Awakening Ethics and Morals

Nisargadatta Maharaj once said, "Nothing ever goes wrong in my world", however most people don't have that experience of reality, and for them, things seem to go wrong quite often. The difference in perspectives can be so extreme that the one will say, "nothing is wrong", while the other says, "this is a catastrophe". When extreme differences in perceptions arise it can be challenging to make sense of a situation. 

The focus of awakening isn't about solving specific problems. Nevertheless perceptions of problems can sometimes be resolved. When people approach spiritual awakening they generally bring with them mental structures informed by moral standards and ethics, not to mention ingrained personal habits. If we are to embody awakening in every day life then it might be worth considering how morals and ethics relate to the ideal of spontaneous action of awakened awareness.

SPONTANEITY

From an awakened perspective everything is arising as a divine spontaneous unfolding of creation. An individual's spontaneous action is ideally in harmony with whatever is arising in the mind and immediate environment, but this doesn't always appear to be so. However this is a very subtle point because in order for anything at all to appear to have an independent existence, it must be, at least ever-so-slightly, out of perfect harmony with its source and with everything else. For example, each branch of a tree is part of the same trunk, and when they grow from the trunk they appear to be seperate, and when the wind blows some might collide, yet they are one with each other and with the trunk. In order to exist they must sprout from and be slightly different from the trunk and each other.

The spontaneous conduct of an individual may or may not be in harmony with ethics or with the morals of a community. If it were so then there would be no need to embody one's awakening in everyday life, and spiritual realisation could become an easy excuse for inappropriate conduct.  As spontaneous conduct is not necessarily rational it is often generalised as either enlightened, genius, insane, or stupid.

ETHICS

Ethics seeks to determine the most appropriate conduct in a given situation through rational means. It investigates the question: "What ought I to do?" The answer can be unique for each given set of circumstances and for every human being who asks the question. You have most likely heard the term 'Code of Ethics' however this is an oxymoron because ethics, unlike morals or legislation, cannot be codified. Ethics explores one's conduct in relationship with one's self, with others, with creation, and it represents the highest rational standard for conduct. Ethics is universal, and an ethical person is one whose goal is to practice universally preferable behaviour. Nevertheless there are numerous situations where ethical conduct can conflict with moral standards or legislation.

MORALS

Morals are too often confused with ethics however the distinction between ethics and morals is very important. Morals are local social and community standards of acceptable conduct. A capacity for subtle reflection and introspection is not required, as in the case of ethics, and moral standards can be easily copied and codified as behavioural norms. In one society it might be quite common for a man to have many wives while in another only one wife is permitted. In one community free sex is considered the norm while in another it is seen as repulsive behaviour. A moral human being is one whose personal conduct predominantly reflects the locally preferred social norms of behaviour. 

NOT THINKING

When people lose the capacity to think clearly about their relationships and conduct, uncertain of whether they are thinking about ethics or morals, unable to distinguish rhetoric from rational argument, unconscious of spontaneous tendencies, they run the risk of experiencing and causing confusion and mental suffering. Love, compassion and kindness are fundamental ingredients in dealing with complex realities. However, consider this little tale of misguided compassion from philosopher Alan Watts. "Oh dear!You're drowning!" said the monkey. "Let me kindly help you as he pulled the fish out of the water and placed it up a tree".  

In a time when mainstream media, news and advertising tries to influence your perceptions of reality, it is important to understand how your mind works, how you think, and more importantly, how to be free of thinking altogether. Particularly if you're starting to feel like a fish perched on a tree branch. And there is no shortage of those who will put you there if you allow them. 

Learning how to not think can seem a very attractive escape from a stressful reality. But oscillating between awakened awareness while on retreat and mental confusion while in the world is not an ideal situation. Not thinking is not just an escape into disempowered blankness. Meditation is much more than a rewarding period of rest. The non-thinking of awakened awareness is the field within which clear thinking blossoms. The question is to which thoughts will you pay attention? Will you allow your thoughts to come and go or will you act on some of them? To embody awakened awareness in everyday life is to express it not only through the body and the emotions, but also through compassionate and discriminating thought. 

You have in any moment the power and resources to steer a course, one of your choosing, away from a sea of conflicting thoughts and emotions to a place of calm and clarity, your most inner being, where there is no problem in your world.

Anxiety and the Dissolution of Separation

Conditioned thinking is often marked by an underlying sense of anxiety, and is based on the perception of separation. Clear thinking and awakened awareness seem inaccessible while you are in a state of anxiety, which separates you from others and from your true nature. There are certain techniques that can help you to relax to alleviate anxiety, however, awakened awareness can dispel anxiety instantaneously.

