VIDEO LINK: Seeing Through Your Own Illusions (Excerpt)
In our journey through life, many of us find ourselves seeking that elusive state of peace and inner tranquility. Adyashanti, a celebrated spiritual teacher, offers profound insights into this pursuit. His approach diverges from the conventional practice of seeking peace; instead, he advocates for the practice of acknowledgment—the recognition of the peace that is already present within us.
Peace, as Adyashanti underscores, is not a distant destination to be reached. Rather, it is an ever-present reality that we need to tune into. It starts with a moment of genuine acknowledgment, noticing that conscious awareness exists here and now. This simple act can significantly shift our focus from the relentless quest for peace to the realization of its current presence.
One must genuinely engage in this practice. It’s about pausing, taking a moment to acknowledge conscious awareness and its experience in the present. This practice inherently undercuts the frantic search for peace and the grasping for what’s already available.
However, another crucial aspect of this practice involves staying present when the mind and emotions feel overwhelming. Adyashanti encourages us to observe these mental and emotional states without judgment, without asking why they happen—a process he describes as the “study of observation.” By doing so, we begin to understand how the mind and ego create division and obscure the always-present peace. The key is to observe without getting caught in judgment or condemnation, to see clearly how our unique mental constructs operate and how they lead us away from the present moment.
Acknowledging these mental movements as they are, we learn to notice the repetitive patterns that have hooked us like a fish on a lure. With deep clarity, the practice teaches us to recognize these patterns and make conscious decisions not to follow them. This is where discipline comes into play. Adyashanti likens it to exercising a muscle—the more you use it, the stronger it gets.
Meditation practice can serve as a supportive framework. For example, focusing on the breath can help maintain presence and awareness. Each time the mind wanders, gently bringing attention back to the breath develops this muscle of awareness and presence. This act, though seemingly simple, requires consistency and commitment.
It’s important to note that such discipline is not about fighting against ourselves or our conditioning. Instead, it’s about making different choices, hundreds of times a day, and exercising a new muscle of consciousness. With continuous practice, even in the face of resistance from deeply ingrained habits, these new choices start reshaping our consciousness.
A transformative realization in spiritual work is recognizing our inadvertent devotion to internal gestures that cause us pain. This habitual devotion to suffering becomes apparent when we make a study of our inner experiences without judgment. Seeing the myriad ways we cause our own suffering—through tendencies to judge, fantasize, or deny—opens the door to choosing otherwise.
Ultimately, this practice of acknowledgment and presence is about restructuring our consciousness. As Adyashanti points out, this transformation can even be observed scientifically. Regular practice of these principles can alter brain activity, moving from survival-based patterns to those that support higher consciousness and less reactivity.
In essence, Adyashanti’s teachings remind us that we have a significant role in our spiritual journey. It requires mindful discipline, consistent practice, and a willingness to observe our inner world without judgment. This path is not about striving for a distant peace but about recognizing the peace that already exists within us. By doing so, we begin to live more fully in the present, harmonizing with the deeper reality of our existence.
For a deeper dive into these enlightening teachings, we encourage you to watch the linked video at the top of this blog post.
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