VEILS, DUALITY, SELF, CLEAR CONSCIOUSNESS, SUFFERING, MATURITY

 We talk to various people throughout the day. There are conversations that bring us conflicts, others are neutral (that is: they do not bring us harm, although they do not bring us anything especially beneficial) and there are also those that bring us good things. As is natural, it is convenient to avoid conversations and dialogues that will bring us problems. When it comes to futile, banal, or uninteresting talk that doesn't add up, it really is a waste of time.

Then we will return to the topic of the conversations and what they can offer us. Now I want to say a few words about the Dharma (the Buddha's teachings). Change through Dharma implies development. Under the impulse or inspiration of the Dharma, you notice that you begin to advance spiritually. You realize more clearly the beauty of life and you also become more sensitive to its wonders.

Our mind is wrapped in thick veils, mainly due to conceptual elaboration. These veils, which are very numerous, generate restlessness, discontent and frequent dissatisfaction. To lift these deceptive veils that lead to error, there is no choice but to reflect and discover the truth.

The problem lies not in reality itself but in the labels and interpretations emanating from the mind, which over and over again, obstinately, generate opacity and hide reality. These categories, labels, prejudices, thought patterns, complexes, blocks, concepts, unwise ideas instilled in childhood, etc. are like curtains that cover reality.

It is necessary to see the reality. Both the interior and the exterior, without curtains that cover it, remains as it is (quality). Precisely there, in the perception of reality, without veils or curtains, is peace and the possibility of transformation. Precisely from there and as a result of that lucid look free of deception and preconceived ideas, and also due to the effort made to transform ourselves, liberation occurs in the end.

If we want to overcome restlessness and dissatisfaction, teachers advise carefully observing our way of thinking: how we react to what happens to us, the way we conceptualize, categorize and label.

I return to the initial topic about the talks. Conversations with friends, neighbors, partners, family members or work colleagues often lead to conflicts, tensions and misunderstandings. We all have this experience. How many conflicts do our talks and conversations cause us? Sometimes many, other times less. But the truth is that it is usually a source of conflict.

"What she said pissed me off. I screwed up by making such a statement. I should have kept quiet. I let that secret out. I hate her for saying that. How dare she criticize my sister like that!" Apparently, we are not very aware of what we say in our conversations. We are not really aware, when we talk to other people, of our thoughts and behaviors, of the consequences of our words. In a foolish and reckless way we wise forget the wise recommendations of the sayings and proverbs that advise thinking before speaking: words are silver and silence is gold, count to ten before speaking, measure the consequences of your words, words are capable to smite like a sword, etc.

Of course, we do not anticipate or foresee the different kinds of conflicts that will follow inappropriate conversations in which we say what should not be said: impertinence, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, unverified facts, falsehoods, insults, words born of envy, slander, lies, mendacious comments, lies, baseless criticism, gossip, too much gossip.

Please, I beg you to analyze what we think and speak, since our words later bring us happiness or misery. We complain about the restlessness and unhappiness in our lives, but we rarely stop to analyze where they come from. Misery and restlessness often originate precisely in gossip, in comparing oneself with others, the spirit of rivalry, competing with each other...

Let us reflect slowly, taking into consideration and weighing each of the aspects involved. I think we agree that impertinent and foolish talk, especially gossip and gossip and slander in general, are the cause of much unhappiness; both for those who spoke those words and for those who were mocked or maliciously criticized.

If the mind is positive and healthy, the behavior will be correct and equally healthy. According to Buddhism, everything begins in our mind. Purify the mind, pacify it, quiet it, let the mind enter the state of stillness. This is vitally important.


Let's do a little meditation now:


As you inhale deeply in another energy in our being,

as you exhale, all negative impressions come out.


When we inhale through the nose, pure oxygen

enters the whole body

reaches all organs

and permeates each of our cells.


You feel rest, on the physical level

and also mentally.

When you exhale, they leave us

all negative expressions.


I slowly inhale oxygen and life

I exhale restlessness.

