The Truth Of Who We Are: Exploring Deep Consciousness

Today,

We're going to explore what consciousness is,

Explore where we're at in our being,

In our expression of our spirit,

Our soul,

Of our deep,

Wise self.

Taking this moment just to tune in right now,

Can we feel this deep,

Wise self?

Is it even a self,

Or do we go beyond the self?

And when we have setbacks arise,

As we all have setbacks arise and flaring up for us,

How natural is that?

How human is that?

Each day is so different in our practice,

In our level of awareness of our consciousness.

Can we be with those setbacks?

Can those setbacks be stepping stones or stairs in our climb of awareness,

Of going deeper in our awareness,

In our consciousness?

Often it's the great motivator.

The greatest motivator of all is when we are struggling,

When we are suffering.

Because we're motivated,

We're highly motivated,

Right?

To move beyond the suffering,

To move beyond the struggling.

It incentivizes our journey,

It incentivizes our path,

And can fuel the fire of discovery,

Of seeking truth,

Seeking,

Seeking.

Is seeking supportive or not on our journey of consciousness,

Of awareness?

There's a question to contemplate for you now.

Is seeking supporting you on your journey or hindering you?

At times,

It's very supportive when we need effort on our path,

When we need that little bit of energy to boost our awareness,

To boost our practice,

And our motivation to be on the path.

But once we're motivated and we're on the path,

We're seeking truth,

Then we have to completely surrender all efforts of seeking.

Because seeking comes from the mind,

And comes from thoughts,

And this belief that our mind can ultimately realize truth.

The fool's journey,

The fool's discovery,

Realizing that the mind cannot take us there.

So it is not a process of seeking,

It is a process of surrender,

Of allowing.

Of course,

Truth is truth,

Truth is here,

Truth is now.

It's not something we need to seek out,

But we do need that little bit of energy,

That little bit of motivation to want to connect more deeply to wisdom,

To truth,

To our deepest self,

To become aware of awareness,

To become conscious of our consciousness,

But not through the mind's eye,

Not through the perspective of thought or belief that it's something we can see or touch or process with the mind,

Because it goes beyond the mind,

And maybe you've had that experience through meditation.

This felt sense beyond our sensory organs,

Beyond the eyes,

Beyond feeling and emotion,

Beyond thought,

A knowing,

A deep knowing,

And not the knowing of the mind,

A resonant knowing,

A depth that we can't quite put words on,

A felt sense beyond the senses.

And this connection to it happens when we let go in the process of letting go.

Are you able to let go,

To experience direct truth,

Only accessible right now,

Not in the future self,

And we can reflect on the past self,

And times that we've had deep spiritual awakenings,

Connections to source,

To truth,

To ultimate truth,

Ultimate reality,

But that's not true now if we're reflecting on it in the past.

That's a mind process.

Only now can we access truth.

It's only here.

I'm going to invite you to close your eyes,

And as I'm speaking,

Being aware of my voice,

Being aware of the words beyond the mind's interpretation of it,

As if we're floating in the ocean,

And the waves are just moving by.

We don't need to think about them or process them.

We can trust that there is this awareness of it happening all on its own,

Without any mental processes happening.

It just is.

It just is.

There's nowhere to go.

No one to be.

No identity to form.

Just this now is all there is.

This is it.

The mind does not need to understand that there is this sacred connection happening,

That your awareness is touching this moment,

And everything taking place in this moment without needing to narrate what it is that it's touching,

Without needing to filter through the thoughts of the mind,

To filter through the sounds of the ears,

Or to filter through the vision of the eyes,

The scent of the nose,

The scents of the skin.

Awareness is touching all of this instantaneously,

Infinitely,

Naturally.

There is no I,

No self.

Everything is touching everything right now,

This giant cosmic web of one piece affecting another piece,

One atom resonating with another atom,

And so on and so forth in this infinite sea of endlessness.

One thought creating an emotion,

One memory creating a thought,

One brain aware of that,

One body holding that brain,

One chair holding the body,

One floor holding the chair,

One earth holding the floor,

One universe holding the earth.

All needed to exist right now.

This chain brought together by these links,

Creating this vast,

Infinite web.

Sense yourself in this endless woven fabric,

A small thread,

Endlessly woven into the fabric of life and existence.

You are not an individual thread,

Although it feels that way.

You're simply a section of the grand tapestry of life and existence.

Surrender this I,

This me,

This mine,

My progress,

My path,

My truth,

My importance,

My worthiness.

Surrender,

Surrender,

And see for yourself what is left.

See what happens when we let go of the I.

Feel it,

Don't think it.

Let it reveal itself to you,

To the mirror of your mind,

To the witness consciousness,

Becoming aware of the deep truth.

My favorite question of contemplation,

What is the truth?

What is the truth?

Not a question to be answered by the mind.

The mind can never take us there,

Because the truth is.

Ask this question one time,

Firmly,

Confidently,

What is the truth?

And surrender all that you know to be caught in the truth itself.

There is no need to understand it or label it.

You are it.

It is you.

Everything and nothing.

Everywhere and nowhere.

Me,

You,

And everything in between.

Only accessible now.

Only now.

Go for it.

Go for the ultimate truth.

Get out of your own way.

Step aside.

Let all beliefs go.

Let your history go.

Let your desires go.

Can you sense it?

Is it here?

Is there a feeling arising within you?

