In a simple sense the whole point of being aware is to be free of resistance of the mind so that one can move freely in accordance with inner guidance and inspiration. The mind’s resistance is a constant obstacle that seems to stand in the way of our seamless expression of our full potential. Anxiety, worry, panic, phobia, stress are some terms we use to define the resistance created in our being from “mind’s fear”. Is mind’s fear necessary to survive? Not at all, in fact it’s mostly a huge hindrance to survival, though it may look as if its fear is protecting you (or so the mind says) it’ mostly just hindering you from living fully. “Wisdom” is necessary to survive, mind’s fear is unnecessary. A lot of people confuse fear and wisdom, and hence they are not able to distinguish between what’s the call of wisdom and what’s the resistance of fear, in them. The only way to be free of this confusion is to be free of the resistance of mind’s fear, so that the voice of wisdom is all that remains.
I keep emphasizing the term “mind’s fear”, instead of just saying fear, because fear can also be felt as a response in the body during emergency, the fight/flight situation and an adrenaline rush created for reflex action. The mind’s fear is more a psychological fear created through interpretations/thoughts. Fear is a dimension in the brain/mind, and in some brains it’s more dominant than others (based on its natural makeup). However, once your awareness starts becoming free of the grip of the brain’s pull you are no longer at the mercy of its psychological fears. Also, the brain becomes far more efficient in its operations when the momentum of fear ebbs away in it.
The brain is only threatening in its resistance when it has “momentum”, and this momentum is gathered when your awareness is lost in identification with the brain – your attention to the brain becomes the fuel that keeps spurring its momentum. A brain with a high momentum becomes a source of resistance quite easily, simply because now it has the power to resist your natural movement through the dimension of fear in it. Fear can easily suppress wisdom, as is evident in the behavior of many people who are driven unconsciously by their mind.
The new paradigm of living purely from wisdom
We can call this the age of awakening mostly because of the immense availability of channels through which awareness can be created through information/knowledge, the internet being the most powerful channel. There are various issues on which awareness is being created, but the most primary awareness should be about freedom from the pull of one’s own mind’s negativity – in the absence of this foundation, you cannot really build a solid positive structure in your personal reality or in the culture/society. You cannot bring any real transformation on the outside when you are moving from a place of fear. The transformed state of being is when we are no longer in the grip of fear of the mind, but are purely moving from a place of wisdom alone. To achieve this state of being we have to stop relying on the mind’s fear to act as our guidance, and be willing to step beyond it and start connecting with our space of being.
Quite simply, the space outside the thoughts/feelings is the space of being. We get so enamored by thoughts/feelings that we totally ignore this immense space of silence/being which is present in the background all the time. The reason we ignore this space of being is because it’s “silent”, the mind is not interested in the silence, it just wants more noise, and hence it will immediately doubt/discard this simple pointer that this space of silence is where all wisdom comes from. And yet, all the real solutions lie in this space of being, they don’t lie in the arguments and constant conflict of the mind. The mind works through fear, the space of being works through wisdom – it’s doesn’t have fear. The space of being is the new “intelligence” that we need to access to get beyond all the conflicts that we have created in the past through relying solely on the mechanical/conditioned thinking of the mind.
Not everyone is ready for this transition though, neither is it necessary for everyone because we all have our own journeys and our own process of maturing. This transition requires you to let go of a life long habit of being mind centric, and connecting with the “silent space” of being which doesn’t seem to argue like mind, which doesn’t seem “extra ordinary”, which just communicates through instinct, inspiration and intuition. The space of being cannot come to the foreground as long as the mind momentum is dominant, just like the sun cannot be visible as long as the clouds stand in front of it.
