I came across a post recently that listed down 10 signs that showed how one's life is already filled with abundance. It included statements such as having access to drinking water, having a bed to sleep at night, having food to eat, eyes that can see, and having the ability to laugh.
My mind couldn't help but to think about the victims of war-torn states and the destitute, who have no home and no food, let alone a bed to sleep on at night. I wondered what it must be like for the blind who aren't able to see and the ones who are sick and have lost all purpose to laugh.
Are they not loved by the universe? Have they been forsaken and forgotten and left to fend for themselves? And the most important question that came to mind:
Does abundance purely depend on the outer experience and condition?
Although it is true that our lives are filled with abundance by the evidence of health and comfort we enjoy in the physical world, and by no means we are to ignore these blessings bestowed, I fear we have misunderstood the real essence to the concept of abundance.
So many have mistaken the concept of abundance. So many talk about abundance as if it is a measure of that which we own, that which we experience and enjoy in life.
Chances are, the ones who claim that we are abundant because of these objective experiences and material possessions that we own, also believe that we are pure consciousness that is changeless, limitless and whole.
So what happens then, when these blessings are taken away from us? What if one day we wake up and find that we are homeless and have to resort to begging for a meal or a sip of water? What if we are taken ill and are in constant pain that we have lost the ability to laugh?
Can we still call ourselves limitless beings? Changeless? Without sense of lack?
You see, we are so absorbed in the objective experience that we believe that only what is felt, perceived and experienced by the body-mind is real. The roof above our heads, the meal on our table, the money in the bank, the happy or unhappy marriage, the physical body. our relationships with others, a job, or no job for that matter, to name a few.
What we have failed to realize, is that we are not the body-mind that experiences the world, but the consciousness that is aware of the body-mind world.
The part of us that is limitless, changeless and whole, is consciousness, that which is our true essence. It is here that peace, happiness and abundance are to be found as it is the very source of it. Without a deep understanding of our true essence and its qualities, terms such as pure consciousness, infinite being and abundance remain a sweet but meaningless slogan our ego-mind uses to make itself feel special.
Everything changes. Except the unchangeable.
The outer condition is ever changing, nothing stays the same - our body goes through continuous transformations, marriages fail, loved ones leave us, beauty fades away, health deteriorates, and in extreme cases, nations crumble and peace turns to war. Even the non-material aspects about ourselves change, our opinions, beliefs and values, they all go through constant evolutions.
As long as we are stuck in the belief that we are the body-mind and see the physical world as our only reality, we can not escape its dualistic nature and hence, are exposed to the sufferings of all of its negative implications.
But who we truly are is unchangeable. And if you are now looking for that part of you that I am referring to as unchangeable, you will probably not going to find it. Again, the thinking mind, or the ego, is so hung up on objective experiences that even now, it is trying to find something that it can grab hold of, or relate to.
"Ok so it is not my body, that changes all the time. Not my belief nor value systems. Not my job, I've changed that many times too. My personality? Identity? Nah those change as well."
"What about my history? My background? I was raised in so and so city, in such and such way, went to so and so school etc.?"
But what if you were born in a different city, went to a different school and was raised a totally different way? Do you stop existing? Or replaced by another person? Or do you simply remain you, except with a different background and maybe manners, belief and values?
You would remain you, wouldn't it? But who is this YOU?
Who Am I?
Well that is the question isn't it? In fact, it has been the basis for self-inquiry advocated by perhaps all spiritual and religious traditions. It is another way to say: "Know thyself".
Like me, you have probably heard of these phrases countless of times, and perhaps like me, you too have ignored them.
Again the ego comes into play here. Convincing us (who is us?) that the question is of no import. Stick to the objective experience, something it can grab on to, something it can relate to. Like perhaps the personality, the status, the traumas.
Who am I? Well, I am the vice president of the marketing department in my company. I am Mr. White's wife. I was the best student in my class. I am a charitable person (or worse - I am a spiritual person).
Or if we want to feel a little more profound we would say: "I get triggered when he said that to me because I was wounded as a child. But knowing that now, I will work on healing myself."
Your True Self
Here is the good and bad news.
The bad news is this: You won't find the answer to the question "Who am I" here. I will not even attempt to explain it in my simple blog. This concept that is thousands of years old that has been the basis of the teachings of great minds and sages, rishis and poets such as Sri Ramana Maharshi, Rumi, Buddha, Adi Shankara and so so many more, is far too complex for me to talk about in one blog post.
But my advice is this, be curious. And if you are a seeker, look here. You will find the answer to all of your questions.
Now the good news: Let's go back to the title of this blog post: Abundance is your natural state, regardless of your outer conditions.
The short answer to the question who am I is this: You are pure awareness.
(I know I know, you don't feel like it, Well that is because you are searching for it with the ego-mind. Trust me, you can't find it with the mind, in fact, the mind is the number one hindrance in your effort to 'locate' it).
As pure awareness, our inherent nature is pure existence, pure consciousness and pure bliss (Sat-Chit-Ananda). And from here we can explain that they consist of joy, peace, unchangeable/ permanent, imperturbable, whole/ abundance, love, presence, openness, to name a few.
It is in this "state" (of being) that you will find eternal happiness and peace, no matter how turbulent the outside condition is.
Here you are the embodiment of love and compassion itself. Like a fountain that continues to flow, here is the very source of love and kindness and compassion. And this love will overflow from within to without and touch everyone and everything around it. Have you ever met a person who just seems to exude love and grace, even when they are just sitting silently without a word?
And to conclude, it is here that you will discover that you are indeed already whole and are already in a constant state of abundance, for what more can you ask for when you are already in total bliss?
So where do we go from here?
Watch your thoughts. Know that your thought isn't who you are. Your mind (i.e. the ego) isn't you. You are the awareness (consciousness) that is aware of your thoughts. Learn to move into this awareness, and stay there. And simply watch. your. thoughts.
This takes practice. But it is the first step to discovering (or should I say, returning to) who you are. It may take 2 years, it may take 2 days. But start now. If you do it earnestly, I promise you, things will start changing for you. And soon you will be experiencing more and more of that taste of peace, bliss and love. The Sat-Chit-Ananda.
Blessings to all.
Comments