Osho : “Beware of that. There are people who are attached to wealth and there are people who are attached to poverty. But it is the same attachment.”

The phenomenon of attachment is a very difficult concept for the western mind. In this quote above Osho discuss both wealth and poverty as being the same attachment.  What does this mean? Understanding the Law of Attraction will help. First you will always get what your predominant thoughts are. If you think about bills, money and lack this is what you will create in your world. A great example of this are sales people who produce the same amount of commission in good times and in bad times. They make the amount they believe they are worth. Thus there point of attraction and their attachment.

I once worked in a area of our city that was poverty stricken. These people, most of the were multi-generationally poor. Why? Because this is what they believe they are worth and thus what they will attract into their lives. Those who break this cycle do so by changing their belief system and thus their lives.

The same is true for the rich. You also see much multi-generational wealth. Look at the Trump family as an example. It is because they are better people that they are rich? No, they simply have a different view of life and of themselves. Law of Attraction will provide the rest. So what is attachment?

Attachment comes when the object in question, money and wealth in this example, becomes and driving force in one’s life. There are millions and millions of poor people in the world who are very unhappy, but their are some who are extremely happy. The rich people fall into the same boat, they are both unhappy (the majority) and happy.

A poor person is attached to poverty when they are obsessed or driven by their poverty but do not really ever do anything about it. They gripe and complain about having no money, all the while wasting what they have and not looking for improvement in their lives. They believe they are victims of society and have been give a bum rap. The poverty conscious will lose sleep over their money problems.

The rich are no different. They have lots of money, but are obsessed that they might lose it someday (and they will this is called death).  They worry and fret over their money and that someone is going to rip them off. They also lose sleep over their attachment. Either attachment is the same, both produce a sad life.

Now I do know one person who is very rich, not attached and very happy. But this is because he is ‘centered.’ He is a very spiritual man, a god loving and god centered man. If he were to lose his fortune he would smile and say, “time to rebuild!” He is not attached to either poverty or wealth. Thus he lives a life of joy.

Law of Attraction will say to be wealthy you must let go of your attachment to poverty (the way you think about money). When you do this your situation will change dramatically. However if you then become attached to wealth your life will still be miserable! What is the solution? Once again I am going to point you to meditation and calming the mind.

There is a madman running wild in your life. He or she is the untamed mind. Take charge and use the techniques we have discussed in the previous essays and quiet the mind. As the mind becomes calm and centered you will begin to feel joy. From joy and happiness you can create the life of your dreams.

We are truly what we think!

An old monk calls in his students for a meeting. He tells them “soon my time will past and one of you will carry on my teaching, you must prove to me you are ready.  He who feels they are enlightened should write something on the black board to prove to me you are.”

The students all look at each other, alarmed that the master will be gone, but wondering who will be the successor. One boy shines above the rest. He is a born leader, confident and proud. He looks at his fellow junior monks and states, “tonight I will write on the board.”

That night the young leader returns to the class room and writes “The mind is a mirror with dust settled on it. Clean off the dust and you become enlightened.” The next morning as the students and the Master return to the classroom the boy proudly shows his teacher what he has written.  The monk frowns and says, “you are wrong, you are not enlightened. Is there nobody here to take my place?”

From the back of the classroom steps a young man, someone nobody really knows. He keeps to himself most of the time. Quietly working on his study and his meditation.  The master looks at him and says “are you the new leader?” The young monk replies “no master I am not.” What are you then?” the master asks. The young monk replies “I am aware.” The master looks and says “The tell me what is wrong with this writing!”

The boy quietly says “There is no mind, therefore there is no mirror, so were can the dust settle?” The master looks at the boy and smiles. “You are truly an enlightened sole my young student. You will succeed me.”

The mind lives only in the past or in the future. We are the present. Conquer the mind and be free.

There is an epidemic in our world. It is not swine flu as the governments would have you believe, it is loneliness. There are so many very lonely people in our world.

Loneliness is a state of mind. If you read the book “Happiness in a Troubled World” the author Howard C Cutter asks His Holiness the Dalai Lama if he is ever lonely. The Dalai Lama is very quick to reply, “no, never.” Yet one might think that the life of an monastic would be very lonely. We feel alone because we feel disconnected from others in our world. This is an illusion and can be changed with a little effort.

The FACT is that we are not alone. For us to be alone we would have to exist in and of ourselves which is not possible. We are the effect of the union of our parents. The best of both worlds.  We are connected via energy to each person we will even contact. Just because the room is empty, does not mean we are alone.

The problem is as when we feel lonely we create a cause, the cause is the worse it gets, the effect is the worse it gets. When we are down we never look in, only out.  Some people will pray when they are down, but that is not a permanent solution. We must look within to discover how abundant we are, and that we are not now, nor will we ever be alone.