If you sense a readiness, or a call, in you to want to be free of living solely through the domain of the mind, then these words will immediately resonate as a sign-post back to your being. If not, you will continue buying into the never ending questions of the mind. There is a time and place for questions and understanding, but eventually it should be understood that this is about letting go of the mind into the space of being. When you connect with the space of being the mind starts losing momentum, this starts a new paradigm of living, where wisdom of your life-stream takes over from fear-driven movement of your mind. Also, the mind becomes highly efficient when its momentum of fear dies away because now it has more resources available for creative thinking and experiencing life more fully, in a more alive way.
The transition phase can be challenging
The mind has a past momentum, and it becomes even more defensive/fearful as your awareness stops identifying with it – it starts throwing up a lot of fears just to get your awareness identified with it again. This can be quite challenging, and in people who have a strong mind momentum it can be very exhausting. However, it’s a temporary phase of transition and if you simply keep connecting with this space of being, the mind’s momentum will ebb away fully in a period of a few months. Some people give in to the doubts of the mind, and its fears, which tells them that it’s risky to let go of mind-identification, that they will become dysfunctional or “drop outs”, and hence keep clinging to the mind. Some people have such a deep readiness, that as soon as this pointer strikes home, they immediately let go into this space of being and there are no questions from there on, just living life from this connection and wisdom.
Once you start getting a real taste of this space of being – of the peace, harmony and wisdom that it brings into your daily life, you will no longer doubt its propensity to take care of your well-being abundantly. You will start finding it “crude”, and mediocre, to depend on the fear based, conditioned, thinking of the mind to run your life. Psychological suffering (which constitutes 98-99% of your suffering in daily life) created by the mind’s negativity starts losing hold on you – this alone is a huge incentive to connect with the space of being. However, the greatest benefit is that you are no longer dictated by the fear based resistance of the mind and can thus seamlessly live your natural expression, allow your creative potential and attract a reality that’s aligned with your true nature.
There was time during this transition when I was not really sure if it’s possible to be free of the grip of mind’s psychological fear completely (100%). I always thought that there is bound to be some subtle grip of mind’s fear, even though I could sense that fear had begun to lose its grip immensely, and it was not really a source of resistance anymore. I also thought that some amount of fear was necessary for survival, but I realize now that you can be totally free of mind’s fear and the strong presence of “wisdom” takes care of your survival or daily living, in a highly efficient manner. The body can still create the feeling of adrenaline rush, the reflex response to handle emergencies (like braking your car to avoid an accident), but the mind’s thought based (or psychological) fear no longer has any grip at all – this is because the mind’s momentum has ebbed away completely and now its usefulness is purely for practical purposes.
Sen, I feel like there is a certain contradiction. Or maybe it is just my lack of whole understanding. At one point you say that we should “let go” and allow ourselves to be completely pulled in by the minds thoughts if it happens. But on the last two articles you say to not allow yourself to be drawn in by the minds pull. In my view they both make sense but I m not sure as to which one I should be doing..
Please helpe me clear this up
Abet, it’s about allowing the mind to be, while you stay as the space of awareness (space of being). When there is awareness you are not lost in the mind, but you are not suppressing the mind either. So you completely allow the mind’s pull, but are not lost in it (giving belief to it), because you have an awareness.
Abet,
It may seem like a contradiction, but it is not. In the first scenario, Sen is urging that we “allow” the mind’s thoughts to come into our mind without any resistance, but also without any kind of full acceptance of their suggestions, if they are negative in nature. Here, we allow negative thoughts there free rein to enter and roam, but do not assent, or believe, what they stand for, and suggest. In the second scenario, Sen seems to be saying the same thing, but focusing on a different aspect. Here, he seems to be urging us to not be dominated, controlled, or compelled by the mind, which operates on a kind of fear-based kind of thinking, rather than a a freedom, and peace-driven one. To refrain from being pulled in by the mind is equivalent to not being constricted by fear, and to not being dominated by negative thoughts, most of which, if not all, are false in their assertions about reality. It is important to note that in this second scenario, you are still allowing the negative thoughts their freedom to enter your mind. Its just that you are not assenting to them, believing in them, and letting them control your actions and determine your state of being (i.e. awareness).