It can happen through spiritual practice or grace. You can't do anything to receive grace however spiritual practice is always available, as long as you are prepared to bring your attention to it, by meditating, chanting, reading, contemplating, doing yoga, or simply associating with people who are interested in awakening, or who are awakened.

Anxiety is caused by conditioned thinking, which is persistent, and will always seek to solve problems in conditioned ways. Consequently anxiety often makes circumstances appear as problems. This is a subtle point because painful things can and do happen through no obvious fault of your own, nevertheless those same painful circumstances need not become ongoing problems.

The cycles of conditioned thoughts and responses must fall away, at least momentarily, in order to gain this insight. Circumstances are not happening to you, but you, in addition to the habituated perception of yourself, are an inseparable part of transient circumstances. In other words, the totality is you.

Your reaction to circumstances gives you the impression that you are separate, however those very thoughts, emotions, and feelings are completely and utterly dependent on that to which they react, and this difference, this apparent separation, is what gives you the sense of individual existence. Your attention being caught up in the situation and the thoughts and feelings about it can never fully resolve the problem, because eternal transformation has no finality. The mind always needs more information, at least until it is distracted by a new situation, at which time the pattern of seeking information and problem solving will repeat itself with essentially the same form, albeit with different details.

To notice this is a matter of subtle observation rather than complex analysis. In this context complexity is a distraction. As long as your attention is drawn into the details of a given situation then your attention is unavailable to explore who or what is really experiencing all this.

You assume that what you experience is what it really seems to be, because your experience confirms your deepest beliefs. Reality is not only a projection of yourself but an integral part of yourself. Your local self, namely your physical body and the awareness of your thoughts, has a limited sensibility that is numb to the rest of you. And the rest of you is whatever you believe is not you. The saying 'what goes around comes around' is more meaningful when you understand this. If you harm a part of your own body which is numb then you will eventually feel the effects when the numbness wears off, and your whole body is awakened to its senses.

When you have compassion for others, you have compassion for yourself. When you do no harm to others, you do no harm to yourself. When you love others, you love yourself. Spiritual awakening is the dissolution of separation and the end of anxiety.

Peace, Love and Freedom

Can you think of a better time than now to focus on peace, love and freedom? These expressions define awakened consciousness, and they also define the ideal conditions in which we can best enjoy life. Not only claiming peace for ourselves but living in peace with others. Not only claiming love for ourselves but living in love with others. Not only claiming freedom for ourselves but living in freedom with others. Each and every one of us is on a journey of spiritual awakening, a deepening of knowledge and enlightenment, which can also be reflected in a life of liberation.

If we can't share peace, love, and freedom with others it's only because we lack these conditions in ourselves. We can't give what we don't have. But what if we have something in abundance yet don't recognise that we have it? Then we need to look closely, deeply, to see which things are really ours.   

The two thickest veils to our seeing are ignorance and fear. Tainted by ignorance the mind does not see what it is, and what it is not, what it has, and what it has not. Tainted by fear the mind is agitated by what it perceives, awakened in peace it is equanimous. Tainted by fear the mind separates from what it perceives, awakened in love it unites. Tainted by fear the mind wishes to dominate what it perceives, awakened in freedom it liberates.      

Whatever you are doing, whatever you are about to do, consider whether it is motivated by fear or love. If it is love then peace and freedom will be your companions. 

Meditation by Distraction

Object

In this contemplation the word ‘object’ means ‘an object of attention’ which is anything that arises in awareness, be it a sensation, an emotion, a thought, a material form, or any conceivable thing to which attention can be given.

Attention

In this contemplation the word ‘attention’ means that which appears to bring objects into the focus of the mind.

Attention appears to be active while thinking and inactive while not thinking. During thinking attention seems to move in time and space from object to object. Take for example the words in this sentence. Each word is an object. The meanings they convey are also objects of attention. This apparent motion of attention is a foundation of thinking.

Meditation Practice: Notice how your attention moves from object to object.

Conditioned Thinking

In conditioned thinking attention wanders about, looking anywhere and everywhere, in the hope of finding whatever the mind desires. It looks everywhere except for where attention itself originates.

Meditation Practice: Ignore everything and focus on your attention.

