5 Ways to Quiet Your Mind

8/13/2019 5 Ways to Quiet Your Mind

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5 Ways To Quiet Your Mind & Open The

Doorway To Truth

It has been said that all the money in the world is spent on feeling good, in one form or another.Contemplate this for a moment and you will find that it is unequivocally true. There isnt one

person on this planet that does not want happiness, whatever it may mean to them. We are, all of

us, forever in pursuit of that most desirable of goals. Yet, aside from certain fleeting moments, orat best slightly prolonged periods, lasting happiness remains elusive. The incredible irony of this

is that it leaves us forever chasing our tails, forever braving the wastes of the desert of the

moment, the mirage shimmering on the horizon.

What we fail to understand is the true provenance of happiness. The world has convinced us that

it exists outside of ourselves, that it is something that needs to be attained. Financial security, a

higher education, the perfect body, that new car. The list is endless. If only we get that thing,arrive at that place, then well be complete, then well finally have the life that we want. What

this tells us is that we are in need, that we are somehow hollow, and that if only we fill ourselveswith knowledge, things, situations we will become the person that we always imagined, the

thing that weve always wanted to be: happy.

Yet there is a different teaching, one born of the eastern mind, ancient in its origins, sound in its

wisdom. What it tells us is that the mind is the source of seeking, and seeking itself is an illusion.

You cannot seek something that you already have, and you cannot have something that you

already, inherently are. While the goal of the western world is to fill, attain, conquer, arrive, theeastern model tells us to divest, release, forgive, surrender. While the western model tells us the

highest attainment is that of mind, the eastern model shows us that it is that of no-mind. Thisis what is known as the transpersonal state: extending beyond the personal, releasing the littleself and all of its earthly vulnerability to the chaos and beauty of the infinite. And in this act of

letting go, we open the doorway to the truth of ourselves as conduits, not only for the greater

whole of humanity, but that of the universe itself. As with all great truths, it is essentially aparadox. In the act of emptying ourselves completely, we find that we are, in fact, overflowing

with abundance.


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Learning the art of letting go will indeed change our world. For each one of us that manages to

achieve even the slightest glimmer of surrender, we will affect any number of people, simply

by their coming into contact with us. Transmitting this energy, becoming transparent, in asense, is the only true source of power, in that it naturally releases the hold of power the world

has over us. It is a brilliant and beautiful statea return to our authentic natureand these five

steps, if returned to regularly, can potentially slowly assist you in attaining it.

1. REALIZE THAT YOU CAN NEVER NOT BE NOW

There is no escaping the moment. This is the first

and most easily acceptable teaching, because it is so obvious. We will never not be now. Eachbreath we take is essentially our only one. The past is reflection, the future projection. And,

while we need these states in order to properly integrate our personal experiences and thus apply

them, we spend far too much unproductive and harmful time in them. We lament the past,thinking often of how much better it was in so many ways, conveniently forgetting how most of

it was just the same unsatisfying present we are always in, and, as was pointed out in detail at

the beginning of this article, we idealize the future, relinquishing our happiness to it. Either that

or we do the opposite, projecting endless what if scenarios onto it in a stream of runaway

thinking that is almost always negative. All this does is create unnecessary stress and worry,along with the corresponding destructive bodily changes that accompany them, ultimately

removing us from the purest and only moment we will ever havethis one. Learning to return tothe present, while indeed exceptionally challenging, is one of the most powerful steps towards

awakening any of us can take. One of the very best methods for doing so is simply returning to

your breath, wherever you are, whenever you can remember. Notice it. Is it too quick? Or is it

suspended? What thoughts were you just having that caused it to be so? What actions? Once youstart doing this you will be amazed at how often your breath is either out of synch or bated

altogether. Once you do, it is as simple as taking one, deep, conscious cycle of air into your lungs

and regaining awareness of it as it passes through you, surrendering yourself fully to it. Be the

breath as it fills you up. It only takes a second or two to do so, yet out of this will come a

moment of silence. A single, solitary moment of peace. It is possibleno matter where you areor whats happening around you. How quickly you then slip back into the stream of time-based

thinking/doing will vary depending on the situation, but it doesnt matter. Every time you comeback to your breath you are returning to the moment, essentially delivering yourself back into

presence, time and again. Practice this, and you will eventually find yourself moving slowly into

mindfulnessthe state of thinking, doing and remaining present all at the same time.

