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Het overgave-experiment



Stel je dat je op een dag beslist om 'ja' te zeggen.
'Ja'... ongeacht het verzoek wat tot je komt. 'Ja',omdat je een overgave-experiment aangaat. Niet zomaar voor 1 dag of 1 maand of 1 jaar..., maar voor het leven. Als ingang om de stem van het ego te doen smelten. Het ego wat noten op haar zang heeft (dat ga ik echt niet doen), weerstand voelt (ik ben al een pleaser), verzet, oordelen heeft, beperkingen ziet, eindeloze ambities kent, altijd vooruit denkt of aan het verleden blijft hangen, de slachtoffer, de redder, de aanklager (ik moet altijd doen waar jij zin in hebt) etc. En dat ikje geeft ook nog eens de hele dag commentaar op alles wat je doet en laat en op wat anderen doen en laten. We zijn in oppositie met wat is, met het leven zelf, het is niet goed zoals het is, het moet anders. Gevolg: stress en spanning.
Wat zou er gebeuren als we niet in oppositie zouden zijn met wat zich aandient in ons leven?
Wat zou er gebeuren als we een overgave-experiment zouden aangaan als ingang om de illusie van een 'ik', die meent de regie te voeren over het bestaan (ik bepaal zelf wel wat ik doe), te doorbreken? Een overgave-experiment voor een dag, een week of nog langer..., gewoon om eens te ervaren wat dit in ons teweeg brengt.

Dit is waar Michael Singer op jonge leeftijd voor koos en wat hij beschrijft in zijn boek: het overgave-experiment.
Hij besloot om het leven zelf de leiding te geven. Ongeacht het verzoek of de vraag die hem voor gelegd zou worden: zijn antwoord was 'ja'. En natuurlijk sputterde het ego tegen: het verzoek van zijn professor om een bankdirecteur in het een en ander bij te scholen, riep grote weerstand op. Daar wilde hij zijn tijd niet aan besteden, het liefst bracht hij zijn tijd mediterend door in het bos en nu 'moest' hij (een hippie destijds) een man uit de commerciële wereld in pak en stropdas bij staan... Maar ja, zijn besluit was genomen en daar hield hij zich aan. En zo ontvouwde zich uiteindelijk een prachtige vriendschap tussen de bankdirecteur en Michael, wat hij aanvankelijk als onmogelijk beschouwde.

Boeiend om een levensloop te lezen gebaseerd op dit besluit.
Je zou kunnen zeggen dat Michael Singer de weg van karma yoga (onbaatzuchtig handelen) en meditatie had gekozen om te ontwaken. En een eerste begin om de stem van het ego te doen smelten was 'ja' zeggen.

Afgelopen zomer (2021) las ik dit boek tijdens mijn verblijf in ons huis in Tsjechië. In die zomer leefde ook het thema vergankelijkheid en de dood waar ik destijds een blog over schreef (titel: waardeer de kus van het leven).
Ik voelde dat er gaande de zomer zich een fundamentele verandering voltrok. Er welde een behoefte op vanuit de ziel om in samenwerking met anderen een wezenlijke bijdrage te leveren aan het geheel: het hart wilde stromen, maar wist niet in welke vorm. Eén ding werd langzaamaan duidelijk in die zomermaanden: deze website klopt niet meer, ik wil mensen niet langer ondersteunen in het domein van de mind, omdat het niet tot ontwaken leidt. Het valt mij op (en voorheen was ik niet anders) dat mensen eindeloos doorgaan met het sleutelen, verbeteren, veranderen van het psychologische zelf (ego) in de hoop dat inzicht in alle (familie)patronen, overtuigingen etc. hen leidt naar bevrijding. En dat is niet zo..., het bekrachtigt juist het ik (ego).
We blijven eindeloos doorgaan en in cirkels draaien: de cirkel van de mind, van verhalen, concepten, herinneringen, van het denken en emoties. En de identificatie met een 'ik' die meent aan het roer te staan, een 'ik' met voorkeuren en afkeuren. Tja..., en als er voorkeuren en afkeuren bestaan (dan heb ik het niet over de voorkeur voor een kop koffie of thee etc.), dan bewegen we dus niet mee met de stroom van het bestaan. En dat betekent: lijden.
De ingang naar bevrijding is het Licht zelf, Bewustzijn zelf..., niet de inhoud van het bewustzijn (alle drama's van het bestaan), maar Dat waar de inhoud in verschijnt. Noem het 'zien', vol compassie, zonder oordeel, voorbij dualiteit, voorbij goed en fout.

Aan het einde van de zomer sprak ik met een vriendin hierover... er waren tranen...
Ik zei: 'Wat heeft het voor zin om bijvoorbeeld een blog te schrijven over een diepe overtuiging waarin iemand gevangen zit en deze overtuiging uit te dagen als het niet leidt naar werkelijke bevrijding?' We kunnen eindeloos doorgaan met het bevragen van bijvoorbeeld overtuigingen, met als doel het ontmantelen van het ego: maar wie of wat is er eigenlijk 'bezig' met dat ontmantelen?

