I Like My Distractions

Q: I like my distractions - my wife, my kids, my work, my hobbies. Actually I am rather happy unless I think about the stuff you talk about and think I ought to seek something else. Eternal happiness eludes me, quite frankly.

MM: Then you are already wise.

Why Distraction?

Q: You say the we seek re-union through distraction. I don't understand that.

MM: We become separated from infinite peace and serenity, and all-knowing oneness through our senses, in other words through being in our bodies, and consequently through our mind. We are not our bodies , or mind - there is much more - or maybe I should say - much, much less to us than meets the eye. We cannot imagine who or what we truly are beyond our physical experience of ourselves. Therefore we seek happiness through what we think will make us happy, but this is all based on what we think will satisfy us.

By that we usually mean what satisfies us in some form through our senses. Health, wealth, pleasure, power - you name it - but none of it will work for long because it can never take us to our original, and eternal, state. That state only needs to be rediscovered by taking away everything that is of body or mind. That is who we are beyond doubt, time, space, or experience.

It sounds mysterious and it is. Yet it is the most natural of all. You could say that our true nature is God. That is re-union.

Distraction

Q: I feel distracted by so many things and it does not leave me much time for relaxing and meditation. Somehow, even though I know I should, I don't seem to be able to change it.


MM: Regarding distraction - we seek re-union and mistake many things as ways to get there - even if it is just people we don't want to say "No" to out of fear of losing them - until our eyes open...

I found this on Wikipedia of all places. Sometimes you just have to wait until you can handle the truth. Then change is automatic and not something "you do", but something that naturally happens in your life.

A striking example of Vipashyana was provided by a student of mine in her early twenties who had been meditating for some time. Since her late teens, she had been a devotee of "raves," dance parties held at enormous warehouses in our area, attended by literally thousands of young people. Well-known bands are engaged, the music is loud, alcohol and drugs are sometimes consumed, and the dancing goes on until dawn. The atmosphere is said to be usually "mellow" and fun, and the young folks are drawn back to the parties again and again. My student was attending a rave one Saturday night and, for no apparent reason, wanted to feel the cool, the space, and the silence of the night. She left the huge warehouse where the party was happening and walked across an adjacent field onto a a hillock beyond. Turning around, she looked at the building, throbbing with music and blazing with light, packed as it was by several thousand ravers. Suddenly, without warning, it was as if her eyes were opened for the first time and she "saw" the party--so she reported--in all its naked reality. She saw the tremendous desperation of the people inside, their loneliness and hunger, how they had all come there seeking to escape from their suffering. She saw how they had all become predators, preying upon one another, in a fruitless search for happiness. It was an endless game in which, she too, was involved. Overcome by the sorrow and hopelessness of the situation, she broke down and wept. She came to talk to me because, as she said, this experience had shown her something not only about raves, but about life in general, about the many things people do out of their own pain and misery. She told me that she felt, for the first time, the meaning of suffering. She saw her experience as a direct product of her meditation practice and her commitment to her spiritual path. Her experience made her realize, again for the first time, that her meditation was the one anchor in her life and that the spiritual journey she had undertaken was about having her eyes opened, in perhaps shocking and painful ways, to the underpinnings of the seemingly normal, everyday world.

I Love My Body

Q: I love my body - except for a few parts I'd improve if I could. But mostly I am rather vain and pleased and it gives me a lot of power to be beautiful. Otherwise I consider myself a spiritual person, but I worry about being so happy about how I look and the time I even spend to make myself look even better with make-up and clothes. Should I fight this and try to overcome this to be a better person?

MM: If you try to fight it, it becomes stronger. You will become vain about being un-vain. You will become vain about your "inner beauty". Just notice the tension in yourself when you are showing off your beauty or standing in front of the mirror trying to make yourself even more beautiful and just relax this particular tension. There is beauty there today, which will disappear in old age - you need to find the knack how to not identify with the beauty today, and the ugliness of tomorrow in old age. Otherwise you have no freedom.

Q: But how do you do that?

MM: Look at your first statement; "I love my body". In a way you are lucky, as most people will say "I hate my body". Both are equally silly tough. Who loves who? Who is it who can say I love or hate - "my" body, or somebody, for that matter?

Is it the body itself that you think is "you". This "I" that the ocean, for example, does not have. The ocean would never say "I hate, or love, my waves". This "I" is foolishness. Without "I", there is beauty or ugliness, but you are free. Free from "I", and all that comes with it - the expectations of beauty and the disappointments of ugliness.

Q: But then, if you tell me that way I am then free, who is free versus un-free?

MM: Precisely!!!

Q: There is no one there!?

MM: ... and there is no "there" there either :-)

Greed

Q: MeditationMom, what exactly is greed and why is it considered unspiritual?

MM: It is just a tension. Greed enters your heart through the eyes. You see something and you want it - or really, really don't want it - which is reverse greed - aversion and fear. There isn't anything more wrong with greed than with any other kind of tension. There are only two ways to relieve the tension of greed. One is to "get what you want", and the other is simply to relax and let go of what you think you want. You have to let go of thinking and all the attachments that feed greed. This can be surprisingly difficult even for typically non-greedy people in certain circumstances.

The first way to get rid of greed - achieving what you wanted -  is temporary and you will only want the next thing once you get what you wanted, so it doesn't really get rid of greed.  The other is in your control and can be permanent if you chose. Once you can relax greed, you can also "turn it on" at will when you need to compete with another person for resources, or just for fun and games - like any sport or game. People channel their greed and violence into sports and games and there also learn that detachment leads to better outcomes.

The first way is the way of the world and highly useful in many instances, like getting food and shelter, or winning a game. It becomes "evil"- in the sense that it makes other people afraid - depending on the lengths you are willing to go to get what you want. And it becomes plain silly when you want silly things like garden gnomes or Warhol paintings and are tempted to steal from your neighbor's house, or if you decide to cheat at golf. Greed itself is natural - how you go about relieving that tension is what makes it good or evil in your or other people's eyes. Whether you are the master, or it is master over you, is what makes it "spiritual" or "unspiritual".

Greed and fear are closely linked - and almost the same thing. Like night and day they melt into each other. Greed and fear are the tug of war of the mind, while a peaceful mind feels no such thing as fear or greed. "Spiritual" simply means "peaceful mind" - a peaceful mind is a mind grounded in the non-material. You can act on your own behalf against others in the material world with a perfectly peaceful mind. Such a person rejoices in what others gain as much as in their own gain, while the truly fearful and greedy are very much troubled by other people's good fortune.

Q: If greed enters the mind through the eyes, does that mean blind people are never greedy?

MM: No. It also enters through hearing, touching, smelling...there are many doors for greed to enter. The magic phrase to hold in one's mind to trick greed is "less is more" and "loss is gain" and then learn and know that it is true. Even when you lose your life.

Q: Even when you lose your life? How can that be a good thing?

