What Am I Still Giving Meaning To? - 27th January 2016

We've been discovering the beauty of just this non-conceptual life. So even if there are concepts, they're just played with; they're not taken so seriously, as if our life is dependent on them. Yes, the simplicity of this—not living on the basis of some concepts, but living just as it is. As simple as that. Very often I've said that the power of belief can only be applied to concepts. You cannot believe imagery. A sense of joy can come, or a sense of grief can come on watching some appearance, but there is nothing to believe in that. So just contemplate into the nature of belief and see what it is that can be believed. Can you believe anything other than a concept? You find that it's only ideas, concepts, thoughts—same thing—which can get our belief. And by definition, a thought presumes the existence of a separate entity that 'I am.' Even the most glorious ones, even if it is saying that you are one, you are presuming that this entity that you believe yourself to be has now become one, or is the one. So these conceptual words are just nothing compared to the truth of what is.

But it's been like this here, that in this realm, everyone has seemingly relied on these. And it takes some amount of addiction through Satsang or spiritual paths; we feel we have to let go of this identity, let go of these concepts. And even in Satsang, there is a danger we pick up new concepts. This happened here also when I first became spiritual after being an atheist for most of my life. Then I felt, 'These are wonderful concepts, I can just use them.' So then this entire conceptual framework was created here. But I realized when the appearances seemingly became strong, it was not helping me—not really anything. And I'm so grateful to those strong experiences because it helped me open beyond those concepts to just see what's going on. If I know all of this spiritual stuff, but why is it still that my life is seemingly this up and down? Still continues in that way.

We can be grateful to our suffering that happens because it opens us up. It crushes these concepts that we feel are very valuable. And in the spiritual path also—the seeming path—also we can have this sense that 'I'm learning so much now, I'm almost there.' The sense of almost being there comes from this: 'I'm learning so much now, just a little more.' And I feel it on the edge of the cliff also. So these concepts and also some feeling—if some beautiful feelings start coming to you, this is beautiful. Imagine a little more of this and I will just be a madman, you know, the madman that I heard about. So if you attach the sense of progress to these feelings, what can happen very quickly is they can also dissolve. Like all comings and goings, these are also comings and goings. And then with that comes some ideas about unworthiness, not getting there, not happening. So don't attach to the content of concepts or the states or feelings which arise.

Then what is here? I have been saying that there is this lump of content which is fluttering in front of us, but does any of it really touch what really is? And you will find it doesn't. So how can that which is untouched be found through the content of these concepts, or what kind of states are arising or not? I'm not saying that we must be averse to which is beautiful. Bliss is coming, joy is coming, love is coming—you must not be averse. Accept them as beautiful gifts. But to be attached and to say that 'this is freedom,' that would be a mistake. So it starts off with this idea, and many also teach this—these so-called self-help programs: 'Just think happy thoughts.' It starts out like that. You think, 'Just think happy thoughts. You're making yourself unhappy by thinking unhappy.' Yeah, I can create it. I'll tell you what I'm creating. And then you wait for the thought to come and say, 'This is my... this is going to be my...' It already came. So-called 'The Secret.' So don't worry about the appearance and disappearance of thoughts. Of course, who would not want only happy thoughts? Nothing against happy thoughts. I'm just saying that if you're dependent, then when some spiteful attack or defense thoughts come, then again you will come to this conclusion that 'I haven't made it. I haven't got to the freedom that I want.'

So forget about it. Thoughts born, states gone, body pain born—everything is allowed to be exactly as it is. And Being is just Being. This state of simple allowing, not resisting anything, remains unassociated. This is the flute of Satsang: to unburden that which can never be burdened seems to be the game that we are playing. But if that is the game, let's play. How do we pretend to be burdened? Only by picking up these concepts. So I've been feeling to say since yesterday about this non-conceptual life. And no concept—no concept, no matter how pure, holy, glorious it might be—it cannot truly define the truth of what you are.