking that we have control. 

     There is something called the “wing-walkers’ axiom” that cautions: do not let go of what you are holding onto until you are holding onto something else. This is how Ego normally works.  It just seems naturally unwise for us to not try to have control. So, when we do try to just give things over our minds fill with distracting thoughts and fears and what-ifs, and we find that as soon as we try to back away from one concern, we seem to latch onto another. 

     Therefore, we find it hard not to watch the news, or check the weather. We keep praying that we receive help and release. We light candles and say incantations. We feel eerily superstitious about maintaining rituals and routines. We check and recheck, plan and go over the plans again. We resist delegating even when it would be more efficient. 

     In the end, the basic functioning of the self makes truly letting go the most demanding of tasks. And there is a hidden irony, which is that the act of letting go keeps control where it has always been: we are the ones who control giving up control. 

     We are in charge of the “letting” in the letting go. Even doing not-doing suggests the action of engaging in a process. And as we have seen, any supernatural being that we imagine who might take charge is also a function of Ego. We are trying to make something happen that really needs to just happen all on its own. 

     The instruction to “live like a window” is a step up from all of these approaches. A window is simply an opening through which things flow. With glass in place, light, color, and all other visual phenomena pass. With glass removed, potentially anything can pass. Whatever might be present will just go by on its own. 

     Living like a window is perfectly attuned to the evolution of consciousness. It allows the practitioner to separate from the grip of Ego in a manner that does not set off its alarms or cause it to automatically institute countermeasures. This is because there is no direct assault on Ego; in fact, there is no potentially disturbing activity of any kind at all. 

     Being window-like allows the self to continue completely unchanged. It uses the self and Ego as contextual elements to play off of as a means to further growth. 

     Window-ness suggests continuous, unimpeded movement; what happens to come our way is free to transit through. To live like a window means allowing the “flow” to pass through you. No having to let go; no turning things over to anyone; no doing anything. You are just an opening through which all things stream.

     The practitioner is free to participate fully in life while his or her conscious awareness remains independent of all activity. 

     (Adapted from “Live Like a Window, Work Like a MIrror: Enlightenment and the Practice of Eternity Consciousness”)

About Shadow

Most of us lack clarity of vision of the whole self. This occurs when various family and cultural biases, values and concepts are at odds with the full expression of the individual we naturally are. 

Any such impediment to clear seeing amounts to something clinging to glass and inhibiting the ready transmission of light. In the case of the natural self, this effectively filters our perception of who we are and what is real.

Another way of thinking about this is that what does not pass attaches to the glass and becomes a darkening influence, that is, the “shadow” side of consciousness. The shading caused by preconceptions will occlude sight, affecting our ability and willingness to effectively and accurately examine the self. 

To illustrate this, imagine yourself walking into an old barn. Near the large windows all of the implements and lubricants and bags of fertilizer are in clear view. As you wander farther into the interior you become less clear about what you see and less certain of your step. You begin to slow your movement to prevent bumping into a rusty spade or rake or stepping into a shaft. 

The deeper you go the more this careful approach affects your pace. The light begins to yellow and dust motes fill its beams. Soon you have to stop to let your eyes adjust. If you continue without doing so you sense that you really might get hurt. Even if you were told before going in that the space ahead is actually clear, there is no way to know it for sure from your own experience, and your imaginings of the mere possibility of harm are enough to evoke caution and concern.

The worst spaces are the dark corners where no light penetrates at all. There anything might hide, including a nesting owl or a raccoon. This is the place of eerie sensations and anxiety. This is the boundary of your self-assuredness. If you are like most of us you will back-peddle to an area where things are identifiable and familiar from your earlier encounter with them. 

Interestingly, as you turn from viewing the darkness, the area you just came through that did not seem so light before seems brighter now. You might wonder: is it the contrast that makes the difference, or is it that having adjusted to darkness, any light seems brighter? Is it an illusion? Does it even matter since you associate it with a feeling of safety and relief, and you are just happy to be moving on? 

But, might you also feel like you have missed something? Might you also be just a bit ashamed at your timidity and lack of adventurousness? Or will you applaud yourself for being wise and mature for not having taken too great a risk, deciding to leave the exploration of the darkness for another day? 

Of course, you may never go back at all, choosing to stay with what you have already seen and can feel like you know. There are a lot of other, less complicated experiences to pique your interest and fill your time.

Consider, then, what the lack of transparency does to complicate life. None of us wants to look into our shadows. We all are afraid of what is there. We conjure imaginary scenes of harm; we develop avoidant patterns; we stay mired in the familiar; we feel weak and ashamed; we slow our movement and hinder our growth. 

We need transparency; it is what allows all that has accumulated in our attics, closets or cellars to be revealed and allowed to pass. 