MM: I didn't say it is a good thing. If someone steals something from you it also is not a good thing. But your distress can be instantly relieved if you remind yourself that less is more and loss is gain. Now you are free from all that worry about someone stealing from you, or your life being threatened or lost. Knowing that anything in the material world ultimately has no value at all - even your life - is the key to happiness and serenity here on this earth.

Q: Yes, but in the meantime we have to survive and often fight with others for resources.

MM: Yes and No. Jesus simply decided to stop all that and see what happens. It ended in him getting crucified, of course. He was very sure of the truth and trusted it - although with some difficulty during the crucifixion ("why have you forsaken me"). But in the end, he died a free man. ("Forgive them, for they do not know what they do.")

Q: Jesus was different and unique, though. It's not that you or I could say that, if someone were to murder us or one of our children.

MM: That is just an excuse, and not the truth. We are all able. Jesus was also "only human" when it came to being rather unhappy and uncomfortable, to say the least, at being crucified.

Q: Doesn't that kind of thinking makes many Christians just doormats for abusive people.

MM: Yes, Jesus was the ultimate doormat. As far as survival goes it is better to be the torturer than the tortured. As far as eternal life is concerned, though, you will not know it unless you are willing to give up what you have. All of it. Your possessions, you opinions, your religion, your philosophies, your loved ones, your own life.

Now, don't start giving it all away, leave your family, or kill yourself to get into heaven. That is greed in disguise. Just don't concern yourself with all these things - having and not having, getting and not getting, losing and keeping - but abide in truth and serenity. It is a choice you make, more than anything else.

Q: That makes me think of Bernie Madoff and all of his victims. Are you saying they can benefit from having everything stolen from them?

MM: We have no control over thieves and robbers. When you get robbed in life - of your money or your dignity - it is completely up to you whether you benefit from it or suffer from it. You do have control over that. The root cause of all suffering is your mind. You can turn lead into gold, suffering and pain into joy and freedom, but you cannot stop thieves.

Q: That's sounds like thieves somehow get off the hook. The thought of Bernie Madoff in his cell contemplating that he may have benefitted his victims "if they only turn it around" in their heads... I don't know...doesn't work for me. I am more the revenge type of guy who would like to see him hanging from the nearest tree.

MM: I have seen some very sweet old ladies on TV who "couldn't hurt a fly" who feel very strongly - like you - that he deserves the death penalty for the amount of suffering he has caused. It just proves that all of us are murderers if provoked. Stealing pales in comparison to murder.

What Is Evil?

Q: What exactly is evil if there are different standards in different cultures?

MM: We tend to call what we are afraid of "evil". Of course we would be afraid of someone trying to murder us. So we call murder evil. We would call a hurricane or earthquake "sent by the devil" - or by" George Bush" - but there is no inherent evil in it. We are just afraid of it. There are infinite things to be afraid of. When there is no fear there is no evil. Even in the case of the murderer. If you are not afraid of being murdered, you can not see any evil in a murderer.

So-called "evil" is mostly stupidity. Pretty mundane and boring, committed by dumb or even innocent people out of fear or greed, or misguided notions, who "do not know what they are doing". And don't be fooled by the "highly intelligent" evil. There is no greater stupidity than the superiorly intelligent who commit evil. Hitler, for example, would be called "evil" by a fearful person, or "stupid" by a scholar, or "poor" by a childhood psychologist.

Q: How about "the evil in us"? Our not so pretty selves we try to manage or hide?

MM: Greed and fear, nothing else. Don't hide it. Be greedy, be fearful and see how foolish it is. There is no need to struggle with it once you experience it directly for yourself. You will naturally give it up. Otherwise you will always think the greedy are smarter, and the fearful dumber than you, and you will lack compassion.

Q: There are times I think I am evil.

MM: You are afraid of yourself. When do you think you are evil?

Q: When I am greedy.

MM: Who is calling you greedy?

Q: I am.

MM: Then stop. If there is no one there to call you greedy you will not be needy and afraid anymore.

Q: But how do I work on myself to grow and become a better person, then?

MM: Who is there to be improved, and who is working on whom? It is all nonsense of the mind.

First the mind says "I like, want, need, or should have" and grasps for something, then it calls this greed, and then it wants to fix this greediness out of fear of being judged greedy. It is all your mind doing all this. It all starts with "I". This idea of "I" is the root cause of all fear and greed. Simply stop.

Q: But what if others call me greedy?

MM: Or "stupid", or "rude", or "fat", or "mean"...or "beautiful", or "smart", or "kind", or "enlightened"...make sure there is no "I" there to agree or disagree with "them"!

2012 And Your Children

Q: There is a new movie coming out - "2012"-  about polar shifts, the end of the Mayan Calendar, and the possible end of the world. I don't know what to think, and I especially don't know what to tell my children about it.

MM: What are they asking you?

Q: Is the world ending, Mom?

MM: So then what do you say?

Q: I just say: "No, honey...that's all nonsense."

MM: That's a good answer. It's what NASA is telling people - so you are in good company.

Q: But what if there is truth to it all?

MM: There is never truth "to it all". There is truth to the fact that the world can come to an end - anytime - even if it just means you or your child could get killed in a car accident tomorrow.

The response to the possibility of death needs to always be gratitude for today, rather than fear of tomorrow. Living without fear, but in gratitude and joy, in the face of our undeniable physical mortality, is the highest teaching you can give your child. It means never taking life for granted, without being hopeless, no matter the material, physical circumstances. It is the secret to eternal life. Eternal life is not immortality. As we seek immortality, we move further and further away from eternal life.

Hollywood has gotten to you :-). It is how they make their money. "The End of the World" has always made a lot of money for preachers, churches and many entertainment and survival industries. It is the oldest trick. There is only one real way to prepare for the end of the world - and that is to say "Thank You" for today - every day. Then you will encounter your last day on earth - whenever and for whatever reason it comes - like every day, also in peace, gratitude and celebration.

Q: Then why do people fall for these doomsday predictions?

MM: It makes them feel special and clever. There is nobody more disappointed when the end of the world doesn't come, than the well-prepared. The true "end of the world" is an internal experience - when you are ready - a mystical event that sets you free.

Q: So is this movie irresponsible, then?

MM:  It is exploitive, but that's just business, like countless others. It is up to people to inform themselves properly, be that about astrophysics, or nutrients in food, or spiritual truths. It is also up to people how they respond to the real fact that all life ends in death and that this death is unpredictable, unavoidable, will most likely include suffering, etc. It is each individual's own responsibility. It is easy to exploit people who are afraid -  of anything - being too fat, or ugly, or old, uninteresting, or doomed by planetary alignments. It is what most of our economy runs on.

Q: What if my kids really want to see this movie?

