By Claudia Carballal MS, LPC-A, RYT.
The discovery that the immediate moment, this very moment, is all there is and it is all that can give us true freedom. Living as a problem-free consciousness is truly liberating.
People who live as consciousness, and not as a separate individual ego, are free from the fear that we are not full and complete, that we need to achieve something to be worthy.
For the Western mind, is difficult to live in the moment. The concept of being a free-consciousness is alien to the west. We think that it's impossible to live a problem-free life or that if we do, we are in denial of reality. However, the expanding of our individual consciousness is the next step of human evolution. Every human being will eventually experience this consciousness which will take them beyond suffering and towards meaning. Meaning is not the same as denial.
A person who is connected with universal consciousness is constantly in a meditative state. Meditation is being at that point in life where we discover that the immediate moment is all there is. The future is only a concept. There is no such thing as tomorrow because there is always only now. The immediate moment is the only reality.
How Can we Find This Freedom?
Freedom is achieved when we acquire the right knowledge and we develop our awareness. Awareness is developed primarily through meditation. We have the potential for awareness within us; it is a seed that can grow and become a large tree.
Two practices to develop awareness:
Examination
Investigation
Examination
Through examination, you can become alert of your thoughts and emotions. The practice of examining your thoughts requires that you are present and aware of your thoughts before they become emotions and actions. It's helpful to imagine that your thoughts come and go as the cars pass through a busy intersection. Your thoughts are the cars, your consciousness or awareness is the traffic controller. The traffic controller doesn't get involved in the chaos of the traffic, she simply observes the cars (thoughts) and observes and directs the traffic to avoid accidents and congestion (awareness).
You have to examine every thought that comes to your mind and become more and more aware of what kind of thoughts your mind tends to produce.
Investigation
The practice of investigation requires to go deeper, into the root of your thoughts. Are your thoughts kind? Are they helpful and productive? Are they necessary? Do they require immediate action? What thought patterns can you identify? Do those patterns have a common theme: fear, control, insecurity, shame, or guilt? Why shame happens again and again?
These core emotions are typically the symptom of something deeper. Your thoughts have many forms, but they might have a common root. Investigate what are your mind's characteristics, what is the center around which your thoughts move. Once you find the root of your thoughts, this very act of finding and understanding is likely to eliminate the problem.
When Awareness Arises
Awareness or consciousness are often interchangeable words to refer to the presence or spaciousness that human beings are capable of. The discovery of this awareness is what can help us live a problem-free life. Life will continue to present challenges and problems, but we will see these problems under a different light— the light of awareness.
Once awareness is expanded, you become more present, more relaxed, less anxious, more luminous and open. Presence makes your senses more pure and alive and you may feel a new intensity. This is the difference between people who see the world as a problem and people who see the world as a school, as an opportunity to learn.
Here are some of my suggestions to practice being at ease with existence:
Live in this immediate moment grounded in presence and awareness. The past and the future don't exist. You can plan for the future for practical purposes, but don't forget that there is only this moment and when the future comes it will be the present.
Don't be trapped by the collective unconscious.
Don't give too much importance to your personality, which is based on ego-identity. Your personality was created by social conditioning and it can hold you back.
Nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so— as explained by Shakespeare.
In a difficult situation, you have three options: accept the situation, complain about the situation, or remove yourself from the situation.
The stories that you tell others and yourself about your past and experiences create your reality. Realize that you have the power to change your story from a place of victimization to a place of meaning and empowerment.
Money is the physical sign of a universal power, necessary for the fullness of life. However, money doesn't belong to you or anyone. It belongs to universal consciousness. You are only the custodian and trustee of money. Be a good trustee while money is under your care, but know that you can lose it any time.
Dedicate your work to universal consciousness and work every day for a universal purpose, not merely for material gain. This practice can transform your life and relationships.
Do things for others, but don't try to please everyone. Concentrate on your life purpose which is contained in universal consciousness.
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