No matter what is happening in your life, you are always fundamentally okay. Your True Nature is one of great peace, contentment, unconditional love, and complete freedom from all suffering. Nothing that happens in this life can take that away from you or change it in any way. It is only your conditioned thoughts that hide the direct experience of this from you. May this video help you remember.
The Moon Is Real
My teacher Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) is a very wise man. One year the monks and nuns had opened a new monastery in New Hampshire. It was the first monastery in the United States. New Hampshire gets very cold in the winter, especially compared to the Plum Village Monastery in France they had moved from. Most of the monks and nuns were from Vietnam. They had never seen snow. Nobody expected it to be so cold. They were unprepared. They didn’t have warm clothes.
Sister Annabel, the senior nun, was concerned they might not have enough money to pay for heat and food. She called Thay in a bit of a panic. He listened to her concerns and also the fear in her voice. Then he said simply, “Sister Annabel, put down the phone right now and go out and look at the moon.”
This is wisdom. Zen Masters have wisdom. They know what is real and what is not real. That is why they can always help us very much. Sister Annabel had fallen into the trap of believing her thoughts were real. Thoughts are never real. The moon is real.
Because Sister Annabel was a Zen nun, she could understand this simple and direct instruction. She knew how to look at the moon. Most of us when we look at the moon are only seeing our thought perceptions of the moon. We are really only looking at our thoughts. But Sister Annabel had been a Zen nun for many years. She knew how to really look at the moon. She knew how to be free of thoughts so she could really see the moon. It is only that in that moment she had forgotten. In that moment she believed her thoughts about the new monastery were real. That is why she was so worried. Thay simply reminded her of what is real and what is not. That was enough.
We also have many worries when we believe our thoughts are true. We may not always have a Zen Master around to remind us of what is real and what is not. But perhaps we don’t need one. Perhaps we can remind ourself. Perhaps we can be our own Zen Master. That’s all a true Zen Master ever wants for us. And there’s always the moon.
Pain – Meditation and Practice
Dealing With Pain – Guided Meditation and Practice
A powerful and effective guided meditation for dealing with pain. All bodies will experience pain at some point in their lives. Is it possible to have chronic pain and not suffer? Yes. Changing your attitude to pain changes your experience of pain.
Here’s a powerful yet simple practice that will help you do it. I was inspired to create this video for my son Noah, who just had hip surgery in India and is undergoing persistent pain during his recovery. This is a very effective practice I learned over years as a healer and someone with a human body.
It’s a practice and also a guided meditation so you can see how to do the practice. It’s very simple but it can be life changing. Since it is a practice, it gets better the more often you do it. If you have chronic pain, you have the best opportunity to do the practice. When you become proficient at it, it will change the way you deal with any pain for the rest of your life. It’s a whole new experience sitting in the dentist chair.
Your True Purpose
Your True Purpose
Many people want to know their purpose in this life. “Why was I born?” “What am I here for?” “What should I be doing?” and “What happens after I die?”
As teenagers we begin to wonder how we fit into the world. “Who am I?” “What role do I play?” “Where do I fit in?”
Later as adults we can feel frustrated with our jobs, our careers, our lives. We might feel that this is not my true purpose. This is not why I was born.
We cannot think our way into our True Purpose. We cannot figure it out. Figuring it out is what gets in the way of our True Purpose. It is why we’re frustrated and still seeking.
Look at a tree. Does it wonder what its purpose is? Does it question why it was born or if it’s doing the correct thing?
In Spring, flowers and leaves begin to bud. In Summer, it is lush and green. In Autumn, the leaves change color and drop to the ground. In Winter, it stands naked of all leaves and the energy goes inward like a monk.
All of this happens naturally without any questions, without any doubt, without any worries or concerns.
At one point this tree was just a tiny seed or nut. At another point it will be compost for new life to grow.
All of this happens without the tree worrying about its True Purpose. And yet in every moment its True Purpose is fulfilled completely.
And so it is with you. In every single moment your True Purpose is fulfilled completely. Only your thinking has confused you. In every moment you are always fulfilling your True Purpose. Just like the tree, from the moment of your birth you have been doing this. You cannot fail to do this.
It is only your thinking that has confused you. All of life is fulfilling its True Purpose in every moment. Your thinking has made you imagine that you are something separate from all of life, something special and independent. This is the cause of your confusion and your searching. You are not separate from all of life anymore than a tree or flower is. Not one and not two, not the same and not different, but not separate. You are life. Life is you.
