ESSENCE

To understand the essence of something you look into its depth.  If you want to understand the essence of a dog you examine all dogs and look for the sameness of such.  When you see the sameness in them then you are finding the essence.  To see the essence in yourself you look to see the sameness of yourself with all living beings.  This essence of all life is sometimes called spirit and the essential part of what it means to be a living being.

In my own Pursuit of Perfection, these are the simple truths or awareness which are the essence of all spiritual teachings which I keep before be always.  The awareness of these truths allows me to experience a life of Perfection.

First Simple Truth

All living beings want to experience that internal and eternal Goodness; an infinitely positive experience of appreciation, joy and love. 

This is the only human motivation.  Life is constant change; motion and repose.  Things come and things go. Life is constant change, motion and repose, expansion and contraction, tension and release. All things pass away. When there is clinging (tension) there is negativity such as discomfort, pain, misery and eventually death.  There is a time for tension and a time for release.  When the tension is held too long there is all sorts of negativity such as discomfort, pain and misery.  Liberation, enlightenment and salvation is release.  One cannot experience the positive experience of liberation unless they had first been bond.  One cannot experience enlightenment unless they had first been endarkened.  One cannot experience salvation unless they had first been imperiled.

Second Simple Truth

When a person is relaxed, soft, flexible and changing they experience Goodness. 

Goodness is the product of expansion, softness and YESness.  Negative experiences come from resistance or tension.  Yet, negativity is the source of the passion for life. tension is created by focusing attention (at-tension) on something.  The opposite is also true, that by expanding your focus of awareness you release the tension. Both tension and release are necessary for life to exist.  The extremes of either tension or release are destructive to life is persisted to long.

Third Simple Truth

Expansion is experienced as positive and contraction is experienced as negative. Without the negativity we never would have had the experience of release.  There are two ways to release tension:  First is to focus all of the attention or awareness on the tension until it naturally releases.  Second is to defocus the attention or awareness off the discomfort, pain or negativity.  Defocusing means to be aware of what else is going on in your experience, to broaden your awareness.

There are four qualities or signs of the release of tension:  Simplicity, Softness, Smile, and Stillness.  By meditating on, thinking about and being open to these qualities you will begin to manifest release/freedom into your life.

Simplicity

There is only the NOW, with no past or future.  Fear is a product of thoughts of the future, for you tear yourself between what you are really experiencing now and the illusion of future.  Remember that both breathing in and out are necessary but only one can be done at a time.  Remember that release from negativity is our only real motivator. Remember to see the sameness in all things, this creates an awareness of oneness or unity.  One does not create unity, one shows the unity there is. To try to create unity is to reinforce the illusion of division. One does not bring simplicity into ones life, one invites simplicity in, one is open to simplicity.  We do not want freedom of choice, we want freedom from choice. Simplicity happens when one understands what they want, when one is aware of their priorities.  If you have two competing desires you will be torn between them, stressed our, tense.

Softness

When there is tension and hardness there is discomfort and pain.  Softness is allowing, forgiving and comforting.  Remember to breathe deeply and to relax fully.  When you relax your body your mind will begin to relax.  Not that there is something wrong with tension or hardness, only that when we hold onto that hardness too long it becomes uncomfortable and painful; a negative experience.  Life is change.

With Softness of mind we remember that we really cannot know anything. To think we know something, to have something by which we can use as a basis for our judgment, is to cling to something.  This clinging is hardness and it hurts if we cling to long.  Even if we think we know what happened yesterday, the truth is we are not sure of the exactness of our memory.

When there is softness of body and mind then we are able to be soft of the heart.  Softness of heart is to remember that nothing is important.  Nothing that has ever happened or ever will happen on this puny speck of dust in the universe we call Earth could ever be important. All shall pass away.  Life will soon pass away but what will not soon pass away is the quality of our reaction to life. 

Smile

We want to smile, appreciate, enjoy and love ourselves and the world.  Our deepest motive in life is to enjoy and love life.  Awareness is to remember that nothing is more important than the quality and richness of joy and love.  If we remember this then we will remember to enjoy what life is offering us.  Nothing is more important then the sense of appreciation, joy and love.

Since we want to experience the light so we lighten up, we become light hearted.  To lighten up is to feel a sense of YESness about our life and what we are experiencing.  To smile is to recognize where we are habitually saying no, to release that negativity and say YES.  When we are up tight saying and thinking NO becomes our habit.  By relaxing, thinking and feeling Yes we begin to find the quality of life that we are looking for.

Stillness

There is a time for motion or effort and there is a time for stillness or effortlessness.  No effort, no intentions, no plans, no goals, just relaxing and being.  With stillness comes clarity that allows us to perceive the truth that will set us free from all negativity.  With stillness we can see through the illusions that create fear and negativity for us.  It is in the peace and stillness that comes after letting go that gives us the clarity to perceive the perfect truth that will set us perfectly free.  With stillness we can see the light of joy that will guide us on our next step in our life.  When joy is your guiding light then joy will always be your companion.

Stillness and rest is necessary for the human instrument to live.  Without a balance of motion and stillness the quality of life will be lost.

LOVING YOURSELF IS EVERYTHING

When a person can love himself or herself perfectly they will know perfect love.  For the measure you give is the measure you shall receive.  A person who looks to the world for love will always be lacking.  But a person who looks to themselves for love will know perfect love.  This person will know what it means to be whole and complete, to be perfect.

There is a time for complexity and a time for simplicity.  There is a time for hardness and a time for softness.  There is a time to be sad and a time to smile.  There is a time for motion and a time for stillness.  How does one know which time it is?  The guiding light is joy and love.  If you do not have joy and love then it is time to simplify, soften, smile and be still.  If you have joy then it is time to busily share that with the multitudes, to express it firmly, to share your sadness for their entrapment in negativity. 

The more relaxed we are the more peace and stillness we will have.  The more stillness we have the greater the clarity and the more pure the truth will be that we are able to perceive.

Relax.  That is all that we want to do.  Everything we do as biological beings is seeking to relax us in some way or another.