transparent states of consciousness

[mr_anderson]

Practical Facts

Here’s an interesting experience that came up today. I was checking my credit card statements and noticing they were kind of high. I noticed tons of Uber charges, maybe 50 Uber charges. These totaled over $3000! I don’t own a smart phone, and so I never use Uber, so I definitely did not run up these charges.

As you might imagine, it’s a pretty unpleasant shock to find out someone has fraudulently used your credit card and run up over $3000 of charges. Looking at the dates I realized something: The charges started just after the time I’d visited a friend’s house, and I’d actually entered my credit card into his smart phone to book an Uber ride home.

So my friend had then run up another $3000 worth of charges on my card until I noticed today. Did he do it knowingly? I cannot answer that question. Apps tend to save the most recent card details entered as the primary card. It’s entirely feasible that he just didn’t notice he was booking all his Uber rides with my card. I know he always uses Uber a huge amount. On the other hand, we haven’t been friends for long, so I don’t know him well enough to be 100% certain that he wasn’t being dishonest.

Those are the practical facts of the matter. What’s interesting and relevant here is the state of consciousness that arose and passed whilst I dealt with this matter.

State of Consciousness

A lot of relatively normal things occurred that one might expect: Thoughts about whether this guy is trustworthy, some angry thoughts, some anxious/stressed thoughts and some thoughts blaming him. I noticed this was the kind of situation which triggers all sorts of thoughts (and accompanying emotions) to arise!

I just decided to sit completely still for 20 minutes or so, and let this whole thing play out. The following insights and experiences then occurred:

1.   I found myself staying with just the basic sense of being Aware. Just resting my attention gently on this Pure Knowing or Awareness, instead of getting caught up in all the thoughts.
2.   It was clear that there was no “I” doing or controlling the thinking, the thoughts were just like clouds in the sky: coming and going at their own behest. No way to control them, just let them come.
3.   These thoughts and the accompanying emotions (anger, stress, so forth) seemed so transparent and empty. In the light of clear awareness, they were like a transparent mist, being illumined and evaporated by the morning sun.
4.   It was very peaceful. Just inner silence, pure aware knowing, and this temporary tumult of thought and emotion.

So all this stuff subsided, and then I took a few simple actions. I told my friend what had happened. I implied that I thought it was just an honest mistake on his part and not to worry about it (no point in making an accusation when I can never really know - better to just see the best in people), but asked when he could pay me back.

Normally a situation like this could cause all sorts of stress, unhappiness and disharmony for both myself and him. Instead it just passed like a cool breeze, no sweat. Any unhappiness or stress is just a result of the thoughts in my head. Why let thoughts cause all sorts of unhappiness, stress and even bad blood with other people? I just let them go, and took a few sensible actions to resolve the situation.

Very simple example, but this is how meditation, and resulting inner silence, has made daily life much easier for me to deal with. The key insight this leaves me with a clear reminder of, is that all psychological suffering is the result of thinking. It's never a situation which causes psychological suffering, it's the stories in your head, the thinking, the conceptualizing, which causes the suffering. Stop feeding the stories, and the suffering is nowhere to be found.

[Dogboy]

Wow, thanks Mr Anderson, for serenity in action!  

How did it play out with the friend?  Was it an honest mistake?

[ak33]

This is awesome man, congrats
(Not your credit card mishap but the way you dealt with it so swiftly)

[maheswari]

[kumar ul islam]

Hi I feel the reality of all situations come clear through yoga reactions become less charged with emotion and more with devotion  a clarity is seen before you act consequently karma  changes for yourself the situation and the recipient of the action ,if used in a sincere intentional way the impression left in our midfield is less deep meaning our future action will be more clear again the result of a sincere action in forgiveness and love has no opposite effect only desire for more of the same .

[Bodhi Tree]

Excellent. That kind of insight and baseline condition reminds me of a sentiment from Yogani, in which he said that with rising enlightenment, it's not so much that world disappears, but that the world becomes transparent, and the layers are easily seen through.

Another word I like is translucent, because that quality indicates how light is diffused through a medium, or filter. In that sense, our perception is also colored by the filter of our individuality, even as we merge with the whole.

[Anima]

quote:Originally posted by mr anderson
It's never a situation which causes psychological suffering, it's the stories in your head, the thinking, the conceptualizing, which causes the suffering. Stop feeding the stories, and the suffering is nowhere to be found.

Strong insight from your experience here! Sounds like the meditation is working.

[mr_anderson]

Hey Dogboy - I'm not sure in all honesty! He said he'll pay me back ASAP, and was very apologetic, so I guess it probably was an honest mistake.

Thanks for all the positive feedback and encouragement guys! It means a lot.

Hi Kumar: "I feel the reality of all situations come clear through yoga reactions become less charged with emotion and more with devotion a clarity is seen before you act consequently karma changes for yourself the situation and the recipient of the action ,if used in a sincere intentional way the impression left in our midfield is less deep meaning our future action will be more clear again the result of a sincere action in forgiveness and love has no opposite effect only desire for more of the same ." Yes exactly. I get what you mean, and it's true. It's like the thoughts/emotions that arise out of conditioning are karma that can drive you in one direction (normally not such a good direction). Yoga, or meditation, enables us to take a step back, and allow something much better than old karma/suffering to flow into existence.

Craig Holiday posted something on Facebook which resonated with this experience:


Directly Experiencing our Divinity

First and foremost, we must slow down. We will never unhook from our minds unless we slow down; our mind’s trance state is sustained through the belief and seduction in the constant movement of our thoughts. To unhook from this trance, we have to slow down, and choose to step back and observe what is here. We must be willing to observe that which is in our consciousness. We have to be willing to see that our thoughts, feelings and sensations come and go within the space of our being. The practice is to stop the habitual attachment to our own thoughts, beliefs, and desires and simply notice the very presence in which these thoughts and feelings arise. What this practically means is that we feel—that we directly experience our very own presence. We can all do this. We can feel the aliveness in our hearts, in our chest, in our abdomen, and in the space we call our mind. We can notice that this space is already perfect, already free, completely alive and beautiful. If we give ourselves to this shift in identity, the shift out of our egoic nature and into the direct experience of our Being, our lives will be forever changed.


-Craig Holiday