Hoe kan een mens ooit tot ontwaken geraken als het het ik (ego) zelf is dat hard aan het werk is met familiepatronen, familieopstellingen, herkomst van overtuigingen, analyses en verklaringen? De drama's waar mensen in verstrikt raken (denk alleen maar aan alle relatie/gezondheid/werk issues) zijn oneindig en de maalmachine van het denken draait dag en nacht door.
Dat wil overigens niet zeggen dat ik daar geen compassie voor voel. Naarmate het hart zich meer en meer opent, is er een diep medeleven met de mens en het lijden van de mens, maar dat betekent niet dat ik aan het instand houden van de mind mijn inzet wil geven. Wat ook niet wil zeggen dat ik niet open sta voor ondersteuning van de oprechte zoeker naar waarheid, maar dan wel vanuit dat perspectief: gericht op ontwaken, niet op verbeterplannen voor het ego.

Wat ik ook voelde afgelopen maanden is dat ik met zo'n schoolbordwisser door de website wilde gaan...gewoon alles weg vegen..., en misschien gaat dat op enig moment ook gebeuren..., misschien schrijf ik zo nu en dan nog een blog...en plaats ik die op facebook en linkedin; mensen die zich werkelijk aangesproken voelen door wat ik deel, die weten me wel te vinden... of niet...en dat is ook oké. En de vorm van begeleiden kan natuurlijk altijd nog veranderen.

Vooralsnog laat de oude vorm los en wil het hart stromen in samenwerking met anderen...en ja...het leven is fascinerend...en heel intrigerend..., je weet nooit waar het naar toe beweegt... En zo gebeurde het dat in dezelfde week dat ik bovenvernoemde vriendin sprak, het bestaan met een antwoord kwam. Het antwoord kwam van onze dochter die een loopbaanswitch had gemaakt naar de kinderopvang en mij belde na haar eerste werkdag met de mededeling: mam, ik ben bang dat ik een verkeerde keuze heb gemaakt. Ze deelde haar ervaring van de eerste werkdag en ik zei vanuit betrokkenheid: zal ik je een dagje komen helpen? Waarop zei zij: dat vind ik hardstikke fijn mam, maar je kan niet zomaar een kinderdagverblijf binnen lopen...en mam, jij kan dit werk ook doen..., je hebt toch alle diploma's hiervoor?
Waarop ik zei: ja, van 40 jaar geleden... Dochterlief vervolgde haar uitleg hoe het in deze tijd werkt en dat ik als freelancer aan de slag kan, omdat er zo'n kort tekort is aan pedagogisch medewerkers. En terwijl zij de uitleg gaf...gebeurde er in mij iets wonderlijks...het boek van Michael Singer ging door me heen..., in een flits van een seconde..., en innerlijk voltrok zich een omkering..., overgave..., als dit is wat het bestaan mij nu aanreikt...als antwoord op mijn vraag vanuit de ziel om te delen en samen te werken, dan zeg ik: JA. En ik zei tegen mijn dochter: ik ga het uitzoeken, ik ga me aanmelden en kijken wat er ontstaat. Dit is 'mijn' overgave experiment. Geen verzet, geen (spirituele) ambities, geen oordelen (ik ga toch niet in de kinderopvang werken...), simpel en eenvoudig 'ja'.
En zo gebeurde het dat ik enkele weken later aan de slag ging als zzp'er in kinderopvanglocaties, in het bijzonder de buitenschoolse opvang. Iedere dag weer een andere organisatie, een andere groep kinderen, een andere groep medewerkers en een andere plaats waar ik naar toe reed/rijd..., één groot avontuur...en ik vond/vind het geweldig om mezelf iedere keer weer opnieuw in een nieuwe context te plaatsen om mezelf daarin te ervaren. En ja, in het begin was het uiterst vermoeiend...alles was nieuw, en soms wat onzekerheid hoe het een en ander werkte, maar ook boeiend om te zien hoe kinderland na 40 jaar eruit ziet en functioneert.
Na enkele weken realiseerde ik me wat me opviel: dat ik overal mezelf was..., ik zag dat ik in elke nieuwe situatie ontspannen binnen stapte en de samenwerking met collega's aanging...geen spanning, gewoon opgaan in de flow van de dag met de kinderen en de medewerkers... en ik voelde dat de energie van het hart meer en meer ging stromen.