One of the greatest lies that has been told to us is that we were born alone and will die alone. You were born of your mother, not alone. Even if she pasted on during the delivery she was still there with you and part of you. When you die you return to your true self, so who is alone?

Would you like to help someone who is lonely? Show them kindness. A kind word can bring happiness for a long time and doesn’t cost anything to give. When you are being kind you are in the moment, which is why you feel so good also.

We are never alone. Being alone is an illusion and a poor choice. If I chose my behavior from moment to moment then I chose to be compassionate.

I think is this a question that we have all asked ourselves at one time of another. The truth is that most people really have no idea who they are. The only thing they know is the representation of the outside world of reality.  My name is ……….

Not knowing who you are can cause a lot of emotional unrest in a person. Yesterday I was fine, now I am questioning  “who and why.” How do I find this answer? Like any truth the harder you look the more difficulty you will have finding your answer. When someone does not know who they are they find the outside world of reality to be very tough and very real. In fact the world will seem more real than they themselves do. It is like they are in a dream or even a nightmare. One of the reasons for these feeling is because we are not completely ‘awake’ therefore we react to the outside world much stronger than need be.  We need to become aware of ourselves over and above the ‘reality’ we are living in.

Try this; sit in a quiet place were you will not be disturbed. Find a watch or a clock with a sweep second hand. Sit and watch the hand of the clock as it moves and repeat in your mind “I AM”. Do this for 1 minute, repeating I AM not as a mantra but being aware of what you are thinking. After a few seconds you will find your dreaming mind taking over and the “I AM” will be lost. Very few people can go for even 15 seconds let alone 1 minute. The mind will fight for control as it wants to look to the past or future. This exercise is in the present.

Keep doing this exercise each day until you are able to do one minute consciously thinking “I AM”. Don’t add a name to it either. Your name is not who you are, it is only a label. Who you are is not found in the past or in the future, only in this moment.

Done over a period of a few months you will start to become aware of who you are. The reality of yourself will become more real than the reality of the outside world.  Remember you don’t have to become who you are, you only need to BE who you are.

The Diamond Sutra is one of the oldest printed books in the world. It has been translated many times in the 2500 years since it’s teaching.

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Chapter 1.

“Thus I have heard.

At one time the Buddha was staying in the Jeta Grove, near the city of Sravasti. With him there was a community of 1,250 venerable monks and devoted disciples. One day before dawn, the Buddha clothed himself, and along with his disciples took up his alms bowl and entered the city to beg for food door to door, as was his custom.

After he had returned and eaten, he put away his bowl and cloak, bathed his feet, and then sat with his legs crossed and body upright upon the seat arranged for him.

He began mindfully fixing his attention in front of himself, while many monks approached the Buddha, and showing great reverence, seated themselves around him.”

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There are 32 chapters in this Sutra, but this chapter is the most important in my view.  The Buddha walked the countryside of India and taught his truths to his followers and anyone who came to listen. He went everywhere on foot and would often send some disciples ahead of himself to prepare the way.

As was customary for monks Buddha got up before sunrise and prepared himself for his day. Monks would go into town collecting donations of food for their one meal per day. They went to many different house, excluding none, requesting a small amount of food. Upon obtaining his meal the Buddha returned, ate his meal, cleaned up and prepared to talk with his followers. This was an average day.

If you think about it your average day is not much different. You get up in the morning, eat, go to work or school, then return home for the night.  However much of our day is completed with little or no real awareness, like in a dream. The difference? This simple routine that the Buddha preformed created BLISS in him, because he was totally aware of every action. He was in the present moment, not the past or the future.

You have heard the saying “stop and smell the roses.” This part of the sutra is just that, enjoying the little things in life by being in the moment.

Have you stopped and smelled the roses today?

Society teaches jealousy. At the time of birth a child is free and aware, eager to learn.  Society teaches the child very quickly to be competitive, that there is not enough to go around. The child learns to compare his or her life with those of the people around them. Parents will do their best, but the pressure of society is far too great.

When I was a child it was called keeping up with the Jones‘. They got a new car, you should get a new car, it didn’t matter if one was needed or not. Playing sports you are always compared to someone else, and you learn to judge yourself by someone else’s standards. We were taught to dislike the rich because they must have done something ‘wrong‘ to get their money and wealth. You are not as pretty as she is, as thin as she is etc, etc, etc. We live our lives in comparison to those around, the result is jealousy and hate.

All of this is the wrong view of how to live a life. If you don’t believe me ask yourself one question; “am I happy?” Take a look at the highly competitive people in our world for example Tiger Woods. He has achieved more in his life than most people will ever dream of, but at what cost? Is he ‘happy?”