In every moment you are always completely fulfilling your True Purpose. Sitting, standing and lying down, moving and remaining still, awake and asleep, in every moment this is your True Purpose. For a moment let go of your thoughts so you can realize this. It’s okay to relax and simply be. It’s okay to allow the mind to be quiet and still. How else can you know who you are? How else can you know your True Purpose?
Freedom from Thoughts = Freedom from Suffering
The reason I live free of thoughts is not because I no longer think, not because my brain no longer creates thoughts. It is because I completely understand what thoughts are. I experience thoughts as thoughts. I no longer mistake them for reality. And this is why I live free from thoughts. And freedom from thoughts is freedom from suffering.Freedom from Suffering
If any experience of suffering, no matter how subtle, should arise, I open to it fully without resistance. It always leads back to a thought. In doing this thousands of times over the years with myself and others, this has never failed to happen even once. Sometimes the thought is deeply repressed and unconscious, but without resistance to the feeling, it bubbles to the surface and is set free. It’s set free because it is always realized as just a thought and, once it is let go, all suffering immediately ceases.
Resistance to Truth
This is very important to know. I realize how resistant most of us are to accepting the truth of this. There is very strong conditioning to experience thoughts as more than thoughts, to experience thoughts as reality, as truth, or at least as “my truth”.
And there is great resistance to accept that ALL suffering comes only from these thoughts that are believed as truth.
It seems that most of us would rather continue suffering, no matter how bad that suffering is, than accept
- that thoughts are just thoughts, not reality, and
- that ALL suffering is created by these thoughts mistaken for reality.
Freedom from Chronic Pain
I have helped many people experience complete freedom from chronic pain that has gone on for over 20 years, not because I’m a great healer or have some special skills, techniques or practices, but simply by helping them reduce their attachment to certain thoughts. This freedom from pain would be complete and permanent if the conditioning to believe their thoughts was not so powerful that it arose again within a few days of seeing me or sooner. For some this does happen. But for most the addiction to and belief in their thoughts is too powerful, so pain returns again along with the belief in their thoughts. It takes practice for this to be complete. It’s almost never a one shot deal. It depends on motivation and readiness more than anything else.
There are many simple practices to help free us from our addiction to and belief in thoughts. Most spiritual practices are for this purpose in one way or another. Only in this way can we experience Truth. But we must be willing to do this.
Suffering
When our addiction is very strong, as it is in most people, we are not yet ready to surrender this addiction. We must hit bottom first. That is the reason for suffering. That is the gift of suffering. It helps us hit bottom. For most of us it is necessary to hit bottom before we are ready to give up such an entrenched and reinforced addiction. Society looks down on alcohol and drug addiction, but it completely supports addiction to thoughts. Without addiction to thoughts we could not be manipulated or controlled by others.
Just as it is possible for a drug addict or alcoholic to be free of their addiction, it is possible to be free of addiction to our thoughts. It begins by understanding what our thoughts really are, not truth, not reality, just a thought, a limited, abstract representation of truth. When we no longer believe our thoughts are truth or an accurate representation of reality, we are in a position to see them as they are. Just accepting this, we can let them go, let them be what they are, and no longer an obstacle preventing us from experiencing life as it really is.
There are many simple practices on this website to help free you from this addiction to thoughts. But the first step is recognizing that the addiction exists. That’s always the hardest step. As they say in Alcoholics Anonymous, “Denial is not just a river in Egypt.” If you ever experience suffering, no matter how subtle, hopefully you now know where to look for the true cause.
From Broken Heart to Love
We’ve all experienced a broken heart at some time in our lives.
Someone we love dies,
leaves us,
betrays us.
lies to us,
abuses us,
cheats on us.
There are many causes for this broken heart. We are left with suffering, pain in our heart and a deep longing for a more ideal life, a life where this person did none of those things.
A broken heart can continue for many years. It can prevent us from moving on with our life, finding a new and healthier relationship, not only with others but with ourself. It can distract and prevent us from finding True Love.
There is a simple practice that can immediately heal this broken heart and lead directly to the experience of True Love. To work, you must do this practice. Just knowing it is not enough. You must do it to see the amazing results.
Step 1
Please understand that a broken heart does not come from love. It has nothing to do with love. A broken heart comes from thoughts, illusion, and a fundamental misunderstanding of you, the person you love, and of love itself. If you can accept that this might be true, we can continue to the next steps where we actually put this fundamental understanding into direct practice. This entire website is full of opportunities to be free of thoughts that create suffering in your life and prevent you from living the vital, happy, and loving life that is your True Nature.
