Q: How can you be religious or spiritual without following a certain religion, teaching or moral code?
MM: By being yourself. And by trusting deeply.
Even if you are still driven by wrong motives - by being yourself and by paying very close attention you will learn and discover the truth. It is not a question of being moral or immoral, religious or non-religious, or anti-religion. It is a question of becoming more and more aware. More and more sensitive. At the highest level of sensitivity the final jump into oneness can happen.
There are many alternatives to religion in order to go beyond fear and desire . Fear and desire are at the root of all so-called evil that religions try to fight. The root of all fears and desires , in turn, is the idea that there is an "I". Realizing the illusion of this "I" simply takes great sensitivity and power of observation which can be gained through meditation, or as I said earlier - paying attention. Fundamentally meditation means paying utmost attention to the most subtle.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Don't Have A Reason
Q: If one believes in the Buddhist idea of karma, isn't trying to be compassionate in order to create good karma fundamentally selfish after all?
MM: The more one practices to cultivate a calm mind, the more one becomes oneself and the more one goes 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 and dual concepts.
Q: That sounds like people just need to put up with us - both our negative and our positive sides.
MM: Whichever way you are, Hitler or Buddha, people either put up with you, or they don't. They do have the freedom to choose. Whether you are all negative, half negative/half positive, or all positive - people decide for their own reasons whether to put up with you or not.
Even if we were all positive (which we may or not may not achieve in a lifetime) - but lets imagine we were to rise to the level of Buddha or Jesus - as close to "all positive" as we can imagine - this still will hurt people. Men abandoned their wives and children to follow these teachers, religions sprung up that caused millions of deaths, etc, etc. So there is no reason to try to become "all positive" out of compassion for others. Just like there is no reason to try to become "all positive" for oneself if it requires a ton of self denial and sacrifice.
To become "all positive", and infinitely compassionate, is a simple byproduct of total relaxation. Total relaxation means relaxing all fears and all desires, not just in meditation, but in everyday life.
Q: Doesn't that say one shouldn't bother to try as it requires a lot of self sacrifice. That is a selfish attitude. Don't we need to take a stand, instead of choosing an easy life?
MM: The only way to stand up to injustice and all kinds of things in the world that are wrong, and to do so effectively, is in a totally relaxed and fearless way, and without any personal desires. Jesus is a good example.
I did not say to "not bother" so one can enjoy "an easy life". I said - don't have a reason. Reasons will betray you. Wars always have reasons, peace doesn't need a reason.
( The full conversation lives at Boards.ie)
MM: The more one practices to cultivate a calm mind, the more one becomes oneself and the more one goes 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 and dual concepts.
Q: That sounds like people just need to put up with us - both our negative and our positive sides.
MM: Whichever way you are, Hitler or Buddha, people either put up with you, or they don't. They do have the freedom to choose. Whether you are all negative, half negative/half positive, or all positive - people decide for their own reasons whether to put up with you or not.
Even if we were all positive (which we may or not may not achieve in a lifetime) - but lets imagine we were to rise to the level of Buddha or Jesus - as close to "all positive" as we can imagine - this still will hurt people. Men abandoned their wives and children to follow these teachers, religions sprung up that caused millions of deaths, etc, etc. So there is no reason to try to become "all positive" out of compassion for others. Just like there is no reason to try to become "all positive" for oneself if it requires a ton of self denial and sacrifice.
To become "all positive", and infinitely compassionate, is a simple byproduct of total relaxation. Total relaxation means relaxing all fears and all desires, not just in meditation, but in everyday life.
Q: Doesn't that say one shouldn't bother to try as it requires a lot of self sacrifice. That is a selfish attitude. Don't we need to take a stand, instead of choosing an easy life?
MM: The only way to stand up to injustice and all kinds of things in the world that are wrong, and to do so effectively, is in a totally relaxed and fearless way, and without any personal desires. Jesus is a good example.
I did not say to "not bother" so one can enjoy "an easy life". I said - don't have a reason. Reasons will betray you. Wars always have reasons, peace doesn't need a reason.
Monday, February 9, 2009
None, And All One
Q: I am raised a Christian, went through an atheist phase, then studied Hinduism, Islam and other religions. Today I mostly think of myself as a Buddhist. But, as I find out more about Buddhism and some of the things some branches of Buddhism believe in, even Buddhism is not something I can wholeheartedly embrace. I basically just meditate these days and try to find my own way. I am tempted to call myself an Atheist again, but that also feels incorrect. I neither believe that there is a God, nor that there is no God.
MM: Do not be bothered by this. It is a sign of your intelligence. Don't let Buddhism interfere with Buddhahood, or Christianity with Christ Consciousness, or Atheism with science mindedness. There is no Lovism - only Love. No Compassionism - only Compassion. No Scientism only science. No Truthism - only Truth.