2. LEARN TO RECOGNIZE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WANT AND A NEED


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The human condition as we are experiencing it at this time in history is rife with need. There is

no denying this. The world we have created is not a friendly one. Even in the so-called

civilized countries of the first world we are heavily encumbered with it. Yet how much of it isan authentic need and how much is manmade? An authentic need is most likely one of the body.

The body is shackled with needsfood, water, sleep. These things generally cannot be denied if

one wishes to live a healthy life. The mind is a different matter. Though it is exceptionally needy,it has been trained to be so. We dont honestly need a fraction of the things it tells us we do. Themind doesnt realize its own inherent power, or its propensity for the creation of great beauty, yet

it leads all of us in our daily lives. It holds the reins. Its no wonder weve run amok.

In order to gain the power back it is necessary to step away and observe it. This is where the

practice of mindfulness comes in. Once you learn to watch your thoughts you will begin to see

just how unconscious, negative and dysfunctional the majority of them are. The more you can dothis, the more you will begin to wake up to the realization that it is, in actuality, those thoughts

that are responsible for colouring your experience of the world, and not the situation. Once you

make this connection, the difference between wants and needs will begin to climb from the

woodwork all around you. When you separate yourself from the thinker, you begin to sense yourtruer essencethat of your body, but even further beyond that, your being. You will then begin

shedding wants as does an animal its fur. Many things will become clear. You will realize thatyou dont need to overeat, you just want to, and in that realization you will have already begun tolessen the power of the compulsion. You will see that you dont need to retaliate when someone

is verbally attacking you, you just want to, and in knowing this, your response is sure to be more

mindful.

Over time, you will come to realize that you are indeed already quite whole and wonderful,

regardless of what you are or are not getting from the world, or what it may be telling you youshould do. The mind has been trained to come at the world from a place of lack, which is a denial

of your highest nature. Get out of your mind, learn to simply BE and watch it, and you will begin

to find a great peace in who you are.

3. RECOGNIZE THE WORLD FOR WHAT IT IS: A CATALYST FOR KINDNESS

Aside from the mind, the world as weve created it is alsoan intense purveyor of negativity. Often times, even if you have started out with a positive


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attitude, it seems bent on infecting you in one manner or another. Thats okay. That is, in fact,

how it should be. One of the most important lessons the world has to teach us is that we need not

be affected by it, that our power resides inside, and nowhere else. It does this by continuallyputting us in situations that seem to demand the relinquishment of that power, such forcing us to

deal with someone intensely negative, or by having things break down at the worst possible time.

The list goes on. Yet every time these situations take place, confronting us with something thatdraws our own negativity forward, it is, in reality, the world presenting us with a fork in the road:one path is anger, resistance and resentment. The other is understanding, surrender and kindess.

You can, instead of getting nippy with the difficult person youre dealing with and escalating the

situation, learn to dismantle it through understanding. You can, instead of lashing out at the pieceof machinery thats not working right, learn to take a moment and think rationally. The situation

is what it is. Your reaction is an entirely different matter.

Even if it doesnt seem possible in the moment, knowing that you have a choice will help you

retain the ability to observe what youre doing as you go about reacting and releasing your

negative emotions. This at least is something.

It should also be said that kindness is not synonymous with weakness. Quite the opposite

actually. True kindness comes out of a clarity of mind that recognizes correct action. It iscompletely possible to firmly stand your ground without aggression and negativity. Learning to

recognize the fork in the road when it arises helps you do this, as it is a clear reminder that the

situation is indeed separate from youno matter your reaction. Practice it regularly and you will

indeed find kindness gradually rising up as the only true and proper reaction time and again. It is,in actuality, the doorway to the highest form of the hearts intuition states of being such as

compassion, forgiveness and unconditional love.

