Nothing is Something

Great Sages and See'rs have said that when it comes to spirituality, enter whole-heartedly and with a clear mind. Many people approach things and expect a certain outcome or expect things to be a certain way, and are left disappointed when it doesn't meet their expectations. In reality, it was that expectation that took away from the happening. When you set an expectation, you form an attachment to what that should be; and being attached to things gives them unrealistic attributes. Buddha said:

 "Attachment arises from wrong conceptions, so know them as attachment's root. Avoid conceptualizations and attachment will not arise." 

So when you approach something with no illusions, you go in with nothing and

POOF!

something is there....


Buddha taught that this craving grows from ignorance of the self. Because we see ourselves as something separate from everything else, we go through life with false conceptions of how things should be. What I have learned is we are all One. I am no different from the homeless person on the street to the chicken in the barn. One of my favorite quotes says "If God wanted to hide, God would hide in people because it is the last place we would look." When we can give money to a beggar the same we would to our brother, we have learned Oneness. When we no longer see race, religion, sexual identity or education level, we have learned Oneness. Krishna said:

 "He alone sees truly who sees the Lord the same in every creature...seeing the same Lord everywhere, he does not harm himself or others." 

John the Baptist expected the Christ to be vengeful, angry- brining the fire! He told people to repent and get ready, and he was stunned to hear that Jesus was healing the sick and raising the dead. Matthew 11:4-6 says:

 "⁴And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵ the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. ⁶And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."

 John thought Jesus was off his rocker for this!  He thought Jesus was on the wrong agenda, but Jesus understood that people have expectations and they set themselves up for disappointment when they have their mind set on how people should be. Krishna even said in the Bhagavad Gita that you should "abandon all attachment to the results of actions."


When I was praying last night, I asked what was needed of me to move forward with all these goals and plans I had set up. Normally when I pray, the answer comes in the form of a whisper in my ear or even a spiritual being showing up to talk to me; but this time I got nothing. As I knelt there with my head bowed in reverence for 35 minutes, I didn't hear any reply. In that moment I realized that "nothing" was my answer. If I had started my prayer expecting a certain reply, I would have missed the subtleness of it all. Lao Tzu said to drop our expectations, discard our preconceived ideas, and abandon any method of knowing that might limit our horizons. When expectations are drooped, the mind expands, and reality expands along with the mind. This is what has allowed me to witness and experience miracles and blessings in my life.


I urge everyone for the rest of this year and next, to not set any expectations for how paved your road to spirituality should be. 2012 will bring many changes and none at all like people are predicting. But you don't want to get caught up in the hoopla of it all, and miss the true moments of it. When you go in with nothing, you will get something. 


May your mind be still, your heart be full and your life be abundant...


Namaste~