Live your life with only the reference to the ‘self’. Am I doing the best I can do in this situation? Is there anything else I could do? In my business of running a Martial Art School I spend no time worrying about my competition. Why? Because I don’t have any competition. I have extended my hand of friendship to the other schools in my town. My business has never been better.

Is there any such thing as ‘healthy competition?” Certainly, but only for competitions sake and in no other way can it be healthy and self esteem building. It must be for the pure enjoyment of it. Very few people I know are capable of this type of competition. Looking at minor hockey in Canada this becomes obvious.

Whatever you chose to do in life you must ask the question – Does this serve me? If it does not, then dump it.  The greatest achievement in life is self discovery and with that their is no opponent or competitor.  The competition is with yourself. Self Discovery will change the way you see the world in front of you. It will change the way you relate to other people. Your job will be seen with different eyes.

You will begin to enjoy your life fulltime, not just once in a while.

Happy Christmas – War is Over is a well know John Lennon song from the 70′s. It reflected his dream of a world of peace. Tragically Lennon died of the very violence he hoped to see end.

For the last 5000 years man and fought war after war, and the passivises have fought to prevent them. Each generation dedicates themselves to making the future of the world safer, yet we seem to be losing ground. Why is this?

“If people are happy, nobody can drag them into a war.” – Osho

Think about this for a moment. War is always motivated by repression or retaliation. Look at Bush, the USA and Iraq.  The American people were, and still are very volatile, at the time the troops took Baghdad.  War and the business of war was made easy by September 11 2001.  War is fueled by the  media and governments as they point out the differences in cultures and countries and why they must fight and kill for the good of mankind or to serve God.  The only reason it works is that the population of the earth is fast asleep.

The problem will never be solved by demonstrations, rallies of other acts. These have been going on as long as war has, and in case you didn’t notice they aren’t working. Remember Einstein’s definition of insanity? (doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result).  Man fights because he believes the lies that the politicians tell him, and he is unhappy to his very core. He is told he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. One group is told that the other hates them, when at the same time the other is saying the same thing. The people in the USSR were told that American’s hated them. American were told the same about the USSR. All lies.  American companies even make weapons for the ‘enemy.’ It is time to take the power away, it is time for a paradigm shift.

How do we make a shift. First realize that no amount of demonstrating is going to change anything. History proves this. First we must understand that man is violent by nature. We like to think otherwise, but this primitive impulse is in us all. If we can accept this then we can work to transcend it. We cannot transcend what we do not accept and acknowledge. With this knowledge we must come to understand that we are all special, divine by nature, not good or evil, but whole. Good and evil, love and hate are all part of one thing, one cannot exist without the other. This is the contrast in life and that is OK.

Real happiness in people will cause war to cease. There will be no cause for the effect of war to take place. If you are unshakably happy there is nothing a politician can say to you to change this. In my view politicians are the lowest form of life on our planet, they are not to be hated, but to be treated with compassion for their poor choices. If I truly love myself I will not hate other, I cannot hate another. I have transcended both.

As each person works on themselves to make themselves feel better hate and anger will slowly and eventually cease. If soldiers on the lines told jokes to each other it would be impossible to kill. If man worked on his own happiness and did not worry about others he would achieve it. We have been told it is always better to put the interest of others before yourself. I used to believe this garbage myself once. However this only creates resentment, deep within. Putting yourself first and being happy will allow you help others and feel good about it in the process. This is real compassion. If every personal was compassionate would there be war?

Christmas time should be a time of understanding. Down the street from me is a Muslim Temple, they had a sign on it this year that said “Islam loves Jesus.”  This is a start of a paradigm shift.  Because our thinking and beliefs are so bad, being products of years of conditioning, we only see differences and problems. Genetically speaking (DNA) we are 99.9% the same. Since there is no difference that is real on the outside we all need to look on the inside and discover who and what we are.

Before the New Year comes spend some time looking inward. Calm the mind and find the bliss that is life. Let’s all make 2010 the start of a new way of thinking.

Imagine the return of a Christ, a Buddha, a Krishna or a Muhammad. What would the world view be? How much would things change in our society.  It would be the very same as it was then, there would be fear, doubt, aggression and possible crucifixion.

Truth is an interesting subject. No matter what kind of truth it is. When truth was found by great men and women in the past they were laughed at. When Galileo Galilei made his claims that the sun did not revolve around the earth he was at first laughed at, then he was forced by the Pope to retract his statements. Why? Because their authority was absolute, even though it was wrong.  Truth is first laughed at, then it is strongly apposed.