MM: You as the parent can say "No"..., or go with your children and counter the message. Most likely the message of the movie will also be that "if we - who love each other - stick together against all the evil forces in the world and universe, we will survive - against all odds. Even if we die, our love for each other is eternal and cannot be touched by all this destruction" Very much like in the other Sony movie, "Independence Day". It is always the same formula. Love overcomes fear and doom, which actually is a spiritual truth. Hollywood gets us into the movie by using our fear, and our greed for the spectacular, and releases us in higher spirits, of hope and love.

Q: To your earlier point - I don't think I could "face death in peace, gratitude and celebration" - no matter how much I were to meditate. I would be too worried about my children, no matter how much I appreciate today. That might make it worse for me, actually. To die, or have anything happen to them, seems worse, the more I enjoy today.

MM: No doubt this is true for most parents. But - you are very much underestimating meditation. You have not yet touched eternity. The enjoyment you are talking about is the kind we call "having fun" and "having a good time" - staying  in a good mood, etc. The enjoyment I am talking about, the one that "touches eternity", is much deeper and cannot be taken away by death.

Only One Way

Q: This "preparation to meet God or truth" sounds like a "big deal", something only a monk or nun would attempt to do, but not for someone like me in regular daily life.

MM: Since when is growing in humility, trust and love not possible in daily life? More so in many cases than in the monastery. It all depends on you. There is as much competition, ambition, jealousy, greed and fear in the monastery as there is in the household. Spiritual community in any form, be it monastery, ashram, or church on Sunday can be very helpful - like being at the gym with friends versus at home alone on the treadmill - but for many people truth is found easier in solitude than in company. What is good for one is not necessarily good for all, and what is good at one stage in life in not necessarily good at another.

People who suddenly face death often start "preparing". What does that mean? Suddenly there is a more urgent sense of life beyond this life. How do you prepare? And for what? How do you prepare for the unknown? Your life and even your death are always arranged in such a way as to be opportunities for this preparation. There is only one way to be ready. Deepest trust, deepest love, and deepest humility.

Q: If you said this to someone who is suicidal wouldn't they think that taking their life is a humble thing to do considering how "awful" they are, since so many suicidal people are so down on themselves?

MM: Yes - that is the problem with spiritual teachings. We are talking about a kind of suicide. The good kind that sets us free. The freedom the suicidal person seeks is freedom from the mind or body, both of which can be in great pain and distress. This is what spiritual teachings are - teachings to end suffering from body and mind even if there is terrible pain. That is why mental and physical pain can be such catalysts for spiritual growth.

One God

Q: Please elaborate on this idea that all effort is needed, but no effort can lead to enlightenment. I am not sure I understand that.

MM: The things you "do" in order to get enlightened...meditate, contemplate, study, fast, and endless other things we are doing in our efforts to "get there" are because of two things - one, our idea that something needs to be done - which is a false idea - but we cannot truly know that until after enlightenment; and two, because of our commitment. Our commitment expresses itself in endless efforts and practices until we - by coincidence - not because of our efforts, but because of our commitment - arrive home.

This is, for example, what the first commandments means. "Thou shall have no other God before me" means nothing but - don't waste your life with commitments to "other Gods" like money, power, fame...let your first and only commitment be to "God", "Enlightenment", "Truth"..."it". It must be your heart's desire. All other desires and commitments, all other Gods...also eventually take you home by default...it just takes a lot longer and this long separation causes much suffering.

Q: Does that mean that if in my heart I am 100% committed to enlightenment, but make no heroic efforts of any kind I can also become enlightened?

MM: Enlightenment means the end of the world as you know it. How do you prepare yourself? It is much like death in that way. How do you get ready for that? It is not so much effort you need to think about, but how to prepare for being able to accept and face the ultimate truth of all of existence. How do you develop the love, trust and humility? How do you prepare to meet God? Not only is there going to be "meeting" but also "re-union". Preparation is a much better word. Effort suggests "heroics" as you say, but the idea of preparation is much better. You need to prepare very, very well, which may take a lot of effort. It should be joyful, though, as if preparing for your wedding.

Evolution And The Emperor's New Clothes

Q: I am a microbiologist and, even though I am by no means a creationist, I would like to make the point that mathematicians and microbiologist question random selection as believed in by "evolutionists". It seems rather impossible mathematically. So, even though creationists pretending to be "scientific", makes my skin crawl, many evolutionists need to get off their high horse, as well. There is much debate.

MM: The scientific debate around evolution, independent of creationists, is very interesting and will lead to great new understanding. As Einstein said: "The bigotry of the the non-believers amuses me nearly as much as the bigotry of the believes". So your point is well taken. Not all scientists are automatically free of the bigotry they accuse others of. The discussion among scientists regarding evolution is worth following.

"What is behind it all" is called "God" by theologians and the religious, and "scientific truth or law" by scientists, yet it has no name, nor can it be described, or it wouldn't be "it". All efforts are either poetry or, as scientists like to say, "elegant" formulae. The effort is a noble effort. It is said that in order to come across "it", the absolute greatest effort is needed, and when found, it becomes clear that no effort of any kind can possibly lead to "it".

Q: That sounds like "the emperor has no clothes". In fact that is what a lot of people who talk about enlightenment sound like to me. They are talking about nothing at all. Everything seems to cancel itself out. In your posts, too, often I get this feeling. It's like there is enlightenment, but then there really isn't. Effort is needed, but no effort can do the trick. What exactly is one supposed to do, then?

MM: Nothing. But that is extremely difficult for people. That's the problem. The whole effort is to regain the effortlessness we knew in childhood. Creative non-doing and all gets done without effort.

"The Emperor's New Clothes" is a very good story. The whole population is engaged in pretending, lying, denying, and endless activity and mayhem because of fear and greed, and for all kinds of exciting purposes, until a child speaks the truth. This truth stops everything that is going on.

Whatever we are trying to achieve...money, power, fame, security, and even enlightenment...if we achieve it, it will disappoint. Yet - we need to "go there" as they say, in order to find out, even if we never "get there".

Only the very wealthy truly know that money cannot buy happiness, for example. Only the enlightened ones know that there is no enlightenment. Everybody else is still hoping and desiring and therefore missing life in the eternal present.

Living life in the eternal present does not mean that "you" are enlightened. It just means Enlightenment. It means God. God is the eternal present - with or without the Big Bang - with or without "I" or "You".

Q: What would "the truth stopped everything that was going on" look like then, in our lives and in our culture?

MM: People would not fall for false promises or ideas. False ideas are everything that promises happiness for some reason, and for some moment in the future. Imagine how relaxed and happy one could simply be with "what is", simply wallowing in gratitude at every given moment- just for breathing, or for one's heart beating, the rain, or a sunset. Or even on your deathbed - for dying.

Q: But wouldn't the world come to a stand still? It would be bad for the economy, innovation, fighting bad things, if everyone were that happy and relaxed. Why not just do drugs then?