What you need to question, and drop - is your need to want to identify with any "ism" , or group of believers or non-believers.
Follow your own light and be willing to stand alone! That is the only way to become one with it all. This alone-ness that is wholeness, that is holiness is who you are.
MM: Do not be bothered by this. It is a sign of your intelligence. Don't let Buddhism interfere with Buddhahood, or Christianity with Christ Consciousness, or Atheism with science mindedness. There is no Lovism - only Love. No Compassionism - only Compassion. No Scientism only science. No Truthism - only Truth.
What you need to question, and drop - is your need to want to identify with any "ism" , or group of believers or non-believers.
Follow your own light and be willing to stand alone! That is the only way to become one with it all. This alone-ness that is wholeness, that is holiness is who you are.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Greed And Wealth
Q: Why are we so greedy that even rich people sometimes steal from others, as seems to be the case on a very large scale at the moment?
MM: Because inside, we are so poor. The richer we get, the poorer we get. Rich means that we have a lot of things and a lot of money to buy more things, all in hopes for happiness. Then we keep busy selling the things we tire of and buying new things to please ourselves. This can go on forever if we don't realize the true nature of happiness, which is an inner wealth.
Wealth is when someone has enough. This can happen to a rich person or a to a very poor person. It is an inner event rather than an outer event. Life may not be fair, but wealth is fair. It is available to everyone, equally and at all times.
"Not having enough" often leads to hoarding or even stealing, by both the poor and even the very rich. "Having enough", on the other hand, leads to peace and to giving, by both the poor and the rich. This giving can be an outer or an inner event, or both.
Peace Pilgrim is one such person, who owned nothing but the clothes on her back, and did without food until it was offered to her. She felt free and rich. She was a normal, material housewife before she "woke up" to her inner wealth. After that, she gave and gave of herself even though she had nothing physical to give to anyone. Jesus and Buddha of course are clear examples, as are hundreds of other such people, but we often think they are so great that we can never reach such inner wealth. This is just not so. It is already there - we have just forgotten how to draw on it.
MM: Because inside, we are so poor. The richer we get, the poorer we get. Rich means that we have a lot of things and a lot of money to buy more things, all in hopes for happiness. Then we keep busy selling the things we tire of and buying new things to please ourselves. This can go on forever if we don't realize the true nature of happiness, which is an inner wealth.
Wealth is when someone has enough. This can happen to a rich person or a to a very poor person. It is an inner event rather than an outer event. Life may not be fair, but wealth is fair. It is available to everyone, equally and at all times.
"Not having enough" often leads to hoarding or even stealing, by both the poor and even the very rich. "Having enough", on the other hand, leads to peace and to giving, by both the poor and the rich. This giving can be an outer or an inner event, or both.
Peace Pilgrim is one such person, who owned nothing but the clothes on her back, and did without food until it was offered to her. She felt free and rich. She was a normal, material housewife before she "woke up" to her inner wealth. After that, she gave and gave of herself even though she had nothing physical to give to anyone. Jesus and Buddha of course are clear examples, as are hundreds of other such people, but we often think they are so great that we can never reach such inner wealth. This is just not so. It is already there - we have just forgotten how to draw on it.
False Self, True Self, No Self
Q: Somewhere I saw you talking about our false self and our true self and in another place you talked about no self. I am confused - which one is it?
MM: No self is your true self! The I Am that Is Not! Ask yourself - when there is absolutely no self, what is left? That is who you are. Words can only point at it, but never express it. Only silence can express it.
MM: No self is your true self! The I Am that Is Not! Ask yourself - when there is absolutely no self, what is left? That is who you are. Words can only point at it, but never express it. Only silence can express it.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Purity
Q: Why do so many religious teachings see sex as "dirty" and talk so much about purity etc.?
MM: If you were to go camping for a few months - and were to experience life closer to the way most people lived thousands of years ago or in difficult circumstances today - the answer to this question would reveal itself. When there is scarcity of water for washing - oneself or one's clothing - all things sexual, be that intercourse, a woman's period, birth, etc, end up simply a dirty matter of unpleasant odors and sticky feelings. Before science there was religion, and much of religious advice about purity regarding people, food, etc., happens to simply be good science, but then gets confused with spirituality.
With plenty of water and soap available to most of us today - sex is not an issue of impurity - unless too many partners are involved. Then once again a religious no-no like promiscuity proves to be good advice scientifically because promiscuity can affect ones health and emotions quite negatively. None of these unhealthy, "dirty" behaviors in and of themselves affect one's soul and eternal life, though. It is not about the sex as so many religious people misunderstand. Spiritually what matters is whether there is abuse, greed, fear, or insincerity involved - be that sex, money, power, or any other area of life.