Many people who have spoken the truth have been put to death for these truths. Jesus was a example of this as was Socrates.  This continues today despite the fact that we think we are ‘evolved‘. In today’s world anyone who goes against the grain of society is still an outcast, even if we allow them to continue their speaking. Anyone in the ‘limelight’ is subject to much public scrutiny and ridicule for any actions or stands they take. We are not looking for good, we are looking for scandal. Why is this? We judge anything we don’t understand or feel threatened by. This must stop.

“Judge not, lest ye be judged yourself” is a mantra of the various Christian churches,  who spend their time in judgment of others. Why do so many people not follow these words? Because they believe that their good actions can help them avoid judgment. They believe they are not responsible or accountable. What people don’t understand about these ‘words’ is that the ultimate judge is YOU. When you judge someone else, it is done by making judgment against yourself FIRST. Thus the reasons for your unhappiness and discontent.

This essay is being published on December 24th 2009, Christmas Eve. Let’s all decide, regardless of religious denomination to stop the self judging and start to accept the world as it is. Only when we stop our condemnation, develop our inner peace, can we make our world a better place. Only after this can we accept things, and begin to make changes. This day is a great place to start. We can all abandon the dogma that was created by politicians or the various religions and begin to understand what the great teachings are really about.

It is time to end our sleep and become awakened.

The word Selfish is one of the most misunderstood words in the English language and perhaps all languages. Why? Once again man’s attempt to control the lives and thoughs of his fellow man.  All religion has given us the great dogma of not being selfish.  A misunderstood and incorrect concept, one that has lead to the suffering of all mankind, with the exception of those who preach it and benefit from man following the doctrine.

Selfishness is defined as “the precedence given in thought or deed to the self, i.e., self interest or self concern. It is the act of placing one’s own needs or desires above the needs or desires of others. Selfishness is the opposite of altruism (selflessness).” This definition is incorrect and even destructive.

To be Selfish simply means to be yourself, PERIOD.  The greatest problem we face in our world today is bad thinking, especially “Self Loathing.” The first priority must be to LOVE YOURSELF above all others! The bible says “love thy neighbor.” But conveniently they don’t talk about the second part which is “like thyself.” By learning to love yourself and put yourself first you are then able to love others. You cannot, nor will you ever be able to give something you don’t have! True altruism comes from loving yourself, there is no other way.

You will never be happy until you learn this lesson. Do I love myself? YES I DO.  My beliefs do not come from any doctrine, only from inside myself, from what I KNOW to be true.  The heart is never wrong, When you discover self love and selfishness a whole new world opens up for you. To love thy neighbor becomes easy. The love you feel for others is genuine and not attached, totally unconditional. But you must feel this way about yourself first.

Use your mind to process data, use your heart to make all decisions. Your heart is never wrong.  Follow your heart.

The first time I was in a Buddhist Monastery talking with a Monk he gave me a copy of The Lotus Sutra to read.  He said something very interesting to me when handing me the book. He said “Read this and understand, but you cannot keep it.” I thanked him and asked for the return address of the Monastery so I could mail him back the book. He laughed and said, “no, I cannot keep it either.”  He explained to me that Dharma was like a boat, once you reach the shore you abandon the boat, you don’t pick it up and carry it with you. I promised him I would give it to someone to read.

In a previous post I talked about the finger pointing away to the moon. We so often look at teaching and doctrine this way, like it is a path rather than a vehicle. People become attached to the words they read in the various scriptures and doctrines rather than “being the teaching.”

Right now on the various social networks I see a lot of reference to ‘detaching’. This is the act of become unattached to things and people in the environment including ones own self. This does not mean that they become unimportant, only that you understand their impermanence and no longer ‘cling’ to them. The is a danger in this practice. We become attached to detaching which is just a change in the object of our attachment. If you love detaching, you are attached. This is the reason for not keeping Dharma but instead sharing it with others.

How does this happen? The answer is we hear or read teachings and then filter the information on an intellectual level rather than feeling it with our heart. Spiritual practice does not require us to intellectualize the information.  Our mind is full to overflowing with opinions, beliefs and ideas that all external input is compared to. When the mind is finished the product available to us often does the resemble the original teachings.  We must go beyond this point to progress.

To truly progress on the journey of life we need to learn to listen with not our minds but our very being.  This progression must be made a little bit at time. Without mediation is will be very difficult to achieve. To get started take up the habit of meditation first, then you can progress to listen to friends and family intensely, making them sure that you understand what they are saying completely. Most people never listen, they are busy thinking about what they are going to say next. One of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits are great for this. “Seek first to understand, then be understood”.

Understanding on an intellectual level is fine for some things. It will not help you to discover the truth in yourself or in the world around you. The only way in is to reflect and understand with your heart.

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