It is interesting that a friend of mine sms-ed me, commented that I sounded bored with life as reflected in the last two entries. Yes, I have to admit that life is a little boring. “A little” is an underestimation. Probably I am the only one around her who is bored with life.
But hey! Isn’t we all bored with life? Or more precisely, the nature of the mind is always bored, seeking for new stuff to be entertained? Ask ourselves these questions – what are games created for, and what about movies? What about theme parks, entertainment outlets and many more that need no mentioning? I guessed it may not be possible for one to understand what I am writing if they are preoccupied with the world, consistently seeking new challenges, oblivious to what the mind is going through that compels one to seek. As Lonnie Swantek commented in one of the entry “If I would have read this a few years ago, I’m not sure what I would have thought… but today I agree with everything in this post.”
Let the discerning man
Guard the mind,
So difficult to detect and extremely subtle,
Seizing whatever it desires.
A guarded mind brings happiness.– Buddha
Have you ever relate to the mind? How consciously do you ever connect with yourself? It is pretty shocking when I start to know the mind, the very mind that I am living with. In the past it is about excellence, self-improvement, positive thinking, and many more other mind control stuff, but little do I realized that what I am doing is actually inflating the very ego that I am trying to transcend. I have never kn0wn the mind except increasing its egoic power.
To truly understand the mind, I have to be aware of it rather than using it as a tool for my own means. And awareness is about taking stock of the mind, not entertaining, not identifying with it, but rather taking a step back and just observe the nature of it. It is only by doing so can I get a clear picture of what this mind is all about.
In the past, fear is the main factor for me to excel in life, for me to get what I want, and also as a mean for me to control others. I am still doing it unconsciously, but as long as I am aware, I would prefer to choose love and understand instead.
“If you bring forth what is within you, what you have will save you. If you do not have that within you, what you do not have within you will kill you.”
– Yeshua