Meditation by Distraction

An unsettled baby can sometimes be distracted into contentment by a toy. Your mind can also be distracted away from objects, and into peace. I have heard people saying, “I can’t meditate because I can’t stop thinking.” There is a difference between meditation and meditation practice. Meditation arises spontaneously as your true nature. ‘Meditation practice’ is the activity of trying to realise your true nature through the mind. Consequently, anyone can practice meditation but not everyone meditates knowingly.

Meditation Practice: Withdraw your attention from objects. Be aware of objects but do not give attention to them.

Not Thinking

What appears to be a cessation of thought is actually the withdrawal of attention from objects until the attention is passive. As the attention returns to the passive state the mind appears to be stilled. Then, even though these same or similar objects may arise in awareness, the mind is not disturbed and it experiences equanimity.

As an analogy, you can be aware of furniture in a room without giving it your attention. And you can give it passing attention without thinking about it.

Meditation Practice: Relax your attention and rest it on the gentle flow of consciousness, in the stillness of pure awareness.

Meditation and Thinking

All objects are held unconditionally in space, and all objects are held unconditionally in awareness. It is the mind that separates and imposes conditions.

In meditation, objects appear connected and attention is relaxed, or unfocused. While thinking, objects appear separated, or divided.

Thinking from a meditative perspective is a peaceful experience where you can see things as simultaneously joined and separated. Once you become accustomed to this peaceful state of mind then then it is possible to think, or argue, while remaining in touch with a sense of inner peace.

Noticing your thinking without judging it can awaken you from conditioned thinking.

Meditation Practice: Notice when and if your thoughts cause you to lose your sense of inner peace.

Each time you notice your conditioned thinking, without judgement, you will be distracted and awakened from your train of thought into a more peaceful realm.

Being Fearless

Fear is an anticipation of something happening that is painful or distressing. Fear can be insidious and it impedes intuition, clear thinking and skilful action. It is a root cause of trouble within the mind, and among people. Those not aware of this are at heightened risk of experiencing chronic anxiety. Fear is the opposite of love, it takes away our peace and our freedom. Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real, it distracts our attention away from the present moment, and the ever present peace that is our true nature.  

If fear was a product we would not buy it with money, so why should we accept it with our energy, our time or attention. Fear makes a challenging situation worse, and it can be used to manipulate those who feel seperate and helpless into giving up their freedom.

Fortunately inner peace is available to everyone, all we need to do is keep bringing it to people's attention through our own peace and through uplifting gatherings and events. Outer peace is an expression and extension of inner peace. 

We have the capacity to deal with a difficult or painful situation as it is, without fear or its associated psychological suffering. The solutions to all our problems, personal and social, real or imagined, arise out of an unfathomable source of peace and creativity. May we stay attuned to inner peace to live fearlessly, skilfully, and with compassion.  

Turn Fear into Love

When we observe the progress of a seed into its mature state we tend to assume that we are witnessing qualities expressed by the seed. This is true to a certain extent, yet at the same time we are witnessing the qualities of mind and consciousness. Our attention naturally flows outward and tends to be absorbed in evolving forms rather than the source out of which they grow. As we awaken, or learn to withdraw our attention from objects and turn our attention inwards, we begin to notice with greater clarity the quality of our thoughts and emotions.

Over many generations we have learned to observe that a seed is pregnant with potential, and it seems that all things grow from a seed. Yet there is also an unbroken flow of creation of which the seed and its prior and subsequent forms are but temporary manifestations. It's relatively easy to see how a seed becomes its mature form, but it is not always easy to see how it transforms into everything else, or how it resolves back into its source.

When a seed becomes a plant it is following a relatively predictable development. Yet when you eat the plant it turns into a part of you. At some level there is a communication, a communion, between you and the plant, the outcomes of which are not so obvious or predictable. When we follow these lines of development we end up in fascinating realms of mental and physical forms that are not readily unravelled through rational means, as they invariably require more and more investigation and research.

If you try to find the seed of a single thought you will be led into another thought, or many thoughts. So what is the real seed, what is its origin? It is that within which the seed or the thought is arising.  In other words, continuing the analogy of the plant, the seed is not the cause of the plant and it is not the source of the plant. It is a particular state of transformation of the plant. The source is that which facilitates your awareness of the seed and its transition into a fully formed plant.

To follow your thought back to its source is to notice it resolving into silence, or to notice the silence out of which thought is arising. The challenge is to avoid distraction on the way, and the distraction is always a thought that quickly grows into an idea.

