I have been reading self help books and attending various “spiritual growth” events and workshops for many, many years. I have devoured the writings of Rhonda Byrne, Eckhart Tolle, Don Miguel Ruiz, Alan Watts, Deepak Chopra, Ernest Holmes plus many books on Buddhism and Christianity.
Last night, in a Nyquil induced daze, it occurred to me that all these attempts to find enlightenment (ie. inner peace, happiness, self confidence, prosperity, etc) are actually impeding me from finding enlightenment!
The recent tragic deaths of James Ray’s followers helped me realize that I don’t need a guru who claims to know the $ecret to everything. The answers were always there, I just had to quit trying so hard to find them.
When we seek enlightenment, inner peace, happiness, etc. it will always elude us because the thing we seek does not exist in and of itself. It is nothing more than an abstract concept in our mind. The more we are attached to finding that elusive state,the less likely it becomes available to us. The cycle of searching goes on an on, like a dog chasing his tail.
For those seeking money and fame.. quit seeking money and fame. Find what you like to do and do it with passion. For those seeking enlightenment…quit seeking enlightenment. Live your life with kindness, authenticity and awareness.
Don’t get me wrong. Some self help books/teachers are helpful and can be a stepping stone to making positive changes in your life but focusing on the outcome can only lead one further and further away from the outcome!
My advice to myself and anyone else is to stop seeking and start living, one present moment at a time.
and so it is…
This is an interesting theory that I will certainly give some thought to. I know I am certainly tired of looking for what you speak of and even more tired of never finding it and then punishing myself for not being able to change.
Very well written and so true. I often wonder when enlightenment became a commodity to be sold by self-proclaimed gurus. More often than not these ‘teachers’ are simply ego-obsessed individuals whose narcissism somehow deludes them into thinking that they’re spiritually advanced… so much so, in fact, that they have no difficulty in convincing others of their superior spiritual development. Enlightenment is an elusive little gem, isn’t it? The more we try the more frustrated we become. And, truly, who has actually achieved it other than the great spiritual leaders of the past? Those that have are probably not talking about it and they are certainly not selling their wisdom to others as a method of aggrandizing their egos. I agree, let it go.
These are some of the feeling i’ve felt too Tony, very well said, i miss you my friend.
Search for Truth. There is one Truth out there. Find it. Pray to God to show it to you and he promised he would. Until then you will not see it, hear it, or know it.
The “Truth” does not exist except in our minds. Furthermore, how does one define the “Truth” as it can mean many things to different people. One man’s “Truth” is another man’s “Non-Truth”.
Isn’t it wonderful how different everyone is and how each of us is on our own unique path to finding our individual truth. Self help books have led me to finding the answers from within when before I was looking outside myself. Spiritual books, affirmations and prayer nourish my soul and meditation is the vehicle to reach it. Tony, with all your experience with various meditation modalities. What do you think of the many commercial products out there claiming to accelerate the meditation process to higher and greater levels? Do they work? And if they do, is one better than the other? Is there any potential risk in using them? What do you think of EquiSync?
Most of the time I do a sitting meditation in silence and find that to be very effective. However, I love my DAVID PAL mind machine which is a brainwave entrainment device that uses flashing lights and tones to alter my brainwave state. Apparently, when we meditate we are mostly in Alpha or Theta and most mind machines will help accelerate the time it takes to get to that state. I think for most people it would take 15 minutes to reach Alpha state with light goggles and sound. If you are just using a sounds only CD it may take longer to reach a deep Alpha State. Personally, if you are using sound only, I would recommend the Neuroprogrammer 3 Software which you can run on your computer and make your own CD’s with different brainwave entrainment sounds.
The risks of using a mind machine with flashing lights is the possibility of a seizure if you are photo-epileptic or if you have any heart problems. I think the sounds only CD’s and software are probably OK but I am not a doctor or expert on the risks of using them. I have never used Equisync but I have tried Hemi Sync and they probably very similiar.