Aanvankelijk was ik een diploma kwijt waardoor ik in eerste instantie niet met baby's kon werken. Maar een dag voordat de lockdown (corona) kwam, ontving ik het diploma van het Ministerie van Onderwijs. De buitenschoolse opvang ging dicht en ik kon nu mijn intrede doen in de wereld van baby's en peuters. En ja, ik kreeg een kans bij een organisatie in Amsterdam. Een groep van ongeveer 9- 12 baby's van 0-1 jaar, geleid door 3 tot 4 wisselende pedagogische medewerkers. En ja...liefde en nog eens liefde voor die allerkleinste zielen...baby boeddha's van 3 of 4 maanden die voor het eerst komen... wennen...en veel huilen, omdat er zoveel prikkels zijn...en de oermoeder staat in mij op...en dan zie ik een zzp'er die er voor het eerst is..., vrij onhandig (ruw) zo'n kwetsbaar wezentje die overstuur is, de fles geven, die de baby niet wil, omdat ze zo van slag is...en op dat moment heb ik ook een baby van 3 maanden in mijn armen, die weer tot rust is gekomen en ook toe is aan een fles...en ik zeg tegen de zzp'er: zullen we wisselen..., dan geef ik haar de fles en neem jij de baby die ik nu vast hou over? Ja, knikt ze en we doen een ruil. En ik hou dat schatje vast en loop met haar rond en langzaamaan kalmeert ze..., nog wat naschokken...en dan neem ik haar in mijn armen om de fles te geven...dichtbij...intiem..., ze kijkt me aan en blijft kijken, een uitwisseling van ziel tot ziel..., totale ontspanning...en ze drinkt...

En zo draait het wiel van het bestaan..., en het hart zegt 'ja': wat mooi om liefde te delen met kinderen, die nog zo open zijn, zo puur, zo zichzelf....

Het dient...mij...en de kinderen, die aan mij/ons zijn toe vertrouwd. Het dient het geheel.
Service noemt Michael Singer het..., onbaatzuchtige dienstbaarheid..., deelname (participation) noemt Osho het.
Wat is het fijn om met een team liefde te ervaren en te mogen brengen.

www.bewustzijnscoaching.com
LinkedIn: Caroline Ootes
Facebook: Caroline Ootes, Ontwaken, Bewustzijnscoaching
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Why do others view me so differently than I do myself?



Why do others view me so differently than I do myself?

We have all been given the option (potential) to awaken, to come to Love, to Consciousness. A divine gift, a possibility. Some of us feel a strong call, from the inside, for total liberation: they follow a spiritual path with a master who has awoken, and they practice Vipassana meditation (1), because they realize that Pure Consciousness is the gate to total liberation.

Others do not feel that call, but they do long for liberation from deep, painful basic convictions, which stem from the psychological mind (the "I", the ego). The suffering that comes from those deep imprints can also serve to awaken from the dream state. 

Often liberation does not happen, because Pure Consciousness has not yet been recognized, so the identification with convictions (and the resultant suffering) is so strong that we simply avoid challenging the convictions and allowing the connected pain to melt. It simply feels too painful to enter into, too painful from the perspective: what I feel and think is true (identification with the psychological mind).

Nevertheless, we all do our levels best, we are all on our way and one tulip is blooming in May, the other in July. 

Those who want to come to Love long for liberation from the yoke called "I"  which gives humanity, deep down, such a strong sense of loneliness and alienation. The ‘I’ (ego) which applies everything to itself.
‘I’ means tension and a self-centered attitude, which stems from the fear: Am I welcome?  Do they like me? Am I really a part of the group? Am I good enough? Everything happening around us, in interaction with others, leads to this self-centered attitude, to self-talk. We think about ourselves for hours, because we apply everything to ourselves: he isn’t looking at me is translated to ‘he doesn’t like me’; and if we don’t receive a reply to our e-mail, we are afraid we may have said something wrong etc.

In essence, the psychological mind knows two modes: attraction or rejection. Attraction means: getting what you think you need or deserve, often through manipulation, from neediness. In other words: life or the other person ought to give us what we can’t give ourselves, because we are not at home in our Heart. 

Rejection means: everything we want to get rid of, everything we perceive as unwanted, everything that inhibits our alleged happiness or sense of well-being, actually everything we say 'no' to: I don’t want to experience, feel, face or acknowledge this. 

And it is these two modes of the psychological mind (attraction and rejection), resulting from identification with an ‘I’, with all convictions connected to that, that make people suffer. The basic tenor of the ‘I’ is fear, in contrast to the basic tenor of Life itself, which is Love.

Some time ago, a client visited my practice with the following question: I feel such a massive difference between the way others view me and the way I feel inside, how is that possible? People see me as an independent and strong person, who can help others with advice and wisdom, but I feel insecure and afraid of rejection, especially falling short and not belonging, and I often feel that way…, like I’m not a part of the group, excluded (for the reader: this is the ‘I’ and the self-centered approach to life, the self-talk, the psychological mind; a collective inclination based on age-old conditioning).

I ask her whether she can show others this insecurity and vulnerability. In many cases, no, she shows the outer world a self-confident attitude.
Then it is not strange that the outer world views you that way, isn’t it? Yes, that is true, she says.
What scares you about showing your vulnerability and insecurity? I ask.
Well, she says, when I show that, I feel like I disappear or dissolve.
What do you mean, disappear or dissolve?
Well…, I have the feeling that I don’t belong, and then I see this image of myself, standing outside the circle.
Do you recognize this from the past? It seems to refer to a family in which there was no room for vulnerability, softness, insecurity…, did you feel like an outsider in your family?

