Are you afraid to look?

In managing my personal finances, I keep track of checking accounts during the workweek, and then I check investments on the weekend. This past week, stocks have been hard hit by the crises in Japan and Libya. As I was logging in to check some investments, I noticed a phrase going through my head:  "I'm afraid to look."

I pondered this phrase and others like it.  "I don't want to know about it."  "Don't even say that." "Let's not go there." "Next topic!" "I don't even want to consider ____." And there are probably others.

We humans are full of fears and imaginings, but we seem especially afraid to look at facts. We don't like the idea of fact-checking and verifying. We are so attached to our individual mindsets and paradigms that we don't want them to even be called into question. We are afraid our thinking will be found lacking.

We are also afraid of the power of our thoughts and words. At some level, we sense that we have powers and abilities that we don't fully understand and are beneath our conscious awareness.

What if we felt afraid, and did it anyway? You've had that experience, haven't you? The awareness of the boundaries of your comfort zone being pushed against. . . it's scary, it's exciting, and it's a valuable situation to look at. In my own life, I can't think of too many examples of things that ever turned out to be as bad as I previously worried them to be. And the few that I can think of, I still wonder if I'm remembering accurately.

Non-dualism asserts that Truth is One and without opposite. In Truth, there is literally nothing to fear. Fear seems to be real here because we need something with which to contrast relief. Could it be that what we are really afraid of is that there is nothing out there to BE afraid of?? Maybe we're not afraid of being powerless, but of being powerful. Maybe we're running from Truth.

Is it possible? Could it be? Can you consider it? Can you ASK the universe (or God, or Jesus, or Ralph) to help you align your mind with truth? Are you willing to have your illusions revealed so you can (gently) let them go?

Or are you afraid to look?

What is Mind?

In this world, our mind is commonly defined as our thinking apparatus contained within our brain. From this view, each person has a mind that is separate, self-contained, and limited. As our brains are programmed with new learning, we become self-aware and conscious. And when the brain ceases to function, the world says that the mind ceases, too.

Not surprisingly, non-dualism has a different view of what mind is. Only Oneness is Real, so Mind has to be an aspect of Oneness. There is only One Mind, so the belief in separate minds must be illusion. Limitation is illusion, so the belief that mind can be contained in separate bodies must be false. Also, the belief in different capabilities must be false.

Mind is just another word that labels Reality. This word represents the thinking, intentional, and creative aspect of Reality. Mind exists outside the confines of time and space. It is not separate, though it can choose to identify with separation. It is not limited, though it can choose to pretend that it is.

The only way that illusions can be accomplished and maintained is through misdirection--getting our Mind to pay attention to something other than Reality. Of course, in Reality, this could never occur, and it hasn't. But, if Mind desires illusion rather than Truth, it can make illusion seem very real. And thus, time/space/earth life.

For day-to-day practice, this question may not be very useful. When you're lost in illusion, Reality can seem abstract. To the insane, sanity seems incomprehensible. For now, just consider if it's possible that there is intelligence that exists outside the confines of time and space. Is it possible? Does it seem like it could be? See if you can open your mind just a bit to the idea that there may be some aspect of consciousness that is not limited and not individual. See if you can get in touch with the idea that consciousness can be shared, even absent overt communication.

Also, keep in mind that if you're giving non-dualism a TRY, you don't have to believe it at all. To see the results, all you have to do is ASK. The understanding comes after you experience the results. So, don't get too hung up on questions that seem overly intellectual and esoteric. Especially if you are just beginning this path, focus on the daily practice. As your mind is trained, you will begin to glimpse Mind. And once you experience That, you will increasingly see clearly how to apply this practice to the specifics of your life.

Who do you think you are?

Another interesting idiom that we use when confronted with another person overstepping their boundaries is, "Who do you think you are?" This expression provides another portal into the study of duality and non-duality.

So, who DO you think you are? Questions of identity take many different forms, and thus many different answers are appropriate for any given situation. In most cases, a label or a number will suffice. Who are you? And you answer with your name. Or perhaps your social security number or driver's license number. An address describes where you sleep. A phone number tells how to reach you when you're not present. A job title indicates how you spend your working time and how you earn your money. Other titles or labels may give information about your hobbies, pastimes, or interests. A number may indicate your socioeconomic status. Family relationships describe how our mortal life fits into the current timeframe. Activities and possessions also get mentioned in descriptions of identity.

I won't try to describe them all, but do you notice that they all have one thing in common? At the center of each example is a human being. A body, a brain, a life, an individual. At some point in your past, another person (probably a parent) pointed out an image, a reflection. It may have been a mirror, it may have been a photograph. And when s/he pointed it out, you were told, "That's YOU!"

And we have believed it ever since.

We think our individual bodies and lives ARE who we are. Even people who hate their bodies and their lives believe this. It seems beyond question.

But question it, anyway.

What if you have made a mistake? What if you are not who you think you are? What if you are not WHAT you think you are? Could it be?

This is what non-dualism teaches: we have made an error and we suffer from a case of mistaken identity.  We are not truly humans. We are not truly separate. All the things that we think describe our 'self' actually are just features in an hallucination. And all hallucinations have two things in common:  they are not real, and they will end.

And when this dream ends, you will remember Who You Are. And it won't be just a point of view; it will be undeniable Fact.

Oops. One mistake in that previous paragraph. I wrote, "When this dream ends, you will remember Who You Are." Actually, when you remember Who You Are, the dream will end.