Even with lots of water and soap - a woman, man, or child who has been raped, for example, feels dirty and often continues to try to wash this feeling away. This is a physical/psychological phenomenon that also is real. The body and the mind can become polluted like water and air can , but we are neither the body nor the mind. Therefore - the eternal, infinite soul is always untouched. We are inherently pure, even if we fall face first into the mud.
MM: If you were to go camping for a few months - and were to experience life closer to the way most people lived thousands of years ago or in difficult circumstances today - the answer to this question would reveal itself. When there is scarcity of water for washing - oneself or one's clothing - all things sexual, be that intercourse, a woman's period, birth, etc, end up simply a dirty matter of unpleasant odors and sticky feelings. Before science there was religion, and much of religious advice about purity regarding people, food, etc., happens to simply be good science, but then gets confused with spirituality.
With plenty of water and soap available to most of us today - sex is not an issue of impurity - unless too many partners are involved. Then once again a religious no-no like promiscuity proves to be good advice scientifically because promiscuity can affect ones health and emotions quite negatively. None of these unhealthy, "dirty" behaviors in and of themselves affect one's soul and eternal life, though. It is not about the sex as so many religious people misunderstand. Spiritually what matters is whether there is abuse, greed, fear, or insincerity involved - be that sex, money, power, or any other area of life.
Even with lots of water and soap - a woman, man, or child who has been raped, for example, feels dirty and often continues to try to wash this feeling away. This is a physical/psychological phenomenon that also is real. The body and the mind can become polluted like water and air can , but we are neither the body nor the mind. Therefore - the eternal, infinite soul is always untouched. We are inherently pure, even if we fall face first into the mud.
Suffering
Q: Why is there so much suffering in the world?
MM: Is there more suffering than there is joy? And why do we not ask:"Why is there so much joy in the world?" Does not the joy of one man make the suffering of another that much more unbearable?
There is as much suffering, and as much joy in the world as we see. Joy and suffering are the front and the back of the same thing. Joy turns into suffering and suffering into joy the way day and night turn into each other.
Wisdom, enlightenment, and the end of suffering - is when joy and suffering are experienced simultaneously and understood as one phenomenon, which translates into a profound peace and an intense level of awareness. For example, if one were to hold ones dead child in ones arms with both the devastation of this loss and the overwhelming gratitude for every precious moment one had had with that child, in such a moment suffering and joy become so interwoven that one can become free. This peace is beyond both joy or suffering. It expands endlessly, is experienced as if one had awakened from a never-ending nightmare. This freedom that is serenity should not be confused with the false freedom that comes from denial, detachment or numbness.
Some people achieve this over a lifetime as the pain of loss, the hatred towards injustice, and the gradual descent into despair, is transformed into deep love, compassion, and gratitude - through an inner alchemy. Calling it forgiveness is wrong. For forgiveness there still needs to be blame. Calling it acceptance is also wrong. Acceptance is not yet deep, overall gratitude. This gratitude is not for something, but in spite of everything.
One has to go beyond logic and reason for this kind of inner alchemy that turns lead into gold to come about. One has to go beyond oneself. This is by no means easy when there is great pain and trauma. But with love, humility and self-knowledge it is available to everyone no matter their circumstances. That is why the sages tell us to wake up. Joy and suffering come from the same source.
MM: Is there more suffering than there is joy? And why do we not ask:"Why is there so much joy in the world?" Does not the joy of one man make the suffering of another that much more unbearable?
There is as much suffering, and as much joy in the world as we see. Joy and suffering are the front and the back of the same thing. Joy turns into suffering and suffering into joy the way day and night turn into each other.
Wisdom, enlightenment, and the end of suffering - is when joy and suffering are experienced simultaneously and understood as one phenomenon, which translates into a profound peace and an intense level of awareness. For example, if one were to hold ones dead child in ones arms with both the devastation of this loss and the overwhelming gratitude for every precious moment one had had with that child, in such a moment suffering and joy become so interwoven that one can become free. This peace is beyond both joy or suffering. It expands endlessly, is experienced as if one had awakened from a never-ending nightmare. This freedom that is serenity should not be confused with the false freedom that comes from denial, detachment or numbness.
Some people achieve this over a lifetime as the pain of loss, the hatred towards injustice, and the gradual descent into despair, is transformed into deep love, compassion, and gratitude - through an inner alchemy. Calling it forgiveness is wrong. For forgiveness there still needs to be blame. Calling it acceptance is also wrong. Acceptance is not yet deep, overall gratitude. This gratitude is not for something, but in spite of everything.
One has to go beyond logic and reason for this kind of inner alchemy that turns lead into gold to come about. One has to go beyond oneself. This is by no means easy when there is great pain and trauma. But with love, humility and self-knowledge it is available to everyone no matter their circumstances. That is why the sages tell us to wake up. Joy and suffering come from the same source.
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