MM: The economy at the present rate of speed, and wasteful production levels is in great need of slowing down to reinvent itself. Innovation and "fighting bad things" requires wisdom. Wisdom is the opposite of speed and greed. This can only be accomplished through gratitude. We are not mature enough yet as a species, for the technologies we have invented. If we don't hurry up - with slowing down and growing in wisdom - we will self-destruct.

Drugs is another subject altogether. Drugs are simply another form of self-destruction in the pursuit of happiness.

Q: What needs to change, then?

MM: Fear and greed - and boredom, which is fear and greed in disguise - are the root of the problem. Wherever, and whenever you notice fear and greed within yourself - change it. It starts with you. The world... the whole universe... starts and ends with you.

Creationism

Q: What do you think of creationism?

MM: Let there be light.

Please.

Insanity Who?

Q: I looked up things about the Mormon religion and find some of them shocking.

MM: And your question for me is?

Q: Well, why wouldn't you point out the insanity of it? Mormons believe their leader, Joseph Smith is a direct descendant of Christ, for example. That Jesus came to the US after the resurrection. That Mormons become Gods and will rule planets - all kinds of stuff like that. It sounds like they fell for a great scam that at the time included polygamy - what a nice recruitment tool.

MM: Are you convinced that all Mormons believe these things? Do all Catholics believe in the Virgin Birth, for example? Truly believe? Or that Jesus was God's son rather than "just enlightened"? Do all Buddhists believe in the stages of death and rebirth, down to the gory details? Do all Hindus believe in all the hundreds of gods? Do all Muslims really expect 70,000 virgins greeting them in heaven? Not the ones I know.

Q: Well, they all teach that stuff to their trusting and innocent children.

MM: All religions do that. This is a valid discussion. Do parents have the right to teach their children anything? Anything a parent believes in, they can teach their own children. It must be so. The problem is built in - one man's lie is another man's truth.

It is always sad to see children indoctrinated, even if it leads to positive results behavior-wise. Children have such exquisite intuition and such a natural sense for truth and goodness. In so many cases their ability to think for themselves gets destroyed. Not just by religions. There are so many other influences like TV, peers, governments. Everybody wants to own the growing generation's mind! For the ancient reasons of money and power.

Luckily children grow up and become rebellious, and hopefully at some point, free adults. Many children who grow up without religion... in order to rebel, become religious fanatics. Just like many who grow up with religion, become fanatic atheists. All of us ultimately need to discover freedom. Freedom is the only state to be in.

Q: So, are you saying that the Mormon religion is as good as any other religion?

MM: In terms of what?

Q: Truth for one.

MM: Ah, truth. Truth is independent of religion. Religion is really just an organizing principle for large populations. As such the Mormons and the state of Utah seem to be doing rather well. What is interesting about Mormons is that they believe in present day revelation, much like Quakers. As such their religion can be inspired by new notions that go against the old ones. New insights and reformations, be they through science or divine insight are the only hope for all the religions.

Your relationship and destiny with God is never dependent on religion even though religions can be helpful. Just like eating is never dependent on any particular diet, except in people's minds. Diets, like religions, can be helpful or harmful. But - in the end it is all just food, just like religions are all just "food for thought". If the truth could be handed to you with the simple trick of a religion we all would be free already.

Well-being, wholeness, holiness and oneness with God depends only on your intuition.

Q: You sound non-committal to me.

MM: You sound disappointed.

Q: Yes.

MM: I am committed to only one thing.

Q: Which is?

MM: Your freedom. God means freedom. Absolute freedom. You are afraid of it.

Q: What does that have to do with trying to evaluate a religion?

MM: I am trying to set free the one who feels the need to evaluate, from that particular kind of insanity.

Q: :-)...I think I get it. Thank You. Live and let live, and look in the mirror.

MM: Yes...and then get rid of those mantras, too.

Mormons

Q: MeditationMom - are you going to talk about Mormons now that you have moved to Utah?

MM: Not unless you have a question :-)

Q: OK...question...do you think it is a legitimate religion?

MM: Legitimate?

Q: Yes, does it teach truth?

MM: All religions are half truths. And all religious teachings are used by some to abuse and exploit people. Mormons seem to have the same reputation as other religions.

Q: Even Buddhism, Christian Science, the Tao...?

MM: Yes, every religion - even my favorite ones. The minute you put the truth into words - whatever you say about it - it is a half truth. Every word excludes its opposite. Silence is the only wisdom. "Be still - and know!"

Whatever is said about the truth should be thought of as poetry. Never to be taken literally. If you take religious teachings literally - all hell breaks loose - again and again.

Q: I guess I am trying to figure out if you are for or against Mormons.

MM: How can I be for or against Mormons? I left that kind of insanity a long time ago. I am not even for or against atheists.

Q: Then what is the use of you answering questions about religion or spiritual matters at all?

MM: There is really no point. But People keep asking questions. Answers - even if they cannot give truth - they can dissolve misunderstandings. That is all answers can do, really. Every spiritual or religious question - when you look deeply - contains a misunderstanding that needs dissolving. A resistance that needs to be relaxed.

Q: Does that mean that when you have no more questions you are enlightened?

MM: You have to transcend "questions and answers", which is a game of the mind. "Not knowing" is true wisdom. In this not-knowing all is known - beyond doubt. You can call it enlightenment but it is best not to call it anything. Enlightenment is like meeting your oldest and best friend after a long, long time - laughing is enough, joy is enough.

Godly Code

Q: In your last post, is there a reason why you made some of the lines of the Lord's Prayer, or some of the lines in the translation for atheists, in a larger font?

MM: There may be a reason, but it isn't mine. I tried to fix that in the hHtml code, but it all says that it is the same font size. So these lines are bigger in spite of - what looks to me to be - the correct Html Apple code.

God, or Steve Jobs, must have their reasons, but they are beyond me or my computing abilities.

"Lord's Prayer" For Atheists and Grand-Daughters

Q: My grandmother was a devout Catholic. I am an atheist. I love her so much, and miss her like crazy, but cannot be religious or pray as she would like me to, because it makes me feel like a hypocrite. It troubles me that I may be a disappointment to her that way. Is meditation equivalent to prayer?

MM: Meditation is basically wordless prayer unless you are doing a mantra meditation or certain Vipassana meditations. You can be sure that Jesus meditated a lot. Prayer is somewhat easier because it gives our minds direction and something to do "while meditating". It is the undisciplined, endless chatter of the mind, often negative or judgmental, that gets us into trouble.

Prayer and meditation are an attitude, too, or you could say they create an attitude. A turning away from the material world towards something "other than" oneself, or one's worldly concerns. It is important to turn inward regularly.

When the apostles asked Jesus how to pray he is said to have taught them the Lord's Prayer. No question your grandmother prayed this prayer regularly. You could connect with her through it. So let's take a look at how an atheist like you could use that prayer.

The first line which instantly causes trouble for non-believers, is:

"Our Father who art in heaven" -

We can think of "Father" as "where I come from, my source". "Mother" may be a better choice but before people understood where babies came from they thought men deposited tiny little babies in women's wombs. Christian Scientists pray to Father-Mother-God, for example.