You are like a radio.

When dialed to the right frequency,

We can perceive truth of consciousness,

Of existence and non-existence,

Of awareness,

Of emptiness,

Of the unknown.

And this body is this conduit,

This radio,

That allows us this very special gift of receiving the truth.

The ability to become aware of it.

And turning our dial to the right frequency may require deeper surrender.

It may require stronger motivation.

It definitely requires equanimity,

Non-judgment,

Non-labeling,

Moving beyond good and bad,

Black and white classifications,

Equanimity,

Equality of all.

Because that is the space in which truth occupies.

The closer we can attune to what truth really is,

The easier it is to perceive it.

So these qualities of equanimity,

Of mindfulness,

Being able to be singularly focused,

Maybe on the breath,

Or this moment,

Or the body,

Or flower,

Finding stillness,

Even within motion,

Finding stillness,

Tranquility of the mind,

Calming the thoughts,

Taming them,

Not needing to put out the fire of our thoughts,

But not attaching to each thought,

Not attaching to the mind,

Rolling with it and creating stories,

Allowing them to arise and dissipate,

Arise and dissipate,

Tranquility of the mind,

Tranquility of the body,

Of the nervous system.

We may not be able to control the body and the sensations,

But we can find tranquility with it,

With our relationship to the body,

Our relationship to the sensations it feels,

As well as the nervous system,

Even in a state of fight,

Flight,

Or freeze,

There is tranquility to be found,

Like the hummingbird,

With its very fast-moving wings,

And its peaceful body moving slowly and calmly,

Amongst the turbulent winds,

Turbulent winds of the wings.

There can be stillness there,

A slower pace,

To see things more clearly,

To attune to truth.

The right effort is very supportive,

Not too much effort where we're clenching,

We're sweating,

We're thinking,

But enough effort to be on the path,

Enough effort,

Just enough effort to sway our ship in the right direction.

And no effort at all may be this open canvas,

A ship without sail,

A broken compass,

So gentle,

Gentle effort is needed.

And what about joy,

The quality of joy on our path of awakening,

Becoming aware of truth?

If we're too serious and too rigid and too uptight about it,

We might be hard on ourselves,

We might be judgmental that we're not there,

Or I touched the truth before,

Why can't I touch it now?

Why can't I touch it now?

That can make meditation difficult,

That can make this journey difficult.

Why not be a happy traveler,

Happy camper,

And feel the privilege of this path,

The privilege of awakening,

And all the effort that you've put in to get here,

All of the effort,

And I've brought you here,

All of the wonderful conditions and causes that you've put in to be where you are on your journey.

Each time you meditate,

Each time you are aware of the moment,

Or aware of your breath,

Not thinking I'm grateful,

But just a gentle,

Subtle feeling of joy,

Of gratitude,

Keeping the path joyful for you,

Keeping the energy of ease alive and well,

Having an easeful path where things flow,

And we don't become obstacles on the journey of truth.

And the mindfulness,

The right mindfulness,

The ability to return again and again on our path of truth,

Again and again,

Doing the same thing over and over,

Over and over,

Building a sense of stability within us,

This habit pattern of being on the right path.

The path of truth,

Of connection to something beyond the ego,

To something beyond the self,

Whether we've touched it or not,

Maybe our intuition is guiding us there,

Or something within us is telling us,

This is the way,

Leaning into trust and hope,

And being mindful to return over and over,

Returning inwards,

Returning home,

Accessible to all,

As it is all.

Sensing that within you now,

What is the truth?

Don't get stuck on the mind or the body.

Surrender,

Let go.

What is the truth?

Not denying anything in your experience,

Allowing all to unfold.

Because the truth is there in everything.

The truth is there when we're having fun,

We're laughing with friends.

The truth is there when we're crying,

Or upset,

Or having a panic attack.

The truth is there when beautiful things happen in the world.

The truth is there when our planet cries in suffering.

The truth is there.

The truth is here.

If you meet an obstacle on your path,

The truth is there in that obstacle.

And if you are resisting,

Resisting deeply,

Something in life,

The truth is there.

You are the truth.

What is the truth?

Don't answer in words.

Let the truth unfurl from the mind,

Untether from the body.

Let the truth surrender desire.

Let the truth release identity.

Let the truth be as it is.

And wherever you are on your journey with the truth now,

Is okay.

It's not wrong.

The truth is here.

Our level of awareness of it may be filtered through many lenses,

Or the mud in our eyes may be clear.

Wherever you are is not wrong.

Wherever you are has been clear.

It has been caused by life,

By experiences,

By the work that you've put in,

By the understanding that you've grown,

And by the ability to surrender that you've cultivated.

There's no wrong place to be on this journey of truth.

It's just where you are now.

Check your motivation and your desire.

To actualize the truth and see if you need encouragement,

To have a little bit more effort on your path,

Or see if you've been trying too hard,

Putting in too much effort and creating an obstacle.

Let that be the guidance of your next step on your journey.

Less effort or more effort.

And continue on this joyful path of realizing,

Of being the truth itself.

Let each moment of each day be a blank page,

Surrendering to the unknown,

And letting it write itself,

Letting it be the opportunity for the discovery of truth,

Through a gentle curiosity,

Through a simple pleasure,

And the ability to awaken,

To go deeper and deeper.

To let go further and further.

Enjoy your path,

Beautiful soul.

It is yours to carve.