Here You Are...Wondering...About Friends And Enemies...Best Friends, Worst Enemies

This line in Here You Are, every time I read it to five-year-olds in Kindergarten or in First Grade, makes everyone sit up straight. Eyebrows go up, mouths open, accompanied by wriggling and looking around the classroom. It seems to be the main thing to wonder about at that age, while out in the big wide world for the first time on a regular basis. It is quite something to have to figure out who is on your side and who is trying to hurt you when you are five years old, and suddenly find yourself among dozens, if not hundreds of strangers every day at school.

Here You Are's magic does not come from clever advice on the subject of friends and enemies or any other questions raised, but from confirming this "wondering" about things, that we all do. Readers who do not wonder about anything, or who, if they do, want others to give them answers, find Here You Are boring, if not "offensive". Those who wonder and try to see with their own eyes and decide with their own hearts, on the other hand, are often so deeply touched that they start crying and putting their hands on their hearts.

Some Christians wrongly assume this book is based on Hinduism or Buddhism when it clearly is about "the kingdom within" we all share and that all religions talk about. Nobody is closer to it than children, no matter their religion. People forget this major teaching of Jesus. And he did not mean only Christian children. This kingdom within is the answer to all questions arising in the material world of opposites. Here You Are shows the way - which has been called the long journey from here to here. That's what's so much fun about it. Here we are, and nowhere else for all of eternity, no matter whether "here" looks like heaven or looks like hell or like nothing at all. "Here" is the truth that sets us free. A person who can remain "here" fully, without wanting to be anywhere else, even in the middle of being crucified, like Jesus, is home, free, and "at-one" with God. God is here, eternal, infinite, perfect. And it is so simple, and so obvious, that you have to chuckle.

The Veiled Truth

Q: What exactly is this truth you mentioned that Jesus speaks about when he says: "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free"?

MM: It doesn't matter. Don't concern yourself at all about what it might be, or might be like. Just know - deep down, and with your complete trust and all the love in your heart - that you will indeed know it. Accept that this is a 100% reliable source making this promise to you. Then you become ready to receive it. That is all that matters, that you become receptive. Don't concern yourself with this truth in any other way. You will not need your intellect, your understanding, or any past experience to recognize this truth to be The Truth. It will be self evident and beyond doubt. It will not be a thought, an idea, an image, a feeling, or anything else you are used to or could possibly imagine. That all has to get out of the way.

That is what meditation is - just practicing getting all thoughts, ideas, opinions, feelings, images...out of the way, so that the veil can get lifted from your eyes.

Monday's MeditationMom Moment - Son Of God Or Prophet

Q: Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God, while Muslims believe he was a prophet like Mohammad. What do you think of this idea that he is the son of God - even the only son of God?

MM: Jesus himself said that we are all the children of God - just like him. Begotten means "by seed". It makes no sense to take this literally, unless you believe in aliens.

Spiritually understood, this "seed", "God's seed" is waiting to sprout within all of us. It is our longing for re-union. The longing that drives everything - all of material, physical life, and spiritual life alike. "Father" means our origin, our source which could just as easily be called "Mother", or the Infinite and Eternal. The trouble always arises when the material mind interprets spiritual teachings. That is why so many spiritual teachings used to be kept secret.

"There's Probably No God -

...Now Stop Worrying And Enjoy Your Life."

Very funny London Bus advertising by atheists to "counter" religious ads. It's entertaining living in free countries. Rich countries - who have money for such silly ad wars among the various proselytisers. Richard Dawkins - our most popular proselytiser for atheism, says he would have liked to have them drop the word "probably" even though during his satellite appearance on the Bill Maher Show he admitted a scientist always has to build in some iota of improbability, and therefor he could not say with 100% certainty that there is no God.

"Converting" to Atheism is mentioned in this video as well. How can one convert to a non-belief? You can only convert to a different belief as in "I believe there is no God". This takes as much faith as believing in God. Atheism is in fact trying to be a belief system like Creationism. Just the other extreme on the same continuum of ignorance or faith. Like Creationism pretends to be scientific, science professors like Richard Dawkins pretend to be experts on spiritual matters without ever having meditated to any degree that would make them anywhere near expert on the matter. The blind, being led by the blind with PhDs - who, of course, collect the money from their followers.

If it indeed said "There is no God..." on those buses, many Muslims would have been pleased in London, as this they could consider a truthful - if incomplete statement. Maybe not a bad start for the West. Just like any religiously raised teenager moves from childhood trust and belief through a predictable atheist phase before searching for the truth himself, maybe the Western population is ready for that stage of spiritual development. According to the Gospel of Judas, even Jesus laughed in dismay at the apostles' simplistic belief in a creator God that was not grounded in any of their own meditation experience, nor in any understanding of his teachings and the higher mysteries.

The search for what is, for a lack of a better word called "God", requires no less commitment, suffering, headaches, confusion, frustration, and work than the search for the Unified Theory in Physics. We keep looking - either until we find it, or as long as we're having fun searching. How silly would be an ad banner on a London bus trying to convince Physicists to go out and get some exercise instead of hovering over their desks 24/7 because "There probably is no Unifying Theory" and tell them to "stop worrying and enjoy their lives"?