I inhale energy, as I exhale I release worry.

Slowly, at a leisurely pace

I inhale fresh air

and then I exhale negativity.


Pay attention to the process of inhalation and exhalation,

full, open, strong attention.

You are aware of the air going in and out

moment to moment.

Observe: where, how, when the air comes out.


In this way our mind

calms down,

so, so easily.

A general pacification emerges

not only of the mind

also the physical body.


Over time

all emotions,

feelings and sensations

they calm down.

If there are uncomfortable feelings

do not listen to them.


As the meditation progresses

(inhalation, exhalation,

air in, air out)

These uncomfortable sensations are also calmed.

The mind wanders sometimes

this is normal.


when it happens,

slowly count 10 inhalations,

for the mind to concentrate

back on the breath.

About 15 minutes of meditative silence.

(...)


Along the path of the Buddha, what you discover is that day by day you are in a dualistic dynamic that does not promote a balanced and stable state of mind. We are united, unfortunately, in a tug of war, between one pole and its opposite, that is, between desire and rejection, what is beneficial and what is harmful, attraction and repulsion... This is how we walk all day: I like it /dislike, approach, distance, search and flight, attachment and separation. And all this hustle and bustle for what purpose, well normally to try to defend, whatever the cost, our idolized SELF, that self obsessed with winning and not losing (always duality). The objective is to protect and defend the supposed "center of everything": our EGO, a mistakenly magnified and sculpted ego with capital letters.

We are going to deal with the subject of the self in some detail. What is our essence in reality? That essence, according to Buddhist philosophy, is not something mysterious or strange, it is something simple. Sidadhartha Gautama teaches us to recognize our mental experiences. In this work of recognition, ignorance immediately appears. And we must get rid of it. It is necessary to get rid of the veils of concepts. The concept weaves the veils, lays snares like a cunning trapper and entangles the mind; It doesn't let her see clearly.

For example, the bowl that I am now holding in my hand is not the actual bowl, they are very different from each other. This is due to conceptual veils that do not allow us to see reality. The veils are responsible for our ignorance. Ignorance is also closely related to the self. To fight against negative emotions, it is convenient to take into account the self. All harmful emotions end when the self ends or, better said, when the idea that we usually handle of the self ends. That self is the ego. It is about a self that, if you look closely, contains almost nothing, it is empty and hollow, it is a subjective perception, a mere mental label and, ultimately, it does not represent our essence. Therefore it is necessary to know the ego: how we built it, its functioning, behavior, etc. Within the path suggested by Buddhism, this is undoubtedly a key issue.

Let us spend time and effort to study suffering ("dukka") and how to overcome suffering. What is pain, anxiety, anguish, discontent, dissatisfaction? It is necessary to know each type of suffering with its characteristics and precise details. If you do not recognize suffering, surely you will be suffering more intensely. All suffering comes from ignorance. Fortunately, we have the resources to overcome suffering in its different psychological manifestations. Numerous obstacles disappear if you manage to strengthen mental stability. Therefore, one must know what suffering is. That would be the first step in the fight to overcome it. It is not enough to shed tears and complain bitterly. This is not a solution.


What is the final, definitive antidote against suffering? Nirvana, liberation, complete transformation. That is the solution, according to Buddhism. Nirvana should not be described as a mystical or mysterious realm located in a remote area that is difficult to access. It is something closer and closer to us, typical of the area in which we normally operate. If we manage, after years of meditation and learning, to remove the conceptual veils that cloud our perception, then something pure emerges, the clear and pristine mind, the primordial consciousness.

That clear awareness was always there hidden by the gray cloud curtain of the mind's veils, traps, and delusions. To the As the clouds withdraw, the luminous consciousness appears in all its splendor. Pure consciousness, according to Buddhist texts and descriptions, constitutes our most essential nature. Experiencing life from this kind of awareness is completely different. Once settled in pure consciousness, which is neither dual nor conceptual, which has transcended the veils imposed by concepts, a great joy (a special joy) is felt, the fictitious ego evaporates, you know things as they are thanks to a penetrating vision, you are endowed with serenity and equanimity, the sufferings do not affect so much, you are connected with the being and the heart experiences a deep compassionate love towards all beings without distinction.

