Morning,
Good afternoon,
Good evening.
Again and I were reading Charlotte Joko Beck last night.
In the chapter called Dorothy and the Locked Door.
I suggest you read it,
It's nothing special.
Encapsulates the whole thing.
Dorothy is every person,
It's the seeker,
It's you,
It's me,
Everybody who's seeking is Dorothy.
And what the seeker believes is that there's a door.
And behind the door is what we're looking for.
So what does Dorothy do,
Which represents everyone?
We do all these practices,
Try all these workshops,
Do all this spiritual work in order to attain enlightenment or happiness or peace,
Whatever your term is.
If you're spiritual,
It might be enlightenment.
If you're not,
It might be happiness,
Peace,
Freedom,
Doesn't matter.
It's all the same thing.
It's all based on a belief.
And what she's saying is the doll.
.
.
Is imagined.
So Dorothy does all these exercises,
All these practices,
All these workshops.
Expecting the door to open.
And there to be a.
.
.
And one day she's sitting there all relaxed,
Just not doing anything,
And the door opens.
She walks through the door.
And where does she find herself?
The kitchen sink.
Cleaning up after the kids.
Scraping wood off her shoes.
See there's a belief that this.
.
.
Is not it.
That's the lock,
That's the.
.
.
The Dole.
But it doesn't exist.
It's brought into being by belief thoughts.
The locked door is the belief thoughts.
That's what she's pointing to.
And it's as simple as that.
It's no more complicated.
If you think it is,
Then you've got a bit more work to do.
See,
Having a sore back,
Which I do occasionally,
That can't be it.
It'll be when this all back goes.
It'll be when my migraine leaves me.
I'm not saying we don't take medication and all that,
That's different.
Course we do.
There's this assumption,
This deeply held belief that this is not it.
That it exists through this door if I try hard enough.
The door will open.
But the door's not there.
How can it open?
It's already open.
That's the trick.
But we're convinced it's not,
So that's why we try hard.
Travelling to India on to the Gurus.
Good luck.
I'm not there yet.
Then you should lock door.
And what proof do I have?
More thoughts,
More beliefs.
So what's the solution?
Just sit quietly.
And it's not just in meditation,
It's everyday life.
Come back to your direct experience.
If you're pissed off,
If you're angry,
If you're afraid,
What's this?
Not as an analysis.
What's this?
Direct experience.
Watch the thoughts.
I'm having the thought.
Dot,
Dot,
Dot.
Oh,
That's thinking.
Meet them in silence.
And what dawns on us is that the thought and not the actual,
They're very useful,
They're necessary.
But because we believe the content to be real and true and factual,
We create an imagined door.
That's why it's not about getting anywhere,
You're missing the point.
We turn towards our present moment experience.
And we welcome ourselves.
In the words of Joe Corbett.
And welcome others till we welcome ourselves.
Do you just feel what's here?
The heaviness,
The sadness.
Everything is welcome.
Just drop the stories.
Just make those thoughts with silence.
And they'll just evaporate.
Gradually losing their power too.
Hi,
Jackie.
Where are you now?
You're trying and striving.
Try to open a door which doesn't exist.
Relax.
Maybe any emotions or physical sensations that might be uncomfortable in that same spaciousness.
Just feel it.
Meet it.
And let it be.
What does it feel like?
Where is your attention?
Checking the inner tense If you are,
Just take a moment.
A little shake or a couple of deep breaths.
Or if you're frustrated for any reason.
You're listening to your thoughts.
And the feet frustrated.
The hand's frustrated.
Are grumpy.
The sound of the birds of the traffic.
Is that frustrated or angry?
Sound of silence.
OK,
That brings to the end of a little stretch.
A little wiggle.
Thank you guys.