And then the stories start to flow:
She graduated, and some family members were there but her father was absent. After the graduation ceremony they get home, and the family members confront her father: your daughter graduated, shouldn’t you congratulate her? Her father answers: it was no more than her duty. He turns around and walks away.

She goes to gymnastics, it is evening, she has a nasty fall, the teacher calls home and asks her father to pick her up. He tells the teacher: she should just work out a way to get home. That night, she sleeps in the house of her teacher and his wife. When she gets home the following day, her father walks away without greeting her or looking at her.

She falls off her bike in front of the kitchen window. There is blood, grazes, the bike is damaged. Her father says nothing, except: you will pay the damage to the bike yourself.

And there are many similar experiences to share, she says quite composedly (an attitude that relates to her question: showing no vulnerability).

Imagine, I tell her, that mankind incarnates here on earth with a package of convictions that the soul took on to resolve during this lifetime. And the circumstances in which a person is born matches completly with these convictions so that the soul has the possibility to resolve these beliefs…, to reach liberation, to clean up that facet of the diamond. And existence is merciful…, you can take as long as is needed…, one life or hundreds of lives…, it is up to you, existence makes no demands, it is eternally patient and compassionate.

And if we look from the perspective I just outlined: the soul who brings along a package of convictions to work out during this life (or a next one); the soul who attracts those circumstances that match these convictions…, then what is the conviction that ‘your’ soul wants to resolve, I ask?
 
What is the conviction, that has a deep imprint in you?

I can’t be vulnerable. Showing softness, vulnerability, pain and insecurity leads to lovelessness, rejection and exclusion.
Yes, I say…,  and that is exactly what your soul wants to solve in this life. Do you see the perfection of existence in this? Do you see how these circumstances match with what 'your' soul wants to experience and heal?

And can you see that vulnerability is a great power, which is very disarming, unlike your conviction that showing vulnerability only leads to rejection and lovelessness?

You live on one side of the spectrum, but like light and dark can’t exist without each other, vulnerability can’t exist without the other side of the spectrum: inner strength and independence. Existence is challenging you to unite or outgrow this seeming contradiction. Strength is only truly strength when it carries softness and relaxation within it (and vice versa).

It is up to you whether you face the resolution of this conviction, but if you continue to act (or avoid action) based on this conviction then nothing will change, you will remain the captive of this conviction and you will leave life with unresolved convictions.

Thankfully, existence is merciful and simply gives us another round to work out what has not yet been resolved. The question is whether this is what you want? No, she says, if possible I’d like to heal all in this life, but how?

See (Be Aware) how this pain shapes your actions. See the movements of the mind. The principle of attraction based on neediness/pain: searching for confirmation ‘I belong’ or doubting whether you belong. And the principle of rejection, i.e. avoidance: I don’t want to show vulnerability, because I don’t want to feel the pain of exclusion and lovelessness.

Break the pattern of avoidance: show your insecurity and vulnerability. Realize that you interpret others behavior based on this deep conviction: they will not like me if I am myself, if I also show my vulnerability and insecurity.

If your daughter-in-law doesn’t return a call, take responsibility for the way you interpret this, do a reality check: is it true that you don’t want to have contact with me? Yes that’s true, she may say, I know that you empathize, but I haven’t recovered from the concussion yet and I need rest. Feel the pain of exclusion when it is triggered, while realizing that the pain says nothing about your daughter-in-law, but everything about the interpretation that you attach to it; it is old pain (exclusion), a residue from this life and others, that is being triggered, that hasn’t healed yet.

What is going on in me, but what I don't say outloud to her: go meditate (Vipassana), so that Pure Awareness can sprout and then the convictions are seen through and gradually extinguish. 

From Pure Awareness it is much easier to clean up your history, because identification with the psychological mind (e.g. convictions) loosen up (or dissolve completly), so that the pattern of avoidance is seen through and the pain can melt, without much effort: it no longer feels so ‘real’ or ‘true’. 

From Pure Awareness rises the possibility of total liberation. 

Liberation is the light of the diamond in its totality and not merely one or a few facets like specific convictions based on karma that you (the 'I', ego) try to change in this life. If you only focus on solving all kind of issues of the psychological mind (the facets), total liberation is not possible, because the psychological mind, the 'I', the ego, stays in charge, you are the one who is working hard to improve your state of being, but it is the identification with the 'I' that causes the suffering in the first place. And the psychological mind will continue to bring up a new problem after you have resolved the previous one. So meditation is a strong medicine to provoke Pure Awareness, to break down the identification with the psychological mind (the 'I'). 

Pure consciousness means transcending the mind; the light is 'on' and it shines: all convictions/problems gradually extinguish naturally in the Light of Awareness; no strong effort or hard work (= the 'I') is necessary. Yes, sometimes we have to descend deeper into certain resistances, but from Pure Awareness it's a totally different experience (less painful) than going deeper into the resistance from the mind. 

