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The approach to a problem…

Krishnamurti, whom I love dearly for his sharpness, clarity and consistency, states in his book ‘Commentaries on living’ (second series – study it!) the following: “The approach to the problem is more important than the problem itself…” And right he is!

The usual approach is finding a solution, or stated more clearly: trying to get rid of it.

We either try to get rid of the sensation of unhappiness (for instance) or start seeking the opposite: happiness. So we call some friends, have a drink, play some music, watch tv, allow ourselves to get sucked into ‘social’ media, read a book (for some a book on spirituality, maybe). We avoid, deflect, distract, entertain, meditate, jog, or watch an online satsang of our favorite teacher: anything is basically better than inquiring into unhappiness/happiness, which would be THE thing to ‘do’ if one considers oneself to be interested in truth, liberation, awakening or growing up.

Rather than inquiring into the problem of unhappiness, loneliness, or whatever it may be, we move away from it as soon as we can. Instead of truly feeling into it we run. Instead of facing ourselves and really observe what’s actually happening we rather fight or suppress the feeling, flee from it, complain about it, or try to reach a preferred (temporary) sensation.

This way we train ourselves in avoiding or fighting and fleeing, in the meantime deluding ourselves to be spiritual seekers, or truth-lovers. Such fun in this dream theater!

We start with forgetting that you and the issue at hand are not separate. Basically you are the problem. And by deflecting and so on, you hide from the truth about yourself!

We tend to seek. But we tend to seek where ‘it’ is not. Any movement is a movement away from what-is. Instead of simply and radically being with it, we seek for solutions, strategies, ways to cope, ways to avoid, to repress, or ways to handle (read: control) it.

This is all ego strengthening, feeding the defense systems you identify with, which keep you imprisoned, sub-conscious and unclear.

We seek the known, always the known. Never: the unknown. We know being glad, so we want it. We don’t want sadness, unhappiness etc. We are almost always searching for what is not. While we’re glad we may not search for anything for ten minutes, but once it starts to wane, the search is on again. It has to be repeated or prolonged or replaced with another preferred emotion. Or the upcoming emptiness or restlessness or whatever has to be addressed after the pleasantness has faded, spiritually or otherwise. We have to feel good all of the time, right? That’s the real goal. Ha!

So we fantasize about awakening. We dream up it will mean negative feelings will not occur anymore, that it amounts to permanent bliss, serenity under all circumstances, being always friendly and kind and feeling great, never having a problem again, always being healthy and wealthy and happy, and more of such rather childish Walt Disney like assumptions and fairytales.

That’s why most are into Advaita, Zen, meditation, chakra stuff, mindfulness and other so called spiritual activities. Not to be truly AWAKE, or to Realize Truth, but because of the dreamed up benefits for the ‘self’, when we enter the sacred Now or whatever.

Many like to believe awakening means to have a always happy version of ‘me’. All the good bits and never again the bad. Like life being always Yin, never Yang (or the other way round). Like the ocean always in high tide mode, never low tide. Like always day, never night.

Man! Waking up is just about waking up. Being Real. The possible side effects belong to no one, because waking up means SEEING there never was some-one. The real self is NO-self. Not a higher self, not a better self, or an awakened self, or a divine version of some sort. No way. Will not happen. Doesn’t even exist. It’s about the dropping away of all kinds of things, not about gaining or getting stuff.

Truth is No self. It’s about becoming less, not more.

You just identify with the dream character, the thinker, the doer, the seeker, the avoider, the feartalker, the sleepwalker, the victim, the cool one, the knower.

What is, is. The ‘I’ is always moving away from IT. Has the arrogance to believe it knows better than Reality: ‘it should be that, not this.’ ‘It should not have happend this way’. Wishing, praying, trying, meditating, forcing, complaining, desiring, spiritualizing…wanting, always wanting something else, without knowing what (it/this) IS in the first place.

You are this, but want to be that, Krishnamurti states. Indeed. Basically you are this, and want to be someone or something else. Which is, if you really look at it, all made up. It’s the past impressions and judgments or assumptions, which you totally believe and rarely inquire into, that make you chase your own tail and always keep you moving into the wrong repetitive direction.

(You = the past, can that be SEEN?)

Well, good luck with that running around in circles (the wrong type of revolution), and lot’s of fun with it.

But if you truly wish to realize Truth, you’d better start looking into what is, right here. Observing, feeling, listening without any agenda of changing, fixing, searching, attaining anything else than Reality.

And as I’ve said many times before: truth might not be what you want after all, it might not be so nice as you imagined or are led to believe. There’s only one way of finding out whether you want Truth of Awakening or just your dream version thereof and that’s to see for yourself. Maybe I might be of have been of some assistance in finding out. Who knows?

Good luck to ya anyway and enjoy the ride.

Love, h


Wanna learn how to consciously feel, look and listen? Read: ‘First Aid with Immaturity’ – a free booklet as a printable Pdf-file full of rules of thumb about growing up. CLICK HERE

Ja, ik doe mee!