Empty Your Cup

When you are a baby, your cup is empty. You are innocent.

Then your cup is filled with all the noise of the world. 

To find peace, you must find a way to empty your cup again. Many fears must be overcome, and things that are tightly held must be let go. At first, it is not an easy path.

Pulling awareness away from the noise, the cup is found to be empty, but as more space is made, something begins to fill it. It is everything that is spoken of - peace, love, joy, sacredness. It would be closer to the truth to say that these things were always there, but all words fall short.

Then, more and more, you find that your cup is running over. There is an abundance, a never ending supply. You must give it to the world.

That is the beginning of your life. You give it to the world.

Find the path. Be vigilant. Empty your cup.

The Source of Who You Are

I have noticed that I can watch my emotions.

I have noticed that I can watch my thoughts.

Both the thoughts and emotions make up what I would call "me", my personality, my identity.

The thoughts and emotions are how I react to the outside. Someone says something and there is an automatic reaction. 

But I have noticed all this, which means that there is some other "I" who notices.

That "I" is the primary space in which all my mental and emotional activity arises and takes place. 

That "I" is constant, timeless and still, yet alive and vibrant.

By asking myself the question, "Who is noticing this?" to all that arises within me - thoughts and emotions - I come into contact with the abiding presence of my own being - the fundamental "I am".

I can exist without my personality, but my personality can't exist without me. The personality is not who I am, in fact, the personality can be a labyrinth to get lost in, a drama to become absorbed by, an endless series of mental emotional noise - problems, fears and doubts.

Wholeness can never be found through the personality. Wholeness can only be found by realizing the source of who you are, which is always Now.

Watch What Happens

The buzz and swirl of life goes on all around me but deep within me there is something that is still.

There is movement within me, thoughts, emotions, concepts, commentary, opinions, pains, discomforts, joys, and excitements but deep within me there is something still that watches all of this.

That still awareness, that unmoving perception has not changed over my entire lifetime. It was as it is now. It cannot be "seen", only "felt". It is somewhat of a paradox because it is an obvious fact yet it cannot be seen. Words are not good for talking about this.

It is like knowing that there is an eye and yet the eye can never see itself.

What is the use of this? 

I have found that by going into this fact, by asking the questions that lead to this I draw my attention - my inner eye - away from the drama and confusion of life and my ego and focus it on that which is changeless. It is solid ground. A foundation.

Doing this creates a spaciousness around all thought and emotion. It creates a gap in the incessant stream of cause and effect, action/reaction that goes on within me. It allows me some space in which to consciously choose rather than unconsiously react. 

It weakens the "magnetic field" of emotions and strong beliefs about myself and life. My awareness isn't instantly bound to them when those emotions and beliefs arise.

Contemplate the witness of all thoughts, emotions and sensations. Find out what is at the root of it. Do not go into fantasy or imagination, stay with the fact. 

Watch what happens.