The fundamental knowing

The fundamental fact, that lies behind all other facts, is that I exist and I know that I exist. This comes before all else. Before even considering that which is around you, the first consideration is of your own existence. Nothing is more fundamental. I exist and know that I exist.

This existence of myself and the knowing of it is effortless. It is the only effortless understanding. To know something other than yourself requires some thought/fabrication and hence some effort.

To remain in the effortless knowing of yourself is to just be yourself. You know yourself because you are yourself. It is a knowledge through being. To know something other than yourself is knowledge without being the other thing.

So, self knowing is the fundamental knowing. 

Deepest thought

I know that I exist.

On pleasure and pain

Pleasure and pain, both end in emptiness.

And emptiness begins and ends in itself.

The source

The stillness of knowing mind.

And the dynamism of outward expression.

Are both rooted in the same source.

And that source is right here this very moment.

The cure for addiction

One thought:

Remember

Silence is your deepest core.

Addiction and God

Addiction is a cry for help. As long as we don't find our true rest in God, we will live lives of addiction. Our feeling of separation from God causes our escape into addiction. An addiction is a cry out to God. So go inwards and face your pain. Instead of escaping into addiction. Then maybe you may find God waiting fro you?

We all feel pain and despair. It is God calling us inward. So wouldn't be rude to escape outwards into fantasy when pain calls us inward?

The root cause of addiction

The root cause of addiction is the refusal to face pain.

The root cause of addiction is the feeling that something is missing.

Addiction begins with the desire to escape from pain. To escape from boredom. To escape from the mundane. To escape from the present reality. To escape from the void. And this escape takes many forms. From eating to drinking to gossiping to alcohol to social media checking to porn to masturbation to drugs, each with a differing intensity. An escape from the present reality into a fantasy world or a pleasure sensation. And with each escape, a neural pathway is formed. And as this behavior is repeated, these pathways get stronger and deeper. And the brain stops producing its natural feel good hormones. And the feedback loop continues. This makes it even more painful to face the present reality and requires a larger dose of the addicting item to feel the same pleasure intensity.

To avoid falling into the trap of addiction, the only way is to refuse to escape from the present reality, no matter how painful it may be. Willingness to accept the painful reality and take refuge within is the only way out. In fact, treat suffering as a blessing in disguise. Do not try to escape the pain. Do not try to escape from your self.

Remain as you are enduring the present moment, no matter how painful. The only refuge is within. Stop seeking pleasurable sensations to kill the pain.

Yes, life is painful and filled with suffering and despair. No matter what your circumstance, suffering cannot be escaped from. Pain cannot be escaped from. Pleasure seeking is not the purpose of life.

Life can sometimes seem dull, boring, mundane, serious and lacking excitement. Sometimes, all that you desire is to escape the dullness and monotony. And this escape can take many forms. But invariably, the dullness returns. No matter how many times you try to escape it through pleasure and fantasy, the dullness always returns. And this can be depressing. And you might cry out in despair from the very pits of your soul. But this despair and dullness has depth. A depth that when followed through will lead you deep inside your self. Escaping into fantasy will not accomplish anything. It will only bring more misery.

Meaninglessness, despair and dullness may not be easy to endure. But the alternative route of escaping into fantasy is not a better option. In fact, in the long term, it only makes your misery worse.

Hence whenever despair strikes, just be with it. Look into it. Do not escape into fantasy.

If nothing, remember this. Mental health and sanity is the most valuable treasure. Sanity lies in facing reality head on. Mental health is freedom from fantasy. A pure mind is one with no fantasies. And this my friend is your best friend. It will never fail you.

Its strange but the way out of addiction is to seek pain instead of pleasure.

The Infinite

Let us consider a concept closest to the ultimate truth. It could be either of these words:

Infinite
Absolute
Unlimited
Final/Ultimate truth
God

The above could be considered as synonyms. We will use the term infinite. And begin with the existence of the infinite.

Infinite is that which is not finite. Hence, it is that which has no measure. It is that which liberates us from the finite and limited. It cannot be imagined, since imagination is finite. The infinite cannot be limited or finite. In fact, there is no scope for the existence of the finite within the infinite. Just like darkness cannot exist in the light. That which we experience as love here is but a shadow of the infinite love.

Can the infinite have a form?
The infinite can have no form, since any form is a limitation and finite. So, if the infinite has no form, how are we to know it or grasp it? And if it cannot be known, how then can it be of any benefit?

Although the infinite cannot be known as a form, its existence can only be absolute. The nature of the infinite must be that it is inescapable. Whether there is form or no form, the infinite remains as the infinite. So, is there that which is forever present? That which is unquestionable? That, by virtue of not being formed into anything remains forever untouched and absolute?

And who am I in regards to the infinite? What is my relationship to the infinite? Imagine that there is the form-less infinite and the innumerable finite forms. What is the relationship between them? Can the infinite have any relationship to the finite? Can the infinite give rise to the finite?

The infinite cannot give rise to the finite. Nothing finite can give rise to the infinite. And there cannot be two infinities. Thus, the infinite is self caused or self existent and cannot arise from something other than itself. Being self existent and uncaused, the infinite cannot give rise to the non-infinite or finite.

This leads to the conclusion that the infinite cannot co-exist with the finite. So, either there is no infinite or there is no finite. But it is absurd that there be no infinite, since the very starting point of our analysis was the existence of the infinite. Thus, it must be that there is no finite. Which brings us to the conclusion that there is only the infinite. And it has no form. So all forms are not real, but merely a reflection of the form-less infinite. And that infinite is God. Amen.

Goodness

It takes courage to be good. A fundamental goodness of heart is key to a trouble free life. Without goodness of heart, sharpness of intellect and depth of insight are of no use. In fact, it is preferable to have a good heart instead of a sharp intellect. Kindness trumps intelligence in the end. A good heart coupled with sharp intellect leads to clarity.