Step 2
You undoubtedly carry a picture of this person in your mind. For the purpose of this practice, you need a physical picture. If you no longer have one, see if you can find one on Facebook or other social media. If you don’t use social media, ask a mutual friend if you can borrow a picture. Choose the most ideal picture you can find. Choose a picture that immediately causes your heart to ache. Be brave. It’s well worth it. It’s easier if the picture only contains the image of your loved one. But it will work if others are in the picture. Your focus will be riveted on this person anyway. Once you have this picture or several pictures, you’re ready to begin.
Step 3
As you gaze on this picture, the pain in your heart may increase. Longing may increase. Many emotions will arise. Don’t turn away. Allow all these emotions to be exactly what they are in this moment. As you stay with them, you will notice how they change. Be with this experience. Realize that you are enough space to handle these emotions or any emotions without being overwhelmed or drowning in them. You can experience them fully. Allow whatever emotions arise to be in this space of you. There is much more here than these emotions. Be the space for these emotions to be whatever they are. This is the painful part of this practice. The more you allow the emotions to be without resisting them, the less painful it will be. You cannot be aware of illusion without being fully open to it.
Step 4
As you look deeply into this picture, as you deeply feel all the emotions that come up, realize that all these emotions come entirely from your thoughts about who you are, who the person in the picture is and your perceptions of whatever happened between the two of you. Realize that these are just thoughts. Accept the truth that these are just thoughts. They are not reality. They are not truth. To experience truth, to experience true love, you must let these thoughts go. Letting go means you no longer believe these thoughts are reality. You realize they are just thoughts. Just this realization and acceptance alone helps your attention fall away from them.
The truth is you do not know who you are. You do not know who the person in the picture is. You don’t have a clue. Nobody does. You are believing your thoughts and your belief in these thoughts as true are creating all this suffering you feel.
So right now, just for a moment, let these thoughts go. Continue looking at the picture, but let go of all thoughts that you know this person, that you know anything about this person and that you know anything about the one looking at this picture. Most of us are not used to doing a practice like this. We’ve believed our thoughts for so long. That’s why it’s a practice. The more you can let go of your thoughts, the more your broken heart will change to peace, love, and joy. The more you let go of your thoughts, the more your perception of the person in that picture will change. Where there was suffering, there will now be freedom, peace, happiness, and an unconditional love that includes all. That experience doesn’t take any thoughts or effort at all. It is the simple realization of truth.
This is the part that takes practice. And this is the part that shows the amazing results. I said this was a simple practice and it is. Understanding this practice is very simple. Doing this practice will take practice. All of our lives we have been conditioned and addicted to our thoughts. We believe our thoughts are reality. This not only causes suffering in our intimate relationships but in every aspect of our lives. Doing this practice will not only change heartbreak to love, it will free you from suffering in all aspects of your life.
Step 5
Repeat Step 4. Because of our lifetime of conditioning to believe our thoughts, we need to continue this practice and continue seeing the very tangible and obvious results. We have spent a lifetime being conditioned. It’s impractical to think that one experience of freedom is all we need. The addiction to belief in thoughts as reality will be triggered again and again and again. The difference is now we have a practice to counteract this. Now we have an understanding of what is really going on. The more diligent we are with this practice, the easier it will become. Eventually thoughts will no longer cause suffering at all. Eventually we will realize the freedom we’ve always had.
Thoughts are wonderful. They help us do many things. We could not communicate through language without thoughts. We would have no culture or identity. But thoughts are not an accurate representation of reality. They are an abstraction and limitation of what is really here. A single moment of freedom from belief in thoughts as reality shows us this. The world appears to change completely. We appear to change completely. The object of our affection seems to change completely. Everything appears to change completely. It is only the end of illusion and the realization of truth, what we call in spiritual terms Awakening. And Awakening is the end of all heartbreak and suffering.
Individual Sessions
Because this is a new practice and experience for most of us, it can help to have someone guide us through this in the beginning until it becomes more familiar. If you’re interested in having me guide you through this process, you can sign up for an individual session on my website: Individual Session
The Zen of Love
The Zen of Love – Discover Your Own Awakened Heart is a book about True Love. It will be helpful to read this book to have a deeper understanding of what love really is and what you’ve been missing. You can find out more about this book here: The Zen of Love
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