Suffering brings us to the table,
But the joy is in every single dish.
Suffering may put us in the seat and slide our chair up to the table,
But as we give our conscious loving attention to each bite,
Ah,
The flavors and the joy.
Loving yourself is worth the suffering that got you there.
And then we get to laugh at ourselves,
Because we didn't really need to suffer that way.
It's kind of funny how that works.
But the sheer fact that you've shown up is the guarantee,
The guarantee that you will meet yourself there.
Trying to find out who the real me is,
Guess what?
That's one of the pleasures of the journey.
Because who you are today will not be who you are tomorrow,
Nor the next day.
And may you never,
Ever find the end of who the real you is.
You cannot define conscious,
Aware energy.
You can never know that completely.
You can only be it.
And that,
I can feel the stretch of that.
When we want to define who we are,
We're trying to create a new personality,
And we're not the personality.
So we'll never truly know who we are.
And that's just fine,
Because it would be beyond the mind's ability to assess.
How can you label source energy?
That which you are,
Which is beyond time.
You're not just made of stars.
You're made of that,
Which spawned creation.
And what can spawn creation?
What can spawn creation?
How can we label that?
And yet you're a direct aspect of that source.
So may we never know who we are.
And we'll never be able to define it,
Because conscious awareness continues to expand.
You can't tie a bow around infinity.
And that's what you are.
You can only be it.
And that's okay.
We spend lifetimes figuring out who we're not,
Because that's what we've done.
How wonderful.
What else are you going to do?
I mean,
You've got eternity.
So rather than let's suffer through eternity,
Let's enjoy eternity with each other.
Let's look in each other's eyes with vast conscious awareness.
And the sheer desire to do it is all that is needed.
It's that in you which is consciousness.
All it's been waiting for is your desire.
And it cannot fail,
Because the desire came from the conscious awareness you are.
It's a winning game.
You get to win.
You can't fail.
Because that desire is the spark of conscious awareness that you are.
And once lit,
It expands.
It doesn't know another direction.
So let's take a moment with each other.
Just breathing in.
Grateful for every tear,
Every trapped feeling,
Every element of suffering that made us seek something else.
And now that we're here at the table,
There's no more need for that suffering.
It's the joy getting to know ourselves,
Getting to love ourselves,
And getting to love one another.
That spark that is in you is growing.
Every time you give it your conscious attention,
To notice it,
To even long for it.
It's okay to long for it.
It's just your consciousness bringing your attention,
Pulling away from thought,
And noticing the vibration inside yourself.
And that vibration will teach you,
Will love you,
Will show you who you really are.
So as you sit at the table,
Notice the vibration inside you.
Let it feel your whole body like a purring cat,
And fall into it.
We often get stressed that,
Oh my gosh,
What if I dig in there and I don't find anything?
It'll be okay.
You see,
You can't not find it.
That little thought that says,
What if I don't find anything,
What if I'm not that?
That thought exists inside of conscious awareness.
If you can think that thought,
Then you are consciousness.
And there isn't versions of consciousness.
There's only consciousness.
So it just happens to be that the Buddha you are has a thought that's afraid is not a Buddha.
And that's okay.
Because for that thought to exist,
It must exist inside a Buddha.
And I let that sit with you.
Because only a Buddha can think that thought.
Play with that thought a little bit.
Don't overthink it,
But play with it.
That only the Buddha can think it's not the Buddha.
And like that image,
I think we've seen it painted,
I think it's like the hand of God,
And it's like these two fingers touching.
Just remember,
As you reach out,
It's you reaching back.
So you cannot fail.
You will touch who you really are.
So let's take a moment and enjoy.
Even though we may not know how yet,
Because remember,
Thought,
A thought cannot know how to become the Buddha.
It only knows that the Buddha is rising in you.
So to even worry about becoming the Buddha is because you are.
Thoughts are responding to the vibration that is within you.
So let's relax and know that this fire cannot be quenched.
And that every thought,
Even adverse thoughts or thoughts that don't think you can do it,
Are just pointers to that you are already doing it.
And it's a guarantee.
And don't worry about what your mind says.
Just apply conscious attention to whatever the thought is,
Whether the thought's supportive or not supportive,
It doesn't matter.
Just be aware of that thought,
Because you are beyond thoughts.
So it doesn't matter if thoughts are supportive or thoughts are not supportive.
You're not either one of them.
You're the consciousness that's aware that there is thought.
Thought can only exist in consciousness.
And thought can only exist in the Buddha.
As the Buddha realizes it's no longer those thoughts.
You've already won the battle.
So just enjoy.
