What are you looking for?

As you participate in this world, you are invited to explore all the sensations and delights you can imagine. This gives life to the dream. Discover what you are truly looking for.

1) Appreciate the element of surprise. Notice you cannot consciously surprise yourself. Yet, it is through jolts of surprise that the most life-changing experiences unfold. Surprises are priceless. Who is the knower- creator of all surprises? Who is the experiencer? 

2) Listen to a sound. The whole point of mantra is that they mean nothing. The idea of repeating what is senseless is to liberate you from the notion that the universe means anything. 

3) Be open to Satori. Be totally selfish or continually altruistic and you come to realize you only come to realize yourself through the other. He that loses himself, finds himself. He that would save his life, would lose it. Revelations all point to the same message. Life is a teacher.

Giving back

The altruistic voice within may prompt you to want to give something back to the world. This may involve offering your time, money, advice or other initiatives.  Take a closer look at the dream, at what you are really doing.  Look deeper.  Heed the wise counsellor inside:

1) Whenever you wish to give, notice if something inside actually feels full or empty

2) When you offer advice, notice whether it is actually something you need to hear

3) When you donate time, notice true generosity is something that cannot be reciprocated

Reconnect with spontaneity

Notice the nature of soul-level spontaneity versus mind-driven motivation.  Which do you favor or ignore?  One way to deepen spiritual practice is to sense a journey to expand and serve others emerges from the innermost core. 

Take the example some people are inspired by altruism, that is the desire to serve.  Others are motivated to act based on fear or something in-between.  The world transforms through our changes in attitude, perception and behaviour.  Whether you choose to awaken to the nature of the essence of being and extent of energy flowing through you, is up to you.

Review your motives

"If we forget ourselves in order to benefit others, if we are prepared to give our own lives to save the lives of others, and if we are giving them whatever is necessary for their welfare, then we shall gain happiness and all perfection." -The 14th Dalai Lama

When humans forge relationships, they may have a deeper strategic agenda.  You may not be consciously aware of why you spend time with certain people, or, you may consciously seek out people because you hope to gain from the relationship.   It may be personal or professional or, something unknown to your conscious mind. In some cases, people are very clear why they seek a particular mentor, they may wish to model a paricular kind of external success and wish to follwo similar steps to get there.

Some people are very altruistic.  They always put another person first.  This may be your partner, parent, child, friend, colleague or strangers.  In such cases, caring and devotion may come from the heart.  Love and compassion guide us unless people-pleasin, fear of rejection or codependence exist due to soul wounds.

Other people are more self-centred.  They make choices that favor their own interest, consciously or unconsciously.  They only do things if they discern it would be to their perceived advantage.  The nature of their relationships reflects their self-importance.

To fight your own will offers a lesson.  You want to do more than survive.  You want to change part of yourself that seems to be missing.  You are shaping your consciousness with every person you meet.  You stretch to become something you have always been.