Nothing to Do?
There is a paradox involved in this seeking to ‘wake up’ or ‘see the true nature of reality’ or ‘be the oneness’. As you have probably heard many times if you have been interested in this kind of exploration, there is nothing to find or get. The seeking itself is part of what keeps us from seeing that the oneness is right here in every moment, in every setting and event and feeling.
Some teachings say, “There is nothing to do. Just see that it is already here – and even the not-seeing is it. Even our worst moments are it.”
While that is one facet of the truth, it can be hard to understand or appreciate – and it is also ultimately unsatisfying to most of us living our lives in the relative world. What most of us are looking for is a more reliable experience of the oneness, of aliveness, of awareness. Many of us are looking to shift the balance in our lives -- away from reactivity, caught-up-ness, habitual patterns, addictive behaviours, numbness, grasping, anxiety and aggression – towards awareness, aliveness, compassion, wisdom, energy and joy. It is also a facet of the truth, seemingly paradoxical, that it’s possible to take steps to shift in that way.
Questions like the ones below can come up:
When we are able to investigate and penetrate the layers of stories to the point where they lose their grip, the true nature of reality begins to reveal itself to us – the layers become more transparent and the truth can shine through. When we go further, loosening the grip of stories even more, we are able to live that true nature, our true nature, much more of the time.
Real freedom is the capacity to move in and out of the now, the oneness, and the relative reality of our daily lives – to be less caught up in a sense of struggle, more able to flow with ‘what is’.
Many people hope that having a clear conceptual understanding of awakeness will bring the change that they are seeking. But almost all of our feelings, thoughts and actions are generated at a much deeper level than concept – so we find that this understanding doesn’t really bring the shifts that we hoped it would. Most of our stuck places will still be there, causing us and the others around us unnecessary pain.
So if you came to this website and skipped right to the Awake tab, that’s understandable. But if you want to do the work of unraveling what stands between you and what you long for…you might want to start at Storylines, and read, ponder and explore whatever resonates for you in the first two sections.
(more to come on this eventually, in a section called Spiritual Bypassing)
Some teachings say, “There is nothing to do. Just see that it is already here – and even the not-seeing is it. Even our worst moments are it.”
While that is one facet of the truth, it can be hard to understand or appreciate – and it is also ultimately unsatisfying to most of us living our lives in the relative world. What most of us are looking for is a more reliable experience of the oneness, of aliveness, of awareness. Many of us are looking to shift the balance in our lives -- away from reactivity, caught-up-ness, habitual patterns, addictive behaviours, numbness, grasping, anxiety and aggression – towards awareness, aliveness, compassion, wisdom, energy and joy. It is also a facet of the truth, seemingly paradoxical, that it’s possible to take steps to shift in that way.
Questions like the ones below can come up:
- What does it mean to ‘wake up’?
- If it’s right here, how come I can’t see it?
- How do I see or feel the ‘oneness’ people talk about? I sort of understand it conceptually but how do I come to know it in my body and emotions?
- I’ve felt ‘awake’ in moments but how do I find those moments more often?
- What keeps me from a lived experience of these teachings that I resonate with so strongly?
When we are able to investigate and penetrate the layers of stories to the point where they lose their grip, the true nature of reality begins to reveal itself to us – the layers become more transparent and the truth can shine through. When we go further, loosening the grip of stories even more, we are able to live that true nature, our true nature, much more of the time.
Real freedom is the capacity to move in and out of the now, the oneness, and the relative reality of our daily lives – to be less caught up in a sense of struggle, more able to flow with ‘what is’.
Many people hope that having a clear conceptual understanding of awakeness will bring the change that they are seeking. But almost all of our feelings, thoughts and actions are generated at a much deeper level than concept – so we find that this understanding doesn’t really bring the shifts that we hoped it would. Most of our stuck places will still be there, causing us and the others around us unnecessary pain.
So if you came to this website and skipped right to the Awake tab, that’s understandable. But if you want to do the work of unraveling what stands between you and what you long for…you might want to start at Storylines, and read, ponder and explore whatever resonates for you in the first two sections.
(more to come on this eventually, in a section called Spiritual Bypassing)