I responded this morning to a couple of friends who have been grappling with various aspects arising on the spiritual path of what we call awakening. And it occurred to me these thoughts might also be useful for you, potentially. So as always, please tune in and contemplate what is here, as you feel guided. My intent is simply to respond to what’s happening in the field of our consciousness so that we can take another step on the path, most authentically and deliberately, in ways that will lead to the end of suffering and eventually, true self realization.

Definition: Samsara is the realm of illusion in which we find ourselves. We might know it as “the matrix” or the realm of illusion. It is the realm in which we find ourselves that is at once enticing and also never satisfying. It is always changing, and therefore, impermanent.

Eventually, somewhere along the way on our paths in samsara, we begin to realize the nature of impermanence and ever-changeability. A stirring happens within us beckoning towards something ‘more real.’ A divine discontent stirs us deep within, and the journey homeward begins.

Depending on what path or paths we stumble upon in our lifetime of seeking or not seeking, this ‘more realness’ might look like any variety of ideas pointed to by religion, philosophy and / or mysticism.

As we have this realization of the nature of impermanence, we are necessarily still in the process of being buffeted upon the waves of our own past thinking, feeling and acting (karma) with various levels of attachment, aversion and craving still at play.

This state of being buffeted about on waves of our own karmic repercussions is then added unto by the many and various compounding confundities that “the world in ever-changing motion” presents according to its seeming whim.

This includes the debacles of the day in terms of worldly politics; control structures; hidden and overt agendas of others; and so on. It is not important which politics someone ascribes to; in whatever way we are seeing, interpreting, reacting to the politics of the day simply points to another factor, another layer, which adds more complexity and confundity to our experience of “reality.”

Add to that the fact that the information about what is happening has varying degrees of accuracy, inaccuracy, conjecture, opinion and totally made up stuff, and you get the confusion-soup-of-samsara we all seem to be swimming in. At a certain stage of our development, our inner being actually begins to grasp that it is all samsara—and somewhere deep inside we know that we ought not to be attached to worldly things while simultaneously, we ought not to judge them.

We realize even that “ought to” and “ought not to” thought-forms come from our conditioning, rather than the base reality of truth. 

We start to realize that craving and preference are indeed hindrances on the path, because they keep us focused on the outer waves of samsara rather than on our inner path of realization.

We also realize that there is a codex of kindness which feels way better and delivers more sound and satisfying results than our judgments and any negative personality traits such as self-aggrandizement, jealousy, arrogance, or even self-deprecation.

Simultaneously, our personality level might still be in the throws of thinking that the worldly things in the realm of samsara — the delights, the painful things, the manifestations both pleasant and unpleasant, the ideas and desires for a better world — are all it has and all it knows.

So even though on the one hand, we clearly comprehend the wisdom of doing what it takes to seek liberation and stop the wheel of suffering, we are simultaneously like a stubborn little child that wants its cookies because they taste good; and that wants to fight against the world to make a change we desire to be permanent and for the good; and that desires the perpetuation of experience in this reality for one reason or another.

It is not that there is anything inherently wrong with a worldly experience or a desire. And it is not that there is anything wrong with striving to make conditions better for ourselves, our families, and our world.

It is simply that these will not ever, nor can they, lead to the ultimate experience of peace and awakening that will set us free and cause the end of suffering.

The human personality, the stubborn little child, has a process it has to go through, once the stirring within towards the end of suffering has begun.

Part of the process including learning how to let go of attachments, desires, and cravings for MORE samsaric experience.

Part of the process is making peace with “what is” and making amends for “what has not been awesome” that we have initiated.

Another part of the process is self-examination, self-awareness and self-reflection.

Sometimes, we must go through these phases before we can settle in and make a firm, definite decision to deepen into a liberation practice. 

When we are being liberated, what is it we are being liberated from?

• We are being liberated from the suffering of being buffeted about on the endless waves of craving, desire, aversion and attachment. 
• We are not making the world wrong, nor are we making it right.
• We become “non-resistant” and “awake.”
• We act with loving kindness, and we experience equanimity, because we have collapsed the built up electrical charges from many lifetimes of experience.

Many feel this experience of reality called samsara is a kind of simulation of the mind.

The truth behind this also harkens to how and why we can manifest things with our thinking, feeling and action. And we can focus our minds to achieve certain aims.

When, however, we are doing this out of an unbalanced egoic desire rather than from the still point of inner knowing that comes from eternal wisdom, we just set ourselves up for another round of suffering on the wheel, as none of the mind-based egoic desires will ever lead to the satisfaction we think we crave.

So what is the point of all this? 

The point is, we have an opportunity in every moment to simply return to the work. 

What is the work?

The work is, to become aware of our mind and what it is doing; to become aware of what we are and what we are not, ie, I am not my thoughts. I am not my feelings. I am not what I observe. I am not the body. Sometimes, realizing what we are not is easier than realizing what we are. It is a process of elimination.

As we progress on the path, and keep doing the work, we have the opportunity to practice loving kindness; to see that others are also suffering, buffeted upon the waves of samsara. 

• We have the opportunity to practice overcoming our reactivity, and balancing our energies.
• We have the opportunity to question our own motives and desires, and to get clear about what really matters. 
• We have the opportunity, generally, to become more aware and conscious, mindful presences, and practice being in the still point.

In this way, we eventually come to a time and place where the true authentic teaching from within can take hold, and guide us to liberation. This is an inside job. Teacher and teachings can only point the way.

May all beings be free.
May all beings be healed.
May all beings be awakened beyond suffering.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shani

In the Spirit of Loving Kindness,

Chiraya Dharma

The Black Stone

The cobbling shore and ocean waves
left me blank and shimmering.

Spirit, Spirit, leave us not—but wait, the Twain unfolding:

Many moons and time of times the man’s breath scours passages;
searching still the everlast, not roaming past the prairie.

Where is that One, the brave Sun Daughter, clinging not behind her?
Leafing still, leafing through— a memory unfolden?

Gain we might til daybreak dawns when the world’s fine fanfare lingers,
making dust within our minds that sticks on all our fingers—

The Single Stone all black and round and larger than the rest,
sits upon the craggy shore
singing to the waves
which wash away the dust from all our fingers.