Many people find their lives unfulfilling and turn to a spiritual or religious path hoping to find that fulfillment. They turn to meditation, yoga, spiritual groups, churches or any number of other paths that promise some form of shift in consciousness, enlightenment, salvation, or whatever other form of liberation they may imagine.
They listen patiently to dhamma (or dharma) talks, sermons, lectures, or any number of other forms of information. They read books, scriptures, and even blogs, all the while waiting for that shift in their consciousness to suddenly show up in their lives. Or worse yet, they follow a path that tells them that if they have enough faith they will find liberation after they die. Waiting till after you die and hoping that having enough faith will lead you to salvation doesn't sound very reliable.
Likewise, sitting around waiting for a shift in consciousness to suddenly occur doesn't make a whole lot more sense. It might happen, it does sometimes for some people, but just as likely, it might not. Following a spiritual path in this manner is a lot like wanting to be a musician, and spending lots of time listening to music, and hoping some day you will suddenly be a great musician. Without practicing, there can be no results.
Self Awareness is the practice that brings about the shift. Meditation is the training ground. To find the shift in consciousness that brings about a peaceful happy mind, one must put an end to the harmful, useless thoughts that constantly seem to flow through the mind. Not just repress them, but train the mind to stop producing them. And the only way to do that is to first become aware of what the mind is actually doing.
Learn to look at your own thoughts objectively, see them for what they really are. If they have the potential to make you feel anything other than happy, recognize that. If they harbor harmful intentions toward another, recognize that also.
The mind has two primary objectives, self preservation, and keeping us happy. Self preservation takes priority. If the mind perceives a threat, happiness is put on the back burner. The real problem is that our mind tries to see EVERYTHING as a potential threat. When man ran wild in the jungles and had to face real threats everyday, this was a necessity for survival, but in modern society, the so called "threats" we face everyday are rarely life threatening. Yet, we make mountains out mole hills, find fear, anxiety, stress, and worry everywhere we turn, and most often the perceived threats reveal themselves to be unfounded.
It is only in learning to retrain the mind that one can ever put an end to the self created uncomfortable mental states that constantly pervades our minds. To borrow and paraphrase an analogy from Sufism, the mind is like a wild horse. Before you can ride the horse, it must be brought under control and tamed. A horse that has been tamed can then be saddled and ridden, becoming of great use. A horse running wild through the pastures and throwing off all attempts at riding it is of little use, and can actually pose a danger.
So, if you truly want to experience a shift in consciousness, put in the time, effort, and diligence, learn to observe the mind at all times, not just during meditation, and what you seek will reveal itself.
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| Michael L. Fournier |
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