If we simply think of "heaven" as "not the material world but the infinite and eternal vastness that is non-material and the source out of which everything arises and to which everything returns", you could rephrase that line as:

"Our infinite and eternal place of origin and destiny,

Which is not of this material world,"

"Hallowed by thy name"

"For which I have no name but infinite awe"

(if you don't have infinite awe yet, look at some Hubble telescope images, nature images, look at the stars at night, hold a baby, or go for a walk in nature... simply contemplate our amazing and awe inspiring existence)

"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" -

"May it unfold in perfect harmony according to its nature, here, now, on earth, as it does in infinity and eternity"

"Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us"

"May we be well and whole and taken care of for today,

As we tend to others likewise in mutual compassion"

"And lead us not into temptation"

"Without distraction,"

"But deliver us from evil"

"And free from all that causes distraction"

"For thine is the kingdom and the glory and the power."

"For the formless source

In its infinite powerlessness,

Is the greatest power there is."

"Lord's Prayer" For Atheists and Grand-Daughters

Our infinite and eternal place of origin and destiny,

Which is not of this material world,

For which I have no name,

But infinite awe

May it unfold in perfect harmony according to its nature,

Here, now, on earth, as it does in infinity and eternity

May we be well and whole and taken care of for today,

As we tend to others, likewise, in mutual compassion

Without distraction,

And free from all that causes distraction

For the formless source

In its infinite powerlessness,

Is the greatest power there is.

Or, if you want to be personal and more efficient - in your case you could pray

Dear Grandma

Please keep me well, and whole,

And taken care of for today,

As I tend to others, likewise,

In mutual compassion.

Please keep me free from distraction

And the root cause of all distraction.

I believe in you and trust in you, always.

(Amen)

("Amen" is simply a sound like "Om" that unites and calms the body/mind, much like the sound "Mom" instinctively used by children)

There is great psychological benefit in making prayer personal to someone you associate with unconditional and total love, and who you either imagine or would trust to watch over you. It can be difficult to generate that emotional energy flow into "just" meditation. Therefore even atheists find gurus, scientists, musicians and other celebrities to be in love with and worship, the way people used to be in love with and worship God and saints.

Our brains seem to thrive on love, worship, trust, and humble surrender to the big picture. We also seem to benefit from holding an ideal/idol in our minds, but are being warned about idol worship. This is simply because idols fall short of perfection associated with God. God - if nothing else - is simply the idea of absolute perfection.

Once you become experienced in prayer and/or meditation - wordless prayer is the highest form of it - and distinctions between "believer" and "atheist", "insignificant me" and "most significant celebrity", or "I, me" and "You, God", simply disappear. You become still. You become One.

Character

Q: I have been meditating for years with good results regarding being able to calm my mind, but in day-to-day life I cannot get over feeling envious of others when they are wealthier, prettier or smarter than me...even when meditating I feel competitive about "who is the best meditator" in the teacher's eyes. How do I conquer this?

MM: Forget words like envious, greedy, etc. When you feel that way watch your body. You will notice that it is full of little tensions. Just like relaxing a clenched fist, simply relax that tension. In your case, let go of watching your mind and fully concentrate on body tensions and relaxation. That is all it is. The mind contributes to creating these tensions, but in some people the tension in the body is first and the mind fills in with "reasons". In your case, you need to relax your body.

Q: So it isn't an issue of character?

MM: In your case, no.

Q: But why do I feel like I have a bad character to be so easily moved to envy?

MM: Because you are of good character!

The End Of Human Suffering

Q: Is there ever going to be an end to human beings hurting each other?

MM: Yes. We'll need infinite patience. Now.

Computer Time Non-Spiritual?

Q: Is spending a lot of time on the computer non-spiritual?

MM: When it comes to leisure computer time, it depends on who your are talking to and on what you are writing or reading - just like life itself. What makes something spiritual or non-spiritual is whether it lifts yours or other's thoughts beyond the material to things like beauty, aesthetics, justice, harmony, love, peace, compassion, etc, etc ... infinity...eternity - and in the end - even silence. If you are doing "your work", other considerations also come into play. Work maybe very mundane and concerning non-spiritual things, but to do the work properly, on time and well is "kind and honest" to your co-workers, customers or employer.

In general, when it comes to computer time, ask yourself whether what you are doing is creative or consumptive? Observant or judgmental? Are you serious/obsessed or playful? Innocent or manipulative? Responsible or irresponsible? Run by fear and greed, or compassion and generosity. All these reflections will tell you whether anything you are doing, or not doing, in life, is spiritual (of your spirit) - or material. Not that all material considerations are "bad" and all spiritual considerations "good". Remember Buddha's Golden Middle Path is between the two. We live a material existence and need to tend to it.

Q: But even when I feel like being on the computer is "good", spiritually speaking, my wife makes me feel guilty that I am on it at all.

MM: Explain to her how it feeds your soul (if it does) to be on the computer, or how you need to be on it in order to not let people down at work in order to put a roof over her head if that is your situation, and see what she says.

The fear of the wife or husband can be close to the fear of death :-).

But - when death is understood - or when the wife or husband is understood - all will be well. The spouse wants attention, and so does death. If we don't pay attention to the wife, or the husband, or the children, or the friends - or the fact that life is precious and can be over at any moment for any of us - we will miss life, and we will miss growing in love.

Either you are spending too much time on the computer or you have a nagging wife. Most likely a little bit of both.

Remembering

Q: How come we can't remember past life times - if there even is such a thing?

MM: It is like not being able to remember what you were doing on October 23, at 10 o'clock in 1994. It doesn't matter now, although it may be the reason you are wearing a red shirt.

What needs to be remembered is our future, not our past. "Future" means our destiny. It is where we were before we were born. Our very past is our very future. Our destiny is where we came from. We become conscious of the source of your being.

There are only two paths. Both have infinite variety and combinations. There is the intellectual (scientific, atheist) path, and the emotional path (love, religion).

All paths are like boats you take across the river (life). They seem to be very important when you are on them, but ultimately have nothing directly to do with the destination (God, Enlightenment, Truth); and just before you step on the shore (Truth) you actually have to leave what took you there - the boat that gave safety, and direction. There is no point in staying on the boat once the shore has been reached.

That is the hard part for both the religious and the scientifically minded. Even close to the destination everyone seems to argue about who has the better boat. The whole world is arguing about the best boat - for getting to God, Truth, Enlightenment. This is nonsense. Even swimming will do. Even less - just floating will do. Boats can often be too much trouble.

Q: So is any thinking about Karma - even in terms of how to conduct oneself now for good karma in the future, pointless?

MM: It is OK to use it for "navigation". Navigation uses "points of references" to give some understanding about cause and effect, starting points and end points. It is only useful "along the way" but becomes useless the closer you get to the destination.