A meme is the essence of an idea, its seed.  And when the wrong thoughts are sown they can cause a lifetime of disturbance. If the mind of a child is seeded with toxic memes it will experience a life of struggle, unless the memes of fear are replaced with love. The same applies to a family, a community and a society. Consequently the examination of ideas and their memes is more important than the regurgitation of ideas.   

The most empowering meme is that of love, and the most disempowering is fear.  In any situation ask yourself: "Is this growing out of fear or love?" The question is important because everything is in relationship with you. But what is the quality of your relationship to everything? The answer is not complicated because your life reflects the answer. Ultimately your relationship with life reflects your relationship with yourself, and the degree to which you see yourself in others. The more you become aware of the source of all things the more you will see yourself as a part of everything.  

Take the time to follow your thoughts back to their silent source and from that perspective discover which seeds need sowing and nurturing and which need to be cast into the fire.

Here is a seed, or a meme, expressed in different ways:

Every fear reminds me of love.

My fear fades as love arises.

I turn from fear to love.

Perhaps you can find a different wording that will serve you best. The point is not to repeat it like an affirmation or mantra, but rather to notice and feel the transition from one state to the other, until the state of love becomes more familiar than fear, until your daily stress responses become replaced with relaxation responses.

May our inspired actions meet the needs of others, and lead to a higher quality of life for all.

Sacred Sound

I was invited to chant and speak on the topic of Sacred Sound at the 2014 Warburton Harmony Festival. Below is a link to my talk recorded on the 18 May 2014, bookmarked by excerpts of two chants I presented at the festival. Also speaking on the topic of Sacred Sound were Tibetan Buddhist monk Lama Tendar and Zen Buddhist nun Bom Hyon Sunim however their talks have not yet been cleared for publication. The recording will give you a sense of the wonderful atmosphere at our gathering. I hope you'll be able to join us at upcoming events like Winter Solstice, New Year's Eve, or some other occasion. The following recording runs for about 15 minutes.

Sacred Sound Talk

Jarek Czechowicz

Freedom

Freedom implies being free of something, and it can also mean being free of everything. You are free of a thing when it has no hold on you, and when you have no hold on it. Then you are in harmony with life.

The freedom that most people seek is really a temporary relief from problems. No permanent relief is possible as long as one is attached to impermanent things.

The common understanding of freedom is that you get and keep everything you want, and avoid or dispose of everything you don’t want. However the things you want will eventually change or disappear, and things you don’t want will continue to appear at unexpected times. Once this is seen and deeply understood then you become open to real freedom.

Are you free to do what you love? Are you free to love what you are doing? Are you free to meet whatever arises with love?  If not then you will experience uncertainty, anxiety, confusion and fear, which announce to you that you are moving away from freedom.

Anything that enters your awareness is a part of you. You know this to be true to the extent that you can see yourself as being greater than the boundary of your own body. This is similar to how a baby begins to discover that its hand or its foot is a part of its physical body. The next stage of spiritual maturity, beyond thinking of yourself as a spiritual individual, is to see everything as being part of your self.

Your experience of freedom increases as you outgrow your limited self, your individual self. That is not to imply that you should abandon your personal identity but rather to simply recognise that your personal identity is a part of your greater being.

As you become increasingly free of the limiting aspects of your personal identity, you give up the strong desire for control and domination in favour of spontaneous engagement and collaboration. Where you once said, “This is how it must be”, you might now say, “This is how I’d like it to be, however I’m open to discover other possibilities”. The latter approach in itself frees you from the frustrations of events not unfolding as you had expected.

A free person understands that psychological stress is caused not by circumstances but by beliefs. Circumstances might cause pain but only dysfunctional thoughts and beliefs can cause suffering. Pain is the physical sensation caused by injury while suffering is the negative emotional sensation caused by thoughts and imaginings of injury. Knowing this, reflect on the stories you have told yourself about past problems. Are your stories freeing you or keeping you trapped in suffering? Can you let them go?

Nothing can upset a person who is free. In practical terms that means they cannot be upset for long because they understand the impermanence of things. Not clinging to things they allow them to come and go as easily as possible.

Your inner freedom makes you a more integrated and functional part of the whole. If you are truly free then you will naturally act in the best interest of others, and your being established in freedom creates an opening for others to be free.

Peace.

Chanting Now

If you enter a chant with all your heart, you’ll discover for yourself that it's much more than a beat, a melody, and a mantra.

Chanting has played a significant role in yoga, in religion, and in many cultural traditions because it is a powerful way of bringing an individual or a group into an experience of unity. The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’ meaning to join or yoke. Today yoga is generally understood to mean union. Religion derives from the Latin word ‘religare’ meaning to reconnect. It’s not entirely surprising that enlightened notions of health and wellbeing are also associated with a return to wholeness, often using music and chant to create a healing ambience.

