Suffering comes from thoughts that reality isn't what we think it SHOULD be. If thoughts are absent (or ignored), then reality is just what it is. What you see is what you get.
Consider a trivial example. Let's say that you're stuck in a traffic jam. If there are no thoughts that a traffic jam shouldn't be happening, then there's no problem. A problem (suffering, anger, frustration, etc.) only arises when we think that things should be different than they are.
This example is trivial, but it applies to everything. Here are some common thoughts that cause a lot of suffering:
My husband shouldn't have had an affair.
My wife shouldn't have bought things that we can't afford.
I shouldn't have made a mistake.
I'll be happy as soon as I get a new car.
I'll be happy as soon as my friend apologizes to me.
If only _________ hadn't happened.
There is no such thing as attachment, desire, intention, momentum, reality, time, space, Buddhist teachings, non-duality, or anything else in the absence of thought. There is only "what is." In the absence of thought there is only THIS, here and now, complete, and unified. If we stay focused on THIS--on "what is"--- problems disappear and understanding arises. It is very simple.
FWIW, Gangaji once said, "The only legitimate desire is the desire for understanding, or truth." I agree. Why? Because the desire for understanding is the only desire that can lead to freedom from desire.
You visited here because you want to understand what's going on. You want to know the truth, and you want to be free. What you are told here (in many different ways) is that this desire is based upon a fundamental misconception--the idea that there is a "you" separate from everything else who needs something (in this case understanding or enlightenment). There isn't. Who you are is already the truth, itself, and who you are is already free, but you don't yet know it. In all the universe there is no one other than YOU. YOU are always looking at YOU. There are not two here.
You are therefore encouraged to shift attention away from thoughts to what the body can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. If you meditate, that's what you're doing. You're shifting attention away from ideas, images, and symbols (thoughts) to breath awareness, or the sound of a nearby air conditioner, or the smell of incense. If you go for a walk and look at the sky or smell some roses, you're doing what little children do--directly interacting with the living truth as the living truth. The more time you spend living like a little child, the faster imaginary boundaries will collapse, and the faster you will wake up and become free of the mind's shenanigans.
If you find yourself thinking about attachments, shift attention to what you can see or hear. If you find yourself thinking about desires, leave all that nonsense behind. What can you see or hear? If you find yourself getting confused, shift attention away from confusing thoughts to what you can see or hear. If you find yourself fantasizing, shift attention. If you find yourself thinking about enlightenment, shift attention. If you find yourself thinking about yourself, shift attention. The truth is always here and now. First, find the truth. Then, think all you want; thoughts will no longer be a problem. Ha ha.
Consider a trivial example. Let's say that you're stuck in a traffic jam. If there are no thoughts that a traffic jam shouldn't be happening, then there's no problem. A problem (suffering, anger, frustration, etc.) only arises when we think that things should be different than they are.
This example is trivial, but it applies to everything. Here are some common thoughts that cause a lot of suffering:
My husband shouldn't have had an affair.
My wife shouldn't have bought things that we can't afford.
I shouldn't have made a mistake.
I'll be happy as soon as I get a new car.
I'll be happy as soon as my friend apologizes to me.
If only _________ hadn't happened.
There is no such thing as attachment, desire, intention, momentum, reality, time, space, Buddhist teachings, non-duality, or anything else in the absence of thought. There is only "what is." In the absence of thought there is only THIS, here and now, complete, and unified. If we stay focused on THIS--on "what is"--- problems disappear and understanding arises. It is very simple.
FWIW, Gangaji once said, "The only legitimate desire is the desire for understanding, or truth." I agree. Why? Because the desire for understanding is the only desire that can lead to freedom from desire.
You visited here because you want to understand what's going on. You want to know the truth, and you want to be free. What you are told here (in many different ways) is that this desire is based upon a fundamental misconception--the idea that there is a "you" separate from everything else who needs something (in this case understanding or enlightenment). There isn't. Who you are is already the truth, itself, and who you are is already free, but you don't yet know it. In all the universe there is no one other than YOU. YOU are always looking at YOU. There are not two here.
You are therefore encouraged to shift attention away from thoughts to what the body can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. If you meditate, that's what you're doing. You're shifting attention away from ideas, images, and symbols (thoughts) to breath awareness, or the sound of a nearby air conditioner, or the smell of incense. If you go for a walk and look at the sky or smell some roses, you're doing what little children do--directly interacting with the living truth as the living truth. The more time you spend living like a little child, the faster imaginary boundaries will collapse, and the faster you will wake up and become free of the mind's shenanigans.
If you find yourself thinking about attachments, shift attention to what you can see or hear. If you find yourself thinking about desires, leave all that nonsense behind. What can you see or hear? If you find yourself getting confused, shift attention away from confusing thoughts to what you can see or hear. If you find yourself fantasizing, shift attention. If you find yourself thinking about enlightenment, shift attention. If you find yourself thinking about yourself, shift attention. The truth is always here and now. First, find the truth. Then, think all you want; thoughts will no longer be a problem. Ha ha.