Harming Other Beings

Q: Are all things - like even rocks - beings? In terms of harming other beings - how can one possibly avoid harming other beings? Even just taking antibiotics would create bad karma.

MM: When we logically follow this notion of not harming another being the first thing is that we realize that our life depends on the many lives of others. The animals we may still be eating, the medications we depend on that have taken many lives, the ants we step on, the plants we eat, etc, etc.

The important thing is to grow one's awareness of how many beings must suffer for us to live, and then instead of feeling guilty to become deeply humble and grateful. The more our humility and gratitude grows, the less we will require, and the less harm we will cause. But it will never be zero.

As our awareness grows, even stones will reveal themselves to us as beings. And in the end - when the being-ness of all things is understood, as well as the interconnectedness and oneness of all things - who is there to harm or be harmed?

Ugly And Lovable

Q: What can I do about being a more lovable person?

MM: Be more lovable. There is nothing to do, just be more lovable.

Q: But I feel that I am fat and ugly and that on first impression already people decide I am unlovable.

MM: There are "fat and ugly" people who are very lovable and people are instantly drawn to them. Socrates was one of them. It is all a question of what occupies your thoughts. It is only thoughts that are fat and ugly. You get rid of fat (repetitive) and ugly (negative) thoughts against yourself and others and you will be free. Freedom is very attractive to everyone. Serenity, peace, compassion... all show up even on an ugly face. They are irresistible. Become irresistible.

Good Or Evil?

Q: I cried myself to sleep last night when I had the thought: "I really don't know whether I am good or evil." I was deeply moved and upset but in a very calm way. Can you explain this to me?

MM: Even God does not know whether he is good or evil. People question it, too. How can God let people suffer so much in wars and with diseases, especially little children?

You were upset because most of the time, thinking that you are a rather good person, at least a person trying hard and having good intentions - for the first time you considered being evil also. No more hiding this from yourself. The calmness came from holding both ideas of good and evil in regards to yourself at the same time, and knowing deep down beyond language that you are neither both, nor neither - but something different entirely.

Imagine

Q: Can you imagine a world religion?

MM: Yes - kindness. Kin-ship. Brotherhood. Not out of fear of God, or desire to sit next to him, but out of that which is neither of fear, nor of desire.

Q: That's not really a religion.

MM: O.K. A not-really-religion then.

Q: But don't we need teachers, leaders, places to gather and support one another? An organization to pull it all together?

MM: Students will always find teachers. Jesus, Mohammad, Buddha...they were not found in churches. Churches serve their purpose, but they are not a necessity for realizing truth. It would not be just.

Good People - With Or Without Religion?

Q: Do you think a person can grow up to be a good person without any religious upbringing?

MM: Kindness and compassion are universal, and our true nature. A child knows instantly when something bad, mean, or unjust has happened. Children observe cruelty and injustice and then decide either for or against it, for their own behavior. This is often a decision based on their individual instinct of, and physical make-up for survival,as well as their environment. So - yes - a person can grow up to be a good person without any religious upbringing. Discerning between kindness and cruelty is inborn.

Most Atheists would ask - can a person grow up to be good person in spite of their religious upbringing? Religions have "raised" a lot of callous and cruel people. At the same time, religions all over the world have also taught kindness and compassion to people who needed to "re-learn". Sometimes all a religion can do, much like the legal system, is scare cruel people into behaving kindly.

So whatever upbringing we chose for our children - we need to model kindness and generosity, rather than criticism and cruelty, and give children courage and hope in the face of the injustices in the world.

The Veiled Truth

Q: What exactly is this truth you mentioned that Jesus speaks about when he says: "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free"?

MM: It doesn't matter. Don't concern yourself at all about what it might be, or might be like. Just know - deep down, and with your complete trust and all the love in your heart - that you will indeed know it. Accept that this is a 100% reliable source making this promise to you. Then you become ready to receive it. That is all that matters, that you become receptive. Don't concern yourself with this truth in any other way. You will not need your intellect, your understanding, or any past experience to recognize this truth to be The Truth. It will be self evident and beyond doubt. It will not be a thought, an idea, an image, a feeling, or anything else you are used to or could possibly imagine. That all has to get out of the way.

That is what meditation is - just practicing getting all thoughts, ideas, opinions, feelings, images...out of the way, so that the veil can get lifted from your eyes.

Karma

Q: The more I think about the idea of karma, the more I get confused. Isn't cultivating good karma for oneself in itself selfishly motivated?


MM: Forget cultivating good karma. Instead cultivate a calm mind. The calmer the mind, the more you will become who you truly are and go beyond dual concepts like selfishness and unselfishness, good karma and bad karma, etc. Once one is truly oneself one can neither be called selfish nor compassionate. Just like the sun which causes both skin cancer and makes our food grow - we become who we are and move beyond worry. To become oneself does not mean the Western idea of "do whatever you want". It means peacefulness, serenity and full presence in which all things get done that need to get done - no more, no less.

Strangely enough, Buddhism which teaches about Karma, the cause and effect of good and bad deeds over lifetimes - also teaches about non-dualistic thinking. When non-dualistic thinking is fully attained there is no karma. At that level time and space also disappear. Therefore, without time and space, whatever is happening now, is happening all throughout time.

One way to reach to non-dualistic thinking is through contemplating the idea of karma. The idea of karma, if followed logically, eventually turns into a koan and can free the mind.

Until then - think of karma as "you shall harvest as you sow". Tend your garden with awareness.

Getting Rid Of All Religions?

Q: How can you say religions are beautiful when they have caused so much suffering and craziness? We should get rid of them altogether.

MM: Religious organizations of all faiths crucify, burn and torture those they feel threatened by on a regular basis, worse than governments even. The stupidities and ugliness committed in the name of religion seem to warrant that we should indeed get rid of religion altogether.

But - it would be like getting rid of sex because of rape, pedophilia, sex slavery, incest and all other perversions, many of them extremely cruel. Sex at its highest levels is communion and love, just like religion. Both at their lowest levels always turn into cruelty, violence and murder.

The same is true of science. The suffering and cruelty committed in the name of science is horrendous. No religion has ever committed such levels of cruelty.

Q: You can't get rid of sex, but you could get rid of religion.

MM: That is not true. Religion is to the heart what science is to the mind. They are interconnected. If you get rid of religion all together, sex itself becomes the new religion in disguise. It is happening now.

Q: So what if you got rid of sex - what would happen then?

MM: If you were to "get rid of" sex, religion, science...and everything else that interferes with pure truth...what would be left over is love in its highest form. Coal (all human understanding and forms of love) would have been transformed into diamond (truth).

You cannot get rid of anything, you can only transform it. In human society and civilization people exist at different levels of maturity, therefore there will always be sex, religion, science.... When Jesus says: "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free" he is talking about only you, and your freedom.

Q: What kind of truth is he talking about? A religious truth?