So, meditation enables you to break free from the wheel of reincarnation and karma, because you transcend the mind = it is the highway. 

If Pure Awareness is not recognized, you will remain a prisoner of the mind, a prisoner of the 'I' throughout your life, you are working hard on all kind of issues, but liberation will not reviel and then rebirth is a fact.

Time and time again, I am amazed by the strong influence of these deep convictions, which shape the lifespan of a person without their awareness. I listen and hear the strong identification, which goes hand in hand with the thoughts and emotions (that they firmly believe), which emanate from these convictions. And I feel/hear/see the perfection of existence throughout this lifespan: the potential for liberation, for which the soul is longing, liberation from the deep imprints from this life and others, which is the force behind this birth in these circumstances. 

It is this suffering, which is caused by the 'I' with these convictions, that pushes people to start searching for healing. What a beautiful design of existence. 

And I also see the other side: the massive power of maya, the total identification with these convictions which people continue to repeat, an entire life until death follows… and the next life… from which I say: look for a living master, practice self-inquiry, practice Vipassana meditation (1), in order to escape from the hold that the psychological mind has over you (including what I feel and think is ‘true’). 

(1): for more information and an introduction to Vipassana, have a look at http: //www.vipassana.nl/ 

Boeddha: the best way to stay in samsara is to resist it. Samsara is the wheel of endless birth and death under the influence of delusion and karma which causes suffering. 


www.thehealingcircle.one 
Linked-In: Caroline Ootes
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Meditation..., just wasting time



I have an appointment with Lisa, she comes for the first time. Recently someone said to me: "Maybe you are not of meditation, maybe meditation as an entrance is not suitable for you." I wonder if that is the case. She continues: "I now read a book where meditation is recommended and I notice that I keep myself from it. I would like to look at this subject with you."

Okay, I say, tell me something more. I am not afraid of silence, says Lisa, I have also done some retreats including a 7-day vipassana retreat and yet I feel quite a bit of resistance at the thought that I have to spend time, every day, to meditate. I wonder what that is. Is it that I don't allow it myself? Don't I think it's worth it? Or is there something else going on? I know that I am a huge doer, she says. When I sit still, the thought soon comes up that it is a waste of my time.

Okay, I say, I hear you, would you like to share something about the 7-day silence retreat? What was the state of affairs and what did you encounter in that?

We meditated many hours a day and the meals were also in silence. We also did chores like washing dishes etc. The first days of the retreat I looked at the other participants with astonishment/admiration and thought: "What are you doing all your very best..., well, I can't do that." I just pulled my own plan, I did what I needed, sometimes I lay down during the meditation while everyone sat. Later the other participants indicated that they found me so strong that I state with myself, doing what I needed, but I thought it was very strong of them that they meditated hour after hour on their cushion or chair. My experience: the days were terribly long..., and I just missed out on contact with people..., a weekend in silence..., oke..., you can do that, but longer than a weekend..., it's really hard, I also need contact with others to grow and to mirror and if I sit or lie like that, then it just stagnates in me, then I get stuck in my own thoughts. Well, after 4 days I stopped, I had enough of it.

Okay, so you pulled your own plan..., you didn't surrender to the program as it was, but you did your own thing. That is already a remarkable fact, right? To see that through that behavior you create an escape route for what was going on in you during meditation. And that the mind then comes up with a explanation for your behavior: "I need other people to flip, without contact with people nothing happens, no insight, nothing, meditation just doesn't work for me." Interesting to watch all this, right?

Yes, says Lisa, I didn't look at it that way, I was actually proud of myself that I went my own way. Too bad the teacher didn't mirror this back to me.

And if you had completed the 7 days, what would you meet in yourself?

I would be bored to death, says Lisa sincere. I also often had thoughts like: "What am I doing here?, What is the use of this?, What a waste of my time." In my daily life I always arrive just in time at an appointment, never too early. Because I don't want to waste my time. I have to spend my time well and doing nothing, meditate, is not useful.

Interesting. So this is what you encounter during a 7-day vipassana. Every one meets his/her own pieces. And this is it for you: you go your own way, you miss the contact with others ..., you think you need others to meet yourself on a deeper level ..., you seek the fulfillment outside of you ..., without the exchange with the other you are thrown back on yourself and you feel that you are stagnating in your thinking, you discover that you are bored to death and you now realize that there is a conviction at basis: doing nothing is a waste of my time, I have to spend my time useful. Silent sitting and stagnating in your own thoughts is not useful, it does not yield anything, you decide to stop after 4 days.

Yes, Lisa says, I realize this now on a deeper level, I have not looked at it this way before. But how do I get rid of that conviction? And from that doer?

To see is to be free.

