Your Freedom
Your Freedom
Reality Is Free of Judgment
Judgment is of the mind.
The mind is an illusion.
In the silence between thoughts, truth reveals itself.
“If you are quiet enough, you will hear the flow of the Universe. You will feel its rhythm. Go with this flow. Happiness lies ahead. Meditation is key.”
🗝️ Love Transcends Illusions and Limitations
Your beliefs stand not as reality but as a lens through which you interpret it. The world becomes colored by your mindset's hues, filtering information and shaping perceptions that only serve to define the inherent meaninglessness of reality. As Katie Byron wisely expressed, it is not our thoughts but our attachment to them that forges suffering. Diminish this attachment by unshackling meaning from your thoughts.
Beyond judgment lies a reality swirling in Love. Unconditional and unbridled Love respects and embraces its creations. Meditation techniques involve observing thoughts without judgment, guiding the meditator to a state of serene stillness, distanced from the perpetual coloring of existence. Within this all-encompassing silence, Love blooms — you get profoundly in touch with the innermost core of the Universe.
Love unites, weaving a tapestry of oneness and mending the limiting beliefs engendered by misguided notions of deprivation and separation. Awaken and expand your awareness of Love through meditation, transcending the confines of beliefs and illusions.
“Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral.”
🗝️ Observing Thoughts Unlocks Pure Awareness
There lies a realm of profound tranquility in the silence between thoughts, a space that teems with pure, luminous awareness. This is the essence of your being, the deepest part of your consciousness that remains untouched by the impressions of the past or the expectations of the future.
The mind, in its ceaseless motion, generates thoughts and emotions. Rather than viewing these as intrusive disturbances, perceive them as spontaneous expressions of your pure awareness. Recognizing these thoughts for what they are and letting them be without chasing after or resisting them but allowing them to exist without interference liberates them, causing them to dissolve back into the vast expanse of your pure consciousness. The key lies in the practice of non-judgment. Your reality is inherently devoid of labels or evaluations: it simply exists as it is. Assigning a positive or negative value to thoughts and emotions breeds attachment or aversion, thus veering you off the path of serene existence. Even powerful emotions like anger, desire, and jealousy can be viewed not as impediments but as profound opportunities for profound insight. These seemingly turbulent waves do not disrupt the calm ocean of your awareness. On the contrary, they reveal its vibrant dynamism. With this understanding, you can remain unperturbed in the face of emotional storms, allowing the waves to rise and fall back into the tranquil sea of your inner self. Meditation allows one to observe this beautiful dance of thoughts and emotions without evaluation or judgment. The silence experienced in the gaps of your thought sequences enables you to tap into an inherent joy that stems from the mere act of being. This uncaused joy springs from nowhere and everywhere: it is ingrained in your existence and makes up your innermost core. By embracing this uncaused happiness and maintaining vigilant observation, your entire being radiates an enlightening glow. This radiant light, the result of your meditative practice, illuminates the pathway of your journey, offering a profound sense of peace that arises from the realization of your inherent, unaltered state of consciousness.
So, let us venture forth on this journey into the unjudged reality, using the tool of pure awareness to navigate life's myriad complexities. For it is here, rooted in the core of the present moment, that the authentic joy of existence unfurls. In the upcoming section, you will have the opportunity to plunge into the profound teachings of venerable sages, enhancing your comprehension of mindfulness meditation. In addition, take advantage of your free access to the Mindfulness Masterclass with the distinguished Jon Kabat-Zinn, opening the gateway to a new depth of understanding. In the following lesson, you will deepen your mindfulness practice, exploring the depths of your being and unearthing the wisdom within.
What Is Meditation 🖤
Delighted in Your Being
Meditation is just being delighted in your presence. Meditation is a delight in your being. It is a relaxed state of consciousness where you are not doing anything. Don't do anything. Just watch whatever the mind is doing. Don't disturb it, don't prevent it, don't repress it. Just be a watcher. The miracle of watching is meditation. As you watch, your mind slowly becomes empty of thoughts. But you are not falling asleep — you are becoming more alert, more aware. As the mind becomes empty, your whole energy becomes a flame of awakening. This flame is the result of meditation. So meditation is another name for watching, witnessing, and observing — without judgment or evaluation. Meditation is just to be, not doing anything — no action, thought, or emotion. You just are. And it is a sheer delight. From where does this delight come when you are not doing anything? It comes from nowhere. It comes from everywhere. It is uncaused because existence is made of the stuff called joy. It needs no cause, no reason. If you are unhappy, you have a reason to be unhappy. If you are happy, you are simply happy — there is no reason. Your mind tries to find a reason because it cannot believe in the uncaused. It cannot control the uncaused — the mind becomes impotent with the uncaused. So the mind goes on finding some reason. But whenever you are happy, you are happy for no reason. Because happiness is just the stuff you are made of. Happiness is your innermost core.