MM: No. Just truth. Truth free of any religious, scientific, cultural, moral, social, or any other ideas whatsoever. This may sound impossible, especially to the Western Mind unfamiliar with meditation. It is much like Lao Tsu says: "The Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao." This truth - if it could be "said" or named, it would not be the eternal truth Jesus is talking about. The only thing you can be sure of is that this truth is so clear and self evident that when you come across it, or better, when it finds you, you recognize it and there will be freedom from all doubt.

Q: But then you wouldn't be able to describe it or teach it to anyone...?

MM: Correct.

Q: So what are Jesus, Buddha, Mohammad...and those who follow them, teaching then?

MM: They are hinting at the truth with metaphors and examples the way a thousand arrows can all point at the same spot of emptiness. Some of the teachings often in the form of poetry, simply express deep feelings of gratitude or blessing, and are truly beautiful.

Truth, Religion And Music

Q: MeditationMom - are you a Muslim?

MM: No, except that if someone were to ask me to deny the statement "there is no God, but God" I would have to willingly go to my death instead. Like Galileo I would have to die for that truth. It is not just a religious truth but also a scientific one. I am not sure Muslims think of this statement as I do, but to me this is one of the most profound religious, even scientific, statements ever made.

All the religions are like flowers to me - beautiful. How can you chose? The truth on the other hand is like the earth to me, out of which all the different flowers grow. Few are interested in the earth rather than the beautiful flowers.

All the guardians of the flowers - the priests and imams are in competition with each other, forgetting the shared source of their flowers. This shared source is what the original teachings are all about. One earth - one truth - infinite varieties of flowers and religions. All beautiful and yet - incomplete - destined to return to the earth. Both beautiful and ugly flowers rot and return to the earth to make fertile soil. Which flower tells the whole truth about the earth? None. They are a distraction - and a secret message.

Q: You're an atheist then.

MM: No, Atheists hate all the religions. I love all the religions - although, not all of the churches and religious organizations that are run by corrupt and power-hungry humans.

Religions and religious ideas are beautiful to me - like music - even though my true love is silence, and truth. Religions, even though, as atheists point out, bring out the worst in human beings - also have brought out the very best, not just in the arts, but also in insight and human potential.

Religions can be extremely helpful, or a great hindrance to truth - just like music to silence, or passion to love, or knowledge to science. Music can create a sort of peace, harmony and serenity out of chaotic noise, and it is a good first step towards silence.

Just like music, religions are a good first step towards truth, but need to be left behind eventually. Like Jesus or Mohammad - one needs some quiet time in the desert or in a cave away from the churches and mosques in order to meditate and discover truth.

Atheists deny the existence of God with such conviction, as if they knew. This is just another form of belief, not knowledge. I do not deny the existence of God - although I will point out that there is no God as far as most people's idea of God is concerned. There is nothing that is not God. Therefore any discussions whether God exists or not - how do we go about it? It is such a challenge.

Q: Not to mention all the horrible music that is out there parading as music.

MM: Yes, there is that - and horrible teachings parading as religion. We need to develop that in us that can discern the true from the false. Utmost awareness and sensitivity is needed.

Son of God Or Prophet?

Q: Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God, while Muslims believe he was a prophet like Mohammad. What do you think of this idea that he is the son of God - even the only son of God?

MM: Jesus himself said that we are all the children of God - just like him. Begotten means "by seed". It makes no sense to take this literally, unless you believe in aliens.

Spiritually understood, this "seed", "God's seed" is waiting to sprout within all of us. It is our longing for re-union. The longing that drives everything - all of material, physical life, and spiritual life alike. "Father" means our origin, our source which could just as easily be called "Mother", or the Infinite and Eternal. The trouble always arises when the material mind interprets spiritual teachings. That is why so many spiritual teachings used to be kept secret.

2012

Q: What is your opinion of all the recent talk about aliens, UFOs, and even the idea that our religions may be based on contact with aliens of higher intelligence?

MM: It is a mystery for now. All that is needed is getting in touch with our own higher intelligence. It seems to be more and more urgent. People claim to be after the truth, but if they looked deeply inside they would discover that they are driven by a subtle form of greed and fear. There is always greed and fear involved in not knowing about something.

What is the difference between the ideas of angels and demons, or benevolent aliens and reptilians whispering into our ears - or "taking over" or "coming to our rescue"? It is still all about the freedom to exercise our own conscience and wisdom, while among all the noise and mayhem in each situation we find ourselves in.

Q: But what about governments possibly covering up the truth - all the data that seems to exist?

MM: Have you ever kept information from your children or parents? Either to protect yourself, or to protect them from knowing something? The timing for all truths to be revealed depends on the maturity of the receiver of information, in this case large populations of all kinds of cultural backgrounds, and the wisdom of the giver of information, in this case all kinds of governments, both benevolent and violent. Therein lies the problem - mature mobs and wise governments. Both are hard to come by. It has always been the problem - for all truths - scientific, or religious - to come to light. Once maturity appears, wisdom appears, and truth comes to light. Mobs and governments are made of the same people and have an interdependent relationship.

Q: What do you think about the predictions that the world will come to an end in 2012?

MM: It is based on an interpretation of the Mayan Calendar. Interpretation is not exact.

We are living on a tiny speck of dust flying though space at mind boggling speed, spinning around a gigantic fireball of nuclear explosions while working hard on our own capabilities to throw nuclear weapons at each other here on Earth. Meteors have hit the Earth numerous times and most likely will again in the future. The dinosaurs didn't make it, and the Mayans vanished without a trace from the planet - which should give us pause, and it has. All physical life is fragile at all times. Doomed in fact.

Every new day is a miracle! A thousand more new days, more than anyone could ask. A billion more years ... that idea may just be too boring for people.

Everybody's world comes to an end after only 80 years or so, give or take a few years or decades. No reason to stop living, or worry too much about dying while we are here. What does it mean to be alive for these precious few moments within this vast eternity? As we speak , thousands are dying NOW, today, and even more are born to see a new day.

Q: Well - what DOES it mean?

MM: It has no meaning. It is pure joy. Don't ruin it with worries about "the end". The end will always come - in the end - not necessarily in 2012. Every end is a beginning in disguise. The seed dies and a giant oak tree appears. People try to protect themselves from what they fear in the future and miss life and even start killing each other, as well as the planet their life depends on. Life is happening only here at this moment. In this very moment, life is eternal. Abide in it - always - and all will be well. Be kind to each other! Be peaceful, and simply enjoy quietly. This is the way to eternal life. Forget immortality - it does not exist.

Your Work And God's Work

Q: How does one express God, or do God's work in the world?

MM: God's work? God knows nothing of work. The idea of "work" is a very human idea. As far as God is concerned there is only effortlessness, and all gets done. It is more of a question of how do we stop destroying "God's work" - the earth, the oceans, and all of it's creatures.