You see it now. You see the beliefs that determine your actions. That's where it starts. With 'seeing'. See what is happening, what is touched, just look at it, without judgement. Let the lamp of Consciousness shine on it, that's all. Don't fight with boredom or with lack of contact, don't get away, don't hook on, don't go with it, stay spectator of what the mind conjures up when you meditate: the boredom, the senseless and useless, the lack of contact and the explanation that the mind gives you after those 4 days.

When we want to get rid of anything, it just stick to us longer. If you are fighting with the mind, who in you is fighting? That is also the mind. Then you remain a prisoner of the mind, of the beliefs, so that is not the solution. Look at the resistance, the boredom..., and at some point it goes out automatically. Going inwards, slow down, is a first step to get out of the doer's addiction, to kick off the pattern in you that constantly thunders from one project to another.

If you understand what we are talking about, then you realize that there is a conditioned pattern: the doer (you can't do nothing, you have to be useful, you can't waste your time). Realize that the doer is driven by adrenaline. And that adrenaline ensures that your system is always 'active'. So a de-conditioning process is needed.

Sit or lie down on the couch, with calm music or without music, be relaxed, want nothing, don't expect a result, just be present at what passes by in body and mind on the moment you don't give in to the doer. Maybe you start to feel agitated when you are laying on the cough, all kinds of thoughts are passing by like: I have to hang up the laundry, do the shopping, I am wasting my time, etc. Something to that effect... do you recognize that?

Very recognizable, says Lisa.
Follow the process, that's all. Look. That is meditation: Being present at what is happening in you, without wanting to change anything. You allow yourself every day to be for half an hour (or longer), total relaxation for half an hour. And you will see that the adrenaline rush, which always wants to incite you to activity, decreases over time. You then experience more and more that you can rest in existence, can be ordinary, which is very healing, fulfilling and nourishing.

And if you still want to be useful, to use that term again... start with yourself. When you come home to yourself, at the source of love and wisdom that you are, you can assist the other on a deeper level. Now you give all kind of advice out of your mind (as you say yourself), but you don't incorporate the wisdom, you don't live it. So, to what extent can you really be of use to others when you are not living what you are talking about? Start with yourself. And if you see deep through a pattern (the doer) for long enough (when it is active again), from Consciousness, then a change process automatically takes place.

In the beginning it requires some effort to spend half an hour on yourself (kicking off the doer), but at a certain moment you discover and experience the power of 'doing' nothing: just be.

Delicious right?
Yes, thank you, says Lisa, I am glad that it is clear now what stops me to meditate. I need some time to digest what we spoke about, but I will experience and discover it.

When you are not doing anything at all, bodily, mentally…, on no level…, when all activity has ceased and you simple are, just being, that is what meditation is.
(Osho)


www.thehealingcircle.one
LinkedIn: Caroline Ootes
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What is the key to happiness?



What is happiness?

And is there a key to happiness? If so, what is the key?

Is there such a thing as permanent happiness or is happiness just temporary: it comes and it goes.

Is happiness feasible? Can you do or create 'happiness' or 'being happy'?

Does 'happiness' demand effort from our side, because it isn't there in advance, it can only be obtained through endeavor?

Or is 'happiness' something that happens to you?

What does the word 'happiness' or 'be happy' mean to you? Take the time to examine this... Go inside and ask yourself what 'happiness' means for you in your daily life.

Is happiness in the little things: a sunset, a rose, a look, a smile? So in something outside of us? Or in a state of Being that gives shine to everything that is?

And what do we do with 'being unhappy'? The opposite of 'happiness'.
Happiness can only exist by the grace of its opposite: 'suffering' or 'being unhappy'.

Are we giving ourself permission to be 'unhappy' in the rat race to 'happiness'?

Is happiness possible if we realize that every 'happiness' carries the seed of 'unhappiness', because it is temporary: happiness comes and goes, today you have a great day and tomorrow it is over.
And every 'unhappiness' carries the seed of 'happiness': after rain comes sunshine.

Would the pursuit of happiness be related to the fact that we often feel unhappy?

Could it be that the desire for 'happiness' (fill in: a partner, the right job, a child, peace in the world, recognition, appreciation, harmony, enlightenment) is precisely the cause of our suffering?

Could it be that these same desires cause us to feel unhappy in the here and now, because our attention is elsewhere, focused on realizing a desire somewhere in the future? Because we believe that life as it is, is not fulfilling, is not sufficient...

Not satisfactory? To what? To the image that the mind creates about reality: how it should be. Recognizable? It always has to be different than it is. We don't know a full 'yes'.
'Yes' in the sense that life is good as it is, with all the trimmings.

We 'live' from a 'no'. Because we believe that something is wrong with us, the other person, the world, the circumstances as they are: it has to be different..., says the mind.

Are you happy'? Stop a moment before reading on.
What is your answer to this question: Are you 'happy'?
Where do you say 'no' to? What doesn't meet your expectations?

And can the 'I' be happy?
The 'I' that strives for..., the 'I' that doesn't want this, but that (something else), the 'I' that disapproves and approves, the 'I' that sets so many conditions on life itself, the 'I' that has so many opinions and judgments?