Sakyamuni proposes to get out of duality and experience the luminous mind, the pure conscience without being dragged by the good/bad or attachment/rejection pairs, a different mental state, superior to the dualistic parameters. In this state of mind nests ultimate truth. In the state of pure consciousness there is an absence of the self. Because the "real self" is not the self we imagine: the self we imagine is just an idea, a conceptual label. There is only one door to Enlightenment: love-kindness. Anger, envy, greed and other harmful emotions and mental states close that door. Being kind is not just a trait that indicates that you are a good person. Also, it takes wisdom to be kind and charitable. As I said before, afflictive emotions end when selfishness ceases. Hence the convenience of taming the ego, and reducing its size, which is usually bulky.

How does one begin to take the first steps along the path that leads us to non-egoism? It is necessary to carefully examine what idea we have of the self. What is the self? We have a physical body: legs, hands, arms, head, etc. The head is not the self, the hands are not the self, nor are the legs. The back, the lungs, the kidneys are also not the self. The brain alone is not the self. The blood, the air we breathe, the heat, the bones, joints, muscles, tendons, are not the self, neither separately nor as a whole. Neither is the space between the gaps in our organs or between atoms at the microscopic level. My heart is not the self.

We do not feel that these parts or organs are the self. So the self is a mental idea? Does the self exist physically? We could say: the mind is the self. But inside the mind we find many things: memories, emotions, sensory awareness, projects, thoughts... The ideas that the mind produces are not exactly me either. Why then do we attribute so much consistency to the self? For what reason does the self seem quite solid to us, so honorable that we even come to believe that it must be protected, defended and entrenched at all costs?


The information that our senses transmit: what we hear, what we touch or see is not me. I is not sensation. Where is that self so compact that we often fear losing? We have a false sense of self, an erroneous conception of self, without the slightest basis. For Buddhism, we are a combination of body and mind.

What is the role of the self? Consciousness knows things. When the mind hears or thinks, it is the consciousness that hears or thinks. The ego does not exist independently of the physical body. I repeat: the human being is a combination of body and mind. Nowhere does a third element appear: a self. We are just the combination of physical body and mind. That is what I perceive, what I notice directly, intuitively. I do not feel the ego no matter how much I look for it, I do not find an ego in one piece, firmly established, with resistant foundations and endowed with solidity.

And to finish, some ideas by way of brushstrokes. Suffering is always accompanied by mental labels. For you to suffer you have to first think: "this is harmful for me". And then comes you feel the suffering. Expressed in another way: first comes the thought and then the feeling. What goes for negative feelings can also be applied to positive feelings. Positive thinking, positive feeling. After a positive idea, opinion or interpretation comes a positive feeling. Negative ideas are followed by negative feelings.

When we are afflicted with suffering for whatever reason, we must avoid thoughts like this: "Why is this happening to me?" Do not think that way. Do not take problems, illnesses or misfortunes in such a personal way. Buddhist psychology recommends observing our reactions. Learn about how and why I ended up reacting that way. In the Spanish language there is the expression: "take things with philosophy". That is precisely the most sensible attitude also for Buddhism in these cases. Take some distance, analyze the obstacles and our reactions to those obstacles, to learn useful lessons about difficulties.

Another topic: the changes. The wheel of fortune never stops turning. Good and favorable changes may come. In other words: sometimes the wind blows in our favor. However, easy does not necessarily have to be positive. The easy with certain frequency does not bring quality things. To be more precise: "we are raw beings", we are still green. We need to mature. And, as many elderly people with long life experience well know, one matures through obstacles and suffering. Human existence is full of them. Facing the difficulties of everyday life, our character is formed and we mature. Take advantage of the pitfalls and difficulties, as well as the sufferings of life to mature. And be deeper, more mature and stronger.

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