Ask yourself instead - how do I express myself in the world, and how do I do my work - without doing harm? Attempt to know yourself. What drives you, what motivates you, what seems good and what seem bad to you, etc. Really look closely and learn. Meditate, and get in touch with your innermost self. Learn to separate what you are conditioned to believe from what you yourself know to be true from your core.

The better you know yourself and the more you are guided by that - you will find there is no difference between "your work" and what people call God's work. The truth is that God has no work - but you do. You need to get the laundry done and the kids fed. Your work - and what people call "God's work"- is always what is directly before your eyes - be that the dishes that need to be washed, or jumping in front of a moving train to pull someone off the tracks. At some point what has been thought of as hard work, becomes effortless and natural.

Q: But aren't there choices - like - do I do the laundry, answer emails, or do I read a book to my child?

MM: Is the child standing in front of you asking you to read, or are you doing the laundry wondering about this? What is before your eyes?

As a general rule, when in doubt - always make it a priority to attend to a child.

A child always demands your presence in the present. That's why the above is good advice - not just for the benefit of the child, but also for you. (Use Here You Are to help you - that's what it was written for - to help adults meet with their children in the present).

If you take a moment - you will always know what is needed right now, without thinking, and right action will follow.

Q: What if I get 25 letters a day "before my eyes" - asking me to donate money to good causes ? Or people, or my child, making unreasonable requests?

MM: Don't open them! If you do, make sure you stay in the present. In the present - you cannot make a mistake. The same is true with unreasonable people or children. As soon as "unreasonableness" is before your eyes - respond accordingly.

Closer Than Your Own Breath

Q: So - MeditationMom - to follow up on your last post - have you then discovered God? If so, what would you say about that discovery? What then about believing or not believing in that discovery - for yourself or for others who are trying to "learn" from you? Doesn't that just bring us back to belief or non-belief?

MM: I would say first - Be careful. You cannot learn from me. I can only help you to un-learn some of your notions and beliefs, so you are free to meditate and look for yourself. Some people feel nervous about that because they feel it will weaken their beliefs. But they need to remember that Jesus, Mohammad, Buddha, etc - all did this and recommended to do this. Meditation, sitting in silence, personal or wordless prayer, whatever you want to call it - is the way home.

Then I would say "There is no God" - "but God" - meaning there is nothing that is not God. When people talk about God, in general, they think of God as something or someone "additional" and "outside of" and "separate" from existence and themselves. In my experience God is existence itself and neither part of it, nor not part of it. In other words - the end of "parts", and ideas of separation, altogether. Or, as Jesus put it, "me and my father are one". How can you separate yourself from God? It is impossible.

As far as "having discovered God", and then either believing or not believing in what has been discovered - think of it this way: it is like a fish who has been looking for the ocean while all other fish are arguing whether one should or should not believe in the ocean, and in what kind of ocean! On his search he some day is separated from the ocean through unforeseeable circumstances - he jumps out of the water by mistake maybe while being chased by a bigger fish, is caught on a fishing line, or some other situation.

Now you could say he "discovered", or become aware of the ocean, even though there was nothing to discover. It was always closer to him than even his own breath. Now it is no more a question of belief or non-belief, it is just what it is - truth. He also now knows that it is only a question of time before he will be completely dissolved back into the ocean.

It is the same with God. God is closer to you than your own breath - much closer! Hiding in plain "view". For this view you have to close your eyes and be still. As Jesus said - be still and know. You cannot be still - and believe or not believe in anything at the same time. Being still means to go beyond belief and all thoughts. This is why I have equal love and compassion for believers and atheists alike. It is not a question of believing or not-believing. It is a question of meditation and calming one's mind altogether.

Beyond belief, is where the truth is to be found.

Do You Believe In God?

Q: MeditationMom - do you - or do you not - believe in God? Some of your writing seems atheist, and sometimes it seems that you do mention God a lot.

MM: Neither, and both. You'll have to practice your Buddhist non-dualistic thinking to be happy with this answer. My writings are confusing because I respond differently to individual people . All the people who write to me are truth seekers - the religious and atheists alike. The truth everyone is intuitively looking for is "beyond belief" - literally - and already belongs to everyone. As Jesus said: "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." This freedom is all that matters.

Maybe I should ask you which God you are asking me about?



A joke on the subject: A tourist in an Irish bar asks his neighbor: "Are you a Catholic or a Protestant?" "Neither!" answers the Irish patron with some annoyance, and adds: "I am an Atheist."
After a pause the tourist asks: "Well, are you a Catholic Atheist or a Protestant Atheist?" to which the Irish man replies with a little more enthusiasm: "Actually, I am a Buddhist atheist."

God - to most people - believers and atheists alike - is an idea. Many different ideas actually, we
fight wars over. Everyone has a different idea about God - even the kind of God people don't believe in is fought over.

To others, God is a suspicion - as in "there must be something or someone greater than little old me "out there" running or overseeing things". Atheists are more mature, and brave enough to live in a chaotic and random universe. To them, God is simply a stupid, if not a dangerous and destructive idea. Most atheists just want people to stop killing each other in the name of God. Atheists though are blind too, for example, about how many people have been maimed and killed because of what they believe in - which is science.

To the devout God is a feeling - a very profound one, and anyone telling them "there is no God" is saying "you don't have that feeling". When, especially people who tell others to get in touch with their feelings, their emotions, their sexuality, as well as their "dark side", then tell those people that "their feeling" of God - their "being in touch" with the divine or the sacred in life - is not real - all hell breaks lose between these two groups.

Those who actually discover God, discover something far beyond thought or feeling, and beyond anything anyone could say anything about, and certainly something beyond belief. They usually stay silent on the subject. If they say anything they risk being misunderstood, getting crucified or stoned to death, and also risk starting yet another religion for humanity to fight over. In other words - when it comes to God or the divine - you cannot learn about it from anyone or any book, even though this can certainly be inspiring and give valuable guidance in the best of cases.

Ultimately - the whole subject of God is best avoided as it is a fight among the blind over something they are all speculating about. Believing is OK, and not believing is OK . Both can help, or be a hindrance, on the way to truth and freedom.

What is meant by God is equivalent to absolute, infinite and eternal truth, absolute, infinite and eternal freedom, love, compassion, wisdom, kindness, perfection, principle, all-one-ness that includes all opposites of good and evil, and all that is beyond all ideas. There is only one way to discover this, and that is with the deepest trust during meditation. This trust needs to be greater than the fear of death. The reason for that is that only with that, can one go beyond thought or feeling - beyond oneself - completely. "Oneself" is the blindness that prevents discovery.

When the Dalai Lama was asked what his religion is, he answered that his religion is Kindness. This is a highly scientific answer and demonstrates the insignificance of individual, personal, belief or non-belief in God, or any religious dogma.

Ramana Maharshi said it well: "No one doubts that he exists, though you may doubt the existence of God. If you find out the truth about yourself and discover your own source, this is all that is required."

In other words - God is a discovery - and unlike anything that anyone has ever believed, or not believed in.