If being happy is not possible for the 'I', then the question arises whether permanent happiness exists at all? Or is permanent happiness a fairytale?

The only way that I know to true happiness is 'awakening'. Being at home in the Self. Get  get rid of all the demands we place on life (on ourselves, the other and the world).
Live Life as it comes and goes, without assumptions. 
In the heart, out of the head which has all kind of ideas about 'happiness'.

And then I listen to the words of Osho:

'Life moves from perfection to perfection. Not from imperfection to perfection. No, life moves from perfection to perfection. '

Nothing needs to be improved or changed: all is well. Precisely all those efforts that it must be different than it is, is the cause of 'suffering'.
Awakening is about happiness that doesn't come and goes, happiness that is permanent. Call it Pure Awareness, Consciousness, Love, Light, the Buddha Nature. Then you are at home, at home in the Self that transcends light and darkness, the Self that knows no polarities (happiness/unhappiness), the Self that doesn't set conditions and makes nog demands on existence. The Self which is neutral, full of love.

Does that mean that there is no emotion or experience of sadness or pain anymore?
No, emotions appear and there can be pain. And that is it: there is an emotion or there is pain. If you don't have an opinion about that, then there is what there is: an emotion/pain. But at the moment that identification takes place with the emotion or the thought, then there is charge, then you are a prisoner of the mind, you believe the thought (I am worthless), in your mind it is really true (you are rejected), you are convinced that something is being done to you by someone else or by certain circumstances (you are fired), you make it personal (I am not good enough), a 'story' arises..., yes..., then there is 'suffering'. 

As awareness goes deeper, identification with the mind dissolves, which doesn't mean that you can't get caught now and then, but the identification is superficial and short-lived.

And yes..., coming home to the Self is a gift, then life is fulfilling and a deep sense of gratitude arises from the heart..., for everything that is..., as it is.

PS I lie on the massage table and listen to mantras. A thought appears: you have just written a blog about 'happiness', but how do you see the death of your daughter that took place in the summer of 2016? That is a great suffering? That is a big loss? That is terrible, isn't it? Yes, that is a big loss. Certainly... And yes, there were tears and strong feelings of loss...

And then Lao Tse (a philosopher from the 6th century BC) blows through me: 'Don't go that far to say that the death of your daughter brings bad luck (suffering). All you can say is that she is dead. That's a fact. Whether it brings misfortune or a blessing, you don't know, because this is only one fragment of reality. Who knows what else will follow?'

Yes, I don't know. And I don't need to know either. I can share what I experience now, six months after her death: total neutrality concerning her death, a neutrality that is loving, a neutrality that transcends attachment. Every now and then Simone blows through me, a warm wave, there is a heart connection, a connection that transcends death and life. Of course it is a great loss, a pity that she is no longer here on earth, we had a deep connection... And it is what it is: she is dead. And that's it.

What I also know is that Lao Tse speaks from the Source, the Source of Love that is neutral, the Source that knows no judgments. Is the death of our daughter a blessing or a curse? Who will say it? Everyone will be inclined to say that it is a curse. But what if you are at home in the Source? In the Self... where no form of polarity (unhappiness/ happiness) is present, because it is neutral. Not neutral in the sense of 'lifeless, death', but neutral in the sense of an unconditional 'yes'. Is it then still a blessing or a curse?

Discover it, meditate, find a living master who can guide you, who sees through your structure, who rattles your foundations. It takes a lot to defrost, to dismantle the structure (the ego/mind/conditioning/ convictions/beliefs/attachment/security/safety). The transformation process to Light, through all layers (physical, emotional, mental layer) is an enormous transformation. Years of fatigue, various physical complaints, the recognition of the black swan in me (which I experienced as a painful process)..., it wasn't easy but more than anything in life - worth it. Meditation and self-examination and a living master are the keys to 'happiness' for me.

Wake up, wake up.
That is the path to true happiness.

'Life moves from perfection to perfection. Not from imperfection to perfection. No, life moves from perfection to perfection.'


www.thehealingcircle.one
Linked-In: Caroline Ootes
Posted on by Bewustzijnscoaching

Ways to feel and dissolve (existential) pain.



Projection: I have no one, I feel lonely ...

How can I get to the root of a particular pain? And are there other ways to break through identification with the mind, identification with the 'I' (the source of all suffering)? 
Yes, there are other direct roads to liberation that I will share in another blog, but first some depth on feeling pain.

Feeling pain is really only necessary when the pain is actual. In other words: the pain feels so real that you can't ignore it. Often we are fully identified with the pain, fully identified with the story that the mind has figured out for this pain. For example, you feel deeply and deeply lonely, no one who really loves you, you think..., all alone. And you can't detach yourself from the story that the mind has thought about as the cause: I feel lonely, I am all alone and that is because I have no partner. You fully believe the picture that the mind offers you. You don't realize that you are not alone and have never been alone. How can you be alone at all if you are part of life itself? How can you be alone if you are part of existence itself? In addition, there are always people around you: people you meet in the supermarket, colleagues, friends, family etc.