Atheists assuming agnostics or the faithful don't enjoy their lives is a bit presumptuous and unscientific. In the advanced, religious ecstasy is far more pleasurable than any drug one could take. Atheist "ecstasy" always stays in the realm of the physical, material - sex, drugs, food, fame, power, math, music, architecture, etc. The hobbies of kings, not buddhas or prophets.

Considering the present worldwide crisis of having overspent on all of our enjoyments way beyond our means out of some sort of desperation for enjoyment (fueled by advertising) - maybe "enjoying ourselves" a little less is where the bliss is actually going to come from. Living like Kings pales in comparison to living like Buddhas, Christs, Prophets, Saints...But - it does not hurt to be king for a while - guilt-free - to figure that out before moving on. So Atheism has its purpose. There is no question that the religions' preachings against natural and simple pleasures has pushed people into the insane seeking of extreme and perverted pleasures.

As I mentioned in an earlier post - "the infinitely small iota of probability" is where Atheists and Believers need to meet. The word "probably" is the most important word in this ad campaign and makes a great mantra for meditation. A very enjoyable word which creates humility in both science and religion. Let's all indeed enjoy our short and precious lives, and allow others to do the same. It does not take belief in or against God to do so.

Christmas - Awe and Humility

Merry Christmas!

Such nice traditions surround Christmas - and so many controversies. Sometimes it seems that if we all just celebrated things we were sure about - like the longest, most silent night of the year, and our planet's return to the sun - we could all unite in simple yet meaningful celebrations. Reverent celebrations of celestial events would not only unite the world in agreement, but also be quite educational for our children. Focus on our Earth and its place in the universe, with a constant awareness of the universe as a whole, would maybe make us a bit more responsible regarding our planet as well. Awareness of the vastness within which we exist leaves us in awe and humble silence. Much like the lives of people like Jesus, whose birth we celebrate on Christmas, can and should leave us in awe and humble silence.

Awe and humble silence leads to compassion - for others, for animals and plants, and for the Earth itself. Let us unite in this awe, silence and humility - and love and respect one another.

Silent Night, Joy, Love, And Laughter

Here is a beautiful version of Silent Night sung by the St. Thomas Boys Choir (Thomanerchor). May Peace be with you this Holiday Season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4puLybRGSAw

I prepared this post last night. Then this morning I learned that, while we were still having breakfast here in California, my mother had just sung this song to her children and grandchildren in Germany on Christmas Eve, in that silent and sacred moment of remembering the reason for the season, before the opening of all the presents and all the accompanying joy, love and laughter.

Intellectual Suicide

In response to Monday's Post -

Q: Excuse my ignorance but this sounds an awful lot like intellectual suicide.

MM: Better than actual suicide - as so often the case with philosophers and genius intellectuals, no?

But, to address your concern more directly. Slowing, calming, and transcending the mind is not supposed to be an intellectual, or intelligence suicide. It is getting yourself completely out of the way and into a space of infinite possibility and uncertainty which means facing life and yourself as it truly is, rather than the way we construct it with our minds.

No matter the level of sophistication by the most intelligent philosopher or intellectual...it can never be defined. As it says in the Tao...the Tao that can be named is not the Tao. A wide open mind - to all possibilities in utter uncertainty - is a completely free, still mind. At that point of no thought - it is like a Ferrari in neutral - or a VW in neutral - your intelligence level does not matter. That is why Alexander the Great can learn from a beggar in the street. This kind of mind is simply awake. Awake has nothing to do with logic or intellect. That is why athletes soldiers, and criminals are such great candidates for meditation. Their life already depends on being awake.

Faith, though, is a sort of intellectual suicide, where the mind is still involved, but disregards logic. Faith realizes the truth can't be figured out, so it just makes up something that works. But even faith is still a mind "in gear".

The intellect tries to figure out the truth, which is impossible. It can easily drive the thinker to insanity and suicide unless a master is around. Or, the intellectual will settle for a "conclusion" and stay there proclaiming it truth, at which point it is nothing but faith in disguise and a new "ism". Atheism is a perfect example.

Meditation is a way to come across the truth by happenstance if you're lucky and if you can handle it. Not everyone is ready to face infinite uncertainty, infinite possibility, and eternal not-knowing, and the surrender this entails, even though it means liberation. That is why meditation is so difficult to begin with; and faith or philosophy so much more popular, but then fails us.

Jesus said: "You shall know the truth and it shall set you free." He didn't say: "Don't worry, kids - you'll figure it out". It is not a question of figuring it out, it is a question of being able to face it - this already existing truth within all of us. Love and trust are essential. Most people need Jesus, God, Buddha, Mohammad, Saints, Santa Clause, pink Unicorns, or a puppy in order to relate this love and trust to someone or something - once again a handicap we have because of our logical minds. Even atheists worship Richard Dawkins, for example, and Buddhists the Dalai Lama. But - love and trust can also be cultivated - without any reference point, which is the point of meditation. When this love and trust reaches infinite patience, we're home, and set free.

So - 40 days in the desert - regularly - for everyone ;)