Buddha and Ego

Asceticism as a way to purity of consciousness had long been a tradition before Buddha came to be, and has remained part of the philosophy of individuals seeking deliverance from the pull of human nature ever since. The central idea in such self denial is that fear and desire have to be dominated by the force of willpower or they will forever pull a person back into the tainted consciousness of normal human existence and the suffering everyone at that level experiences. 

As products of Ego in perpetuating the sense of self, fear and desire brought the spotlight inevitably and directly to Ego, making it a villain to those who sought relief from the travails of being human. People needed a target, something to be able to address with a feeling of real confrontation so that they could accomplish a sense of personal control in the war over who or what would have charge of their experience. 

The notion for many students of human nature was that the annihilation of Ego was absolutely necessary if the cessation of suffering and the entry into an enlightened state were to be possible. For the more fervent of these, the oft-heard battle cry became “kill Ego.” 

Buddha came to view Ego wholly differently. He began to observe its productions rather than target them for destruction. His approach was one of student-teacher in which he took the position of learning all he could from the classroom of Ego, realizing that a broad and flexible perspective provided him with a much better handle on its nature and its influence. He became an empiricist. He was the general on the distant hill watching the drama of the battlefield below.  

As he quietly watched the productions of his mind come and go, and felt his attention being drawn in by them, Buddha realized how easy it was to become entrapped in their cyclical movements.  He recognized that any position he took by way of identifying with or attacking his thoughts and feelings represented a fixedness of consciousness that monopolized his energy and inhibited his awareness. He realized that for however long his attention had been thus co-opted, he had been in a trance. He knew then he had lived life in a trance-like way without having any idea that this was so. 

Buddha was determined to escape the cycling that dominated his consciousness. With the greatest of self discipline each time he sensed that his attention was drifting with a thought or a feeling, he consciously re-positioned his awareness to a neutral place. 

With practice Buddha became completely aware of Ego in all of its guises as the yearnings, fears, biases, preconceptions and the like that cluttered his mind. By letting each pass as it arose, he learned that none of them represented who he really was. For as attractive or compelling as they could sometimes be, and as natural a facet of him that they might have often seemed, his awareness of them had demonstrated with complete certainty that they were in fact separate from his consciousness. 

A Quiet Mind

Equanimity is the most serene state of mind we can experience. It means that all thoughts and emotions have the same impact on awareness, which is essentially no impact at all: no discontent, no feelings of emptiness, no distraction, no need or desire or sense of missing something, and no longing. It is the essence of a quiet mind.

We do not actually create equanimity: it is a condition that just “is.” But we can contribute to and encourage its likelihood as a more-or-less frequent occurrence in our conscious lives.

We contribute to the possibility of experiencing equanimity not by making it a goal, but by recognizing that all mental states that cycle through consciousness are transient. Most of the time, this includes the state of equanimity, too.

Transience is not always a pleasant truth to accept as even the most pleasurable states, the ones we might like keeping around for a while, never seem to linger. But that is a good arrangement. Any recovering addict will tell you that trying to hold on to any of them, or to replicate the best of them, is at the center of a pattern of enslaving compulsive cycling behavior that leads only to suffering. From an equanimity point of view, we are better off letting all states naturally pass.

We certainly do not mind that the painful ones pass. Usually, the sooner they leave the better. The problem is that even without prompting they all tend to come again, the enjoyable and the painful; the ones we again have to let go of before we want to and the ones we wish would not come at all.

What is most important is that we develop a perspective that we can readily employ in the here and now that fosters a quiet mind. An example about various points of view in life and their impact on the disruption of consciousness should help.

If you toss a pebble into a small child’s wading pool, the result will be a relatively significant disturbance in the placidity of the water. The smaller the pool, the greater the disturbance will be.
If you tossed that pebble into a pond, the result would be a disturbance that you would notice if you happen to be very close to it. But overall, especially compared to the wading pool, the disturbance would be minor.

If you took the same pebble out over a large lake and dropped it in, the result would hardly register as a disturbance at all. And the larger the lake, the less an impact would register until with the largest bodies of water the impact would be nearly an abstraction.

The obvious point is that the larger the point of view about who we are and where we come from, the smaller the impact that any thought or emotion can have on a quiescent mind. If we view this life as just one of many we have and will live, then even its most potentially disturbing events are reduced in impact.

Although most of us cannot avoid contexts where current local, national and international concerns can easily monopolize our attention, where past events such as wars and genocide are regularly replayed, and where a scary future is the one most often predicted, we can choose to view ourselves in terms of a broader swath of time.

Think again about that small wading pool. Once the pebble starts the concentric waves in motion, they not only spread outward, they hit the sides of the pool and start cycling back inward, crossing the still expanding waves to create a pattern of disturbance that affects every square inch of the surface. Even going with the flow insures an uncomfortable ride.