You are not alone, you feel alone, you feel lonely, as every person feels deep down alone through the pain of separation, the identification with an 'I'.

We believe the story that the mind comes up with (I am alone, because I have no partner) and don't realize that the pain originates in the separation, which takes place at a young age, when we are confirmed time and again by our environment that we are a self-contained person, an 'I', who is separate from others, an 'I' who is separate from life itself, separate from other life forms: there is a separation, which is not real, but feels that way (=the ego).

As long as we don't see through the 'I' and the mind, the mind will create a story about the pain we are experiencing on that moment: I feel lonely and that is because I have no partner.

Looking from the perspective of our actuality, we can conclude that, for example, we live alone, without a relationship, that is all. The pain of loneliness is triggered by the stories that the mind creates: you think you need others to experience light and love in your existence. You seek light and love outside yourself, in others, instead of discovering Light and Love within yourself. Okay, so is it then..., for the moment. You are fully identified with "loneliness" and the story surrounding it.

How do you embrace that pain? asked a blog reader.
The moment the pain is clearly present and you are on your own: go inside. For example, use music: songs that release the pain 'loneliness' for you, so that the grief which is hidden behind the thought 'I feel lonely and that is because I have no partner' can start flowing.

Realize it's a picture (even if it doesn't feel like it now), a story based on identification with the mind. The real origin of this pain is not that you are alone, but that you deep down feel separate from others, from existence, and above all from yourself ... through identification with an 'I' and identification with the mind.

Be totally present with this primal pain called 'loneliness'. Go all the way in and be present, be aware while the pain is melting down. Feel where the pain of 'loneliness' resides in your body: your belly, heart, throat ...? And be present.

Yes..., but what do you mean by 'be present'?
By that I mean that there is "something" that perceives this pain, otherwise you would not be aware at all that the pain of loneliness has been triggered in you.

How do you know that a certain pain is active in you?
You know that, because there is "something" (Consciousness) that perceives this pain. I call that 'something' 'presence'.

It is also called Buddha nature or Pure Awareness or Beingness.

Our essence is Consciousness (Pure Awareness) and within that Consciousness the primal pain 'loneliness' appears. From that 'something', from Pure Awareness, look at this pain and allow the pain to the bone, so that it can melt. No stories, no analyzes ...

Yes, it is possible that some images from the past are triggered spontaneously, memories that are linked to 'loneliness'..., see them pass by without being absorbed, they are memories, past times, just ideas that have no reality value in the NOW, the experiences are (long since) over, they no longer exist in the present, and bottom line it is not about loneliness linked to certain experiences in this life (those are only superficial layers of pain related to the personality), but it is about loneliness, which comes from our state of being as humanity: it is the pain of separation. So feel this primal pain, the pain of separation, that's what it is all about: feel completely how 'loneliness' feels..., so that this primal pain can melt.

If you are not Present with this pain, you lose yourself in the pain, then you become the pain yourself, you become totally identified with the feeling of loneliness and you can no longer see (no Awareness) that the mind creates a story about loneliness, you think your story is really true, that you are really lonely, because there is no partner in your life on this moment; the result is that you feel deeply miserable. Then you are in the grip of the mind (ego), then you don't see that we are all afflicted with the pain of separation (it is not something personal). The solution is not finding a partner, the solution is not in the outside world. The solution lies in understanding the cause of this pain: identification with an 'I' and identification with the mind. Hence the importance of Awareness.

Throughout our life we ​​have been focused on avoiding pain. Go the other way: meet the pain, from Awareness, and discover its effect. You see reality as it is again, without the story of the pain of loneliness, and you have given space and attention to melting this primal pain.

In addition to music, you can also use other inputs to express the pain of loneliness, for example painting or other creative expressions. Do not force, turn inside when the pain is topical (severe). See which entrance works for you.

Well, that is waking up: realizing that you are not the story (I am lonely, because ...), but you are That where the story appears in (Beingness, Pure Awareness). When you realize That, you become detached from identification with emotions/thoughts; then we are able to meet the pain (without resistance) from awareness. 

And you can't force the shift from mind to Beingness or Pure Awareness…, that is Grace…
You can work with the pain that arises when the pain is triggered (feeling loneliness). You can  see through the mechanism of projection (which pictures do I stick to reality?) and above all investigate deeper and deeper the identification with an 'I'..., but the shift from the emotional/mental layer to That (Pure Awareness) is something you can't control…, you can't do it..., it awakes in you at some point in time as Awareness. And then it really becomes possible to allow old pain to the bottom.

And are there other ways to break through identification with the mind/ego, with emotions and thoughts (the pictures)? Yes, above all meditation. And a 'method' described in the blog: transforming beliefs, the direct way.

If you need support, feel free to contact me.


www.thehealingcircle.one
LinkedIn: Caroline Ootes