The worst of the worst is within all of us. In other words, what we condemn in the world as bad or evil, is happening within the larger context of God, which is our own being. The potential for the worst of the worst is within every single human being. The serial-killer, the terrorist, the cult leader, the rapist, the greedy billionaire, all of it.
This is something that any human being that spends enough time in meditation will come to realize. This is what the Buddha realized. This is what the Christ realized. This is what millions have realized momentarily, although few have been able to embody and abide in this truth and live from that place. Many people have had the momentary insight during a retreat, or during a plant-medicine journey, yet, most of us will forget it and just keep living from a state of division. We have a choice however, in each moment, to choose between that which is in alignment with the truth of Love and Oneness, or to choose to follow and believe in our egoic nature which thrives on division for its illusory sense of existence.
This is the real problem we are facing today. At the root of all the chaos, war, greed, division, hatred, violence, is our belief in a personal sense of self that is inherently incomplete, unsatisfied, and unsafe. I notice within me, there are parts of my psyche that would kill for not much. This is not inherently “bad or wrong”.
Let us remember that we have animal bodies and minds. Our bodies, are pretty much like the bodies of monkeys. Our minds are not that different either, and we have a brain that involves basic processes like the ones found in reptiles. The basic program of our minds is “seek pleasure, avoid pain”. In a world with a lot of pain, we naturally seek to avoid it through drinking, cancelling, avoiding, denying, killing, etc. All are, to different degrees, the same basic action of seeking to feel better/less pain. But we live in a world that involves pain. And unless we practice opening to and becoming comfortable with pain, we’ll be running forever, and the cycle of suffering will continue.
So why am I writing all of this? I guess it is ultimately, a call for love.
A call to look within and stop judging ourselves for our “negative thoughts” and instead recognize that they are not personal, they were given to you by life and through your conditioning, they belong to Life.
A call to feel your emotions, and gradually become more and more identified with the space in which they arise, which is your infinite and indestructible soul.
And a call to stop blaming the “bad others” whoever that might be for you. When we project badness and dehumanize another being, we are lost in the same delusion as those we condemn. This is the drama most humans are lost in, and it is difficult to break free from this primal and tribal habit. But as the Buddha said, there is a way.
Whether we pray or meditate, let us remember why we do it. For our own salvation and for the liberation of all beings.
Let us ask for strength, guidance, and support.
Let us sit quietly everyday and remember that we are not our thoughts.
Let us face the demons we have locked in the basement/unconscious of our minds, armed with the most powerful force in the Universe, Love.
“Inner disarmament first, then outer disarmament”
-The 14th Dalai Lama
Did you find this helpful? I’d love to hear from you!
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