Reclaiming Energy

Why does thought seem to move? Thoughts are constantly flowing through our minds.

Every thought has a great deal of energy, especially the thoughts that are charged with emotions.

What happens if thought doesn't move? Can it come to a stop?

Is there something beyond thought? Is there an awareness, an aliveness that can be sensed and experienced? Does the awareness of that cause a stop in thought?

That place would be intensely alive because all the stress that thought causes and all the energy that thought consumes would be reclaimed.

That energy would go into awareness. 

Bringing Excellence Into Our Life

Bringing excellence into every facet of our life is possible.

We have to internally slow down to do this. Excellence comes out of presence in the moment.

The ego comes in and says that it cannot be done and that there are too many things to do, but that is what the ego will always say. It must be set aside.

The ego is an argument for unconsciousness and mediocrity.

The ego wants to get to some future moment that doesn't exist where everything is "perfect", all the chores are done and all the problems solved. It has no time for the present moment. It constantly wants to pull our attention elsewhere. The attention we need to bring excellence into our lives.

In Taichi, there is a principle, "If we lose our balance, we lose our power."

Balance exists in the moment. The noise of the ego seeks to pull us out of this moment and out of our power. The ego can't exist in balance.

Once we are in balance we have access to immense amounts of power.

More than enough power to bring excellence into every area of our life.

Surfing the Wave

Life is a never ending series of waves.

Every encounter in life is a variation in that wave. Some are small, some are big. Some waves are smooth and easy, some are powerful and intense.

I am on the surfboard, keeping my balance. It takes all my focus at first, just like learning how to drive a car or ride a bike.

Initially, I fall off the board and get back on many times. Sometimes the waves hammer me into the surf, and I fear that I may drown.

If my mind wanders, I am more likely to fall off. If I lose respect for the power of the waves, I will get taught a hard lesson. The waves don't care if I live or die.

After some time, I deepen in my relaxation on the board. My balance deepens. My mind is continually attempting to distract me from the present moment, trying to pull my awareness into the future or the past or some drama.

It pulls my awareness off of surfing the wave.

If I allow it, I am sure to fall.

Real Freedom

Real freedom is not something that comes bit by bit.

Freedom is total or it is not.

You are either in prison or you are free.

The ego has our awareness prisoner. We can't escape its gravity and so we must identify and react through it. That usually results in suffering in some form or another.

The moment we become aware of our ego, there is potential to be free from it. 

The ego suffers. That is the alarm system that tells us where to look.

Where we suffer is the path to the ego, the impostor, the great lie.

To let go of the ego in all its forms is to transmute suffering into freedom.