Sen, please correct me if I am off the mark here. I think I understand what you’ve been saying, but there can always be a certain margin of error with these things.
R.C.
Bill, that’s accurate
Dear Sen.
Thanks a lot for your posts. You have alleviated so much of my suffering already that I cannot put it in words.
While meditating, I used to try and watch my mind and I used to get headache. After conversing with you I changed the approach. I close my eyes, relax and let awareness happen automatically. My headaches have disappeared since. So many times I fall asleep but I have made some progress.
When my mind gets negative momentum, I feel uneasy and anxious and I can sense that. I know what kind of thoughts bother me, it is not something I do not know. When I bring it into my awareness, I feel the thoughts amplify. But just like meditation, I have stopped trying to even force my awareness. The mind seems to lose its grip on me. I feel better and more relaxed. Am I on the correct path ? Is the “letting go” happpening on its own because I am not “trying” any more?
Anu, that’s the correct understanding of what I mean when I use the pointer of “relaxed awareness”. This space of allowing causes all the suppressed energy to be released as well as allows the momentum of the mind to start reducing, it also connects you with the wisdom of your life-stream, or heart wisdom allowing for the dissolution of negative patterns in the mind or the healing of inner conflicts.
Hi Sen,
I’ve been allowing/letting go/meditating. Well at first I was confused with the pointers but now I know I’m on the right path.
But I always fall asleep after letting my mind go. I’ve read your reply somewhere that sitting down helps prevent falling asleep.
So I would meditate sitting down, but my body would be so relaxed I have a strong urge to just sleep.
I’ve had BAD insomnia before (to the point of frustration to depression), but since this release, I’m always able to fall asleep. So I kind of use this allowing/release/letting go to fall asleep too.
Before the moment I fall asleep, I sense/feel my body becoming extremely light and almost transparent(?), and I fall asleep.
Am I still on the right track?
Always appreciating your desire to bring awareness to those who seek.
It’s totally fine if you drift off to sleep as you practice the state of allowing, it’s mostly because for a while this “letting go” is sensed by the body as a signal to retreat, also sometimes the very process of release can be exhausting causing the body to need more rest. Even if you stay consciously allowing for 10-15 minutes before you end up sleeping, it’s good enough, with time, as the momentum ebbs away, and the body becomes naturally resistance-free, you will not feel this need for sleep so much also you wouldn’t have insomnia which is also a symptom of a restless mind.
nice, thanks
hello sir,
your articles are very inspiring . Previously , i went through so many personality development books and self help books to fight my obsession,fears and depression problems. For the first two ro three days i used to feel like i lost my mental-disorders(it may be because of which i read was fresh and new). But as the days melts into weeks i just turn into old me. when i feel like i found a solution for fear free mind then after few days my mind start raising doubts like “how your solution can help you in the situation like this(whtever the situation)?” then i start loosing hope in what i found could be best solution. Now i feel like the same way with your articles please help me out.
Shaker, this process is not about feeding the mind, though there is a time and place for understanding. But if you miss the bottom line, which is to start “letting go” of your mind’s pull (by staying as a space of awareness) you will just end up gathering knowledge without ever experiencing the actual realization of letting go. The mind will get bored and will move on to some more “food for thought”, it’s will never stop. But this is not about entertaining the mind, but about freedom from the pull of the mind’s negativity, and you can only come to this place when you actually start letting go of mind identification – rather than just reading about it. The problem is with the high momentum of the mind, and it will keep asking for solutions for the problems it is creating itself, the mind is the problem here and it can’t solve itself through “strategies”, the solution happens when you can start letting go of the mind’s pull, and start gaining stability in your space of being.
Thanks sen, it havent been long that i came acros your article, your article have realy made me to understand the mistery behind allowing my minds negative thought without identifying with them, rather being in a state of awareness to not allowing them determine your state of being..