Spiritual mumbo-jumbo or statement of Truth?
Ever heard the phrase: “You are what you seek”? For years, I thought it was just some happy-clappy spiritual mumbo-jumbo. To be told that I was peace when I wasn’t feeling peaceful was not only confusing, but also darn right annoying!
That was, until I was taught meditation by a bunch of modern day monks that showed me the truth held within these 5 perplexing words.
How can I be peace if I’m not feeling peaceful?
Imagine you are outside on a clear sunny day, looking up at the sky. Then, out of the blue, a bird flies across your field of vision. Without realising, you take your attention away from the vast sky and follow the flight of the bird. The same happens in your awareness every day.
Thoughts and emotions are something you are aware of. They are movement occurring in your mind and body, yet they all happen within the context of still, silent, spacious awareness.
Conscious awareness is inherently peaceful – always – irrespective of the thoughts and emotions occurring within it.
By learning to let your attention rest, aware of the context of stillness rather than on the constant movement, you can experience a peace beyond what you thought possible.
You are not your temporary thoughts or emotions
But don’t take my word for it! Stop reading, close your eyes and watch your mind; quietly observe the thoughts happening. Then, whenever you become aware of a thought – which could be about this topic, something you need to do later, or anything else – give the thought a number: one, two, three, and so on.
Having done that, how many thoughts did you count: 2, 22, 202? It really doesn’t matter how many. What matters is the fact that you could count even one thought. Why? Because this shows that you cannot be your thoughts. Instead, you are that which is aware of your thoughts. A thought is an object and you are the observer of the object. One is constant, whereas the other is constantly changing. Thoughts come and go, but you don’t.
You exist even when you are not having thoughts
Peace of mind is possible while having thoughts because you are not your thoughts. Thousands of thoughts pass through your awareness every day. They are constantly coming and going; that’s what thoughts do. Thoughts appear for only a moment and then disappear to be replaced with another thought and then another one. The same goes for emotions too.
Yet, despite countless thoughts and emotions coming and going today, there has been an aspect to you that has been here the entire time. An aspect to you that is permanent. That’s your real self. It is continually present, irrespective of the quality or quantity of thoughts that come and go.
Be aware of the awareness that’s aware!
Not being your temporary thoughts and emotions makes it possible for you to change your relationship with your mind so that your thoughts and emotions can exist without them impacting on your peace and prosperity. Imagine that.
The sky doesn’t care how many birds fly through it. Neither does it care if they are white doves or blackbirds. The same is true for your conscious awareness.
By using meditation techniques to be more consciously aware, you can experience what your own awareness is like – which is, yes, you guessed it, peaceful (not to mention love-filled).
Much serenity and success comes from you learning how to put most of your attention on your permanently still and silent conscious awareness, rather than being solely focused on the temporary thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and life circumstances that you are aware of.
By making this shift in where you put your attention, you can reconnect with the aspect of your real self that is permanently peaceful, and the fact that the spiritual sages were speaking the truth when they said: “You are what you seek.”
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