A key element of chant is repetition, which is the basis of rhythm. We generally perceive rhythm as stable repetition. At a relative level that certainly seems true, but the deeper we look the more we discover this to be only an appearance.

Creation is essentially unstable. If it were absolutely stable then it would be unchanging and your body wouldn’t age or die. Most importantly you would never have been born to become the individual that you seem to be. Another way of seeing this instability is to notice that no two things are exactly the same in every detail, and even if they appear to be indistinguishably similar then they can’t be in the same place at the same time. And nothing can be repeated in exactly the same way. 

Every moment is new, even though it might seem very familiar, and each beat of the chant announces the new reality coming into being. A chant can take you on a journey through altered states of consciousness, including the one you are currently experiencing. It can transport your attention away from all that is unstable to reveal that which is unchanging and ever present in all experiences.

At the level of the individual the underlying rhythms of chant are the heartbeat and the breath. Yet all things, all appearances, have their patterns of rhythm and vibration. Any form can be seen as a complex interplay of vibrations and harmonics. For example, the harmonics in a musical note are the less obvious pulses that give it a particular sound quality, and help you distinguish between different instruments and voices. A similar principle applies to light and matter. When we see colour we don’t think of it as being a high frequency vibration. The interplay of many vibrations leads to more and more complex patterns where the beats no longer appear as rhythm but as form.

Words, concepts, stories, and mantras have evolved from the sound of the breath as Ahhh or Haaa, and the primal sounds A, U, and M which are sounded by the vibrating vocal chords. Bringing your attention to these primal sounds can transport you to a state of consciousness prior to concepts, or to a state of consciousness beyond concepts, where concepts no longer have a dominant role in your awareness. Complete immersion in the words of the mantra, and the lyrics of the chant, can reveal the underlying field of reality out of which meaning arises.

Originally a thing was named when a sound was associated with it, then every unconscious repetition of that sound gave the thing a greater appearance of reality until it became a recognised word. There are countless things that are never named because they are too complex, or too subtle, to be generally recognised. The chant can create an opening into these more subtle realms of knowledge which are often overlooked yet seem obvious when seen.

Though many students believe that the words of the mantra have power, it’s actually the student’s belief that has the power, and more importantly, it’s the student’s complete immersion in the mantra that dissolves their conceptual shackles.

You don’t have to make a choice to chant mantras and melodies to awaken, to become spiritually enlightened, because you’re already chanting whether you know it or not.  Look at the words, thoughts, beliefs and opinions and stories that you chant everyday. Repeatedly thinking about complaints and trivia sustains a sense of limitation and suffering. It’s like practising a negative chant. Notice the words or melodies that are repeatedly playing in your mind. This is your chant in this moment.

Creation is singing and pulsing in every direction. The rhythm of life and the music of life are revealed in this one song of the uni-verse. Once we notice it then we can join the song more consciously.

Most people are familiar with chanting as a devotional practice, or as a way of achieving ecstatic states of consciousness, and some people chant as a way to manifest their desires through repeated affirmations. There are many forms of chanting that open up different states of consciousness. No matter what form it takes there’s always the possibility to move so deeply into the chant that the mind is transcended; in other words all concepts about the chant and its purpose fall away to reveal its pure source.

People who have no knowledge of chanting can and do awaken because they are already an expression of the complex rhythms and vibrations of creation, and as such they awaken through whatever avenue opens for them, be it after long years of seeking, or a moment of grace. So while a conscious chanting practise isn’t essential to realisation, it’s certainly a wonderful way to express awakening, or to learn about it.

Chanting offers insights into some fascinating states of consciousness, but more importantly it’s one of the vehicles that can guide you back to your true nature, not the self-conscious entity that thinks it’s a limited person, but the real you that’s aware and present in every experience, positive or negative, beyond concepts and imagination. Anything that appears in consciousness, in time, in space, is subject to change. Yet if you go deeply into the very rhythm of change, the rhythm of the chant, you can awaken to the timeless aspect of yourself that is always free. Chanting isn’t only about doing a particular spiritual practise, it’s an opportunity to realise that you are the song that creation is singing; you are life itself arising in pure awareness, giving voice to the eternal now.

Peace.

Photo: Kavisha Mazzella and the Fire Choir chanting Love I Call Your Name, from the DVD 'The Final Piece'.