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.