4. EMBRACE IMPERMANENCE

One of the deepest understandings that we are capable of grasping as humans is the non-linearityof time. Not only is time not linear, as the illusion of it would have us suppose it is, it is in fact

cyclical, and resides only inside of ourselves. It is not time that is moving, it is us. Time stands

still, we move through it. It is our very motionand the motion of everything in existencethatcreates time. You can tune into this through becoming aware of the smaller and larger cycles we

are constantly moving through in our lives. Think back on your own. There have been times of

great growth and joy, there have been times of entropy and loss, and there have been times whenit seemed as though nothing was happening at all. Now see if you can imagine life without those

cycles. It is impossible. The wheel of time dictates the constancy of changethe good times, just

like the bad, are always passing away. On its spokes we find life itself. Change. Without it, we

could not live. The impermanent nature of all things is an integral catalyst for spurning the wholeprocess forward, for continuously moving us into the unknown and reminding us that yes, we are

frighteningly, brilliantly, radiantly alive

Realizing thisand training ourselves to continually come back to it time and again is one of

the most powerful agents we can employ in service of the path to the transpersonal. Not only

does getting okay with the inevitability of change empower us to go with the flow of life as ithappens, but it grants us the power to engender it somewhat as it does. You become a much


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better fisherman when you swim with the current as opposed to against it. Yet, at the deepest

level, embracing impermanence frees you from attachment. In this way you find much more

enjoyment in the things you do attainas you will not be continuously worried about their lossbut you will also be free of wanting what you dont have. This is the true definition of freedom.

So give in. You will be glad that you did.

5. MEDITATE

This step is, of course, the mother of them all. You could omit the first four points and practicethis one alone and it would eventually bring you to the same place. (The meditative state,

however, is much less useful when left on the mat, so it is highly recommended that you practice

all the points in this article.) Simply put, meditation is proof. It is not a religion or a philosophy.It is something you do. Anyone who has ever achieved a state of no-mind knows its power, and

that it is, in a sense, a very real place. And yet, it is not a place. It has no true provenanceno

beginning, no end. It just is, always. When you find yourself within it, you know that it is home.

To say that this is invigorating is a massive understatement. Jerry Seinfeld, a practitioner of

transcendental meditation for forty years, refers to it as a charger for the body and mind, just asyour cell phone has a charger. And, while there are many different forms that one can practise,

the end result is the samea powerful state of peace.

Doing so is not as hard as it is often made out to be. You simply sit, and allow the mind to be.Let the thoughts pass. Do not engage them, do not follow them, just watch them as they rise and

fall away. Focus on the breath. In. Out. Each breath, the only one. So too is there only one

momentthe one youre experiencing now. Hold this state long enough and you will find the

thoughts beginning to slow, the breath beginning to deepen. You will find yourself then moving

more fully into your body, truly feeling it. From there, it is possible to slip even further, into aspace of transcendent bliss that cannot ever be aptly described with words.

This is the meditative state. The more you practice the more you will notice, as you go about

your daily life, a deepening sense of gratitude. Quieting the mind grants access to the wisdom of

the body, and the body is forever grateful for its existence here on this earth. The voice of thatgratitude has simply been buried beneath the constant din of static the mind is forever producing.

Parting the clouds of the mind, even for a short time, and allowing the bodys natural state of


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grace to shine through is an exceptionally potent key to unlocking our natural state of

thankfulness.

Something else you may notice is a slow but unmistakable rise in synchronicity. Things will get

easier. What is happening is that the mind is being taught to heel, in a sense. It will still spend

the majority of its time off the leash, at first, but the more you meditate, the calmer it will get,eventually returning to the path on its own more and more frequently. As it does this, losing its

incessant need to follow every thought, every urge and every impulse it comes across down the

rabbit hole, it is learning that it cant create its own path that way it will just get lost, as italways has. It is learning that its owneryou, your beingness, your soul knows the true path,

and that, on this path, things are far more orderly and synchronous.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTSSo there you have it. A five step guide to potentially attaining the transpersonal state. As you

move forward with these tools, learning to apply them with ever increasing adeptness, you will

indeed come to understand what it means to be transparent. Honestly committing yourself to

the path of enlightenment, you will find, results in just thatgetting lighter. You will feelemotionally lighter. Baggage will begin to be dropped, and the heaviness of life will slowly

start to lift. Things wont be so terribly serious all the time. From there, that light will begin toshine. Everyone you come into contact with will feel it, however slight. How could they not?

You will be in a genuinely good mood, authentically kind-hearted. This is the true meaning of

spirituality. As Ghandi once said The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a

thousand heads bowing in prayer.

Practice is everything. There is no doctrine, no philosophy, no religion you need to follow, yet

every moment can likewise be your church, your school, your greatest learning experience. Youhave the abilitywe all do. All we need to do is decide, time and again.

- See more at: http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/12/16/5-ways-to-unlock-a-transpersonal-state/

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5 Ways to Quiet Your Mind