— Osho
“The present moment is always full of infinite treasure.”
What Is Meditation 🖤
Silence Between the Thoughts
Listen to the voice in your head whenever you can. Pay special attention to recurring thought patterns, those old tapes that may have been playing in your head for years. Listen to the voice in your head, and be there as a witness. Listen to the voice with an open mind. Do not value. Do not judge or condemn anything you hear because that would open a back door for the voice again. You will soon realize: there is the voice — and here I am, listening to it and observing it. The feeling of your presence is not a thought. Its origin is beyond the mind. When you listen to the thought, you are aware of that thought, but you are also aware of yourself as a witness to that thought. This opens up a new dimension of consciousness. You feel a conscious presence behind or beneath the thought — your deeper self as you listen to the thought. Thought loses its hold over you and fades away because you no longer empower the mind through your identification with it. This is the beginning of the end of involuntary, compulsive thinking. When a thought is gone, you experience a pause in the flow of thought — a gap of not thinking. At first, these gaps may be very short, lasting only a few seconds, but they will expand over time. When such gaps occur, you feel a certain stillness and peace within. Then the natural state is near, in which you feel one with being.
— Tolle
What Is Meditation 🖤
Self-Radiance of Naked Awareness
When one past thought has ceased, and a future thought has not yet risen, in that gap, in between, isn’t there a consciousness of the present moment: fresh, virgin, unaltered by even a hair’s breadth of a concept, a luminous, naked awareness? Well, that is what Rigpa is! Yet it doesn’t stay in that state forever because another thought suddenly arises. This is the self-radiance of that Rigpa. However, if you do not recognize this thought for what it is the moment it arises, it will become just another ordinary thought. If you can recognize the true nature of the thought as soon as it arises, and leave it alone without any follow-up, then whatever thoughts arise all automatically dissolve back into the vast expanse of Rigpa and are liberated. Dzogchen's meditation is subtly powerful in dealing with the arisings of the mind and has a unique perspective on them. All the risings are seen in their true nature, not as separate from Rigpa, and not as antagonistic to it, but as none other — and this is very important — than its self-radiance, the manifestation of its energy. The pervasive, peaceful state of your meditation is the Rigpa itself, and all risings are none other than this Rigpa’s self-radiance. This is the heart and the basis of Dzogchen's practice.
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Of course, the ocean has rough and gentle waves: strong emotions come, like anger, desire, and jealousy. The real practitioner recognizes them not as a disturbance or obstacle but as a great opportunity. The fact that you react to arisings such as these with habitual tendencies of attachment and aversion is a sign that you are distracted, do not have the recognition, and have lost the ground of Rigpa. To react to emotions in this way empowers them and binds us even tighter in the chains of delusion. The great secret of Dzogchen is to see right through them as soon as they arise to what they are: the vivid and electric manifestation of the energy of Rigpa itself. As you gradually learn to do this, even the most turbulent emotions fail to seize hold of you and dissolve as wild waves rise and sink back into the ocean's calm.
— Sogyal Rinpoche
Quiz ✔️
Mindfulness Meditation
This lesson has introduced you to the intricate tapestry of non-judgment and mindfulness. A thought-provoking quiz has been meticulously designed to facilitate a deeper understanding and assimilation of these profound concepts. The questions will gauge your grasp on the transformative potential of non-judgment in cultivating mindfulness and the pivotal roles of love and pure awareness within mindfulness meditation practices. Your answers will reflect the depth of your comprehension and how seamlessly you can weave these principles into your everyday life. Remember, this is not a test of right or wrong answers but a platform for enhanced learning and self-exploration. Embark on this insightful journey towards mastering the delicate art of non-judgment and amplifying your mindfulness. Enjoy the exploration!
Self-Reflection 💭
Take a moment to reflect on the concept of reality free from judgment and delve into the transformative power of mindfulness meditation. Allow yourself to delve deeper into your final thoughts and reflections. How has your understanding of reality shifted throughout this lesson? In what ways have you recognized the limitations of judgment and embraced the essence of unconditional Love? What role does mindfulness meditation play in your life? How can it help you transcend the confines of beliefs and illusions, allowing you to experience a deeper connection with yourself and the present moment? Explore the concept of presence and the power of being fully aware in the now. How can you incorporate presence into your daily life, inviting greater fulfillment and success? Take a moment to sit in stillness and observe your thoughts without judgment. Allow yourself to embrace the delight of simply being without needing action or evaluation. Notice the gaps between your thoughts and your sense of peace and stillness. Embrace the beauty of the present moment and the limitless potential it holds.