The Buddha Habit (tm) - Mindlessness: Sounds dumb, how do you not think and still function?
Image: Pixabay
You hear this term all the time and might think, "These people are crazy". How do you live life without thought? My brain is constantly thinking about things. I can't stop it. It's impossible. You're correct in a sense. You can't stop it indefinitely. We are humans and have evolved with our brain capacity to help us survive. However with practice you can learn to control it vs being a hapless victim led one way or another by emotional reactions. I've discussed in other posts on some techniques to divert thinking into a mindless state. We are all different but there are passions in life that we all gravitate towards. You can tell what it is by how much you LOVE to do them. Time seems to warp to a point where what you think are minutes turn into hours. You can also tell by how "present" you are while you're doing them. What I mean is that your attention and focus are in hyper mode. Your physical sensations or memories of the action are intensified. It is because your mind is not distracted by other thoughts because you love what you're doing at that moment. What you will come to realize is that the truth of "Do what you love" or finding a profession that you love really does have validity. If you love what you are doing, it doesn't feel like work. You will maintain a steady focus on it for a long period of time and it will manifest itself from your sustained thought. Because you love it, you'll be very good at it and prosperity will come. Even if you don't make a lot of money at it, you will still find true happiness in it. (Releasing yourself from Desire of money is another issue I'll touch on in another blog).
When you are in a mindless state, you are at peace. When peaceful you emanate a vibration and openness of space that others naturally feel and are drawn to. Because of this, opportunities seem to come to you "magically". It's not magic. It's similar to when you meet someone you like, you trust them and want to interact with them. I'm sure you've met people who just by looking into their eyes you can sense a bond and trust in them. The quote, "The eyes are the windows to the soul" are quite correct. We all have this ability to sense it in others because we are connected to one another. I equate this to as if we are all spiritual magnets and in this state you are a positive attractive force. Good things seem to be drawn to you. Because you are not driven by desire, there is no desperation in your demeanor. You are okay if you get something and equally fine if you do not. You know if it is meant to happen it will. You do have choice and use your mind and experience to work towards a goal, but if it does not happen, you do not succumb to emotions. There is no depression from failure leading to self esteem issues. There is no anxiety from financial loss. You simply chalk it up to,"Well, that's the way it is" and move on, trying not to obsess over the past and create fantasy stories in your head over it. Of course there still will be some, as everything and everyone you come into contact with has an energy attached to it that makes an impression on you. It will take a little bit of time to dissipate, but it won't consume you. If stay focused on your path, eventually it will happen.
The question is, what is the true goal of the path you've focused on? If it's just money because you think it'll make you happy, we all know that will not fulfill you. You might even achieve money, but you'll still be left feeling empty. Nothing material in this physical world will fill that void. The void is filled by directing your focus within and realizing what you are striving for it right there inside of you. It is a subconscious desire, I think, by our inner energy striving to become one with the Universe again (from whence we came). Once you make this realization you know you can revisit that at anytime. Then being alive in this physical world becomes about experiencing every single moment, right this second, to it's fullest.
Image: http://www.positivelypresent.com/2011/04/stop-and-smell-the-roses-5-ways-to-be-present-now.html
There are many common quotes like, "Stop and smell the Roses" that point to Nature and a reminder of what is really important. Eckhart Tolle once said that when a Cancer patient or prisoner about to be executed finally makes the realization that there is no future and are forced to make the realization, they are forced into Presence. All of a sudden they see the wonder in all things around them no matter their situation, minute seemingly meaningless things become magnified and appreciated.
When people meditate or pray they are reconnecting with "God", "The Creator" or the Universe that all things are interconnected. They are trying to achieve Mindlessless. The word Yoga, means Union, to be one with all things. Being raised Christian there are so many elements of the Bible that finally start to make sense from a Buddhist perspective. One of these is that "God is within you". By focusing on your Third Eye and disconnecting from your Ego, feeling the sensation of this unseen energy within you and watching it. Your mind is at peace, not creating distractions that confuse you.
Have you ever been in a situation where you're trying to figure something out, weighing all the options/variables trying to reach a logical conclusion but are still left undecided? Then you go somewhere out in Nature, where there is peace and quiet and you stop thinking about it all. You're just at peace with Nature in a mindless state, then all of a sudden the solution to your problem "magically" presents itself. You can literally FEEL it is right, in your stomach region. This is where the term, "Trust your gut" comes from.
I think that in this state you become a conduit of sorts. You are definitely part of the equation, it is not divine providence from Heaven. But because you are in balance with all things and neutral in your state of mind, life just seems to flow easier. Another term comes to mind, "Go with the flow". There are so many kernels of truth surrounding us.